ZimEye.com brings our valued readers updates from the Promise Mkwananzi court case in which the activist is being tried for committing public violence. 
1605 – Mkwananzi loses case:
1. The application challenging his placement on remand dismissed. The court ruled that the threshold for the placement on remand is very low and that the mere assertion by the police that he connived with Tajamuka to burn a police car and a ZBC car were adequate to have him placed on remand. This is notwithstanding the defence on his warned and cautioned statement that he was at a conference hosted by SAPES Trust on the day in question.

 
1355 – Court Room 6 (where Mkhwananzi is being tried) is packed to the full.

“The people’s anger is very deep”, said Tsvangirai as he encouraged more protests while also hailing Zimbabweans for expressing themselves during Friday’s shutdown protest. VIDEO:

A hooker appeared in court and was sentenced to two years in prison for ripping off the ear of a man who turned down her sexual advances.
Beauty Zhou (23) of Mpumalanga Township in Hwange but lives in Binga, went berserk when Mr Bee Mukonka (33) showed no interest in having sex with her. Zhou, commonly known for attracting her potential clients by suggestively caressing their manhood at a beer garden in Binga, grabbed Mr Mukonka’s manhood but he brushed her aside, leading to an argument
Yesterday, she appeared before Binga resident magistrate Mrs Aelene Munamati and pleaded not guilty. But due to overwhelming evidence she was convicted. Mrs Munamati sentenced her to 24 months in prison of which 18 months were suspended leaving Zhou to serve an effective six months in jail.
Handing down sentence, Mrs Munamati chided Zhou for the uncouth method she used to attract clients. She said men in Binga were now afraid of the hooker. Zhou said she acted in self-defence after Mr Mukonka attacked her over an undisclosed issue.
“Your Worship I’m a commercial sex worker and came to Binga to look for money. “On the day in question we had a misunderstanding with the complainant leading to a fight. It is then that I bit his ear as I was trying to defend myself,” said Zhou.
State witnesses dismissed her claims. They said Zhou was in the habit of caressing her potential clients’ private parts. Prosecuting, Mr Bruce Maphosa said on August 13, 2016, Mr Mukonka entered Kula Beer garden in Binga where he saw Zhou sitting close to the entrance. Suddenly she grabbed his private parts and started playing with them.
Confused by the sudden turn of events, Mr Mukonka bent down to protect his manhood and asked Zhou what she was doing. Stung by the rebuff, Mr Maphosa said, Zhou threw a tantrum and attacked Mr Mukonka.
“She responded by biting his ear. She ripped off a chunk of the ear as other patrons tried in vain to restrain her. “Mukonka lost most of his ear as a result of the assault and was referred to Binga District Hospital for treatment. “A report was made to the police leading to her arrest,” said the prosecutor.- State Media

A 60-YEAR-OLD man from Zaka who was allegedly caught having sex with a goat had to run for dear life when enraged villagers tried to mete instant justice on him.
Romic Tafireyi of Mauto Village under Chief Nhema fled half naked leaving the animal tied to a tree. Acting Masvingo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Kudakwashe Dehwa said the incident occurred on Saturday at around 10.30AM.
“I have received a report involving a Zaka man who was caught having sex with a goat. The old man fled from the scene but he has since been arrested and is assisting police with investigations. He will appear in court soon facing charges of bestiality,” said Asst Insp Dehwa.
According to a villager, Mr Steven Chinyukwi (58), Tafireyi is alleged to have a penchant for being intimate with livestock.
Mr Chinyukwi said he saw Tafireyi tying the goat to a tree, apparently to restrict its movement before having sex with it.
“On Saturday at around 10:30am, Tafireyi who is alleged to have a long history of bestiality in the village was seen loitering suspiciously in the bush some distance from Mauto Village,” said Mr Chinyukwi.
“I went with four villagers. We saw him tying the goat to a tree before mounting the animal. We moved closer to investigate and found Tafireyi having sex with the animal. He quickly fled the scene into a thicket while pulling up his lowered pair of trousers,” said Mr Chinyukwi.
He said angry villagers launched a search.
“Tafireyi was spotted hiding behind a tree some hours after the incident. We effected a citizen’s arrest. He is lucky there were elders who stopped villagers from assaulting him,” said Mr Chinyukwi. – state media

Victory for the masses and for justice – democracy activist and National Vendors Union leader, Sten Zvorwadza has been released.
Zvorwadza who was arrested earlier in the day following a notorious police crack-down, is now a free man.
He announced his release Friday night, “I was arrested this morning on trumped up charges as usual but was later released.”
Meanwhile Tajamuka activist Promise Mkwananzi and several others were still in cells at the time of writing and scheduled to appear in court Saturday morning. “Several other people were arrested including Promise Mkwananzi. They will be appearing in court tomorrow morning,” said Zvorwadza.
He asked Zimbabweans to throng the magistrates courts today, Saturday in their support.
“Lets all go and support them at Rotten Row 8:30am. Clearly this regime is clueless and losing”, he added.

