Former Zanu PF Mash West Chairman Temba Mliswa, says he will turn his Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (Yard) into a political party.
Mliswa, who when he launched his organisation last year October, promised it would only be a pressure group (SEE VIDEO BELOW), has announced he will turn it into a fully-fledged opposition political party, if the existing parties fail to accommodate youths.

Mliswa was quoted by the Daily News yesterday, lamenting the failure by political parties to embrace the youth, whom he said are the country’s future leaders.
“…our structures are going pretty well, we are in all the provinces in the country, all the admin districts in the country and all the constituencies in the country…And when the parties fail to accommodate the youth,…this is not a threat, this is the truth, Yard will turn into a party.
“If the parties don’t accommodate them at this point in time, it will turn into a party because they have been forced to do that.”
He said Yard, which was officially launched in November last year, fights for reform and democracy, further reiterating the need by political parties to involve the youth in their programmes.
He said his organisation is aimed at building the nation.
“We therefore appeal to the political parties to give a position on their policies pertaining to the youth. How many of the 210 constituencies will be put aside for the youth? That’s what we want in simple terms,” he said, further asking Zanu PF, MDC, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn, NCA, Zapu and People’s Democratic Party to clearly state the number of seats they would reserve for the youth.
Mliswa, who has just returned from South Africa where he attended the Julius Malema-led opposition political party Economic Freedom Fighters’ local elections manifesto launch, said he was under pressure to form a political party because 90 percent of the youth were non-aligned.
“I have been under pressure to create a party for the youth, which we believe that come 2018, we are not looking at taking over if there was ever a party to be formed, but the youths believe that there could be at least a 15 to 20 percent of the seats,” he said.
Mliswa added that the Zimbabwean situation is worrying because the youth constitute the majority of the population but little space has been created for them to contribute effectively in the process of national building.- Daily News/ZimEye

A Mutare man’s manhood was violently ripped off by a guard dog during a workers’ protest.
The man (name supplied) was attacked by the beast while protesting on the closure of mines by the government. AUDIO:

Zimbabwe’s Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has approved quail farming saying that people are free to raise their own birds for sale.
Speaking during a question and answer parliamentary session, Mnangagwa defended controversial Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri who last week banned quail farming.
ZimEye.com readers have attacked Minister Kashiri saying she is not sensitive to the needs of the nation’s struggling masses.
But addressing questions fired by MDC-T legislator for Kuwadzana Nelson Chamisa, Mnangagwa said government to the contrary approves quail farming.
“There is no policy that is publicised only through the media,” Mnangagwa quipped in saying.
“Government policy is in written form,” he added.
He continued saying, “What he (Chamisa) has not understood is that there are two types of quail birds. There are those that are allowed in this country and those who domesticate them and sell the birds are doing it illegally.
“Members of parliament can also engage in such projects but what is not allowed and was not understood by the honourable member is that there were others who are moving around the wild life taking away the wild birds’ eggs, we are not happy about that.
“There is a way of rearing quail birds commercially, carrying out your quail birds’ project and selling to hotels, but we do not allow people to poach quail birds in the National Parks.
“That is the issue, so we are simply making everyone aware so that our nation develops. There is no policy that has been put in place in Zimbabwe that quail birds’ projects are not allowed. The birds are very delicious, we enjoy the quail birds.”

THE cash-strapped government last month blew $2 million to fund President Robert Mugabe’s three-hour meeting with war veterans at a time Treasury owed over $23 million in school fees for the former freedom fighters’ children, it has emerged.
Initially, the indaba, held on April 7 at City Sports Centre in Harare, had been allocated $250 000, but the bill mysteriously ballooned to $2 million.
War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube told journalists in Harare yesterday that his ministry had to divert part of the $6 million reserved for school fees to bankroll the indaba on the understanding that Treasury would reimburse the money soon after the meeting.
“We were allocated $6 million by the Ministry of Finance to meet school fees needs for our members and due to financial problems, Treasury allowed us a bit of money from that allocation and it is from that money that we took $2 million to fund the indaba,” he said.
Dube said the $2 million was spent on accommodation, transport, decorations and food for the nearly 10 000 participants at the meeting.
Dube said Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa had committed to reimburse the $2 million into the school fees fund soon after the meeting, but was yet to do so.
“We know he is going to make it so that we will be able to meet our fees obligations as directed by President Mugabe. We trust the minister when he says he will pay,” he said.
Dube said the $6 million allocation was meant for the 2016 first term fees, adding it was not sufficient to meet fees of the over 22 500 applicants catered for by the ministry.
He also said government owed schools $23 million in unpaid school fees for children of war veterans stretching over the past three years.
The minister said he was faced with a herculean task after war collaborators and detainees were also directed to his ministry yet resources had been slow to come his way.
Dube said he expected membership numbers to climb to nearly 700 000 including former detainees, which would likely cost government nearly $2 billion in welfare and compensation issues.
He further questioned the age of some of the war collaborators with indications that some of them were just 40 years old, 36 years after independence.
“It would mean they were collaborators at the age of three or four years, and if you raise these issues, you are told all kinds of politics,” Dube said.
At the indaba, war veterans made several demands including tax exemptions, allocation of 10 % shares of companies in the ongoing indigenisation drive and the expulsion of Zanu PF national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.
Dube said his ministry was only able to deal with the welfare of its members, while the other issues would be directed to line ministries for them to be addressed.
“The issue of the commissariat is a party issue and leaders of the party were there and heard what was discussed. What we are going to do is prepare a report and forward it to relevant ministries and the party… I am sure something is being done about the issues that were raised at the indaba, which include lands and mines,” he said.
So far, Dube said, his ministry had processed school fees applications for 8 300 pupils and disbursed $2,5 million. He said the ministry would disburse fees for another
7 000 pupils by the end of today as he comes under increasing pressure from parents and pupils who want their fees paid. newsda

