John Mangudya
Professor Welshman Ncube This Week,
Friday, 13 June 2016
“RBZ Governor Transfers Quail Confusion to Citizens”
Dr John Mangudya is an eminently reasonable and sincere fellow. Passionate and intense about his country. I know this because I worked with him closely during my days as Minister of Industry and Commerce. However it is difficult to understand what demon has since possessed him given that he is one I would have vowed would be aware of the West African saying that, ‘a child whose fingers have been burnt by touching a fire fears a fire’. The road that John has decided to tread on was well trodden by his predecessor at the Reserve bank Gideon Gono, who not only burnt his fingers but burned the bodies of virtually every citizen of this country. Our memories are painfully fresh of the consequences of the monetary and fiscal policies that wiped the savings, the pensions of Zimbabweans and hence it is shocking that John has decided ostrich style to unlearn the lessons of our recent history. That the cocktail of measures announced by John will lead to our collective ruin as a people is as certain as the fact that the sun will rise and set tomorrow.
The conflation of politics with monetary policy in Zimbabwe is nothing new, but when John looks corporate and private citizens straight in the eye, without flinching, and claims that printing ‘bond notes’ is good for them, one can only express shock. When I was heading the Industry and Commerce ministry in 2009, the country had just emerged from unprecedented and bruising economic experience. The economy was brain dead, battered by a combination of political patronage and history-making incompetence on the part of then Reserve Bank Governor of Zimbabwe (RBGZ) who had dedicated his career to diverting millions in foreign currency into ZANU PF political programs. In order to cover his tracks, the willy governor unleashed a torrent of worthless paper on the market which drove inflation figures to millions of percentage units. The ‘agri bills’ set Zimbabweans on an irreversible and accelerated course of obscene and abject poverty. The trend of economic self-immolation benefitted only ZANU PF’s political cronies, extended President Robert Mugabe’s disputed reign and made us the laughing stock of the financial world. After being rescued by the GNU, we are heading back again to the monetary abyss as Dr Mangudya re-introduces ‘local currency’ in another form – Bond Notes.
It is not even a year since the ZANU PF dominated Parliament frog-marched Zimbabweans into accepting a law to pay back a billion – dollar debt accumulated by Dr. Gideon Gono on behalf of that party. A week ago, Zimbabweans woke up to Mangudya’s decree that he would introduce Bond Notes to mitigate Zimbabweans deteriorating liquidity situation. This triggered an avalanche of protests from all quarters, not least that President Mugabe had already ‘confessed’ that fifteen billion dollars’ worth of diamonds had been spirited out of Zimbabwe. Ironically President Mugabe is himself one of the biggest exporters of the US dollar. Each time he travels out of the country, which is often, he uses up hundreds of thousands of dollars. And as usual it is the rest of us Zimbabweans who have to pay the price!
In a feeble attempt at pacifying angry Zimbabweans, Mangudya confronted stakeholders at a ZNCC breakfast meeting on Thursday with a message that they have to trust him because he could not deliberately lead Zimbabweans into another tailspin of hyper inflationary insanity. There was no doubting of Mangudya’s sincerity when he repeatedly pleaded that the nation should trust him, but equally there can be no doubting that were we to trust him we would be doing so at the certainty of our own peril.
Our people have been hurt, plundered and savaged before by monetary policies concocted by individuals who advance the political cause as their core mandate. In all successful economies that I know, monetary trust is earned, not demanded. The RBGZ is blaming citizens for discarding the Rand and ‘hiding’ what he referred to as an over-valued United States Dollar from formal banking circulation. I do agree that we Zimbabweans never truly emerged from the ‘currency burning mentality’, however, the central bank boss was supposed to first engage stakeholders for consensus on how to re-gain their trust in a new monetary matrix. His colleague, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa embarked on a more ‘civilised’ course of engaging the international financial sector, which is why we ended up with the IMF’s Staff Monitored Program (SMP). The dialogue and engagement that Mangudya referred to in his Thursday meeting was only a result of anger on the part of citizens.
His assertion that we are recklessly using the phrase ‘liquidity crisis’ to instigate a rebellion against his policies has no substance, because both individual citizens and companies are hamstrung by the lack of cash. Assuming he is right that bank queues are a natural result of month end pay-outs, how is it that when you eventually get to the teller, she ‘tells’ you that there is not enough money for a withdrawal? My point is that in order to deal with the cash shortages, we should not be emphasising dealing with the haemorrhage but encouraging more exports, import substitution and of course, turning Zimbabwe into a tourist and tax haven. Whatever conditions people are pursuing in Panama we should re-create them here to attract that money. Regaining our leadership position as a tourist destination and also ensuring that investments by foreign companies are safe will guarantee inflows of a reasonable stock of hard currency.
I also refer to investments because I watched with animated horror as our ZISCO Steel deal fell victim to political bickering, thereby jeopardizing the welfare of thousands of Redcliff citizens. Dr Mangudya has no capacity to stabilise the economy by promoting investments. That is a political problem. ZANU PF ministers are so contradictory that any one investor listening would wonder if they are from one country. Investment money follows the trail and scent of security and safety, not predatory bravado. Indigenisation laws in their current form will repel the most adventurous of all potential investors. Over relying on commodities like tobacco, gold, diamonds and platinum without value addition again is leaving us too exposed to volatile international commodity prices. Even with the best of all export incentives, as long as capacity utilization is stifled by high operating costs, our exports will never be competitive.
There are quarters that were, at the Thursday meeting, proposing anti-free trade tariffs in order to ‘protect local industry’. My point can be better explained with the South African car industry. It is not possible to import a second hand car into South Africa because there is enough variety and financial support to back up local manufacture. That country has the right elevation in plant and equipment to manufacture latest models even for export. Their government does come in with export subsidies, but the industry has the depth to sustain local demand. If that country has a problem with the value of their rand, they do not change currency but tamper around with interest rates. Dr Mangudya mourned a lot about liberalization, but does it mean leaning towards authoritarian centrism will solve our problem? As one economist put it, over the past twenty years, Zimbabweans have been inundated with one form of control or another and nothing has prevented mischief. I am for a well-managed economy, not an obsession with control. Human innovation thrives in a free environment not stifled by primitive bureaucracy.
I have always intimated that the fact Zimbabwe has three million citizens in the Diaspora has very little to do with our ‘education exchangeability’ but bad governance at home. Nonetheless, the same conditions that attract foreign direct investment are more or less what incentivizes Diaspora remittances. My government would make them participate in governance, voting and think tanking, so that they use that umbilical connection as a conduit to invest back home.
I want to conclude that if RBZ was truly an independent institution immune from political influence, we would have faith even in their printing of money. The Zambian Kwacha and Mozambican Meticash at one time were almost as worthless as Gideon Gono’s bearer cheques, but Zambians retained confidence in their use. A currency printing machine in the hands of a political governor becomes a weapon of mass monetary depreciation. Commercial banks in a functional economy have enough depth to manage their affairs with minimum supervision. For now, we will simply treat Bond Notes like Bearer cheques – with the contempt they deserve.
WARNING DISTURBING PICTURE-Mother Kills Daughter Over Sex with Boyfriend
A 31-YEAR-OLD woman from Kwekwe allegedly beat her daughter to death with an electric cable after accusing her of indulging in sex and drugs at an early age.
Vimbai Mashiri yesterday appeared before Kwekwe Resident Magistrate Taurai Manwere charged over the death of 14-year-old Thelma at their section 5 Mbizo home on Monday evening.
Mashiri is alleged to have used a black electric cable that was over two metres long to fatally assault her daughter.
“The now deceased was beaten all over the body with an electric code resulting in her sustaining bruises and most of her body turning black,” according to a report prepared by the prosecution.
Prosecutors advised against granting her bail, warning she was suicidal and had received threats to physically harm her from her inlaws.
Manwere remanded Mashiri to May 24 and advised her to apply for bail at the High Court.
Simeleni Nkala appeared for the state.
Mashiri is alleged to have been angry after discovering that Thelma was indulging in sex and not sleeping at home. She had also become addicted to hard drugs.
Neighbours told the state media yesterday that Mashiri called an ambulance after assaulting her daughter thinking that she was unconscious, but the ambulance crew pronounced her dead on arrival.
They said Mashiri then handed herself to the police.
“Mashiri’s husband is a kombi driver and on that night he was not home,” a neighbour said.
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state media
Gumbo Crosses the Floor Back Home
Gumbo who has been coaching top flight clubs in Malawi and Botswana has been a target of several local clubs but turned down all the offers opting to remain in Botswana.
The former Highlanders and National Team player and coach previously turned down offers from local giants Highlanders and Dynamos at times when the clubs were desperate for seasoned coaches.
Gumbo takes over at Chicken Inn from champion coach Joey Antipas who is leaving the country to join former ABSA Premiership side AmaZulu of South Africa.
Chicken Inn secretary Tawona Hara told media that Gumbo is coming in to take over from where Antipas left off, gunning to land a second championship in a row.
South Africa:Gwede Mentashe Zimbabwe statements irresponsible
With concern, the ZimPF RSA province have viewed as irresponsible and reckless the statement of labelling the Zimbabwe opposition movements as Western sponsored and stooges by ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe in the media. The statements are not only spurious but also profane and pejorative.
It is scandalous, slippery and disheartening that a whole Secretary General of a party such as the respected ANC ooze such statements with full knowledge that his spoken words represents the general attitude and feeling of the ANC as a whole.
Historically the ANC is a sister party to Zanu PF and that umbilical code is the reason for political stereotyping by the ruling party of South Africa.
As a province we would like to declare with a bravado and brouhaha that we are a home grown political party with aims to achieve a free, democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe that will see every citizen prspering to the highest of their potential. The Zimbabwe People First party in particular is there as a messenger of the people of Zimbabwe-the poor, the downtrodden and the dejected masses who are willowing in poverty as a result of Gwede Mantashe’s best friends in Zanu PF.
The behaviour of the ruling parties and particularly individuals who view opposing forces as sponsored and foreign aided remains a mystery which surpasses even the dissapearance of the Malasyian plane. It is the wish of Zimbabweans in general and ZimPF in particular that tolerance among national and international political parties be compulsorily observed as a way to bury ancient methods of political dealing.
We shall BUILD a new Zimbabwe for all
Gen FSG Mufambi
Provincial Convener
Bona Mugabe’s Child’s Name
President Robert Mugabe’s recently born grandson has been named.
Mugabe family relatives contacted this week confirmed Mr Simba Chikore’s son born on the 16th April, has been secretly named. They however at the time refused to reveal the name.
Zimbabweans have been kept guessing as to what Zimbabwe’s “second couple,” as they are publicly termed, has named their son. Family sources said due to social network mocking that his name should be, “Far East,” a pun borrowed from US singer Kanye West’s child who is called, “North West,” the grandmother Grace Mugabe, has demanded secrecy over the name.
On the ground in Dubai, a war of words has since erupted with wild suggestions the boy should be named after his grandfather. But there is already another Robert junior, the lad’s uncle.
So what really is the child’s name?
As Zimbabweans remained puzzled over Bona’s child’s name, a blogger wrote yesterday quoting a US website, Live Science, that the easiest part of the decision can sometimes be agreeing on the one name that they absolutely do not want. Last year, one single name stood out above all others as the name to avoid at all costs — even though it had been steadily rising in popularity for the past several decades.
Throughout 2015 in the U.S., there was a steep downward turn in the number of people who named their child “Isis.”
Before “ISIS” became associated with the name of the Islamic State militant group, the name “Isis” had long been linked to the revered Egyptian goddess of the same name. Isis was one of the oldest deities in the pantheon and was linked to a general sense of female empowerment, according to Laura Wattenberg, author of “The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby” (Three Rivers Press, 2013). [The 50 Most Popular Baby Names of 2015]
Bona Mugabe’s Child’s Name is:
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) May 13, 2016
But the recent rise of the ISIS militant organization eclipsed associations with the name. As a result, new parents who might have previously found “Isis” attractive were looking elsewhere.
Wattenberg, founder of the baby-name website babynamewizard.com, recently assessed popularity trends among 2015’s baby names, and evaluated the “Isis” decline. She estimated that it dropped in popularity in the U.S. by 70.5 percent in just one year — the biggest one-year drop seen in any name in history, based on records compiled by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
“The percentage drop in Isis was unprecedented for a name that had many years of steady usage,” Wattenberg told Live Science. “That’s where it’s really remarkable for a name to fall off the cliff.”
“Isis” was also once a name associated with fighting supervillains. “The Mighty Isis,” by DC Comics, debuted in November 1976, based on a Saturday morning television show.
“Isis” was also once a name associated with fighting supervillains. “The Mighty Isis,” by DC Comics, debuted in November 1976, based on a Saturday morning television show.
Credit: DC Comics
Wattenberg told Live Science that “Isis” was a go-to name choice for decades, beginning in the mid-1990s. Perhaps parents who were naming their babies then recalled the 1975 Bob Dylan song “Isis”, “The Secrets of Isis” TV show from the mid-1970s — about a science teacher who acquired superpowers after discovering an Egyptian amulet at an archaeological dig site — or the DC Comics superhero modeled on the TV character.
“All sorts of different positive associations have been undercut,” Wattenberg told Live Science. She said the name “Iris” rose quite a bit in the ranks in 2015 — possibly because some parents liked the sound of “Isis” but balked at the negative image it now conjures.
“I wonder if parents who might have, in the past, liked the name Isis might have moved one letter away,” Wattenberg said.
The politics of naming
But that profoundly negative association is only part of the story, Wattenberg said. Even before ISIS was in the public eye, names linked to politics in any way had been steadily declining in popularity since the 1970s.
“Parents today tend to avoid political names,” Wattenberg said. “This is a huge change from past generations, when they used to name babies after presidents, presidential candidates, even generals who had won important battles.”
Some politically inspired names are still popular choices — but only if the person who originally carried the name is dead.
“Madison, Jefferson, Jackson — these have all been popular,” Wattenberg added. “And when Ronald Reagan passed on, there were suddenly a lot more “‘Reagans.'”
Does this mean we could see a resurgence of interest in the name “Hamilton,” based on the wildly successful Broadway musical about the “10-dollar founding father”?
“There’s a bit of a nickname challenge for that one,” Wattenberg laughed. “But I’ll be watching for it next year.”
Magaya Begs Court Not to Be Grilled On “Mystery Deaths”
Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya has written to the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) seeking to avoid testifying in the ongoing inquest into the death of 11 people at his church’s crusade in Kwekwe in 2011.
Prophet Magaya was summoned by Kwekwe magistrate Taurai Manwere to appear at the inquest on May 17. PHD lawyer Everson Chatambudza, in a letter to the prosecutor, Fiona Mukwena, said Prophet Magaya had no relevant evidence to give to the court.
Chatambudza said Prophet Magaya was not in the stadium at the time when the stampede occurred. He said there was therefore no need for the church leader to testify.
“We wish to say our client has nothing relevant to tell the court as far as the inquest is concerned. Our client had a statement recorded by the police which is self-explanatory that when the stampede occurred he was not there.”
“In fact the bulk of the evidence shows that when the stampede took place he was not present and thus did not witness anything,” reads part of Chatambudza’s letter addressed to Mukwena.
the precast wall which was brought down by the congregants after police allegedly blocked the exit points. (Pic by Munyaradzi Musiiwa)
The precast wall which was brought down by the congregants after police allegedly blocked the exit points. (Pic by Munyaradzi Musiiwa)
He said they were approached by the investigating officer, Chief Inspector Muchedzi on May 6 who had the instructions from the court to subpoena Prophet Magaya.
Chatambudza, of Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners, said Chief Insp Muchedzi said Prophet Magaya was supposed to attend court on May 17.
“Unfortunately he was unable to see Prophet Magaya as the prophet was preparing for an all-night prayer scheduled for the same day hence he was referred to our offices,” he said.
Chatambudza referred Mukwena to Rule 6 of the Inquest Rules which states that the sole reason of the process is to ascertain who the deceased was, how, when and where the deceased came to his or her death.
“Given the clear provision of Rule 6, we do not see how our client will assist the court in so far as this inquest is concerned. As such we are of the view that the court shall call evidence of people who witnessed the stampede to enable it to achieve its objectives in terms of Rule 6,” said Chatambudza in the letter, a copy of which the state media has.
He said in his statement to the police, Prophet Magaya clearly stated that he left the venue at about 10:05PM before the stampede.
“For avoidance of doubt paragraph 7 of our client’s statement reads as follows, ‘I left at about 2005 hours and was escorted to my place. At 2050 hours I got a call that there was a stampede at the stadium.
“I drove to the stadium and found out that the stampede had already happened,’ That’s our client’s statement which is in your possession which is saying he did not witness the stampede.
“He does not know how the eleven deceased met their death,” said Chatambudza.
The inquest continues on May 17. the state media
MURDER HORROR:White Farmer Brutally Killed In Chiredzi
Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi| A Chiredzi based white sugarcane farmer was brutally killed in a grisly murder incident.
Adolph Willem Botha’s body was found lying in a pool of blood and blood stained footprints were noticed near his lifeless body, ZimEye.com reveals.
According to details from Triangle Police Station, Botha was found dead by his workers on Saturday morning.
“Botha had earlier gone to the bank to withdraw $6500 to pay his workers’ wages,” said a police officer based in Triangle”.
They continued, “he went with Christopher Musiiwa and the two were together from that time until the day Botha was found dead. Musiiwa has since fled from the farm and he is on the run. A housemaid identified as Chemedzai Mudziviro reported for work in the morning.
“She rang the bell at the gate but she did not get a response. She waited for the supervisor, Joram Muvazhi, who opened the gate. On entering the house, the two saw blood on the doorstep and rushed to report the matter to the police. The police officers opened the door and found Botha’s body lying in a pool of blood. His cellphone was on the table and drawers in the bedroom were open,” they added.
Police sources further indicated Musiiwa was spotted at Chingwizi a day after the murder.
He is expected to assist the police with investigations. It is believed Musiiwa was well aware of the fact that Botha had withdrawn cash from the bank.
Masvingo Provincial Police spokesperson, Inspector Charity Mazula was not readily available to comment on the matter.
Chombo Warns Tsvangirai On Bond Notes: “TRY IT AND SEE”
Home Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo yesterday warned political parties against using human trafficking victims and the proposed introduction of bond notes to gain political mileage.
Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday on trafficking in persons as well as appreciating businessman Mr Wicknell Chivayo who bought air tickets worth $50 000 for human trafficking victims, Minister Chombo said the victims should be wary of the dangers of being thrust in the public limelight, as it would expose them to the traffickers who might want to victimise them in order to conceal evidence.
Minister Chombo said Government was seized with the case of repatriation of the victims and therefore, politicians should desist from misrepresenting facts on human trafficking and that clear procedures must be followed if they wanted to demonstrate.
To date, 70 women have safely returned home after being lured to Kuwait to work as housemaids, but ended up being abused as sex slaves.
Nineteen more are still at the Zimbabwean embassy in Kuwait preparing to be repatriated home.
“There are political parties that are going out and promising people that we need to go and have a march or a demonstration against bond notes, and even against trafficking of these girls. I don’t want to see any political party or anybody, agitating people to demonstrate without following proper procedures and due processes”, he said.
“Politicians want to take advantage of this situation and political parties involved know themselves. We are simply warning them not to do it again. I want to warn political parties that you cannot simply go out there and threaten demonstrations for whatever reason.”
“If they do, they only have themselves to blame, so convey the message properly. I have never seen a political party which marches against money expect the ones you know. How do you protest against money?”
Asked on the intended one million men march by Zanu-PF, Dr Chombo said, those organising it, should follow the same procedures of obtaining relevant documents to authorise that march.
He said the One Million March did not threaten anybody as it was a solidarity march and not against anyone.
Questioned on whether Government had the budget to repatriate other stranded girls in Kuwait or it will seek the services of Mr Chivayo again, Minister Chombo said, “Don’t abuse the young man. It is the duty of Government to make sure that once all the processes are done, the 19 girls are sent back home.”
He called on syndicates involved to be prosecuted as victims who had been repatriated had given valuable information, with his ministry investigating on how many Zimbabweans in the last two years had been given visas to travel to Kuwait.
This was after it was revealed that 13 accused persons had appeared in Court with one James Tungamirai Maroodza who owns one of the recruiting agencies, having been issued with a warrant of arrest.
International Organisation for Migration chief of mission Lily Sanya, said they were committed in working with the Government on the process of integrating the girls back into the communities so that they don’t fall prey again.
Social welfare representatives said a follow up had been made to the 32 girls repatriated and they were in the process of ascertaining challenges they were facing as well as empowering them to start incoming generating programmes. – State Media
White Farmers Get Compensation: Govt
State Media – White former commercial farmers who lost land after Government embarked on the fast-track land reform programme in 2000 have started receiving compensation, Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said yesterday.
This comes as Government has dispatched 14 teams of experts countrywide to evaluate properties on farms for the purposes of paying former landholders on improvements they made.
This, however, comes against the backdrop of liquidity challenges that have seen people — including farmers — failing to withdraw money to finance their operations after selling their produce.
Said Dr Mombeshora: “We have dispatched 14 teams throughout the country that are carrying out evaluation on farms that were acquired for resettlement under the land reform programme. We want to establish the total compensation that will be paid because in some cases we only pay for improvements on the land, while in other cases we will pay for both the land and improvements”.
Dr Mombeshora said the teams were expected to complete their work next year after which Government would have established the total compensation to be paid.
“In actual fact, compensation of those who lost their land under the land reform programme has already started, but so far only a small number of people have been paid, especially those where evaluations were completed,’’ he said.
However, he did not disclose how much the first batch of farmers received.
‘’The compensation will be paid as and when funds are available but we will surely pay and Government is committed to pay.’’
More than 300 000 indigenous landless blacks benefited under the land reform programme after Government compulsorily acquired land mainly from white former commercial farmers to redress colonially-engineered inequities in the land ownership system in Zimbabwe.
Government undertook to pay for improvements only on land acquired from white former farmers with the state paying for both land and improvements for acquired farms that were protected under the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA).
Dr Mombeshora said Government would go ahead with compensation for land acquired by the state for resettlement purposes.
He said Government wanted to establish the total cost of compensation to be paid for all acquired land and properties hence the ongoing evaluation exercise.
Government has since introduced land rental for both communal and commercial land reform programme beneficiaries mainly to raise funds to pay compensation.
Former white farmers who lost their land have been making noise demanding to be paid compensation with Government insisting that payment would only be for improvements on the land.
The Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement has since started collecting land rentals, which were approved by Cabinet before being subsequently gazetted in June last year.
Dr Mombeshora said Government expected to rake in $20 million annually from land rental to be used to compensate former white farmers and also funding infrastructural development in the resettlement areas.
The rental would also be used to finance a planned land audit to identify underutilised farms that would be repossessed for allocation to landless.
Dr Mombeshora said model A2 beneficiaries would pay $5 per hectare per annum comprising $3 rental plus $2 unit tax.
The Lands ministry took over the collection of unit tax from rural councils.
Model A1 beneficiaries would pay $10 rental per annum plus $5 unit tax with all funds being handed over to Treasury before allocation to relevant ministries.
The Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister said the land rental would encourage productivity on the farms and warned those who fail to pay it that they risk having their farms repossessed by Government.
Grace Mugabe Banned By War Vets
Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi|While she is away in Dubai, war veterans and war collaborators leaders here have held a meeting and ordered a ban on First Lady Grace Mugabe’s name in party slogans. They ordered their members to stop chanting the Pamberi naGrace Mugabe slogan -in a fresh internecine struggle between the First Lady and the former freedom fighters.
The war veterans held a feedback meeting to update their members on the outcome of their encounter with President Robert Mugabe. In a move that has sparked a fresh wave of open confrontation between the veterans of the liberation struggle and Mrs Mugabe’s supporters, the war veterans openly denounced the pro-Grace Mugabe slogan during their meeting.
At the meeting held at Mutirikwi school in Triangle, the war vets said they concurred with her husband, Robert, that the slogan should be stopped forthwith.
Robin Hove an executive member of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Chiredzi district told ZimEye.com following the meeting, only Mugabe’s name should be mentioned during sloganeering.
“Since the formation of the party or even during the liberation struggle, we never chanted slogans in favour of other people other than the president. Therefore it is not allowed to chant any other person’s name other than the president. Many people are lost and as war veterans, it is our mandate to properly guide them.