A GOLD panner from Lower Gweru died early yesterday morning after he was stabbed allegedly by four fellow illegal miners in a suspected turf war. Villagers from Pihli, Ward 7, under Chief Bunina told The Chronicle that the area had become a “war zone” with frequent bloody clashes involving armed gangs vying for control of gold claims.They said they discovered the bloodied body of Godlove Mgezelwa Sibanda (24) in a ditch soon after midnight. He had been stabbed on the chest and armpit. Police have arrested Marvelous Sibanda (20), one of the four people suspected to have attacked Godlove.
The other three are on the run. Villagers said the quartet had a running rivalry with Goodlove over goldfields. Detectives recovered an okapi knife with blood stains in Marvelous’ possession.
It is believed to be the murder weapon. Acting Midlands provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende said investigations into the killing were underway. “We received a murder report which happened in Lower Gweru involving a male adult. One suspect has been arrested and investigations are in progress”.
The Chronicle visited the area at around 10AM and found villagers gathered around Godlove’s body which was covered with a blanket. Godlove’s brother — Mlungisi — said he was awoken by a phone call around midnight telling him his younger brother, a father of two, had been killed.
“That’s my brother lying there. He has two stab wounds, one on the chest and the other under the armpit. There is blood all over. One suspect has been arrested and we know him. Three other suspects are on the run,” he said. Mlungisi said Marvelous told the police that they attacked Godlove around 11PM on Wednesday as he was leaving Woodpecker night club.

Staff Reporter | Harare is still on fire, roads blocked, while riot police continues to terrorise innocent civilians, the organisers of today’s protest march have regrouped, are currently at Bronte hotel.
They are addressing a press conference on the sabotaged march today.
Meanwhile the National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe Chairperson, Sten Zvorwadza has been arrested on allegations of inciting public violence.
Zvorwadza was arrested at Harare Central Police station where he had gone to report as part of his bail conditions.
#Tajakumuka spokesperson, Promise Mkwananzi was also reportedly arrested earlier on same allegations.
The two are currently detained at the CID Law and Order Section.

By Duncan Banda| Harare’s Copacabana area has been set on fire. ZimEye.com is receiving pictorial updates from the area as the #My Zimbabwe protest continues today, Friday.
Protesters who blockaded the main road, killed a dog and deliberately laid its corpse aside a pulled-down inscription titled “Road Mugabe Rd.” As this continued, a raging inferno gutted market stalls at the famous Copacabana rank. The fires were still on at the time of writing. More to follow as the story develops

The farm is at the centre of an ownership dispute between Carswell Montana Meats and Joseph Dzvaka Chirau. The latter claims to be in possession of a government-issued offer letter dated 2005.
Mphoko, who was accompanied by Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs minister Faber Chidarikire along with the provincial police commander, only identified as Senior Assistant Commissioner Mushaurwa, and district police boss, Chief Superintendent Antonio, reportedly further incensed the local political leadership after he allegedly barred them from attending the meeting.
Chief Chirau (born Charles Chabvutagondo) was equally not amused with the convening of a meeting of that stature in his absence.
He said he only got to know about the meeting late and by the time he got to the farm, proceedings were already winding up.
“I am like a visitor in my land. I was not even aware we had a high-profile individual in the person of the VP of the country coming until I got here and was not even given due recognition. I am afraid to say there appears to be something fishy in all this and who and why this meeting was organised in the first place, we are keen to find answers,” the traditional leader said.
Contacted for comment, Chidarikire curtly said: “We were on a fact-finding mission and we have been presented with facts . . . decisions will be made later and we will inform those concerned, including the beneficiary, when the time comes.”
However, documents in the possession of this paper show that on July 18 thisyear, Chidarikire allegedly usurped the role of the provincial lands committee and wrote to Carswell Montana Meats, giving them guarantees that they would not be evicted from the farm.
Mphoko indicated that Chirau would be allocated another farm elsewhere. This was despite the fact that Chirau had, on two occasions, been granted the right to occupy the farm by the High Court, which also gave an ultimatum to Carswell Montana Meats to vacate the premises.
“In terms of Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, the applicant (Carswell Montana) is obliged to vacate the property after 45 days from the date upon which the land vests in the acquiring authority. It also seems to me that the applicant is seeking from this court an order entitling him to remain on the property when statute clearly prohibits him from doing so,” wrote Justice Antonia Guvava in a High Court judgment dated July 27, 2005.
After the meeting, a visibly angry Zanu PF district chairman, Solomon Nacho, confronted Mphoko and blocked him from getting into his car, and challenged him for barring the party’s top leadership from attending the indaba.
“I speak on behalf of a leader chosen by the leadership which includes you and I want to categorically inform you that what has happened here today is not right. Both your person and your office have disregarded the very people you trusted with the responsibility to lead,” he told a stunned Mphoko.
The VP is not a stranger to controversy as his continued stay at Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare since his appointment as Mugabe’s co-deputy in 2014 has exposed him to the wrath of rights activists and opposition parties.
 

THE National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA), an association of 13 opposition political parties, has won a High Court order granting that its scheduled march goes ahead as planned.
NERA yesterday approached the High Court seeking permission to hold their demonstration in Harare today.
A judge ruled in favour of the political parties this morning. This comes after Government warned activists against unsanctioned demonstrations. The parties say they seek to hold a peaceful demonstration in the streets of Harare today as a way of expressing their discontent with the state of the electoral landscape.The group says it plans to lobby for electoral reform through the demonstration.
In a founding affidavit, NERA organising secretary Mr Joelson Mugari said the group notified the police of the intended street march and procession on August 12 this year.
On August 15, Mr Mugari said, police responded to the notice discouraging NERA from holding the street march.
“In particular, the first respondent (Officer Commanding Harare Police) stated that his office discouraged the applicant’s intended march on the basis that the number of intended participants cannot be accommodated in the central business district as it would interrupt the smooth flow of both human and vehicular traffic.

