THE $600 000 security upgrade at Beitbridge Border Post is fast paying dividends with six corrupt Zimra, immigration and police officers having already been arrested after being caught on Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) collecting bribes. The Government secured the equipment, which also includes lie detector machines, to curb corruption at the border post and ensure maximum revenue collection.
The CCTV equipment was installed in July at points unknown to border personnel. Two immigration officers based at the country’s busiest border were arrested last week after they were allegedly caught on camera taking bribes of R300 each from travellers.
It is believed that the two were paid to tamper with stamps for two people who had overstayed in Zimbabwe. The two, Precious Ndomupei Dumbu and Tinashe Gotosa, will soon appear in court.
The arrest brings to six the number of border officials who have been arrested after the Government introduced secret cameras at Beitbridge Border Post with a view to reducing corruption. A border official close to the case said Dumbu and Gotosa were picked up by the Ferret squad soon after allegedly collecting the money from two travellers.
The Ferret squad is made up of various security agents at the border including Zimra and Immigration officials.
“We picked them up soon after receiving the money which was concealed in two passports. Investigations are still in progress and they will soon appear in court,” said the official.
A fortnight ago, two members of the police Support Unit were picked up by detectives from the Border Control Unit collecting money from illegal immigrants who were leaving and entering the country.
The official added that two Zimra officials had also fallen victim to the CCTVs when they were seen collecting money from smugglers. Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele said he was yet to get information on the arrest of the immigration officers.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo said during a recent visit to Beitbridge Border Post that the Government had secured $600,000 that would be used in mobilising resources to curb corruption at the port of entry.
He said corruption was affecting the Government’s revenue collection capacity. The Minister, who heads a Cabinet crack team set up to look into operations and reduce smuggling activities, said the country is losing a lot of potential revenue through underhand deals at the ports of entry.
Other members of the inter-ministerial team include the Ministers of Finance and Economic Development, Mines and Mining Development, Environment Water and Climate, Industry and Commerce, and Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development.
He said so far they had bought motorbikes and vehicles for patrols along the boundary line. “Lie detectors have also been acquired so that we curb corruption among border workers,” the Minister said.
Dr Chombo said they were working on setting up a new border perimeter fence to replace the one that was vandalised by criminals. “Mobile scanners and luggage scanners are now in use and we will do everything in our power in order to increase the revenue collection capacity.
“It’s sad that Zimra is collecting $800,000 against a daily average of $1,2 million,” he said. He said soon they will introduce polygraph machines that will see workers at the border being subjected to lie detector tests which is the norm internationally. State Media

President Robert Mugabe has to fall by end of day tomorrow, a prayer a fasting campaign demands.
The program was set up by the Kariba based Remnant Church Pastor Philip Mugadza, who is famous for staging a one-man demonstration against Mugabe in Victoria Falls last December.
It is a historic 40 Day Spiritual Warfare Prayer Push for Mugabe’s fall.
It is time to pray Robert Mugabe out, says pastor Mugadza.

The highly popular religious Christian zealot, Jelousy Mawarire who is Joice Mujuru’s personal spokesperson, has been recorded boasting of killing people and rigging national elections.
Speaking at a function in Harare last Thursday attended by MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu and a host of other delegates and covered by ZimEye.com, Mawarire who worked for 92 year old Robert Mugabe and was singularly instrumental in sustaining Mugabe’s strangehold over Zimbabwe through the 2013 sham elections, said people must join his party because it is full of people who know how to rig national elections and they will utilise that technique to win.
Below were Mawarire’s words (ALSO CLICK THE BELOW FULL RECORDING)We have great experienced people in our camp, those who are good at overhauling things, and also those good at killing people, and those who used to steal elections. So now we say why don’t you come join us now so we work together as a mass force? So we work together, because we know how an election is won. The Obert Gutus ( Tsvangirai) had successfully won the elections. We will win.
Meanwhile someone here at one time asked a question saying : “how are you serious about effecting change? ” I say Baba, so you say former supremo Didymus Mutasa who was Minister of CIOs, he would fail to tell us how to play the game well? What will he be there for then? That is the reason why we are keeping him there. You could criticize him and say he did this and that but did he not ask for forgiveness? Even Joice Mujuru, both of them released two statements and said we messed up but please give us an opportunity. This to be more specific is the opportunity we are talking about here. Do not worry if you vote for us we know how power is taken. We have brigadier-generals on our side. You could attack them for what they did during the war and at other times. But when it comes to negotiating power because here people say the Soldiers are the ones who will give trouble. But we have our own soldiers. They will simply order their mates to retire to their homesteads. This is what People First is all about, that is why we are now the only game in town.

