Staff Reporter | The United States government has just issued the brother of missing activist Itai Dzamara, Patson, with a visa to join now exiled Pastor Evan Mawarire in anti-President Robert Mugabe protests at the United Nations.
Mawarire who led the first successful national mass action against Mugabe’s regime fled the country citing state harrassment and that Zanu PF militia threatened to rape his wife. Mugabe who was rumoured to have died, appeared this morning, not his usual feisty self and still not able to explain to a skeptical nation his sudden disappearance, is expected to attend next week the next United Nations General Assembly. It has become custom for the 92 year old leader to use UN events to vent his anger against western powers and opposition from home against his rule. This time round the man other dictators love to love, has much waiting for him as Zimbabweans converge on President Barack Obama’s land to tell him enough is enough.
Zimbabwean activists will haunt him in what is now dubbed #ShutDown New York, similar to the ongoing protests actions in Zimbabwe which have shaken Mugabe’s rule.
However, speculation is rife as to whether Dzamara will return to Zimbabwe or decide to join the millions of Zimbabwe’s Diaspora, including Mawarire who decided to stay out.
Dzamara on his way to the USA for mega demo with Evan Mawarire.
Missing Itai Dzamara’s brother, Patson, is heading to America. He is in South Africa at present where he has given several interviews to news outlets.
Dzamara is one of the speakers at a mega demonstration planned for New York at the United Nations.
Zimbabweans hope to shame President Mugabe who has ruined the country for decades.
Dzamara follows the path taken by Pastor Evan Mawarire who fled to the USA via South Africa. He is not coming back.
It is not clear if Dzamara will return but those in the know say Dzamara will return as he continues to push for answers for his missing brother.

OPPOSITION parties under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) have launched a court battle against Statutory Instrument 101a of 2016, which banned protests in Harare for two weeks.
The legal instrument, which expires on September 16, put paid to yesterday’s planned mega demo, but Nera, a grouping of 18 opposition political parties coming together to fight for electoral reforms ahead of the 2018 general elections, yesterday made an urgent High Court chamber application challenging the ban.
Nera head of legal affairs, Douglas Mwonzora said the opposition parties are represented by People’s Democratic Party leader, Tendai Biti.
Although constitutional lawyer, Lovemore Madhuku said it was within government’s power to ban the protests, Mwonzora argued the statutory instrument violated the Constitution because protesting was a basic human right, that falls under the Bill of Rights and any piece of legislation taking away the rights was ultra vires (beyond the legal power or authority of) the charter.
“The power to issue a statutory instrument rests in a government minister, not an officer of the police. How can an officer commanding a district make law? This not constitutional,” Mwonzora said.
The statutory instrument was issued by the officer commanding Harare central district, Chief Superintendent Newbert Saunyama, who had earlier on blocked, for the second consecutive time, Nera’s request to hold a demonstration.
Mwonzora, the MDC-T secretary-general, said they had decided to challenge the ban because the reason they wanted to protest was to file a petition with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
The ban on protesting in Harare means Nera cannot petition the electoral body.
MDC-T spokesperson, Obert Gutu said the government was now desperate, as its “end is nigh”.
He said the ban was synonymous to a subtle state of emergency and showed that government was panicking, with the ever increasing voices of dissent.
“Protesting is a human right and should not be violated. The ban shows that the regime is running scared of the people,” Gutu said.
Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume said: “The ban is because the demonstrations are gathering momentum everyday. They are getting stronger and stronger. The Nera demo sent the most shock waves. They are scared, hence, the reaction.”
But political analyst, Alexander Rusero said there were two sides to consider concerning the statutory instrument.
“Morally, it may sound correct for the government to impose a ban, given that its mandate is to ensure law and order and ensure the security of the entire citizenry, as well as their property. So if you follow up the recent protests, they, to some extent, were hijacked by thugs, seizing the opportunity to loot, steal and damage property,” he said.
“However, there was need by the police to exhibit brilliance and professionalism in trying to separate peaceful protesters from hooligans and thieves rather than impose a blanket ban. A few malcontents, who hijacked the protests, are the ones who should be brought to book.
“In between a period of elections, peaceful protests are the only language citizens may use to relay grievances to the government and banning them is not only politically misguided, but exposes the government.
“Whereas violence and destruction of property may not be condoned, a government that infringes on fundamental human rights enshrined in a Constitution it purports to adhere to signals confusion, cluelessness and incompetence on comprehension of the rule of the law.” newsday

Zimbabwean activist Stern Zvorwadza has vowed to defy the ban imposed on all protests in the capital Harare, saying a mother of all demonstrations was planned for Monday, News24 reported.
Speaking to News24 on Friday, Zvorwadza said that Zimbabweans who were protesting against President Robert Mugabe’s government were ready for a massive but peaceful demonstration in Harare.
He said  the protest would mark an end to the ongoing abuses by the police.
“On Monday we are going to stage the mother of all protests in the capital Harare. The police can do what they have been doing in the past, but we would not be shaken. I would rather die than be told what I can or not do,” said Zvorwadza.
Zimbabwean police on Thursday issued a ban on all protests in the capital for the next two weeks.
The notice cited a lack of manpower to prevent disorder. It said that demonstrations would only be allowed after September 16.
Future of generations
The notice also stated that anyone taking part in protests before then, could be imprisoned for up to a year.
Harare has been rocked by weeks of near-daily protests over a plummeting economy, allegations of corruption and Mugabe’s decades-long rule.
Police have often used tear gas, water cannons and open violence to crush the demonstrations.
Zvorwadza also took a swipe at government officials, who labelled as terrorists all those protesting against Mugabe’s regime. He said it was unfortunate that those in authority only cared about their comfort at the expense of millions of the poor in Zimbabwe.
“The ministers who are calling us terrorists are losers, because we know that we represent peace. They have murdered people for which some have just disappeared without a trace. Where is Itai Dzamara? So they must first clean themselves before labelling us terrorists.
“They are the terrorists that work for a mafia that has murdered people mercilessly while we are fighting for a better future for generations to come,” he said.

Government has adopted a “no work, no pay” approach against civil servants who participate in demonstrations to push for a better living.
State media reports that this means any civil servant who participates in illegal industrial actions will not be paid for the duration of the absence. Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira issued the warning at the handover of farming implements — including tractors, ploughs and planters — among others to Portlet Estates cooperative in Makonde yesterday.
Minister Mupfumira said civil servants should not be used by detractors to destabilise the country.
“We expect civil servants to work hard. Be warned that as Government, we will not be as lenient with you civil servants as last time when you participated in an illegal stayaway and did not turn up for work,” she said.
“You are warned that next time it is going to be no-work-no pay for all civil servants who participate in illegal stayaways.”
She said labour dispute resolution mechanisms needed to be exhausted before any industrial action could be undertaken.
Industrial action, she said, was every worker’s right according to Article 65, but only when a deadlock persisted after three meetings of the Apex Council and Government.
She said detractors bent on destabilising the country would influence civil servants to participate in illegal industrial action but would not be there when the same workers faced the consequences.
“Do not be misled because the people who influence you to participate in illegal demonstrations and stayaways will not be there when you and your families have to face the music alone,” she said.
Government workers, Minister Mupfumira said, should not be quick to embark on industrial action over salary delays of between a week or two saying some workers in the private sector were going for months without being paid.
She said punitive sanctions by the West had constrained the fiscal space but Government was trying its best to ensure its workers were paid.

This, she said included bonuses which had since been shelved in the private sector.
Zimbabwe has seen a wave of anarchy disguised as “peaceful demonstrations” orchestrated by opposition players, which Government said were aimed at destabilising the country.
This has prompted Government adopt Statutory Instrument 101, which prohibits any demonstrations in and around Harare CBD for the next two weeks.
Turning to command agriculture, Minister Mupfumira said lax monitoring and mentoring programmes for farmers should be attended to urgently for the success of the programme.
She said extension and technical services needed to be scaled up.
“Agritex should take a leading role in ensuring that Command Agriculture is a success. We have seen over the years that extension service are not as robust and available as in years gone by,” she said.
“Extension workers should exercise due
 
No work, no pay for strikers: Govt diligence in selecting people to take part in the programme. To people who are not into farming five tonnes per hectare is a small figure but it is more than the national average by far. This calls for serious people.”
She said the selection process should be strictly on merit and Agritex needed to ensure tight supervision of how the inputs availed by Government were used.
Agritex expertise, she said was needed now more than ever as the country took steps to ensure food security.
“Agritex extension workers should take stock on why farmers are not managing more than one tonne per hectare so that where people need to be taught they get the service,” she said.
A cocktail of early mobilisation of resources by Government before the onset of the rains and maximum utilisation of water harvested in dams for irrigation, would guarantee success, she said.
Portlet Estates cooperative has 83 members and is targeting 249 hectares for maize production this season.
Makonde legislator Cde Kindness Paradza attended the ceremony while Minister of State for Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Cde Faber Chidarikire was represented by director in his office, Mr Jim Kadziya. state media

As the Zanu PF succession battles rages on, the two main party wings which will be decisive, in deciding President Robert Mugabe’s successor, hold crucial meetings, the youth and women’s wings.
The Zanu-PF Youth League is meeting today in Harare to discuss the state of the party and the country’s economic situation. The meeting is in fulfilment of the party’s constitution that requires the youth wing to meet at least twice a year and would be addressed by President Mugabe in his official capacity as the party’s First Secretary and President. Zanu-PF deputy secretary for Youth Affairs Kudzai Chipanga yesterday confirmed the meeting.
He said delegates to the meeting were members serving at provincial and national levels of the party’s youth wing.
“We are going to discuss several issues and among them is the issue of the state of the party, issues to do with discipline, social issues and the economic situation in the party and the country,” he said.
“This is our first national assembly meeting for this year and we hope to have another one before the end of the year.
“This particular meeting was scheduled for the month end of August, but we have to postpone it due to other commitments.”
On the women quota in the presidium Chipanga said: “We have not deliberated on that matter as the Youth League. Possibly, there might be individual members in the league who may have their personal views in that regard, but as the Youth League, we have not discussed it and it is not on our agenda. That issue was raised by the Women’s League during the Victoria Falls conference.”
Chipanga said all was in place for the high profile meeting that would define the direction of the party’s youth wing.
The Youth and Women’s leagues are critical arms of the revolutionary party.
Zanu-PF has come up with a number of initiatives to empower the youths. The party, through the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, has allocated residential stands to the young people in various towns.
So far youths in Harare, Bulawayo and Masvingo have already benefited from the residential stands and plans are afoot to expand the programme to other cities and towns.
The party is also making concerted efforts to ensure that the youths are incorporated into national projects such as road construction. state media

A BULAWAYO man is on the run after he allegedly blew $45 000 belonging to his employer.
Samuel Moyo, who is now on the police wanted list, was employed as a manager at Rubicon Drilling in Bulawayo’s Belmont industrial area.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the fraudster who allegedly committed the crime three months ago.
Acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube said they are appealing for information leading to Moyo’s arrest.
“We are appealing for information that may assist us to locate and subsequently arrest Samuel Moyo who is wanted in connection with a case of fraud which occurred on June 20, 2016. He was employed as a manager at Rubicon Drilling Company when he converted $45 000 to his own use,” he said.
Asst Insp Ncube urged members of the public with information on Moyo’s whereabouts to contact the officer in charge of Donnington Police Station Insp Khanye on (09) 468520 or the investigating officer Constable Absolom Chigamba on (09) 474005 or 0713673398 or alternatively visit any nearest police station.

Moyo is tall, slim and brown in complexion and his last known address is Number 32A Percy Avenue, Hillside suburb in Bulawayo.

Two weeks ago, a driver from a tile and carpet company in Gweru also vanished with $26 000 he had collected from the company’s branches outside the city.
Privilege Chipangura (31), who is also wanted by police, dumped the company vehicle in Gweru’s Central Business District and was not seen again after he committed the crime.
Chipangura of Mambo suburb in Gweru was sent to Kwekwe and Kadoma on August 18 to collect money from the company’s branches.
It is said that Chipangura was on August 18 handed $14 000 by the company’s Kadoma branch manager and $12 000 by the Kwekwe branch manager and he allegedly proceeded to Gweru and never surrendered the money.
After failing to report back for work, the company, using a vehicle tracking system, recovered the car which Chipangura had dumped in Gweru’s CBD. state media

Terrence Mawawa | Masvingo | As the country’s political temperature continues to rise, a house belonging to a senior MDC official was torched by suspected Zanu PF youths last week.
MDC Provincial Youth Assembly chairperson, Philiph Chingini lost property worth $9000 after his grass-thatched house was torched by suspected Zanu PF youths infuriated by his role in the protests against President Robert Mugabe’s government.
The incident happened in Zimano Village, Nerupiri area in Gutu District. It is understood that suspected Zanu PF youths torched his house as a way of punishing him for playing an active role in the demonstrations taking place across the country. Mugabe, whose whereabouts have remained a mystery, is under pressure to step down following more than three decades in power. Chingini told ZimEye.com the incident happened around midnight when his 13 year-old daughter was alone at home. “My daugther was alone and fast asleep when she heard the sound of footsteps at the kitchen door. She then heard loud knocks at the bedroom door. The arsonists then torched my house and stole four goats and 16 hens from my fowl run. I am sure this was done by Zanu PF youths after I successfully organised an MDC demonstration in Masvingo,” said Chingini. MDC Provincial Treasurer Takanayi Mureyi said the incident was tragic and unfortunate. “There is no doubt Zanu PF youths torched Chingini’s house.Violence has no place in our society,” said Chingini. In 2008 houses belonging to opposition supporters, mainly MDC members, were torched by members of the Zanu PF youth militia. Opposition supporters were killed, tortured and maimed during the brutal presidential election run-off campaign.

A haulage truck carrying Delta Beverage’s mahewu products, overturned at Kelvin and Cripps road in Graniteside, Harare early Friday morning.
It was reportedly coming from Sunnningdale direction and overturned after the driver allegedly failed to negotiate a corner.
Witnesses told NewsDay that passerbys had to jump into the truck to rescue the trapped driver and switch off the engine of the truck which was now lying on its side.
The injured driver was rushed to hospital.
“People had to come inside to drag him out as he was unable to move. His head must have hit the walls of the truck and his leg broke,” said a witnesses.
“I think the truck was over loaded and there was too much weight on the left side because he wasn’t even speeding.”
He added: “Luckily he had his seatbelt on, because if he hadn’t he could have died. “ newsday

The First Lady Grace Mugabe has been implicated in a dirty club scheme which involves Zimbabwe Republic Police bosses, ZimEye can exclusively reveal.
ZimEye.com exposes Mugabe’s links to Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri’s wife, Isabel.
Mugabe has found herself embroiled in the scandal involving the Kuyedza Women’s Club which was notoriously set up by Chihuri’s wife, Isabel. It is used to swindle poor ZRP cops of their hard earned salaries as they are forced to buy traditional materials locally known as maZambia.