President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace says Zimbabwean farmers are not innovative.
Speaking at the Harare Agricultural Show, she said farmers need to improve themselves. Grace made the call after touring some of the stands where various agricultural equipment and products were on display.
Speaking to journalists after the tour, Grace said exhibitions at the agricultural show were impressive. She however called for the farmers to be “innovative in ensuring food security for the nation with much emphasis on small grains”.
“Let us conserve the environment,” she said.
She added praising local universities for coming up with different innovations, which she said should be supported.
“Our universities have students who are also very much raring to go in terms of technology. I saw a lot of things they are trying to do technologically and hopefully they will be supported so that they can compete with other international universities technologically,” she said.
Grace went on to say that tertiary institutions are doing well regarding the utilisation of technology though there is need for government to assist in funding some of the works being done at tertiary institutions.
Her port of call was the Women’s University in Africa stand then the Midlands State University stand.
She concluded the tour of tertiary institutions by stopping over at the Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University stand.
Tanaka Power, a firm which deals with agricultural equipment, was the centre of attraction for the tour with an exhibition of modern equipment dealing with veldt fires.
The First Lady also toured the POTRAZ stand, Miss Tourism Zimbabwe Trust, ZIMRA stand the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce stand.
To conclude the tour, Grace’s entourage visited Gushungo Dairy where various products were on display.

By Fadzayi Mahere| Contrary to popular misconception, the police simply do not have the power to ‘ban all demonstrations’ – even if one demonstration, for whatever reason, happens to have turned violent.
The right to demonstrate peacefully and present a petition is given to every Zimbabwean in terms of section 59 of the Constitution. If one person abuses this right during the course of a demonstration, the criminal law should take its course in respect of that individual. Such a person should be arrested, formally charged and brought before a court – not beaten to a pulp and gassed until he or she cannot breathe. There is no reason why the demonstration should not be allowed to continue after any violent protester is removed from the scene. Professional law enforcement as required by the Constitution entails the police protecting any protesters from violence during a demonstration and not the police instigating or enabling it.
And it must be borne in mind that the Constitution does not limit the number of times demonstrations can be conducted in any given period. So long as they are peaceful, demonstrations can be conducted every single day should the holders of this right deem it necessary to do so.
The police fall under the Constitution and have no right to deprive citizens of rights that are constitutionally guaranteed. They have an obligation rather to comply fully with the Constitution – even where they or their handlers do not like the cause behind the exercise of these Constitutional rights. We all know that the Zimbabwe Republic Police are capable of doing the right thing – we see it each time Zanu PF holds a demonstration, without any formal permission for that matter. We long for a Zimbabwe where non-Zanu PF protesters are treated with similar dignity, professionalism and respect. We all have a right to the equal protectiom of the law under section 56(1) of the Constitution.
Reprisals, throwing teargas into moving public transport and the arbitrary punishment of onlookers and the public during a demonstration is a violation of freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under section 53 of the Constitution. It should never be allowed to happen and police officers who breach the Constitution in this regard are acting unconstitutionally.
And so it is not competent for the police or anyone else to issue a blanket ban on demonstrations. Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy not a high school.-Fadzai Mahere

A twenty four year old gold panner from Lower Gweru St Faith was fatally stabbed three times on the chest and in the abdomen over an unknown dispute.
Villagers in Mudhubiwa village were left shell shocked by the death of the 24year old man Godlove Mugezelwa who is alleged to have been stabbed by his niece Never Mpofu and colleague Marvellous Sibanda.

TWO armed robbers pounced on a Redan Fuel Station in Bulawayo’s Mpopoma suburb and got away with $150 and a cellphone after attacking a security guard with a hammer.
Police sources said the Monday night robbery followed a similar attack at a fuel station in Nketa suburb a few days earlier.
When journalists yesterday visited the Redan Fuel Station and spoke to the security guard, Mr Brighton Ngwenya, who was attacked by the two robbers.
Mr Ngwenya said his assailants arrived at the fuel station at about 9.40PM under the pretext of buying fuel using a R200 note.
“They brought a five litre container and requested that we sell them fuel.
“As we were in the process of attending to them, one of them said he didn’t want to be changed using bond coins and US dollars. We had an argument with them until the other one who was wearing a blue worksuit started cooling down, saying it didn’t matter whether we gave them coins or US dollars,” said Mr Ngwenya.
He said when they thought everything had been resolved, he was struck on the head with a hammer.

Only two weeks ago, the ZNLWVA successfully sought an interdict blocking six members of a splinter group — Cdes George Mlala, Charles Mpofu, Joseph Chinotimba, Esther Munyaradzi, Stephen Moyo and Robert Mukwena — from convening a special meeting to elect a new executive.
But, the other seven — Cdes George Matenda, Patrick Nyaruwata, Future Piriyana, Wellington Chitehwe, Rueben Chikono, Thomas Matambe and Thomas Kunaka — stood their ground, attacking the urgency of the matter and the inadequacies that were fraught in the urgent application.
After hearing submissions on the preliminary points raised by the seven’s lawyers, Advocate Garikayi Sithole, T B Ndoro and F F Hwenira, the court ruled in favour of the seven.
Justice Joseph Musakwa ruled that the deponent to the affidavit on behalf of the association Cde Agnes Siyakurima had no legal basis to institute the proceedings.
He also found the certificate of urgency to be invalid because it was “a mere rehash of some portions of the founding affidavit” among other inadequacies.