FORMER ally turned fierce Robert Mugabe critic, Margaret Dongo has questioned the Zimbabwean leader’s liberation war credentials, insisting he was merely a war prisoner with no proven experience on the battlefront.
She was supported by Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) Masvingo women’s wing executive, Shylet Uyoyo who said this was evidenced by that Mugabe had no known guerrilla name to prove he played any significant part in the struggle.
Dongo was addressing a recent ZimPF rally in Mutare where she sarcastically urged voters to obey Mugabe’s vows Zimbabwe will never be ruled by those who never fought the war.
“The President (Mugabe) said we don’t want the country to be led by people who didn’t fight the war and we don’t have a problem with that. Now we have our very own cadre (Joice Mujuru) who fought in the liberation war,” said Dongo, now a Joice Mujuru admirer.
“So it’s time up for war prisoners to lead the country, we want those who actually fought in the war to be voted into power during the next election.”
Mugabe was a political prisoner under the colonial Rhodesian government from 1964 to 1974.
Although later turning out to become the face of the bitter guerrilla warfare that delivered independence in 1980, there has been no oral or documented history linking the now 92 year-old leader to the holding of a gun.
When his rule came under fierce threat from the opposition MDC, President Mugabe vowed he will never allow the country to be led by non-war veterans.
He was supported by the country’s security commanders who declared in a joint statement 2008 they will never salute any leader who emerged from the country’s elections without any liberation war history.
This was in apparent reference to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has posed a real threat to Mugabe’s ambitions to remain the country’s leader. However, Mugabe’s remarks are coming back to haunt him.
Dongo said it was time Zimbabweans dumped former war detainees for a cadre who “held a gun” during the war of independence.
The former Zanu PF legislator and a war veteran who used the nom de guerre, Tichaona Muhondo, broke ranks with the ruling party to form her own party, the Zimbabwe Union for Democrats, now defunct.
She formed a new political entity, Movement for People First mid last year and has thrown her weight behind Mujuru, widow to Zimbabwe’s first military commander and national hero, Solomon Mujuru.
Joice Mujuru was both vice president to the country and Zanu PF before she was dislodged from her lofty positions over dodgy treason and corruption allegations, which she vehemently refuted.
The former VP, whose liberation nom de guerre was “Teurai Ropa (Spill Blood)”, has a proven track record of her deeds during the struggle and is famed for gunning down a Rhodesian army helicopter in Mozambique.
Uyoyo, on her part, argued that while all war veterans had guerrilla names, Mugabe who boasts of “leading” the struggle, had no known nom de guerre.
She said that this proved Mugabe never held a gun during the struggle.
“Mugabe has no war name. Have you ever heard of it?” she questioned, adding that it was time Zimbabweans voted for bona fide war heroes.
“Here we have Teurai Ropa (Joice Mujuru). What’s Mugabe’s war name? He doesn’t have one because he never fought in the war and like he said Zimbabwe should be led by those who fought the war,” said Uyoyo. radio vop

The small Gwanda town has recorded 21 murder cases during the first half of the year, compared to only seven during the same period last year.
BOTTLE stores in Gwanda which operate outside the stipulated times are a death trap as most of the murder cases recorded in the district occur at the drinking spots, a senior police officer has said.
Gwanda district police commander, Chief Superintendent Enock Sibanda revealed this at the re-launch of the ZRP Client Service Charter in Mbembeswana in Kezi on Wednesday.
Although he did not give figures of how many deaths were recorded at the drinking spots, he said the majority of the cases were recorded at bottle stores when they were open beyond the stipulated closing times.
“Murder cases in the district are happening at drinking places. We urge the business community to abide by the Liquor Act. If you have a bottle store it has time to open and close. Let’s follow these regulations. We have discovered that most of the cases happen well out of time. Let’s close our bottle stores at stipulated times,” said Chief Supt Sibanda.

