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CHAOS reigned supreme at most schools countrywide, with teachers battling to come to grips with the new education curriculum foisted on them by Education minister Lazarus Dokora, while some aspiring teachers were stranded at provincial education offices awaiting deployment to their respective work stations.

Progressive Teachers’ Union (PTUZ) president, Takavafira Zhou, yesterday took a swipe at the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for delaying the deployment of new teachers to their respective workstations ahead of the start of the new term.

This came as several aspiring teachers were seen milling around at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex in Bulawayo awaiting deployment.

Zhou challenged the CSC to allow the Primary and Secondary Education ministry to directly handle teacher deployments.

“If this CSC is recruiting now, when will teachers prepare their schemes of work? We have never seen CSC recruiting soldiers, so, in the same manner, they must leave the ministry to do the recruitment and deployments, so that they meet the required services of the ministry,” he said.

Zhou noted that thousands of teachers were needed at various schools across the country and “the fact that CSC is doing the recruitment now is a clear sign that the department is confused and is derailing progress in schools, which do not have teachers”.

Efforts to contact Matabeleland provincial education directors were fruitless, as their mobile phones went unanswered.

Some of those outside Mhlahlandlela, who spoke to Southern Eye said CSC officials only registered their names, before saying they will contact the aspiring teachers in due course.

“We have registered and we were told to go back home. Some said they were informed that the government has no money to hire new teachers,” one aspiring teacher said.

The latest development flies in the face of Dokora’s assurances last November that the government would recruit at least 7 000 teachers ahead of the start of the new term to improve the teacher-pupil ratio.

Meanwhile, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has rapped Dokora for fomenting chaos in the education sector by hastily introducing a new teaching curriculum without adequate preparations.

ARTUZ president, Obert Masarure, in a statement, said that the new curriculum does not only cause confusion, but is bound to fail due to learners’ inability to smoothly transit from the old curriculum.

“A snap survey conducted by ARTUZ revealed that 98% of sampled schools in rural areas were not ready and will not be ready to implement the new curriculum for the next week in better circumstances and forever in worst scenarios,” he said.

Masarure said teachers in the sampled schools revealed they had not schemed because they did not have the new curriculum.

“A teacher at one rural school in the Midlands said a workshop on the new format of scheming is being lined up for form three and one teachers. There is a lack of preparedness for the teachers to implement the new learning programme,” he said.

The union also expressed concern about the understaffing, saying it compromised the quality of teaching at schools particularly in science subjects.

“Integrated science teachers are now being forced to teach physics, biology and chemistry. Some teachers had also taken heed to the call of a go slow by ARTUZ,” Masarure said.

He also said most schools in rural areas have no electricity, laboratories and textbooks to enable them to teach compulsory computer programmes.

“In all this chaos, the government’s response was to deploy overzealous inspectors countrywide. The inspectors could not do much, as they realised that there was nothing to inspect. The schools were not ready to teach.” -Newsday

The CIO infested Post and Telecommunications authority (Potraz) has digi-bombed Zimbabwean villagers and other communities who were now accessing the internet through their cellphones.

Zimbabweans who cannot afford either computers or laptops, were now accessing the internet with many now communicating and catching up with their relatives across the world creating a healthy dynamic Zimbabwean community sharing ideas and updates. It also created side jobs and booming small to medium businesses with many starting venture innovations such as online auctions.

But that is now no more after Potraz moved to damage peoples’ access to social network websites Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.  Social network giant Facebook has since dropped on its Zimbabwe traffic in a first of firsts this year 2016, falling all the way behind the government publication, The Herald ‘s website.

Facebook at the beginning of the year ranked next only to Google, the Amazon company states. But now the world’s largest social networking company ranks at number 43 on website popularity (Zimbabwe demographics). This means that there are now less local Zimbabweans on the social networking website than before.

ZimEye computer experts have found the total number of Zimbabweans on the internet to be no more than 90,000 per day.

This is all because Potraz’s floor prices for voice and mobile data bundles proposed by Zimbabwean telecoms regulator, POTRAZ, have now been put into effect.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the country’s largest mobile network operator has been the first to make changes. It has adjusted its product lineup and unveiled a set of new tariffs for its bundles as well as the WhatsApp and Facebook bundles. As was anticipated the costs are pretty steep.

You can view the bundles by dialling *143# on Econet

With effect from the 11th of January 2017, the cheapest bundle of data (5 MB on a standard connection plus another 5 MB available on WiFi)now costs 50 cents.

$1 will get you 10 MB plus the bonus 10 MB on WiFi and the highest amount of data you can get (2.5 GB plus 2.5 GB bonus on WiFi) now costs $50.

Social Media bundles, that is the WhatsApp and Facebook bundles that have been the cheapest avenue for partial internet access have also gone up and from the looks of things are no longer pegged individually or as weekly or monthly offerings but are instead based on data usage.

The cheapest bundle is also set at 50 cents and it comes with 10 MB of data plus a 10 MB bonus. For $2.50 (which is close to what subscribers used to pay for month’s access) you’ll now get 80 MB plus an extra 80 MB on WiFi. (TechZim/ZimEye)

THE Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has defended its decision to increase data and voice call service charges despite fierce criticism from consumers.

The regulator has set new minimum floor prices at 12 cents on all voice calls and two cents on data services provided by the country’s mobile network providers — NetOne, Econet and Telecel.

The move has sparked outrage with consumers taking to social media to condemn the tariff increase, which they view as “unjustifiable” at a time when the economic conditions are hard on ordinary people.

Responding to emailed questions yesterday, Potraz director-general Dr Gift Machengete admitted that the telecoms regulator had not consulted subscribers in coming up with the new floor price regulation.

He, however, said all key decisions made by the authority were informed by the consultation of appropriate stakeholders and that the scope of consultation depended on the issue at hand.

“In the case of the floor prices, consultations were carried out with operators and did not involve subscribers,” said Dr Machengete.

“This was on account of the fact that the scope of the consultations mainly focused on the cost of service provision, which in our view did not warrant the involvement of subscribers.”
He said the mobile operators “had actually proposed floor prices ranging between $0,01 and $0,05 per megabyte. The floor price of $0,02 per megabyte was extrapolated using the 2014 Bottom-Up cost model results by factoring in the significant growth in data usage since 2013”.

Asked why the regulator would impose a tariff increase in a country that is already deemed costly in term of data charges, Dr Machengete said Zimbabwe being a landlocked country has no cable landing stations hence the high costs.
This, he said, meant that the country would have to access submarine cables through third party countries, which makes access to international bandwidth much more expensive.

“There are unavoidable differences in cost between landlocked and coastal countries. A difference should, therefore, be expected between coastal countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Mauritius and South Africa, and landlocked countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi,” said Dr Machengete.

“The wholesale pricing of international internet bandwidth is largely volumes driven. The higher the bandwidth capacity purchased, the lower the price as more volumes attract higher discounts. This is the reason why countries that have bigger populations like Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda have much lower prices for data compared to countries with lower populations such as Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.”

He said in Zimbabwe the cost of data was worsened by duplication of infrastructure and the dearth of the critical mass of data usage volumes to reduce the average cost of international internet connectivity.

“This is in view of the scale sensitive nature of the business model used by international bandwidth supplier,” said Dr Machengete.

He said Potraz was reviewing the cost models that were built in 2014 with a view to establishing the accurate cost of providing data services in Zimbabwe.

On the 5c per $1 health levy which Government proposed in the 2017 national budget starting this month, Potraz said it would consider the views of all stakeholders in coming up with the modalities of its implementation.

Potraz said everything was set for the implementation of the set floor prices and all operators have been informed of the decision. – State Media

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo | ZRP officers at Mashava Police Post are under probe for failing to open a docket to prosecute a haulage truck driver who is being investigated for smuggling goods into the country.

Sources at the police post told ZimEye.com yesterday that the three cops were being probed for sitting on the docket to prosecute the driver.

A female cop revealed to ZimEye.com the three officers were dragging their feet because they were allegedly given a $300 bribe to conceal the matter.

“The three officers are being probed because they were given $ 300 by the truck driver. They are deeply reluctant to open the docket fearing they will be exposed in the scam,” said the female cop.

She added:”The truck was driven to Balmain Mashava Supermarket where it was parked while the driver connived with the cops to conceal the matter. The transaction was processed via Ecocash to the officers.As a result a report was made to ZIMRA. CID officers have also been instructed to investigate the matter” A ZIMRA official, Shoperai Muonwa, said she would only respond to questions forwarded in writing.

Masvingo Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector, Charity Mazula, said she was unaware of the matter. “Nothing of that sort has been brought to my attention. I am not aware of the issue,” said Mazula.

Ray Nkosi | In a typical “practice what you preach” failure, a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) radio presenter Kanyemba Bhonzo, was on Sunday swept away into the waters of Mudzi river while attempting to cross the flooded river in a Toyota Land Cruiser.

According to the popular radio personnel and socialite, he was travelling from their rural home in his brother’s car when his brother attempted to drive through the flooded river over a narrow bridge where he missed the edges of the bridge resulting in the vehicle falling over into the heavy currents of the waters.

The two brothers were lucky to both come out of the ordeal alive and unhurt. Eye witnesses who recorded a video of the vehicle plunge into the waters claim that the brothers looked highly intoxicated and bottles of beer were retrieved from the vehicle after the ordeal.

The video of the vehicle being swept away in the river has gone viral on social media with members of the public strongly castigating the two for stupidly trying to cross the river where it was evident that the bridge was not visible.

The ZBC has been sending out continuous warnings on all its radio stations and television channel warning people against attempting to cross flooded rivers and Kanyemba himself has been involved in spreading the awareness message in his programmes on ZBC’s National FM.

Comment could not be obtained from the national traffic police where an officer who would not identify himself on the phone claiming that he was not allowed to speak to the media said that they had not received a report on the matter.

Terrence Mawawa, Insiza | A 29-year-old man committed suicide after brutally killing his friend following a dispute over beer.

Mandlenkosi Msipha (29) of Abley Farm in Fort Rixon murdered his friend Jealous Ngwenya (35) following a beer brawl. Matabeleland South Police Spokesperson, Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident.

“We received a report about a male adult who committed suicide after stabbing his friend.The incident happened when the two were involved in a heated argument as they were drinking beer,” said Ndebele.

He said the two were drinking beer at Shangangwe Business Centre in Fort Rixon last Sunday. As they were drinking , there was a heated argument after Ngwenya had indicated Msipha was drinking beer without making any contributions. The two began to exchange blows and as they were fighting, Msipha stabbed Ngwenya on the left side of the chest.

He immediately fled from the scene. Ngwenya was rushed to Gweru Provincial Hospital where he died upon admission, resultant out of fear of being charged with murder, Msipha committed suicide.

“Msipha’s body was found on Tuesday, two days after the incident had happened,”said Ndebele. He said it was crucial to resolve disputes through dialogue rather than exchanging blows. “It is always important to resolve disputes through dialogue. It is unfortunate to note that two lives were lost after a beer brawl.We also call for tolerance and self control when disputes arise.The two were excessively drunk resulting in a fatal incident,”he said.

A RUSAPE motorist has been granted about $5 000 compensation for damages caused to his vehicle after it was impounded at a police roadblock and got involved in an accident while being driven to the police station.

Simba Chikaka had claimed $6 960, as compensation in a lawsuit, where he cited Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo, Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri and Constable Titus Matava, who impounded and damaged the car along Rusape-Nyazura Road on November 1, 2015.

In his founding affidavit, Chikaka said he was driving his newly-imported vehicle, when he was stopped at a roadblock along Rusape-Nyazura Road on November 1, 2015.

He said Matava then demanded a $20 spot fine for failing to display temporary vehicle registration plates.

When Chikaka said he did not have the cash on him, Matava ordered him to move to the passenger seat, as the police officer got behind the wheel heading to the police station.

Along the way, Matava got involved in an accident and the vehicle was extensively damaged, while Chikaka sustained head, neck and hip injuries. – Newsday

So the question for Christian ethics is not, “Is masturbation sinful?” It’s, “What could possibly be wrong with it?”

Now, this is the best-case scenario we tend to believe about masturbation, though many times the habit becomes compulsive and tied up into the exploitative porn industry—which are compounding issues on their own.

But for masturbation itself? I approach the issue from two perspectives. First, I have my own experience: I’m an artsy, celibate convert; I’ve masturbated since childhood; and I’ve never been able to give up this habit for more than a couple months at a time. The other perspective comes out of my faith as a Roman Catholic. Catholic teaching offers what seems to be a compelling argument against masturbation, but ultimately my ethics are rooted in my relationship with Jesus and his bride, the church. No Christian is left alone with her reason and experience; she is also given the church, which nurtures us with Communion and teaches us to follow Jesus.

The significance of relationship—the way love, contact, kiss lie at the beating heart of Christian faith—anchors the argument that masturbation squanders our sexuality. Scripture is the great love story of God and humans, climaxing at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Christ is himself an image of union: justice and mercy (echoing the promises of Psalm 85:11), man and God. The doctrine of the Trinity teaches us that relationship, union with the Other, is part of the inner life of the One God.

In this sense, Christianity is an erotic religion, in that it compels our longing for and contact with the Other. Our bodies are gifts given to us by God, and we give them to him and to others. We are not meant to keep them for ourselves. The sexual union of lovers shows an image and prophecy of our union with God. Sex is to prayer as masturbation is to comforting self-justifications.