“Mrs Mugabe is the leader of the Women’s League and she does not deserve to be praised through slogans. We therefore wish to put the record straight,” said Hove.
The move is seen as the former freedom fighters’ direct response to Mrs Mugabe’s attacks on them during her rallies held across the country last year and early this year.
It is understood there are two factions battling to succeed Mugabe. According to party insiders, the war veterans back a faction led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa while another group identified as the G-40 backs Mrs Mugabe.
Chinotimba Beats Chinamasa in Parliament Drama
Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa was exactly 12 years ago bashed by former MP Roy Bennett before everyone’s eyes in the parliament house. This week Chinamasa received another blow in the face, not in the brawn but right in the brain, as ZimEye.com reveals.
Buhera South legislator, Joseph Chinotimba, laid into the treasury boss, a jibe on the disturbing bond note development which has embarrassed government on its plans “to return the Zim dollar,” as claimed and argued by analysts.
There has in the last week been fierce resistance to the introduction of bond notes announced by the central bank last Wednesday.
The solution, Chinotimba appeared to joke, is to introduce “bond coins.”
Chinotimba told Chinamasa to his face that it would be noble for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to mint a $100 bond coin, saying this will clear confusion on planned bond notes.
Chinoz added that $1, $2 to $100 should be minted as people are resisting the bond notes.
Responding to Chinotimba’s proposal, Chinamasa said the suggestion was difficult to implement as people would need an entire truckload of $5 coins to buy some goods. VIDEO ABOVE…
CIOs Raid Paul Siwela’s House
Dear Editor.
Matabeleland Liberation Organisation leader, Paul Siwela’s family and neighbours are living in fear after plain clothes police raided his Woodvale home in Bulawayo.
Heavily armed plain clothes police arrived at Mr Siwela’s home at around 12 midday on 10 May 2016 driving a white Isuzu truck. They surrounded the house and demanded that Cde Paul Siwela comes out.
The maid who happened to be the only person at home came out and spoke to them. They wanted to know where Cde Paul Siwela was and she informed them that she did not know. They recorded her name, ID number and cell phone numbers. They searched and ransacked the house without a warrant of search, kicking and banging doors but found nothing of interest.
As they were leaving, Paul Siwela’s daughter arrived and was subjected to vicious questioning. They also took down her name ID number and cell phone numbers.
Thereafter they proceeded to the neighbours, asking them about Paul Siwela whereabouts and recording their names, IDs, and cell phone numbers.
The family and neighbours were petrified and traumatised by the harassment they endured. After about an hour they left threatening to raid the home regularly as they believe Paul Siwela sneaks into the country regularly to visit his family.
As MLO we condemn in all strongest terms this cowardly action by the Zimbabwe government. Cde Paul Siwela is old enough and mature to think independently and speak his mind. His family and neighbours have nothing to do with what he says or does. Therefore it is very unfair, disrespectful and abuse of human rights to raid Cde Paul Siwela and his neighbour’s houses without a warrant of search let alone squeeze information out of his family and neighbours at gun point.
We are aware that this raid comes after many previous raids in the past years.
However, we are not surprised that the government of Zimbabwe, which butchered many innocent Matebeles, persecuted and abused Cde Paul Siwela several times, is now scared of him. This is exactly what JK Rowlings meant when he said, “Have you any idea how the tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realise that, one day, amongst their victims there is sure to be one be one who rises against them and strikes back!”
Cde Paul Siwela is the Moses of our time he is the man who will deliver us from the bondage of Zimbabwe. MLO is 100% behind him. No amount of intimidation or abuse or persecution will stop us from demanding back what belongs to us. An idiot is one who believes that we are happy to see our people and leaders being abused. A fool is one who believes that by intimidating and persecuting us he will continue seeing our smiles.
Legions of soldiers or desperate CIOs will never stop an idea who’s time has come.
Matabeleland independence by 2018!
Izenzo kungemazwi!
Israel Dube
MLO Secretary for publicity and private affairs.
Masvingo Declared “Sex City Of Southern Africa”
Masvingo Province’s Ngundu Growth Point has been declared the region’s “Sex City” – the highest sexually transmitted infections (STIs) zone, the National AIDS Council (NAC) has announced.
Ngundu has become a hub of sex workers due to a hive of business activities mainly by more than 1,000 cross border trucks which pass through that area every day.
Masvingo provincial NAC Co-ordinator , Evos Makoni told the state media on the sidelines of a visit to the centre by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health, that his organisation was engaging on a massive HIV and STI education campaign in the area.
The campaign, he said was aimed at educating the truck drivers and the commercial sex workers to control the spread of STIs.
“Ngundu is the epicentre for STIs and as NAC, we are coordinating a number of activities that are going on at Ngundu. SESHA is working with us helping with treatment. We have different categories in the sex workers, some of them offer their services secretly,” said Makoni.
Former deputy Health Minister, Dr Paul Chimedza said that lack of employment was causing prostitution not only at Ngungu but in various towns and rural settings.
“The nature of this business centre is that there is a lot of movement for people and not much is there to generate income. But as leadership, we need to make sure this is stopped. We are targeting 0% new infections,” Dr Chimedza said.
The parliamentarians took time to listen to the concerns of the sex workers, some of whom narrated how they ended taking up the world’s oldest profession.
SESHA, an AIDS based organisation is also working together with the NAC to empower the sex workers on ways to protect themselves as well as offer treatment.
The sex workers commended the organisations for providing them with information and treatment for STIs.
TSVANGIRAI LUMUMBA VOGUE: Ditch RBZ Bond Notes
Zim Girl Shines at FIFA | Rudo Neshamba’s Amazing Story!
ZURICH. — Just over a year ago, Zimbabwe international Rudo Neshamba took a hard look at her football career and did not like what she saw. She decided to enrol in a two-year journalism course at a college in Harare and she continues to work on that goal, but the 24-year-old now has a moredramatic task at hand: helping the Mighty Warriors make an impact at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016.
Neshamba and Zimbabwe were shock qualifiers for the finals and the draw did them no favours — pitting them against 2012 bronze medallists Canada, two-time world champions Germany and a rapidly-improving Australia.
But befitting her other life as a storyteller, Neshamba realises that Zimbabwe’s outsider status should help them work their way into the event.
“Of course it is a tough group, and we will not be the favourites to advance to the next round,” she admitted to FIFA.com.
“But I think that leaves the pressure on the other sides. We are the underdogs and all our opponents will be expected to beat us. That should allow us to play without pressure and approach our matches as we normally do, while they might underestimate us.”
A fourth-place finish in the 2000 CAF Africa Women’s Cup of Nations is considered the high point of achievement for Zimbabwe’s national team.
So being one of two qualifiers for Rio 2016 — along with neighbours South Africa — was indeed a shock, but they proved themselves a team of fate in qualifying.
After receiving a bye into the second round, Zimbabwe played Zambia and it was the Bulawayo-born striker who scored the all-important away goal in the 2-1 defeat.
A 1-0 victory in the return leg, saw the team advance to the third round, where they faced Côte d’Ivoire. After failing to travel to West Africa for the away leg, the match was awarded 3-0 to Côte d’Ivoire, who in turn did not travel to Zimbabwe for their away game.
The match was re-scheduled, but Côte d’Ivoire withdrew from the competition, giving Zimbabwe a place in the final round.
There they faced 2012 Olympic participants Cameroon and again it was Neshamba who proved to be the match-winner.
She gave her side the lead in Yaounde and although France-based Madeleine Ngono Mani scored twice to give Cameroon the 2-1 victory, Zimbabwe had the chance to turn things around in Harare.
There too, Neshamba did the damage, as her eighth minute goal was what separated the two teams in the end and ensured a first-ever trip to the Olympics for the Mighty Warriors.
Neshamba says that the team did not consider themselves realistic contenders until late in the process, but that the country’s response has been a thrill.
“It was only after our first leg game in Cameroon that we believed we had a chance. Then we actually thought that we would make it.
“I am incredibly proud to help my country achieve this dream. The victory was celebrated throughout Zimbabwe and we can feel that the whole country is behind the team.”
When Zimbabwe kick-off their Brazilian adventure against Germany on 3 August in Sao Paulo, few will expect them to escape the group stage, but Neshamba knows that the event can only help female football in the country.
“Qualifying for the Olympics is a big thing for the whole country and officials are making sure that we will have the best preparations possible. It is then up to us to produce the goods on the pitch.”
But no matter what happens, Neshamba has no plans to give up her studies.
“At the beginning of last year, I looked at my football career and at the things I had achieved. I had a number of medals and I had seen quite a bit of the world, but I was not in a position to earn a living from playing football in Zimbabwe.”
A talented footballer from an early age, Neshamba won her first cap in 2008 and decided not to continue her education despite achieving good results in her final school exams.
She says it’s a mistake she will not make again.
“I did not think at the time of continuing with my studies and combining that with football. Maybe it was due to the excitement of representing my country, but I think that was a very poor decision on my part and one that I did not want to repeat.
“I will be writing my exams this year and then have some more exams next year before finishing the course.” — FIFA.com.
Australia Creates Jobs in Zimbabwe, Boosts Bulawayo Nutritional
By Chrispen Tabvura| As the Zimbabwean government fails to look after its own retrenched citizens, Australians have taken a step forward into the well-being of retrenched workers and starving pensioners by empowering them with self-help projects.
Sally Foundation’s Mike Roche travelled to Zimbabwe, from Australia, for the official opening of the community project that is catering for thousands of Bulawayo’s residents.
Australian Ambassador Suzanne McCourt, last week travelled to Bulawayo to officially open the Sizinda-Tshabalala nutritional garden which is funded by Australia’s Sally Foundation and Global Development Group, and facilitated by the Zimbabwe Development Democracy Trust, in a move set to restore hope in the community.
Recently, the media has been filled with the disappearance of a US$15b chunk the latter which could have improved the lives of millions, and which the government of Zimbabwe admitted is all due to corruption. Zimbabwe’s vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa told a packed international business conference during the recently held Trade Fair that the government has since fired the anti-corruption commission for being corrupt.
“I am pleased to be part of this successful project, which started as a pilot for the people of Bulawayo. This will go a long way in reducing poverty, as shown by the efforts you are putting in making it one of the best urban community run projects,” said Ambassador McCourt.
The Australian embassy has also supported the projects, by funding the poultry project. The Australians’ funding has improved the lives of more than 300 families, as they are now earning a living by selling their produce from the solar powered garden.
“On behalf of the people of Australia, who contributed their money towards the establishment of community based empowerment projects to you, I hereby officially open this community garden and hope you will grow from this level to another high one,” added Ambassador McCourt.
Army Secret Base Stations By NetOne At Night
The government controlled mobile phone network service provider NetOne is illegally, during the night, constructing base stations in the middle of the road at senior army officials’ houses, the Harare city council has complained.
Mobile phone network companies are required to apply for permission to erect their base stations from the local authority which would inspect the area before giving them the go ahead.
But Harare city council’s land development manager, Booker Masasi, said only private owned Telecommunication companies were complying with these by-laws.
“I do not want to mention names but it would appear that the private ones are more compliant than the one that has an affiliation to government,” he said.
Masasi said at one point they tried to stop the company from erecting a base station along Borrowdale road and the “chief executive officer of that company passed through in his Mercedes Benz smiling at his boys urging them to continue”.
“Residents in Greystone Park, Hoggard Hill and lots of other areas are complaining and I have had numerous correspondences with the company to say that your base stations are infringing on other people’s rights but they still continued.
“One of these base stations is at an Army general’s house,” he said.
Dokora’s “Expulsion Day” Moved to 18th May
The date for the anti-Dokora march by united churches countrywide has been moved to the 18th May.
Dubbed “Dokora’s Expulsion Day,” the 18th May is to see churches countrywide meeting in Harare to demand the sacking of Education Minister Lazarus Dokora, who has crushed Christian liberties in schools. READ MORE
Mliswa Dares Kasukuwere for a Bashing Over Farm
Former ZANU PF Chairman for Mash West, Temba Mliswa says he is ready to defend his farm from Local Government Minister Savior Kasukuwere.
Mliswa told journalists in Harare he is not scared of Kasukuwere who last week threatened to invade his Karoi farm.
Mliswa, who is the Youth Advocacy for Reform and Development (YARD) founding leader, said he is not intimidated by the violent threats posed by Kasukuwere and said he will approach the courts to defend his constitutionally given farm.
Mliswa who is Kasukuwere’s former fitness trainer, said he is not intimidated. “I am not intimidated by such people who incite youths to go and fight. We expect people like him to be coming with economic initiatives that can recover the economy rather than fighting individuals,” said Mliswa.
“If he wants to incite violence on me, then tell him I’m ready to fight. I know how he operates so I’m not afraid. He knows I can take him down at any given time,” said YARD boss.
Mliswa vowed that the farm in Karoi is his and no one can take it away, as he is a beneficiary of the Land Reform Programme initiated by the government in 2000.
“That farm is protected by the laws of this country. I own that infrastructure,” he said adding that he is different from most of the beneficiaries of the land reform because he paid for most of the land.
“So they cannot wake up and just talk about invading my land.
“They have always targeted my farm for residential purposes but they cannot jump to Karoi and target my farm alone, there is also a farm owned by Minister Chombo’s wife as well as the prison farm, so it is a process. Most of these things that he says contravene the urban Act,” Mliswa said.
He challenged Minister Kasukuwere to invade his farm but warned that it will not be an easy task as there are laws that protects his ‘rightfully acquired farm’. He added that there was no way government through Kasukuwere can confiscate the farm.
Temba Mliswa also took time to encourage people to speak out against injustices being perpetrated by the ZANU PF led government . He rallied behind Ace Lumumba for finally ‘seeing the light’ following his dig deeper videos which seek to unearth corruption government.
“I urge everyone to take up arms and speak out against misrule and injustices against the ZANU PF regime. Thanks to my brother Ace for finally realizing that, I hope it is not too late but he is doing a good thing.
“I also urge the youths to stay out of politically motivated violence as they will rot in prison. Those that send you will abandon you when all explodes. We want youths who are progressive that is why we have Youth Advocacy for Reform and Development.
“This organization stands for the development of this country and that is why we will support anyone who will contest against ZANU PF. We will campaign for them.” – Lovejoy Mutongwiza/263/Additional Reporting
Zim Tax Debt Shoots $2,5Billion
Zimbabwe’s tax agency says net revenue collections in the first quarter of the year were 16 percent below target at $724 million, as most tax heads underperformed in the struggling economy.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) on Thursday reported that gross revenue collection amounted to $782 million and refunds consisting of Value Added Tax (VAT) and Customs duty stood at $57 million.
Net collections were at $724,9 million, down nine percent compared to the first quarter last year, against a target of $861,8 million.
Zimra chairperson Willia Bonyongwe said the authority was struggling to contain a tax debt which rose by 31 percent to $2,58 billion in the quarter.
Parastatals, state-owned enterprises and the private sector accounted for a combined 73 percent of the debt. Municipalities owe 26.7 percent of the debt while government has a 0,18 percent share of the debt.
“It is noteworthy that the debt is composed of 53.1 percent as principal while penalties and interest are 20.2 percent and 26.6 percent respectively,” she said.
The bulk of the revenue was realised from individual tax at 23 percent with excise duty at 22 percent. VAT on local sales contributed 18 percent while VAT on imports contributed 11 percent.
Revenue from excise duty amounted to $160 million compared to $165,4 million in the same quarter last year. Excise duty fell short of the $179 million target.
Excise duty on fuel was the main contributor to the revenue head with a contribution of 79 percent. Duty on beer and airtime contributed 8.92 percent and 6 percent respectively with the remainder coming from excise duty on tobacco, second hand vehicle and electric lamps.
Individual tax was down 16 percent to $167, 4 million, against a target of $196 million, reflecting the impact of job losses and pay cuts for those still employed as companies struggle to survive.
The pay as you earn (PAYE) debt at the end of the quarter stood at $692 million up from $578 million last year.
“This largely reflects the incapacity of most companies to pay, some of which may no longer be operational. In the short term, this tax head will remain under pressure and performance is not expected to improve all things remaining equal,” she said.
The mining sector performed poorly with royalties contributing a mere two percent as revenue declined 31 percent to $13, 3 million. Collections from sector were 45 percent below target.- The Source
NSSA Fires Boss
The National Social Security Authority (Nssa) has sacked its acting general manager (GM) Hashmon Matemera who is facing charges of conniving with Chinese nationals to facilitate the externalisation of over $300 million.
In a staff announcement released yesterday, Nssa said while the allegations in question occurred before Matemera’s time as Nssa acting GM, the pensions and social security body wanted to allow the former BancABC boss space to deal with the matter.
“In order to enable Matemera the space and time to deal fully with the allegations, he has been relieved (with immediate effect) from his duties as acting GM of Nssa.
“In the interim, Henry Chivova (the current director of benefits) will with immediate effect act as the GM of the authority,” Nssa said.
In the statement, Nssa said it had also noted allegations in the media and the court processes in the Matemera case.
“It is important to note that these allegations, which are presented to the relevant authorities, relate to a period before Matemera’s appointment to the Nssa board.”
Matemera, 52, appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe on Tuesday charged with contravening the Exchange and Control Act, particularly externalisation, but was released on $10 000 bail with the court ordering him to surrender $250 000 as surety.
The former BancABC boss was appointed as acting Nssa GM last year after the authority embarked on a major top management shake-up that resulted in the departure of former GM James Matiza and five bigwigs, who were all accused of misappropriating funds.
While his term at the authority was supposed to end on March 31, 2016, the Nssa board extended all acting appointments as it continued hunting for new management.-state media
Mugabe Flies Back
President Robert Mugabe flew back into Harare today after attending the inauguration ceremony of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
Mugabe was met at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko and several cabinet ministers.
President Mugabe was among the 15 heads of state and government who witnessed the installation of President Museveni for a 5th term at the Kololo ceremonial grounds in Kampala today.
Presidents Edgar Lungu of Zambia, John Magufuli of Tanzania, King Letsie III of Lesotho, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Idriss Deby of Chad, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Omar Al Bashir of the Sudan, Theodore Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Salva Kiir of South Sudan, Baboucar Keita of Mali, Prime Minister Desalign of Ethiopia and two former presidents of Tanzania Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Jakaya Kikwete were also in attendance.
The mood at Kololo ceremonial grounds, the venue of the installation ceremony was ecstatic as the capacity crowd cheered and chanted slogans.
Soon after taking his oath, President Museveni gave his acceptance speech, pledging to increase exports of processed goods, uplift the standards of living for most Ugandans and build national infrastructure especially dams for provision of hydro energy.
“Uganda is on the threshold of attaining middle class status, and we are going to work hard to increase exports in order to reach this goal. We are also going to work hard on infrastructure development, and the building of more dams for irrigation and electricity generation is among this government’s priorities in the next five years,” said Museveni.
Last night, President Museveni hosted a dinner for the visiting heads of state and President Mugabe received great honour as his attending counterparts received him with a huge standing ovation.
Woman Caught Stealing In South African Shop
HORRIFIC ACCIDENT in Harare Caused By Police | BREAKING NEWS
Harare – ZimEye.com is receiving reports of an accident at cnr Robson Manyika Avenue and Simon Muzenda St, Thursday morning at 8am, allegedly caused by ZRP cops.
(4) Four people were severely injured when a kombi travelling from Mabvuku was dangerously spiked by a policeman. The injured were whisked away by an ambulance.
In the mishap, the kombi after losing its balance having been spiked, veered off the road and smashed into a nearby building close to Amtec Motors, a source told ZimEye.com
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Details were sketchy at the time of writing and an official statement from the police unfruitful. ARE YOU AT THE SCENE? Send in your video, pictures and details of your experience right now to +447426863301
Air Zim Boss Was Strangled
The post-mortem was conducted at a Francistown hospital in Botswana and a team of senior police officers was dispatched to assist in probing the death of Mrs Dhliwayo.
The team, mostly from Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces, was also present when the post-mortem was conducted.
Some of them left the country on Tuesday night. Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday confirmed the latest developments and said investigations on the case were still in progress.
“Post-mortem has been conducted today (yesterday) and the results are; ‘Homicide as a result of a combination of strangulation and gagging’. Our officers who are being led by Superintendent Musasira were present when the post-mortem was conducted and later on they got a debriefing from their counterparts about the results.
“Investigations on the case are, however, still in progress,” she said.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said there was also another post mortem that was conducted for another Zimbabwean man who was shot in the neighbouring country for a case of burglary.
She, however, could not divulge much information concerning the burglary case.
Meanwhile, Airzim passenger and cargo general manager Mr Chris Kwenda, said Mrs Dhliwayo’s body had since been handed over to her relatives by Botswana authorities.“They are now working on the paper work to repatriate the body back to the country and hop efully by tomorrow (today) the body will have arrived,” he said.
On Monday, police and their Batswana counterparts with the help of the International Police Organisation (Interpol), intensified investigations to ascertain the cause of Mrs Dhliwayo’s death.
Mrs Dhliwayo’s body was found tied onto a tree with both hands and legs also tied with a rope in a sitting position. Her mouth was gagged with a cloth and she was bleeding from the nose.
The body was found about 5km from Plumtree Border Post in a bushy area and it is suspected that she had been lured by unknown assailants to travel to Botswana in a bid to rob her.
It is suspected that there is a syndicate that is luring Zimbabwean businesspeople after promising them “lucrative deals” and then rob them after crossing into Botswana.
Airzim has also put in place a team that would assist till the case is finalised.-state media
War Vets Perform U-turn on Million Man March
President Robert Mugabe has cracked the whip and ordered war veterans to take part in the planned solidarity march organised for him by the Zanu PF youth league despite their earlier threats to boycott the event.
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya confirmed the development yesterday.
“It is no longer a million-man march, but a parade that has been called by the President. Now as military people, we have decided that we will take part because it is our leader who has called on us and not some ideologically bankrupt group with ulterior motives,” he said, adding they could not defy a directive from their party leader
The Zanu PF youth league has been struggling to co-ordinate the march and in a last ditch attempt last week ordered provincial structures to marshal funds enough to transport 100 000 people each to the capital for the procession tentatively set for May 25.
Early this week, war veterans dismissed the planned march as a waste of resources at a time the majority of ordinary Zimbabweans were facing grinding poverty, but Mugabe flexed his muscle and reined them in.
“We are taking part to provide leadership and the ideological direction that was lacking. We feared it would have been hijacked by some people to push their own agenda. The planned march did not have the correct political ideology and a formula to mobilise people and we are going to provide that,” Mahiya said.
“It is basically the politburo, chaired by the President that has officially invited us and Zanu PF has its ways of raising funds. We always had a problem with the exclusion of war veterans in the planning for the march. But now we think this is the beginning of a proper political programme that should turn into economic programmes that benefit the people.”
Tensions between the youth league and war veterans, have been simmering for some time with both sides trading verbal spats.
This comes amid reports that a section of the youth league was supporting the G40 faction fronted by First Lady Grace Mugabe, while part of the war veterans’ association was sympathetic to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Both Mnangagwa and Grace are reportedly jostling to succeed Mugabe, although they have publicly denied harbouring such ambitions.- Newsday
Mutasa vs Mujuru – from Gamatox to Chirenje
A leopard will never lose its spots so goes the old saying.
Founding member of the Joice Mujuru led Zimbabwe People First party and former ZANU PF Secretary For Administration Didymus Mutasa, might soon be thrown out of the party on allegations of fanning and leading factional fights in the party.
Mutasa who was fired from ZANU PF for creating and leading a ZANU PF factionĺ tagged Gamatox which was accused of wanting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe, has now emerged at the ZANU PF splinter, now leading a faction tagged Chirenje which is fighting to overthrow Mujuru from leading.
According to very reliable sources within the party, Mutasa who claims to have founded the organisation, wants Mujuru deposed because she has become more popular than him.
Backed by senior party leaders all formerly with ZANU PF, the Chirenje faction also accuses Mujuru of aligning herself too much with members who joined the party from other opposition parties which according to them is against the objectives of their forming the movement.
The sources claim that Mutasa’s faction is heavily against people who came from opposition parties holding key positions which on the other hand is what Mujuru is advocating for on claims that some former ZANU PF members “have a soiled history” from their activities while at ZANU PF and cannot effectively lead the party.
The sources revealed to ZimEye.com that Mutasa’s Chirenje faction is being coordinated by former ZANU PF members Brighton Matonga, Jabulani Sibanda and ex-ZANU PF warlord Jimmy Kunaka.