Morgan Tsvangirai’s US aide, Den Moyo has poured anger over the MDC leader’s Presidential appointment of Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri .

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday shamelessly boasted saying that Zimbabwe has the world’s largest stash of minerals.
At a time when the country is embarrassing itself through begging for aid and this week going to the extent of celebrating donations of basics such as rice from struggling nations the likes of India, the VP yesterday torched storm with critics as he boasted saying the country has the largest stash of mineral assortments.
Zimbabwe has the world’s largest civil servant salary bill which accounts for over 80 percent of government expenditure, meaning that a paltry amount remains for crucial infrastructure development projects, critical for the economy. This also comes against a backdrop of the country having the world’s largest number of Government Ministers judging by population ratios.
But Mnangagwa continued his boast saying, “once we believe in ourselves as Zimbabweans, that this is our country, we must put our shoulders to the wheel and achieve the desired development.”
He added, “God blessed this country with minerals. We have everything. Out of the 21 special minerals in the world, we have 19. What is needed is unity and planning together,” he said.
Mnangagwa added saying Zimbabweans should defend what he termed their sovereignty. “As we celebrate Heroes Day, let us remember that we are Zimbabweans because of some people who died.”
He continued, “all living, including the youths, should remember that without unity, the liberation struggle would not have been a success. Yes, rebels were there, but overally people were united. The philosophy behind this concept (Heroes Day) is to ensure that generation after generation, continues to remember that our Independence came as a result of our own people sacrificing.
“In that process, many comrades died, many were maimed but the objective was one – that we become ourselves, sovereign and independent.” Mnangagwa went on: “We must always remind our children that we are now Zimbabweans as a result of sacrifice. That will not repeat itself, but we would want that type of patriotism to be embedded into the younger generation, patriotism that Zimbabweans come first, my life comes second. That is the spirit we would want to show.
“As we assemble at the national shrine, to our comrades, the gallant fighters who shed their lives during the struggle and after the struggle, who stood by the correct line of the revolution, we are saying to them we have not forgotten. You are heroes of the revolution, heroes of the birth of this country. That is why we put aside this day to remember, recognise and celebrate the heroic acts of those lying at the shrine.”

A SECURITY guard in Bulawayo yesterday stunned a magistrate when he offered to pay $30 in monthly maintenance for his 10-year-old daughter.
Mr Maxwell Murandi of Entumbane Suburb appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya and begged the court to review downwards his maintenance payments from $80 to $30.
“I humbly request this court to review my child maintenance downward because I can no longer afford to pay $80 demanded by my ex-wife. I have since remarried and have another child with my new wife to take care of,” said Mr Murandi.
“My second child was born on the 21st of April this year and I earn $206 per month.”
Ms Manyara Matumbike, his ex-wife, rubbished his request and told Mr Tashaya that her daughter could not survive on $1 per day.
“I won’t accept his $1 per day maintenance offer Your Worship. Debt collectors have been haunting me since the $80 he is already paying is not enough to cater for all our needs and expenses,” said Ms Matumbike.
“I cannot accept that he wants to give us a measly $30 for our child. Just because he has remarried does not mean he should forsake his first child.”
Magistrate Tashaya ordered Mr Murandi to pay $50 per month saying his offer was too little.
“Now that there is another child, contributing $80 to each child would mean that the respondent will only be left with about $88 to himself and that would not motivate him to go to work.”-state media

A MAN from Gokwe has been caught having sex with his step mother.
Keledious Majaji (24) of Majaji Village under Chief Nemangwe in Gokwe South was allegedly caught by his wife Ms Elaine Masukume (22) pants down with his stepmother, Plaxedes Tshuma.
The age of his step mother could not be ascertained.
Chief Nemangwe on Wednesday confirmed the incident which he described as shocking.
He said Majaji and Tshuma denied the allegations when they appeared before his court on Monday after Ms Masukume reported the matter.