Masturbation is the use of sexual urges, and sexual ecstasy, for the self alone. (I’m here talking only about masturbation by yourself, not touching yourself as part of sex with your spouse.) Instead of our urge driving us to pour ourselves out for others—and to accept all the hard, weird, disappointing realities of sex and marriage—we seek to satisfy our urge on our own terms. Ecstasy becomes something we achieve by and for ourselves.

In Christian tradition, we are given two ways to accept and live out our sexuality. Both occur in the context of relationship. Marital sex places us in union and relationship in a fairly obvious way. Continence—refraining from all sex if you are unmarried, what a lot of people casually call “celibacy”—is the other. This is the way I try to live out.

In this form of sexuality, we may sublimate our sexual urges, transforming them into forms of love such as prayer, service to others, artistry, friendship. Or we may seek to sacrifice these urges, pouring them out over the feet of the Crucified. Either way, our sexuality is a gift we give to God and to those he places in our lives, both neighbor and stranger. It is not for ourselves. The ecstasy on the face of Bernini’s Teresa is the mark not of solitary pleasure but of contact with her Lord.

On an artistic level, sex serves as an image of encounter and reconciliation with the Other. Masturbation, by contrast, reflects our self-ownership at best, narcissism at worst. We are taught nowadays to think of our bodies in terms of use, not in terms of iconography; we are taught to think anti-poetically. Only artists still maintain that the body has meaning.

The ballet-horror movie Black Swan captured this poetic meaning of the body brilliantly. A ballerina escapes her anguished reality in lustful fantasy and masturbation, where she can achieve orgasm—attaining ecstatic release without ever giving up control. A more sympathetic portrayal comes in the recent movie The Babadook, where an overwhelmed, widowed mother is about to use her vibrator to fall asleep when she’s interrupted by her son. Here, the movie’s use of masturbation is more ambiguous; the scene underscores the woman’s loneliness and exhaustion. But the overall arc of the film is about the widow’s attempt to avoid the grieving she must do. Masturbation, then, is a part of her attempt to escape the life she has been given.

An Anglican priest at St Annes Parish in Pumula South suburb, Bulawayo, yesterday appeared in court for violating a peace order not to physically and verbally abuse his wife.

Father Climax Dewa (65) was dragged to court by his wife Mrs Doris Dewa after he allegedly threatened to axe her.

Mrs Dewa (38) applied for a peace order against her husband accusing him of physically, emotionally and psychologically abusing her and was granted the order in April last year.

Yesterday, father Dewa appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Ms Nyaradzo Ringisai charged with violating a protection order.

The court heard that at one time the priest told his wife that she was a gold digger and used unprintable words to insult her.

Father Dewa told the magistrate that his wife was disrespectful and was denying him his conjugal rights.

“She’s disrespectful and has become the new man in my house. She no longer treats me as her husband as was the case before,” said the priest.

He said he was not insulting her but was telling her what she was.

“I was telling her, merely calling a spade a spade. I only told her what she is and I stand by that,” he said.

The magistrate warned and cautioned father Dewa and advised the couple to seek counselling.

Prosecuting, Mr Tony Kamdyariwa said father Dewa violated a court order by physically and emotionally abusing his wife.

“On January 5 this year at around 1AM, the accused person and the complainant were in their matrimonial bedroom when the accused person started insulting the complainant. He said he does not stay with a gold digger. The accused person later threatened to axe the complainant. He failed to abide by the terms of the protection order which prohibits him from insulting the complainant who happens to be his wife,” said the prosecutor.

Testifying in court, Mrs Dewa said: “He chased me out of our house and told me never to come back from work. I left him sleeping at home at around 7AM. I am now scared of going back home.”

Mrs Dewa reported the matter to the police leading to her husband’s arrest. – State Media

Watch interview as MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai speaks on coalition with Joice Mujuru and also that he does not plan to step down, the struggle has not been concluded.

ANOTHER former National Social Security Authority boss Shadreck Vera yesterday appeared in court charged with fraud after he allegedly misled the pension fund into buying a property at a price inflated by $8 million.

Vera (46), who was the investment director at NSSA, appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Rumbidzai Mugwagwa.

He is facing fraud charges or alternatively criminal abuse of office as a public officer and was remanded to February 10 on $500 bail.

He was ordered to surrender his passport, report every Friday at CID Commercial Crimes and not to interfere with police investigations as part of his bail conditions.

Vera is represented by Mr Mazhindu Mutizirwa.

The court heard that Vera was a member of the NSSA board’s investments committee.

His accomplice, James Matiza, was the chairperson of the management investments committee.

Matiza has already appeared in court on similar charges.

In September 2014, NSSA secured stand No 19280 Celestial Park in Borrowdale, Harare, from Matay-Kingdom (Pvt) Ltd.

The court heard that before NSSA could buy the property, Vera, Matiza and properties manager, Patrick Chiduza, were expected to look for property valuators to establish its market value.

This was to enable NSSA to use a benchmark for price bargaining.

Chiduza is reportedly on the run.

Prosecuting, Ms Audrey Chogumaira alleged that NSSA obtained three valuation reports from Bard Real Estate which came up with a gross replacement cost of $29 million, forced value of $18 million and a market value of $24 million.

CB Richards Ellis came up with gross replacement costs of $24,354 million, forced value not given and a market value of $25,6 million.

Green Plan (Pvt) Ltd did not provide gross replacement value but a market price of $36 million.

The court heard that the three reports were to be presented to the board for adjustments before an agreement of sale was entered.

It is alleged that out of the three reports, Bard Real Estate was the most favourable and would give NSSA bargaining power.

Vera, Matiza and Chiduza allegedly concealed the Bard Real Estate report and referred the board valuations by CB Richard Ellis and Green Plan.

The court heard that the two reports were not costs effective and the board chose Green Plan.

It is alleged that by so doing the trio misrepresented to NSSA that the property was worth $36,5 million yet they knew that it was worth $24 million.

The property was eventually bought for $32 million after price bargaining, prejudicing NSSA of $8 million.

The corrupt activity was inconsistent with Vera’s duties as a public officer, the court heard.

The matter came to light on October 24 last year following an audit. – State Media

BMW has lost its crown as the world’s biggest luxury-car brand to Mercedes-Benz, ending its reign after more than a decade amid a cluttered line up of aging models.

The Munich-based manufacturer sold 80 000 fewer cars in 2016 than the Daimler AG brand, which drew younger buyers with sporty redesigns and a bigger array of increasingly popular SUVs.

A rebound for BMW will be hampered by challenges that range from slowing auto demand in Europe to the threat of trade barriers in the UK and North America.

BMW’s global deliveries rose 5.2 percent in 2016 to two million cars, growing at less than half the 11.3 percent rate, which lifted deliveries at Mercedes to 2.08 million.

Third-placed peer Audi sold 1.87 million cars in 2016, 3.8 percent more than a year earlier. Mercedes had lagged behind the BMW AG marque since 2005 and temporarily dropped below Audi to third place before a revamped SUV line up drove a strong comeback in recent years.

Sales will expand in the low single digits in 2017, BMW’s sales chief Ian Robertson said at the Detroit auto show on Monday. Headwinds this year include weaker demand in the UK amid preparations for Brexit, and slowing growth in China, he said.

While BMW chief executive officer Harald Krueger says he’s more focused on profitability than on sales, he needs funds to cover rising investments in electric cars and self-driving features.

All three German luxury-car makers face that challenge — along with increased competition from expansions by smaller rivals such Jaguar, Volvo and Alfa Romeo, and from new entrants such as Tesla Motors Inc.

BMW is particularly vulnerable because it does not have the deep pockets of a large parent to fall back on. Climbing research and development spending has pushed BMW profitability lower, with the ongoing revamp of its line up also weighing on its earnings. — Bloomberg

A 28-YEAR OLD Bulawayo man allegedly raped his wife in a bush and then stabbed her after threatening to commit suicide.

He later rushed to the police station to report a false robbery.

A court heard that the man from Sizinda suburb drew a knife and stabbed his 19-year-old wife three times as they were walking home at around 11PM along Plumtree Road near Bellevue suburb last Thursday.

The suspect, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim pleaded not guilty to rape, attempted murder and supplying false information to the police when he appeared before Bulawayo Provincial Magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya.

“Your Worship I was very drunk on the night. I don’t remember well what really happened or what I did,” he said.

The magistrate remanded him in custody to January 26 for trial.

For the State, Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo said last Thursday, the man attacked his wife as they were walking home from town and rushed to the police to make a false robbery report.

“Accused and complainant failed to get transport at the time of the night so they walked home. Accused suddenly dragged complainant into a nearby bushy area and demanded sex. He tore complainant’s clothes and raped her once,” he said.

“Accused told complainant he wanted to kill her then kill himself. He stabbed her twice in the head and once on the abdomen.

“He then went to Donnington Police Station to report that his wife had been attacked by robbers. Complainant told the police that it was infact the accused who had raped and stabbed her leading to his arrest.” – State Media

LOCAL rapper Stunner, real name Desmond Chideme, yesterday broke his silence, confessing to cheating on his wife Olinda whom he confirmed to be his “blesser” who buys him expensive cars and clothes.

In an exclusive interview with radio personality Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa on Facebook Live, the Dhaf korera hit maker, who broke down several times, also admitted to texting his ex-flame Pokello Nare.

A teary Stunner further claimed that Zimbabweans hate him but want to be involved in his personal life.

“On the real, people should just get out of my life . . . that’s what I want. I just want to do music, that’s all I’ve been doing. I don’t know why people hate me, I don’t eat at anyone’s house and I’ve never asked for anything. But Zimbabweans hate me and I know that for a fact,” he said.

It was the first time Stunner opened up on his relationship with his wife after last week’s drama which has earned them the moniker, “Keeping up with the Chidemes”.

Olinda took to Facebook Live to pour her heart out on her troubles with her husband’s alleged wondering eye.

She said the artiste cheats on her with teenagers and claimed that everything Stunner owns, including cars and clothes, were a result of her hard work.

Stunner, using the same platform, yesterday said he agreed to do the interview to set the record straight.

He confirmed cheating on Olinda but refused to shed light on the mysterious damsel he cheated with, saying he owes no one but his wife an explanation.

“I’m not here to say I’m correct. I’m here to say that yes what she said was true. I had a slight lack of common sense and I made a mistake. Yes I cheated and I’m not here to justify it, that it’s because I’m a man,” said Stunner.

“The two spoke to each other and they exchanged words and I’m happy that happened. But I’m here to say I cheated and I’m wrong.

“I don’t owe any explanation as to why I did it to the public, the only person I owe that to is my wife. By telling people out there it’ll look like I’m trying to find an excuse or a way out, but I’m not looking for that.”

Stunner rubbished his wife’s claims that everything he owned was due to her hard work saying he had a life before he met her.

“I’ve known my wife for close to a year. So people can’t think she has been buying all my clothes and some of the cars for less than a year. It’s just my wife’s reaction as she was angry and it’s fine,” he said.

Asked why he was still texting his ex-girlfriend Pokello whom he featured with in a steamy sex tape, Stunner said they have a normal relationship.

“I still speak to Pokello, she’s married, I’m married and we’re cool like that. It’s not one of those relationships where I say good morning or what, it’s just normal. I text her and even her husband (Elikem),” said Stunner.

On whether he and Olinda are still together, Stunner said a lot of people have been speculating about his marriage yet they have no idea what’s going on.

“We woke up in the same bed. How else can you be with somebody if you woke up in the same bed and sheets? People have been saying a lot and it’s unfortunate that there’s a huge public eye that wants to blow things out of proportion and those who really think without the wife he’s going to be nothing,” he said.

In all this, Stunner had advice for married men who have wives who are earning more than them.

“I encourage people to love their wives even if they’re earning more than you. Even if after this interview something happens next week and she says she no longer wants to be with me then that will be that. So I’ll go back home and cook because I don’t think she has mellowed enough to cook for me at this juncture,” he said. – State Media

FIVE people died on the spot while seven others sustained injuries when a truck they were travelling in collided head-on with a Munenzwa Bus at the 196km peg along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road.

In a statement, National Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said the accident occurred on Sunday at around 2.50AM near Bubi.

She said the Munenzwa bus was going towards Beitbridge from Masvingo with 55 passengers while a Kia truck it collided with was heading to Masvingo with 11 passengers on board.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said all those who died, including the driver, were in the truck.

All the people in the Munenzwa bus escaped unharmed.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said the injured passengers were rushed to Neshuro District Hospital while bodies of the deceased were taken to the same hospital’s mortuary.

The condition of the injured passengers could not be ascertained last night.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm the death of five people in a road traffic accident which occurred at the 196km peg along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road on January 8 at around 2:50AM,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.

“On approaching 196km peg, the bus driver attempted to overtake in front of oncoming traffic resulting in a head-on collision with a Kia truck. The Kia truck had 11 passengers on board. Five people from the truck including the driver died on the spot while the other 11 from the same vehicle were injured. Those in the Munenzwa Volvo bus escaped unhurt.”

She urged motorists to avoid overtaking on portions of the road which do not allow them to do so.

“They should take note that it is also dangerous to overtake at night when visibility is mostly affected. Police are also encouraging and appealing to motorists to plan journeys and where possible avoid travelling at night,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba. – State Media

SOUTH African Police Services (Saps) yesterday said they had rescued six suspected Zimbabwean border jumpers, including three minors, and recovered two male bodies from the Limpopo River near the Beitbridge Border Post.