The faction is reported to be going around the provinces creating parallel structures composed only of former ZANU PF members in a bid to neutralise the former opposition parties’ members.
As the parallel structures are being set up, the Chirenje faction structures are made sure to be the party’s official structures in the provinces and is fed with all the information on the activities of the party making sure that the other faction remains isolated.
According to the sources, Mujuru has immediately despatched a task team to visit the provinces to try and solve the factional fights. The task team will be led by newly elected women’s wing chairlady, Margret Dongo and party Secretary for Administration, Dzikamai Mavhaire.
According to the sources, the task team is going into the provinces to make sure that there is equal representation of members in the leadership between those former ZANU PF and those former opposition movements.
The team will also investigate the existence of the Chirenje faction with a possibility of eventually leading to the removal of Mutasa and his colleagues from the party.
Telephone calls to Mutasa were fruitless after it emerged he has since changed numbers.
Provinces said to be hit most by the alleged Chirenje infiltration are Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Harare, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South where the party had managed to recruit mostly from the opposition parties.
Barber Caught Pants Down With Manager’s Wife
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo | There was drama in the small mining town of Mashava when a Communications Manager based in South Africa caught his wife having sex with a local barber in the couple’s matrimonal house.
Messiah Mavodo, who is a Communications Manager with a South African company,could not believe his eyes when he found his wife Chipo Moyo having sex with Abraham Tafa, a local barber. According to documents shown to ZimEye.com by the police in Mashava, Mavodo arrived home from South Africa around 11pm last Wednesday and noticed a red car parked at his house.
When he got to the door he heard queer sounds coming from his bedroom. He then knocked on the door to announce his arrival.
On hearing Mavodo’s knoc, Tafa escaped through the backdoor while stark naked. Mavodo pursued him and smashed the windscreen of the barber’s vehicle with a crest-fallen Moyo shivering with fear.
Tafa later claimed he was unaware Moyo was a married woman. He also said he would not report the damage to his car because he was afraid Mavodo would sue him for adultery.
“I cannot report the matter to the police because I will be sued for adultery. I was not aware of the fact Chipo is still married to Mavodo. I fell in love with her because she told me she had parted ways with Mavodo,” Tafa was quoted telling his workmates at Smart Deal Barber Shop in Mashava.
– more to follow
Tomana’s Court Application Thrown Out
Mr Tomana is seeking to block JSC from instituting proceeding for his removal from office.
While the challenge was pending, Mr Tomana sought referral of the matter to the Constitutional Court raising various points, chief among them the constitutionality of him appearing before a sitting judge of the High Court.
Justice Lavender Makoni today threw out Mr Tomana’s application for referral of the matter to the Constitutional Court.
This means his urgent chamber application to stop JSC from suspending him or embarking on the process leading to his possible removal from office will now be heard by Justice Makoni.state media
ZANU PF Hit by Divisions Over Bond Notes
Zanu PF is reportedly divided over the move to introduce bond notes as a stop-gap measure to address the current cash crisis, with some legislators expressing fears that the move could trigger hyper-inflation and panicky cash withdrawals, as depositors fear a repeat of the 2008 economic meltdown.
Ruling party MPs and officials, quoted by the local Newsday, said the move was akin to addressing symptoms instead of the root cause of the cash shortages.
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development acting chairperson Terrence Mukupe, posting on his Facebook page, said: “We are addressing symptoms and not the root cause of our problems. We have a flight of the United States dollar out of our economy causing the cash shortages.”
Other Zanu PF MPs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was hard to convince people to accept bond notes in view of the massive losses they suffered during the switch-over from the Zimdollar to the multi-currency system in 2009.
“We should have put in place measures to address capital flight way back and avoid reverting to bond notes because that is likely going to create chaos,” a Zanu PF MP, who requested anonymity fearing a backlash from the ruling party, said.
Another MP weighed in saying they would adopt a wait-and-see attitude, while also taking precaution on their savings.
“The way we operate in Zanu PF is that there is no room for divergent views. Although the bond notes are going to solve the immediate problem, they will, however, create a bigger problem and in no time the black market will be a thriving business,” he said.
“I think the matter should have been discussed at different levels in consultation with the people.”
Zanu PF activist and Harare provincial secretary for tourism Acie Lumumba said different sectors of the economy were likely to be affected.
“Imagine trying to explain to a tourist they must convert their US$ in exchange of bond notes – it’s a total mess,” he said.
“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor (John Mangudya) did the right thing to stop the bleeding and I feel for him, but the real problem is how we ended up here. Bond coins are a pain killer, but the real cancer is self-destructive management.”
But Zanu PF chief whip Lovemore Matuke said MPs and other ruling party officials who did not understand the policy measure should seek assistance from relevant authorities.
“We will try to engage the MPs on the matter and find common ground, (because) probably those who don’t appreciate that lack understanding,” he said.
Zanu PF secretary for finance Obert Mpofu was optimistic the bond notes would address the prevailing liquidity crisis.
“I know that whenever there is a policy change, there are sceptics who don’t believe the benefits that come with it,” he said.
“But let me assure the public that as Zanu PF, we have looked at this policy carefully and evaluated its benefits and non-benefits, if any. There is no governor of a county who would introduce such a policy which is against the public.”
While senior Zanu PF members were buoyant, informal sector representatives have threatened to mobilise their members to withdraw their money from banks and keep it elsewhere in protest.
But RBZ governor Mangudya told NewsDay that he had engaged banks to ensure that they tap into the unbanked money circulating within the informal sector.
“We are advocating for reasonable interest rates on their deposits, no bank charges and a guarantee for their deposits. This is aimed at instilling confidence and value to their money,” he said.
“The reason why most informal traders are not banking is about the benefits, which banks are no longer offering and we are working on that. Imagine you have $100 and you take it to a bank which when you demand it, they give you $90, that becomes a challenge for most traders.”
Mangudya said the apex bank was working on modalities to ensure the inclusion of the informal sector in the mainstream banking economy and for its members to access loans.
“We are attending to their concerns through the financial inclusion strategy. We are also putting in place a credit registry so that they can access loans from the banks easily,” he said.
Analysts said the government had a tall order in instilling confidence in the people that past challenges associated with the Zimdollar would not be repeated. newsday
Maziwisa Strangles ZESA
ZANU PF MP for Highfield West, Psychology Maziwisa has been named as part of a notorious plot currently squeezing Zesa of thousands of dollars.
Energy and Power Development Minister Dr Samuel Undenge directed Zesa’s subsidiaries to hand-pick Maziwisa’s private firm to do public relations consultancy in an arrangement that is bleeding the power utility of tens of thousands of dollars monthly.
Zesa Holdings and its subsidiaries have fully-fledged public relations departments, which are drawing full salaries and benefits. This comes as the financially hamstrung power utility is proposing to hike energy charges by an average 14 percent from 9.87 cents to 11.2 cents per kilowatt hour, further burdening industry and residents.
The hired firm, Fruitful Communications, was engaged in January and is doing “a media campaign” for the power utility’s subsidiaries until 2018. This leaves the internal PR departments redundant.
The company — whose profile only has Highfield West legislator Psychology Maziwisa (principal director) and former ZBC news anchor Oscar Pambuka (media strategy executive) — has duties that include organising conferences and Press briefings.
Dr Undenge gave the directive to the Zesa management in a letter he wrote in January this year.
Reads the letter in part: “They (Fruitful Communications) have done publicity work for the Ministry of Energy and Power Development by putting me, as the principal voice at the forefront of explaining our vision as well as the different interventions that are currently being undertaken by the ministry.
“I have found them to be incredibly useful in this regard and hereby direct that you work as closely as possible with them at intervals of six months per engagement until 2018.”
Another correspondence written by Zimbabwe Power Company managing director, Mr Noah Gwariro on December 14, 2015 to Zesa chief executive Engineer Josh Chifamba, also confirms that the directive to engage Fruitful Communications had come from Dr Undenge.
ZPC is Zesa’s power generating unit.
“The MP (Maziwisa) has proposed a media campaign for Zimbabwe Power Company for ZPC and has highlighted that this is an initiative from the Ministry of Energy and Power Development,” wrote Mr Gwariro.
Despite the letters, Dr Undenge yesterday said he had not directed anyone and claimed Fruitful Communications was doing the services for free.
“They are people in public relations and there is no formal contract with anyone and if anyone wants to help for free, we allow them to do that,” he said.
“They felt they wanted to explain something to the public. Its just like you, you write a lot of things but we do not pay you.”
Told that the state media was in possession of documents showing some of the transfers made into the Fruitfull Communications Stanbic account number 0240598176501, Dr Undenge said: “Well, pamwe vanenge vafunga panoda kuti paitwe something I dont have that detail. Maybe they think that if they utilise them then things will move accordingly. It will now be a prerogative of the organisation nothing to do with the Minister.”
Maziwisa yesterday confirmed the marriage between his company and Zesa.
“We are doing consultancy for them,” he said.
Asked about his company’s terms of reference, he retorted: “Hindava (Why do you ask). Kasi mukuita story?.”
Pressed further to clarify since public funds were involved, Maziwisa said: “Ndivanani ivavo? Izvo munotobvunza vakapa basa kwete vakapiwa basa.”
Pambuka was evasive when contacted for comment.
“I think you are talking to the wrong person because I don’t work with Zesa,” he said.
“Infact, I don’t even know what you are talking about mukoma. That is not the name of my company,” he said, unware this reporter was in possession of the company’s profile which also has his picture.
Fruitful Communications is also reportedly offering similar consultancy to other parastatals under contracts yet to be gleaned.
Sources yesterday said Dr Undenge’s directive was against the cost cutting measures Zesa was implementing.
“Surely which firm can do work for free in this era as Dr Undenge us suggesting,” said a source.
“ Maziwisa and Pambuka have taken over the public relations and if they are to continue it means Zesa has to dissolve the public relations departments existing. Zesa management and the Minister cannot even justify what skills these guys are bringing, which cannot be offered by the current team. You cannot outsource for something which you have and what makes it worse is that the company was just hand-picked. There was no room for management to choose but it was dictated to them.”
“The team is paid tens of thousands every month and at the same time Fullard Gwasira (public relations manager) and his team are getting salaries and benefits for the same job. If this is not stopped then it means the burden on the consumers will continue.”
Matemera Externalised $330 million, Govt Claims
The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has appointed Henry Chikova as the acting General Manager of NSSA, replacing Hashmon Matemera who is facing allegations of externalising $330 million when he was still managing director at BancABC.
The NSSA board said the state-run pension fund was commited to good corporate governance, transparency and acting decisively and in the interest of its stakeholders.
Matemera appeared in court on Tuesday but was not asked to plead when he appeared before provincial magistrate Vakai Douglas Chikwekwe. He was granted a $10,000 bail and remanded to June 15.
“It’s important to note that Matemera’s allegations relate to the period before his appointment to NSSA Board.
“In order to enable Matemera the space and time to deal fully with the allegations, he has been relieved from his duties as Acting General Manager of NSSA. In the interim, Henry Chikova will with immediate effect act as the General Manager of the Authority.”
Charges against Matemera dates back to 2011 when he was still the managing director of Bank ABC when Jinan Mining was formed through a joint venture agreement with Marange Resources, a subsidiary of the government-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Company and a Chinese company, Anhui.-The Source
Dokora Dead End | UPDATE
There is no u-turn on the fate of controversial Education Minister, Lazarus Dokora, who is in trouble following his raft of measures which have destroyed Christian liberties in Zimbabwe’s schools, a development that has roped in First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Christians countrywide have vowed to effect the minister’s ouster as it emerged many in ZANU PF’s highest decision making body, the Politburo, are also secretly conspiring against Dokora.
To add to his woes, churches are also holding a mass demonstration penned for the 18th May against Dokora who two weeks ago launched what has been described as the early flames of a bloody jihad and victimisation of Christians on Zimbabwean soil.
As public opinion swells, the First Family who are devout Christians, First Lady Grace Mugabe being a tongue talking pentecostal ZAOGA follower, have been alerted, sources saying the reason why Mrs Mugabe ( who is riled by revelations that Dokora has also opened the door for sexual abuse of young girls having banned social workers supporting vulnerable girls), is quiet at present, is because she is held up while taking care of her newly born grandson, as per African tradition.
Dokora has in recent weeks courted controversy over unilateral policies in which he has among other things, banned the voluntary club, Scripture Union, in schools countrywide. While religious plurality is acceptable as a suggestive, Christians have queried why the minister, who is a Muslim, has not simply for instance introduced an Islamic Union club for pupils who are muslims and chose rather to destroy Scripture Union. It turned out that the minister has been promised millions of dollars by muslims to build new schools, a promise which has come with a pre-condition that Scripture Union and the Bible must be abolished.
His actions have been deemed set to undermine Christianity in the country. The churches called on the body of Christ to “stand up for Jesus demanding that Dokora resigns”.
Dokora first announced a ban of Scripture Union in all schools, after which he went to make life difficult for churches who have traditionally worshiped in school premises to continue doing so.
In response, the churches organised under the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), not at all amused, are now mobilising for a two million men march.
“Every believer in Christ must be gathered opposite parliament by 1000 hours. If possible fast and pray for this march on Wednesday,” read part of the call for Christians to attend the march.
The church leaders vowed to stop Dokora’s actions. The circular went on stating, “this will be done without failure to put a stop to this madness if nothing is not done to stop this Dokora by the authorities.”
RBZ Performs U-turn On Converting Exports Cash into Rand, Euro
Zimbabwe’s Reserve Bank on Tuesday abandoned plans to automatically convert export proceeds into the Rand and Euro currencies, the second tweak within a week of a major policy intervention, as it battles a crippling cash shortage.
On May 4, the central bank announced a raft of measures, including plans to introduce domestic ‘bond notes’ to circulate alongside foreign currencies, but a public outcry triggered by fears of a return of a much loathed local currency prompted a ‘clarification’ on Friday last week, with governor John Mangudya describing the move as an export incentive.
On Tuesday, the central bank said it had scrapped plans, announced just last week, to convert 40 percent of all export proceeds into Rand and 10 percent into Euro. However, exporters would now have half of their earnings held in their banks’ accounts with the central bank.
“Authorised Dealers are advised that 50 percent of all new foreign exchange receipts from the export of goods and services denominated in USD shall be transferred into the Reserve Bank immediately on receipt of funds. The remaining 50 percent shall be credited into the exporter’s FCA in USD,” said the central bank in a statement released late on Tuesday.
“On receipt of the 50 percent export proceeds into its Nostro Account, the Reserve Bank shall immediately credit the same amount plus the 5 percent export incentive /bonus in USD into the Authorised Dealer’s RTGS Account for the exporter. Accordingly, the requirement for the apportionment of 50 percent of foreign exchange receipts into 40 percent ZAR and 10 percent EUR, has been removed with immediate effect.”
Exporters receiving proceeds in other currencies will get 100 percent of their earnings credited to their corporate FCA accounts immediately, plus the 5 percent bonus.
RBZ’s swift shift on policy may be the result of pressure from exporters, who had criticised the conversion of part of their USD earnings into weaker currencies, particularly the volatile rand. Legal experts had also advised that the conversion could have exposed the bank to possible litigation. It is unclear how exporters will receive the new measure announced Tuesday.
The RBZ also announced the removal of a 10 percent Nostro account threshold by banks. Also removed is a 15 percent cash holding requirement announced in September 2014.-TheSource
Kasukuwere Beats Manyenyeni, Sad Day | BREAKING NEWS
A sad cloud hovered on Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party’s Harvest House building today, as the High court dismissed an application in which Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni, was challenging his suspension by controversial local government minister, Saviour Kasukuwere.
Justice Mary-Zimba Dube last week had heard the case and reserved judgement.
Lawyers representing Manyenyeni, David Hofisi and Dzimbabwe Chimbga, confirmed to ZimEye.com the mayor has lost the case. Earlier on as they were still at court at 11am, a senior official within the Zimbabwe Lawyers Human Rights, an organisation representing the Harare Mayor, who refused being cited due to authorisation issues, said they have lost the case. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW-
“Yes, it is true, but for more details please get in touch with the lawyers who are still at the courts, ” the official told ZimEye.com.
At 1.45pm, advocate Dzimbabwe Chimbga, finally told ZimEye that it is true that Kasukuwere has won. Questioned on the basis of the judgement and if they will appeal, he told ZimEye, “we have not seen the judgment yet but we intend to appeal as per client’s instructions.”
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said he had not yet received the judgement, at the time of going to press.
“I haven’t been advised of the judgement yet,” he responded.
The development may serve to vindicate the popular analyst, Brett MuVet, who warned the Mayor against going to court, shortly before Brett was attacked by MDC loyalists for expressing his views that the courts would not rule in their favour.
– THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. CHECK ZimEye.com in 60 minutes’ time for the latest update–
Manyenyeni (MDC-T) was on the 20th April last month suspended by Kasukuwere on allegations of insubordination.
Kasukuwere said that Manyenyeni and some City of Harare Councillors had acted unlawfully and defied his directive ordering them not to approve the appointment of banker James Mushore to the position of Town Clerk.
ZRP Female Cop Pulls Man’s Genitals
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo|A female cop based at Masvingo Central Police Station is in trouble after she assaulted and pulled prominent human rights activist, Prosper Tiringindi’s genitals.
Constable Mercy Dzafunwa will soon appear in court facing charges of assaulting and pulling Tiringindi’s genitals.
On February 25 around 4 pm, Tiringindi was at Pick n Pay Supermarket in Masvingo when Dzafunwa (pictured below) who was in civilian attire, charged towards him and pulled his genitals.
She then took a baton stick and assaulted Tiringindi all over his body.She accused him of interfering with police duties.With the help of other police officers, Dzafunwa bundled Tiringindi into a police vehicle and drove off to Masvingo Central Police station.
It is claimed the police also accused Tiringindi of participating in the demonstration held against President Robert Mugabe’s birthday bash.
Tiringindi is also the leader of Masvingo Residents Trust, a local pressure group.
Speaking to ZimEye.com yesterday, Tiringindi said witnesses set to testify against Dzafunwa were at present being threatened by suspected state security agents.
“Our key witnesses in the matter are now afraid of testifying against Dzafunwa. They are receiving anonymous calls are now afraid of going to court,” he said.
He continued, “we are being followed by state security agents. We are now fearing for the worst because we are also being intimidated by state security agents.
“When I went to the police station to report the matter I was surprised when the police actually accused me of attempting to obstruct the course of justice. The police are deliberately trying to cow me into submission ,” said Tiringindi.
Councillors turn into estate agents” – Residents demand audit
Residents of Gwanda have accused their councillors of “turning themselves into estate agents” by allocating themselves prime stands in the town and immediately selling them at a huge premium.
In a note seen by ZimEye.com, the residents claim that the predominantly ZANU PF councillors “have moved from rags to riches in just two years into their term of office after allocating to one another prime land and selling it willy nilly.”
The residents also claim that the councillors have had land dealings with land barons from Harare who have been given a huge number of residential stands and giving the councillors kick backs that include huge amounts of cash and motor vehicles.
“We reliably have it on record that a land baron from Harare has been allocated more than 600 stands and been buying cars for the councillors every time they give him stands,” reads the note.
In the note, the residents further claim that the land barons acquire the land from council from as low as $1 000 and sell the stands to the public for as much as $10 000 on a long-term payment arrangement.
According to the residents, the land barons demand a twenty percent deposit for the stands and monthly payments of up to twenty four months at an interest forcing the cost of the stand to multiply tenfold.
Contacted for a comment on the issue, Gwanda Residents Association chairperson Bekezela Fuzwayo said that his association has also received a similar note from anonymous residents and will be investigating before making a confirmed statement on the matter.
“We have received the accusation too from the residents and we will be making our own investigations on the matter this week,” he said.
Several local authorities are currently under Ministry of Local Government land audits following revelations of corrupt dealings on stands by councillors and council staff.
The biggest land scandal is expected to be reported from the audits being carried out at the City of Bulawayo and Chitungwiza Municipality.
Local Government Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere has warned that heads will roll in all local authorities where any land irregularities are unearthed. The Minister has also previously ordered for the prosecution of any officials found on the wrong following the audits.
Tsvangirai Official Escapes “CIO Abduction Plot”
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| An MDC official escaped an abduction attempt by suspected CIO operatives at the weekend.
Nkululeko Ndlovu a district executive member for Masvingo Urban Constituency told ZimEye.com, suspected CIO operatives stormed his house in Rujeko suburb at the weekend and searched his bedroom before attempting to abduct him.
Ndlovu said the dreaded state security agents accused him of initiating acts of sabotage.
He said the three men and a woman wanted to bundle him into a waiting Isuzu truck but he managed to escape.
Hundreds of opposition supporters were abducted ahead of the disputed presidential election runoff in 2008. Civic organisations and opposition parties say over 500 people were murdered in 2008 alone.
A visibly shocked Ndlovu said the state security agents pounced on him while he was at home and forcibly ransacked his house.
“I am still shocked and confused. I don’t know what to do and I am fearing for my life. I strongly believe that the people who searched my house are CIO operatives. They accused me of being a sellout. They also took some party regalia in my house,” he said.
Although the motive of the attempted abduction was not known, it is widely believed the CIO operatives are strategically pouncing on opposition party supporters.
Political analysts have warned such incidents mirror the resurfacing of political violence.
In Gutu district,a traditional leader told villagers they would be killed if they desert Zanu PF.
Makandiwa: “I Am Jesus Christ”, Same Character| VIDEO
UFIC leader Emmanuel Makandiwa has through his church made claim that he is equal to Jesus Christ of the Bible.
Announcing in an official video advertorial, Makandiwa claiming that he stopped the death of South Africa’s Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa, is introduced as being at the same level with Jesus Christ.
In the church video below, Makandiwa advertises himself at the beginning [time marker 00:29] saying: “His(Emmanuel Makandiwa’s) character is the character of Jesus Christ. He expresses God’s love to his people, he extends God’s compassion to humankind. Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa is called by God and is a true indication that God still speaks today”.
Air Zim Boss Murder: Cops Dispatched to Botswana
A team of senior police officers has been dispatched to Botswana to assist in probing the death of Air Zimbabwe public relations executive, Mrs Shingai Dhliwayo, who was found dead in a bush in the neighbouring country.
The team, mostly from Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces, will also be present when the post-mortem is conducted today. Some of them left the country last night.
In an interview yesterday, chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said there were no developments on the case. She said police were also waiting for post-mortem results.
“As of now there are no developments on the case and investigations are still in progress. Once post mortem is done tomorrow (today) that is when we will be able to furnish you with more concrete details concerning the case.
“A team from ZRP will also attend the post-mortem,” she said. On Monday, police and their Batswana counterparts with the help of the International Police Organisation (Interpol), intensified investigations to ascertain the cause of Mrs Dhliwayo’s death.
Mrs Dhliwayo’s body was found tied onto a tree with both hands and legs also tied with a rope in a sitting position. Her mouth was gagged with a cloth and she was bleeding from the nose. The body was found about 5km from Plumtree Border Post in a bushy area and it is suspected that she had been lured by unknown assailants to travel to Botswana in a bid to rob her.
It is suspected that there is a syndicate that is luring Zimbabwean businesspeople after promising them “lucrative deals” and then rob them after crossing into Botswana.
Police in Botswana reportedly found her body and sent it to an unnamed hospital mortuary where her parents identified it on Saturday.
Airzim passenger and cargo general manager Mr Chris Kwenda recently said they had also put in place a team that would assist till the case was finalised.
He said details of the burial would be announced once post mortem had been conducted.-state media
Panama Papers: 280 Zimbabweans Named
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has named over 280 Zimbabweans, including prominent businesspeople, who reportedly syphoned billions of dollars out of the country.
The businesspeople, mostly of Caucasian extraction, have links to offshore investment vehicles. The list is contained in data from over 200 countries that was leaked to the Panama Papers and contains information about offshore companies and the people behind them.
The Panama Papers are 11,5 million leaked documents that detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214 488 offshore entities.
The leaked documents were created by Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca, some dated back to the 1970s.
The latest release with information on Zimbabwe includes the names of over 200 prominent local businessmen and company executives who have been making use of the Panama law firm.
Prominent names featuring on the list include Innscor Africa directors Zinona (Zed) Koudounaris and Michael Fowler, John Legat, Kingstone Munyawarara and former Cottco chief executive Happymore Mapara.