ZimEye reveals the below in a shocking account
Morale in the ZRP has hit an all time low within the rank and file.
Last week a radio was sent from Police General Headquarters in which a
directive was made to all male officers to purchase a piece of cloth
inscribed with ZRP logo and letters KWC which stands for Kuyedza
Women’s Club. The cloth popularly known as a zambia in Zimbabwe is
being forced on the male officers at a cost of $50 though it is worth
less than $5.
Kuwadza Women’s Club was formed by wife of Commissioner General
Chihuri and is allegedly linked to the First Lady. The directive to
officers is not in line with the Police Act and has led to serious
disgruntlement of police officers as they feel that it erodes their
meagre salaries. An Assistant Inspector whose identity is withheld
fumed that such a directive is ultra vires the Police Act and is
imposed against their will. The zambia cloth is being said to be
bought for wives of male police officers. There 40 000 male police
officers in the country which implies this directive will raise $2 000
000 for Mrs Chihuri and her links. The pieces of cloth will be have
already been sent to most police stations. He also mentioned that most
police officers are against beating citizens but they have no option
as they take orders from superiors in their line if duty. There is no
laid down procedures for lower ranked officers to register their
grievances. Failure to purchase the zambia will be construed as gross
indiscipline.
 
 

Staff Reporter| Two reasonably innocent street vendors in Gwanda were on Thursday arrested by plain cloth police for picking up a NERA demonstration flyer and giving it to other vendors to read.
The two vendors, Leonard Ndlovu and Oscar Zhou have been in police custody since Thursday morning and due to appear in court this morning.
According to human rights advocacy organisation Restoration Of Human Rights Matabeleland South Spokesperson Norman Mudadisi, the two vendors picked up a flyer which had been thrown from a moving vehicle, read the flyer before giving it to other vendors to also read.
Plain cloth police officers who were within the vicinity quickly apprehended the other vendors who were reading the flyer.
The two then intervened in the fracas telling the police officers to produce identity cards that could prove that they were indeed police officers before demanding for the release of the other vendors confessing to have given the flyer to them.
The police then arrested the two and charged them for inciting public violence by sharing the flyer and for obstructing the course of justice by “interfering with the duties of the police.”
According to Mudadisi, ROHR Matabeleland South has since been able to get the two legal assistance from Abammeli Human Rights Lawyers in Bulawayo who will appear with the two in court on Saturday morning.
The organisation castigated the police for what they termed unnecessary intimidation strategies meant to intimidate vendors out of the demonstrations by arresting the two vendors.

Thousands of people, among them civil servants and vendors, have lost thousands of dollars to fraudulent online pyramid scheme MMM Global Zimbabwe after it collapsed recently. The social financial network, which relied on an accelerating number of new members to pay off the old, abruptly terminated its services last week leaving participants stranded.This comes as Econet’s mobile financial service platform, EcoCash yesterday distanced itself from the pyramid scheme.
Participants claimed they were using EcoCash for their transactions.
Zimbabweans have in the past months been joining the online investment scheme in droves in a bid “to get rich quickly”.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe warned people that the scheme was fraudulent and there was no legal recourse in the event they lost their money.
The central bank said MMM, which advertises its operations through a website and recruiting agents, was not a registered or regulated entity.
EcoCash yesterday said: “We have noted that some of these pyramid schemes are allegedly advertising in a manner that suggests that the Ecocash facility is a medium for prospective members to deposit their money. This is not correct.
“We advise our valued customers and all stakeholders that Ecocash is a licensed mobile payment platform that enables customers to make financial transactions such as sending money, buying prepaid airtime as well as paying for goods and services within the confines of the law of Zimbabwe. EcoCash promotes safe and legal transactions but will not be held liable for any losses arising from the use of EcoCash to engage in illegal activities such as Ponzi schemes.”
The scheme advertises itself as a mutual aid fund under which recruited members contribute money to assist others and are promised investment returns of 30 percent per month.

Some of the people left counting their losses told The Herald that they received emails that the scheme had been suspended until September 15.
“All along things were moving in the right direction and we now have nowhere to claim our investments,” said Mr Tinashe Muza of Harare.
“When we started putting our funds in the scheme one could get assistance within seven days but things later changed to 14 days and when we were shut out the waiting period was 21 days. What it simply means is that the number of people in need of help has outnumbered the number of people joining. Right now we have nowhere to get our money which we invested.”
MMM stands for Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox and takes its name from its founder, Sergei Panteleevich Mavrodi of Russia.
He founded MMM in 1989 and the scheme was declared bankrupt three years later leading to the disappearance of Mavrodi until his arrest in 2003.
Another victim, Mrs Rosemary Mawonde said: “We never thought the scheme would end this way as we believed that by using EcoCash to do the transactions, things were in order. I am surprised that EcoCash is also distancing itself from the scheme and it is clear that I will never recover the $300 that I invested.”
While some people who were skeptical about the scheme started with small amounts, it is believed some poured in thousands of dollars anticipating higher returns.
The RBZ said the schemes were fraudulent as existing investors were ‘paid money not from genuine market investment of their funds, but from contributions made by new investors, until a point when the scheme can no longer attract new investors,”
“The participants are made aware that they make their money by recruiting new members who in turn must recruit more members,” warned the Central Bank.

The First Lady Grace Mugabe has continued to support Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016, which has seen the banning of the importation of certain products, further tormenting Zimbabweans who survive on cross border trade for survival.
This is at a time that informal cross-border traders in Zimbabwe are in for another shocker as government is planning to expand an unpopular imports ban. The country is headed for more protests after the previous ban sparked violent demonstrations at the Beitbridge border post that connects into South Africa and was temporarily shut as protesters clashed with the police.
Mugabe urged the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Kuyedza Women’s Club to capitalise on SI 64  to increase production for the local market, without taking into account the already documented negative impact the instrument in question has had on Zimbabweans.

A MAN from Pumula South suburb in Bulawayo who attacked and robbed a Sunday News reporter on his way from work has been sentenced to 15 months in jail.
Handsome Zulu appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndhlovu facing robbery charges.
He pleaded not guilty  but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence.
Zulu robbed Dumisani Nsingo of a Samsung cellphone, $30 and a paper bag with bread and chips.
Yesterday, he told the court that he had been given the cell phone by a friend Tinashe Siziba who asked him to sell it.
“I didn’t steal the cell phone, Tinashe gave it to me asking me to sell it on his behalf,” said Zulu in his defence.
The court heard that Siziba was recently convicted of murder and is serving a jail term.

Prosecuting, Ms Magret Takawira said Zulu attacked Nsingo on April 16 at around 10PM.
“The complainant disembarked from a taxi near Godlwayo Primary School. The accused person approached from the opposite direction and hit him with a stone on the head,” said the prosecutor.
“He fell unconscious. The accused took his cellphone, wallet that contained cash and a national identity card.”
She said Nsingo regained consciousness and went to report the matter at Pumula police station.
“Police arrested one Xolani Dube who was found in possession of the stolen phone on June 19. During interrogation, Dube told the police that he had bought the cellphone from Zulu leading to his arrest on August 11,” said Ms Takawira.
In a statement, Nsingo said he regained consciousness at around 1AM on the following day after the attack and sought assistance at a house close by.
“The man I found at that house accompanied me to the police station. I fell unconscious again when I got there. I regained consciousness at the hospital. The police called me on June 20 asking me to go to the station to identify my phone,” read the statement. state media

By Staff Reporter | A Harare magistrate, Tendai Mahwe on Friday released Freelance photo journalist, James Jemwa, and nine other protesters who were arrested for protesting against President Robert Mugabe, last Friday in Harare.
Jemwa was arrested despite having identified himself as a bonafide journalist while covering the skirmishes that paralysed business in central Harare.
His freedom comes after an outcry by media lobby organisations who demanded for his unconditional release.
Releasing the scribe magistrate Mahwe, ordered Jemwa and company to deposit a bail fee of  $50 through the clerk of court and not to interfere with witnesses.
Jemwa is going back to the courts on 12 September for trial.
Speaking to journalists soon after winning the bail application, Jemwa’s attorney, Harrison Nkomo, said journalists should petition the police over the harassment of their colleagues.
“Unless something serious is done and you as journalists stand up to make sure that police before they execute their duties they uphold the constitution, you know the constitution is very clear with regard rights that journalists enjoy in this country, it is shocking to find the journalist being arrested for executing their duties, something that really requires some form of admonishment, from all progressing societies in the country,” said Nkomo.

By Shiellah Sibanda| While there have been many false predictions of late, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe will never be forgiven by God and will be dead by December this year, a London based prophet insists claiming.
Mugabe has shed too much blood and because of this, none of his prayers will ever be answered, the London based Prophet Austin Moses said, adding his claim that Mugabe is going the way of eternal perdition.
Prophet Austin Moses who in July 2014 successfully predicted what he said was The Big Tree falling with its branches in Zimbabwe (way before Joice Mujuru whose party logo would turn out to be the large baobab tree), said Mugabe will be forgotten in a few months’ time from today and his whole dynasty is going with him.
Moses spoke to ZimEye journo Emmanuel Chindove during a ZimEye Live TV program.
“The blood of many Zimbabweans has been shed..Many Zimbabweans died …and their blood has cried to God,” said Moses.
In the ZimEye Live program filmed in 2014, Moses claimed Morgan Tsvangirai (who has this weekend united hands with former VP Joice Mujuru) would be at the helm of the opposition that will replace Mugabe.
CLICK BELOW TO listen/watch.

Staff Reporter |Gwanda civic and political activists this morning defied heavy police presence and cancellation of National Electoral Reform Agenda demonstrations to deliver the electoral reform petition to ZEC offices in the town.
Led by local civic leader Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo and MDCT Matabeleland South proportional representation Member of Parliament Nomathemba Ndlovu, the five member group made its way past a group of heavily armed anti riot police and plain clothes police guarding the ZEC offices to deliver the petition.
Police last night cancelled country wide NERA demonstrations that were meant to be held today. The country’s major urban centres woke up to heavy police patrols in a bid to quash the demonstrations

GOVERNMENT has covertly deployed the military and other security forces to surround the protests-wrecked capital Harare, while unleashing a crack unit to operate under cover to crackdown on the opposition and civil society groups stepping up pressure for President Robert Mugabe to reform or quit.
This comes after Mugabe last week threatened to quell the current wave of demonstrations and riots rocking the country’s structure-induced stability, saying: “They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that it is not going to happen here.”
The Zimbabwe Independent understands nine lieutenant-colonels and 65 majors have from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and other senior Zimbabwe Defence Forces officers have been deployed under the cover of command agriculture, with some manoeuvring into strategic positions around Harare — behind the scenes — to position themselves to swiftly move and quash any revolt as political discontent and social unrest grow.
A crack unit, which comprises the army, police and intelligence agents, has reportedly also been unleashed in various provinces and areas to monitor, infiltrate and hunt down firebrands rallying a revolt against Mugabe’s regime.
“Harare and other major cities are technically surrounded at the moment in anticipation of an uprising and to pre-empt any such revolt. The stakes are high for the Mugabe and senior military commanders who have a lot to lose if government is overthrown through a popular uprising,” a military source said.
“Currently Zimbabwean security services have a powerful presence throughout the government, bureaucracy and the economy. Senior military, police and intelligence officers — who are mainly war veterans — dominate the Joint Operations Command, which has sweeping powers and authorities to oversee government operations and initiate projects outside the bounds of normal security activities, such as mining, farming and food distribution. They have vested political and business interests, hence a nexus within the triumvirate of politicians, businesspeople and military commanders.”
At the highest levels, the military has been indispensable in maintaining Mugabe and Zanu PF in power. So the deployment of the army is seen as the last resort after police have been struggling to contain the spreading protests, from the Beitbridge riots in July to Harare’s almost daily demonstrations now increasingly becoming confrontational and sometimes violent, especially when police use brutality to stop them.
The crack team is said to have caused alarm within the government and military ranks as its orders include crushing the protestors and destroying their infrastructure.
“There is a crack unit which has been trained and deployed, including on Monday this week. It concludes the police, army and other security forces,” a source said. “Some of its members went out on Monday and there concerns that this covert operation might be used to harass, threaten, and arbitrarily hunt down people pushing for Mugabe to go, including rights defenders, dissenters, activists, and opposition protestors. There is a great deal of discomfort with the military manoeuvres and deployments, especially undercover operations.”
Zimbabwe’s military has previous intervened in civilian affairs, leaving a trailing of human rights abuses and killings, including the Gukurahundi massacres.
“Some deployed operators under the crack unit have told their parents that they were scared about the instructions they had been given and if they had a choice they would not be involved in sinister activities,” a government source said. “Government, through the Ministry of Defence and parliament, needs to explain what is going on. These kinds of things led to horrific atrocities in the past and we should never ever again allow the military to casually be involved in civilian affairs, especially if the police are there. Only limited military involvement should be allowed when the police are overwhelmed.”
Contacted for comment, Defence secretary Martin Rushwaya referred questions to the Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi who could not be reached by phone to deal with the issue. Questions sent tothe minister’s mobile phone were not replied to despite being delivered and indications they had been read.
Efforts to get a comment from ZNA spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Alphios Makotore were unsuccessful he was unreachable on mobile phone. Officers in the ZNA public relations department said Makotore will only be available today.
Police spokesperson Charity Charamba said she was not aware of the deployment of a crack team. “I don’t know about it. I am not an operations person, but if I were in my office I could have found out for you,” she said.
Military sources this week said the deployment of the crack team was a result of the failure by police to contain protestors. Riots were initially sparked by an import ban of South African goods which some people survive on.
Riots broke at Beitbridge Border Post on July 1 with police failing to combat the demonstrators. This led to all the police officers being transferred after the Police Internal Security Intelligenceat the border town complained the police officers had ignored their early warning calls on the riots.
Sources said in addition to the crack team at least nine lieutenant-colonels and 65 majors were deployed across the country under the cover of the US$500 million Stalinist-style command agriculture project which seeks to produce two million metric tonnes of maize a year on 400 000 hectares of land using 2 000 farmers.
Sources said the deployment’s real intention is to ensure that the officers gather information and thwart protests while preparing for the 2018 elections. The army has helped out Mugabe in previous elections, mainly since 2000. In April, Mugabe for the first time publicly admitted this while addressing a war veterans in Harare.
As reported by the Independent last week, soldiers were also on high alert and reportedly assaulted civilians when an alliance of opposition parties tried to stage a demonstration demaning electoral reforms. The protest march postponed to today last week was yesterday stopped through a statutory instrument.
Last week was the first time since the 1998 food riots — in which 10 people reportedly died — that government has unleashed the military to quell protests.
Out of the senior officers deployed to the 10 provinces under the command agriculture guise, 71 are understood to be war veterans deemed loyal to Mugabe, sources said.
“While there is a clique of those close and loyal to Mugabe, most military officers are deemed to be loyal to the military institution, not to any one person,” a military source said. “This small group, which is well looked after, is the one energetically behind the current military deployments and manoeuvres.
“But not everyone is happy with this. Some feel it is unprofessional to use the military to suppress peaceful protests and dissent. Middle-level officers going down to rank-and-file military are not happy with their working conditions and politicisation of the army.
“Huge salary disparities in army structures has also been a source of disgruntlement. As it stands while war veterans are in the top echelons of the military structure, nearly 80% of the force is comprised of men and women who joined after independence, but who are not well looked after.”
Last week, Mugabe warned an Arab Spring-style uprising would be crushed.
“They are burning tyres in the streets to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here,” Mugabe said. “What politics is that when you burn tyres? We want peace in the country.”
This week Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba warned opposition protesters had “crossed the line”. “Let everyone be warned — opposition or wherever — that the government will not tolerate this anymore,” Charamba said.