Saps Limpopo provincial police spokesman, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said a combined team of the Saps Limpopo search and rescue unit and other emergency and response services in the province were behind the operation, which retrieved the bodies last week.

Those rescued are two women, a man and three children aged between six and 10 picked a few kilometres downstream of the border post, Saps said yesterday.

The remains of the two men were recovered at around the same area known to be frequented by border jumpers.

TWO family members from Chivhu were fatally struck by a bolt of lightning two weeks ago soon after disembarking from a local bus.

Although Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Nobert Muzondo was unreachable for comment yesterday, sources at the provincial police headquarters said the incident occurred on December 24.

They identified the deceased as Georgina Sigudhu (32) and Orlens Nyabadza (age not given), of Chirume Village, under Chief Mutekedza.

Sources said the two were struck by a bolt of lightning and died on the spot as they walked home.

Officers from Masasa Police Station later attended the scene and took the corpses to Chivhu Hospital for post-mortem. – Newsday

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure as acting President has ended and this time round he goes with many remembering him for his controversial ‘Boss’ mug, including a plethora of other political mishaps that could have been avoided.

The state media reports that, Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko has with effect from today assumed the capacity of Acting President until the end of the month, when President Mugabe returns from his traditional annual leave.

Mphoko is taking over from his counterpart, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had been acting in the same capacity from the time President Mugabe commenced his annual leave in December last year.

“Honourable Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko assumes the capacity of Acting President from tomorrow (today) 10th January, 2017, in the absence of His Excellency the President R.G Mugabe, who is still on his traditional annual leave,” said Mr Charamba.

“Vice President Mphoko will act up to the end of this month when His Excellency the President is expected back in the Office.” – State Media

Patrick Guramatunhu | There is one thing we can say with certainty about the 21 January 2017 Bikita West by-election – Zanu PF did not roll out its vote rigging juggernaut. The party did not deploy NIVUK to corrupt the by-election voters roll, for example. In the 2013 national elections, the Israeli company’s handwork disenfranchised nearly one million, mainly  opposition voters whilst hiding the multiple voting of Zanu PF supporters bussed from one polling station to the next. The number of polling station was increase from 2 000 to a staggering 9 000 just two days before voting day!

The Zanu PF candidate in the Bikita West by-elections does not have the cash to spend on a vote buying spree as did party heavy-weights like Professor Jonathan Moyo. In the Tsholotsho by-election the later splashed $500 000, looted from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef), buying bicycles and motorbikes for community leaders in the constituency. The Professor was in trouble for corrupt but the case was dropped after Minister Chombo, speaking on behalf of President Mugabe, said spending government money on Zanu PF business was not corruption.

When the going gets tough, Zanu PF has always resorted to the use of violence, especially in the rural areas where the party thugs run riot with impunity. Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister, Shuvai Mahofa, has reminded the opposition and Bikita West voters that Zanu PF will punish them if they do not vote wisely.

“Muno, munonetsa kutamba namo. Ukada kutamba nemadh**** pasina mvura unoshaiwa pekumagezera,” Minister Mahofa threatened. (Here (Masvingo Province) one must be very careful or they will get into serious trouble.)

Still, whatever Zanu PF has been doing in Bikita West by-election so far is not even a foretaste of what the party will do come the national elections when all the parliamentary and senatorial seats and the presidency will be up for grabs. Zanu PF will roll out its vote rigging juggernaut and then, Lord have mercy! Or as one would say in Shona, “Vane vana, sudurukai!” (Those with children, get out of the way!)

It is therefore laughable that Mai Mujuru and her Zim PF, the main challenger in the Bikita West by-election, should be panicking after hearing Minister Mahofa and are begging for MDC-T support.

“If all goes well, Save (Tsvangirai) will join Mai Mujuru when he returns from Ghana at a joint rally, on the 14th, in Bikita. We expect the president (Mujuru) and Save to share the podium as we prepare to take Zanu-PF to the cleaners come the 21st (January),” a Zim PF official told Daily News.

“In the process, the rally will also send a message to all who are doubting the prospects of an opposition coalition that we are not about to ignore the national sentiment that we should unite.”

SADC advised MDC not to take part in the 2013 election without implementing the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. Sadly, Tsvangirai and his MDC friends paid no heed to the advice and we all know what happened – Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig the elections landing the nation in the mess we are in today.

Since the rigged July 2013 elections, nothing has changed, not even one reform has been implemented, and thus the SADC’s advice not to take party in the elections is valid for the 2018 elections as it was for the 2013 elections.

All this talk of presenting the opposition uniting to form the grand coalition as the panacea to counter the failure to implement democratic reforms is nonsense. How will the coalition stop NIKUV corrupting the voters roll or the plundering of diamond wealth going on right now!

Zanu PF has corrupted all the key state institutions such as the Public Media, Police, CIO, Army, Judiciary and ZEC, they now serve the regime’s selfish political interest instead of public national interests. The regime has unfettered access to the nation’s resources and wealth and thus can bribe officials and buy specialist services such as those of NIKUV.

Millions of ordinary Zimbabweans are out of work and living in abject poverty, the need for meaningful economic recovery is now a matter of life and death. There is no chance of any meaningful economic recovery without a meaningful political change. The need for free, fair and credible elections is now a matter of life and death and not to be left in the hands of political day-dreams like Mujuru and Tsvangirai and their utterly useless opposition coalitions!

A Total service station along Simon Mazorodze Road in Harare faces closure if it fails to comply with a directive from the City of Harare to refurbish the drainage system within its vicinity.

This follows the flooding of homes in Mbare that saw residents losing property worth thousands of dollars.

Acting Town Clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said the drainage should be refurbished within two weeks, to ensure that Mbare residents did not continue to lose property due to flood- ing.

Speaking during a tour of Mbare residential area, Mrs Ncube said residents along Mbirimi and Dumbutshena streets said flooding woes would persist if the drainage system was not refurbished.

“We have advised Total Service Station to make sure that the draining system is put in place,” she said.

“We are going to give them a timeframe, and we will consider closing the garage if they do not comply.

“The engineers have engaged them and have told them what needs to be done. In my own view, the correction of the drainage system should not take more than two weeks.”

The directive comes barely a few days following reports that a section of the Mbare Sunshine Bazaar Mall might be demolished to improve the drainage system, which had caused the blockage of some drainage pipes.

Mrs Ncube said the city had set up a special task force in the Department of Works to look at all construction taking place, to ensure that drainage pipes are not interfered with.

“The task force comprising engineers will look at all the major buildings coming up, and making sure that all the building structures taking place are according to plan, and that there is no interference with the drainage system,” she said.

“The problem has manifested itself in Mbare and we do not want to be reactive.”

“In all other suburbs, we are ensuring that our drains are clear. People are littering a lot which is blocking the drainage system. We are de-blocking the drains to make sure that when floods come, the water has got a free flow.”

Mrs Ncube said she was happy with the progress of re-alignment of pipes in Mbare and was confident that within a week the construction could be com- pleted. – State Media

It seems all is not well for musician Jah Prayzah following reports that he begged his former guitarist Braveman Chizvino to perform at his show on Sunday. Jah Prayzah staged his first show since the resignation of Chizvino, popularly known as Baba Harare, and had not found a replacement.

To save himself from embarrassment, the 3rd Generation Band leader had to persuade Baba Harare to join him, The Herald Entertainment is reliably informed.

Jah Prayzah had to go on stage while his band was only playing instruments, a different situation to when the former Gift Amuli guitarist was still with the 3rd Generation.

Baba Harare used to lend his vocals singing renditions of old Jah Prayzah songs before the main act came on stage.

The close to 30 minutes sound check of just instruments seemed to dampen the mood of merrymakers.

A seemingly desperate Jah Prayzah came on stage and there was no one on the lead guitar.

A few minutes later Baba Harare or simply Bravo arrived at the venue making a grand entrance to save what promised to be a disaster.

He was received with wild cheers as if he is the main man and after his arrival it was business as usual.

“They phoned him (Baba Harare) to attend this show. They begged him and had terms they agreed on,” said an insider who commented on condition of anonymity.

The insider said Jah Prayzah had to use his longtime confidante Lloyd Kurima, popularly known as Mabla 10, to persuade Baba Harare to show up.

This publication was informed that Jah Prayzah last week had been conducting auditions at his Belvedere offices to find a replacement.

He is, however, not impressed by any of the trialists thus far. His management is also panicking and they had to cancel a press conference which was scheduled for yesterday.

When Baba Harare took his guitar, he took fans down memory lane performing a number of songs from Jah Prayzah’s early days such as “Taura”, “Nyaya Yerudo” among others.

It was after a number of songs that Jah Prayzah broke the news of the resignation of one of his key band members to his fans that had come initially to see for themselves if Baba Harare was indeed leaving the Third Generation Band.

“I have news for you masoja, I don’t know how you are going to take it. On January 26 we will be launching an album raBaba Harare meaning this is going to be your last time to see him performing with us,” he said before people started singing the popular “Baba Harare Musadaro” chorus begging him not to leave the band.

Last week Baba Harare handed his resignation letter which was followed by a closed door meeting with Jah Prayzah and his management team.

Baba Harare announced that he had officially resigned from the Third Generation band to embark on his solo career last Friday.

“We have finalised my departure from the band and in the event that we need each other, we are people, we can always communicate,” said Baba Harare.

Meanwhile, Jah Prayzah through his manager Keen Mushapaidze expressed his disapproval saying they were pained by Baba Harare’s move and wished he would continue to be part of the team.

“This is something which has pained us, we have accepted that the man is starting his new career and we will have a press conference to address what the future holds for the band without Baba Harare,” Mushapaidze said.

However, it is widely speculated that the band members are not happy with the prevailing conditions within the Third Generation band which is prompting them to leave.

Close sources revealed that band members had not been paid their salaries since November with only part of the salaries coming recently.

Jah Prayzah is said to have been giving excuses saying they were still trying to cover for the “Watora Mari” video expenses.

Insiders also say that since Mushapaidze became the manager, he is investing more on videos as compared to the welfare of the band members.

“Jah is now forgetting the others while he’s feeding into his career and personal expenses at the expense of the band,” said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Other sources say that the departure of Baba Harare will prompt four other members to leave who are also despondent over the current working conditions within the Third Generation Band.

The band members are also not happy with the so called JP Entourage which comprise of Jah Prayzah, his manager Keen Mushapaidze, Nigel Mushapaidze and Simbarashe Mhungu.

The quartet is said to be enjoying the fruits of the band at the expense of band members. It is also said Keen’s lifestyle has vastly changed since he became the boss. – State Media

Rapper Desmond “Stunner” Chideme and his wife Olinda Chapel on Thursday night shocked people by their public spate, which apparently now seems to have been a publicity stunt.

Olinda took to Facebook to accuse Stunner of cheating on her with an 18-year-old named Deon, chatting with his ex-girlfriend Pokello Nare and a lot of other things.

Basically, she accused him of being a gold digger whose lifestyle she sponsors from the cars, alcohol, a roof over his head, paying his child’s school fees and other things.

But by midnight after social media had gone into frenzy sympathising with Olinda and cursing Stunner, the two were back together again.

Apparently, they kissed and made up, ultimately making a fool out of everyone.

Olinda poured her heart out on social media and Stunner sent an audio clip dismissing Olinda as a cougar.

“Inini vasikana vakadai handitombode. Type inoda attention. (I don’t like these types of women who love attention),” he said.

“I once had a girl like this who wanted attention but she would buy alcohol. That woman is saying Stunner is my husband she is old, she should also look for older men who are tired,” he said.

Stunner took to Snapchat to show off his getting back together with his wife.

“I have been hearing about this story since afternoon, by the way I can see all the messages you’re sending my wife,” he said, showing his wife’s phone.

He took the opportunity to poke rival Mudiwa who had posted on Facebook sympathising with Olinda.

“Babe kana pane zuva rawafadza Mudiwa ndinhasi, chabva chakangangwa kuti I’m slaying and praying. (You have made Mudiwa happy),” he said while he showed his wife sitting next to him.

In typical Stunner style, he went through his closet making fun out of all the issues, “Let me look for my track bottom, the clothes you were telling everyone that you buy me.”

They then posted another video while they were in a food court; “In the meantime, I’m buying food with my wife.”

Yesterday morning, Olinda took to Facebook to apologise to Stunner.

“It is with a heavy heart I need to apologise to my husband. After spending the whole night talking things through and going through ‘evidence’, I was mistaken.

“I had one of his very close friends approach me and feed me the wrong information that seemed to have coincidental evidence. It truly seemed like he was in the wrong but he wasn’t, hence why he found the whole thing funny.”

She said her behaviour is not that of a married woman.

“As a woman akaroorwa, (married) I’d like to apologise for the things I said yesterday. The day we got married, it was no longer mine but ours. I should know better. I hope he forgives me. But true lesson learnt is that friends come in sheep’s clothing. Des and I are now working on our marriage and we hope God sees us through. I am sorry to everyone who had their time and emotions wasted. I overreacted, it wasn’t a publicity stunt but a woman who acted as judge, jury and prosecutor and just wanted to hurt him the way I felt hurt.