THREE nurses at Ingutsheni Central Hospital in Bulawayo have been attacked while attending to mental patients as the institution grapples with a shortage of anti-psychotic drugs to stabilise them.
The hospital’s chief executive officer, Mr Nyasha Chibvongodze, told The Chronicle on Wednesday that the hospital only has 10 percent of the required drugs, putting the lives of both patients and staff at risk.
Mr Chibvongodze was speaking on the side-lines of a hand-over ceremony of 37 mattresses donated by the Rotary Club of Bulawayo South. He said due to the shortage of drugs, mental patients become aggressive and abuse nurses.
“Since January we had two incidents where nurses were assaulted by patients while the third one had his spectacles broken by a patient. However, we can’t blame the patients for this because they’re ill. We need the anti-psychotic drugs to stabilise them,” Mr Chibvongodze said.
He said Treasury released only $70 000 in February from the $900 000 that was allocated to the institution in the 2016 budget.

A Harare lawyer, Emmanuel Samundombe, was yesterday jailed for an effective three years for bashing his pregnant girlfriend until she had a miscarriage after accusing her of interfering with his other “mistress”. Samundombe assaulted Zvikomborero Choto who he was staying with following a heated argument in which he accused her of divulging “classified information” to his other girlfriend that he had four children with different women.
Choto later suffered a miscarriage. Samundombe, who was being charged for contravening the Domestic Violence Act, pleaded guilty to the charge but challenged the medical report that stated that the miscarriage was as a result of the assault.
He questioned the authenticity of the report adding that Choto had tried to extort him for her to withdraw the charges. Magistrate Ms Bianca Makwande sentenced Samundombe to 48 months behind bars but suspended 10 months on condition of good behaviour.
She then effected 38 months. In her reasons for sentencing, Ms Makwande said Samundombe, as a legal practitioner who is aware of the law, deserved a custodial sen- tence.
“A deterrent sentence would be the appropriate thing taking into account the above factor. It is a punishment that will ensure that justice is done,” she said. “As a legal practitioner, he is aware of the law regarding domestic violence. He is fully aware that violence is abhorred not only by society but by the courts as well. Domestic violence has no place in our society.”
Ms Makwande added that a life was lost and Samundombe should not be treated like a layperson. “There was a loss of life because the complainant lost her unborn child and according to the medical report there is a possibility of permanent injuries. Therefore, in such circumstances, a custodial sentence is inevitable.”

A Chegutu man accused of murdering a fellow reveller in a drunken brawl has been acquitted, with the court condemning the police for shoddy work.
A High Court judge slammed police for clumsy investigations.
Admire Chidhakwa was cleared of murdering George Komboni at P and J Mining Syndicate Mine, Chegutu, nine years ago after Justice Tawanda Herbert Chitapi ruled that the prosecution failed to make a case against the suspect. Komboni was found dead near Nyambuya Plot, Sable Bush Park, with a deep wound on the scalp in the temporal region.
The trial started in June this year and the evidence adduced in court failed to add up to secure conviction.
“In recent times this court has not come across such shoddy investigations as obtained in this case,” said Justice Chitapi.
The investigating officer, Detective Seargent Ngoni Shayanewako, blamed the economic meltdown of 2007 for poor investigations in his testimony.

Fingaz – THERE is growing acrimony between ZANU-PF cadres whose suspensions were lifted by the party’s National Appeals Committee (NAC) and those who assumed their positions in the wake of a ruthless purge in 2014 that targeted former vice president Joice Mujuru and her allies.
Dozens of ZANU-PF officials were either shown the door or suspended for varying periods for throwing their weight behind Mujuru as their preferred candidate to succeed President Robert Mugabe who, at the age of 92, is now in the twilight of his political career.
Fifty-two officials have lodged their appeals with NAC, created specifically to consider pleadings from cadres who felt they were unfairly treated. The committee has so far reviewed 25 cases of which seven cadres had their suspensions lifted.
Jason Machaya and Chiratidzo Mabuwa, from the Midlands, had their penalties overturned, while Nicholas Goche from Mashonaland Central had his suspension rescinded as well.
In Masvingo, Killian Gwanetsa, Paul Chimedza and Tongai Muzenda — son of the late vice president Simon Muzenda — saw their appeals sailing through.
NAC, chaired by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, is still to go through a thick file of pending appeals from several other ZANU-PF politicians who were punished for being too close to Mujuru, whose association with the ruling party ended in 2014 after she was accused of plotting to unseat her boss, unconstitutionally.
Among those with pending appeals are Webster Shamu, Tendai Savanhu, Francis Nhema and Flora Buka.
A precedence that has induced friction between the returnees and those who orchestrated their downfall has been set in the Midlands after Machaya bounced back as provincial chairman.
He is however, still to chair a single meeting in the region a month into his reinstatement. Soon after his suspension was lifted in early July, he got involved in a horrific car crash along the Harare-Gweru road while on his way from a NAC meeting that presided over his appeal.
He is currently recuperating in a Harare hospital amid lingering suspicions among his family that his top-of-the-range Land Rover Discovery 4 vehicle could have been tampered with, resulting in one of the wheels coming off while cruising towards the Midlands provincial capital of Gweru, hence the accident.
ZANU-PF insiders said the possibility that cadres being thrown a lifeline may revert to their old positions has created tensions between the returnees and people who benefited from their demise.
The latter are fearful of losing their positions as well as being victimised for persecuting the so-called allies of Mujuru who, at the time of their censure, commanded influential positions in the ruling party.
In order to preserve their positions, they would want the returnees to start all over again from the cell, which is the lowest structure in the party.