ACTING Prosecutor General (PG) Advocate Ray Goba’s suitability for office has been thrown in doubt after it emerged locally this week he has a criminal record in Namibia where he was also declared a prohibited immigrant, while he worked there as deputy prosecutor-general and legal services director until five years ago.
This has put the appointing and supervising authorities President Robert Mugabe and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is in charge of the Justice ministry, in an invidious position as the PG’s job requires someone with integrity or simply without a criminal record.
Goba was sworn in as the acting PG on July 7 by President Robert Mugabe after the setting up of a tribunal to determine if the suspended Johannes Tomana is suitable to continue holding the position. The tribunal was given three months to make a determination during which period Goba would be acting.
Tomana was suspended for criminal abuse of office and hearings into his case are on.
Some lawyers have also questioned the constitutionality of appointing an acting PG from outside when Tomana is still in office.
Goba, who served as Namibia’s Deputy Prosecutor General, was convicted in a Namibian regional court in 2002 for driving a vehicle on a public road with excessive blood alcohol concentration in contravention of Section 140 (2) of the Road Traffic Ordinance 1967; failing to obey a road traffic sign in contravention of section of section 101 (1) of the Ordinance and attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.
The conviction over his attempt to obstruct or defeat the course of justice, in particular, is haunting Goba, who was denied a work and residence permit in Namibia in 2011 on the strength of the conviction.
Following the regional court’s ruling an aggrieved Goba appealed to the High Court in 2004 seeking to quash the conviction.
Justice Gerhard Maritz, however, upheld Goba’s conviction over his failure to obey a road traffic sign and attempting to obstruct or defeat the course of justice.
The appeal against conviction for driving a vehicle with excessive blood alcohol concentration was successful after Maritz ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the blood which had been analysed was the specimen obtained from Goba shortly after his arrest.
His application for leave to appeal at the Supreme Court was dismissed.
According to court documents, Goba’s conviction on the charge of attempting to obstruct or defeat the course of justice was premised on the allegation that he “knowingly tried to avoid the taking of a specimen of his blood within the statutory period of two hours by (a) refusing to furnish the law enforcement officers with the cellphone or telephone number of his legal representative before the specimen was taken; (b) attempting to escape while being transported in lawful custody to the hospital for the specimen to be taken; (c) attempting to escape from lawful custody at the hospital before the specimen was taken (d) attempting by threats to intimidate the law enforcement officers not to investigate the alleged offence against him and (e) refusing to submit to the taking of a blood specimen by the doctor when requested to do so.”
Goba was arrested at 2:15am on February 12 2000 by traffic police officers after he turned right in conflict with a directional arrow, leading to the chain of events which resulted in his conviction for attempting to defeat the course of justice.
Following his conviction, the Namibian government declined to renew his employment permit which lapsed on December 31 2010 after he failed to secure work and residence permits. At the time he was the Chief Director of Legal Services and International Cooperation in the Ministry of Justice.
Goba applied again for a work permit and a permanent residence permit to legitimise his stay in Namibia after the termination of his contract, but learnt on February 15 2011 that both applications had been rejected.
He appealed to the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration on February 18, explaining that his last contract of employment had come to an end unexpectedly and pointed out that he had also appealed against the refusal of permanent residence and was awaiting a decision in respect thereof. He also filed a High Court application seeking the review and setting aside of the decisions taken by the Immigration Selection Board to refuse to grant him permanent residence and employment permits. In addition, Goba sought an order that he be entitled to carry on his profession in Namibia and another one that the Director of Immigration issue him a permanent residence permit.
He indicated that he wanted to work with Namibian law firm Shikongo Law Chambers.
However, Justice Raymond Heathcote dismissed his application, citing his conviction.
“Unfortunately for the applicant, he was convicted (by a Namibian Court after he came to Namibia), on a charge of attempting to obstruct or defeat the course of justice. On appeal, this conviction was confirmed by the High Court on 29 June 2004. An application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court was also refused,” Heathcote ruled.
“In various subsequent applications for visas the applicant sought to downplay the offence as a ‘traffic offence’, or failed to furnish details of the offence as he was required to do.
“As a legal practitioner, the applicant would have known that in terms of section 39(2) (f) (i) of the Immigration Control, Act 1993, (herein after ‘the Act’) any person who has been convicted in Namibia of any offence specified in Schedule 1 of that Act, shall be a prohibited immigrant in respect of Namibia. Schedule 1 of the Act includes the offence of ‘defeating or obstructing the course of justice’ and any attempt to do so.
“During argument it soon became clear that, if section 39(2)(f)(i) declared the applicant a prohibited immigrant, the application cannot succeed.”
Heathcote dismissed Goba’s application, saying: “I conclude therefore that applicant, having been found guilty of an attempt to defeat the course of justice (in Namibia by the Namibian Courts), is a prohibited immigrant, and the court cannot under such circumstances grant the interim relief.”
Goba told the Zimbabwe Independent yesterday the charges brought against him were “racially-motivated” and “unjust” after clashes with two white police officers while driving home at night. He said he had an altercation with them after they accused him of drunken driving as well as straddling an unbroken traffic line. Goba claimed he was manhandled and denied access to a lawyer. Police accused him of threatening them, a charge he denied.
“Surely how could I threaten uniformed officers? I just told them that I would sue them to the last donkey. I can be accused of arrogance because I was arrogant. I’m arrogant when I know that I am right,” he said.
Legal practitioners have questioned whether Goba is fit for the PG’s job in light of his conviction. In terms of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, a PG must meet stipulated qualities.
A “fit and proper person”, according to the dictates of law, must satisfy a raft of ethical and professional attributes, in particular honesty and reliability.
Goba said those questioning his integrity and suitability for the post, though entitled to their opinions, were malicious. He said his superiors were aware of his criminal record.
“I have nothing to hide. Before I took up this post, I disclosed this issue to my superiors. If they appointed me after I revealed this then surely I must have done something good in Namibia where I served with distinction,” he said. “The world is full of malicious people. Why did they provide this information to you (the media) and not to the President or the Minister of Justice? Those who are questioning my suitability for office are entitled to their opinion, but if a minor traffic violation is used as a yardstick to determine one’s suitability for office, then no one would be appointed in any office anywhere. I am probably the best person to do the job because I have personally experienced injustice in the criminal justice system. I know what injustice is and how the criminal justice system can bring about unjust results.”
Goba was appointed Namibia’s Deputy Prosecutor General in 1998 and served in the Justice ministry until December 2010. independent

Langton Ncube | The notorious Central Intelligence Organisation is at it again making anonymous calls in which it is threatening the lives of civic leaders.
In a relentless continued onslaught on civic society activists, suspected members of the now much less feared, CIO, Thursday afternoon threatened Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition two senior employees for organizing national protests.
The two, Thulani Mswelanto, the Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition’s programmes manager and information officer, Edgar Gweshe, received some anonymous phone calls threatening them for coordinating the civil unrests that has rocked the country.
The two received the threats after their organization has sent a solidarity massage on Tuesday supporting the 31 August shut down call by #Tajamuka.
“ Thulani Mswelanto received an anonymous call from an unidentified man who later went on to threaten him with unspecified action over Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition’s role in coordinating protests over misgovernance in Zimbabwe.Prior to that, two unidentified men had visited his home enquiring about his whereabouts,” CIZC said in a statement Thursday.
“The men,  were driving in an unmarked Isuzu vehicle which was parked about 100 meters from Mswelanto’s place.
“Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Information Officer, Edgar Gweshe has received similar threats from unidentified people who wanted to enquire over Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition’s involvement in civil protests that have rocked Zimbabwe over the past months,”the civil society organization said.
“The latest threats from the State agents are genuine cause for alarm especially given the abductions and torture of opposition as well as civic society activists over the last months”.

Pressure continues to mount on President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF to resolve the current economic and political crises bedevilling the country, as former Zipra and Zanla combatants seek to close ranks and demand change from the regime.
ZPRA Veterans Association spokesperson, Robert Ndebele in a statement yesterday said: “As a matter of principle, we stand with them on constitutional issues, good governance, deteriorating economic and political situation.
“We feel that everybody, and not just war veterans, needs a sober and joint effort to resolve the issues confronting our motherland.”
Ndebele said, as war veterans, they had made a mistake of aligning the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association with Zanu PF over the years.
“The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association departed from its founding values and principles of being non-partisan and a welfare organisation and became an unprincipled arm of Zanu PF,” he said.
“As a result, it inevitably got entangled in Zanu PF’s factional fights that characterised Zanu in exile. We do not, as a matter of fact, wish to be dragged into those wars.”
Ndebele noted that, at one point, Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, was asked “to shut up as the war veterans were trying to resolve Zanla/Zanu issues”.
“This created the impression that the association (Zimbabwe War Veterans Association) was not meant for ex-ZPRA cadres. We were not part of the Mgagao Declaration that made Robert Mugabe president of Zanu and will not comment on it,” Ndebele said.
“While we sympathise with, and in no way condone the victimisation, arrest, prosecution and persecution of (war veterans’ spokesperson Douglas) Mahiya and others, we must draw attention to the fact that in the 1980s, ZPRA commanders and ordinary cadres, some of whom were serving in the Zimbabwe National Army, were subjected to the same abuse and arrests on trumped up charges. At no time did any of our Zanla counterparts raise a finger in protest.
“However, we remain open to genuine dialogue on any platform for unity as we demonstrated during the liberation struggle, that anticolonial struggle.” newsday

CENTRAL Intelligence boss Happyton Bonyongwe a fortnight ago reportedly warned President Robert Mugabe that continued infighting in Zanu PF at a time social discontent is rising is likely to fuel civil unrest.
Sources in the security sector said this week Bonyongwe briefed Mugabe after learning that First Lady Grace Mugabe and her backers in the G40 Zanu PF faction wanted to launch a fresh onslaught on Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa to politically disable him as part of the cut-throat succession wrangle to replace Mugabe.
Before Bonyongwe’s briefing, Grace had invited Zanu PF provincial Women’s League chairpersons from the country’s 10 provinces to her orphanage in Mazowe to push for fresh attack on Mnangagwa, whom she wants replaced as Mugabe’s deputy by a woman.
Grace and her allies want Zanu PF’s December conference to be turned into an extraordinary congress where the vice-presidency will be up for grabs. The Women’s League is pushing for reintroduction of the women’s quota in the presidium to ensure that Mnangagwa is replaced by a woman.
The women’s assembly, with support from the Youth League, is planning rallies to drum up support for the move while ratcheting up pressure on the vice-president to crumble in the heat of the suffocating race.
“At the Mazowe meeting, Grace said the rallies will be rolled out soon and the message to be sent to the structures was that of a fresh call to have a woman in the presidium,” the source said.
“Mugabe also had a meeting with Youth League leader Kudzai Chipanga, who is part of the G40 camp, to discuss the plot.
“However, Mugabe was warned by Bonyongwe that there are chances of a civil unrest spreading even further if internal issues in Zanu PF are not resolved amicably. There are intelligence reports which show that tension is rising as social discontent and unrest are becoming widespread.
“After this warning Grace toned down and did not attack Mnangagwa when she met the Women’s League executive on Thursday last week.”
In preparation for the onslaught, Grace and the Women’s League had purchased thousands of T-shirts emblazoned with Grace’s image. The T-shirts are written Munhu wese kunaamai (Everyone belongs to the mother) and were printed in South Africa.
“The plan was for Grace to re-launch her ‘meet-the-people’ rallies similar to those she ran ahead of the party’s December 2014 congress which led to the ouster of former vice-president Joice Mujuru and her backers.
“She tried to repeat the modus oparandi on Mnangagwa earier this year, but backtracked after fierce resistance from war veterans and the military. But now that the bulk of the war veterans’ leadership has been booted out of the party, she feels its time to resume the rallies.”
Zanu PF is currently divided on factional lines with the Mnangagwa faction fighting a war of attrition with the G40 faction over Mugabe’s succession.
The CIO is, however, worried that Zanu PF infighting could fuel social discontent “at a time the party and government should be pulling together to contain the growing crisis,” one source said.
The intelligence is also worried that the opposition seems to be gaining ground while officials expelled from Zanu PF seem to have added impetus to opposition politics as the likes of Mujuru, who is leading the Zimbabwe People First party, have joined hands with the MDC formations and other opposition parties to pile pressure on Mugabe.
Former Zanu PF administration secretary Didymus Mutasa has also been troublesome as he is chairing the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) comprising of 18 political parties. The parties are demanding reform of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the country’s electoral process.
Nera organised demonstrations which rocked Harare last Friday and has planned another protest march today.
The organisation is also planning protests countrywide to pressure the government into agreeing reforms.
War veterans leaders expelled from the party have also supported peaceful demonstrations and are engaging opposition parties.
Last weekend, war veterans met MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai “in a bid to find a solution to the economic and political crisis bedevilling Zimbabwe”.
“All these developments are worrying the intelligence,” a security official said. independent

MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has reportedly ordered Harare City councillors to drop Chris Mbanga as the deputy mayor and vote Enock Mupamawonde as his replacement due to the former’s alleged association with Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere.

ORDINARY Zimbabweans can now influence and determine the suitability or otherwise of aspiring judges by commenting on their behaviour ahead of public interviews for appointment to the bench.
According to the recently published Judicial Service Commission guidelines on appointment of judges, the list of candidates are published before the interviews to allow individuals with adverse information about the nominees to divulge it to assist the nation in selecting quality judges.
If a nominee conducts him or herself unprofessionally or in some way that does not suit someone of the status of a judge, those with such information are called upon to inform the JSC before the public interviews are conducted.
JSC recently published guidelines followed in the appointment of judges, in its quest to promote transparency and constitutionalism.
A 12-page booklet titled “Guidelines on the Appointment of Judges” was published ahead of the public interviews of eight High Court judges vying for four vacant positions in the Supreme Court.
The interviews have been set for September 29.
The JSC also sends the list of nominees to the Law Society of Zimbabwe and other relevant organisations for comments on the personality of the candidates, who are all lawyers.
According to the guidelines, JSC will not consider malicious allegations against candidates that are brought up anonymously.
Candidates are informed of the adverse comments made against them and they are also given an opportunity to defend themselves.
“Nominees will be informed of any adverse comments received from members of the public and may be questioned about them at the interview with a view to determining whether or not the adverse comments will have a bearing on the nominee’s probity,” the guidelines read.
The public also plays an integral role in the nomination of the aspiring judges. The nominated candidates also need to sign on the nomination form as confirmation that they will be interested.