“And him being the man that he is, he came home still laughing drinking his Moet and snap chatting my angry face. Des murume wangu, I am sorry and you are right. I should be banned off social media,” Olinda said. – Daily News

IJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China is willing to encourage capable companies to invest in Zimbabwe and expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Xi told Mugabe that China appreciates the African country’s firm support for China on issues related to its core interests and major concerns.

China will continue to back Zimbabwe in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as support the development path chosen by the Zimbabwean people, said Xi.

In December 2015, Xi paid a state visit to Zimbabwe and attended a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg, South Africa, in which he announced a series of plans to enhance China-Africa cooperation.

The outcomes of the summit and the consensus between him and Mugabe on lifting ties are being actively implemented, Xi said, noting the two countries have cooperated in infrastructure, agriculture and other fields.

Recalling Xi’s state visit and the successful Johannesburg summit, Mugabe said African countries are actively pushing forward the smooth implementation of the major cooperation plans initiated by Xi at the summit.

Zimbabwe is ready to deepen collaboration with China in infrastructure, agriculture and other areas, he said.

Shamiso Joylene Mtandwa | Villagers and community leaders from Matobo District are up in arms against plans to host this year’s 21st February movement in the district, in celebration of President Robert Mugabe’s birthday.

According to ZimEye sources in the district, senior members of the community met last week and resolved to make presentations to ZANU PF authorities in Matabeleland South asking that the event be moved from the district “due to ongoing land conflicts with government and unresolved Gukurahundi issues” in the area. Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has also been fingered in the land conflict.

The sources say communication to the effect was made to the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in the province, Abednico Ncube, who is also the Minister for Rural Development and Preservation of culture.

According to the sources who insisted on not being identified in the media, Minister Ncube shot down the presentation from the villagers which has led to the villagers vowing to take the issue into their own hands.

“Since the Minister has refused to listen to our delegation, we will then fight in our own way to the last measure to make sure that this event does not take place in our district,” said one of the sources.

Villagers in the district have been experiencing mass evictions from their traditional villages in the district to make way for government planned land programmes. Over 55 families from four villages in the area are currently involved in a serious land rift with government where they have been evicted from about 500 hectares of land to make way for an expansion of a government farm under the Agricultural Rural Development Authority ARDA.

Across the district a senior Central Intelligence Officer (CIO) is in the courts fighting to evict a local white commercial farmer and villagers in Maleme Village, in a bid to take over their land for himself. In both incidents villagers have ended up being arrested for resisting the evictions.

The proposed venue in the Matopos National Park is a few kilometers away from the country’s most sacred Gukurahundi atrocities killings site at Bhalagwe where thousands of people were butchered by the ZANU PF linked Fifth Brigade force and thrown down the disused mine.

The villagers feel that the presence of ZANU PF within the periphery of the site to celebrate Mugabe’s birthday and life will be an insult to spirits of the dead who to date, thirty years later, have not been appeased and also to the people of the area who accuse Mugabe of being the chief architect of Gukurahundi.

“This will be the biggest disrespect that ZANU PF can do to us as people of Matobo coming to celebrate Mugabe’s life a few kilometers away from the people he wantonly murdered and has refused to accept responsibility for their killings,” vowed the elderly source.

The proposed venue also lies a few kilometers from the area’s trusted spirit medium site of Njelele which most of Matabeleland visit when the region is under spiritual attack. The villagers claim that they have presented their complaints on the land grabs to the mediums at Njelele and it will not be easy for ZANU PF to hold the function in the area since the spirits are angry at the ruling party.

In a related incident which sources claim is part of their resistance, ZANU PF Chairman for Matabeleland South province Rapelani Chione was on Friday involved in a mysterious road accident while on his way from Beitbridge to Matobo to inspect the proposed venue for the event.

“It will not be easy for them to come to Matobo and this accident must be taken as warning shots to them. Worst things are bound to happen if they insist on coming here against the wishes of the people and the ancestors,” said the superstitious source.

No comment could be obtained from senior ZANU PF authorities in the province on the issue. However, ZANU PF Provincial youth secretary Emmanuel Ncube who is Minister Ncube’s son showered praises to the 21st February movement organisers for choosing Matobo to be the venue of the event which celebrates President Robert Mugabe’s birthday claiming it to be the best possible venue.

No suitcase; No driver’s license; but I own half of Olinda’s wealth – Stunner

No suitcase; No driver’s license; but I own half of Olinda’s wealth – Stunner

Stunner has said that he owns half of Olinda’s entire wealth.

Speaking to journo Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa Monday afternoon, Desmond Chideme said people should ignore Olinda Chapel’s statements that she purchased the phone he is using, because at the end of the day he owns half of Olinda’s wealth through his traditional marriage, SEE VIDEO.

But legal experts rubbish Stunner. Top lawyer Miriam Majome says, there is no such thing as the so called 50-50 marriage law in Zimbabwe. Marrying your way into money in this country is not as easy as you may think. The law changed to the present situation in 1929.

Common myths surrounding marriage laws Part 1
A legal article by Ms. Miriam Tose Majome| Now where do we even begin with all those myths that fly around about marriage laws in Zimbabwe? Let’s deal with just three common ones:

Myth One. A civil marriage means that a married couple has to share all their property equally- the so called 50-50 principle.

Myth two: Entering into a pre-nuptial contract is the cleverest thing to do in order to safe guard your property from your greedy soon to be ex.

Myth Three which is my favourite: Chapter 5:11 (formerly Chapter 37) of the Marriage Act is the leading cause of death among healthy able bodied married men in this country. The mere act of wedding and signing the civil marriage register increases the ordinary man’s chances of dying mysteriously. There are no prizes for guessing at whose hands and why but his wealthy widow is soon spotted wining and dining away the inherited money and enjoying the house which he left with her relatives and of course her lovers.

Fact One. Marriage in Zimbabwe is out of community of property meaning no sharing

There is no such thing as the so called 50-50 marriage law in Zimbabwe. Marrying your way into money in this country is not as easy as you may think. The law changed to the present situation in 1929. An out of community of property marriage means that a couple does not own property together simply because they are married to each other. A husband or a wife can own property exclusively in his or her own name without sharing it or having to divide it with the other spouse. The same applies to debts and other legal acts that have consequences. A husband is not legally obliged to assume and pay his wife’s debts unless he had guaranteed the debt beforehand just like any other person. If the Mrs falls into legal troubles she has to face the music on her own and vice versa. There is no obligation for a spouse to be joined to their spouse’s legal matters. In our law everyone above 18 whether male or female is an adult and is deemed capable of handling their own affairs and is responsible for all the consequences. Our law unlike religious or traditional cultural laws and norms a wife is not under the control of her husband. Saudi Arabian, religious and cultural laws do not apply in our statutes. Married women just as their husbands can freely enter into their own contracts, sell their own property, enter into business deals, sue or be sued without their husbands’ permission.

But we were advised to share everything to be happy …

Yes indeed you may but that is just how the law is as far as movable and immovable property is concerned. Sharing property equally or sharing it at all is not at all automatic in a Zimbabwean marriage. You own and will continue to own what you brought in and will bring into the marriage during its subsistence. This remains in place unless you enter into a pre-nuptial agreement which we will discuss next week. If the marriage fails you will ideally not take out a penny more than you own. Do not take those entertaining and energetic wedding sermons by new age pastors too literally when they declare that a marriage means sharing everything equally. They have to say those things just to make the ladies in big floppy hats in the front row cry. And anyway if the bride or groom’s grandmother doesn’t weep beware because either the wedding or the grandmother is fake. As fairy tale like and as romantic the equality notion sounds the cold hard fact is that it is not part of our marriage law.

Next week we will continue exploring more myths and facts pertaining to marriage laws

Miriam Tose Majome is a lawyer and a teacher. She writes in her personal capacity and can be contacted on [email protected]

Staff Reporter | Gutu has been devastated by floods damaging property and affecting livestock.

The Metereological Services Department recently warned that most parts of Zimbabwe are expected to receive heavy rains, with certain areas experiencing strong winds and flash-floods.

“The department strongly advises that this is a heightened warning, and urges the general public to take serious note of this. Widespread heavy rains (in excess of 50 mm in 24 hours) are forecast for throughout the countr

 Staff Reporter, The Zimbabwe national soccer team manager Sharif Mussa, has told ZANU PF supporters aligned to Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa that the soccer players are not mercenaries but professional footballers.

Reacting to statements by the angry ZANU PF youths who described the team as a bunch of mercenaries after it refused to attend a government send off dinner which was meant to be presided over by Mnangagwa, Mussa said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his players deciding to go on a collective action to demand what was due to them.

Speaking to the media at the Harare International Airport shortly before the departure of the team, Mussa said that it was unfair to describe the players as mercenaries. “We need to identify the meaning of the word mercenary in the dictionary first then we can take it from there and attach the meaning against the actions of the Zimbabwe Warriors,” said Mussa.

“As their team manager what I know is that they were just asking for what they felt is what they should get pertaining to this qualification.” The team angered the ZANU PF supporters for standing up to the Vice President who is the Acting President claiming that the move by the players was deliberate sabotage to embarrass Mnangagwa in front of the rival G40 faction.

A 19 year old teenager who passed matric with 4 distinctions and was due to study medicine collapsed and died in Pretoria while her friends looked on and cheered thinking she was doing the viral #DeadPose challenge.

Tshidi Ngwenya, who had earlier posted a series of pictures performing the challenge, had decided to step it up a notch and perform a daring pose while her friends cheered and took pictures. The maneuver did not go as planned at she fell to the ground and collapsed. Her friends did not pick up that she was in distress and continued to cheer and take pictures.

After a few minutes of cheering and taking pictures, the friends realised their dead poser was not moving and checked on her and noticed she had choked after swallowing her tongue. Friends tried desperately to revive her as they waited for paramedics to arrive. Upon arrival of an ambulance, she was pronounced dead.

The girl’s parents said she had a history of seizures and might have suffered one while performing the #deadpose.  South Africans have taken to Social Media to pose as if they’re dead for the camera. Search for the hashtag online and you will find endless photographs mostly youngsters pretending to be dead. Some of the photographs are very graphic in nature and have angered users online.

An Ambulance spokesman said: “Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the ambulance crew, nothing could be done to save her. If her friends had noticed early, she would be alive now”. – LiveMonitor

The debate continues to rage furiously among analysts and within warring Zanu PF about the wisdom of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa granting a controversial interview to British publication, the New Statesman, last week.

Although Mnangagwa did not admit, as usual, that he wants to succeed President Robert Mugabe in the interview, former Cabinet minister and war veterans leader, Christopher Mutsvangwa — who is also one of the Midlands godfather’s most vociferous supporters — was emphatic in the same New Statesman story that the VP would “100 percent” be Zimbabwe’s next president.

But perhaps even more problematic for Mnangagwa, a secret Zanu PF document which was passed on to the New Statesman at the time of the VP’s interview suggested, damningly, that Mugabe himself created the ruling party’s Generation 40 (G40) faction as the nonagenarian had allegedly “always felt threatened by VP Mnangagwa and the prospect of his presidency being outshined by that of his protégé”.

In addition, Mnangagwa also appeared to create more problems for himself in the interview. As he absolved himself of any culpability in the Gukurahundi massacres of the early 1980s, in which an estimated 20 000 innocent civilians were killed by the army, he unwittingly and simultaneously shined the spotlight on Mugabe with regards to the killings.

Speaking to the Daily News on Sunday, political analyst Shakespeare Hamauswa said despite all the recent controversies that had dogged Mnangagwa, including the News Statesman interview, the VP was “a survivor” who had managed to weather the storm in many previous such situations.

“Mnangagwa has survived many times, not necessarily because he is a strategist par excellence, but because he enjoys the support of the security sector.

“The donors, who are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with the opposition are also preparing for a ‘second best option’, which is a reformed Zanu PF, and they also think that Ngwena (Mnangagwa) can lead that reformation,” he said.

“So, the New Statesman interview is for me okay in that the succession battle is being fought through the media and the best way for the protagonists is to fight back through the same media.

“There might be weaknesses in the way he handled the coffee mug storm but that will not guarantee his downfall in the absence of a strong counter strategy, one that is based on tactics and not just the mudslinging of aspiring candidates,” Hamauswa added.

“I think the bigger picture is how Ngwena has conducted government business so far. Yes he can deny involvement in Gukurahundi, but he can not explain such things as his foolish statement when he said US dollars are not meant for buying mazhanje.

“He also can’t deny that he is the first high-level official to start abrogating the Constitution. What it also means is that he could now spend 99 percent of his time defending himself, without showing his capability of taking over,” Hamauswa concluded.

Another analyst, Maxwell Saungweme  said “Cupgate” — the controversy related to the VP’s “I am the boss” coffee mug — as well as Mnangagwa’s interview with the New Statesman “betrayed him as an unsophisticated politician who is overrated”.

“His recent moves seem to betray, somewhat, a lack of grasp of how the Zanu PF patronage and factional system works. He seems to have exposed himself, his surrogates and political running dogs.

“If one looks at his liberation history and his tenure in government in senior roles, the guy has never portrayed political shrewdness. He is mostly famed for being consistent in carrying out missions in the liberation struggle or for being brutal in government.

“He is not known for being an orator, a diplomatic politician or a shrewd tactician. His latest actions betray the real person in him, an unsophisticated politician. To me, this is the real Ngwena for you and his actions are definitely suicidal given the factionalism and patronage system in Zanu PF,” Saungweme said.