 
A 70-YEAR-OLD Nyazura woman, Mary Macheme of Macheme Village under Chief Makoni, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 10-year-old boy whom she forcibly bedded several times.
The minor contracted a sexually transmitted infection.
Macheme appeared before Rusape regional magistrate Mr Livingstone Chipadza, facing aggravated indecent assault charges.
She is denying the charges. District public prosecutor Mr Tirivanhu Mutyasira told the court that Macheme bedded the boy on countless occasions this year.
“On a date unknown to the State, but this year, the accused called the complainant to her bedroom and instructed him to sleep with her.
“The boy refused, but she forced him. Around midnight, the complainant was awakened by the accused person, who had placed him on top of her body. “
The prosecutor said the old lady then physically forced the boy to become  intimate with her.
“This trend continued on countless times,” said Mr Mutyasira. The abuse was exposed on July 16.
Said Mr Mutyasira: “On this date, the boy’s father came from Harare to visit him. “When he arrived he was quickly told by the accused person that his son had injured himself while playing with other children from the village.
“The worried father called his son and checked him for the injuries.
“He was surprised to find blisters on his son’s manhood. He questioned him and the boy disclosed the abuse to him. A police report was made leading to the grandmother’s arrest.”
Macheme was remanded in custody and the case goes for trial on August 16.
In an unrelated incident, a 19-year-old teenager from Honde Valley has been slapped with a 15-year jail term for raping a Form Two girl.
Prudence Delight Matasva of Dumbura Village had terrorised villagers as he broke into several homesteads and attempted to rape vulnerable girls and women at knife point.
Mr Mutyasira told the court that on June 1 at around 1am, he broke into several homes and attempted to rape women.
“On that day, he went to the complainant’s homestead and the complainant had retired to bed in the company of her younger sister. The accused person pushed the door open and entered the room.
“The occupants screamed for help, but no-one heard them. While inside, he threatened to kill them if they continued to make noise. He took a knife which he placed in his mouth and went on to rape the girl.
“During the act, the younger sister bolted and went outside. She ran to call for help from neighbours. As the suspect disappeared, the complainant rushed out of the room naked and sought refuge at a neighbour’s house where she revealed what had happened. A police report was made leading to the arrest of the suspect,” said Mr Mutyasira.
Mr Chipadza set aside five years of the sentence on condition of good behaviour.
He will be back in court soon on attempted rape charges. manica post

Today the Singaporean Government comes under the spotlight as scores of Zimbabwean refugees protest there. Singapore has become a place of refugee for Zimbabwe’s first family, they do their shopping there, even have their babies there. It has become a second home away from the tyranny and poverty Zimbabweans endure on a daily basis.

Zimbabweans are at the Singapore Embassy to alert the government and submit a petition highlighting the plight of Zimbabweans while Mugabe and his family set up businesses in Singapore using Zimbabwean financial resources. It is the first time that Singapore has come under the spotlight for working in alliance with the brutal Mugabe regime.

Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, will face the music tomorrow when he meets members of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), over the brutality against innocent civilians his force has now become famous for.
The issue of widespread police heavy-handedness on civilians is expected to come under the spotlight.
ZHRC official Petunia Chiriseri made the announcement during a stakeholder engagement workshop held in Chinhoyi yesterday.
Chiriseri said the commission was seized with the escalation of human rights violations perpetrated by law enforcement agents who were supposed to uphold the Constitution, which outlaws all forms of torture and other abuses.
“As we speak, our chairperson (Elasto Mugwadi) and other commissioners have a pending appointment on August 6 with the Police Commissioner-General over the use of brutal force on protesters in Epworth, Chitungwiza, Bulawayo and other pockets nationwide. We expect to present to him our findings,” Chiriseri, who is also a ZHRC commissioner, said.
Police last month allegedly used brute force to quell growing protests against President Robert Mugabe’s regime over the collapsing economy, numerous police roadblocks and corruption, among other socio-economic ills. Many protesters were left injured, while others faced torture following their arrest.
Participants at the workshop raised grave concern over the alleged partiality and lethargy of the ZHRC in dealing with past rights violations such as Operation Murambatsvina, describing the statutory body as a “toothless bulldog”.
It was also noted Zimbabwe had not made meaningful headway in the promotion of human rights as the issue had been politicised and was traditionally lobbied by civil society organisations suspected of harbouring an anti-government agenda.
Participants also felt human rights education and promotion should be extended to the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation, army and prison officers.