JSC, in terms of Section 180 of the Constitution, is mandated to advertise any vacancies arising on the bench and to invite the President and members of the public to nominate suitable candidates.
The same commission conducts public interviews for the prospective judges, deliberates on the performance of the interviewees and later sends its recommendations to the President.
After the interviews, deliberations are done in private and a lot of issues are considered in arriving at a list of successful candidates.
“Deliberations on the suitable nominees will take into account the performance at the interview, any comments from the Law Society of Zimbabwe, any other relevant organisations and or the public as well as the information supplied by the nominees in the detailed questionnaire.
“Deliberations on the final list of suitable nominees shall take into account the diverse and gender composition of Zimbabwe which the judiciary must reflect,” reads the booklet.
For each vacancy, the commission submits three names of successful candidates and the President will make a final appointment.
JSC chairperson, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku or his deputy chairs the public interviews.
All commissioners, who will be part of the panel, are given an opportunity to ask questions to the interviewees.
Aspiring judges, according to the guidelines, must be competent, hardworking, independent, committed to community and public service and knowledgeable among other qualities.
Commissioners will independently score each nominee on each of the above qualities before they deliberate on the performances as a group.
High Court judges Justices Francis Bere, Priscilla Chigumba, Alfas Chitakunye, Charles Hungwe, Samuel Kudya, Joseph Mafusire, Lavender Makoni and Nicholas Mathonsi will on September 29 be interviewed for four vacancies that arose in the Supreme Court.
Their names have since been published.

In a move to address the shortage of teachers in schools, the Government has made a ‘U’ turn, and will start recruiting educators.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has since written to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education granting them permission to start recruiting.
“Please be advised that, acting in terms of Section 8 (1) (a) of the Public Service Act (Chapter 16:04), the commission has granted authority to recruit teachers to replace members whose services were terminated from January 2016 to date.
“Please be further advised that, the Public Service Commission Secretariat shall be represented in the recruitment process,” reads the statement.
The total number of teachers to be recruited has not yet been established, but in June, Government announced that up to 10 000 would be engaged.
The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) chief executive Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said they had been informed by the Government of the recruitment drive.
“The uplift of teacher recruitment is a provable development which is going to improve the standards for teaching and learning, as well as the quality of education.

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Lazarus Dokora was not immediately available for comment and his Deputy Professor Paul Mavhima’s phone was not being answered.
However, last week Dr Dokora assured teachers and headmasters that they were exempted from the Government’s decision to freeze the recruitment and promotions in the civil service.
The Government’s decision is part of its staff rationalisation exercise that is in line with recommendations of the Civil Service Report of 2015.
The rationalisation also saw the Government abolishing more than 8 000 posts in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development.
In June, Minister Dokora indicated that about to 10 000 teachers and headmasters could be recruited.
At that time, Zimta said the country has about 120 000 teachers in employment, leaving a shortfall of 10 000. About 25 000 teachers are said to be out of work.
Matabeleland North provincial education director Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni last week said the shortage of teachers in the province had resulted in most schools operating with skeleton staff. – State Media

Terrence Mawawa | Masvingo |Controversial Masvingo State Minister Shuvai Ben Mahofa has clashed with Environment, Water and Climate Change, Minister Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri over the invasion of white-owned wildlife conservancies in the Save Valley.
Mahofa is trying to push Muchinguri to designate the wildlife conservancies to Zanu PF functionaries.Two months ago Mahofa openly contradicted her boss President Robert Mugabe over the Tongaat land grab programme. The outspoken state minister directly sanctioned the controversial land invasion programme two months ago. In comments likely to spark a racial outcry, ZimEye can reveal Mahofa told Muchinguri in a closed door meeting held in Chiredzi last week, party supporters were not happy with the occupation of wildlife conservancies by the whites at the expense of the ruling party supporters.
“We are not happy because all conservancies are in the hands of white people. Thousands of hectares are in the hands of white people while black people -mainly our supporters are not getting anything.We want our people to run these conservancies,” said Mahofa.
However, Muchinguri openly contradicted Mahofa and accused the latter of rampant greed and corruption. She accused Mahofa of inciting party supporters to grab the conservancies. “People have the wrong impression that there are many conservancies. Some people are shouting on top of their voices but we will not tolerate the invasion of wildlife conservancies. I will make sure that will not happen.I know there are politicians who want to grab the wildlife conservancies in the Save Valley. The people who want to take over the conservancies have failed to utilise the farms they grabbed a few years ago.Therefore we will make sure it will not happen again,” said Muchinguri. Party sources told ZimEye.com both politicians have interests in the Save Valley Conservancies and Muchinguri is wary of Mahofa’s influence in the province.

Harare| A gang of five robbers suspected of stealing $800 and raping a tenant at the Apostolic Faith Mission Church in Harare appeared in court yesterday. The same group also allegedly raided a Total Service Station and got away with $12 000.
One of the accused, Alouis Nyamadzawo (41) is on bail pending appeal while Talent (30) and Shadreck Madzima (40) completed their prison terms. The other two, Edson Murambidzi (23) and Gift Mudamburi (40) have a pending robbery case.They appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Bianca Makwande facing robbery and rape charges.
They were remanded in custody to September 15.
Prosecuting, Mr Peter Kachirika alleged that on August 15, at around 2am Nyamadzawo and Madzima teamed with Chikaka, Makodza, Ronnie, Wilbert and Dannie who are on the run.
Armed with a pick and a five-pound hammer, the group went to Total Service Station in Warren Park 1.
They stole $85 and cell phones from two fuel attendants before breaking into the service station store. They stole $12 000 and fled, it is alleged.

Armed with the hammer and pick, they manhandled the security guard, Pfumai Mukodzani.
It is alleged they struck him with a hammer in his head demanding to be shown where the church cash was.
Using the hammer, they broke into the caretaker’s room and started assaulting Funny Mereki and his son Keith. They allegedly stole cellphones and tied Mukodzani and Funny together.
The court heard that the group took Keith and demanded that he show them all the people at the premises. Keith led them to a tenant’s house. It is alleged that they ransacked the house and demanded that the tenant tell them where the church cash was.
They stole shoes and cellphones before shoving Keith under the tenant’s bed. The court heard that one of the accused was left behind while others broke into the pastor’s office and stole $800. He allegedly raped the tenant and only stopped after his accomplices started calling him.- State Media

Terrence Mawawa | Masvingo |A man from Triangle, Chiredzi stunned the local community when he raped his stepdaughter after watching pornography with her.
Masimba Zhowanota(44) of Mpapa, Triangle, discovered that his 16-year-old daughter had pornographic material in her phone and watched the obscene video clips with her. Zhowanota appeared before Chiredzi Resident Magistrate Constance Mutandwa last Tuesday, facing rape charges. Sometime in January 2015 Zhowanota found pornographic videos in the girl’s phone and took advantage of her state of panic to watch the videos with her.
Zhowanota then forcibly had sex with her. From February 2015, the two had sex on several occasions. When the girl’s mother returned from the rural areas she interrogated her daughter after a tip-off from neigbhours. The minor revealed she was pregnant. The minor’s mother then reported the matter to Triangle Police Station leading to Zhowanota’s arrest. He was sentenced to 24 months in prison and six months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. He will serve 18 months in prison.
Zhowanota’s neighbours also related how the minor was subjected to crude sexual acts. “The girl had a torrid time because Zhowanota performed all sorts of crude sexual acts with her. The girl was deeply reluctant to disclose the matter because of the long period she was subjected to sexual abuse,”said one of Zhowanota’s neighbours.

SADC has once again failed Zimbabweans at a crucial point in history, at a time the country is about to explode, with the region suffering the consequences of internal strife.
State media reports that an attempt by opposition political parties and their appendages in civil society to smuggle Zimbabwe onto the Sadc Summit agenda this week failed dismally, with analysts saying the opposing forces had displayed “sterility” on how the regional bloc works.
Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T, Dr Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First and other parties under the banner of National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) wanted regional leaders to discuss minor cases of violence that occurred last week.
Opposition elements were behind the violence which saw them looting shops, burning vehicles and attacking innocent people.
They were supported in their quest to put the country on the agenda by a group calling itself “Elders” comprising Mr Kofi Annan, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs Graca Machel.
The trio last week wrote to Sadc calling on them to “support an inclusive transition in Zimbabwe” on the back of violent opposition demonstrations.
The 36th Sadc Summit of Heads of States and Government in Swaziland on Tuesday and Wednesday found the issue frivolous and concentrated on their agenda that focused on regional industrialisation.
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha yesterday said the regional body followed procedures and would never waste time on items brought irrationally.
“The agenda of Sadc is formulated by the (Sadc) chair in consultation with the secretariat,” he said.
“It is decided well before the summit. Items do not just find themselves on the agenda. It’s impossible. The agenda will consist mostly of the implementation of decisions that were made by summit.”
Ambassador Bimha added: “Like in this (Swaziland) case, the summit met and made decisions and the duty of the executive secretary between now and the next summit is to see the implementation of those decisions. A good part of the next summit will be devoted to seeing whether those decisions were implemented. If there are any new issues they are also down and brought by the chair in consultation with the executive secretary, that is the procedure.”

Swaziland’s King Mswati III now chairs the rotational Sadc chairmanship after taking over from Botswana President Ian Khama.
President Mugabe, who set the regional industrialisation agenda the bloc is now seized with, was chairperson between August 2014 and August 2015.
Political analyst Professor Sheunesu Mupepereki said it was clear opposition forces had run out of ideas.
“Their current efforts reflect sterility of ideas on the part of the opposition,” he said.
“They have run out of ideas. The opposition is irrelevant to our current situation especially in terms of addressing matters of the economy. They are simply looking for ways to become relevant but what they are doing is not in sync with the situation that we have. All Zimbabweans should be seized with finding best ways of improving our economy but if you look at the whole idea that people go and demonstrate against an elected Government, it’s a non-starter. When you promote thuggish behaviour as a political process, then you are bound to fail.”
He went on: “There is no cause. It does not address anything and police must move in and ensure there is law and order. The country is faced with economic and political challenges which are generated by the same Western countries who are sponsoring them. This is why Sadc leaders are ignoring them.”
The opposition elements are also angling for a buy-in from the African Union and the United Nations, plans which analysts said would be futile again.
Said another political analyst Mr Goodwine Mureriwa: “Sadc is a region that is devoid of unconstitutional means of removing Governments. The reality is that Sadc does not condone violence and has never accepted even military coups. Southern Africa is perhaps the most peaceful region in Africa.
“Regional countries, especially South Africa, have been firm that they do not want to interfere in Zimbabwe because the country had elections in 2013 and the outcome was convincing to all. It was free and fair and President now has a mandate to rule until 2018. White people’s interests in Southern African countries are very apparent and liberation movements in the region have always have had meetings on a yearly basis because they know that governments in Europe want to remove them and have access to resources.” state media

Harare City Council will shut down Morton Jaffray Water Treatment plant over the weekend to allow for final refurbishment before the onset of the rainy season.
This is set to be the last shutdown of the water treatment plant before the onset of the rains.
In a statement yesterday, council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said the shutdown would allow the final stages of the refurbishment of Morton Jaffray to be completed before the beginning of the rain season.
“Harare City Council advises its esteemed water customers of the last complete shutdown of the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant before the onset of the rain season on Saturday 3 September to Sunday 4 September, 2016,” said Mr Chideme.

He further advised residents to store enough water for use during the dry weekend.
“Seventy percent of the installations currently underway at Morton Jaffray Water Plant have already been completed.
“We expect to complete the on-going installation of new plant and equipment under the Morton Jaffray renewal programme during the shutdown.
“The main aim of the renewal programme underway at Morton Jaffray is to improve water delivery and availability in the city.”
Morton Jaffray Water Plant supplies and delivers water to the greater part of Harare whilst other parts of the city rely on Prince Edward Water Treatment Plant.
The city, however, recently expressed concern over the shrinking supply of water in Harare with the dam supplying Prince Edward reported to be almost dry.
Mr Chideme recently confirmed that despite the inroads being made at Morton Jaffray with the current refurbishment of the water treatment plant, the city might still not be able to supply a continuously growing Harare. state media

The High Court in Bulawayo has ordered Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri to reinstate 13 Zvishavane cops fired for unspecified acts of misconduct. The ruling by Justice Maxwell Takuva follows an urgent chamber application filed by the 13 police officers from the Minerals and Border Control Unit challenging their dismissal.The aggrieved cops, who were fired on different occasions, appealed to the Police Service Commission in terms of Section 51 of the Police Act between February and April, but their boss allegedly refused to reinstate them.
In papers before the court, the fired police officers cited Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo and Comm-Gen Chihuri as respondents.
Justice Takuva ruled that Comm-Gen Chihuri’s refusal to reinstate the applicants after they had noted an appeal was unlawful.
“In casu, the Commissioner-General exercised his powers in terms of the Police Act and discharged the applicants, who then appealed against the order in terms of Section 51 of the Police Act, whose effect is that an appeal automatically by operation of the law suspends the decision appealed against,” said the judge.

Justice Takuva directed the police chief not to execute his order until the Police Service Commission has given its decision.
“In the circumstance, the Commissioner-General cannot claim to have powers to discharge and not to reinstate.
“In my view, to argue that it is the Police Service Commission that should reinstate amounts to requiring the applicants to apply for stay of execution in circumstances where that relief has already been granted by the law,” said the judge.
“In the circumstances, it is ordered that, pending confirmation of the provisional order, an interim relief is granted ordering the first respondent to reinstate the 13 applicants into the Police Service forthwith,” ruled Justice Takuva.
The cops, led by one Constable Mutimusakwa, recently filed the application following their dismissal.
The police officers through their lawyer, Mr Norman Mugiya, sought an order directing their boss to reinstate them into the police service pending the finalisation of the matter.
Mr Mugiya argued that his clients were supposed to be reinstated as soon as their appeals were received.
Comm-Gen Chihuri, through the Civil Division in the Attorney-General’s Office, said it was improper to bunch all the applicants in one application, arguing that they had different scenarios.
The Civil Division in the AG’s Office argued that the Comm-Gen of the Police is not an employer and has no power to compel the Police Service Commission to reinstate the applicants. state media

The Mike Campbell Foundation has defended the white commercial farmer Geofrey Kelly McKinnon (66) after state media accused him of keeping firearms at his farm.
According to the foundation, the accused “Mark McKinnon recently represented Zimbabwe in the World Championships with his shotgun and the Zimbabwean team ranked 19th out of 42 nations.
“Sadly he had to withdraw from the recent Rio Olympics because of the jambanja (violent farm eviction) situation he was having to deal with.”
Read full Facebook post below:
And from the State newspaper the Herald, who in their delight at discovering a bullet making making machine and a number of rounds at the home of the evicted McKinnon family immediately pronounced it a ‘British’ arms cache (the Australian flag has a Union Jack in its left corner).
This ‘British’ remark was soon removed from the report after the unidentified “crime reporter” received a roasting on social media, however it seems he is still unable to identify the nationality of the offending ‘sponsors’.
The truth behind the bullet machine and the rifles is going to leave this ‘crime reporter’ with his foot in his mouth however. Just rewards for disinformation..
Today’s story in the Herald vilifying the McKinnon’s after their eviction on Tuesday the 30th of August was false and mischievous. The Herald made out that the McKinnons had illegal arms of war and were manufacturing ammunition illegally.
Mark McKinnon recently represented Zimbabwe in the World Championships with his shotgun and the Zimbabwean team ranked 19th out of 42 nations. Sadly he had to withdraw from the recent Rio Olympics because of the jambanja (violent farm eviction) situation he was having to deal with.
All his weapons were licensed as well as his reloading machine for his ammunition.
Their eviction case is on appeal before the High Court and as such any orders from the magistrate’s court are suspended until such time as the High Court hears the appeal and gives judgement.
 