Investigation data alleges that the two Innscor directors, like others on the list, engaged the services of lawyers and accountants to open four companies in the British Virgin Islands.
However, a representative of Messrs Koudounaris and Fowler said the offshore investments were legal and the two had done nothing criminal as they run businesses outside Zimbabwe.
“With respect to Mr Fowler, he inherited an offshore structure from his father which has continued to exist lawfully. The two have not been involved in any externalisation.”
Business tycoon and prominent property mogul Ken Sharpe is also listed in the Panama Papers’ leaked data files, while Zimplats chief executive Alex Mhembere is also part of the list.
But Mr Sharpe said he had been approached by a United Kingdom investment consultant to make a $25 000 property investment offshore. The list also features sports personality, rally driver Conrad Rautenbach.
According to legal experts, it is not necessarily an offence or illegal to have an offshore company or bank account, but some of them have in the past been used for tax evasion and externalisation.
According to the RBZ, $1,8 billion was spirited out of Zimbabwe in 2015 alone through illicit transactions, inflated management and technical consultancy fees to foreign entities.
The hidden wealth of some of the world’s most prominent leaders, politicians and celebrities leaked through Panama Papers has between 2009 and 2015 showed an unprecedented release of millions of documents that show the many ways in which the rich have been exploiting secretive offshore tax regimes.
Although it is said that there is nothing unlawful about one being linked to offshore companies or bank accounts, the files leaked raise fundamental questions about ethical conduct in tax havens.
The data released by ICIJ through Panama Papers includes postal addresses; displays links to more than 200 countries and users can filter the information by country and by offshore jurisdiction.
The extensive data also explores the role of banks, law firms and other gatekeepers of the financial system in facilitating the creation of offshore companies for high net worth individuals.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr John Mangudya, said that the issue around the operation of offshore accounts and companies depended on a particular situation at hand.
However, he said whenever money from Zimbabwe was taken outside of the country’s borders, this would be externalisation.
“It’s all about externalisation or capital flight,” he said. “The second question is it legal or illegal and if it is legal, even if one has exchange control approval, is it morally right or wrong to take money from an economy that is not doing well and to an economy that is doing well?” the RBZ governor said.
Dr Mangudya said some individuals and companies have externalised proceeds generated from Zimbabwe under the guise of free funds.
That is the reason why he said the RBZ had taken the position that there should be no more free funds except for Diaspora remittances and funds belonging to NGOs and embassies.
For instance, Dr Mangudya said, there was no justification for taking money from Zimbabwe to a foreign jurisdiction under the banner of free funds if it was generated from domestic economic activity such as artisanal gold mining or tobacco sales.
The governor said there was need to critically look at the situations where money had been spirited out of the country, which has been facing a debilitating cash crisis over the last few weeks, to determine whether this was done legally or illegally.
The ICIJ, however, said having one’s name on the list did not necessarily mean one had an offshore account.
ZESA Prices to Shoot 114%
ZESA prices are set to shoot up to 114%, it has emerged.
They will rise by about 14 percent once Cabinet has endorsed the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority-approved application for a tariff hike which was made by Zesa Holdings.
According to impeccable sources, an inter-ministerial committee is studying ZERA’s determination to have electricity charges raised from 9,83 cents per kilowatt per hour to 11,2c.
Zesa Holdings, through the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), had applied for a tariff increase of 14,6c/kWh to help finance imports to mitigate power shortages and expand generation capacity.
“We have an inter-ministerial taskforce that is studying what has been brought by ZERA through the Ministry of Energy and Power Development to ensure that there is a win-win situation to both the power utility and the consumers,” said a source.
“The truth of the matter is that ZERA, after conducting their stakeholder consultations, made a determination to peg the price at 11,2c/kWh.
“An inter-ministerial committee, senior officials from about four ministries, are meeting with members of the Office of the President and Cabinet to look at this development and they agreed on that figure.
“The ministries involved include that of Energy and Power Development, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Industry and Commerce as well as that of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services.”
Added the source: “The agreement is that the Ministers, after their deliberations and finding a common position, will take the position to Cabinet for endorsement, through the ideal ministry. In essence the 11,2c/kWh is waiting for Cabinet approval only. ZERA had promised to come back with a determination two weeks after their consultations in January but now it is more than four months. The reason being that they had to find a win-win situation.”
ZERA has repeatedly said it is still consolidating stakeholders’ input before making a determination. ZETDC managing director Engineer Julian Chinembiri said they were still waiting for a response to their application.
He said the delay in announcing the tariff was affecting their operations.
“They (ZERA) recently wrote to use saying they will soon give us a tariff and we are still waiting,” he said.
“On our part, if we do not get that tariff it means our operations will be affected heavily. The cost of the power which we are now importing is high and we also need money to meet maintenance costs. Failure to do so will see us returning to the load shedding era because all our imports, which are significantly contributing to the current stability in power supplies, are prepaid.
“Without a tariff, we won’t be able to pay in advance. In short, short we are channeling most of our revenue to power imports at the moment and we have put a number of things on hold.”
Zimbabwe is spending millions of dollars importing power mainly from South Africa (300MW) and Mozambique (40MW) on a cash basis model.
The development has seen Zesa cuttging down on load shedding consumers since December last year.
The situation is unsustainable as the import tariffs are higher than what is currently obtaining especially when the power utility is saddled with a more than $1 billion debt.
The power utility is currently working on supply side interventions that entail expanding capacity at Kariba South hydro power station by 300MW and Hwange by 600MW.
Eng Chinembiri said power cuts being experienced in some areas were a result of faults not load shedding.
“We now have a stable power supply since the end of last year and our hope is this will continue,” he said.
“During this period, we are not load shedding and people with no electricity should report to nearest depots because it will be due faults. We do not have systems to monitor low voltage faults in homes and that is why we are appealing to our consumers to report.-state media
Mnangagwa’s Lacoste Blocks G-40 From ZiFM
Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF faction, Team Lacoste, has blocked Grace Mugabe’s G-40 from being interviewed on its national private radio station ZiFM Sterio.
The two factions are fiercely fighting to succeed President Robert Mugabe.
On Monday Zanu PF legislator for Highfield West who is also a member of the G-40, Psychology Maziwisa, was scheduled to debate with MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu on ZiFM at 19.30hrs.
The radio station is owned by Information Communication Technology and Courier Services Minister and Zanu PF MP for Nyanga South, Supa Mandiwanzira who belongs to the Mnangagwa faction.
The Maziwisa–Gutu radio debate was cancelled on the 11th hour for unexplained reasons when the latter was on his way to the national private radio station.
On his Facebook page MDC-T spokerson Obert Gutu said he was informed by the radio station that Maziwisa was blocked by Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo from attending the interview.
“ZiFM Stereo has just phoned me a few minutes ago saying that the Platform program that was scheduled to be aired LIVE on air tonight @ 19.30 hours has been cancelled because Psychology Maziwisa, who was supposed to speak on behalf of Zanu PF during the radio debate, has been ordered not to come for the interview by S.K.Moyo, the Zanu PF spokesperson”, said Gutu.
He continued exclaiming that “Zvakaoma – It is hard!”.
UK PM Cameron calls Nigeria and Afghanistan ‘fantastically corrupt’
BBC- British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has described Nigeria and Afghanistan as “fantastically corrupt” in a conversation with the Queen.
The PM was talking about this week’s anti-corruption summit in London.
“We’ve got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain… Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world,” he was overheard saying.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, elected last year after vowing to fight corruption, said he was “shocked”.
And a senior Afghan official said the characterisation was “unfair”.
After Mr Cameron’s comments, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby intervened to say: “But this particular president is not corrupt… he’s trying very hard,” before Speaker John Bercow said: “They are coming at their own expense, one assumes?”
The conversation took place at Buckingham Palace at an event to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday, attended by political leaders and other public figures.
At a garden party later on Tuesday, the Queen herself was caught on camera making unguarded comments about the Chinese government.
The Queen discusses the Chinese state visit with Commander Lucy D’Orsi
She told a senior police officer that she had heard the Chinese had been very rude to Britain’s ambassador to China during President Xi’s state visit last year. The Queen also agreed that the Chinese state visit had been a testing time for the police and told the officer it was “bad luck” that she had been in charge of security at the time.
Missing Girl Found Alive| BREAKING NEWS
Bulawayo – Parents of an 8-year-old girl, Tsepo Ngwenya, who endured several hours following the girl’s disappearance, were Tuesday night delighted to be told she is still alive.
Tsepo (pictured) had last been seen in the afternoon at 2pm before she vanished.
At 9pm the mother told ZimEye.com, her daughter was still nowhere to be seen.
But Newsreaders coordinated, finding her, and soon located the mother an hour later at around 10pm.
ZimEye.com can reveal the lass is now safe with her mother. The mother told ZimEye, “I have just seen her right now,” after she was led home by well wishers.
“Thank you for your help, may God bless you,” she added.
She explained that the girl had been delayed due to a vehicle mishap. Tsepo’s school is several kilometres away from home and so travels via transport provided by well wishers. – More to follow…
Chitungwiza Mayor Faces Axe Over Corruption
Morgan Tsvangirai’s provincial executive has set up a team of private investigators to investigate the local authority’s Mayor over corruption allegations recently unearthed by an internal audit.
The audit which leaked to the media last week, exposed massive corruption by Chitungwiza council officials including the Mayor, Phillip Mutoti who is a senior member of MDC-T.
In the damning audit, Mutoti and his councillors are said to have looted 90 residential stands.
In an interview with ZimEye.com in Harare Tuesday, Lloyd Damba, the MDC-T Chitungwiza provincial secretary, said his party was taking the audit seriously.
“As a party of excellence which does not condone corruption, the executive (MDC-T Chitungwiza), has unanimously resolved that we set up a private investigation team which will probe the allegations,” he said.
“The provincial executive has also appointed a three observer team from within itself: one from the main body, one from the youth wing and the other one from the Women’s Assembly.”
“We have done this as part of our mandate to jealously guard the values and principles of the party because allegations of corruption are of a serious nature and they have a great potential of denting the image of our party,” he said.
Dzamara Pat Re-Surfaces Out Of Police Station
By JuiceCard|Then Patson Dzamara started to address the people,
Then the police drag Patson away from the square,
Then the police detain Patson at their First Street post,
Then Patson tells the police it’s his right to demonstrate,
Then the police release Patson,
Then Patson marches back to the square addressing people on the streets,
Then Patson addresses the people at the square,
Then the police drag Patson into their truck,
Then the police detain Patson at Harare Central Police Station,
Then the police drive Patson around town,
Then Patson argues with the police that he is protected by the Constitution,
Then Patson “grew tired and simply climbed out the truck”.
Is it only me who thinks ZIMSEC should be in charge of toll gates money?
WATCH:Dokora Abuses School Kids
Teachers To Put On Uniform | OPINION
Dear Editor,
At a time when government is failing to supply uniforms for the police and armed forces, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora this morning pulled yet another shocker after he announced a move set to be met with the highest resistance by school teachers. ALSO READ – WATCH:Dokora Caught On Camera Abusing School Kids|
Before dust around the issues of the recently introduced national pledge and the banning of Scripture Union has even settled, he has announced that with effect from July 2016 , all Primary and Secondary school teachers shall be wearing a ‘national uniform’ so as to create a distinct identity.
“Just like nursing, teaching is a crucial fraternity that deserves notice and respect. Every teacher ought to be recognised and identified in society, hence the introduction of the national uniform for our learned teachers” said Dr Dokora.
According to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, the uniform will bear our national colors and will be in the same design for both primary and secondary school teachers.
REMOVING MUGABE: 724 Days Left to 2018 Elections, ZEC Asks on Voting Options
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission today took its preparations for ending Robert Mugabe’s current tenure to another gear, calling on opposition parties to a special meeting.
ZEC All Stakeholders meeting on voter registration options, which option do you choose? @263Chat @erczimbabwe
— Jessie F. Majome (@JessieFMajome) May 10, 2016
The meeting currently being held at Crowne Plaza and began at 10am, has legal experts of opposition parties who were called in for vital talks. The discussions centered around voter registration options, are the opposition’s last chance to ensure the nation is ready for free and fair elections.
MDC-T’s MP for Harare West, Jessie Majome, standing in Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party, has requested Zimbabweans to make their choice known:
ZEC All Stakeholders meeting on voter registration options, which option do you choose? @263Chat @erczimbabwe
— Jessie F. Majome (@JessieFMajome) May 10, 2016
Mnangagwa Nephew In Trouble Over Replacing Mugabe Talks
ZANU PF central committee member, Emmerson Mnangagwa nephew, and Kadoma businessman Jimaya Muduvuri, has been summoned to appear before the ruling party’s Mashonaland West provincial disciplinary committee to explain his role in “cleansing Mnangagwa’s faction’s soiled public image”.
Muduvuri confirmed the development over the weekend, saying he would soon appear before the committee headed by vice-chairperson Keith Guzah.
“I asked my sekuru (uncle Mnangagwa) if it was true that he wanted to succeed President (Robert) Mugabe now or in the near future and he told me that those were lies. I requested him to go public dispelling those notions. That’s when he sent me to do it on his behalf . . . (On) Friday, I was in Manicaland and today (Sunday), I’m coming from Mashonaland East preaching the same gospel,” Muduvuri told NewsDay.
Two months ago, Zanu PF women’s league secretary for finance Sarah Mahoka challenged Mnangagwa to declare his interests in the ongoing succession battle amid reports he was clandestinely campaigning to succeed Mugabe.
Mnangagwa is reportedly locked in a bitter tussle for control of the ruling party with First Lady Grace, who reportedly leads another Zanu PF faction known as G40.
Mnangagwa and Grace have both denied harbouring any presidential ambitions, at least while Mugabe “is still alive”.
Muduvuri’s issue has also allegedly caused fissures within the provincial women’s league structures in the ruling party, with knives out for acting chairperson Angeline Muchemenyi.
Muchemenyi took over from the late Joana Tsogolani.
Insiders claim Muchemenyi and Muduvuri were now being accused of having changed factions and now rooting for Mnangagwa, hence the current tensions and move to “remove them”.
Contacted for comment, Muchemenyi said some people were not happy with her political rise without elaborating.
Zanu PF Mashonaland West chairperson Ephraim Chengeta referred questions to Guzah, who also refused to shed light.
“I can only respond to issues that are before the disciplinary committee which I chair. Anything outside that has to be responded to by the head of the province, who happens to be Chengeta,” Guzah said. newsday
Zanu PF Members Join MDC – Mwonzora
MDC-T Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora, says he is happy after holding different rallies in the Midlands Province, where ZANU PF members have defected to his party.
Yesterday the MDC-T completed its round of cluster rallies in the Midlands North Province with an emphatic rally in Ngezi, Kadoma. These rallies are interactive and meant to assess the state of the Party in each province. They are meant to enable the party to assess what the topical issues and concerns are in each province.
Said Mwonzora: From the rallies done so far we are happy to note that the support of the MDC-T is excellent. A number of people have defected from Zanu PF to join MDCT. Some people who left the MDCT for other parties have also retraced their footprints and rejoined the party. We are naturally elated by this and in terms of our big tent approach we welcomed them with both hands.
The issues that were canvassed at these rallies include the grinding poverty to which Zimbabwe has been consigned by this vile regime, chronic unemployment, total collapse of industry, corruption by state officials and the politicization of food aid. Zimbabweans are riled by the theft of their $15bn as acknowledged by President Mugabe recently. They are mifed by the fact that in spite of its undertaking to create 2.2 million jobs, Zanu PF government has instead exacerbated unemployment. Even those who are employed can not get their salaries. Of those few whose employers have paid salaries, can not access same because there is no money at the banks.
There is general agreement that instead of tackling the national problems, the Zanu PF bigwigs are enmeshed in the debilitating succession conundrum. The people are therefore agreed that the only way of moving Zimbabwe out of it social, political and economic quagmire is to remove the regime of Robert Mugabe.
Of course signs of panic on the part of Zanu PF are there for all to see. In order to affect the turn out at the MDCT rallies, the Zanu PF slaughtered a number of cattle to temporarily feed the people. The good thing is that the people ate the meat and still attended the MDCT rallies.
MP Paul Mavhima tried to incite violence against the MDCT leadership. He however pathetically went into hiding behind some dilapidated shop when he saw Vice President Thokozani Khupe. We will not be intimidated. We shall overcome. Victory is certain.
Fireworks as Manyuchi Jets Into Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s victorious boxer, Charles Manyuchi made a triumphal jet-in yesterday following his bashing of Russia’s unbeatable giant.
Manyuchi touched down aboard an Emirates flight at 5:10pm yesterday.
The arrival of the poor-boy-turned-superstar had the who-is-who in the sports sector present at the airport to welcome him. They ranged from fellow pugilists who could not manage a single win in their careers, coaches and administrators.
Then came the kilometre-long convoy of cars from the airport that could have done well with a police escort, especially given the rush hour in which the short trip into the central business district was undertaken. It took a whole hour to reach Rainbow Towers Hotel where a banquet awaited an ambassador who, like the rating of the hospitality facility he was whisked to, had put up a five-star performance.
It now remains to be seen how fat a beast the nation will slaughter for the industrious brand ambassador, although it will only take a blind marketing department of any corporate entity to ignore the mileage associated with this brand called Manyuchi. His principal sponsor in the country, Mr T35, have already made a worthy contribution and from the look of things Manyuchi could be riding in car number three from the sponsors, a Honda CVR latest model.-State Media
Quail Cash: Digging Deeper| Brett Muvet
ZVIHUTA ZVIRI KUTENGESWA NEMABOND COINS VAMWE VACHICHERA MAKOMBA GOING DEEPER.
Manheru akanaka varanda veZimbabwe.
Nyaya hadziperi muNyika yedu yeZimbabwe. Hurumende yakagara pasi, varume vakuru, vamwe vacho vakadzidza vanemaDegree asiri eFake, vakawirirana kuti Zvihuta hazvichabvumirwi kuchengetwa neVanhu. Vamwe vanorarama nazvo, kana kuzvidya, nekutengesa. Kana nyika ine hurumende yapererwa semaperero eJunta ririkutonga muZimbabwe, ndopavanouya nezviMitemo zvisina kana basa. Kupererwa neNzira dzokuba mari dzedu, saka vakuda kusungisa vanhu neZvihuta.
Apa Pfidza neTuckshop yake yakatadza kuvurwa naPresident, akatanga kuStocker Zvihuta zvacho, $1 for 2, last week but 2, nhasi zvakunzi hazvibvumirwe?
Bond coins nemaPaper eNyika arikuda kuuya aya, hameno kuti vakuru veJunta kuti varikufungei? Vanhu vakawanda vari kunyora maziArticle vachiedza kutsanangura zvichaitika tikabvumira kuti Bond paper money ridzoke. PaNhau dzaBRETT Mu vet, regai tiedze kutsanangura zvokuti even Plumber seni zvangu anogona kunzwisisa… $US haichawanikwi apa hurumende haina mari kubhadhara vashandi.
Saka varikuunza mabond paper kuti vakwanise kuPrinter madiro sezvakaitwa muna2007/2008. Zvichatanga pama Civil servants, vachabhadharwa nemaBond, kubva ipapo Black market ichavurwa zvakare.
Nokuti Junta rakavarisa industry muZimbabwe, maCompany vanoimporter zvinhu. VanoImporter nema$US asi vachitengesa nemaBond?
Vanozowana ma$US kuzoStocker kupi? VanotoCharger nema$US obvious. Black market igozara nema$US, asi kwete ne1:1
Asi nyaya guru, ndeiyi; Vanhu veJunta vachawana ma$US kuBank, nokuti ndivo vanaChef ka. Iwewe neni tikaenda ikoko tonoudzwa kuti hakuna. Apa vachipiwa ne 1:1. Ndivo vachavurisa Black market, vachitengesa ma$US, maybe 100 bond to one $US. Vapedza kudharo, voenda kuBank ne100 bond iye, vowana $US100!!! Imagine kana yave $US1Million munhu arikuita $US99 MILLION PROFIT BABA!!! Hakusi kuti Junta vakupenga aiwa, vakatongwara, inzira yokuba mari yeNyika zvakare.
Lets Dig Deeper. Aiwa, munhu kana achirwisa Junta, tinomuti Shamwari wedu. Asi vamwe vanoda kumbobvunzwa Kuti sei manga makanyarara makore ese aya? Asi huuori wacho wakangotanga pawakadzingwa iwewe? Pese apa wangausingaone here kana kuti wanga wakatopusa zvako zvekuti hapana chawakaona? Zvinondishamisa kuti vana ZIDAZ- Zanu Idiot Demonstrating Against Zanu- vanongovurika maziso pavanodzingwa chete. Kuita kunge munhu abva kuBhabhatidzwa paanobudiswa muMvura muye, maziso kuita kunge Zizi.
Apa munhu wese anobuditswa muZanu anochema chema asi make sure kuti pakati pekuchema anoti…… “but I still support my President” Kurwara chete. Ndopaunoona kuti kuchema kwake ndezve Fake. Nhasi ndopaurikuda kuita zvinhu paMutemo? Nhasi ndopauri kutarisa Constitution? Nhasi ndopaurikuda kutiudza kuti vamwe varikuba? KoPese apa wanga wakanyarara sei? ZIDAZ REMUNHU.
Lets dig deeper inyaya yakangofanana nedzimwe nyaya dzana STOP IT, nana GAMATOX nanaG-40 nana G16-35. Zvinhu zvokuba muZimbabwe zvakuenda zvichiita zvishoma nezviShoma. Saka kana zvakudaro, mbavha dziye dzinenge dzakuda kubira dzimwe Mbavha nokuti hapasisina zvokuba muNyika. Ndopatiri kuona kuti Junta pachezvavo, vakupandukirana nekuti varikuda zvinhu zvevamwe vavo. Kana munhu ajaira kuba $100 000 paMwedzi, kuti adzikise ku$50 000 hazviite. Ngavadyanane zvavo, tinozopedzirana neasara wacho. Ndopanoperera nhau dzanhasi.
CIO Wife Raids Zimra
The wife of CIO boss, Happyton Bonyongwe has raided the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) and unearthed a mine of said “corrupt activities” in which more than 400 cars were allegedly smuggled into the country this year alone by a syndicate of Zimra officials and clearing agents who have been processing counterfeit undervalued import documents to smuggle vehicles and other products.
The state broadsheet reports that five suspects have been arrested in connection with some of the cases after they allegedly cleared 52 cars in Harare using the fake documents.
Although the details are still sketchy, sources quoted by the Herald following the arrests, said the suspects were found in possession of more than 100 fake clearance certificates. Investigations carried out revealed that the suspects managed to acquire registration number plates for at least 52 vehicles and this was discovered by officials at the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) last week.
By yesterday, it was still not clear how the suspects managed to obtain the fake documents as investigations are still in progress. It has also emerged that for the past few years, several car dealers in and around Harare had their cars seized by Zimra after it was discovered that most of them had fake documentation.
According to some of the car dealers, the clearing agents are working with some Zimra officials to smuggle the cars into the country and then impound them for auction. Some of the dealers have since taken Zimra to court in a bid to recover their vehicles.
Last week the Zimra board suspended its Commissioner-General Mr Gershem Pasi and five other senior executive managers after questions were raised over the importation of vehicles.
This comes amid reports that Zimra was losing millions of dollars to dealers who processed counterfeit undervalued import documents to smuggle vehicles and other products into the country.
Mr Pasi and the five executive managers were sent on paid leave to pave way for investigations. The other five executives are Charlton Chihuri (40), loss control director ; Anna Mutombodzi (50), Commissioner of Customs and Excise; Tjiyapo Velempini (49), director ICT and infrastructural development; Clive Charles Majengwa (52), director internal audit; and, Sithokozile Thembani Mrewa (47), director human resources.
Zimra board chairperson Mrs Willia Bonyongwe confirmed the suspensions in a statement. She advised members of the public that the authority now had a hotline on which any corrupt activity by any Zimra employee can be reported. The toll-free hotline numbers are: Econet (0808190); Telecel (0732880880) and WhatsApp (0772 135690).
Zimra has been losing millions of dollars to a syndicate of dealers who process counterfeit undervalued import documents to smuggle in vehicles. Several people, some of them former Zimra employees, allegedly act as clearing agents and have been arrested for prejudicing the State of various amounts of money in separate incidents.