Staff Reporter | The Exiled #ThisFlag Pastor Evan Mawarire has put his weight behind the combined opposition march slated for Friday, that aims to pressure President Robert Mugabe to open up space for the opposition to operate on fair playing ground.
Mawarire spoke against fear, ” When fear inside the system is greater than the fear outside it, the inside is giving in victory is certain.”
Speaking on Friday Mawarire said, ” We stand with all the Zimbabwean Opposition Parties and join in on Friday as we March for electrol reform! #ThisFlag #NERA.”
He went further to warn his supporters; “People should not listen to lies that this movement is dead that’s a lie this movement is getting stronger and stronger there is no turning back. We want our country back, we want our Zimbabwe back.”
The Friday protest will be the first time in the history of Zimbabwe that opposition parties with one voice have taken to the streets of Zimbabwe, risk life and limb as they demand electoral reforms that will create a level playing field in the crucial forthcoming elections.
In a petition already sent to Mugabe the political parties wrote;
“We, the undersigned signatories to the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera), do hereby make the following demands: Clarify whether or not voter registration is underway and if so, how and where it is happening.”
The group also demanded that ZEC avails the current electronic voters’ rolls for inspection by all stakeholders and give an update on the delimitation exercise.
 

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s elder brother, Phillip Mnangagwa has died.
Mnangagwa (84) died yesterday after a long illness.

ZRP cops were today labelled “stupid” when they threw live teargas into a kombi full of passengers at Ruzende Street bus terminus. While several people were seen by ZimEye battling to wash the intoxicating substance off their eyes, the health condition of those who were teargassed while trapped in the moving kombi (in pictures below), was not clear at the time of writing. A recent ZimEye.com investigation revealed that hundreds of ZRP cops are criminals in uniform. PICTURES BELOW – Also read – LIVE UPDATES: Police Brutality in Harare;   ZRP Salary Thieves Revealed..

STATE MENT OF LEADERS OF CODE ON THE NERA DEMOSTRATION TO BE HELD IN HARARE

26 AUGUST 2016

The leaders of DARE, MDC, MKD, PDP, RDZ, ZAPU and ZUNDE, hereinafter called CODE, met with their counterparts from NERA, on 22^nd August 2016.
The leaders of NERA informed those of CODE of the preparations the NERA group is making for a demonstration to be held on Friday 26 August 2016, to press for electoral reforms.
The leaders also discussed and affirmed the need for cooperation among all organisations working for genuine and lasting change in the country.
CODE adds its voice to calls for comprehensive electoral reforms, covering:

• the status, mandate and composition of the national electoral authority;
• electoral legislation;
• the electoral processes; and,
• the electoral environment.

CODE commends NERA for planning the demonstration scheduled for Friday 26^th August 2016, and wishes it resounding success.
CODE also affirms its commitment and readiness to work with the NERA group and other national organisations in the political, business, civil society and faith sectors, to bring about complete change, leading to an end to the untold suffering afflicting the people of Zimbabwe.
In this regard, CODE leaders will maintain contact with their NERA counterparts, with the view to planning joint actions in future.
 
Gilbert Dzikiti, President of DARE
Welshman Ncube, President of MDC
Simba Makoni, President of MKD
Tendai Biti, President of PDP
Elton Mangoma, President of RDZ
Dumiso Dabengwa, President of ZAPU
Farai Mbira, President of ZUNDE