Disgruntled war veterans have warned President Robert Mugabe of worsening civil unrest in the country if Zanu PF bigwigs continue with their mindless bloodletting, as well as their current crackdown on dissenting voices, including former freedom fighters.
Reacting yesterday to what he called the continued “persecution” of his family — as well as growing personal attacks on former Vice President Joice Mujuru — the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), Victor Matemadanda, also told the Daily News that Mugabe had “failed the nation”.
Matemadanda spoke in the wake of the invasion of his Karoi farm by Zanu PF youths linked to the ruling party faction going by the moniker Generation 40 (G40), observing ruefully that ever since war veterans had started criticising the former liberation movement and its leaders, they and their families had not known peace.
Matemadanda, along with four other ZNLWVA leaders, were also recently arrested on charges of undermining the authority of Mugabe, and are currently out on bail.
However, he said yesterday, his family continued to be harassed by “vindictive” authorities.
“The continued harassment of my son who is a teacher at Kasimhure Secondary School in Karoi is a huge cause for concern. They want to mobilise people to demonstrate against him and hound him out of his job even though he has all the educational qualifications to be a teacher.
“However, these people (who allegedly include Zanu PF women’s league secretary for finance Sarah Mahoka) should know that I can retaliate. Mahoka is just a civilian and I am a trained soldier. They should not cry foul or arrest us when we fight back. We are going to defend ourselves and there will be bloodshed,” he warned.
His warning also followed Mugabe’s fierce attack on war veterans in June — when he threatened to deal severely with the disenchanted ex-combatants who stand accused of plotting to stampede the increasingly frail nonagenarian out of power and working to elevate embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the highest political office in the land.
On their part, the angry war veterans, who are led by former Cabinet minister Chris Mutsvangwa, have since gone on to dump Zanu PF as well and are now fraternising with anti-Mugabe groups such as Tajamuka/Sesijikile, as well as opposition parties, including the MDC and Zimbabwe People First (ZPF).
Matemadanda warned yesterday that Zanu PF “should not attempt to stop” these budding alliances or move to crush demonstrations by the populace as this would backfire.
He also said it was wrong that Mugabe and Zanu PF were “hell bent on rewriting history” and sidelining war veterans such as Mujuru and Mnangagwa who had played key roles during the country’s liberation war.
“We are going to go around the country to tell the people about our history. Mugabe wants to remove the people he met during the war and there are a lot of machinations to get rid of everyone who has something to do with the country’s liberation struggle.
“It is very unfortunate that we have a government packed with Mugabe’s relatives who are trying to run this country from their backyard. They are abusing everyone. This should not happen in the country. A family should not run the entire affairs of the country.
“Can Mugabe fire his nephew even when he is not competent? We also demand an apology regarding the vilification of female war veterans. How can one claim that people like (Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister) Mandi Chimene is better than Mujuru?
“Can a child who is 17 years old refuse the orders of a commander? And how can such a woman be abused on different fronts, by her own and the enemy? We also want this government to tell us if the children from the war that we have were a result of consensual sex,” Matemadanda thundered.
Turning to George Rutanhire, the man who recently tore into Mujuru and accused her of having caused the death of some combatants during the war, he said those “with logs in their eyes should not lose sleep about the speck in other people’s eyes”.
“Can he tell us how many people he abused during the liberation struggle? We have five female comrades who are telling us that he sexually abused them. We want an apology from this person.
“We saying Mugabe is old. Everyone is seeing that. How can he also go for 34 years with Joice and allow people to abuse her now?” Matemadanda asked further.
Apart from facing rising anger from the opposition, Mugabe is also facing the biggest challenge of his political career as his ambitious underlings brawl about succeeding him, with some of them now standing accused of aiding the wave of protests ravaging the country.
Matemadanda said Mugabe had himself to blame for the current chaos as those people whom he had been sidelining would regroup and challenge him in future elections.
“She (Mujuru) was expelled from Zanu PF but because she is a politician, she formed her own party. She tried to complain and they did not listen. They must realise that there is life after Zanu PF. It is not her choice that she formed her own party but Mugabe’s.
“When Morgan Tsvangirai was the leader of ZCTU (Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions) he was told you are talking politics, so form your own party and he did that. Now he is being labelled an agent of the West. But the truth is that Robert Mugabe is the real agent of the West.
“He (Mugabe) is the agent because he is fighting everyone. There is no rehabilitation in Zanu PF. He is the only one who will not go astray, is that normal?” he queried further.
In the meantime, riot police were awash in urban areas yesterday, including the capital Harare, after panicking authorities vowed to prevent further protests against the government.
While traffic was thin in Bulawayo, most towns around the country were open for business despite the call for a shutdown. Daily news

Staff Reporter |Over 53 000 families in Chiredzi are in dire need of food assistance as hunger intensifies in the sugarcane production province, with the  United Nations calling for urgent intervention before the situation gets out of hand.
Out of the 53 000 starving families at least 22, 179 households are receiving food aid from the United Nations donor agencies.
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Bishow Parajuli who is on a three day field mission to drought affected rural wards in Chiredzi district, on Thursday said their efforts to assist the starving villagers need to be increased.
In rural like Chikovo, irrigation scheme in Magogogwe,  Panganayi  in Chiredzi the donor community is  transferring cash through Ecocash to the starving population as a way of assisting them.
“These efforts have to be scaled up to reach more people in need and commended donors for their support,”said Parajuli.
Nationwide, as the result of the drought, some 4.1 million rural people need food aid.
Government has appealed for $360 million to cover the period of April 2016 – March 2017 and at the moment nearly $190 million has been committed by several donors.
 
 

Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) leader Joice Mujuru has urged police to refrain from attacking protestors warning that brutalising them is self-defeating because the current protests are also meant to improve the livelihoods of impoverished police officers across the country.
Mujuru made this appeal as opposition political parties prepare to demonstrate in Harare tomorrow against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and delayed electoral reforms.
“With respect, we urge the police to note that the people they are brutalising are also fighting for their cause,” Mujuru said yesterday in a statement.
“The police are also affected by late payment of their meagre salaries. The police need decent transport and accommodation facilities. The police also need to eat and pay school
fees for their children.
“The police stay with people; and they are also human beings. They also need to pay their rentals in time,” she added.
Last Friday, police bludgeoned hundreds of protesters who had gathered in Harare under the auspices of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera), a grouping of 18 opposition political parties that had planned to demonstrate against the Zec secretariat on outstanding electoral reforms.
Even after the High Court had ruled that the protest march could go ahead, riot police — backed by armoured trucks and water cannons — indiscriminately fired volleys of teargas at all and sundry, battering and chasing groups of determined opposition supporters.
Mujuru yesterday said the parties will go ahead with the demonstration, warning President Robert Mugabe that no amount of repression would stop people from fighting for their rights.
“Zimbabweans demand electoral reforms and hence the need for an even electoral play field. Zimbabweans demand the removal of SI 64 that is impacting negatively on their livelihoods. Zimbabweans say no to the introduction of bond notes that seek to completely erode our dignity and integrity as a people,” said Mujuru.
“We urge Zimbabweans to remain resolute for their noble cause. We urge our supporters to remain calm and exercise maximum restraint in the face of provocation, coercion and brutality.
“We urge all peace loving Zimbabweans to respect other people’s rights and properties as we march through this difficult journey to liberate ourselves, and for together another Zimbabwe is possible,” added Mujuru.
Last Friday’s protest march, which the opposition wanted to use to press for much-needed electoral reforms ahead of Zimbabwe’s eagerly-anticipated 2018 national elections, prompted nervous authorities to place the entire capital city under a virtual lockdown.
Many people going about their daily chores, including journalists covering the chaos and children who were going to the nearby Harare Agricultural Show, were caught up in the resultant mayhem, as the mad-as-hell riot police pursued and savaged anything and everything on two legs.
Mugabe in power since 1980, is facing the biggest challenge to his rule as the economic meltdown and corruption have given rise to dissent.
In July riots also broke out in the border town of Beitbridge when angry traders protested against the government’s ill-advised decision to ban the importation of basic consumer goods.
More than 70 people were arrested in the aftermath of those riots which destroyed property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, including the burning of a warehouse belonging to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
The riots later spread to Harare where police once again used force to break a demonstration called by commuter omnibus drivers and touts to protest too many police roadblocks on the roads which they said had become extortionate. daily news

Staff Reporter |Police in Gwanda have refused to sanction the Matabeleland South NERA mega demonstration scheduled for Gwanda tomorrow.
Sources close to the organisers of the demonstration told ZimEye.com that police sent correspondence to them late Thursday evening declaring that the demonstration has not been sanctioned and will not be allowed to go ahead.
Following the correspondence, the police took to the streets in a public address warning residents not to take part in the demonstration.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports claim that leaders of NERA have called on the provinces to suspend the demonstrations tomorrow until further notice amidst rumours that government has declared a state of emergency.

Staff Reporter | Government has declared a state of emergency over Harare city, unilaterally banning all public demonstrations from the 2nd to the 16th of September.
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Government officials have hinted over the past days that the continued protests against his authority would lead to the declaration of a state of emergency.
Robert Mugabe’s close aide for many years George Charamba, writing as Nathaniel Manheru, is the author of a weekly column in the government controlled Herald newspaper in which the implied threat of a state of emergency was made last Saturday.
He said recent events have brought Zimbabwe to a critical point and implied government would take a tough stance against perceived enemies while damning the international community.
Below is the full statement issued by government:
Govt bans public demos within Harare CBD:
The government has, with effect from this Friday, the 2nd of September, 2016, banned all public demonstrations in and around the Harare central business district.
The ban will be in place until the 16th of this month.
The ban is in line with Statutory Instrument 101 A of 2016 issued in an Extra-Ordinary Government Gazette this Thursday.
The statutory instrument stipulates that the regulating authority, Harare
Central Police District, Chief Superintendent Newbert Saunyama has banned public demonstrations on reasonable grounds that the powers conferred by Section 26 of the Public Order and Security Act Chapter 11:17 will not be sufficient to prevent public disorder.
ZRP national spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba says any person who organises, assists in organising, takes part in or attends any procession of public demonstration starting tomorrow (Friday) shall be guilty of an offence.
Police have also banned the carrying of dangerous weapons as the law enforcement agents move in to curb the destruction of property and violent protests being perpetrated by MDC-T hooligans.
The ZRP regulating authority of Harare issued a prohibition order on the carrying in public places of dangerous weapons for a period of three months up to the 2nd of December 2016.
The police noted that the prohibition order has been issued in terms of Section 14 (1) of Public Order and Security Act Chapter 11:17.

The ZANU-PF Youth League will set the ball rolling tomorrow when it convenes its first National Youth Assembly meeting at the party’s headquarters in Harare – the first such indaba since its national executive was ushered into office in 2014.

Press Statement | The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) expresses serious concern over the continued harassment and intimidation of Journalists and media workers by security forces.
These concerns arise from the continuing and escalating arrests, assaults, intimidation and harassment of journalists by police, while in the line of duty. The latest episode concerns the arrest of Bulawayo based freelance photojournalist, Crispen Ndlovu, by police in Bulawayo on Wednesday this week while covering a demonstration that had been cleared by police.
The VMCZ is mindful of the prevailing unrest in the country and the role the security forces have to play in maintaining law and order in the country.
However, the VMCZ reminds the police of the constitutional rights of journalists in carrying their duties to inform the public of developments in the country and therefore urges police and all members of society to allow journalists to freely execute their duties without hindrance.
Ndlovu’s arrest comes against the background of previous similar incidents against journalists in the last few months. These include the assault of freelance journalist Lucy Yasini while covering demonstrations in Harare while several journalists, including Albert Masaka, Obey Manayit, Robert Tapfumaneyi and Paidamoyo Muzulu were also either assaulted or detained by the police while on assignment.
Freelance journalist James Jemwa is still in police detention after he was arrested last week in Harare while covering a demonstration.
The VMCZ emphasises that journalists have a constitutional right to a safe and secure working environment and strongly condemns any acts that hinder or interfere with their constitutional mandate to inform the public.
These attacks, particularly on journalists who will be lawfully conducting their business, is a serious threat to the profession, safety and security of journalists and has implications on the media’s capacity to inform the citizenry.
VMCZ takes this opportunity to urge the police to protect members of the media and not use heavy handed techniques against members of the press.
 
In addition, VMCZ strongly believes in an ethical, accountable and professional media and these three important tenets cannot be achieved if media continue to operate under threat and constant fear from law enforcement agents.
The VMCZ urges the police to engage with media houses and media organisations to find a lasting solution on how members of the media covering volatile situations can be protected by the police and law enforcement agents.
The VMCZ firmly believes that while the police have a role to protect the public they also have a role to especially protect defenceless members of the press, whose sole mandate is to inform all in society.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has cancelled the NERA demo previously slated for tomorrow Friday.
Tsvangirai in an official party statement said: Please be informed that the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) Mega Demonstration that had previously been scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, 02 September 2016) has been postponed to Friday 16 September 2016.”
The reasons for the shifting was not clear at the time of writing.

An annular solar eclipse passing through African regions has got superstitious Zimbabweans running wild claiming it is the gods announcing the death of President Robert Mugabe.
The eclipse which was not foretold by the local media caught many Zimbabweans unaware raising questions such as “what could be happening in the heavens?”
The eclipse which came coincidentally with reports claiming that President Mugabe gave in mid air on his way to his hospital in Singapore last night, got Zimbabweans confirming the rumour of the President’s supposed death.
Today 1, September, 2016 from 09:03 AM to 12:36PM areas around much of equatorial and Southern Africa including Zimbabwe experience a partial Eclipse of the sun.
The moon will pass in front of the sun, creating a ring of fire and viewers will be able to see the moon across the sun.
Specialists warn that looking directly at the sun during an Annular Eclipse can lead to blindness and permanent eye damage if one views the eclipse not wearing proper eye protection gadgets.
To safely view the Annular Eclipse one needs special protective eye wear or Eclipse glasses.
Basic glasses even those with UV protection will not be sufficient to protect one’s eyes.