Within Zanu PF itself, Mnangagwa’s G40 enemies have gone to town to use the events of the past few days to portray him as “completely unfit” to ascend to the highest office in the land.

“We told you a long time ago that Lacoste is not just unelectable, he would be a disaster if he succeeded Gushungo (Mugabe),” a G40-linked senior ruling party official told the Daily News on Sunday. – Daily News

STAKEHOLDERS in the media industry have accused the government of stifling citizens’ right to communicate over the internet by increasing the cost of data and making it inaccessible to the majority, who had become dependent on social media platforms for news.

This follows the recent decision by the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) to hike the floor price for data to 2c/MB, which is nearly four times the current data charged by mobile phone operators.

Misa Zimbabwe director, Nhlanhla Ngwenya said the new tariffs were an indirect control on social media by the government.

“This is some other means outside legislation by the government to control activities on the web. It would now be more expensive to download stuff from the internet. It would be a whole lot more expensive to do some serious activity over the net,” he said.

The government has since last year been struggling to regulate social media particularly after it was hit hard by a string of anti-government demonstrations organised by social movements such as #ThisFlag, #Tajamuka and Occupy Africa Unity Square.

“This development would have a serious impact on Zimbabweans to freely share information over the internet because it would now be costly,” Ngwenya said,

Media Alliance of Zimbabwe director, Patience Zirima chipped in saying: “The announcement on new data tariffs, I believe, goes against principles of open access, and diversity of media platforms that have allowed citizens to exercise their rights to free expression.

“I believe Potraz should reconsider this directive. The needs and rights of citizens should be balanced with the needs of corporate players and the government.”

But, Potraz director-general Gift Kallisto Machengete defended the fee hike, saying it was meant to protect mobile phone operators.

“Potraz has a mandate in terms of section 4 of the Postal and Telecommunications Act Chapter 12:05 to ensure sustainable and consistent provision of domestic and international telecommunication services. Therefore, the introduction of floor prices will ensure consistent and sustainable long-term provision of services to all Zimbabweans,” he said. – Newsday

 Terrence Mawawa | An exiled white Zimbabwean national has spoken of the traumatic experiences she suffered at the hands of President Robert Mugabe’s government.

Anne Smith, who is now based in the United Kingdom told ZimEye.com yesterday she was forced to leave Zimbabwe at the height of the violent land grab exercise in 2000. As a result of the chaotic land reform programme 4000 white commercial farmers were displaced from their farmers as supporters of the ruling party Zanu PF forcibly took over their farms. Smith said she had to leave the country because of the explosive situation.

Smith and her family lived at a plot near Esgodini. “We built a house from scratch as we bought land from a farmer. So yes when the land grab exercise started -seeing that we were in a remote area ,we had to leave before the violence reached us. We sold the land for very little,”said Smith.

She added:”We also left the country because our son was denied a Zimbabwean Citizenship-even though his father and I were born and raised in Zimbabwe.The government said our son was an alien because I was from England while his father had a British passport.”

Smith also described Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe(PDZ)leader, Barbara Nyagomo as a positive voice in a negative situation. “I support Nyagomo because she is trying to unite Zimbabweans.She is trying to motivate people to help themselves. All I can say is that I support Nyagomo because at heart she is a humanitarian not just a politician.She is keen to empower the people from the grassroots by encouraging small businesses. She is a dedicated politician who is encouraging people in the diaspora to work very hard,”said Smith.

Responding to reports that it was refusing to accept Bond Notes the Department of Immigration has issued the statement below;

The public should be made aware that immigration services, over the years, have been levied in foreign currency, as the services relate to foreigners with the exception of border passes, which are designed for citizens living close to the borders and, who have relations across the border. Statutory Instrument 195/98 as amended by SI 126/05 clearly tabulates these fees and the acceptable currencies and this position existed during the Zimbabwean dollar era and still stands after the multi-currency period. The introduction of the bond notes should not cause any confusion to this state of affairs. Any alternative approach to this statutory position is contrary to statute.

Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa dealt Morgan Tsvangirai a heavy blow quickly dumping him after winning the by-election in that constituency. The MDC-T is now reported to be heavily divided over whether to support another former Zanu PF senior official Joice Mujuru’s party in the Bikita-West by-election.

Divisions have once again emerged in the MDC-T over whether party leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai should address a joint rally with Zimbabwe People First leader Joice Mujuru in Bikita to garner support for the latter’s candidate for the Bikita West by-election, Mr Kudakwashe Gopo.

It is understood that some people within ZimPF want Mr Tsvangirai to address the rally to lure his supporters to vote for Mr Gopo, a development that coalition advocates think will give impetus to the “mooted coalition” of opposition political parties ahead of next year’s harmonised elections.

However, some people within MDC-T are reluctant to join hands, raising concerns that ZimPF wants to use them.

“We don’t want to repeat the same mistake we made with Norton by-election, where we supported Temba Mliswa (Independent) thinking that he was an independent candidate but he soon dumped us after the election saying he won it on his own,” said an insider.

“The president (Mr Tsvangirai) is unlikely to attend the rally but Elias Mudzuri (MDC-T vice president) because he is one of the people pushing for this coalition.

“Besides, Tsvangirai will be away for some time as he is in Ghana and from there he will be going on a diplomatic offensive to some African leaders. So while the invitation hasn’t officially come yet, we are almost certain the president (Mr Tsvangirai) will not attend that rally.”

Another source said MDC-T wanted Dr Mujuru to go it alone so that the outcome of the result could guide the party over whether she had a following.

The source said there were others within the party opposed to the proposed coalition who were clandestinely supporting former MDC-T legislator and now independent candidate for the constituency, Mr Heya Shoko to divide the vote so that ZimPF loses.

“The idea is to make sure ZimPF loses so that they have no bargaining power when it comes to coalition negotiations. If Tsvangirai attends the rally and Gopo wins, that will be misleading because people who vote for her may be MDC-T people, so effectively, she will be bargaining using our existing supporters,” said the source.

President Mugabe’ spokesperson, Mr George Charamba, said the President was not worried about the so-called joint rally saying the revolutionary party would resoundingly win the election.

“The (by-election) result is a foregone conclusion because from the communication from ZimPF, they are already preparing their membership for a landslide defeat,” said Mr Charamba.

“What is important is not so much the outcome as a correct reading of that defeat but the defeat’s portends for 2018. “Firstly, it weakens further the holding hand of Mujuru in her quest for a coalition with Tsvangirai while at the same time strengthening the hand of a wing in the MDC-T that is opposed to the coalition.”

Mr Charamba said given that Zanu-PF would win the by-elections, it was highly unlikely that Mr Tsvangirai would want to dampen his supporters’ spirit after the polls, when Mr Gopo loses.

“If he attends the rally and ZimPF loses, it means the coalition would have been defeated well before it actualises, meaning that 2018 will be a no show for them.

“Looking in the crystal ball, I don’t see Tsvangirai taking that risk unless he is suicidal politically, which he has proved to be in the past,” he said.

Mr Charamba added: “For Zanu-PF, Bikita is important in so far as it demonstrates its capacity to overcome internal contradictions and so far so good.” – State Media

The low cost housing scheme in Kadoma where 10 model houses have been constructed for the First Lady Grace Mugabe, has been hailed for providing surrounding communities with access to safe drinking water.

Communities around Pixie Combie housing scheme are not connected to Kadoma’s water system and have to rely on shallow wells.

The project under which about 1 300 low cost houses would be constructed, has seen the drilling of a borehole with pumps and 10 000 litre water reservoirs.

This is benefiting more than 100 families who used to walk distances of up to 5km to nearby Rimuka suburb.

Pixie Combie Phase 2 being developed by Macsherp housing developers, has a plan of drilling a borehole for every 100 houses as back up to the council supplied water when it is eventually connected. Pixie Combie phase 1 and 2 are not connected to the main line linking Golden Valley Mine and Kadoma.

Mr Wilson Mutsinje welcomed the decision by the project owner Jimayi Muduvuri to allow the community to draw water from the borehole which will pump water to the new houses.

“This project has come as a relief to us as a community because we had to walk long distances of up to 5km to get water and that mostly affected women and children,” said Mr Mutsinje.

“We have done the first phase of the project and we expect to start this month the main project, which includes 700 core houses similar to the ones built for the First Lady Dr Mugabe,” he said.

The 10 model core houses were inspected by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing officials in December and were approved.

The housing project will be fully serviced before people move in under a rent-to-buy arrangement.

Muduvuri said the community had the right to safe drinking water and they would continue to use tap water from boreholes.

“If we can make a difference in the community the better. This is what Zim-Asset is all about and we are glad we are helping communities have access to safe drinking water in the face challenges of water-borne diseases such as typhoid which are being reported in other parts of the country,” said Muduvuri.

He said the model houses now awaited handover to the First Lady and commissioning.

At least 20 stands were given to the First Lady and partners came on board to complement the developer in building the 10 model houses. The completed core houses include a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and a toilet.

The scheme will offer flexible payment terms of up to three years with people paying as little as $80 per month after meeting the cost of the land, which has been pegged at around $5 000.

Labour and material costs will drive the total cost to around $9 000.

The project mostly targets low income earners, including civil servants. State Media

Ray Nkosi | Former Prime Minister and Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai had a diplomatic briefing with Ghana’s new President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the weekend.

Tsvangirai was accompanied to Ghana by his deputy Nelson Chamisa and wife Elizabeth. Below are some of the pictures…

GWERU City Council is set to relocate vendors operating from undesignated areas in the central business district to a site in the industrial areas.

Town Clerk, Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza said vendors and commuter omnibus operators conducting their businesses at undesignated areas have become a menace in the city.

She said a vending site has been developed for vendors and they would be relocated there in due course.

Ms Gwatipedza said some vendors were now selling farm produce and clothing outside shops and banks.

The town clerk said retailers who pay substantial amounts in rates and water services to council were complaining that illegal vendors were taking away their customers and causing congestion on pavements.

“We have put sheds there to protect the vendors and their products from weather conditions. What is left is for the construction of a toilet for them to use.

“Once that is done we are moving them and that is very soon,” she said.

Ms Gwatipedza said kombis operating from undesignated areas were promoting lawlessness as those that are registered are now abandoning their official termini.

She said they have launched an operation to bring sanity back into the transport sector.

“We need to bring normalcy to this town. We are expecting operators of commuter omnibus to be in designated ranks at all times and not this situation we are experiencing,” she said.

Last year, council moved to plug revenue leakages through unregistered vendors by introducing vending badges for all hawkers trading in the city.

The introduction of the badges came at a time when councillors expressed concern  over loss of potential revenue as vendors using council stalls could not be easily identified. – State Media

CONSUMERS and business leaders have blasted the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) for unilaterally increasing the price of data and voice call services.

The regulator last week announced the move to put into effect new minimum floor prices for all voice calls and data services provided by the country’s mobile network providers — NetOne, Econet and Telecel.

Our Harare Bureau reported that the floor price for voice service will be 12 cents per minute from about 9 cents and 2 cents per MB for data, effective today.  Potraz has reportedly communicated the new prices to mobile operators who are supposed to revise their products in line with the new pricing structure and terminate bundles that do not conform to the new minimum prices, reported Techzim, a local online technology magazine. It said the change means that some packages will become more expensive, making it the latest move by Potraz to protect mobile operators’ revenues.

Consumers have reacted angrily to the move, which they view as an “unjustifiable” rip-off on clients at a time when the economic conditions are hard on ordinary people.

They said the increase in charges would reduce the value for money that consumers will get after recharging. Given that the Government has already imposed a five percent health levy for every dollar spent on voice or data bundles, in line with the 2017 budget, consumers say it is unfair for Potraz to load an extra cost on them.

The regulator has claimed the move was necessitated by a decline of revenue to mobile operators as a result of the substitution of voice and SMS by Internet Protocol (IP) voice and messaging services of the international OTT players who ride on the networks of local operators.

However, consumers view this as a highest level of treachery by Potraz. Business analyst Mr Leonard Mutambanengwe said: “Regulators in economics are to safeguard competitive environments, which benefit the consumers. A regulator setting a price floor is essentially counter-productive to the welfare of consumers.

“And as many rightfully allude to, consumers are going to pay the price for these firms’ inability to be innovative and their succumbing to disruption in their industry.”

An audit expert Mr Tymon Chikosi concurred saying generally the prices of mobile data in Zimbabwe were “too high”, adding that the country’s mobile operators are over protected by the authority.

“Is it the authority’s function to defend local operators or to enable a fair market, which primarily favours the consumer.”

Consumers and business leaders took to the social media where they questioned the rationale behind the tariff increases, arguing that in other countries data was free.

Digital media and marketing consultant Ms Delta Ndou torched widespread reaction on her Linkedin account when she said: “This move is not in tandem with Potraz’s previously stated intent to promote innovation and ensure non-prohibitive pricing of data.”

Funding partner at Best Farms Zimbabwe Mr Rob Shaw reacted: “Having spent time working in various African countries on agricultural projects, I can honestly say Zimbabwe has one of the most expensive call/data rates on the continent. Simple equation for $5 in one of the West African countries (pay as you go) I would Skype from my laptop, emails, phone calls back to Zimbabwe and local calls for a week in Zimbabwe.”

Mr Chenge Matanhire weighed in: “Potraz now actually wants to guarantee the profitability of these capitalists at the poor’s expense! I have always thought that as a regulator authorised to do so by a government elected by the people, they must be seeking protectionist to the consumer — the people.”