LIVE REPORT:ZRP cops are attacking 9 year old kids, the National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe chairman, Sten Zvorwadza says.
Speaking on the LIVE-REPORT program yesterday Mr Zvorwadza said while the economy is on its knees, many ZRP cops are worsening people’s misery through torture, also revealing shocking statistics that Zimbabwe’s vendor community now numbers 5,7million members in a country with less than 11 million resident citizens.
“The economy in Zimbabwe is being driven by street vendors, and because it is being driven by street vendors, we are proud to be called street vendors because we are sustaining this very economy so that it does not collapse in the face of these leaders who have failed to create policies to turn around the nation,” said Zvorwadza.
“In excess of 5,7 million are on the streets (vending) which means half the population of Zimbabwe are street vendors, informal economy workers….if we are talking of ratios, the number of people who are trading, are actually more than the people who are buying. This is why you see a person in Zimbabwe can spend 10 hours to work for a mere $2, for ten hours, and these statistics only show that our economy is in a shocking comatose, and because of this crisis we call upon citizens the world over to appreciate that Zimbabwe is in a crisis that needs to be addressed,” he added.
He added saying these vendors comprise 9 year old kids who are being brutalised by the cops. WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO BELOW:

MDC-T Youth National Organising Secretary Morgan Ncube has been granted $100 bail by the Beitbridge magistrate court.
Ncube was arrested on Tuesday while at his lawyer’s office preparing to hand himself over to the police after being on the run from them for over a month.
He was on the police wanted list for his alleged involvement in the July 1 riots that took place in the town.
About fifty members of the MDCT and human rights advocacy body Restoration Of Human Rights International attended the court case which lasted no more than ten minutes.
Ncube’s lawyer from Lawyers For Human Rights could not comment on the matter.
However, ROHR Matabeleland South recently issued a press statement implying that Ncube is not guilty of the charges laid against him as he was away in Messina South Africa on the day of the riot.
The human rights body is credited with negotiating with Ncube to hand himself over to the police to clear his name.

As part of its preparations for the 2018 make or break general elections, ZANU PF is regrouping its notorious national service militia known as green bombers using a promise to provide the youths with residential stands.
For a while the party has been making frantic efforts to get the youth together for a militant campaign in the elections but failing as most of them have since left the country for greener pastures.
A source in the youth movement of the party revealed to ZimEye.com that the party is deliberately very strict on the production of the national service certificate as a prerequisite to be listed for a stand in order to merely update its national service graduates data.
About 100,000 young people went through the though military training and the ZANU PF indoctrination at the national service training camps throughout the country.
On graduating the young people were deployed into the communities to rigorously campaign for ZANU PF.
Part of their campaign operations included violence and intimidation on people to force them to vote for ZANU PF.
In recent years after government failed to provide employment for the youth, most of the graduates began to leave the party.
“I would like to urge other National Youth Service graduates not to rush for this offer as it is only a means of locating and verifying the standing of the graduates for future use,” he said.

Join Sten Zvorwadza, the Zimbabwe National Vendors’ Union leader on ZimEye Live Report right now, as he discusses the latest police abuses on citizens.
Live Video streaming on www.facebook.com/ZimEye  

Nothing unites a nation more than its flag, its national anthem, and its football team. And nothing unites a nation than its citizens who forgive and assist each other for the national cause. Those are all hallmarks of true patriotism.
As Zimbabweans this year lift the national flag, an opportunity has risen to lift their national football team.
ZimEye today opens a series of program interviews for the national team and in the studio today we have the man who gave a financial boost to Econet boss Strive Masiyiwa catapulting Masiyiwa to his present billionaire success…– CLICK HERE TO JUMP TO THE LIVE INTERVIEW ON Facebook.