THE Government has dismissed as baseless claims that there is discrimination of former Zipra forces in Government.
The Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, said both Zipra and Zanla combatants received the same treatment at Independence.
He told the House of Assembly last week that it was now irrelevant to talk about the former freedom fighting units as they were integrated at Independence in 1980.
Rtd Col Dube was responding to a question by Magwegwe Member of Parliament, Mr Anele Ndebele (MDC-T), who had accused the Government of denigrating and undermining the exploits of Zipra forces during the liberation struggle.
“The truth is that we no longer have Zipra Forces, we have former Zipra and former Zanla Forces. To be open with you, I was one of those who were in charge of integrating these forces in 1980. So, to now talk of Zipra Forces is not relevant,” said Rtd Col Dube.
“There is no discrimination whatsoever between former Zipra and former Zanla Forces. They have all been integrated into the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA). Those who were not integrated, some of them are war veterans and are treated the same.”
He said the challenge is with war veterans who did not register and are not receiving benefits from Government.

“The problem that we usually face is that some comrades did not register for vetting when they were called to do so. Those who did not go for vetting, it means they were not registered as war veterans and as a result they remain outside the benefits of the war veterans,” said Rtd Col Dube.
“However, all those who were vetted and found to be true veterans of the liberation war have no reason to think that they are segregated in any way because they get their pensions and constitutional rights according to the law. So, it is not true that any group can be segregated in any way”.
Rtd Col Dube said vetting was still in progress and any war veteran who had not been vetted could go to the former freedom fighters’ offices dotted around the country with the necessary requirements.
He said his ministry was working hard to secure the welfare of groups that took part in the liberation struggle.
“Sometimes, resources are not readily available, but we are doing everything possible to do what we are supposed to do.
“For instance, we talk of fees for their dependants. This has not been done on time sometimes, but all the same whenever resources get available we dispatch them accordingly,” said Rtd Col Dube.
Last week, Rtd Col Dube said his ministry was awaiting payment from Treasury to settle school fees for the country’s liberators’ children.
He added that his ministry has devised a mechanism to avoid fraudulent school fee claims by beneficiaries through paying directly to schools and colleges. state media
 

Terrence Mawawa, Gweru | In a tragic incident that has shaken the Ascot community in Gweru, a man who resides in the suburb killed himself after testing HIV positive.
Despite the fact that many people are living with HIV, the man, Leeroy Zviti(36) killed himself after testing HIV positive . Zviti was found hanging from a tree at Senga Nehosho roundabout along the Gweru-Shurugwi Highway last Wednesday. His body was identified by a passerby who said Zviti was his friend. He then assisted the police with the late Zviti’s details.The friend also told the police Zviti had tested HIV positive a few weeks before his death and could not accept it. A hospital card was also found in Zviti’s pockets. A medical expert who spoke to ZimEye.com said Zviti’s failure to accept the test results was sad and worrying.
“We always urge people to go for testing and counselling. It is unfortunate Zviti could not accept the results. Let me stress the fact that a person can lead a normal life even after testing HIV positive.Whether one is negative or positive, it has to be known that we are all HIV equal so there was no need for the man to kill himself. This means we have a lot work in terms of counselling people who test HIV positive,”said the Gweru based medical expert.

OFFICIALS at the Bulawayo Regional court were left in shock recently after a pregnant 12 year-old from Plumtree confidently defended her brother, who impregnated her, saying she did not want him jailed.
The court officials learnt that the pair had been engaging in an incestual relationship since December 2015. The minor’s brother (18) had been arrested for seven counts of rape.
His younger sister, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, allegedly became sexually active when she was 10 years old.
She attracted the attention of a state media news crew on Thursday last week as she boldly told officials at the set-down office that she was prepared to look after the baby with her brother.
“I am prepared to have this child. I love my boyfriend, we have discussed this and we agreed that we are going to look after our child. If you people send him to jail who is going to fend for my child?” she asked.
The girl’s elder sister wailed as she narrated to the court officials that she was having disciplinary problems with the victim.

“We don’t know what to do with her anymore. She started being wild at the age of 10. Sometimes she would sleep at bars and parties. My sister needs help please help her,” pleaded the older sister.
The pregnant girl was referred to victim friendly unit for counselling.
According to the State papers, on the first count of rape the accused met the victim on her way from gathering firewood.
“Accused tripped complainant and he raped her once. Complainant told her mother about the incident. On the second occasion complainant met accused on her way from fetching water.”
“Accused took away her bucket so that they could have sex but she ran away. Accused later went to complainant’s house and lured her to his homestead claiming that he wanted to give her money. They had sex four times during the night and accused accompanied complainant back home at dawn,” read the papers.
On another occasion, the papers further read, accused gave the victim R5 before he took her to his homestead overnight.
“On another occasion, accused gave complainant P100 after having sex with her. They later met at a party where they had sexual intercourse again before proceeding to the complainant’s house for the rest of the night.”
The papers read that complainant’s mother noticed changes in her daughter and she took her to Plumtree District Hospital where her pregnancy was confirmed. state media

Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigations manager Ms Sukai Tongogara has been reassigned to a new post of general manager external relations and international conventions in the commission. Mr Savious Kufandada is tipped to take over as general manager investigations and prosecutions.Ms Tongogara was cleared of charges of misconduct following a disciplinary hearing last month.
She was facing two counts of misconduct. She was accused of being part of the secretariat that formed a private company called Private Mortgage Company (PMC) without the knowledge or resolution of the commission.
It was further alleged that Ms Tongogara and three others diverted $1,7 million from Treasury to buy individual shares in a private company. This was said to be tantamount to theft of public funds and making improper use of public funds. Ms Tongogara denied both allegations against her.
Through her lawyer, Mr Joel Mambara, Ms Tongogara was cleared of both counts after a fully contested disciplinary hearing. Ms Loice Mukunyadzi chaired the disciplinary committee which ruled in favour of Ms Tongogara.
“After assessing all evidence placed before this committee there is nothing to show that respondent participated in the whole scheme,” said Ms Mukunyadza.
“It cannot be ruled out that her name was fraudulently put on CR/14.”
She said at the time the corrupt activities were happening at ZACC, she was not even at work. Ms Mukunyadza also noted that the committee went through the minutes of meetings which were held by PMC directors, and discovered that Ms Tongogara never participated in the meetings.

“It will be improper of this committee to find the respondent guilty of the misconduct charges since there is nothing to suggest that she participated in the whole scheme,” she said.
Ms Tongogara was charged together with three others — Mr Christopher Chisango (general manager finance, administration and human resources), Mr Edwin Mubataripi (general manager, prevention and advocacy) and Mr Gibson Mangwiro — who was the chief accountant/finance manager.
The three managers were convicted of engaging in corrupt activities that involved the former Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chief executive Ngonidzashe Gumbo.
Gumbo, a former Senior Assistant Commissioner in the Zimbabwe Republic Police, was jailed for two years last year for defrauding the commission of $435 000.
He bought offices to be used by the commission in Mt Pleasant, Harare, using Government funds, but registered the property in the name of a company he jointly owned with the three.
The State proved that in 2010, ZACC approached the Home Affairs Ministry seeking alternative accommodation when their landlords were about to evict them.
The ministry instructed Gumbo to look for alternative property and he identified 872 Betterment Close in Mt Pleasant that belonged to Diane Spalletah. Gumbo then requested $1 680 000 from the ministry to buy the property and Government deposited $1,7 million into a ZACC account.
He instructed his subordinates Mubataripi, Chisango and Mangwiro to form a shelf company called Property Mortgage where they became directors with equal shares. herald

A whizz-kid from Murambinda B Secondary School in Buhera, Prudence Zvikomborero Mavura, has raised the country’s flag high after scooping the prestigious Sadc secondary schools essay writing award. Mavura was handed over the award by Sadc outgoing chairman President Ian Khama of Botswana during the 36th Sadc Heads of State and Government Summit in Swaziland.She beat 44 other contestants drawn from Sadc member states.
The second prize went to another Zimbabwean pupil, Rehlutsi Victoria Magabo from Mosi-a-Tunya High School in Victoria Falls.

Speaking to The Herald yesterday, an elated Mavura said: “We are happy and proud for winning top prizes in this competition. This is the first time in the history of this competition that top two positions go to participants from the same country.”
Mavura encouraged other pupils to take part in the competitions and aim high in their studies: “I want to show the nation that no matter where you come from, you just have to be self-driven and inspirational,” she said.
“You can never know what you can do unless you try.”
She paid tribute to her schoolteacher and mentor Mr Joseph Kufa for supporting and encouraging her.
Mavura said Mr Kufa assisted her to do research on the proposed Sadc topic.
Mr Kufa who was accompanying her said: “I am happy for her co-operation and these are her individual efforts through research.
“We have an essay club at our school where we nurture our kids in essay writing. This is not the first time that Prudence has done us proud. Last year she got the second prize in the same competition in Botswana.
“Locally, she has received several awards in essay writing and I urge her to continue working hard. She has proved that she can do wonders for our country and despite that she is coming from a small school in the rural areas she has managed to conquer the region.”
For coming first in the competition, Mavura received a laptop, tablet and a cash prize of $1 500.
Magabo from Mosi-a-Tunya High School also walked away with a laptop, smartphone and a cash prize of $1 000.
The essays topic was derived from themes which are discussed when summits are held and the topic was: “Accelerating industrialisation in Sadc Economies Through Transformation of Natural Endowment and Improved Human Capital.”
Students are provided with six guiding questions which help them come up with an essay. – state media

Staff Reporter | Former Intelligence guru and war lord Didymus Mutasa, who now plays a prominent role as the National Electoral Reforms Agenda (NERA) face and spokesperson is a liar and election thief, together with his boss Joice Mujuru, Zimbabweans have said.
Zimbabweans have reacted angrily to recent revelations by Mutasa that veteran opposition politician Morgan Tsvangirai won the crucial 2008 by 74 percent. At the time not only were Zimbabweans robbed of their future and still suffering to this day, Mutasa and Mujuru benefited from the status quo back then, and even took part in the traumatic bloodletting that ensued in the run off elections which gave President Mugabe victory. The two until they were chased like thieves out of Zanu PF, have silently watched while Tsvangirai who they now assert lacks boldness, was in the trenches fighting tooth and nail for democracy. Consequently, they become complicit, not just in violence, election theft, murders, but as agents who willingly and knowingly gave a new lease of life to Mugabe.
A human rights lawyer told ZimEye when it comes to matters of accountability, criminal offences dating back even to the Ian Smith regime will be considered, meaning the likes of Mujuru and Mutasa will not easily run under the cover of opposition politics to avoid scrutiny.
“Why didn’t he come out with the truth then? Is he trying to buy trust from us? Well its not for sale you earn it by your reputation?” asked one Zimbabwean.
Another wrote, “Mutasa is also an election thief. He was involved in this and is now coming out at a late date to say otherwise. Mutasa and Mujuru must explain themselves; tell us the role they played in all this mess. Our country is at crossroads over the situation they created whilst in Zanu.”
Mutasa’s attempts of buying a new life as an opposition figure might not be as easy as he thinks.
Speaking to journalists, Mutasa said Tsvangirai was just not bold enough to demand what was rightly his so Mugabe took advantage of this to continue as President of Zimbabwe illegally. Mutasa said this when journalists asked him in his current capacity as the spokesperson of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) if he thought Mugabe would buckle to pressure from the protesters.
“One thing you don’t know is that Mugabe is a hopeless coward… when Tsvangirai won the 2008 election by 73,8% he wanted to run away… he wanted to flee from Zimbabwe and it only took Chiwenga and others to claim him as work on rigging the results started… he was not sure that it would work and he started panicking more when the rigging process appeared to be going on for ever… he feared the people would pour out in the streets. “If we put enough pressure on him, he will buckle in… if you ask those of us who know him better.
If he was such a hard nut to crack, do you think some of us would be into this thing in the first place… we are doing it because we know our target very well.” In 2008, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission withheld the results of the Presidential vote for a record five weeks, after which they showed that Tsvangirai won 47,9% of the vote and Mugabe 43,2%, necessitating a run-off, which Tsvangirai pull out of citing widespread violence against his party’s members and supporter.

The government is at it again blaming innocent citizens for its failure to implement viable projects the country can benefit from. Instead of dealing with land allocation in urban areas in a transparent manner, Zanu PF’s factional fights have compromised the process, causing untold suffering to whole families.
State media reports that the construction of the Olympafrica Centre in Epworth is once again likely to be delayed as the land that the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee was offered by the Epworth Local Board is still occupied by illegal settlers. The project is funded by the Olympafrica Foundation which supports projects in Africa and focuses on disadvantaged communities.It will be managed by ZOC and supported by the relevant local authorities.
ZOC and the Epworth Local Board signed an agreement in 2014 that was to see the National Olympic Committee building a multi-purpose centre in the area.
According to the agreement, the local board would provide land while ZOC secured the funding.
But the project might collapse as the Olympiafrica Foundation are reported to be concerned about the delay in getting it off the ground and might withdraw their funds amid reports that the Epworth Local Board are facing problems in trying to relocate the illegal settlers who are currently occupying the piece of land that they allocated to ZOC for the centre.
The Herald also understands that some officials of the Epworth Local Board “corruptly” parcelled out some stands to the illegal settlers that are currently occupying the piece of land that was earmarked for the construction of the Olympicafrica Centre.
And when contacted yesterday, the Epworth Local Board chairman, Tafireyi Murambidzi, said they are in the process of moving the illegal settlers to an alternative land.
“It’s true people had allocated themselves the place on their own. We are in a process of removing them. We could not just remove them without alternative structures . . . We need to give them temporary shelters. Right now we are looking for funds to put structures for them, we cannot just move them.

“They had taken close to three hectares out of the total five hectares. As council, it’s our mandate to remove them but when things are being planned they go through certain procedures. I can’t give the exact time when the process will be completed because of finance,” said Murambidzi.
There were similar problems last year, delaying the commencement of the project but the dispute over the land was resolved before a ground-breaking ceremony was held in April this year.
After the ceremony, indications were that work would begin in the a month later but the project has suffered a still birth. The project is expected to cost over $500 000 and would be completed in the next five years.
The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Saviour Kasukuwere, who was the guest of honour at the ground-breaking ceremony in April, yesterday pledged to look into the issue.
“I am going to get involved in the matter. I will go to Epworth and see what’s happening,” said Kasukuwere.
ZOC chief executive, Anna Mguni, said the status of the project will be determined this week and she dismissed reports that the Olympafrica Foundation was contemplating withdrawing the funds.
“The reports are not substantiated. The current status of the Olympafrica Epworth Centre project will be determined this week through local meetings due to be held. Thereafter an update report will be forwarded to the Olympafrica Foundation Board who are meeting in October whereupon the requisite decisions will be made regarding the project.
“ZOC remains optimistic that there is room for resolution and progress, given that the project represents a pivotal development for the community and a positive legacy for sport,” said Mguni. The centre will comprise a basic athletics track, a football pitch, multi-purpose court as well as a changing-room block.
It will also have a cultural component including offices for the director and volunteer staff, a youth foyer, a multi-purpose room to host conferences, concerts and shows, a library and works for practical work.