Senior Zimra officials who are supposed to be custodians of customs and excise laws, have reportedly used bogus clearing agents to import personal vehicles. Some of the offences were unearthed recently after the owners approached Zimra offices to check the authenticity of documents for their vehicles.
In one of the incidents, two Harare men were arrested on allegations of processing import documents to smuggle in six vehicles through Beitbridge Border Post, prejudicing the State of $157 500,24.
Timoth Simfukwe (39) and Liberty Tinashe Mahembe (30) this week appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe, who remanded them to May 27 on $500 bail each.
They are facing six counts of fraud for offences committed between June last year and January this year. Simfukwe is the director of Eftrade Ventures, while Mahembe is employed by Vonlet Trading (Private) Limited as a manager.
The two are accused of hatching plans to undervalue cars and preparing counterfeit import documents for Chihuri, Mutombodzi, Velempini, Majengwa and Mrewa. All of them had received loans ranging between $90 000 and $120 000 to purchase Toyota Land Cruiser and Toyota Prado vehicles.
They all handed their money to Simfukwe on separate occasions last year who then used the same method of operation, conniving with Mahembe to process the fake documents.
Stands Dishing-Out Is aPolitical – Kasukuwere
State Media-The allocation of 20,000 residential stands to youths in Bulawayo by the government will not be done on political grounds, a Cabinet Minister has said.
The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Saviour Kasukuwere told MPs during the National Assembly’s question and answer session on Wednesday that local authorities have been sitting on land instead of offering it to residents.
He was responding to questions by MPs who questioned the motive behind his ministry’s offering stands to youths. Minister Kasukuwere said the government would no longer watch while local authorities commercialised land at the expense of suffering citizens.
“First and foremost, we’re not distributing or let alone having people access stands on the basis of their political cards. We want to ensure that all Zimbabweans where possible, have housing opportunities,” said Minister Kasukuwere.
He said it was disappointing that local councils have resorted to commercialising land instead of offering it to home seekers.
“For a very long time, government has been making land available to the city authorities. However, if you see the records by city authorities, most of the land was distributed to land barons and cooperatives, to the extent that many of the people who accessed the land didn’t pay for the land even to the city authorities,” he said.
Minister Kasukuwere said the government cannot allow citizens to continue struggling at the mercy of local authorities.
“We felt this process or system can no longer be acceptable. We’ve authority within government; the Urban Development Corporation which is charged with ensuring that we develop housing and house our people. We’re going for a transparent process – a system that will ensure that the majority of our people has access to land,” Minister Kasukuwere.
The Minister lashed out at Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo for downplaying the importance of housing citing the city father’s recent comments that the 100,000 housing waiting list was not an issue.
“It would have been my desired route to work with the city authorities and give them land but some of them have publicly said they don’t want the land, with 100,000 people on the waiting list. I can’t force cities which have said that publicly and I can quote the Bulawayo Mayor,” said the Minister.
“He said the 100,000 people on the waiting list aren’t an issue. How can 100,000 people be not an issue to a city father? We’re saying we’ll move into Bulawayo and ensure that we give land to the people; irrespective of their political persuasion, we’re going to house them.”
Last week Minister Kasukuwere unveiled land in Bulawayo where housing stands will be pegged.
Councillors Rebel Against Tsvangirai
MDC-T Harare councillors have reportedly rebelled against their leadership and are set to defy the opposition party directive to rescind a resolution they made last Thursday to send town clerk Mr James Mushore on forced leave without benefits. Mr Mushore was sent packing barely a month after his appointment by the same councillors. The former NMB chief executive was appointed without following laid down procedures.
Government rescinded the appointment of Mr Mushore soon after a council meeting that announced his appointment, arguing that council flouted procedures of appointing a town clerk as outlined in the Urban Councils Act and the Local Government Board and some residents associations rushed to the High Court to contest the decision.
The MDC-T ordered its councillors to reverse their decision and allow Mr Mushore to come back to work, failure of which they face unspecified action, although the court is still to rule on the matter.
They were made to sign affidavits at Harvest House on Thursday confirming that they will adhere to the party position, but the councillors felt otherwise.
Councillors who spoke to The Herald said they would not risk the wrath of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, as they were family men who needed to fend for their families.-state media
Vote For Mugabe, Forget His Age – Kasukuwere
National Political Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere has has encouraged the ruling party supporters to consider President Robert Mugabe’s reputable leadership qualities and the ideals he stands for, as good reason to vote for him in 2018.
He said this while, addressing members of the Zanu PF women’s league from Hurungwe at Chikanwe stadium in Karoi.
Kasukuwere said there is no logic in voting into power some crazy young men yet the country has a tried and tested leader in the person of President Mugabe, whom he said deserves the vote in 2018.
Kasukuwere, who is also the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, pledged residential stands to members of the women’s league in Hurungwe and tasked the leadership in the area to identify land for the purpose.
Zanu PF Deputy Secretary for Women’s Affairs Eunice Sandi Moyo also challenged the women to take up income generating projects such as farming to fend for their families.
The Karoi rally was organised by the women’s league secretary for finance Sarah Mahoka. – State Media
Pastor Bashed at Funeral
Terrence Mawawa, Chivhu| A prominent local pastor with a pentecostal church was last week severely bashed by a woman at a funeral as he preached against witchcraft.
Pastor Petros Chatikobo of the United Body of Christ Internatonal Church (UBC), was beaten up by the woman as he spoke against withcraft and the late Netsai Chipare’s relatives felt the clergyman had accused them of bewitching the deceased.The late Netsai was a member of Chatikobo’ s church.
The incident delayed the burial programme as Spiwe Chipare, the elder sister of the late Netsai charged towards Chatikobo and grabbed his shirt by the collar and shook him aggressively, until some buttons fell off the shirt. The pastor’s aides restrained her from further harming him.
She accused Chatikobo of lying that someone had bewitched her sister. She also shouted obscenities at Chatikobo.
Chatikobo said he was shocked by the incident.
“I have never encountered this before. Castigation of witchcraft is in the bible, the book of Matthew to be precise. I never mentioned anyone’s name, neither did I accuse anyone of bewitching the late Netsai,” he said.
Sources at the funeral told ZimEye.com Chatikobo castigated witchcraft in front of the mourners in preparation for Netsai’s burial. It is understood the mourners felt the clergyman had accused them of bewitching Netsai. There was commotion as mourners were deeply divided over the clerygyman’s remarks.
Thousands Residents Face Eviction
A large number of families, allocated stands at the remainder of Retreat Farm in Waterfalls, Harare, face an uncertain future following an application by the farm owner, Retreat Farm (Pvt) Ltd, to have them evicted from the property.
The farm was acquired by government under General Notice Number 474 of 2011, four years ago, for residential settlement after which it was allocated to various housing cooperatives, that have since constructed houses for scores of home seekers.
However, on April 8 this year, the farm filed summons under case HC3708/16 seeking the eviction of Harare South Co-operative Apex Board and Harare South Housing Union members from the property.
In its declaration, Retreat Farm said it was still the registered owner of the land measuring 624, 5039 hectares held under title deed 1723/76.
“The defendant, board and its members unbeknown to the plaintiff and without plaintiff’s authority/consent and without any legal basis illegally settled themselves on plaintiff’s property. Despite various demands the defendants refused/neglected to vacate the said property,” Retreat Farm said.
The same company recently filed another application challenging the constitutionality of the compulsory acquisition of the property and also filed different summons under case HC4232/16, seeking the eviction of the families settled on the property.
Ministries of Local Government and Lands were cited as defendants in the matter whereas President Robert Mugabe was also cited in his official capacity as third defendant.
In the plaintiff’s declaration prepared by a Harare law firm, Tamuka Moyo Attorneys, the company argues the acquisition of the said farm was unconstitutional.
“No notice of this acquisition was given to the plaintiff; indeed no notice at all was given to the plaintiff. No fair and/or adequate compensation was given to the plaintiff for the compulsory acquisition,” it argued.
The firm also argued the acquisition was effected in the absence of an order from a competent court of law.
The lawyers said Section 5 of the Land Acquisition Act that was used to acquire the land does not apply when the said land was to be used for residential development.
“The plaintiff is thus entitled to occupation and full ownership of its land and any occupation, settlement or other use of the plaintiff’s property by the defendants or any person claiming the right of occupation through them, is unlawful, unconstitutional, void and invalid,” the lawyers said.
In both matters, no appearances to defend notices have been filed yet. – State Media
Tsvangirai Deals With Zimbabwe’s Economic Issues
The huge national crisis is summed up by the chilling fact that more than half of the country is now surviving on domesticating and selling what only a year ago were wild birds (zvihuta). It would be futile to expect Zanu PF to get us out of this mess that it has created as that would be tantamount to expecting a mosquito to cure malaria.
The MDC is preparing a robust political response to this madness and the party reserves its right to mobilize the people against this ill-advised decision that is certainly not backed by economic logic. Zimbabweans have fresh memories of the traumatizing experiences with the “bearer’s cheques” of 2008. The so-called bond notes, with a value of up to $20, signify a return to the stressing national times off eight years ago. Ordinary Zimbabweans lost their savings, pensioners lost their life-time savings and companies and other institutions were shortchanged as the economy tumbled until the MDC presence in an inclusive government brought stability and unprecedented economic annual growth figures, which peaked at 12 percent in 2012.
The cash crisis which led to the decision to print bond notes stems from a crisis of confidence. There is no confidence in both the economy and in the banks, all stemming from a crisis of legitimacy arising out of the stolen election of 2013. Unfortunately for Zanu PF, the printing of bond notes cannot be a panacea to what is essentially a political crisis that needs a political solution.
One cannot mask illegitimacy under the veil of bond notes that are essentially a sanitized version of ordinary bond paper or newsprint. Bond coins, bond notes all point to the cluelessness of what has become a “bond” government that is running the affairs of State.
Between 2009 and 2013, President Tsvangirai and his team worked very hard to steer the ship of State towards an economic Canaan, but President Mugabe’s government seeks to reverse all the gains and return the country to the long suffering years in Egypt.
The printing of bond notes will be the death knell to this economy. Zimbabweans have walked this road before. They have not forgotten the dark days when they were poor quintillionaires. President Tsvangirai and the MDC will do all they can to save the country and to return it to logic and common sense.
Graduating Teachers Join The Jobless
Teachers graduating from various colleges are joining the jobless market.
After collecting their certificates, these newly qualified teachers walk into the world of unemployment to join hundreds of thousands of other qualified people who have been rendered unemployed by President Robert Mugabe’s government through its disastrous economic policies.
With the economy crisis deepening and the government also reeling under an acute revenue inflow decline exacerbated by the declining economic activity in the country has plans to “drastically reduce the civil service wage bill”, with Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa having said during the 2016 national budget presentation last December that the “rationalisation of the civil service would save $14,2 million per month”.
The rationalisation measures were announced on the back of another announcement last year that in its employment, government had thousands of teaching staff who held non-teaching qualifications and there were plans to replace the non-qualified teachers with fresh graduates, a move that would create 20 000 jobs for the newly-qualified teachers.
This has not happened, as government appears to fail to adequately fund the current civil service salary requirements, amid allegations some fringe ministries are harbouring ghost or non-essential workers that unnecessarily burden the public service salary bill. – State Media
Pastor Mugadza Abducted by Police
The famous Kariba pastor who last year told President Robert Mugabe to his face to resign, Patrick Mugadza, was today forcibly taken away by police officers.
Pastor Mugadza was protesting with several women in Unity Square campaigning for the rights of cancer patients.
Protest coordinator and leader Lynnette Mudehwe seen in pictures as Pastor Mugadza was whisked away, told ZimEye.com the 31 protesters were raided in Africa Unity Square this afternoon.
“Right now we are in Africa Unity Square, and the riot police has just dispersed people who wanted to pray,” said Mudehwe.
She continued, “Right now I can’t even tell you where Patson is, and where the pastor is,” she added.
Indications at the time of writing suggested the pastor had been taken to Harare Central Police station. However, no trace of the man could be obtained at the place.
In a statement The Zimbabwe Women in Politics said it is “deeply concerned with government negligence and denial of Zimbabwean citizens to their constitutional right to health exhibited by its wanton failure to urgently resuscitate or replace one of the only two radio therapy machines the Ministry of health has to treat cancer patients”.
Linda Tsungirirai Masarira, founder and national coordinator of ZWIPA said government must honor its mandate to ensure the ministry of health is fully capacitated to discharge its duties especially to critical patients like those affected by cancer. “Every Zimbabwean has a right to health, the radiotherapy machine for cancer patients at Parirenyatwa hospital has been down for the past four days. It is not the first time; this machine is always down posing a threat to the premature loss of life of cancer patients. It is the responsibility of the Minister of health to ensure that all cancer patients receive and get the treatment they need,
“Do we have a Minister of Health in Zimbabwe? Why is the Ministry of Health silent when cancer patients are not being afforded proper and sound health care because of their incompetence and lack of sound health ethics”, said Linda.
It is disheartening that the government of Zimbabwe splashes money on trivial matters at the expense of basic healthcare services of Zimbabwean citizens. Zimbabweans are being denied their constitutional right as enshrined in section 76 of Zimbabwe’s constitution on the RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE. The money that was used to celebrate Mugabe’s birthday should have been used to acquire radiotherapy machines for cancer patients. Mphoko should immediately vacate rainbow towers and that money used to pay for his lavish hotel lifestyle should be channeled to assisting cancer patients in Zimbabwe.
“I am challenging Dr. David Parirenyatwa to ensure that, the radiotherapy machine is fixed by Friday. Failure to do so , ZWIPA women are taking to the streets to demonstrate against the government of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Health. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that cancer patients are afforded basic healthcare services”, she said.
Radiotherapy treatment is very critical for cancer patients. It is sad that the government of Zimbabwe is silent about cancer patients and their treatment yet they are fully aware that there are only two radiotherapy machines in Zimbabwe. One machine is at Parirenyatwa Hospital and the only machine that caters for all patients suffering from cancer the whole of Zimbabwe whilst the other one is at Karanda Mission Hospital in Mount Darwin, the statement narrated stating.
Chinamasa Begs for Diaspora Money, Expertise
To Min. Chinamasa, No Diaspora Funds Without Government Reform…
…..By Adrian Moyondizvo
With shock, we hear that you plan to engage the diaspora community to help with cash remittances. You need them to help the dying economy. That’s a noble cause but so well misplaced given the recent developments in Zimbabwe. Here is why:
Cuthbert Dube paid himself millions of dollars for doing nothing. What has the government done with the wasted dollars issue? Nothing.
ZACC officials abused government funds. What is the government doing? Nothing.
$15 billion worth of diamonds vanished into thin air. Besides the hot air broadcast on national airwaves, what has government done to practically account for the stolen cash? Zero.
Thieves and robbers are flaunting millions of dollars from tender money with the First Family in Dubai restaurants. After such wastefulness, diaspora people should help government to have more to splash. Really?
And ministers are building million dollar 50 bedroom mansions in this cash crisis. No one is saying anything. And you still want our dollars from the diaspora? What an insult!
Even the President’s appetite for travel with large numbers has not stopped. He is in charge of the economy and the country. Does he care?
There is much wastefulness of public money. The government doesn’t care. They keep splashing money. Tenders rules are being violated. Not a single project has taken off.
People in the diaspora have no business with corrupt people killing the country and pocketing resources in line with ZimAsset. You’re chasing business using Zhuwao’s Hitler laws of indigenization. And you still expect the world to take you seriously?
Why is China, your all weather friends not helping you after sucking all the diamonds from Chiadzwa? You will never be a colony again but you’re begging to be colonized. You can’t have your cake and eat it. This is what you get for lacking business ethics.
Mliswa Jibes Kasukuwere
Temba Mliswa, a former Zanu PF bigwig who now leads the Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (Yard) pressure group, has scoffed at threats by Zanu PF political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere to seize his farm.
Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters at a rally at Chikangwe Stadium in Karoi, Kasukuwere said the former Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman and Hurungwe West MP Temba Mliswa, had nothing to offer.
Kasukuwere, who is also Local Government minister, threatened to subdivide Mliswa’s Spring Farm on the outskirts of Karoi and distribute the residential stands to Zanu PF supporters.
“There are youths who are following Temba Mliswa, do not follow him,” Kasukuwere said.
“We want to look at his farm if it is close to Karoi, we want to take it and make sure we get stands and see what happens. Yes kana wakanda chibhakera wotosimba. Kana wakanda chibhakera ku Zanu PF tinovhika but kana takudzosera tinorova paunonyatsozwa kuti ka chapinda (If you pick a quarrel with Zanu PF you must be prepared for a big fight because we hit where it hurts the most),” Kasukuwere said.
“Do not follow his Yard because it’s a back yard.”
But Mliswa scoffed at Kasukuwere’s threats yesterday.
“I am not moved by Kasukuwere’s populist but foolish Zanu PF opinion because it is not government policy,” Mliswa told the Daily News.
“The land reform was a government programme and I am a holder of a 99-year lease.
“That is a Zanu PF problem to deal with, such loose cannons that contradict their desire to attract foreign direct investment when their officials do not respect property rights.”
He added that Kasukuwere as Zanu PF political commissar was feeling the effects of not having him in Zanu PF ranks as he was struggling to attract supporters for the party in the province.
“I know it’s pretty cold to come to Mashonaland West without Mliswa. He is feeling the chilly weather, especially of Hurungwe West, because they cannot attract any support without me.
“I own the province, my heart is in Hurungwe West, and they cannot do anything about it,” Mliswa said.
Following Mliswa’s decision to stand against Zanu PF as an independent candidate in the Hurungwe West by-election after he was expelled last year, party youths invaded his farm, allegedly attacking indiscriminately any person remotely linked to Mliswa, including his workers.
Business at Mliswa’s sprawling properties — that include a service station, a restaurant, a thriving farm and a lodge — was brought to a halt as the boisterous youths vowed to take it as a way of punishing the outspoken legislator, who dared challenge the deeply-divided ruling party as an independent candidate for Hurungwe West in the by-elections.
The Zanu PF yobs only left after the intervention of the courts.
In his address, Kasukuwere who was visibly angry, said Mliswa had nothing to offer except stammering.
“He has always been like that; he has nothing to offer except stammering, noise and claiming to know everything.
“He once claimed that he had invented cricket, that he had manufactured Dynamos and farmers,” Kasukuwere said.-Daily News
10 Real Causes of the Financial Crisis in Zimbabwe
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by Dr Tapiwa Mashakada, MDC Shadow Minister of Finance,
The banking sector plays an intermediary role in the economy through a process called financial mediation. In lay man terms this simply means mobilizing surplus deposits and lending to borrowers. Moreover, these deposits can be short term, medium term, long term, fixed or on-call.
The majority of the $6 billion dollars annual deposits have been in the form of demand deposits, which means that depositors can withdraw them on demand at any time. In other words banks must ensure that they maintain healthy balance sheets to avoid a situation where liabilities exceed assets.
The whole banking system is therefore strictly regulated and supervised by the Reserve Bank in order to maintain financial stability and confidence in the banking system.
Beginning January 2016, public and business confidence started to wane due to a plethora of reasons. Peoples’ confidence in the banking system deteriorated fast and things came to a head in May 2016. The reasons for the collapse of confidence in the banking sector can be unpacked as follows:
1. Indigenization
The bickering in government over the indigenization policy and the lack of consistency on this matter triggered panic from investors and depositors. You may recall that Minister Zhuwao threatened all non-complying firms with forced closure or expropriation. This included banks. At the same time Minister Chinamasa preferred a case by case approach to indigenization which sharply contradicted Zhuwao’s wholesale approach. In the end, the 2 Ministers issued out an ambiguous indigenization framework in January 2016.
In April 2016, Zhuwao was at it again, issuing yet another threat to companies who had not complied. The net effect was capital flight. Yet it is abundantly clear that the indigenization policy has damaged economic recovery over a long period. It is the elephant in the living room because it scares investors.
2. Payment of war veterans transfers
Mugabe had to avert a potentially explosive situation and doled out $6.4 million dollars towards school fees for children of war veterans. I don’t have any problem with the payment of fees but my point is that government did not have this kind of money. It dipped its fingers into depositors funds.
3. Tobacco Farmers
When the tobacco marketing season commenced, government commandeered all farmers to open bank accounts. The government then pounced on the banked funds to meet its recurrent expenditure which include the staggered payment of bonuses.
4. The Lima Agreement
Last year in Lima the capital of Peru, Chinamasa signed an agreement with the IMF, World Bank and AfDB wherein he undertook to pay the $1.8 billion dollar arrears within 3 months ( February, March, April 2016). Chinamasa had hoped that the repayment would unlock new funding. Of course this was a grave mistake. Government had to run like a headless chicken to look for the $1.8 billion dollars. Government had to borrow from the banking sector and other sources.
5. Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)
Government pounced on all RTGS funds at the Reserve Bank in order to pay its financial obligations. This had a huge impact on banking sector liquidity.
6. Public Borrowing
Government has been issuing Treasury Bills now amounting to $2 billion dollars. The problem is that all the TBs were rolled over upon maturity. This seriously affected banks’ cash flows. In fact some banks were driven to the brink of collapse by the purchase of TBs.
7. Illicit financial outflows
Corruption, lack of transparency and accountability, all roled into one, combined to perforate fiscal revenues. The $15 billion dollar heist from Marange is one typical example.
8. Poor revenue performance
ZIMRA revenue collections are dwindling every month because companies are closing. Growth is plummeting and there is a general slump in production. The economy has negative Savings.
9. Zanu PF Implosion
The infighting in Zanu PF has not helped the situation. In fact it has imperiled the functionality of government leaving the economy to freeze. The absence of an economic stimulus program has weakened growth. The boomerang effect is that the overall liquidity situation of the country is impaired.
10. Worsening Trade Deficit
The current account balance has worsened due to the depreciation of the Rand. Zimbabwe’s annual import bill is $6 billion dollars compared to exports to the tune of $2.9 billion dollars. This leaves a trade deficit of $3 billion dollars. The trade deficit and budget deficit are like twin deficits. Twin relationships are always problematic.
Conclusion
Dollarization requires that the economy be opened to business without any hindrances. The supply of United States Dollars are from the following sources:
(1) official development assistance, which is not forthcoming because of the debt overhang, and governance and human rights issues that have resulted in sanctions
(2) Balance of payments support from multi-lateral institutions which is not forthcoming
(3) Lines of Credit which have dried up
(4) Exports, which are depressed because companies are operating below capacity and the proceeds are
externalized
(5) Foreign Direct Investment which is not coming because of Indigenization and policy inconsistency.
At the end of the day we can see that through its omissions and commissions, government is culpable for the current cash shortages. MDC rejects any scapegotting or red herrings.
The re-introduction of the Zim dollar means that government now has access to the printing press where it can then create superficial credit in the economy through seigniorage revenue revenues, a process which stokes hyperinflation. We are back again to the days of vodoo economics and financial engineering – all to the detriment of the economy.
Next I will offer alternative solutions to the current financial crisis from the point of view of the MDC
Makandiwa Shot at by Minister, Rubbished
President Robert Mugabe’s nephew and Mines Minister, Walter Chidakwa has shot into the United Family International Church leader, Emmanuel Makandiwa, dismissing the latter’s claims that he is the one who prophesied the recent discovery of minerals along the Zambezi Valley.
Government recently discovered mineral deposits at the Gatshe Gatshe River mouth, after Makandiwa at one point last year had told his followers that he was foreseeing huge oil deposits that would turn around the country’s economic fortunes overnight.
In his own words at the church gathering which he held at the National Sports Centre Makandiwa said, “I saw our fathers following a very big river and from the skies I looked down and I saw them looking for something here, looking for something there. But they were following a very big river,” he said back then.
He continued,“…when I was taken to the place, I saw the sons of the fathers mining in a different place. I saw a generation maybe that’s not your generation, maybe it is the next generation, maybe it is our sons.”
But Chidhakwa speaking while addressing a Zanu PF rally in Karoi, said the mineral deposits had accumulated over the years from the Great Dyke into the Zambezi Valley escapement.
He said gold and diamond deposits had also been swept by the Save River into Mozambique, adding there was sufficient scientific and historic evidence to prove his claims.
In March 2011 when the ruling party launched its Anti-Sanctions campaign, they invited Makandiwa to grace the event.