Mairos Chenjerai is reported in a very shocking case of sodomy to have molested 10 juvenile boys within a month.
The Chinhoyi community has been left shell-shocked following the arrest of  Chenjerai, a security guard who is facing multiple counts of child molestation involving 10 juvenile boys.
The 38 year old divorcee, was arraigned before the Chinhoyi Regional Magistrate, Felix Mawadze facing charges of aggravated indecent assault involving boys aged between 8 and 13 between June and July this year.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and opposition MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai will today be reading a strikingly similar script at their respective parties’ meetings, both called to address growing dissent, which pose a serious threat to their political careers.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai remain the country’s two biggest political brands, albeit both with waning fortunes and are afflicted by ill-health. Mugabe was three weeks ago rejected by war veterans, while Tsvangirai faces a fresh headache after he appointed two additional deputy presidents.
To add to Mugabe’s woes, his government is on a daily basis facing pockets of resistance from within Zanu PF and members of the public hard hit by the economic meltdown. Insiders said the Zanu PF politburo will also discuss the country’s deteriorating security situation, after war veterans recently ditched Mugabe and “anointed” Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed him, although the President’s deputy has distanced himself from the manoeuvres.
Mugabe’s government is also struggling to pay civil servants’ salaries.
War veterans, three weeks ago, stirred a hornet’s nest after issuing a damning communiqué urging Mugabe to step down and pave way for a new leader, leaving the veteran former guerilla leader fuming.
Following publication of the communiqué, government launched a crackdown, which has so far led to the arrest of five war veterans’ leaders — spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya, secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda, political commissar, Francis Nhando, vice-chairman, Headman Moyo, and Harare chapter deputy chairman, Wayne Bhila — on allegations of authoring the document.
Today’s politburo meeting, according to reports, will also discuss pending disciplinary cases, as well as possible expulsion of war veterans fingered in the authoring of the communiqué.
“The G40 faction is baying for blood, they want other war veterans like Mahiya and Matemadanda expelled from the party,” a politburo member, who declined to be named, said.
“While war veterans and the communiqué are likely to be top of the agenda, there will also be calls for an early congress.”
Mnangagwa, sources said, could also use the politburo meeting to hit back at his detractors, among them Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene, who last week publicly dressed him down.
With Zanu PF virtually split between two distinct factions, Mnangagwa is accused of fronting the Team Lacoste faction that is engaged in a bitter war for control of the ruling party with the G40 group, which is said to have the backing of First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Chimene last Thursday called on Mugabe to fire Mnangagwa or call for an extraordinary congress.
The politburo meeting is also expected to deal with the cases of three suspended Zanu PF provincial chairpersons, Biggie Matiza (Mashonaland East), Kizito Chivamba (Midlands) and Ezra Chadzamira (Masvingo), while the issue of youth secretary, Pupurai Togarepi and the league secretary for administration, Lewis Matutu, who were deposed through no-confidence votes in February, are also set to be discussed.
Matiza yesterday said he was unsure of his future in the ruling party.
“We are still waiting and only last week, we were invited by the legal department, only to be advised that they would summon us at a later date,” he said.
Matiza, Chadzamira and Chivamba were suspended for allegedly trying to stop Zanu PF supporters from attending a rally in Harare meant to thank Mugabe for his role as African Union chairperson.
Togarepi said he had not enquired and had not received any communication on his case, while Matutu said he had been officially informed about his suspension.
“I only received the letter telling me to stop executing my duties as youth league secretary for administration last week,” he said.
“It was backdated to March 10 and for some reason, my local MP, John Holder (Zvishavane-Ngezi), had a copy and was used as the courier. He has interests because he thinks I am a threat to him, but we have since learnt that there is no justice in the party.
“Those in power can as well do whatever they deem fit.”
Zanu PF secretary for administration, Ignatius Chombo could not be reached for comment.
For Tsvangirai, there is a sense of déjà vu, as he is once again faced with the spectre of a split, the third in just over a decade.
Today’s MDC-T national council meeting is set to debate the contentious appointment of Kuwadzana East MP, Nelson Chamisa and Warren Park MP, Elias Mudzuri as vice-presidents alongside Tsvangirai’s long-serving deputy, Thokozani Khupe. The appointments, effected two weeks ago, have ruffled feathers in the opposition party, with some of Tsvangirai’s lieutenants strongly opposing the decision.
An MDC-T standing committee meeting last week was reportedly aborted after only 15 minutes after Khupe reportedly objected to Mudzuri and Chamisa’s attendance.
She was reportedly backed by party spokesperson, Obert Gutu, secretary-general, Douglas Mwonzora, chairman, Lovemore Moyo and organising secretary, Abednico Bhebhe, among others.
Party insiders said those who fought on Tsvangirai’s side were secretary for elections, Murisi Zwizwai and deputy organising secretary, Amos Chibaya.
“Tsvangirai has resorted to his default mode: violence. The national council will be used to rubber-stamp his scorched-earth position and those who are against it will either have to toe the line or face the wrath of hired thugs and youths as happened to (Elton) Mangoma, (Tendai) Biti, (Welshman) Ncube and others before,” a senior member of the party told NewsDay yesterday.
“There is massive mobilisation of youths to converge at Harvest House and that is a recipe for violence. There is no need for such people to come because they do not sit in the national council.”
Gutu confirmed the national executive and national council would meet today to discuss various issues.
“Any unfinished constitutional business of the party shall also be finalised. Immediately after the national executive meeting, there shall be convened a meeting of the national council (and) it shall receive a report from president Tsvangirai and council will, thereafter, debate and discuss all pertinent issues affecting both the party and the nation at large,” he said.
Tsvangirai’s supporters, on the other hand, are reportedly baying for the blood of party officials opposed to his decisions.
Impeccable sources told NewsDay the MDC-T’s committee on legal issues met yesterday afternoon to tinker with the party’s constitution to sanitise Chamisa and Mudzuri’s appointments.
“The committee is chaired by Mwonzora and includes youth secretary, Lovemore Chinoputsa, Morgan Femai and James Mamore. They are discussing possible changes to the party’s constitution to allow Tsvangirai to appoint more deputies,” a senior official said.
“We are not sure how it will be implemented, seeing as he has already appointed, maybe retrospectively, which in itself will be illegal.
“Mwonzora is outnumbered, the rest are Tsvangirai praise-singers and will push for whatever he wants.” Newsday