Staff Reporter | A Picture of two minor kids wearing assumed Zimbabwe Republic Police helmets, holding baton sticks and tear gas canisters has gone viral. While the origins of the picture were still not clear at the time of going to press, there was an overwhelming expression of outrage, given the nasty reputation ZRP cops have in violating citizens rights. ZimEye is investigating the origins of the picture and will value all contributions to this regard.
 

ZimEye published an article on a MASVINGO-based Miracle Healing and Deliverance (MHD) founder Prophet Isaac Makomichi (21) who advised opposition parties not to expend their energies on fighting President Robert Mugabe as he will win the 2018 elections. The young prophet claims that he saw Mugabe still in office after the crucial 2018 elections in dreams.
Read article here
An alert member of the ZimEye community wrote in response, exposing this prophet;
I know this guy I once attended one of his service, he is a trickster akaunza munhu wake from mutoko obva aita fake miracle yandinoziva munhu wacho akauya nekanhu kakasonerwa mucheka kari mubag akati kumukomana uya unechikwambo ndoda kuchidana chiuye pano saka ini ndakabva ndaziva kuti ifake chikabuda mubag make zvikaita saizvozvo vanhu vose vakatya but I told some of them right there kuti ifake I know this. that guy from that day I started to doubt his claims of being a God sent prophet. I think he has gone too far in using God’s name to gain favour from Zanu pf and maybe pocket some dollars. I personally challenge that prophecy I was shocked that day on how gullible his followers were after the incident.

An interview with Bishop Dr. Sebastian Bakare currently in New Jersey, USA. Rt. Reverend Bakare is a retired former Bishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) dioceses of Harare and Manicaland.
Bakare an iconic figure in Zimbabwe is the convenor of the National Convergence Platform, brainchild behind the formation of the United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust ( UMMRT) where he is the current chairman and is a board member of many organizations.
An acclaimed author and academic, he still gets time to mentor several clergymen pursuing advanced university studies. He has also played a pivotal role with other bishops in facilitating that the last Government of National Unity (GNU) sees the light of day.
Bishop Bakare gives us a ‘Theological, Contextual Reflection on the current developments in Zimbabwe.
Sydney Barson caught up with Bishop Bakare and filed this interview.
SB: Good evening, we want you to give us theological reflection of the current realities in Zimbabwe, as a point of departure, we are in this crisis that seems unending, what is the church called to do in a crisis?
Bishop Bakare: The church can’t do much because it has been reacting all the time to events instead of being proactive
SB: What is the way to go Bishop, where do we place our hope, if not the church?
Bishop Bakare: The church has to rediscover its mission. In our case the church has missed a golden opportunity by being hesitant to speak on behalf of the people. Our hope is that what is happening now will lead us to where Zimbabwe ought to be going but of course without the church in the forefront.
SB: One of our many contemporary prophets recently said ‘anyone rejecting bond notes is rejecting God’s blessings’ What’s your take on these prophesies?
Bishop Bakare: I think that kind of a statement with the contempt it deserves. It has nothing to do with the gospel of Christ.
Bishop Bakare: It is a kind of church if one can call it that which one foot in mammon and the other in God. The two dont go together
SB: Last week we witnessed violent skirmishes in Harare during demonstrations organized by the MDC led by Dr. Morgan Tsvangirai and the crashing of the high court approved mega demo organized by NERA. In all incidences the police have been blamed for provoking peaceful protests, what can be done in this context? What options do citizens have?
Bishop Bakare: I think citizens have suffered long enough and have no option but to express themselves the way they are doing fully aware the police will always support the powers that —-. Of course Christians will always uphold the need for peaceful protest.
SB: You are a brainchild behind the National Convergence Platform, can you briefly unpack NCP?
Bishop Bakare: NCP is a non partisan all inclusive gathering of concerned Zimbabweans for consensus building and fostering solutions for national development
SB: Given our current scenario how do we tap into NCP or stand to benefit from it to address continued suffering of the masses?
Bishop Bakare: NCP is not a qick fix but invites concerned citizens of all walks of life regardless of social status to come together to forge a way forward in order to achieve positive sustainable solutions and develop democratic structures where everybody counts where there are no chefs and no povo but members of one family.
Bishop Bakare: This will create space for national dialogue and inclusive negotiations
SB: To what extent should the church be involved in politics?
Bishop Bakare: The church has nothing to do with party politics. But where church leaders have identified themselves with a particular party they have nothing to offer and have lost their prophetic voice. Peace and justice are central values of the gospel. The prophets of the old testament are our best examples and condemned the rulers of the day who were oppressive
SB: How should the church proceed from now to help rescue the country from further damage?
Dr. Bakare: The church should sit down and ask itself the best way to proclaim the gospel that brings about possibilities for nation building which may not be condoned by some politicians who are only there to serve themselves.
SB: Does the opposition have the stamina to change our situation or the civil society?
Bishop Bakare: This should be a combined effort because civil society and members of opposition parties are sharing similar concerns and would like to see a Zimbabwe where everyone lives a decent life.
SB :: It was my pleasure hosting you tonight Bishop, May God bless you I hope the diaspora are doing their part in the struggle for a better Zimbabwe. Thank you so much.
Bishop Bakare: Welcome. Please keep at it. You are on the commendable right track.
ENDS.

FOUR Harare men have been arraigned at the Western Commonage Courts after being found with 17 National Identity Cards that they could not account for.
Orphan Rwanza (39) of New Mabvuku, Admire Mhungu (32) of Budiriro 4, Denford Shereni (28) also of Budiriro 4 and Kurauone Chirume (32) of Budiriro 2 appeared before magistrate Ms Nyaradzo Ringisai yesterday facing 17 counts of being found in possession of identity documents belonging to another person.
The four who are all unemployed pleaded not guilty and were remanded to today.
They claimed to have picked the IDs and were on their way to surrendering them to a police station.
Prosecuting, Mr Tony Kamudyariwa said the four were busted by CID officers on patrol.
“At the time of arrest the four accused persons were travelling in a white Honda Fit vehicle that was being driven by Mhungu,” said Mr Kamudyariwa.
“On August 26, 2016 at around 10am, the four accused persons were stopped at Tagarira Shopping Centre in New Magwegwe suburb, by police officers who were on patrol.
“Their vehicle was searched and 17 national identity cards were recovered.
“They had no right to possess identity documents belonging to other persons,” said the prosecutor.
The following are the Identity cards recovered by officers from the four men.
The following are the Identity cards recovered by officers from the four men.

Ngoni Daniel Mukavarara      70-200583-X-24
Hepson Mugande                     06-055035-J-06
Lifa Ncube                                 08-870798-W53

— state media
 

THE national shut-down that had been called for Wednesday by anti-government activists , including #ThisFlag Pastor Evan Mawarire turned a big flop after the larger majority of Zimbabweans reported for work at their different work places.
Mawarire made a passionate plea hours before the event for Zimbabweans to stay home, however, several dynamics at play saw his calls bear no fruit.
Watch here as Mawarire makes plea for Zimbabweans to stay home
Harare, which last week witnessed wild protests which resulted in the burning of two trucks belonging to ZBC and the police, was normal with most shop owners operating.
There was a conspicuous police presence in the CBD with water cannon trucks on standby to deal with any disturbances.
It was also business as usual in Bulawayo as many supermarkets and government institutions were open.
Just like in Harare, there was heavy police presence in the CBD.
One shop owner who spoke to journalists said he chose to open for business as he tried to close during the last shutdown call only to find people never heeded the call.
“We made loss while others profit,” he told our reporter Dumisani Nyoni on condition of anonymity.
In Mutare, RadioVOP’s Kenneth Matimaire said the situation was also normal with all government departments, health facilities and supermarkets operating at full capacity.
Informal traders at Sakubva Flea Market, which sells second hand clothing, was also fully operational while Chidzere Bar, another popular vending site in the CBD was fully operational.
Most informal traders who spoke to RadioVOP said they could not heed the stay-away call as they had financial commitments to attend to.
“Things are tight my brother, for me and everyone here. In as much as I would have wanted to join in the stay away, I have a landlord who needs his rent, I have children who need food at home. So I have no choice but to be here at work,” said Prosper Rangana, who operates from the Sakubva market.
However, other traders indicated that they were threatened with eviction from their trading places by suspected Zanu PF supporters if they heeded any other stay away calls from anti-government forces.
Manicaland police spokesperson Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa said there was general peace and tranquillity in the city at the moment.
In Gweru, Sydney Gokomere reports nearly all shops and places where people conduct their informal trade were open.
There were no visible deployments of anti-riot police in the streets of Gweru excdpt for the few police officers who usually make patrols.
Most people who spoke to RadioVOP said they were aware of the call for shutdown but questioned its effectiveness saying most people were not formally employed and stood to lose their earnings if they stayed at home.
“I am a vendor and it wouldn’t make sense for me to continue participating in these shutdowns,” Tendai Chiradzo said.
“The last time I participated in the first national shutdown but then to expect me to repeat the same thing with the nature of my survival would be asking too much.”
A flea market trader, James Mavhuza said the timing of the shutdown was a bit problematic since it fell on a month-end when he was busy looking for money to settle bills and rentals.
“The problem is that people think that shutdowns and other protests are done in Harare and since demonstrations started, there has been little participation from Gweru,” said James Chiseko, a self-employed motor mechanic.
In Karoi, Nhau Mangirai said the shutdown remained a pipeline dream for organisers as small towns in Mashonaland West remained opened during the day.
The resort town of Kariba and Magunje areas also had normal working days.
Although some said they were concerned about their security, those who are mostly vendors saw no reason to miss a single dollar during month end.
“Of course some have remained opened out of fear of state security agents but the reality is that the majority of us are vendors and you get paid by displaying your products in the streets and not at home. We have families to feed at the end of the day,’’ said Tobias Magara, a local mobile vendor in Karoi central business center.
Karoi hospital and other Government departments were also opened while the local second hand clothing market was a hive of activity as both locals and Zambians traders mingled with customers.
However, Karoi based human rights defender Godwin Gutsa said civic organisations and government should educate citizens on their basic rights.
“We are calling upon civic societies to gear up their campaign on basic human rights issue.
“Although the police brutality is on top of agenda by those calling for shutdown, is everyone getting clean water? Are we getting required medication in public hospitals? How about those starving without food as basic right and high unemployment? Why is the Government failing to deliver on those rights and who can stand up on your behalf as these are enshrined in the constitution,” said Gutsa.
The August 31 national shutdown has remained without a leader although the firebrand activist group, #Tajamuka/Sesijikile was doing much of the advocacy.
Other groups that has been agitating for a stayaway Pastor Evan Mawarire’s #ThisFlag campaign and the #ThisFlower campaign leader Stern Zvorwadza. Radio Vop

Staff Reporter | The normally perceived as quiet Gwanda town is gearing to make their voices heard when residents take to the streets on Friday to demonstrate in demand for electoral reforms.
The demonstration under the auspices of the National Electoral Reform Agenda NERA is being organised combined by all political parties and civic society organisations in the town.
Sources within the organisers of the demonstration told ZimEye.com that provincial leaders from MDCT, MDC N, Zimbabwe People First and the People’s Democratic Party and some prominent civil society leaders have been attending meetings to prepare and mobilise for the demonstration.
According to sources, police in Gwanda were served with the notice for the intention to demonstrate early in the week and at the time of going to press no correspondence had been received from the police opposing the notice.
The organisers claim that invitations have been sent to the business community in the town and transport operators to join the demonstration which will shut down operations in the town.
Opposition political parties have come together to demand reforms to the electoral act ahead of the 2018 elections.
Demonstrations by the opposition parties to present petitions to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission with the demands have been squashed by police in Harare resulting in the demonstrations turning violent.

Terrence Mawawa | Bikita | A local man stabbed his girlfriend after catching her red-handed with a boyfriend.
Obey Madzinga of Makumbe Village, in a fit of rage, stabbed his girlfriend when he found her with another lover. Madzinga appeared before Bikita Resident Magistrate, Caroline Tafira last week. Madzinga visited Pamela Mutingwende who resides at Mutendi Complex at Nyika Growth Point and found her with a boyfriend.
There was a scuffle between the two and Madzinga produced a knife and stabbed Mutingwende on the left leg. Although Mutingwende tried to withdraw the case the State insisted that the matter be heard because of the type of weapon used. The Magistrate indicated there was a high possibility Madzinga could be a potential murderer in future. Magistrate Tafira instructed Madzinga to pay $50 fine or serve an alternative two months in prison.
Eyewitnesses told ZimEye.com Mutingwende’s boyfriend fled from the house when Madzinga confronted him over the issue. “We tried to stop the two from fighting. The boyfriend who was caught red-handed fled from the house and Madzinga then confronted Mutingwende and there was a fierce scuffle. The incident happened on August 13 and Mutingwende later attempted to withdraw the case,”said an eyewitness. It is also understood Mutingwende initially refused to go to hospital fearing Madzinga would be arrested after the compilation of the medical report.

ZimEye is receiving reports of a family the Mackinnons who have been violently evicted from their farm. Implicated in the violent eviction is Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo. See report below;

Mike Campbell Foundation wrote;

The Mackinnons from Harare were yesterday illegally evicted from their home by a group of thugs. They escaped with only the clothes they had on. Thugs threw out all their belongings, smashing furniture and scattering papers and photographs.
Their farm falls within the new Harare peri-urban precincts. They have already endured arrests and jail on 3 occasions – and been subjected to court prosecutions for remaining in their home; but the courts have not found them guilty and they are by rights able to stay in their home and continue farming. It is believed that the thugs evicting them were acting for Minister Chombo. The MacKinnons left behind a flourishing cropping farm as well as a wildlife sanctuary with various African plains game species.

Riot police in Bulawayo today are reported to have savagely attacked an unidentified defenseless disabled female vendor at the Large City Hall gate.
Protesters had gathered ready to roll out #ZimShutdown protests.
She was selling her wares at the entrance and was not part of the demonstrators, reports say. This is not the first time overzealous riot police have attacked defenseless citizens, Lilian Chinyerere Shumba was brutally assaulted by the police as she sat outside the Harare Magistrates’ Court last Friday.
She told MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai during a surprise visit to her home that, up to now, she was still trying to come to terms with the motive behind her attack.
“The young boy (police officer) kicked me three times and I was hit three times by a baton for nothing, just because I was wearing red clothes. It’s very unfortunate that the young cops thought they were going to silence me, I will not be,” she said.
As earlier reported, freelance photographer Crispen Ndlovu was arrested with Alfred Dzirutwe, Lwandlelubanzi Ndebele, Plaxedis Denge, Hampton Maphosa, Lenny Kuzwarira and Mthokozisi Ncube.
Ndlovu was arrested while taking photos of the police assaulting Dzirutwe.
According to reports, about 15 riot police surrounded and clobbered Dzirutwe and assaulting the unidentified woman with batons.
Dzirutwe suffered two deep cuts on his head while the disabled woman who has previously suffered a stroke, was assaulted on her affected right hand.