The prominent Harare church leader was made to give an opening prayer at the event before he joined the Mugabe cabal in signing a petition against the travel restrictions imposed on President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF elite.
Makandiwa was then added to the list of high-profile sect leaders to join the Zanu PF bandwagon after Anglican faction leader Nolbert Kunonga, Pentecostal Assembly of Zimbabwe’s Trevor Manhanga, African Apostolic Church leader Paul Mwazha and Obadiah Musindo, among others.
Banana’s Gay Sex Attacks: Readers Riot
The announcement by the former President Canaan Sodindo Banana’s son, Nathan, that he has formed a political party has been received with mixed feelings by the public.
Nathan made headlines Monday saying that he is launching a political party, the Freedom Justice Coalition Zimbabwe, in Bulawayo, with the aim of ridding Zimbabwe of President Robert Mugabe.
But most of readers had no kind words for the late Banana’s son who they said the nation has neither forgotten nor forgiven his late father’s homosexual behaviour.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for this Banana boy to involve himself in politics, he may attempt to ‘liberate’ gays and popularise gay practices”, wrote one reader.
“Congrats Nathan, but do you also “lead from behind” like your father? And if you’re gonna bring your father’s “leadership qualities” into the picture, please remember to also address the damage your father did to the buttocks of his bodyguards,” another one added.
Nathan’s father who died in 2003 at the age of 67, in 1999 was found guilty of 11 counts of sodomy and abuse of power in which he was said to have carried out “unnatural acts” with men, most of whom were on his presidential staff roll.
In his trial which included testimony of sex with gardeners, cooks and bodyguards overshadowed his much celebrated reputation of ending the Gukurahundi massacres in the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces during his tenure of office.
Another reader commented ,“I know; it’s a dirty game he is getting himself into and he needs to prepare; the Tsvangirais won’t just call him a CIO they will say he’s also gay, and the Jonathan Moyos will even go further to claim Banana never fathered any kids”.
Others however said Banana had made a wise choice because Zimbabwe was better with anyone else who is not with President Robert Mugabe.
“Anyone can do better than Mugabe. Mugabe is the worst leader this country will ever have,” said a reader who sympathised with Banana.
“Zimbabwe is a democratic country. If he is eligible, then he can run,” another one added.
Banana’s Son Starts Own Party, Vows to Remove Mugabe
THE LATE former president Dr Canaan Sodindo Banana’s son, Nathan, has followed in his father’s footsteps by launching a political party, with the aim of ordering a full-fledged campaign that will see him participate in the 2018 general elections. Banana’s Freedom Justice Coalition Zimbabwe (FJCZ) party has been launched in the UK.
Nathan, who is Dr Banana’s third born son, however, declined to comment on these developments referring reporters to the party’s information desk.
“This is not really my party but it is a political party in its structuring and formative phase, being developed in Zimbabwe and across the world by ordinary Zimbabweans. I am simply helping as I like their vision and mission objectives,” he said.
According to the party’s website, Nathan is listed as a founding member together with Mr Tonderai Chivengwa, Mr Jammel Asani, Mr Tau Muluswela, Mrs Evenly Mudzingwe, Mr Maqhawe Mpofu and Mr Senda.
In April 2014 before the launch of Freedom Justice Coalition Zimbabwe, Nathan wrote on his facebook page: “I have had many individuals recently encouraging me to offer myself for political leadership in Zimbabwe. Perhaps because of the history behind my name, or from a genuine belief in my ability and capability to influence positive change in society.”
“Much as my internal emotions compel me to embrace the invitation, I think that such an approach to leadership is not transparent enough in terms of properly assessing a prospective candidate for any leadership role. If I was selfish, arrogant and perhaps egoistic I would have jumped at such an opportunity to be imposed on the humble and innocent majority who have been fooled by missed deadlines and broken promises.
“I strongly believe that true and sincere leadership is not manufactured in education institutions, nominated to be successors by those before them, hereditary nor chosen because of the power they wield in society, be it financial wealth or any other type of power that has not been fully appreciated by the people whom it is meant to represent.”
According to a Freedom Justice Coalition Zimbabwe source the new political party would target disgruntled supporters of the MDC-T.
However, it is unclear what Nathan’s contribution has been to the community of Zimbabwe besides the track record of his family name. His father Canaan served as the first President of Zimbabwe from 18 April 1980 until 31 December 1987 but was disgraced in 1998 when he was found guilty of 11 charges of sexual assault.
He was sentenced to 10 years in jail, nine of which were suspended, and his wife and family, including Nathan, sought political asylum in Britain in October 2000.
Woman Rapes Son
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| A 20 year old woman here sexually abused her 11 year old stepson and threatened to kill him if he disclosed the incident.
Netsai Joramu of village 4 Mkosi Resettlement area in Masvingo took advantage of the absence of other people from home and sexually abused the minor. Joramu appeared before Magistrate Langton Dokera last week facing charges of aggravated indecent assault.
On an unknown date in November 2015,Joramu was left at home with the minor and called him into her bedroom. She held the juvenile by the hand and removed his pair of trousers. She proceeded to remove her undergarments and lied on the floor on her back and forcibly placed the minor on top of her. She forced the minor to insert his manhood into her private parts.
Joramu threatened to kill the boy by way of food poisoning after abusing him several times. She also orderd the boy not to disclose the matter.
Sometime in December 2015, Joramu again dragged the boy ,who was playing outside the house, into her bedroom and raped him.
However when the boy’s mother phoned him,he narrated what had transpired. The boy’s mother who was in South Africa, came back to Zimbabwe and reported the matter to the police leading to Joramu’s arrest.
The boy was also medically examined and the report will be read in court as exhibit.
Govt Kicks Out War Veterans from Invaded Farm
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| The government last week kicked out at least seven families -comprising veterans and war collaborators from Southwill farm, 25km east of Masvingo, leaving the resettled farmers exposed to the biting cold.
The war veterans and war collaborators invaded Southwill farm belonging to one, Orsman Khan, at the height of the land grab exercise in 2000. Hundreds of other commercial farmers were displaced while some were killed as Zanu PF supporters and the veterans of the liberation struggle moved in to occupy so called “white-owned land” under the controversial Third Chimurenga farm invasions.
There has been a protracted legal battle between Khan and the war veterans and the Lands and Resettlement Ministry with the help of the Messenger of Court, last week ordered the eviction of the seven families from Southwill farm.
The war veterans who spoke to ZimEye.com accused the Provincial Lands Committee of being sponsored by known Zanu PF politicians to humiliate the former freedom fighters.
“The whole system is corrupt and we have been evicted because of factional politics. There are some senior Zanu PF officials who are determined to embarrass us. We are sleeping in the open where our belongings have been dumped,” said Vanda Marwei, one of the affected war veterans.
Their houses were destroyed last week and they have been sleeping in the open for close to a week and their crops are also likely to be destroyed.
As the Zanu PF factional fights continue to escalate, war veterans have been caught up in the raging storm-with the First Lady, Grace Mugabe openly denigrating the former freedom fighters. Zanu PF used the chaotic land reforme exercise as a campaign strategy after losing in the 2000 referendum. It is understood the referendum loss triggered the nationwide farm invasions.
Air Zim Boss Found Dead In Bush
Family members, in a series of Facebook posts last week, seemed to suggest that Dhliwayo, whose maiden name was Taruvinga, had been kidnapped. Police in the neighbouring country reportedly found her body and sent it to an unnamed hospital where her parents identified it on Saturday.
Air Zimbabwe passenger and cargo general manager Chris Kwenda yesterday confirmed Dhliwayo death.
“Details of her death are still very sketchy. I don’t even know the city where the body was found. What I can say is that she travelled to Botswana on personal business last Saturday soon after the Trade Fair intending to come back the following day and she never came back,” said Kwenda.
He said Dhliwayo’s parents started panicking on Monday but they thought since it was a holiday she had decided to delay her return.
“They got really worried on Wednesday when there was still no communication from her,” he said.
Kwenda said Dhliwayo’s husband and parents decided to travel to Botswana to look for her. That is when police told them of a body at the mortuary.
He declined to give details of the family saying they were still fragile and grief stricken following the untimely death of their loved one.
Kwenda said Dhliwayo’s body was still awaiting repatriation.
Her sister — Shuvanayi Taruvinga — yesterday morning wrote on her Facebook page: “In the name of Jesus Christ. God we pray for Shingai Taruvinga ngaadzoswe kwatiri baba (She must be brought to us Lord). It has been a week my sister tisingazivi kwauri asi Jehovah vanewe (not knowing where you are but God is with you). Please carry her home Lord. She cannot just go missing. May you bring her kidnappers to shame God.”
On May 3, when the family was still looking for her, Taruvinga wrote: “We love u girl. God is looking out for u . . .”
On the same day her husband Totizirepi appealed for his wife to call him.
“Love looking everywhere for you, please call,” he wrote.
Unconfirmed reports say Dhliwayo who ran Shekinah Wedding Décor Unlimited; a catering company had been invited for a business meeting in the neighbouring country intending to return the following day.
“We hear that her body was found in a bush and she was probably murdered,” said sources.
Dhliwayo was last seen on duty at the just ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair at the parastatal’s stand.-state media
Mujuru Anointed by fr.President Banda in Dubai | BREAKING NEWS
People First leader Joice Mujuru has been anointed by former President Joice Banda (Malawi) in Dubai.
ZimEye.com exclusively reports of the live function in Dubai, on Sunday 8th May, organised by the highly resourced elite organisation, the Sheroes Forum.
Mujuru was flanked by MDC bosses with their millions of backers, Thokozani Khupe and Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga, in a case somehow demonstrating how Zimbabwean women can come up with a formidable challenge together against the previously male dominated politics in the country and fix the nation’s woes once and for all.
She received a special international award for courage and bravery.
The ceremony venue chosen was Dubai, disturbing First Lady Grace Mugabe in her resort hide-out, in what could be seen as a clear political statement that her family dynasty of autocratic rule is over. Mujuru’s incorporation is part of the “ELECT HER IN AFRICA”INITIATIVE” whose function began today and ends on Tuesday the 10th May. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW…
Mujuru was hounded out of the ruling ZANU PF party by Grace Mugabe after the latter raised a plethora of sensational allegations of misconduct, none of which has been proven two years later.
ZimEye.com’s Grace Kwinjeh and Simba Chikanza are reporting live on the Dubai updates as the function continues.
More to follow…
Magaya Insists his “Prophecy” that 2016 is A Year of Economic Boom for Zimbabwe
PROPHETIC Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader, Walter Magaya, has insisted his claims in which he says that 2016 is a year of overflow, urging Zimbabweans currently under the prevailing economic scourge, to remain focused saying the country will overcome the prevailing economic challenges.
He said the current challenges were not new since the country has once gone through a bad patch before, but managed to survive.
Magaya said this while fielding questions from journalists last Friday, on the sidelines of his church’s crusade dubbed “Miracle Night”, at his Waterfalls base where thousands of people attended.
“Hope is there. There is always a way. You shall see. The same time next year I will be asking you what did I say? God will always create a way. Look at what happened in the past years. God created ways and we have survived over the past years,” said Magaya.
He said hardships in some instances were meant to create a window for miracles to happen. “In tough times, it is an opportunity for miracles. You can only identify a miracle where there are tough times,” Magaya said.
He said other renowned prophets have made the same predictions that this year was fruitful.
“Look, almost all the prophets said the same thing. (United Family International Church leader) Prophet (Emmanuel) Makandiwa prophesied on the issue of overflow, we (as PHD) are saying the same thing of overflow and abundance, my father (TB Joshua) also said this year is a year of reward. So it is about following the Word. In Christ there are many opportunities,” said Prophet Magaya.
Commenting on prospects of conducting a church service together with Prophet Makandiwa, Magaya said while they had discussed several issues they had not substantively discussed on the subject, but was keen to share a stage with the UFIC leader.
“We have not discussed that, but we have a lot that we have discussed in goodwill and in good terms. We have not really gone into that. He has a busy schedule and I have my own busy schedule. But it would be nice, I would not mind for that event to happen, but I cannot say when,” said Magaya.
“He does not have an obligation to visit my church. I went to his church, he will visit ours at the correct time. I love him, I respect him, he has shown us the way, we are all respected here as prophets,” he said.
Asked why the “madman” in Rusape that he healed last year was not staying in the new house bought for him by the church, Prophet Magaya said the man, Garikayi Zindi, was no longer comfortable staying in the town.
“He is fine. His only complaint is that I do not want to go to Rusape. Please sell the house in Rusape and buy me a house close to the church. One reason is that there are no relatives of his in Rusape, he was staying there as a ‘mad man’ so he says it reminds me of my memories so he wants a separate place. That is his main reason. He wants to stay close to the church. He is afraid that he can be attacked again by evil spirits,” said Prophet Magaya.
Asked how the church responded to that, Magaya said: “We are still looking into it, we are calm, we are not in a hurry, why should we hurry? It’s our ministry, it’s our pace, so at the right time we shall move and do it according to what we want. We are not doing it to satisfy anyone.”
Prosecutor Up for Assault
Judgment in a case in which Beitbridge area prosecutor Muchiwande Forbes Sithole (35) is accused of assaulting two people and kidnapping another person who was beaten by his three unknown accomplices until he suffered serious kidney injuries, has been set for June 3.
The matter proceeded to defence when the presiding magistrate, Mr Collet Ncube, dismissed Sithole’s application for discharge and ruled that he had a case to answer.
Sithole, of 38 Flamboyant Street in the border town, is alleged to have assaulted two men who had allegedly broken into his house and stole property worth R7 300. He is also accused of handing over his car, a Toyota Surf, to three unknown men who beat up the suspect until he nearly died due to kidney injuries.
The area prosecutor denied all the charges when the trial opened before Masvingo regional magistrate Mr Ncube at the Beitbridge Magistrates’ Court. Through his legal representative, Mr Listen Zinyenge of Zinyenge Rupapa Legal Practitioners who is being assisted by Mr Patrick Tererai of Tererai Legal Practice, Sithole argued that the victims were arrested by members of the community through citizens’ arrest.
Sithole said he was a victim of a grand plan to victimise him and tarnish his image. He said the complainants were mere pawns in the game. Masvingo senior prosecutor Mr Elson Chavarika told the court that during the night of September 8 last year there was a burglary at Sithole’s house and an assortment of property, which included footballs boots, grocery items and blankest were stolen.
He said on September 15, Sithole got a tip-off that Clemence Moyo and Knowledge Mike were selling property similar to his at a flea market at Dulibadzimu Terminus. Sithole then identified the football boots which the duo was selling.
A citizen’s arrest was effected. Mr Chavarika said the accused who was in the company of unknown two men then ordered Moyo and Mike into his vehicle and drove to their house.
The prosecutor said upon reaching the complainants’ house he assaulted them.
They implicated John Navhaya. Sithole then drove to Navhaya’s house together with Moyo and Mike. He then effected a citizen’s arrest of Navhaya. Sithole and his accomplices allegedly forced Navhaya to tell them where the rest of the stolen property was and he implicated Gabriel Choruwa.
The State further alleges that the prosecutor invited Choruwa to his workplace. He handed over Choruwa to an unknown man. The accomplice later teamed up with two others and kidnapped Choruwa. They drove to a secluded area where they beat Choruwa until he ruptured his kidney. state media
Millions of Zimbabweans to Starve Until 2018 Elections
Millions of Zimbabweans are set to starve with the government putting in place a plan for the importing of grain for food relief from outside the country extending into the year 2018.
Maize imports from regional and international countries have begun trickling in under the government and the private sector import plan, that will see the country receive grain past the 2017 rainy season.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made, said that the number of people who require food aid continues to increase, hence a long term import plan that will last until 2017 has been put in place.
More than three million people are in need of food aid following the El Nino induced drought that hit country this season.
The government has assured local farmers who harvest and sell their crop to GMB that they will be paid cash on delivery.
More Hookers Infected With HIV Everyday
The National Aids Council (Nac) has released the results of their research, indicating that although the national HIV prevalence has been declining in the past two years, it is four times high in other community groups like commercial sex workers.
Amon Mpofu, Nac monitoring and evaluation director told Parliamentarians on a countrywide tour and capacity building programme on HIV and Aids interventions that although the prevalence rate nationally stood at 13, 8 percent as of December 31 last year, down from 15,3 the previous year, indications were that 56,4 percent of commercial sex workers were infected.
“It’s sad to note that although we’re making efforts to reduce new infections we still have a problem in other community groups among them commercial sex workers and those in densely populated areas like growth points where the incidents rate is increasing,” said Mpofu.
“We’ve mapped out some of the high risk areas which include Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and Manicaland provinces and research on 1,000 sex workers shows that prevalence rate on sex workers aged between 18 and 24 years stands at 36 percent, 25 to 29 (55 percent), 30 to 39 (69 percent) and those age 40 years and above its 77 percent,” he said.
Mpofu said it was very important for parliamentarians and traditional leaders to play a leading role in formulating effective HIV and Aids intervention policies.
He said it was important for the government to focus on key population areas in the country who needed specific needs in implementing intervention programmes.
“We need to seriously look at sector communities. As Nac we’ll continue providing services and capacity building programmes,” he said.- state media
Mnangagwa Savaged By Mahoka Again
The sharp-tongued Mahoka also all but accused Mnangagwa — among a litany of other thinly-disguised charges — of working feverishly to topple President Robert Mugabe from power.
Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters yesterday, at her latest no-holds-barred rally at Chikangwe Stadium in Karoi, Mahoka said pointedly that all senior party officials who were angling to succeed Mugabe would “definitely be disappointed”.
Although Mahoka did not mention Mnangagwa by name throughout her address, she left little to the imagination that the beleaguered VP was the main target of her attack.
“There are people who mislead some of our leaders that they have people and supporters when they have nothing. They want to lead when our president is still around. Down with them. We have only one president, VaMugabe chete (only),” she said.
Mnangagwa suffered the indignity of addressing a virtually empty Rufaro Stadium on Workers Day — leading his Zanu PF enemies to mockingly claim that he was unelectable as he allegedly had no social base.
“They (Zanu PF bigwigs) also go about saying Mugabe is old, yet they are as old as him, probably two years’ difference,” she said — also in apparent reference to Mnangagwa, who says he was born on September 15, 1942.
“They should go first. Others hold secret meetings in offices that they were given by Mugabe. They should be warned that the women’s league is coming to destroy them,” she added.
Zanu PF officials opposed to Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe claim that his age and liberation struggle credentials are among the many things about him that “don’t add up”.
One of the VP’s detractors who spoke to the Daily News recently said it was a fact that Mnangagwa
had escaped the hangman’s noose in Rhodesia in 1965, because he had been under 21 years of age then — which meant that he could not have been born in 1942.
Mahoka, who was recently reported to have had a hit ordered against her on the alleged account of her regularly skinning the embattled VP, has said she is not intimidated by the claims of the plot to kill her, adding that she is “ready to die for Mugabe and his powerful wife Grace”.
Yesterday she also moved to rubbish the push by war veterans aligned to Mnangagwa to dethrone Zanu PF national political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere, from his position.
“Some say Tyson (Kasukuwere) cannot be political commissar and that the post must be held by war vets. They are dreaming. They should know that they are a mere association who have no power to dictate to the party,” Mahoka said.
The disgruntled war veterans recently made presentations to Mugabe, during their Harare indaba with the nonagenarian last month, where they called for the complete overhaul of the commissariat department, saying it should be led by a person with liberation war credentials.
Mahoka also alleged that there was an ongoing harassment of women in the provinces, which she said was a desperate bid by Mnangagwa’s supporters to stop the women’s league from agitating for the elevation of a woman into the presidium.
The claim comes as the women’s league, supported by Mnangagwa’s avowed party enemies, the Generation 40 group, has stepped up its demands for the return of the women’s quota system in the party, which will see Mugabe appointing a woman as one of his two deputies — a move that is said to be targeted at demoting Mnangagwa.
Zanu PF women’s league deputy secretary Eunice Sandi-Moyo also took the opportunity to heap praises on Mugabe and Grace at yesterday’s rally in Karoi.
“There are people who say Dr Amai (Grace) is wrong, that she attacks others at rallies, but at heart she is an angel. She easily forgives and we must emulate her.
“The party cannot be strong without the women’s league because we hold the keys to development. Some say there is too much infighting in the party, yet we will be helping each other run the party, redirecting those who may have lost the way.
“What we know is we have only one president. He is the one we chose. We went to war as war vets not for positions, but to liberate the country. Those who are yearning for leadership renewal are dreaming. We will be supporting the youths in their million-man march to support our president,” the Bulawayo Provincial minister of State said.
When it was Kasukuwere’s turn to speak, he attacked former Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial
chairman Temba Mliswa, who now leads the pressure group Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (Yard), saying the former Hurungwe West legislator “has nothing to offer” to youths.
“Youths, don’t follow Mliswa. He has nothing to offer except stammering. We will take his farm and make it into residential stands for our people,” he warned ominously.
“You started a fight against Zanu PF, and so we will show you that your fist is smaller. You are only good at talking. Do not follow his Yard because it’s a backyard,” Kasukuwere added, urging Zanu PF supporters not to also back Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First (ZPF).
“Do not follow ZPF, they are ‘People Fired’. It’s a case of sour grapes, they have nothing new to offer,” he said. daily news
Mugabe Boots Out Togarepi
President Robert Mugabe has all but endorsed the vote of no confidence that was recently passed against Zanu PF youth league boss Pupurai Togarepi by his executive, after the nonagenarian allowed him to be kicked out of Wednesday’s politburo meeting in Harare.
Well-placed Zanu PF sources told the Daily News on Sunday that Mugabe’s aides had told Togarepi bluntly that he could not attend the meeting or continue to be a politburo member, until his suspension from the youth league was mediated and finalised by the party’s national disciplinary committee (NDC).
“Togarepi appeared to have been taken by surprise, as he genuinely believed that the president would save him. But it was not to be, and was subsequently booted out of the meeting,” one of the sources said.
This was corroborated by a party official linked to Zanu PF’s ambitious Young Turks who go by the moniker Generation 40 (G40) — who are rabidly opposed to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe.
“Togarepi had to leave soon after His Excellency’s arrival because the president’s security told him that he was not welcome. It was an embarrassing scene as he had to leave immediately and he was close to tears because he never anticipated it.
“Remember that Team Lacoste (Mnangagwa faction) has been blocking the NDC from handling the case as they wanted the president to use his discretion to save Togarepi as an appointee by the president. Lacoste were thoroughly shocked by the decision,” the second source said.
Togarepi was booted from the youth league by his colleagues last March, together with his secretary for administration Lewis Mathuthu and committee member Sibongile Sibanda — all alleged staunch allies of Mnangagwa.
He had until now remained defiant, saying his suspension was a nullity, and that only Mugabe, who appointed him to the post of youth league leader, had the authority to fire him — as Zanu PF’s deadly factional and succession wars continue to escalate.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Togarepi — while confirming that he had left last week’s politburo meeting prematurely — denied that he had been ordered to leave.
“I left early because I had other issues to attend to. Do not listen to what your sources are telling you because they have their own agenda.
“Nothing of that sort happened,” he said, while refusing to shed light on how long he lasted in the meeting.
“Do I have to explain that to you? What do you want to know? Is that a question you would ask all politburo members? I will not respond to that,” he said angrily, referring further questions to Zanu PF national spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo.
But Khaya Moyo referred all questions on the matter to secretary for administration, Ignatius Chombo, saying he was not in the politburo when Mugabe arrived at the meeting — as he was attending to some other business.
Chombo’s mobile number was not reachable until the Daily News on Sunday went to Press last night.
However, a youth league national executive member asserted that Togarepi was a “Team Lacoste kingpin”, adding that he had got his “comeuppance”.
“The reason why he (Togarepi) had the guts to attend Wednesday’s meeting after he had boycotted the previous one was that his faction had told him that the NDC, which they accuse of bias, would not be handling his case because he was appointed by the president.
“But now his case is closed, and he will not be taking part in any youth league events, including the forthcoming million-man march,” the official said.
A confident Togarepi told the Daily News on Sunday’s sister paper, the Daily News, soon after the youth league’s decision to pass a vote of no confidence against him, that he would stay put, saying only Mugabe could fire him.
“I serve at the pleasure of the president and I will only listen to what he directs me to do. In the meantime, I am actually at work, in the office at the party headquarters,” he said then.