POLICE have arrested a general hand at the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) Victoria Falls after he allegedly issued counterfeit certificates of competence to 30 drivers whom he charged $300 each.
Maxwell Mutsikiwa, 40, was arrested after some of the forged certificates, which are issued while one awaits his or her driver’s licence to be processed, were recovered in Gweru and Zvishavane in the Midlands Province, raising fears several drivers could be using fake documents.
Mutsikiwa, allegedly stole an RTLD 4 Book with 100 pages of certificate of competency and issued out 30 of them, with only five being recovered. He was charged with theft and forgery when he appeared before Victoria Falls magistrate Ms Rangarirai Gakanje yesterday.
He pleaded not guilty to both crimes.
The court denied Mutsikiwa bail as he was considered a flight risk as he has previous convictions. The court also said he might influence witnesses since the majority of the counterfeit documents were not recovered.
“In my assessment, I find that accused person’s release will indeed be prejudicial in the proper administration of justice.
“His likelihood of interference is high as the investigations are still in progress and according to the investigating officer, the accused is being sought by members of the public as he is failing to pay.
‘‘As a result, likelihood of absconding is high. I’m of the view that time should be given to the police to wind up investigations.
“Furthermore, this appears a serious offence with its effects putting the nation as a whole at risk. Bail is therefore denied,” said Ms Gakanje. Trial will start on August 12.
Prosecutor Mr Takunda Ndovorwi said the offences were committed between January 31, 2016 and July 27.
“The accused took a RTLD 4 Book 9 Certificate of Competency with serial numbers 120601-120700 DG which was in the lawful custody of Mr Albert Chinaka and intending to deprive the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
“He issued forged certificates of competence to several people purporting to be a VID officer,” said Mr Ndovorwi. The court was told that forged certificates issued to Kudzaishe Kupfurira, Owen Gibson, Tonderai Chikande, Phanuel Banda and Eshwin Mukudu were recovered.
The stolen 100-page book was recovered with 30 pages missing and investigations showed that the missing pages were not in the VID system.
Mutsikiwa isn’t new to court after he was in 2012 convicted for causing a fire that burnt a section of the VID Gweru depot where he was then stationed, damaging three vehicles in the process.
At that time he was sentenced to six months in jail which were wholly suspended on condition he paid $875 compensation. state media