Another consumer Mr Simba Mashiri said given declining individual incomes and cash shortages, it was sad for Potraz to add another burden on people.

The move by Potraz will push the already high prices of data up. One gigabyte of data in Zimbabwe costs $35, compared to South Africa’s $5,30 and Tanzania’s $0,90.

In October 2016 Potraz said it was engaging mobile service providers to slash prices of data so that they are not punitive. The new development therefore, comes as an unexpected and unwelcome surprise to consumers, analysts said. – State Media

The banning of selling of vegetables and fruits in Harare is an unwelcome reaction from an irresponsible government that has zero care about the welfare of its people. We note with concern that such a hurried move from the government will go a long way in affecting a long chain of people involved in the trade of vegetables starting from the small scale farmers to the consumers on the ground.

As the National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe we vehemently denounce the ban on vending as vindictive, insensitive, irresponsible and evil. The sprouting of vendors on the streets is a direct creation of a government that promised to create jobs that were never created. After managing such a failure, brave Zimbabweans took it upon themselves to find responsible ways to look after their families and send children to school, pay rentals, afford the right to health care.

The current government has managed to destroy and make life more difficult for its citizens than finding solutions to be supportive. We have witnessed an array of unthinkable policies which include Statutory Instrument 64 which has made it difficult for cross border traders to earn a living. The desperate introduction of bond has done more damage than good in worsening the economic crisis.

The fear of the disease in mention is a direct creation of the City of Harare’s management deficit. Service delivery is poor, there is no refuse collection, and citizens are surviving on borehole water. There is no transparency on what is happening to the rate payers’ money. It is the role of Harare Council to ensure that they do their part to make the city a safe market place by providing clean water, public toilets and waste collection services.

As vendors we strongly refuse to be held as scape goats, to sit back and watch the government deal with people as their own subjects. We are Zimbabweans and we have a right to live in Zimbabwe as the ministers do, we are entitled to a reasonable standard of life in which the government should take its part and be responsible. What is the purpose of having a government that has nothing to offer its people?

The people who have been brave to stay in Zimbabwe have gotten no help or encouragement from our own government but serious insults. A large population of millions have fled to South African, and to other nations and those countries are now carrying the burden of another government which is Zimbabwe. Many Zimbabweans are doing vending activities in foreign countries because back at home our government is too busy to notice what is happening to its people.

We will mobilize people to resist such an evil resolution, from ministers who if we dig deeper it will not be surprising that their own mothers send them to school or to universities through money gotten from vending. This is time not only as vendors, but as the people of Zimbabwe we should take hold of our lives and hold this irresponsible government to be responsible and to be accountable to what happens inside the borders of Zimbabwe. We will not allow this ban to kill the livelihoods of hardworking patriotic citizens of Harare. If we are silent this will be effected country wide, we need to stand up demand redress to the welfare of vendors and the people of Zimbabwe at large.

Sten Zvorwadza
CHAIRPERSON
NATIONAL VENDORS UNION ZIMBABWE

ZIMBABWEAN businesses are significantly weighed down by high taxes, with the country’s tax burden of Gross Domestic Product at 23,6 percent considered too steep.

The figure does not compare favourably with those of a number of regional peers.

According to the Economic Freedom Database’s tax burden of GDP indicator, Zimbabwe tax burden of 23,6 percent of GDP, is much higher relative to the region.

The indicator shows that the Zimbabwe’s tax burden of GDP is the third largest among its regional counterparts.

Botswana has the highest tax burden of 30,2 percent of GDP, followed by South Africa with a tax burden of 25,4 percent of GDP.

Kenya’s stands at 19,4 percent; Mauritius is at 18, 6 percent and Zambia’s tax burden of GDP stands at 17,3 percent.

Rwanda has the lowest tax burden of 13,3 percent of GDP.
The National Economic Consultative Forum (NECF), in its Zimbabwe National Competitiveness Report (2016) said the high level of taxes is a significant burden to local businesses.

“In terms of local businesses, the Zimbabwean tax regime is more costly and disadvantaging compared to [other countries],” it said.

A World Bank Doing Business (2015) report showed that Zimbabwe — in comparison to Sadc peers Zambia, South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique — was third in terms of taxation of business profits but highest in terms of labour tax and contributions and other taxes and overall ranks second in terms of total tax rate as a percentage of profit.

An analysis of Zimbabwe’s tax environment has shown that the multiplicity of fees, licences, regulatory charges, permits, and other levies, such as Environmental Management Agency fees, Medicine Control Authority of Zimbabwe licence, National Social Security Authority, Radiation Protection Authority Zimbabwe, and Health Professions Authority, among others, have huge impacts on the profitability of enterprises.

The NECF has called for a reform by way of streamlining current regulations in order to reduce the tax burden.

“These fees provide evidence for the need to reform the existing regulations and the need to introduce principles of regulatory quality across Government agencies such that any new regulation for example which has to be introduced by a particular ministry needs to be approved,” it said in the report.

Government has, however, been proactive in trying to lighten the weight of taxes on business to attract new investment.

Last month Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced some tax relief measures in the 2017 National Budget, with particular respect to tax incentives for Special Economic Zones, among others.

Government last year also fully adopted the Rapid Results Approach, as a mechanism to quickly improve business operations and the investment climate in the country by addressing a number of critical areas, and has achieved a number of milestones.

The approach is yet to be implemented on the taxation system.

A Chinese expatriate working at one of the biggest cement companies in Gweru is battling for his life at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare after he was allegedly attacked by robbers while making love to a commercial sex worker inside his Toyota Hilux double cab.

Journalists are reliably informed that the incident happened at Gweru Sports Club last Saturday night when Cheng Thai was having a nice time with Agnes Chaparira (34).

Midlands Police Spokesperson Inspector Joel Goko referred all questions to Police General Headquarters describing the case as a national matter. However, journalists gathered that the case was reported under number 98/12/16.

When robbers discovered that the two were having sex, they allegedly started throwing stones at the car but the sex worker managed to escape leaving the expatriate at the mercy of the attackers.

Several items were allegedly robbed from him. It is alleged that Thai who is a constructor at the cement company hooked up with the sex worker at around 1am and drove to rugby grounds at the Sports Club near Mugoni Lodge.

At some stage stones started hitting their car and Chaparira escaped and went and made a report at the Police station.

Tang is said to have fallen unconscious but woke-up later and allegedly drove naked to the Government Complex in Gweru where he was assisted by guards who called for an ambulance.

Tang was ferried to Gweru General Hospital where a scan was conducted and later transferred to Parirenyatwa Hospital. It is said that Tang’s head was badly injured and he could not talk by the time he went to the hospital. -Masvingo Mirror

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo | Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ordered the lifting of former Zanu PF chairperson Ezra Chadzamira’s suspension with immediate effect.

In a move that has irked members of the rival G-40 facttion, Mnangagwa took advantage of President Robert Mugabe’s absence to lift Chadzamira’s suspension.

Chadzamira was literally suspended by the First Lady, Grace Mugabe in 2015 as factional battles between the G-40 and Team Lacoste intensified. Chadzamira was ousted by members of G-40 team after he reportedly attempted to block Mrs Mugabe’s ascendancy.

Party sources revealed to ZimEye.com Mnangagwa was determined to topple Mugabe. However, Mugabe’s deputy has denied claims that he wants to succeed his boss. “This is a strategic move because it is Mnangagwa who has ordered the lifting of Chadzamira’s suspension. This means Mnangagwa wants to reward his loyalists. Apart from that ,Mnangagwa is determined to topple Mugabe,”claimed a party source.

Chadzamira(42) was also acquitted of charges of obstructing the course of justice. Magistrate Langton Ndokera last week ruled that Chadzamira was not guilty of stopping the messanger of court from evicting illegal settlers in Mashava. Ironically the other accused individuals in the same case were convicted. “Chadzamira has bounced back and this means Mnangagwa is fighting back.Chadzamira is a key member of the Team Lacoste,” said a senior Zanu PF official.

VICE-President Emmerson Mnangagwa hosted Zanu PF renegades and suspended party officials that have been linked to his so-called Lacoste faction at a Christmas party, reigniting claims that he is plotting to topple President Robert Mugabe, fresh details show.

Mnangagwa, who was pictured knocking back what is believed to be whisky from a mug written, “I am the boss”, was joined by at least two dozen activists who were either suspended or expelled by Zanu PF, among them former Zanu PF Matabeleland South youth chairman Washington Nkomo, Edmore Samambwa (Midlands), Tawanda Mukodza (Manicaland) and Vengayi Musengi (Mashonaland West).

The five, who were expelled from Zanu PF, were joined by other Zanu PF outcasts like the suspended former Zanu PF chairman for Masvingo Ezra Chadzamira and Ziyambi Ziyambi, who is serving a two-year suspension in Mashonaland West.

Also in attendance, according to sources, were the Zanu PF chief whip Lovemore Matuke, controversial National Railways of Zimbabwe board chairman Larry Mavima, youth chairman for Midlands Province Prosper Machando, a Manicaland businessman and Zanu PF politician Albert Nyakuedzwa, Primary and Secondary education deputy minister Paul Mavima and former Zanu PF provincial chairman for Manicaland Mike Madiro.

Some unnamed commanders from the security forces were also in attendance at the party.

Mnangagwa’s allies, citing Mugabe’s advanced age, are now publicly declaring that the Zanu PF strongman — in power for 36 years — will cede control to his deputy before 2017 is out.

“The year 2017 may see Mnangagwa being elevated to president and he is most likely to pick Constantino Guvheya Chiwenga [army commander] as his deputy and Kembo Mohadi [State Security minister] as second vice-president, while other security chiefs will be assigned to powerful ministries,” Energy Mutodi wrote on Facebook on New Year’s Eve just hours before he was snapped meeting the acting president at his homestead in Mapanzure, Zvishavane.

Mnangagwa “strategist” July Moyo, his vocal supporter Justice Mayor Wadyajena, Gokwe-Kana MP Owen “Mudha” Ncube, Masvingo senator Clemence

Makwaramba, and the suspended Harare women’s league provincial chair, Ratidzo Mukarati were also in attendance.

The hush-hush meeting, now dubbed the ‘Mug Declaration’, was called to “coronate Mnangagwa as the new boss in Zanu PF, who will succeed President Mugabe”, one insider said.

It came just a week after the British magazine, The New Statesman, carried an interview in which Christopher Mutsvangwa, the leader of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association who was sacked as a minister by Mugabe and later expelled from Zanu PF, said he was “100% sure” Mnangagwa would be the next President of Zimbabwe.

Jonathan Moyo, a key opponent of Mnangagwa, drew a link between Mutodi’s Facebook attacks on Mugabe and his meeting with Mnangagwa – forcing the acting president to issue a bizarre statement in which he appeared to suggest that musician posed as an MP to gain access.

Mnangagwa furiously protested that he was opening Christmas gifts, among which was the ‘I am The Boss’ mug.

Mnangagwa was also forced to denounce his war veteran allies such as Mutsvangwa as “rogues”.

Sources told The Standard this week that strategies discussed during the meeting included steps to silence the G40 faction – which so far poses the biggest hurdle in his path to the Zanu PF presidency.

Ziyambi is a former Home Affairs deputy minister and ex-Mashonaland West acting provincial chairperson who was removed from office on allegations of factionalism and working to promote Mnangagwa.

Nyakuendzwa, a convicted murderer who was linked to the death of war veteran Tino Wilson Mukono in 2005, is also linked to the Tea Lacoste faction.

Musengi is a former Mashonaland West provincial youth chair who was kicked out of the party on allegations of fanning factionalism and advancing the interest of Mnangagwa.

He was expelled from Zanu PF together with Nkomo, Godfrey Tsenengamu, Samambwa and Godwin Gomwe after a barrage of attacks on Mugabe, his wife Grace and other senior party officials while demanding that Mnangagwa takes over from the aged leader.

Madiro is a central committee who was once suspended from the party on allegations of pushing for Mnangagwa in 2004 and only bounced back after the 2014 controversial congress which saw the VP rise to his current post.

He is pictured seated with Mnangagwa while the VP is again holding the mug.

Chadzamira is one of the three provincial chairpersons barred from holding Zanu PF offices for undermining Grace while supporting Mnangagwa while Mavima is a central committee member and a strong Mnangagwa ally.

Matuke yesterday said only shallow minds found an issue out of a mug that costs a dollar at the expense of serious national issues.

He said he was not apologetic for attending the meeting, as he was free to associate with people he wanted.

“Only mad people comment about the cup. We did not ask whom those people were with on the New Year eve,” he said.

“There was nothing factional about the meeting. There was nothing bad said about the President except praising him. How does that form a factional meeting?” he asked.

On those expelled from the party over their factional links with Mnangagwa, Matuke said: “So if someone is expelled from the party and is your relative, do you disown them? For the record, this is the ninth straight year I have been at the VP’s house celebrating New Year with him. If VP Mphoko (Phelekezela) invites me, I will attend. I am free to make choices.”

Mugabe, currently on leave in the Far East, is thought to be weighing a Cabinet reshuffle in his first business when he returns from vacation.

Paralysis in his government caused by the unending succession drama may force the 93-year-old veteran leader into a realignment of his party, with an eye on the 2018 elections which his party says he will contest – although few believe he will be fit to run. – Standard

Staff Reporter | A house in Redcliff has been torched by fire with a child feared dead.