Zimbabwe is in the midst of a very slow painful economic recovery following a catastrophic downturn, with millions of Zimbabweans continuing to feel left behind. Some turn their anger to government or its supporters others target Chinese and Nigerian migrant workers. Some charismatic media personalities with a populist message attack mushrooming religious groups. Industries are closing and churches are taking their place. While churches recruit more people than industry but industry pays more while the church pays one. The others denounce the president and his allies for flouting the Constitution and steering the Country towards poverty. Meanwhile, many on the opposition warn that dictatorship is taking root in Zimbabwe.
This may sound like 2008 but in fact it describes the country in 2016.
The parallels between the two eras aren’t perfect, but in the 2008 as today—political rancor, social division, and the threat posed by “alien” ideologies sparked widespread violence or threat of violence And just as politicians and commentators in recent weeks have called for “unity” in the face of political and racial strife, so did they do in the 2008
These earlier Zimbabweans acted on their words.
During the late 2008 and 2009 an array of Zimbabwean politicians elites from business executives and government officials to clergymen launched a variety of efforts to build unity and national consensus. That put together all parties to form a Government of National Unity. These efforts continued into the early 2013.
Indeed, such campaigns are one reason that many today think of the immediate post unity decades as a golden age of harmony and concord and progress.
Anybody who has looked closely at these unity efforts to cement national cohesion, Would believe that while they offer a model, they also offer a warning.
A nation divided but united in a purpose putting all parties together is better than a nation divided in everything.
In July 2013 Zimbabweans went to the polls and awarded ZANU PF an untainted presidential term. It was one of the most lopsided elections in Zimbabwe history, with ZANU PF winning almost 66% of the vote.
Any sense of unity that the election provided, however, rapidly unraveled in the face of a new economic downturn, a party crisis, and emerging divisions in the Ruling party.
The early 2016 was marked by sit-down strikes, violent repression of workers, and attacks by vigilante groups on Demonstrators racial minorities, and leftists.
Pastor Evan Mawarire the charismatic social priest” whose populism had attracted an audience of millions Mawarires followers and members of other groups held mass rallies encouraged stay aways.
Meanwhile, Pastors and prophets preaching a mix of class and racial equality, made inroads in the people among artists and intellectuals, and in communities.
All this alarmed elites across the political spectrum.
People saw in government a busting, blood baiting, and surging intolerance evidence of what The Private press and others called Police Brutality.
Members of all groups urged Zimbabweans to unite around “shared” national values, although they often disagreed on precisely what those values were.
Temporary unity came with the demonstrations and police reactions to such demonstrations.
Opposition responded to this turmoil with numerous initiatives designed to promote social harmony and consensus. They were aided by a new infrastructure of institutions—some public, others private—that emerged immediately before and during Economic problems.
Such unity-building efforts did help to discredit open prejudice against corruption and minorities looting the nothing remaining in national coffers. For the most part, however, they failed to address the structural inequalities of wealth class that have haunted this nation for decades.
By marginalizing dissenters and casting all who questioned corruption as somehow un-Patriotic they protected existing power structures and left intact the social and economic status quo.
Very soon the resulting tensions could no longer be contained. This is a lesson that our current national leaders would do well to remember that change is certain.
Calling for unity excluding the ruling party is like goats uniting against lions. Demonstrations by parties uniting of opposition holding hands in a demonstration by opposition leaders will not change the situation in Zimbabwe.
A proper engagement without pride and prejudice will help our country.
[email protected]

State Media – A Kwekwe coroner has cleared the leader of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries Prophet Walter Magaya, his church and the police of any wrongdoing following the death of 11 people in a stampede at the end of a crusade at Mbizo Stadium in Kwekwe.
The inquest started early this year following the stampede that also left 43 people injured in November 2014 after the crusade that was attended by about 30 000 people.
After the event, people tried to force their way out at the same time resulting in the tragedy.
The coroner, Mr Taurai Manwere, said no one was to blame for the accident.
“There is evidence that the church didn’t end abruptly. Some people wanted to meet Prophet Magaya and others were rushing for transport parked outside the main gate to go home.
The pressure caused by people who wanted to exit the stadium at the same time caused the stampede. This stampede was an accident and was unavoidable since it was not reasonably foreseeable that people in the stadium would get out of the stadium at the same time,” he said.
Exonerating the police, the coroner said from the evidence submitted in court, it is clear that no tear gas was ever used by police officers inside the stadium.
He said there was also no evidence to substantiate claims that PHD security officers ordered people to leave the stadium using small gates in order to conduct a head count of people who attended the crusade.
“The evidence remains hearsay and was not confirmed by witnesses who were involved in the stampede,” said Mr Manwere.
“From the evidence there are a number of contradictions with regard to the cause of the stampede, the manner the crusade ended and whether or not the main gate was open or closed and the number of gates that were being used to enter or exit the stadium on the day in question.
“These contradictions make it difficult for the court to make a finding on these issues.”
To avoid deaths of like nature in the future, Mr Manwere recommended that events that attract huge crowds must be conducted in an open space with sufficient ablution facilities.
“If conducted in a stadium, members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, subject to the Police Act or any other Act of Parliament must take charge of traffic control, crowd control and orderly exit of people from the stadium,” he said.
Those who died in the stampede are Ian Nkomo (40), Tendekai Bafana (9), Tamuka Chivasa (11), Winnie Chikanda (12), Rachel Zvinei (16) Cynthia Jane Katsholo (47) and Juliet Mawere (55) all from Mbizo suburb in Kwekwe.
Albert Ndure (13) and Bridget Mukarati (24) from Gweru as well as Grace Gwinji whose age was not given and Shadreck Kurebwa (59), also died.-state media

A commuter omnibus crew allegedly stoned a passenger (58) and hit him with their vehicle, leaving him for dead, after he complained about loud radio volume, a court heard.
Elipio Garikai Chabata (27) of Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park and Emmanuel Biti (21) of Emakhandeni appeared on Monday before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndhlovu for attempting to kill Mr Thani Ngwenya of Cowdray Park.
Mr Ndhlovu did not ask them to plead and remanded them in custody to tomorrow.
Chabata and Biti attempted to negotiate with the magistrate to remand them out of custody, drawing chuckles from the gallery.
Chabata said: “Please consider that I have a pregnant wife and she is at an advanced stage and cannot cope alone. May I come to court from home on Thursday?”
The magistrate declined his request and Chabata negotiated further, before the magistrate asked prison guards to lead the duo out of the court.
“Okay, how about you grant us bail then. By the way, this man (Biti) was not there when everything happened, can he go then?” pleaded Chabata.