Announcing the vote of no confidence, Togarepi’s deputy Kudzanai Chipanga said his boss had resigned from his post after realising that he was “not equal to the task” of leading party youths.
Chipanga also claimed that Togarepi had, in addition, recused himself from chairing the meeting that resolved to elbow him out of the party.
“He diplomatically resigned after he had acknowledged that he felt that he was feeling guilty that he failed the youth league and we found it prudent to pass a vote of no confidence against him,” Chipanga said.
“We are not going to tolerate anyone who indulges in factional politics and indiscipline in the party. We respect everyone in the party but when it comes to support, we only support one person that is the president.
“There are some people who want to tamper with the youth league and the women’s league but we resolved in 2014 that we have one centre of power, whose wings are the two leagues.
“So, whoever wants to tamper with those wings will be viewed as attempting to tamper with the centre of power which we are not going to allow,” Chipanga added.-Daily News
It’s Your Friends It’s Your Choice It’s Your Destiny
It is true that you are as good as your friends. So, choose your friends wisely, especially those you spend more time with or talk with much. Even at work. People do not just become friends. You have to be aligned in direction. Your thinking must also line up. It is better to be alone than to be in the company of negative people. You may be saying what about loneliness. To be lonely is not the same thing as being alone. Loneliness is about feelings and mental status. You can have lots of people around you and still feel lonely, and the opposite is true.
As you advance in life, advance with you friends. If you do not, they will go up without you. Please note that if you are behaving foolishly, your buddies may not be. And one day you will be saying, ‘We used to play together with that Chief Executive Officer.’
When you are in school you all wear the same uniform and look cute. When you are young in your family, you cannot imagine your brother in jail or your sister in prostitution, and worse yourself in that situation, but as we grow our paths tends to change.
When your friends go upwards, that is, get promoted or goes to varsity and you are left, what happens? For example, Kelvin quickly finds new friends who also did not manage to get promoted so as to sooth himself. Soon Samuel at the new level finds new friends at that level and drop Kelvin out completely. What has just happened? Kelvin yielded to the pressure of a set back and adjusted himself to a lower standard. Instead Kelvin could have involved Samuel to make wiser decisions (or ask for advice) so that he can also upgrade his life as well.
Stop blaming you parents, stop blaming the government, stop blaming anybody! You are not a baby. If you think that your parents made wrong moves, what you yourself have you done to make things better. If you are over 18 years old you are now responsible for your life and cannot blame anyone for your life. Do yourself a favour. Make things right now.
“Make wise decisions today in order to secure your future tomorrow!” Every day you make thousands of choices. Each choice you make today is not just for you, it is for your children and your children’s children. You will be remembered by results of these choices! The friendships you make today are not just for you, they affect your children and your children’s children. As you navigate life, choose wisely each time.
Have a great day!
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© Copyright 2015 by It’s My Footprint, www.itsmyfootprint.com.
How Do You Know That You Are An Introvert?
“You see things. You keep quiet about them and you understand.” – The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
People are different. They are different in all sorts of different ways, with different personalities and styles. Some are thinkers, other are feelers, some are task orientated others are people persons. The better you know yourself and how you function, the easier it is to know and to maximize your God given potential and fulfill your calling. Most of these characteristics are not chosen. For today, the question is ‘How do you know that you are an introvert?’
What are introverts? They are people who tend to be preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings and minimize their contact with other people. Introversion is “the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one’s own mental life”.
It is common to mistake introversion for shyness. Shyness (also called diffidence) is the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness especially when a person is in proximity to other people. Here is how you can tell that you are an introvert;
You find small talk incredibly cumbersome
Introverts are extremely small talk-phobic, as they find idle chatter to be a source of anxiety, or at least an annoyance. For many quiet types, chitchat can feel insincere. Laurie Helgoe writes (in Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength), “We hate small talk because we hate the barrier it creates between people.” Small talk least interests you, and you tend not to talk with a person who is not capable of carrying forward a conversation.
You go to parties, but not to meet people
If you are an introvert, you may sometimes enjoy going to parties, but chances are you are not going because you are excited to meet new people, no! At a party, most introverts would rather spend time with a small group of people they already know and feel comfortable around. If you happen to meet a new person that you connect with, that would be great but meeting people is rarely the goal.
You find crowds stressful and you often feel alone in a crowd
Ever feel like an outsider in the middle of an active social gatherings and group activities, even with people you know? If you tend to find yourself feeling alone in a crowd, you might be an introvert. Crowds are definitely not an introvert’s favorite place to be. Concerts, rallies, conferences and sports arenas can all be very uncomfortable places for an introvert.
Networking makes you feel like a phony
Networking (that is, small-talk with the end goal of advancing one’s career) can feel particularly unauthentic for introverts, who crave authenticity in their interactions. It is advisable for introverts to network in small, intimate groups rather than at large mixers.
You secretly realize that most of what most people speak most of the time is rubbish
Needless to say, you dislike small talk with a passion. You wonder why people are not real and honest when they talk. You notice that many people fake their expressions.
You are easily distracted
Introverts get easily distracted and overwhelmed in environments with an excess of stimulation. “Extroverts are commonly found to be more easily bored than introverts on monotonous tasks, probably because they require and thrive on high levels of stimulation,” Clark University researchers wrote in a paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “In contrast, introverts are more easily distracted than extroverts and, hence, prefer relatively unstimulating environments.”
You like doing nothing sometimes
Downtime doesn’t feel unproductive to you. One of the most fundamental characteristics of introverts is that they need time alone to recharge their batteries. Whereas an extrovert might get bored or antsy spending a day at home alone with tea and a stack of magazines, this sort of down time feels necessary and satisfying to an introvert. They see the value in a quiet night in every once in a while. Just doing nothing is a way for you to relax and re-energize.
You enjoy having time to yourself
You love your freedom like crazy. When you have the chance to take a break, you would rather spend time reading, playing video games or just listening to music. That quiet time is important to your sense of well-being even though there are plenty of times that you enjoy social get-togethers. You don’t like going out much, but when you do, you tend to get out of the group as soon as the interesting conversation part you over. You also love solitary activities like reading, going on a walk etc, and you don’t feel like you are missing something while doing this stuff. You also have no problem in eating your food alone or being by yourself when almost everyone around is with a companion. When you find no one at your home, you feel like a king!
You are great at speeches, but not great afterwards
‘Giving a talk in front of 500 people is less stressful than having to mingle with those people afterwards.’ Introverts can be excellent leaders and public speakers and they don’t necessarily shy away from the spotlight. Surprisingly performers like Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera and Emma Watson all identify as introverts and an estimated 40 percent of CEOs have introverted personalities. Instead, an introvert might struggle more with meeting and greeting large groups of people on an individual basis. Just because you are an introvert, it doesn’t mean that you are not outgoing and confident. It just means that you might be better at public speaking than the schmoozing that comes afterwards. You can give a great wedding toast, but mingling during the reception isn’t your style.
You start to shut down after you have been active for too long.
Do you start to get tired and unresponsive after you have been out and about for too long? It’s likely because you are trying to conserve energy. Everything introverts do in the outside world causes them to expend energy, after which they will need to go back and replenish their stores in a quiet environment. Short of a quiet place to go, many introverts will resort to zoning out.
You are in a relationship with an extrovert.
It’s true that opposites attract, and introverts frequently gravitate towards outgoing extroverts who encourage them to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. Introverts are sometimes drawn to extroverts because they like being able to ride their ‘fun bubble’ once in a while. Many introverts are friends with extroverts because this provides balance for both types of people. Sometimes, introverts need to be led out of their shells a bit, and extroverts need to recognize the benefits of a quiet night in.
You would rather be an expert at one thing than try to do everything.
The dominant brain pathways introverts use is one that allows you to focus and think about things for a while, so they are geared toward intense study and developing expertise, according to Olsen Laney.
You screen all your calls, even from friends.
You may not pick up your phone even from people you like, but you will call them back as soon as you are mentally prepared and have gathered the energy for the conversation. “To me, a ringing phone is like having somebody jump out of a closet and go ‘BOO!,'” says Dembling. “I do like having a long, nice phone call with a friend, as long as it’s not jumping out of the sky at me.”
You notice details that others don’t.
The advantage of being overwhelmed by too much stimuli is that introverts often have a keen eye for detail, noticing things that may escape others around them. Research has found that introverts exhibit increased brain activity when processing visual information, as compared to extroverts.
You don’t feel “high” from your surroundings
Neurochemically speaking, things like huge parties just aren’t your thing. Introverts do not connect the feeling of reward to their surroundings. Throwing a huge party for an introvert is not the ‘huge’ gift for them. “Introverts have a fundamental difference in how strongly they process rewards from their environment, with the brains of introverts weighing internal cues more strongly than external motivational and reward cues,” explained LiveScience’s Tia Ghose.
You always look at the big picture.
When describing the way that introverts think, Jung explained that they are more interested in ideas and the big picture rather than facts and details. Of course, many introverts excel in detail-oriented tasks but they often have a mind for more abstract concepts as well. Introverts do really enjoy abstract discussion.
You have been told to “come out of your shell.”
Many introverted children come to believe that there’s something wrong with them if they are naturally less outspoken and assertive than their peers. Introverted adults often say that as children, they were told to come out of their shells or participate more in class.
You think before you speak.
This means you often regret why you said something to someone in such and such tone. Being asked, “Why are you so quiet?” is no big deal!
You don’t talk without reason
Introverts don’t talk unless they have something meaningful to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.
Your room is your country.
The longing for the home is ever there. After school or college or work or event, you are the first one to head to the home sweet home! You just don’t have the need to hang out with your friends especially in crowded places. A laptop and a pyjama are all you need for a day’s happiness.
Have a great day!
(Continued in ‘How Do You Know That You Are An Introvert? – Part 2’)
If you are introvert share with us below ‘How Do You Know That You Are An Introvert?’
© Copyright 2015 by It’s My Footprint, www.itsmyfootprint.com.
Flag Explosion In Zimbabwe. DAY 8
I am Not Dying – Mugabe.
President Robert Mugabe last month accused potential successors of wishing him dead and told ruling Zanu-PF supporters to unite against foreign enemies he said wanted to destroy him.
Saying he is not dying at all, Mugabe called for discipline among the liberation war veterans, urging them to conduct themselves in the same way they were “taught during the war of independence from white colonial rule”. Addressing 10,000 war veterans at the City Sports Centre in Harare, President Mugabe also warned some leaders of the freedom fighters from supping with agents of hostile Western countries.
Mugabe called on the war veterans to perpetuate the ideology and principles instilled in them.
“Our party used to have discipline, a culture and ideology of the highest level. Ideology can’t be one we do without thinking. All of us gave ourselves to fight for our country, we sacrificed not to be given money tomorrow but to sacrifice our lives to liberate Zimbabwe,” said Mugabe.
“To stop the British oppression that made us work like animals, calling our fathers ‘boy’ and our mothers ‘nanny’, a grown woman, we wanted to put a stop to that, to fight for our sovereignty and freedom.”
President Mugabe said ideological grounding taught both Zanla and Zipra forces that the war was to liberate everyone from colonialism and correct the colonial injustices committed against the people by the British.
He said the people collaborated with the freedom fighters to dislodge colonialism and the task was to carry the aspirations of all the people hence the two can never be separated. He called for self discipline, respect for other people’s cultures and humility in the communities where war veterans live.
“After the war, you must have the same discipline and not open your mouth to insult leaders. We won’t have it! Elders won’t say anything, but will quietly whisper that you’ll get what’s coming your way. Don’t ever do that because you have a position. I never do that,” said President Mugabe.
“When I’m with the chiefs, even when I go to my home in Zvimba, I clap my hands calmly as a sign of respect. They give me respect as President but customarily, I’m a child of the clan. So you’ve to have that discipline, but we observe that now some of you have lost that discipline, that’s not good. You can’t say words, you should never ever be heard saying to your elders. Never, ever!
“The discipline you give in the army, that’s external discipline. Whether you like it or not, that’s military, that’s external but in life, it’s internal discipline, what you give yourself, you forward march yourself.
“Know that there’re these two forms of discipline, the internal and external. There’re others who’re given top positions, they despise those at the bottom.”
President Mugabe said Zanu-PF has survived a number of threats including the imposition of sanctions by the United States of America and the United Kingdom on the banking sector, industry and even fertilizer companies hence crippling production and affecting food production.
He called on the war veterans to remember that the US and UK have never liked the Zanu-PF government and were working on removing the revolutionary party from power.
“It’s us, the war veterans, who know the ideology and principles. We shouldn’t be seen dining and supping with imperialists… we see them in restaurants in their numbers, and what would they be talking about. What would you be doing there?
“It’s the work of only the foreign affairs [ministry] to interact with these foreign, external representatives. Are you a spy? Or are you becoming an agent? What friendship is it? It’ll be misinterpreted by the ordinary people, so take care.”
Mugabe said despite agreements on some aspects of the Zanu-PF ideology, there were some senior officials scrambling for positions. “Some are looking forward that the President is going to die. Some write in newspapers that the President has gone to Malaysia or Singapore, he’s sick so he’s on his way, dying.
“Then you see now people chasing each other saying the President is dying. I’m not dying, have shame!” he said. President Mugabe reiterated that he serves “at the mercy” of the people, and they are the ones who will decide whether he stays or goes.
“Let’s get over that. Let’s not bother talking about succession and things like that. Look ahead. We’ve enemies who’re trying to destroy us. Let’s unite. Unite in resisting the enemy, unite in working together so that these projects can succeed,” said President Mugabe.
He said the country has abundant natural resources with strategic countries like China and Japan willing to help the nation, and focus should be directed to that.
Speaking at the meeting, War Veterans Minister Tshinga Dube said the meeting had gone on successfully, shaming some sections of the private media who had predicted chaos.
Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi also described the meeting as a success where there was open debate on issues affecting the war veterans and the party.
Barclays Bank advert stir: CIOs thrown into panic
An advert inserted in the country’s major newspapers by Barclays Bank has left a lot of people confused on the message being sent through by the bank, causing panic in the notorious central intelligence organisation, CIO.
The advert telling Zimbabweans to “take a stand and say enough is enough” has sparked controversy, with many people reading it as a political statement against the government.
“It’s time to take a stand. There comes a time when one says enough is enough. A time when one has to do the right thing. Stand up for what you believe in, your inner convictions,” the ad says.
“Stop making excuses and show your true courage. If not you then who? All of us collectively have a duty to stand up and be counted. We have taken a stand and we are standing firm, ” it continues.
Most people interpret the message as an instigation for Zimbabweans to revolt against the government that stands accused of running down the country especially coming in at a time that the government is introducing the controversial Bond Notes.
CIOs were sent into overdrive during the week searching for clues of possible legal breaches.
But speaking to ZimEye.com, the bank’s head of marketing, Dennis Mambure diffused the interpretation stating that the advert was not any political statement but just a marketing statement pivoting on irony.
“We launched a mortgage product which we are offering to all our customers; it has a tenure of 20 years and favorable interest rates. So we took a creative licence to use the word ‘stand’,” Mambure said
“As you would appreciate, for you to have a house, naturally it can’t be placed in the air, it has to sit on a stand. So essentially, we were saying to our customers ‘take a stand’, ‘take a house’.”
Mambure told ZimEye.com that their bank is apolitical and will never find itself involved in national politics.
“We are very apolitical as a bank and what we do best is serve our customers, sell them life-changing products like mortgages,” he said.
“The decisions and communications that we make are solely for the pushing of our products for the benefit of our clients and customers.”
The Bank was recently reported as plotting to close off its operations in Zimbabwe after over sixty years in the country.
A number of the bank’s branches throughout the country have been closed down in recent years restricting operations to a few major cities and with one or two branches in each city.
The bank disputed the claims on its intended relocation from the country claiming that closure of the numerous branches around the country was a mere cost cutting measure.
Another Cameroonian Football star dies in football pitch
Dinamo Bucharest and Cameroon midfielder Patrick Ekeng has died.
Ekeng aged 26, collapsed and died of a suspected heart failure in the pitch.
The promising young star fell to the ground in the 70th minute of a televised Romanian league match between Dinamo and Viitorul.
He was pronounced dead in hospital two hours later.
Ekeng’s death will remind soccer fans of the death of another Cameroon football great Marc Vivian Foe who collapsed and died in a world cup match in 1998, televised live throughout the world.
“RBZ Notes Are Illegal”
BOND NOTES: A legal perspective
On the 4th of May 2016, the Reserve Bank Governor of Zimbabwe, John Mangudya, issued a press statement wherein he indicated that “the Reserve Bank has established a USD200 million foreign exchange and export incentive facility which is supported by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to provide cushion on the high demand for foreign exchange” in the country.
The facility would be implemented through the medium of Zimbabwe “bond notes” in denominations of $2, $5, $10 and $20 and would be introduced into the economy in two months’ time. The bond notes are set to operate as an extension of the current family of bond coins which were introduced in December 2014 to address the challenge of obtaining small change in daily transactions. The Reserve Bank Governor further introduced a limit on daily cash withdrawals with the public now only able to withdraw a maximum of $1,000, €1,000 and R20,000 from their accounts, with immediate effect.
He stated that the bond notes shall continue to operate alongside other currencies and at par to the dollar. Mangudya further announced that, with immediate effect, 40 percent of all new US dollar receipts will be converted to rand, “in order to restore and promote the wide usage of currencies in the multicurrency basket.”
Following this press statement, the media has been awash with possible economic justifications/ramifications for the decisions made by Mangudya. There has also been a public outcry, with most fearing a return to the hyperinflationary chaos that characterized the 2007 and 2008 era in Zimbabwe. However, missing in the discourse is a consideration of the legality of the announcement and proposed measures by the Governor.
I wish therefore to offer my legal perspective here.
Applicable Law
The office of the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is established in terms of section 14(1) of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 22:15]. In terms of section 68 of the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, every (Zimbabwean) person has a right to [administrative] conduct by the Reserve Bank Governor that is inter alia lawful, reasonable, proportionate and both substantively and procedurally fair. His constitutional duty in this regard is echoed in section 3(1) of the Administrative Justice Act [Chapter 10:28]. According to section 3(1) of the Administrative Justice Act, “an administrative authority which has the responsibility or power to take any administrative action which may affect the rights, interests or legitimate expectations of any person shall act lawfully, reasonably and in a fair manner.” The term “administrative authority” is defined in section 2 of the Administrative Justice Act to include any person authorised by any enactment to exercise or perform any administrative power or duty.
The Reserve Bank Governor, being the officer responsible for the day-to-day management, control, administration, operation and direction of the Bank in terms of section 19 of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act, falls neatly within the definition of an “administrative authority”. The Governor is therefore subject to the provisions of section 68 of the Constitution and section 3 of the Administrative Justice Act.
Applying the above legal provisions to the contents of the Governor’s press statement, I am of the respectful view that his decisions and conduct offend our constitutional right to administrative justice.
Lawfulness
Section 68 of the Constitution as read with section 3 of the Administrative Justice Act require the Governor to act in a lawful manner. It is established under our law that all administrative powers, including those of the Governor, must derive from statute and the nature and extent of those powers are to be found in the statutory provisions granting these powers. Simply stated, this means that there has to be a legal basis, in Statute or delegated legislation for any decision that the Governor makes. The question to be asked is: what law authorizes the Governor to create “bond notes”, which bond notes then replace lawfully deposited US dollars.
It is worth highlighting that the term “bond note” is not defined anywhere in the Reserve Bank Act or the Banking Act [Chapter 24:20]. “Bond note” is not a term of conventional economics but an invention on the part of the Governor. It is clear that the law does not empower the Governor to create this, with respect, fictitious money.
Incidentally, the Reserve Bank Act does carefully delineate what powers the Reserve Bank has in instances where there is a shortage of currency of any denomination. In particular, section 42B of the Reserve Bank Act authorises the issuance of “Reserve Bank vouchers”, not “bond notes” where the Reserve bank is of the opinion that there is a shortage of currency of any denomination to pay civil servants or employees of the State. The shortage must be shown to require urgent action in the interests of public order or the economic interests of the State.
What is clear from this provision is that the Governor does not have a blanket power to create any document he thinks up to replace properly introduced currency. He also does not have the power to create such an alternative medium of exchange except where the shortage is specifically in respect of the payment of civil servants and where it is shown to be a public order emergency. The justification given by the Governor for the creation of bond notes is, therefore, inconsistent with section 42B of the Reserve Bank Act. The Governor’s justification for the curious move relates to “foreign exchange stabilisation” and an unsatisfactory attempt to ease the cash crisis. Respectfully, the law does not permit him to create alternative “money” for these purposes. It is clear that the law does not empower the Governor to make any plan he deems necessary for the purposes of resolving a cash crisis.
It can therefore be argued with great force that the conduct of the Governor in creating bond notes does not have the force of law and is therefore unlawful contrary to the requirements of section 68 of the Constitution and section 3 of the Administrative Justice Act. His conduct in taking away depositors’ hard earned dollars also arguably breaches their right to property and their right to use and transfer their property as enshrined in section 71 of the Constitution.
Substantive and procedural fairness
Section 68 of the Constitution also requires the conduct of the Governor to be “substantively and procedurally fair.” I am of the respectful view that the policies announced by the Governor are not substantively and procedurally fair to the citizenry. To illustrate the point, it cannot be fair to take money that a person has banked in US dollars away and give that person “bond notes” which the Governor admits are not currency. If they are not currency, what are they? What use are they to the business community if they cannot be used to import goods? In terms of what law or economic principle has the Governor decided that one bond note will be equivalent to one US dollar? It is basic that a person cannot arrogate to himself the power to decide the US dollar value of a piece of paper and impose it as a medium of exchange and transaction. Such an approach offends basic economics and all known law and procedure.
With respect, it is no answer as is suggested in the press statement, to contend that the bond notes are guaranteed by an “Afreximbank facility”. What is this facility? What law authorizes this approach? What does the “guarantee” mean? What are the terms of the Reserve Bank’s agreement with Afreximbank? Is a person entitled, if the guarantee is a true suretyship as envisaged by the law, to approach this bank with the bond notes and redeem in their place United States dollars? If the answer is no, then there can be no substantive fairness in the decision. It appears that the Afreximbank explanation is a smokescreen to lull the country into a false sense of security when what we have for all intents and purposes is a re-introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar, in circumstances where the economy is unable to shoulder such a burden.
Additionally, section 3 of the Administrative Justice Act demands that an administrative authority must give any person whose rights, interests or legitimate expectations may be affected by his decision “adequate notice of the nature and purpose of the proposed action”. In this regard, it could be argued that in imposing cash limits on less than 24 hours notice, the Governor acted in breach of his obligation to act fairly. Procedural fairness, in particular the audialterampartem (hear the other side) principle enjoins the Governor to consult all stakeholders widely and to allow affected persons an opportunity to be heard before making a decision concerning their property. It follows that the Governor has very likely acted in breach of his constitutional obligation to act fairly. It is no answer for the Governor to say that he had to ignore the obligation to give fair notice to avoid immediate cash withdrawals. The obligations imposed upon an administrative authority by the Constitution are peremptory and cannot be derogated from.
Reasonableness
The Governor’s decision has to pass the test of rationality. It can be argued that the decision of the Governor to introduce bond notes is not reasonable in view of the fact that the fundamentals that have led to the cash crisis, i.e. diminished productivity and our weak GDP have not at all been addressed. No sensible policy has been put in place to improve our exports and thus reduce the trade deficit. No thought has been given to the prospect of a black market developing in order to circumvent the stringent policies. If the concern is that certain foreigners e.g. the Nigerians and the Chinese are mopping up forex and externalising it, there has been no explanation as to why ordinary citizens have to be punished for this. The decision may also be said to be disproportionate in view of the corresponding harm that the new policies will create.
In solving one problem, it can be said that the Governor has created several more. All that the press statement addresses are the symptoms of the country’s economic problems. The fundamentals, e.g. the need to improve productivity, the need to introduce land tenure and the need to make Zimbabwe an attractive investment destination have all been ignored. the Governor complains of a trade deficit created by foreigners but ignores the fact that just three weeks ago the Minister of Indigenization was on the verge of closing all banks and did everything he could to scare away remaining investors. These are fundamental problems that cannot be resolved through the creation of monopoly money. The root causes underpinning the maladministration ought to be addressed. A painkiller will never effectively cure a bone fracture, which is what the conduct of the Governor respectfully amounts to.