Seven people died on the spot and five others were injured after a double cab pick-up truck they were travelling in plunged into a river at Tsambe Bridge near Davaar Farm along Foothills Road in Glendale this morning.
Eyewitnesses said the truck driver, who was using a farm road, failed to give way to an oncoming tractor upon approaching the bridge and panicked leading to his vehicle plunging into bridge.
The eyewitnesses said the deceased drowned as they failed to open the doors of the truck.
Among the deceased were three children and four adults.
Their bodies were later retrieved and those injured were rushed to Concession Hospital.
Police are yet to release the names of the deceased until their next of kin has been informed.-state media

Terrence Mawawa Chivhu
A local teacher has been sent on compassionate leave after cases of suspected witchcraft rocked Nyazvidzi Secondary School in Chikomba District.
The Witchcraft Suppression Act, has been amended and  was used fairly frequently, in the past, but prosecuting someone under the new legislation may prove difficult.
The new Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act for instance demands proof that a person has supernatural powers and that they are using them to harm others.
In a rare case of suspected witchcraft the teacher, Stella Ndachenedzwa was sent on compassionate leave after local parents petitioned the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to act on the matter.
It is also alleged Ndachenedzwa, who is an Agriculture teacher, was transferred from two different schools last year. There was pandemonium at the school as parents sang and danced, calling for Ndachenedzwa’s transfer.
The teacher has been accused of practising  witchcraft at the school. The parents accused her of initiating mysterious hallucinations among children. Chikomba District Education Officer Ngoni Mujuru confirmed the development and said the matter would be forwarded to the Provincial Education Director. “She is on compassionate leave following a petition from local parents. The matter has not yet been resolved since we have to inform the PED’s office,”said Mujuru. The school head Augustine Chipenzi was not readily available for a comment. A local parent said:”We do not understand what is happening at the school.The teacher has been transferred from two different schools over witchcraft allegations so we no longer feel comfortable with her presence at the school.”

State Media- The High Court has reserved judgment in the case in which suspended Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana is appealing against the magistrates’ court’s decision to place him on bail on fresh charges of criminal abuse of office. Justice Priscilla Munangati-Manongwa reserved judgment to a later date after hearing submissions from both the defence and prosecution counsel.She said she needed time to look into the arguments presented before making a proper ruling on the matter.
Tomana’s lawyer, Mr Alex Mambosasa of Mambosasa Legal Practitioners, confirmed the latest develop- ment.
“We argued our matter today (yesterday) and judgment was reserved,” said Mr Mambosasa. Prosecutor Mr Edmore Nyazamba appeared for the State opposing the appeal.
He said the lower court decision was proper and that the defence appeal lacked merit.
Tomana is facing five fresh charges of criminal abuse of office. He was freed after paying $2 000 bail and surrendering property worth more than $250 000 as surety.
Earlier this year, Tomana was granted $1 000 bail coupled with stringent conditions on two similar charges. He approached the higher court to set aside the lower court’s de- cision.
The defence sought to have the magistrate who made the disputed decision censured for allegedly making “blatant irregularities” on the matter.
It was further argued that the manner in which the proceedings were conducted by the lower court were grossly irregular and demanded that the entire proceedings be set aside.
Tomana appeared in court on July 11 facing five fresh charges of criminal abuse of office.
Earlier this year, Tomana was also freed on $1 000 bail following his arrest on allegations of abuse of office.
He was accused of releasing suspects that allegedly sought to bomb President Mugabe’s business premises in Mazowe.