National dam levels now stand at just over 48 percent, which represents a 1.40 percentage decline from last week.
Statistics from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate show that dam storage levels decreased from 49.3 percent as at the 11^th of August to 48.34 percent as at August 18.
The Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri says the most critical water stressed areas in the provinces are mainly centres that rely on groundwater where there was a decrease in water levels as well as drying of boreholes.
Bulawayo Metropolitan dams are 33.7 percent full while those in the capital Harare Metropolitan are 74.7 percent full.
Manicaland, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East are 44.40, 75.60 and 74.70 percent full respectively.
In Mashonaland West there was a decrease of one percent in dam levels in the past week leaving levels at 78.70 percent, Masvingo has dam levels pegged at 26.50 percent, Matabeleland North at 54.50 percent, Matabeleland South is at just over 50 percent while dams in the Midlands are pegged at 58.40 percent.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri says demand management strategies are being employed in light of the low water levels prevailing in most of the supply dams.
Most of the rivers in the country have stopped flowing as the dry conditions persist in the country. state media

A Bulawayo lawyer Mr Ndabezinhle Mazibuko is suing a city supermarket for $25 000 after he bought fruit juice which was allegedly contaminated with a “nauseating and poisonous” foreign body.

Mr Mazibuko, through his lawyers, Calderwood, Bryce Hendrie and Partners, has filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court citing Broadway Spar Supermarket as the defendant after alleging that his health was compromised as a result of drinking the fruit juice.
In papers before the court, Mr Mazibuko is demanding $25 000 from the supermarket being general damages for psychological trauma, physical pain and loss of expectation of life he allegedly suffered as a result of alleged gross negligence when he unsuspectingly consumed the beverage.
“On or about the end of June to the beginning of July 2014, I purchased several varieties of one litre boxes of Spar branded fruit juice from Broadway Spar Supermarket. Sometime towards the end of July, I opened and poured into a glass half the contents of one of the mixed berry fruit juice and returned the other half to the refrigerator,” said Mr Mazibuko.
He said while drinking the remaining half of the juice from the box, he felt something was not right.
“As I drank the juice, there was a soft and sticky substance which was semi-solid but too large to be a berry and I immediately spat the substance back into the box packaging,” said Mr Mazibuko.
The lawyer said he became suspicious and on investigating to ascertain the nature of the substance, he discovered a disgusting, pitch-black and greasy “poisonous” substance.
The object in the juice, said Mr Mazibuko, resembled a piece of a decomposed skin of a mammal with visible traces of meat tissue.
“The defendant was grossly negligent in selling a mixed berry fruit juice containing a disgusting deleterious substance thereby wrongfully breaching the duty of care owed to the customer,” said Mr Mazibuko.
He said he suffered physical pain and discomfort after developing a stomach problem which arose from consuming the contaminated drink.
Mr Mazibuko, a martial arts enthusiast, said he had to cancel a trip to Harare for a week-long karate seminar with his overseas based instructor to seek medical attention.
“I am very sensitive about my well being and good health as a martial arts practitioner and such sensitivity informs my decisions on what products I consume. My health was therefore negligently and wrongfully compromised as a result of consuming the contaminated beverage,” he said.
Mr Mazibuko said despite demand, Broadway Spar has refused or neglected to pay the money for the alleged wrongful conduct.
Broadway Spar, through its lawyers, Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners, denied negligence and argued that they were mere retailers who received and sold drinks in sealed packaging.
“The defendant is a mere retailer who has no specialised or practical means, be it expertise or apparatus of finding out the condition and state of the variety of products which it received in sealed packaging and sold without further inspection apart from the shelf life,” said the defendant’s lawyers.
The supermarket queried how the quantified damages of $25 000 were arrived at.
“Even if plaintiff may have suffered damages, which is denied, such would not have been to an extent of $25 000. Plaintiff has failed to quantify such damages and is put to proof thereof,” said the Broadway Spar lawyers.-state media

She said the media and CSOs must work closely to promote transparency in the use of public funds through exposing corrupt activities in councils and state institutions.
Madzongwe said this while addressing a joint capacity building workshop for journalists and members of civil society in Bulawayo yesterday.
The workshop was organised by the Parliament of Zimbabwe with the aim of capacitating journalists and civil society organisations with requisite skills to foster accountability when it comes to public funds, especially in local authorities and state institutions.
Madzongwe’s call comes amid growing concerns over rampant abuse of funds in such institutions.
“CSOs and the media must name and shame corrupt public officials serving in our local, national authorities, as a preventative measure to deter recurrence of the same.
‘‘Our Committee meetings, including those of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), are open to the media. This has ensured greater press coverage, thus enhancing public awareness and stimulating debate,” she said.
Madzongwe also encouraged the PAC to work closely with the press and civil society for it to succeed in exposing graft and malpractices by public officials.

A 24 YEAR-OLD mechanic who was allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old Entumbane High School pupil, was sold out by take away food that he bought for her.
The court heard on Monday that the illegal affair came to light when the minor’s mother saw a box of take away food which the complainant had brought home. She allegedly wrung a confession from her daughter.
Sifeluthando Khumalo of Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndhlovu, facing charges of having sexual intercourse with a minor, whose name has been withheld for ethical reasons.
The suspect, whose name means dying for love, pleaded guilty and the magistrate remanded him in custody to Friday.
In defence, Khumalo claimed his lover lied to him about her age. Khumalo said: “She told me that she was 16 years old. I didn’t know that she is only 13. When magistrate Ndhlovu asked why he had slept with the juvenile, Khumalo said he viewed her as his future wife.
“I slept with her because I love her and I want to marry her. I was planning to wait for her to finish school before asking her to marry me,” said Khumalo, who is a father of two and recently separated with the mother of his children
Prosecuting, Ms Sibekithemba Dube told the court that Khumalo and the complainant have been lovers since June.
“On July 21 at around 7PM, Khumalo visited the complainant as usual. He then asked her to get into his car before driving off to Hlalo Shopping Centre.
‘‘The accused person parked the car behind Hlalo Shops and had sexual intercourse with complainant, with her consent, before driving her back to her home,” said Ms Dube.
Ms Dube said that Khumalo and the complainant engaged in sexual intercourse for the second time on July 31, at around 7PM at the same scene, with the complainant’s consent.
She said when her mother saw the food box, she was livid.
“Upon being interrogated, the complainant disclosed she was in love with the accused,” said Ms Dube.
A police report was made at Entumbane Police Station after the juvenile’s confession, leading to Khumalo’s arrest.-state media