It is reported that the council which claims to have a fire tender did not show up.  Redcliff has also not had drinking water for days.

Staff Reporter | The Matabeleland South Provincial Chairman of the Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC RidusTlou has died.

Party members very close to the Tlou family confirmed to ZimEye.com that the long serving opposition politician died in the early this morning at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo after a long illness.

His illness had seen him spend over a month at a private Johannesburg hospital before being flown back to the country on New Year’s day when he was immediately further admitted at the private Bulawayo hospital where he passed on.

No official comment has yet been obtained from the MDCT.

Harare City Council will this week embark on a massive clampdown to rid the city of unlicensed vendors and irregular shopping outlets as authorities step up efforts to combat spread of typhoid.This comes as the latest report from the Ministry of Health and Child Care showed that 127 cases of typhoid were reported during the week ending January 1. No new cases of the dreaded cholera were reported last week.

Police are also expected to be part of the crackdown amid concerns that municipal officers appear ill-equipped to deal with the growing number of illegal vendors who have also resorted to “night operations” in the capital city.
The blitz comes after an inter-ministerial committee last week pronounced a coterie of measures to fight spread of typhoid and other diarrhoeal diseases. Ministers of Health and Child Care; Local Government, Public Works and National Housing; Environment, Water and Climate; Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development make up the inter-ministerial committee which also includes Mayor of Harare Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail last week, Harare City Council acting public relations manager Mr Michael Chideme said Council would with immediate effect swoop on illegal vending in the city centre.
“The Harare City Council is banning all unlicensed food vending. We will also enhance inspection of all food outlets to guarantee adherence to set regulations. (We are also going to) close all outlets violating the city’s regulations.”
Asked how Council intends to get rid of the vendors who have continued to creep back into the city centre despite numerous raids by council, Mr Chideme said, “This time there is going to be strict enforcement (for the vendors) not to return and to stick to designated sites.
Mr Chideme said while the city authorities are aware that vending is a source of livelihood for many people, there will be no compromise on the health risks posed by vending.
“We cannot compromise the health of the majority. We look at public interest. The health of the majority supersedes any other interest,” he said.
Speaking during Star FM’s The Hub programme last Thursday, Mr Chideme said council would also enlist help from the police.

“We have carried out such raids before so we will also work with the police.” According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care report for the week ending January 1, at least 127 suspected typhoid cases, 21 diarrhoea deaths and three dysentery deaths were reported.
According to the report, “One hundred and twenty seven new suspected typhoid cases and no deaths were reported this week.
“The cases were reported from Harare City (86), Mazowe district (17), Bikita district in Masvingo province (2), Mutare district in Manicaland province (1), Mpilo Central Hospital (4) and Harare Central Hospital (17).
“The cumulative figures for typhoid are 2 352 suspected cases, 85 confirmed cases and 9 deaths.”
During the week under review, no suspected cases of cholera were reported after the last cases were reported earlier in December.
“No new suspected cholera cases were reported this week. The last cases of cholera were reported during week number 49 of 2016. The cumulative figures for cholera are 10 suspected cases, 3 confirmed cases and 1 death.”
“Total diarrhoea cases reported this week are 7 732 cases and 21 deaths. Of the reported cases, 3 318 (42,9 percent) and 4 deaths were from the under five years of age.”
According to the Ministry of Health and Chidl Care, the standard definition of typhoid includes any person with gradual onset of steadily increasingly and then persistently high fever, chills, malaise, headache, sore throat, cough and at times abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea. Addressing a press conference in Harare last week, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa urged Harare City Council to put measures to immediately stop illegal vending of food. sunday mail

TRANSPORT and Infrastructural Development Minister Jorum Gumbo has reprimanded Kwekwe Central legislator Masango Matambanadzo and challenged him not to exceed the bounds of his political authority by doing things that set him on a collision course with city fathers.

Minister Gumbo who is also the Zanu-PF Midlands interim chairperson and the party’s chief whip was speaking during the official opening of the Kwekwe Long Distance Bus Terminus which Cde Matambanadzo had unofficially opened.

Opening the facility a fortnight ago, Cde Matambanadzo did not mince his words in castigating Mayor Matenda Madzoke for continuously postponing the commissioning of the facility for use.

Matambanadzo irked Clr Madzoke when he undressed him during the opening labelling him “stupid and retrogressive” before being aided by some youths to force open the terminus for use by long distance buses and vendors.

The controversial stunt came hard on the heels of yet another shocker where he gave vendors the green light to set up stalls in any part of the city in contempt of council’s by-laws and making it difficult for city officials to control the vendors, let alone collect revenue.

Clr Madzoke was on record saying he was avoiding clashing with the legislator, choosing instead to “let the top officials solve the matter.”

During his speech Gumbo said he was saddened by Matambanadzo’s actions and urged the two leaders to respect each other and avoid clashes that might cost the general public.

“I hear there are some who came and unceremoniously opened this rank without the consent of council, that is unheard of.

How can one unofficially open something that you did not construct, and who gave you those powers?” the minister quizzed rhetorically.

“Leaders should respect each other’s authority, even when you think you are bigger than those people, you should just respect those people for the good of our country,” said the Minister.

Gumbo said everything should go procedurally to avoid chaos.

“Kusekerera benzi kuti rizvisungirire (If you entertain a fool doing his tricks, he will hang himself),” said the minister challenging Matambanadzo to make peace with the city fathers.

Gumbo applauded the local authority for constructing a state-of-the art terminus which replaces the old and dilapidated Amaveni Terminus which was commissioned by Dr Joshua Nkomo in 1980.

In his speech Clr Madzoke said the state -of-the art terminus was commissioned after the completion of the first phase which saw the construction of 35 kiosks and 20 sheds within the facility.

The mayor said funds were being mobilised to kick start the second phase which will see construction of an information centre, cloak room, electronic boom gate among other things. – state media

FLAMBOYANT hip hop singer Desmond “Stunner” Chideme’s affection for wealthy women has come under scrutiny again after his wife Olinda Chapel exposed his alleged shenanigans on Facebook, claiming he was not man enough to look after himself.

The Dhafukorera hitmaker whose music career has been punctuated by controversies has been accused of being a “gold-digger” who is in the habit of dating rich women for the love of money.

Stunner once dated socialite Pokello Nare who was also said to have financed his flamboyant lifestyle and the affair propelled him to fame before their nasty breakup.

Interestingly, Chapel has made sensational claims in the same rant she streamed live, alleging that the two (Stunner and Pokello) were still playing it underground as they constantly call and text each other.

In Chapel’s Facebook video on Thursday, she poured her heart out as she exposed the “flashy”
Stunner who is on record claiming that he worked hard for everything that he owns, yet his wife alleged she was responsible for his upkeep.

“Desmond [Stunner] walks around as this person that has made it, but I paid for everything from the Audi he used to drive to everything he uses. I paid for him to do an album launch,” an emotional and weeping Chapel said.

“I am in England working day in and day out thinking that I am building . . . thinking that I have a husband and kids to look after, but what do I get in return?”

In a dramatic turn of events, Chapel and Stunner appeared to have resolved their differences.

Chapel took to Facebook to apologise to her husband and people who had commented about the drama, saying she was fed with false information by one of the singer’s friends.

Stunner also took to Snapchat to confirm their reunion.

However, Chapel’s apology, which she later pulled down, was met with mixed reactions across social media platforms as some suggested that it was a publicity stunt for Stunner to revive his fading career, while some referred to their marriage as a transactional union.

“This is a business relationship more than it is built on love because Stunner is in it for the money while Olinda is in it for fame,” said Anotida Madzinga on Facebook.

“This could have been a publicity stunt for these two to get people talking about Stunner, just like Jay Z and Beyonce’s Lemonade issue,” Simbarashe Ndoro said.

Meanwhile, the release of a song by Stunner featuring Nox titled, Letting You Go on the same day has fuelled speculations that Chapel’s rant was a publicity stunt to market the song. – Standard

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), six months ago raided NetOne and seized documents that allegedly implicated senior management and government officials as involved in suspected shady deals, but mystery surrounds the fate of the investigation.

A search warrant issued by former Harare magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe on May 24 2016 reveals that the anti-graft body was investigating the mobile operator for various deals that included contracts with Megawatt Energy, Bopela Group, appointments of senior management and other deals involving MetBank.

According to the warrant of search and seizure obtained by this paper, Zacc took among other documents that included, a tripartite agreement between NetOne, Zanu PF youth league and Bopela Group, another tripartite agreement between NetOne, Huawei and Bopela group, the NetOne-Huawei contract, a deed of settlement between NetOne and Metbank and an advertisement for the post of NetOne chief operating officer.

According to the search warrant, Zacc wanted documents concerning the Megawatt deal, a list of candidates shortlisted for senior managerial posts at NetOne and how they performed during the interviews as well as their curriculum vitaes.

This, according to Zacc sources, was due to allegations of underhand dealing involving some NetOne officials and the ICT ministry — especially regarding the Megawatt deal and recruitment of senior staffers.

An advert for the post of chief operating officer seized by Zacc states that anyone seeking the post should possess a minimum BSc Information System or Computer Science or Electronic Engineering or Telecommunications Engineering or equivalent qualification.

A CV for Brain Mutandiro who was subsequently appointed and is now NetOne acting CEO states that he has a BA (Hons) Economics from Essex University, and Masters in Business Administration from London International School.

The warrant also demanded that NetOne avails minutes of a board meeting held on December 11 2015 that deliberated on the Megawatt Energy deal.

Zacc spokesperson Phyllis Chikudura at first seemed to confirm the investigation when she said: “aaah, am not aware what happened (to) the probe”.

She later changed her story and said; “I don’t know about it”.

Last week ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira through his lawyers, Sawyer and Mkushi said he had nothing to do with all managerial appointments made at NetOne.

The minister said he had no underhand dealings with board members or anyone appointed to serve at the parastatal and threatened to sue The Standard for defamation.

But a dossier penned by former NetOne CEO Reward kangai for President Robert Mugabe  in April last year accuses the minister of interference.

“In early 2015, after the appointment of the current minister [Mandiwanzira], the CEO was summoned to the minister’s office  to find Mr Ozias Bvute of Metbank with the minister…the summoning of the NetOne CEO by the minister was to discuss the Metbank debt to NetOne [$700 000],” Kangai wrote in the report.

“The summoning of the NetOne CEO by the minister in the presence of Mr O Bvute without prior warning was clearly intended on intimidating or cowering the CEO into accepting access of the money after a period of three years,” Kangai stated in his voluminous report.

“Mr Bvute was brazenly arrogant throughout the meeting, leaving both acting permanent secretary Cosmas Chigwamba and I perturbed as to why he carried that disposition.”

According to documents, Metbank owed NetOne $700 000 and the parastatal had battled to recover the funds due to liquidity challenges bedevilling the bank.

Documents suggest that Mandiwanzira caused NetOne and Metbank to sign a deed of settlement for the recovery of the money which was supposed to have been cleared by November 2015.

But according to Kangai’s dossier by March 2016 the bank had not cleared the debt while at least two ex-Metbank staffers had joined NetOne.

Mandiwanzira’s lawyers went on to challenge allegations that the minister had an octopus-like grip on the parastatal, saying such claims were defamatory.

But minutes of a board meeting held on February 11 2016 suggest otherwise as the minister is said to have told Kangai that “he had the prerogative to direct the board to fire the CEO”.

Mandiwanzira appointed Bvute, a former Metbank executive to lead the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe board and Peter Chingoka, also from the same bank, to head NetOne’s board in an acting capacity. – Standard

Barely eight years after a cholera outbreak wreaked havoc in Zimbabwe, claiming over 4 000 lives with Harare and Mbare in particular, being the epicentre, fresh typhoid cases are causing sleepless nights in the populous suburb.

Overcrowded and poorly serviced by the Harare City Council’s refuse removal teams, Mbare has been hardest hit by the typhoid outbreak that has already killed two people out of the over
1 000 suspected cases.

According to statistics released by Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa on Friday, Harare has 22 confirmed cases of typhoid.

Two hundred and fifty cases of the water-borne disease are still being investigated.

The government has isolated Mbare as the source of the outbreak in Harare and a visit to the capital’s oldest suburb revealed why the residents are bearing the brunt of the medieval disease.

Matapi and Matererini hostels are typical examples of a conducive environment under which typhoid thrives.

With their dilapidated sewer systems that are teeming with human excreta, the area is a perfect breeding ground for salmonella typhi bacteria, which causes typhoid.

From the outside, the two hostels look like a junkyard with heaps of uncollected garbage.
There is a strong stench emanating from the rotting food and diapers.

But nothing compares to the horror inside the blocks of flats which were never meant for families in the first place.

Like any compound, the place is quite vibrant and being a school holiday, there was a lot of movement and activity on the Friday afternoon.

There was loud music playing everywhere and hordes of people were lounging on window sills, open spaces and in doorways of their tiny cramped apartments.

Laundry was hung on windows as flat dwellers were afraid of thieves that snatch clothes right from the washing line.

A foul smell pervaded the whole compound but it did not seem to bother the inhabitants.

The passage at the Matapi block was dark even though it was just after mid-day.

Down the dirty passage, the news crew stumbled on a greenish liquid on the floor, which was flowing from a dilapidated toilet.

The putrid smell was pervasive and big flies known locally as green bombers made a happy sound as they buzzed in and out of the toilet.