LOCAL Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday said government will not pay attention to protesters, vowing Zanu PF has no plans to implement the electoral reforms demanded by opposition parties.
Kasukuwere – the Zanu PF national commissar – said both the government and the ruling party would not be moved by anti-government protests.
“How can Didymus Mutasa and Joice Mujuru (ZimPF leaders), failed politicians, who were enjoying power just yesterday under these electoral laws, call for reforms now? They are doing so because they have no capacity to win elections,” he said.
Kasukuwere said the government would only listen to debates on electoral reforms if they came through Parliament and not “street protests”.
“You want us to listen to people wearing gowns and playing street soccer at Copacabana? That will not happen. If they want to change the government, they should come for elections,” he charged.
Kasukuwere also threatened to come down hard on Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association secretary-general Victor Matemadanda for allegedly threatening President Robert Mugabe’s family.
“Who is Matemadanda and where does he get the power to issue threats against the First Family? We want to tell him that we will hold him accountable if anything happens to them,” he said.
Matemadanda, a former Zanu PF central committee member, on Monday called on Mugabe to protect his family by heeding the call by Zimbabweans to step down. newsday

MASVINGO-based Miracle Healing and Deliverance (MHD) founder Prophet Isaac Makomichi (21) has advised opposition parties not to expend their energies on fighting President Robert Mugabe as he will win the 2018 elections.
Prophet Makomichi says he has on several occasions been shown in his dreams that President Mugabe will still be at the helm after the 2018 general elections.
Prophet Makomichi told state media on Wednesday that President Mugabe is the God chosen leader for Zimbabwe.
He said the President is an anointed leader, adding that even a coalition of opposition parties will fail to unseat him.
The young prophet said the blunder that local opposition parties made is working with the country’s detractors that include Britain and the United States of America (USA), whose main objective is to replace the present government with a puppet regime.
“I was given this dream and the country had passed the voting period in 2018. It was after 2018 plebiscite and President Mugabe was still in power. A voice resonated saying that only God will remove President Mugabe from his position,” said Prophet Makomichi.

He said President Mugabe is a man on a mission and when the mission is achieved, a new leader will come from Zanu PF.
Prophet Makomichi warned opposition parties against inciting violence.
Zimbabwe, said Prophet Makomichi, is alien to violence and God does not want bloodshed.
He also predicted good rains this farming season adding that the obtaining hardships will soon come to pass with the economy experiencing a rebound.
‘’I have a vision of a prosperous Zimbabwe with adequate food and abundant rains. The drought and economic woes presently bedevilling the country will soon come to an end,” said the prophet.
“Violence begets suffering. Opposition parties should stop this madness forthwith as God is against bloodshed.”
The MHD founder made headlines in Masvingo early this year through his healing prowess.
His church members say he has miraculously healed the physically challenged and casts out demons.
Early this year, Prophet Makomichi  revealed that he was seeing PHD Ministry founder Prophet Magaya in his sleep and recently stirred controversy when some of his congregates were quoted in the media saying they had been seen him flying into the sky like an angel, during a prayer vigil.
His prophesy comes in the wake of similar predictions by the Zimbabwe Indigenous Church Leaders Association (Zila) recently.
Speaking during the installation of Zion Christian Church Bishop Jaison Chisemo at Dare Primary School in Chivi over the weekend, Zila president Bishop Lyphet Matenda said the President is invincible.
‘’President Mugabe’s invincibility is an anointment from God and no one will ever unseat him unless he leaves at his own volition. He was given a task to do for the Zimbabweans by God Himself and He still wants him.
“I am told there is coalition of opposition parties, these political outfits are wasting their time because the parties are not united for common purpose. I have received a voice telling me that President Mugabe will still be the president, come 2018 after the elections,” said Bishop Matenda. state media
 

Movement For Democratic Change | Eight-year old Bridget Mandimutsira, a multiple skin cancer patient, is in dire need of assistance to access specialist treatment.
Last Thursday, Bridget woke up in a critical condition. Her parents, George and Benedict Mandimutsira on Friday contacted Mrs Elizabeth Tsvangirai, who for the past three years has been assisting the family in meeting the medical expenses for Bridget.
The two are not employed are struggling to meet the demands of Bridget’s medical expenses. On Friday, while the police were bludgeoning people and causing chaos in the city, Bridget’s parents were trying to negotiate their way in the melee to get immediate medical reprieve for their ailing daughter.
Amai Tsvangirai assisted them to get interim treatment for their lovely daughter at a Harare private hospital on Friday evening.
Amai Tsvangirai, who has been assisting the family, said there was need for urgent specialist treatment and it would help if people chipped in at this dire moment.
“She now needs specialist treatment. The family and I are now appealing for any assistance to enable Bridget to get specialist treatment abroad,” Amai Tsvangirai said at the Harare infirmary where she had assisted the family to take Bridget for temporary medical reprieve.
The local doctors are now saying she needs specialist treatment abroad.
Those wishing to assist can contact Bridget’s father, George Mandimutsira on 0774 327 867, which is also an Ecocash line or can deposit their financial assistance in his Steward Bank account number 1002220632.
Attached to this email is Bridget’s photograph.

A man from Tsholotsho who killed his neighbour’s son by hitting him on the head with a hammer before ripping his stomach open with a knife was treated for a mental problem by Tsholotsho South MP Cde Zenzo Sibanda, who is a traditional healer.
Lizwe Ncube callously bludgeoned six year old Obvious Mkhwananzi to death with a hammer on Saturday.
He tied the Grade One pupil’s body to a bicycle frame and ripped open his stomach.
After slaughtering the child, Ncube allegedly guarded the mutilated body.
It has emerged that Ncube a mental patient was for almost a year treated for his condition by Tsholotsho South legislator Cde Sibanda.
Cde Sibanda who is also Tsholotsho District Zanu-PF chairperson is a renowned traditional healer in the area.
On Wednesday, he confirmed having treated Ncube.
“He came from South Africa suffering from mental illness.  I stayed with him close to a year attending to him. I think it was eight months between 2011 and 2012,” said Cde Sibanda.

He said he surrendered Ncube to his relatives after being convinced that he was cured.
Cde Sibanda said Ncube’s mental problem could have been worsened by substance abuse.
He said he was dazed to learn that Ncube had committed the heinous crime, saying he knew him as a non violent person.
“This is a sad incident. I was shocked to learn that it was Lizwe who had done this.  His relatives should have taken him for treatment if they saw signs that he was losing his mind again,” he said.
Cde Sibanda urged relatives living with mental patients to take them to institutions that professionally look after them.
Tsholotsho police arrested Ncube amid calls that mental patients should be confined to mental institutions.
The incident comes at a time when the biggest mental hospital in Matabeleland, Ingutsheni Central Hospital in Bulawayo is facing a critical shortage of medicines for both its in and out of hospital patients.
Three nurses have been attacked by patients this year as patients go without sedatives.
Officials at Ingutsheni Central Hospital say the drug shortage has resulted in unsustainable cases of outpatients relapsing and needing re- admission at the crowded institution. Chronicle

Staff Reporter | Police in Bulawayo intensified their crackdown against innocent citizens arresting a journalist and scores of activists.
Peoples Democratic Party Secretary for Finance and Economic Affairs Vince Musewe tweeted a picture of three youths saying, “Arrested in Byo today for fighting for our freedom”.
They also arrested freelance journalist Crispen Ndlovhu for allegedly staging or attempting to stage a demonstration in the country’s second largest city.
Among those arrested include Alfred Dzirutwi, Mthokozisi Ncube, Plaxedis Denge, Lwandlolubanzi Ndebele, Hampton Maphosa and Lenny Kuzwarira, who are reportedly affiliated to the Bulawayo Youths Arise. Bulawayo Youth Arise had notified the Zimbabwe Republic Police about the protest on 23 August 2016. However, ZRP officers did not make any formal response to their notification.
At their rescue were Zimbabwe Lawyers fro Human Rights (ZLHR), led by Lison Ncube.
 
 

George Charamba, President Robert Mugabe’s spokesperson, has laughed off reports that the long-time leader abandoned the Southern African Developmental Community summit in Swaziland due to ill health.

There are reports on Wednesday that the 92-year-old veteran leader’s health deteriorated, forcing him to abandon the summit.

A government official in Harare was quoted as saying that Mugabe was rushed to Singapore for treatment for an illness that was connected to his long-term battle with prostate cancer.

“He came back today because of health issues. It has to do with prostate cancer and is due to fly out early on Wednesday to Dubai,” the source was quoted as saying.

“My laughter should be enough to answer these reports. Just because it is reported, it does not make them true and I have no further comment on these stories,” Charamba said.

He went on to criticise the use of the word “abandoned” in the report, questioning whether the reporter understood the meaning of the word.
Mugabe has had a much publicised battle with prostate cancer and has had to travel regularly to the far east for treatment, although his handlers claim the trips were just for eye surgery. – News24

Staff Reporter | There is heavy police presence in central Harare with law enforcement agents marauding around the area.
The police descent is a response to the Shutdown calls made by #Tajamuka social movement and civil society organizations on Tuesday.
Business is however normal as vendors could be seen selling their wares along the streets.
Banks and supermarkets too, are open with people carrying on with business as usual.
Be that it may, the atmosphere is however tense as exhibited by the convoys of police water cannons roving the streets to instill fear in the public.
Last week the police fired tear gas on peaceful opposition supporters who had gathered at Freedom Square near Rainbow Towers hotel to protest against President Robert Mugabe.
The protest turned violent after the police’s attacks on the unarmed civilians and resulted in the burning of shops, market stalls and looting of supermarkets.
Government has threatened to order the police to shoot and kill anyone protesting.
 

Staff Reporter | The trial of the 85 activists arrested in July after the first #ShutDown led by now exiled Pastor Mawarire has failed to take of again. The Bulawayo based Abammeli Human Rights Lawyers, made the following report; 

 

Dear Editor.
An accident has just occurred this morning in which scores of people are feared dead after a commuter omnibus travelling from Harare to Chitungwiza collided with a lorry near Irvines Chicken along Glen Norah-Chitungwiza roads. The accident location is at Irvines Chickens near Mbudzi round about along Chitungwiza road. Details to follow…

 
 
 

ZIMBABWE People First (ZimPF) has apologised to Zapu after one of its members reportedly made a snide remark about the re-election of Dumiso Dabengwa as the president of the party.
ZimPF Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Geniva Sibanda allegedly sent a WhatsApp message saying Zapu had “recycled deadwood”.
Sibanda’s remarks were leaked to Zapu deputy spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa who immediately raised the red flag, saying the utterances were likely to scupper opposition parties’ negotiations towards forming a coalition.

Yesterday, ZimPF’s spokesperson Methuseli Moyo apologised to Zapu and said Sibanda’s remarks were not sanctioned by the party.
“For the record, Sibanda’ statement was unsanctioned by ZimPF,” he said.
“In as much as Sibanda is free to hold personal opinions, it has been brought to his attention that his conduct in this instance was unbecoming of a leader and must never be repeated.
“ZimPF has tasked the local party leadership to personally convey our unreserved apology to Zapu and Dabengwa, who we regard highly for his service to this nation for the past five decades.”
Moyo described Dabengwa as an undisputed liberation war icon.
“ZimPF takes this opportunity to reaffirm our support and congratulates Zapu, the founder and authentic liberation movement of Zimbabwe, for a successful, peaceful and exemplary congress and wish to assure them of our commitment in working side by side with other opposition forces to deliver a prosperous, just and democratic Zimbabwe at the next elections,” he said.
Sibanda reportedly made the statements last Friday, following Dabengwa’s re-election as the party leader.
He is said to have likened Dabengwa’s recent re-election as Zapu leader to “galvanising old re-treaded tyres”, suggesting that the former Zipra intelligence supremo had outlived his political usefulness. newsday

Riot police officers beat up an apologetic elderly woman at the main entrance to the Harare Magistrates’ Court building last week

THE European Union delegation and EU heads of mission in Zimbabwe yesterday condemned police for the way they have violently crushed recent demonstrations, saying this was an affront to the Constitution, which guarantees various freedoms including the right to protest.

“The freedom to demonstrate and present petitions is enshrined in the Zimbabwean Constitution, along with other fundamental human rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, assembly and association.

“These rights must be exercised peacefully and fully respected by the authorities. Any form of violence, including incitement to violence and advocacy of hatred or hate speech, must be condemned by all parties in the strongest possible way.”
The EU said it was the duty of the police to uphold the Constitution and allow citizens to freely and peacefully express themselves.
“Police have a duty to facilitate the conduct of undisturbed peaceful demonstrations and petitions. Use of force should only be considered as a last resort and always be proportionate,” the statement said.
“Furthermore, the constitutional right of arrested and detained persons should be fully upheld in all circumstances and the independence of the judiciary respected.
“The EU fully associates itself with the statement of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission on public protests and police conduct and joins its call for the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of human rights violations are prosecuted.”
The EU appealed to demonstrators and police to avoid violent confrontations.
“The EU calls for calm, mutual respect and dialogue by all parties, as well as full respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.”
The statement, however, is likely to draw the ire of Zimbabwean authorities, who accuse the West of interfering in the country’s affairs.
Already, authorities claim the US has provided uniforms to people who are not police officers and they were responsible for the violence, not ZRP. newsday

Four people from Gweru, Summerset Farm appeared in court for fatally assaulting a 27 –year- old suspected thief.
It is reported that Trymore Khumalo (25), Herbert Chivasa (31), Knowledge Dube (30) Sikhalaliwe Mlalazi (24), allegedly teamed up and killed a man Isheunesu Gobore of  Missouri farm on the outskirts of Gweru. Reason Ndlovu (45) an alleged accomplice is on the run.
The four appeared before Gweru magistrate, Mr Tendai Madanhire facing murder charges.They were not asked to plead and were remanded in custody.
Mr Madanhire advised them to apply to the High Court for bail.
Prosecutor, Miss Helen Khosa said on August 26 the four as well as Ndlovu allegedly suspected that Gobore had entered into their kitchen hut and fowl run that night and left unnoticed.
The court heard, the next morning, they followed Gobore to his homestead, but it was not stated if anything had been stolen from the kitchen hut and fowl run.
Miss Khosa said they tied Gobore to a wooden pole before assaulting him all over the body. In the process, the court heard Gobore, sustained head injuries and died on the scene.
“The five accused persons teamed up, tied the deceased with a rope to a wooden pole and took turns to assault him with open hands, a sjambok, a machete and a log all over the body,” she said.
“The accused except for Ndlovu were apprehended by fellow villagers who witnessed them assaulting Gobore.”- State Media