SCORES of private driving school instructors yesterday besieged the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) Eastlea depot in Harare, blocking learners from being examined as they protested against alleged rampant corruption involving examiners.
The instructors refused to let their vehicles inside the depot demanding the expulsion of the corrupt examiners.
“As Harare driving school instructors, we are here to show our displeasure at some of the VID examiners who are demanding bribe money from learners. Imagine one of my students failed for the ninth time all because she is refusing to give these people some money,” Harare Driving School Instructors’ Association chairperson Prosper Dowa said.
“They demand amounts ranging between $250-$300. That inhibits learner drivers from acquiring licences. We don’t know why this depot is so corrupt. We are aware that things are not well in the country and we reduced our charges from $5 to $3 a lesson. That is what we are charging, but these people are making outrageous demands just to make people pass. Such level of corruption is so worrisome and this is why we have many motorists who are driving without licences.”
Top VID officials at the depot declined to comment on the issue.
Transport minister Joram Gumbo vowed to weed out corrupt elements at VID if the public supplied him with irrefutable evidence.
“I have spoken about that a number of times and I also get numerous calls from people complaining. I have told them to come forward so that we assist each other,” he said.
“I hear a lot of things, but the people do not come forward. The public is letting us down because they are not assisting us to arrest the situation and without the information it will be difficult for us to deal with the issue.”
He also urged aggrieved parties to call using the toll-free lines or drop leads into police suggestion boxes to assist in the investigations. State Media

Zimbabweans were today greeted with good news after OAUS protester Lynda Masarira reportedly won a release from remand for one of her thorny cases she was last month incarcerated for.
Her other colleagues are now free with Masarira remaining in prison as she still has to answer for two other cases.

Scores of Zimbabweans took to the streets earlier to welcome Mr Pak Bean who made a tour of the Central Business District today, welcomed by throngs of cheering crowds.
The Pakistani comedian, Mr Pak Bean [real name: Asif Muhammad] has jetted in Harare for his maiden performance on September 3 at the Harare International Conference Centre.
The look-alike of British comedian, Rowan Atkinson, popularly known as Mr Bean in the popular British sitcom of the same name, Mr Pak Bean arrived in Harare this Monday evening ahead of the comedy show dubbed Splash Comedy Night.

Obert Chaurura Gutu, The MDC would like to express its deep satisfaction with the progress that eighteen (18) political parties under the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA), have so far made in jointly pushing for the adoption of electoral reforms. Indeed, without the adoption of electoral reforms as more fully disclosed in the NERA trajectory, it will not be possible for Zimbabwe to hold free and fair elections in 2018.

As President Morgan Tsvangirai has lucidly pointed out to the media, it would be utter and complete folly for the MDC to blindly go into an election without reforms.We have learnt the bitter lesson that the Zanu PF regime will always rig any election that is conducted without electoral reforms. Once beaten, twice shy.

As Election 2018 fast approaches,it is critical for the Parliament of Zimbabwe to play a leading role in setting out a well –defined and precise roadmap to the next election. Zimbabwe cannot afford the luxury of holding another contested election in 2018.

The national economy continues to contract and collapse into a huge mess of a rag tag informal economy that can neither create meaningful jobs nor sustain essential government expenditure.This is the time for all concerned stakeholders to put their heads together and fight for the creation of an environment that is conducive to the holding of elections that will easily pass the test of legitimacy.

We call upon the Zanu PF regime to appreciate that Zimbabwe is for all of us; regardless of race, colour or creed. As such, the deterioration and virtual collapse of the formal national economy adversely affects all the people of Zimbabwe, across the political divide. Now is the time for all of us to draw a line in the sand and declare that never again should Zimbabwe hold elections that are marred by violence,intimidation and all the other forms of vote rigging that have become the hallmark of our political and electoral environment.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) should be adequately capacitated by way of both financial and material resources; way before the holding of the next general elections. In the same breath, the Zanu PF regime should immediately desist from improperly interfering with the operations of ZEC.

ZEC, as provided for by the Constitution of Zimbabwe,should be completely independent and should not bow down to the whims and fantasies of any politician, be it from the ruling party or from the opposition.

The MDC, together with all the other political parties under the NERA platform, calls upon the ZEC secretariat to be totally dismantled to allow for the creation of a professional and non-partisan administration.  All CIO operatives and other State agents who presently constitute the greater component of the ZEC secretariat should be immediately removed.Election 2018 should be an opportunity for Zimbabwe to open a new and fresh chapter of holding free and fair elections.

With the necessary goodwill and support from all stakeholders, this can be done.

MDC: Equal Opportunities For All