Conclusion
One cannot escape the conclusion that the press statement points to an incremental approach geared towards bringing back the Zimbabwe Dollar, a prospect which many will agree is too ghastly to contemplate. It is hoped that further consultation on the issue, and an examination of whether there is a legal basis for the decision will lead to a rethink of the decision. The essence of administrative law is to check and balance executive power. The law ought to be invoked should the need arise in order to prevent an unlawful course of conduct. Failure to do so may result in an abuse of the Governor’s powers in breach of our Constitutional right to administrative conduct that is lawful, fair and reasonable.
Fadzayi Mahere is an advocate of the High Court and Supreme Court of Zimbabwe.
-This article first appeared in The Source
Govt Starts Arresting Business-people Over Cash Crunch
THE ZIMBABWEAN government has launched an arrest raid on company bosses it blames for “causing” the current cash crisis.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is investigating several top companies for allegedly externalising millions of United States dollars, contributing to present cash shortages.
Those fingered in illicit financial flows will be handed over to the police.
And more firms could be outed in “Panama Papers” scheduled for release in coming days.
Platinum giant Zimplats was the first to be fingered in the damning whistleblower papers that recounted how the company’s top management were paid millions off shore and deprived the State of revenue.
The RBZ is now on Zimplats’ trail and has turned its forensic lenses on other companies that could soon be exposed this week.
It is understood monetary authorities have already compiled a list of suspects and will soon wrap up investigations and will give police the names of suspects who are shipping out millions of US dolllars even as ordinary people struggle to withdraw US$200 daily from banks.
Reserve Bank Governor Dr John Mangudya told the state media that at least US$50 million had been externalised via wire transfers since January 2016. Cash transported out of Zimbabwe physically is still to be quantified.
The RBZ imported US$15 million last Friday to offset cash shortages.
Dr Mangudya said, “In terms of leakages of foreign exchange from the country through externalisation, it is something that the Central Bank is continuously addressing through monitoring of transfers by the banking public. We are saddened by such activities which are counterproductive and result in the abuse of our hard-earned foreign exchange. Externalisation is worrisome worldwide and needs to be closely monitored.
“And yes, investigations are taking place. It has been very difficult to objectively quantify the levels of externalisation, though, as most of it is externalised as cash by some unscrupulous businesspeople who sell their trinkets and other non-productive low local content items in Zimbabwe. Wire transfers through similar transactions amounted to US$50 million for the first four months in 2016.”
On bond notes, Dr Mangudya said: “Addressing capital flight is one of the major motivations for us to utilise bond notes as opposed to injecting the US$200 million (provided by the Africa Export-Import Bank) directly into the market. That money could disappear into thin air!
“The objective of the notes is to fund the 5 percent export incentive scheme in a sustainable manner that militates against capital flight. This means without the bond notes, there would be no export incentive facility.”
He added, “We want to create a revolution for the use of plastic money in Zimbabwe to ensure that we do not put too much unnecessary pressure on the demand for cash.
“This is why we have announced that all retailers, wholesalers, businesses, local authorities, utilities, schools, universities, colleges, service stations and the informal sector are required to install point of sale machines. Use of plastic money also assists in the development and growth of the economy as this increases the multiplier effect of money.
“Money tends to circulate much more when using plastic money and wire transfers than in a cash economy. Throughout the world, the best practice shows that not all deposits are covered by cash. On an average scale, globally, 10 percent of deposits are cash while the rest is done through plastic money.”
Over the weeks, Zimbabwe have been experiencing cash shortages.
The shortages have been attributed to illicit financial flows and the dearth of a savings culture that has seen depositors keep cash outside the banking system.
Other countries and companies in Southern Africa have mopped up US dollars from Zimbabwe since adoption of the multi-currency system in 2009.
The RBZ will soon introduce bond notes and actively advocate the use of other currencies like the euro and South African rand to resolve the liquidity problem.
As of last week, 40 percent of all new US dollar exchange receipts of goods and services will be converted to the RBZ at the official exchange rate to the rand and 10 percent to the Euro.
Minimum cash withdrawal limits have been pegged between US$1 000 and US$20 000.-State Media
Mugabe Aide Wins Farm Battle
The High Court has ordered Matabeleland South commercial white farmer Mr David Connolly to vacate Centenary Farm and pave way for Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr Ray Ndhlukula, who was procedurally allocated that land.
Justice Joseph Musakwa said Dr Ndhlukula was the rightful owner of the farm after Government gave him a valid offer latter for the property.
“The applicant (Mr Connolly) has no legal right to the land in question.
‘‘That means the element of a clear right as a requirement for the interdict has not been met,” he said.
Justice Musakwa took a swipe at Government officials— including Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda — for attempting to give “false hope” to Mr Connolly.
“It matters not that the applicant has received covert encouragement from Government officials.
‘‘It was duplicitous of those Government officials to have given the applicant such false hope without ensuring it is issues with a legal permit to remain on the land. In the final analysis, the provisional order is hereby discharged with costs.”
Justice Musekwa concurred with Dr Ndhlukula’s contention that Mr Connolly’s matter was indistinguishable from similar cases, and the validity of the offer letter and legality of the acquisition favoured the Deputy Chief Secretary.
Mr Connolly had sought confirmation of a provisional order granted in his favour in 2014 by the Bulawayo High Court barring Dr Ndhlukula from evicting him from Centenary Farm.
The provisional order also interdicted Dr Ndhlukula from occupying the farm pending finalisation of the matter.
But Justice Musakwa found that Mr Connolly was occupying land legally gazetted by the State for compulsory acquisition in 2000.
In discharging the provisional order, Justice Musakwa said although Mr Connolly had not been charged for unlawful occupation of the farm, he had no right to remain on the property.
Mr Connolly had argued that since acquisition of the farm, he had been in peaceful and undisturbed occupation of the property and productively utilising the land.
Dr Ndhlukula’s lawyer, Mr Gerald Mlotshwa, counter-argued that Mr Connolly had failed to establish a clear right to the land-state media
Uebert Angel Called to Curse Patrick Zhuwao
Controversial preacher, Uebert Angel, has been called upon to deal with President Robert Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwao who is allegedly making it impossible for foreign investment.
Filing in his third video clip, ZANU PF youth, Acie Lumumba recently fired by Zhuwao from a government post, emotively called upon Angel saying he should come in to help. Lumumba who says of Zhuwao, “this man has to go!,” refers to Angel as his pastor.
“Dear Prophet Angel ask God to come help us,” said Lumumba in a post. He continued lamenting, “Where is the Empowerment? Is it in making it so hard for Strive Masiyiwa, James Makamba, Mutumwa Mawere and countless Zimbabwean Captains of Industries in the Diaspora and professionals in the Diaspora to come home and build our nation,” he added as he streamed the following video:
“This Flag” Explosion Lava Spreads to May 25
The “This Flag” campaign spearheaded by prolific church leader, Evan Mawarire, has seen its ferocious lava spread beyond the 7th May deadline.
Millions of Zimbabweans across the nation and around the world are for the first time in history, rising in anger protesting at the country’s economic woes.
The lava exploded last month when around independence celebrations time, Mawarire shot a motion video of himself bewailing Zimbabwe, currently at the mercy of its leadership.
The This Flag campaign which began on the 1st May, involves people wrapping themselves with the national flag every single day. By Thursday even ZANU PF youths had joined in with one top Mugabe supporter, Acie Lumumba ding the same (pictured).
Announcing the extension yesterday, Friday, Mawarire said, “we are now on Day 6, carrying our flags as a way of sending a message to our government that Enough Is Enough. It is obvious we need more time. So we are adding more days,” began Mawarire.
He continued saying the government is listening. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW-
“Our government is listening kuti Enough Is Enough”.
He spoke directly to the nation’s leadership saying, “Our Madara angu you have failed us as your young ones. We need you to hear us”.
Mawarire continued laying out the timeline for the protest.
“Africa Day is the last day that we will carry our flags,” he added.
Meanwhile people wishing to connect with Mawarire may do so via his portal –
Man Sucks Niece’s Boobs
Vusumuzi Mthethwa, 34, of Pumula South was convicted of aggravated indecent assault by Bulawayo regional magistrate Chrispen Mberewere on Thursday.
Mthethwa will serve an effective nine years in prison after three years were suspended for five years on condition that he does not within that period commit a similar crime.
In passing the sentence, Mberewere said Mthethwa’s conduct was deplorable and appalling.
“You indecently assaulted your niece instead of protecting her. Your conduct is deplorable and shameful. The courts have a duty to protect a girl child from people like you by sending them to jail for a lengthy period,” ruled Mberewere.
Prosecuting, Paida Zengeni said on October 17 last year, the complainant who was preparing to write her 2015 ‘O’ Level examinations at Amhlophe High School, went to stay with Mthethwa at his house.
The court heard that on October 28 shortly after 4PM, Mthethwa invited his niece to his bedroom where he started caressing her before sucking her breasts in the presence of his wife.
Mthethwa later ordered his wife to leave the room before he forcibly removed the girl’s panties.
“Mthethwa removed the complainant’s panties and inserted his finger into her private parts several times,” said Zengeni.
The court heard that after committing the crime, Mthethwa threatened to assault his niece if she reported the matter to anyone.
The victim shared her experience with a classmate who in turn informed their headmaster about her friend’s ordeal.
The headmaster reported the matter to the police leading to Mthethwa’s arrest.
The victim was taken to hospital for examination and a medical report which was compiled proved that she was indecently assaulted.-State Media
Govt Fires Warning at Braai Farmers
Government has warned new farmers who have turned their farms into “braai resorts”, saying they risk losing the land if they remain unproductive.
Agriculture deputy minister (crops, mechanisation and irrigation) David Marapira said government was aware of farmers who owned huge tracts of land, but were doing nothing except hosting
Speaking at a field day marking the launch of two new hybrid maize seed varieties by Pioneer Seed Company held at Tshuma Farm in Mazowe on Thursday, Marapira said such unproductive farms would be seized and redistributed to other farmers.
“I was at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair when I got shocking news that there are farmers who go on top of the hill with braai stands and boast of owning large tracts of land. We are going to take over those unproductive lands. Those who bring braai stands to their farms, please do so, but the government will seize the farms and allocate them to serious farmers,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, Chief Chiweshe took the opportunity to warn farmers who were selling part of their land to other people.
“I know what is happening in this area. Some farmers are selling land to their friends and relatives. We have farmers with land without proper paperwork in this area and we will not tolerate that,” Chief Chiweshe said.
Meanwhile, government has approved two new maize seed varieties manufactured by Pioneer Seed Company.
The hybrid PHB 30G21 and P 3883W are early maturity seed varieties that farmers are encouraged to plant in a bid to adapt to the climate change phenomenon.
Pioneer Seed Company country manager Robert Nkatazo described the two seed varieties as resistant to diseases, among other merits.
“Climate change is not about droughts only, we can experience a lot of rainfall and this will result in the increase of diseases, hence there is need for seeds that adapt to that. The two varieties, yield under good management exceeds 12 tonnes per hectare,” he said. newsday
N’anga Rapes 7yr Old Girl
A 37-YEAR-OLD Chimanimani traditional healer was last week arraigned before the courts for sleeping with a minor.
Samuel Nota (30) of Manase Village under Chief Ngorima in Chimanimani briefly appeared before senior Mutare magistrate, Mrs Sekai Chiundura and was not asked to plead.
Nota was tasked with the casting out of an evil spirit that was allegedly tormenting the family’s seven-year-old twins.
Nota told the younger sister that a coin was to be thrown in the absence of other people leading to the minor and Nota to move to a distant place.
He grabbed the minor and raped her once. He was spotted in the act by a passerby and he ran away leaving the minor half naked and he was handed over to the police. – Manica Post
Grace Mugabe Official Nearly Killed In Road Accident
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| A few months after being handpicked by the First Lady Grace Mugabe to become the Zanu PF Provincial Chairman, Amasa Nhejana escaped death by a whisker when his vehicle was involved in a car accident in Zaka last Wednesday.
The widely unpopupar and little-known Nhenjana was imposed by the Grace Mugabe led members of the G40 faction two months ago following the decison by the provincial executive to reject Mrs Mugabe’s ascendancy to the presidency.
Ironically, Nhenjana’s Audi A4 vehicle was sideswiped by a vehicle belonging to a Chirundu based police officer, ZimEye can reveal.
The cop was identified as Fredson Chikutusa. The accident happened in the Mushungwa area of Zaka. He escaped unhurt but his vehicle was extensively damaged.
Although Nhenjana claimed the accident was caused by the bad state of the road, Zanu PF insiders told ZimeEye.com the ruling party provincial boss escaped a plot to eliminate him by party stalwarts who are against his appoitment to the chairmanship.
“I hit about four pot holes and I could feel that something was not well with the car so I reduced speed and the vehicle veered off my lane,”said Nhenjana.
Party insiders warned of pending internecine wars in the troubled ruling party.
Nhenjana was literally handpicked by Mrs Mugabe’s blue-eyed boy, Saviour Kasukuwere to replace the vocal Ezra Chadzamira who publicly attacked the powerful First Lady.
The Zanu PF provincial executive last year openly opposed attempts by the G-40 to push for Mrs Mugabe’s elevation to the presidency.
“Prophet Magaya Is Better than Jesus,” says Church Lass
Waterfalls preacher, Walter Magaya, is “the Saviour”, a Magaya church lady says.
Writing on her social portal on Saturday, Ms Pathisa Ndebele said she regards Magaya as better than Jesus Christ of the Bible. Pathisa is one of thousands others in Magaya’s congregation who share the same sentiments of worship for the preacher whose “anointing of luck” changed on the day he travelled to Nigerian preacher TB Joshua’s church. Magaya says he obtains his powers from TB Joshua.
When questioned on her stance on Saturday, Pathisa replied saying she worships the Saviour she sees with her own eyes. She said this while publishing a picture of Magaya messiah-nically holding a sack dressed man he claims he has delivered from demonic possession.
While a direct comment could not be obtained from the church at the time of writing, it emerged, Magaya officially announces that his spiritual father is Nigerian preacher, TB Joshua, another man whose spiritist acts have been widely questioned after it surfaced with scientific evidence that Joshua’s staff doctor predictions using video editing techniques in order to show himself as processing special powers. Both Joshua and Magaya have conducted church meetings where scores of people have been trampled to death in mysterious circumstances. VIDEO BELOW:
The coverage below shows the final doctored video as well as the full unedited footage:
Original, unedited footage: https://youtu.be/KbtZZXxtHYE
Final Edited (TB Joshua copy): https://youtu.be/Cfi7XtZcAWM
Dokora Exhumes Gukurahundi Corpses – WOZA
As an illustration of how he does not value human life, Primary and Secondary Education Minister 
This came following Womens Rights NGO, WOZA’s demands published yesterday.
Through his National Pledge imposed on school children, Dokora has trampled the blood of 22,000 people killed between 1982 and 1985, as the National Pledge casts the back shoulder to ignore their lives’ value.
The Jenny Williams led WOZA in a statement yesterday said, “the pledge is insensitive to the victims of Gukurahundi in Midlands and Matabeleland as it is asking our children to “Respecting the brave fathers and mother who lost lives in the Chimurenga/Umvukela” but says nothing about the atrocities of the Gukurahundi perpetrated by liberators in an independent Zimbabwe. ”
The full statement read:
“We write with regard to the introduction and launch of the ‘National Pledge’ at Primary and Secondary schools.
“As a Civil Society organisation, our members the majority of whom are mainly women have studied the ‘national pledge’ and found that the pledge is a violation of children’s rights in the constitution.
It violates our Zimbabwe constitution on the following areas: “Chapter 2 section 19 subsection 3 (b) which states that the state must take appropriate legislative and other measures to ensure that children are not required or permitted to perform work or provide services that are inappropriate for children’s age; or place at risk the children’s wellbeing, education, physical or mental health or spiritual, moral or social development” WOZA is grounded on Christian values but members fully respect all Zimbabweans’ constitutional right to practice any religion of their choice.
WOZA submit to you that the pledge and the manner in which it was introduced and is being implemented in schools violates our “Freedom of Conscience”. Chapter 4 section 60 (2) states that “No person may be compelled to make an oath that is contrary to their religion or belief….” WOZA as an organisation and our members as parents aim “To promote the protection and participation of children and ensure the enjoyment of their rights in Zimbabwe” WOZA members therefore object in the strongest terms the Ministries pledge programme which will turn our children into future ‘puppet citizens’ brainwashed to believe that they do not have the freedom of choice, the freedom to make decisions and work in freely chosen environment.
These concerns amongst others have been raised by our members who are ‘citizens’ who were duly consulted in the last weeks in communities around Bulawayo. In just these few weeks WOZA has consulted more ordinary citizens than the ministry did prior to formulating the pledge. We object to the wording of the ‘national pledge’ or the following reasons:
1. The pledge is an oath by children that they will work for their country and not leave Zimbabwe despite the economic hardships. Yet we still await the 2 million jobs promised to the citizens of this nation.
2. Children being transformed to future militias by being forced to salute the national flag, why could you not have rather asked them to “raise high our national flag” that this militaristic language?
3. The pledge falsely says that children are beneficiaries of Zimbabwe natural resources – yet these continue to be looted and remain unaccounted for, not forgetting the missing USD $15 billion from our diamond fields.
4. The pledge is a deliberate measure to divert ‘our’ attention from more important issues such as “the right to free basic primary Education” recognised in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The pledge also is a distraction measure from the economic chaos that prevails and the sticky plaster programme of bond notes when the ’economy’ is dying in intensive care.
5. The pledge is insensitive to the victims of Gukurahundi in Midlands and Matabeleland as it is asking our children to “Respecting the brave fathers and mother who lost lives in the Chimurenga/Umvukela” but says nothing about the atrocities of the Gukurahundi perpetrated by liberators in an independent Zimbabwe.
6. By the sequencing of the pledge after the Lord’s prayer bring it to the level of worship forcing children to make an oath against ‘Christians’ religious beliefs’.
It is also UNCONSTITUTIONAL to force an opinion, religion and bigotry belief on children and force the arm of parents to buy gifts to support their children being abused in this way. The assembly where the pledge is to be recited cannot be compulsory to all children. For these reasons mentioned above; WOZA is urging you “the government” to reconsider the content of the pledge and consult the citizens of this land before decision impacting on the wellbeing and development of our children are made. We therefore demand the respect of the Constitution by government officials, parents and children!! We will continue to denounce this pledge and demand for more democratic processes to be upheld. We appeal to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and Government to withdraw the continued implementation of the pledge! We appeal to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to use what energy they have to rather roll out free primary education promised during the liberation war and in the Constitution. Standing up for the rights of Children –
Kasukuwere Blurts Mliswa Farm Seizure Threat
CHINHOYI — Zanu PF says that they are going to repossess former Mashonaland West provincial party chairperson Temba Mliswa’s farm in Karoi if he continues behaving in what the party views as a wayward manner.
Speaking at Chikangwe stadium in Karoi on Friday Zanu PF political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere said people should not listen to the former Hurungwe West MP because they don’t bring any meaningful change to the people of Zimbabwe.
Kasukuwere said women and local youth need residential stands to build their own houses in Karoi and they are going to forcibly take Mliswa’s farm that is within Karoi urban for redistribution.
Kasukuwere said Zanu PF is a violent party that crushes anyone who challenges it. He warned all opposition parties to be strong because the ruling party has people with very big fists.
He said Mliswa is too small to challenge the ruling party.
Kasukuwere said Zanu PF is going to vote for President Robert Mugabe because people vote what he stands and not his age.
Today’s rally was organized by the ruling party’s Women’s League and the youth to mobilize them for a so-called one-million-march being organized by the Zanu PF Youth League to show solidarity for President Mugabe. VOA Studio 7
Zim downs Russia in bitter battle
Zimbabwean boxer Charles Manyuchi last night did the unthinkable beating the highly rated Dumitry Mikhaylenko of Russia on points to bag the World Boxing Council Silver Welterweight title in the Russian capital.
The all Russian panel of judges scored the match 116-114, 118-110, 115-113 unanimously in favour of the underdog tagged Manyuchi in one of the toughest boxing bouts in recent days.
Going into the fight, the Zimbabwean was not given a chance to land the title previously held by World Champion Floyd Mayweather Junior.
The Zimbabwean managed to survive a huge scare from the big throwing over confident Russian who wanted to down the Zimbabwean in the early rounds.
Manyuchi stood his ground avoiding several fast jabs from Mikhaylenko who appeared rushing for a quick knock out. As the Russian weaned off, Manyuchi picked up his normal fight and started throwing hard jabs on the Russian who appeared more ready to collapse towards the end of the fight for an obvious unanimous decision in favour of Manyuchi.
Manyuchi has joined the ranks of other previous Zimbabwean world boxing title holders like Proud “Kilimanjaro” Chinembiri, Langton “School Boy” and Alfonso “The Mosquito” Zvenyika.
Sports Minister Makhosini Hlongwane who is on record promising huge rewards for excelling Zimbabwean sportspersons was not immediately available for comment last night.
Manyuchi Bashes Russia’s Dmitry Mikhaylenko
Manyuchi – Dmitry Mikhaylenko
116-114,
118-110,
115-113
Zimbabwe’s Charles Manyuchi on Friday night beat Russia’s dreaded Dmitry Mikhaylenko via Unanimous Decision.
The fight was held in Ekateringburg.
Manyuchi, who is also the current WBC international champion, bashed Mikhaylenko at the DIVS arena for the WBC Silver title left vacant by Britain’s Amir Khan.
Khan takes on Canelo Alverez in Las Vegas tomorrow in the middleweight division.
This is not the first of his victories and the Zimbabwean Manyuchi’s last fight was on July 18 last year when he defended his title against Gianaluca Frezza in Italy.
Since then his career had been put
on hold after he fell out with his Zambian camp of Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions (OQBP).
The Masvingo-raised boxer had hoped to find a local promoter to finance his mandatory title defence but it did not materialise.
In the end, it took the intervention of Zimbabwe Sports minister Makhosini Hlongwane, who successfully organised talks between the boxer and OQBP resulting in their reunion.
16 More Zim Women Escape Kuwait
Sixteen more Zimbabwean women who were lured to Kuwait to work as housemaids, but ended up being abused as sex slaves, have escaped from captivity and are now under the care of the country’s Ambassador to Kuwait Mark Marongwe.
Several other women have since returned home after a Parliamentary delegation that went to Kuwait a fortnight ago after a bilateral engagement secured the release of 32 other women who came back home at the weekend.
MPs now want President Mugabe to ban visas for domestic workers in Kuwait.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kindness Paradza, who was part of the delegation to Kuwait headed by National Assembly Speaker Advocate Jacob Mudenda, said he was going to present a report in Parliament on human trafficking to Kuwait.
“As I speak, I have just been informed by our Ambassador to Kuwait Mark Marongwe that 16 more girls have escaped from their abusive employers and are now camped at the embassy seeking assistance to be brought home,” said Paradza.
“I was also told that the figure of those run-away girls is swelling and is expected to rise by the weekend.
“Our wish as Parliament is to have a complete ban on all visa applications to Kuwait under Section 20, which commits into slavery anyone who enters that country under that section.
“President Mugabe as the father of the nation must use his Presidential powers and direct the Minister of Foreign Affairs to effect the ban.
“Other African countries like Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana have since banned their citizens from traveling to Kuwait under that section.”
Paradza said there was a possibility that the total number of Zimbabwean women who were lured to Kuwait under the same circumstances could be around 500 amid indications that some of them left via Kenya, South Africa and Botswana.
He appealed to Government, women organisations and human rights activists to embark on awareness campaigns to conscientise Zimbabwean women about the problems in Kuwait.
“As Parliament, we also want our security agencies to hunt down all those locals who are working in cahoots with Kuwaiti syndicates on this issue and bring them to book.
“Last week, the Philippines also managed to evacuate 143 of their girls from Kuwait who had fallen victims to similar acts of modern day slavery.
“Our worry as a committee is that Government has not availed funds to have our girls flown back home, which could end up being difficult to account for all the girls as some of them have been transported to other countries like Saudi Arabia or Qatar on arrival in Kuwait,” said Paradza.
Businessman, Mr Wicknell Chivayo had to intervene last week by paying air tickets for the 32 women.
There were indications that Treasury was constrained to pay for their return.
But Paradza implored Government to set up a special fund for repatriation of all Zimbabwean women stuck in Kuwait. herald