The sight was not for the faint-hearted.

The little cubicles do not have doors and the toilet pans and holes were overflowing with human excreta.

In the men’s section, worms were squirming in the urinary.

There were sewer pipes that appeared to have long packed up and many hung wide open.

There has been no running water for ages and no one is responsible for cleaning the toilets.

“Some of us cannot use those toilets, especially the children. We would rather use the bush,” said a young woman who was busy washing her plates just outside the building.

“It is obvious that the way we are living here is risky, especially for the children.

“If there is an outbreak here, it will not be easy to contain. We will all die,” said another woman who pleaded with our news crew to highlight their plight.

“Maybe help will eventually come when you tell our story. Did you see our toilets?

“Are they fit for any human being? What about our children?” she asked.

The bathrooms, like the toilets, have no doors, exposing women to voyeurs.

“Some perverts even make it a habit of sneaking into female bathrooms just to have a glimpse of naked women,” an elderly woman said.

There is just one borehole for about six blocks of flats and it is located near a heap of garbage.

Children ran around playing in the streams of sewer water gushing out of burst pipes apparently oblivious of the lurking dangers.

“That is why we do not pay a cent to council. There is no service delivery here,” said another middle-aged woman.

A more horrific tale is told at Matererini flats. The people there literally wash dishes dodging human waste material occasionally dropping through burst sewer pipes from floors above.

“We used to put a plastic container at strategic points so that the faecal matter would collect there and we later dispose it but the container broke,” said a man who has stayed at the flats for years.

A few weeks ago two women exchanged harsh words after their children fought over faecal matter.

“One of the children was spattered with human excreta on his face and this angered his mother who then confronted the other child’s parent,” said a neighbour who witnessed the furore.

The outbreak of typhoid has exposed just how critical it is for the local authority to address the plight of Mbare flats dwellers.

The city council provisionally singled out a borehole in the area as the source of the problem.

The borehole is not properly secured, a factor which might cause runoff water and sewer to seep through into the borehole.

“The cases are coming mostly from Mbare and are being treated at Beatrice Infectious Diseases hospital,” said Harare City Council director of health services Prosper Chonzi, who also added that their team was in Mbare clearing blocked sewer pipes.

Meanwhile, council’s health department in collaboration with Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) has set up a typhoid treatment centre at the Edith Opperman Clinic in Mbare to treat patients free of charge.

The treatment centre is manned by nurses and doctors from both MSF and council, 24 hours a day.

An ambulance has also been put on standby to ferry patients with severe symptoms to the Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Typhoid symptoms are fever, loss of appetite, skin rash, abdominal pain, headache, generalised body pains and diarrhoea or constipation, explained Daniela Garone, MSF medical coordinator in Zimbabwe.

In 2012 then Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo said the government had plans to pull down the 58 shanty hostels including Matapi, Nenyere, Shawasha, Mbare and Matererini, originally built to house black migrant labourers during the colonial era.

However, the promise was never fulfilled and over the years more and more homeless people kept coming, overwhelming the already fragile ablution system, which can no longer cater for the over 100 000 people.

“The responsible authorities should give us alternative accommodation before demolishing this place. It is not fit for humans,” said a young man who was selling pirated music discs.

Typhoid, an infectious bacterial fever, can be treated with antibiotics, but it still kills more than 220 000 people worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organisation.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has issued an alert for typhoid fever to those returning from Zimbabwe.

The country’s health department is already on high alert following an outbreak of typhoid cases in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

The institute has warned the disease could spread to neighbouring countries.

Head of the outbreak response unit at the institute, Kerrigan McCarthy said health care practitioners and returning travellers need to be aware of the symptoms.

“The NICD has received reports of an increased number of cases of typhoid in Harare in Zimbabwe,” McCarthy said

“We are very at risk of having acquired typhoid and we really want to release an awareness and alert to clinicians and also returning travellers to be aware of the symptoms.” — Additional reporting by SABC.

A large number of urban men have two or more sexual partners, and more than 63 percent admit to regularly having unprotected intercourse, a survey has revealed.

According to a recent Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS), 14 percent of men in 2015 admitted to having two or more sexual partners and having unprotected intercourse with them.

About 50 percent of women with two or more sexual partners also admitted to having unprotected sexual intercourse.

The survey showed that men between ages 30 and 49 were more likely to have unprotected sexual intercourse, with the percentage of condom use in the last sexual encounter being between 20,3 percent and 23,9 percent.

Harare had the highest number of men with multiple sexual partners with 17 percent of those interviewed admitting as much, while Manicaland province recorded the least number of men with two or more partners.

Bulawayo had the highest number of men who used protection in their last sexual encounter and Mashonaland Central anchored the statistics despite having many men with multiple partners.

The report, encouragingly, notes an overall increase in the number of men being tested for HIV and getting their results. Manicaland had the least number of males willing to go for HIV testing.

“More men than women report having two or more sexual partners, 14 percent and 1 percent, respectively,” part of the survey reads. “Among men, this is a small increase from the 2010-11 ZDHS where 11 percent of men reported having two or more sexual partners while among women, there was no notable change.

“Having multiple partners is slightly more common in urban settings. Among those reporting two or more sexual partners in the past 12 months, condom use at last sex was 50 percent for women and 37 percent for men.

“Men aged 15-19 were more likely to report condom use (71 percent) than men in other age groups. While 95 percent of men report knowing where to get an HIV test.

“Compared with women, men report lower levels of past HIV testing and receipt of their results (62 percent). ‘‘By province, similar to women, the lowest HIV testing coverage among men is observed in Manicaland 55 percent.

“Coverage of prior HIV testing has increased since the 2010-11 ZDHS. Among women, the percentage who were tested for HIV in the past 12 months and received the results has increased from 34 percent in 2010-11 to 49 percent in 2015.

“Among men, the percentage who were tested for HIV in the past 12 months and received the results has increased from 21 percent in the 2010-11 ZDHS to 36 percent in 2015.”
Director of Family Health in the Ministry of Health and Child, Dr Bernard Madzima, said unprotected sex remained a major cause for concern.

“Behaviour change, including condom use, has been one of the mainstays of the HIV programme amongst a host of other interventions which has seen the country HIV rates going down,” he said. “However this kind of behaviour remains risky.”

According to the latest Global Aids Progress Report, Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence rate declined from 15,7 percent in 2011 to 13,8 in 2015 on the back of various Government strategies.

These include early adoption and implementation of the 2013 World Health Organisation guidelines on treatment and prevention, male circumcision, tuberculosis/HIV collaborative treatment, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Condom use has also played a big role in the declining HIV prevalence rate. The report shows that the number of people living with HIV increased from 1,35 million to 1,41 million more people accessed treatment. – State Media

LAW enforcement agencies have launched countrywide sting operations to nab farmers who are abusing free agricultural inputs provided by Government under the Command Agriculture Scheme.

The Sunday Mail understands that police deployed undercover officers to investigate malpractices, with those caught on the wrong side of the law facing arrest. It is understood that some unscrupulous farmers are selling diesel, fertilisers, herbicides and maize seed provided under the programme, in direct contravention of the scheme’s regulations and Government directives.

Provincial programme team leaders who spoke to our Harare Bureau said cases of abuse had been reported in some districts.

Police last week confirmed that several culprits had been apprehended in Mashonaland East and Manicaland provinces.

National Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said investigations were ongoing, adding that police were using specialised investigation techniques to unmask culprits.

Said Snr Asst Comm Charamba: “As police we continue to monitor the situation in all provinces and arrests will be effected where we have reason to believe a crime has been committed. Already, arrests have been made in several provinces like Manicaland. While arrests have been made we have not consolidated the national figures, so I cannot at the moment give you the exact number of those who have been arrested.

“We have been communicating to members of the public that they should come forward to the nearest police station and report such cases so we can investigate them.”

Our Harare Bureau last week gathered that some farmers in Mashonaland Central were being investigated after authorities received tip-offs on how they were selling a 20-litre diesel coupon for US$15 and a 50kg bag of fertiliser for US$25.

A top official in the Mashonaland Central Provincial Command Agriculture team said police had deployed undercover officers to bust the rackets.

The official said: “We continue to receive reports of abuse of the scheme from members of the public on how some farmers are abusing inputs. From the reports we have gathered that fertiliser is being sold for as little as US$25 for a 50kg bag while a 20-litre coupon of diesel is being sold for around US$15. What we have done is we have sent on the ground undercover police details to investigate where ever we would have received reports of abuse. So far I can confirm that we are investigating cases in Mazowe, Bindura and Centenary.”

Mashonaland Central produces the bulk of Zimbabwe’s staple maize crop. In Mashonaland West, officials were last week compiling reports of alleged abuses at district level with a view to launching full-scale criminal investigations.

In other provinces, our Harare Bureau understands abusers of the programme have been arrested with some recently appearing in court in Manicaland.

The Government last year launched Command Agriculture under which qualifying farmers get inputs to ensure national food security. The programme is projected to reduce Government’s grain import bill that was around US$254 million last year. – State Media

Olivine Industries, which is pinning its hopes on the current import restrictions to relaunch itself, is groaning from the cash and foreign currency shortages that are slowing its planned expansion projects.

A biting cash crunch is affecting consumer demand and the ability to acquire new capital equipment.

Soaring imports and progressively declining exports have resulted in foreign currency shortages that are making it increasingly difficult for manufacturing companies to fund critical economic activities.

Although industry is being prioritised under the current forex rationing exercise that is being overseen by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Olivine believes that delays in processing foreign payments are disrupting its recapitalisaton effort.

So far, the fast-moving consumer goods producer, which was acquired by Singapore-based Wilmar International in 2015, has invested more than US$15 million in its margarine processing technology. But there have been difficulties in sourcing raw materials for the soap plant.

Investment projects
Olivine board chairman Mr Peter Madara believes that bottlenecks in accessing foreign currency to make offshore payments will most likely delay investment into the planned projects, which are expected to take three years (2016-2018).

The company re-introduced established brands such as Buttercup margarine and Jade bathing soap to local supermarket shelves last year after a two-year absence.

There are also plans to reintroduce Perfection ad Dolphin laundry soaps by September 2017.

“The liquidity challenges also impact on the pace of implementation of capital expenditure projects which are expected to take three years (2016- 2018). The fiscal constraints facing the manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe in making payments to external suppliers of crude oil raw material inputs into local production persist.

“The foreign currency challenge extends beyond just the crude oil imports but also to other imported raw materials into local production. Like its counterparts, Olivine faces this constraint,” said Mr Madara.

He, however, noted that the central bank was pulling all the stops to ensure that there is enough foreign currency to meet demand from industry.

Market watchers say the RBZ needs to continue to allocate foreign currency, especially to local oil manufacturers, in order to enable them to continue refining, deodorising and packaging edible oil.

Olive Industries is presently supplying its iconic Olivine cooking oil brand to both the wholesale and retail market. There already exists a niche market for the time-tested products, but supply is struggling to match demand.

New products in the offing
According to Mr Madara, demand and the availability of raw materials are presently determining capacity utilisation, which, however, differs depending on product category.

Olivine began implementing a three-phased margarine processing technology project in 2016.

“Phase One was completed in June 2016 and the supply of locally produced Buttercup Margarine began end of June 2016. Phases Two and Three will be implemented this year and next year respectively.

“The investment in the laundry soap and toilet soap plants for production of laundry and bath soaps remain in progress.

“While Jade bath soap production is currently underway, the production of laundry soap will start upon plant commissioning expected by the third quarter of this year,” explained Mr Madara.

It is expected that the new margarine plant will help boost production efficiencies and improve production capacity to 80 percent from the current 20 percent.

Some of the equipment that made up the old margarine plant — which dates back to 1947, 16 years after the company was established — is blamed for the inefficient production process of the product, which resulted in the firm losing ground to its competitors.

It is believed that the success of Olivine on the local market will ultimately define its future growth in the region. Encouragingly, the company’s cooking oil products have managed to claim space in major South African retailers such as Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Spar and Massmart. Olivine was the target of major acquisitive international groups after Independence in 1980.

It is unsurprising therefore that the company was acquired by American food processing group HJ Heinz in 1982.

The Pennsylvania headquartered business subsequently increased its investment four years later.

But the souring relations between the United States government and Zimbabwe after 2000, which resulted in Washington imposing sanctions through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) in 2000, forced the company to pull out. The sanctions effectively outlawed American companies from dealing with firms linked to the local Government.

Olivine, which was majority owned by Government through a 49,3 percent controlled by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and a 1,3 percent stake held by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) — a state owned enterprise — was naturally affected.

IDC was also put under the sanctions watch list.
From the time Heinz divested from Zimbabwe in 2007 up until 2014, Olivine has been struggling to court a suitor. It however got relief last year when it was removed from the blacklist. Wilmar International, which also has interests in Chitungwiza-based Surface Investments — the biggest multi-oilseed processing plant in Zimbabwe —swooped on the business in 2015.

It was widely expected at the time that Wilmar would inject US$32,2 million into the business, of which US$25 million was supposed to address part of a debt estimated at US$34 million.

Apart from edible oil, bath and laundry soap, Olivine also produces bakers’ fats, candles, soya meal and cotton seed meal.

Its unit, Chegutu Canners, also manufactures canned beans, tomato and fruit products. The new investors had earlier envisaged that they will be able to make the company profitable by the end of last year.

There are still plans to push the company’s brands to reclaim their market share by the end of this year. – State Media