THE body of an unidentified man, who was killed in a fatal road accident along the Kwekwe-Gweru Highway when a Pfochez bus was involved in a head-on collision with a commuter omnibus on March 3, is still lying uncollected at Kwekwe General Hospital.
Two months after the accident which claimed 31 lives, police have not yet identified the deceased and no one has come forward to claim the dismembered body which is now reportedly decomposing.
The deceased is also now subject of an investigation as police were hunting for a con artist who duped government of $429 in funeral assistance money.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday said: “I am not sure of the current status, but what I know is that there was a body that was not collected after suspected relatives who collected funeral assistance from government disappeared with the money.”
A con artist, who identified himself as Norbert Majoni, allegedly duped a police officer and processed a form which is used to facilitate the registration of deaths with the Register-General’s Office.
Constable Romilio allegedly unprocedurally processed the forms without viewing the alleged con artist’s identification particulars.
Investigations by NewsDay revealed that Majoni allegedly used an expired passport registered in the name of Shepard Paradza. On March 9, the suspect then approached the Kwekwe district administrator’s offices and claimed $429 for funeral assistance.
After collecting the money, he allegedly disappeared and police have since launched a manhunt for him.
A source at the mortuary told NewsDay the body of the deceased had turned green and could get worse if police do not move in to identify the deceased through fingerprints.
“I think unless this person is identified by name we are going to have him here for a long time because nobody has claimed the body,” said the source. -Newsday

Terrence Mawawa, Gutu | A Gutu based village chief has imposed an immediate ban on Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) meetings in his area, threatening that a goat fine will be imposed on villagers who attend the opposition party’s meetings.
The threats were made by Acting Chief Makore Jestia Muzenda, a week after MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai addressed a rally at Man’a Business Centre ,ward 27 in Gutu South Constituency.
“You will not hold any meetings -including funerals ,memorials or weddings in the absence of my aides. If you hold any meeting without their knowledge then your kraal head will be fired. I am making it very clear that no one should attend MDC gatherings in my area,” said chief Muzenda.
Muzenda also summoned kraal heads under his jurisdiction to his homestead where he instructed them to surrender the names of known opposition party supporters.
He also ordered all kraal heads in the area to refuse to sanction MDC meetings, a constitutional responsibility of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, accusing Tsvangirai of holding the Man’a rally without notifying him.
Traditional leaders have in the past played a leading role in campaigning for Zanu PF and have at times resorted to the intimidation and harassment of opposition party supporters.
Muzenda also threatened that there would be dire consequences for all kraal heads who fail to show allegiance to Zanu PF which he said would include the relinquishing of their positions.
“You will not hold any meetings -including funerals ,memorials or weddings in the absence of my aides. If you hold any meeting without their knowledge then your kraal head will be fired. I am making it very clear that no one should attend MDC gatherings in my area,” he said.
“I do not tolerate sellouts in my area.Those who defy my directive will be dealt with accordingly.If you disregard my directive you will have to bring a goat to my traditional court,” he further threatened.
Villagers are now fearing for the worst -with the memories of the orgy of violence unleashed by Zanu PF in the previous elections still fresh in their minds.

Buhera South MP Joseph Chinotimba (Zanu PF) yesterday called for the sanctioning of the government of Kuwait, during a debate in the National Assembly.
Chinotimba made the call to punish Kuwait because it had allowed its citizens, to enslave over 200 Zimbabwean women trafficked to the Middle East country after being promised lucrative jobs.
Raising a point of order in the National Assembly, Chinotimba said Kuwait should be charged a substantial amount of money for exposing Zimbabwean women to “slavery and inhuman treatment” through human trafficking.
“Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order, I wanted to find out if there is anything that can be done by our government to charge the Kuwaiti government for slavery of our girls. I say so because we need them to be held accountable. They must compensate for the slavery our girls were subjected to,” Chinotimba said, amid murmurings of disapproval from the opposition MDC-T legislators.
The legislator added: “These people (MDC-T MPs) are making noise, Mr Speaker, because they don’t understand what I am talking about. These are matters of life and the future of some people. I have read somewhere that Britain was sometime back made to pay by Kenya for such crimes. Can we also not make them (Kuwaiti government) pay for these crimes?”
This came as parliamentarians were applauding Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda for leading a delegation to Kuwait where they rescued 32 of the estimated 200 Zimbabwean women stranded in the Middle East country.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development, chaired by David Chapfika, yesterday presented its report on the proposed Special Economic Zones Bill. The committee recommended that companies that will operate under the special economic zones would be exempted from complying with the country’s labour and indigenisation laws.
 
But this was shot down by opposition MPs who said the provision would expose workers to abuse by their employers.
Newsday

Harare city council official has said that the Zimbabwe Republic Police were selectively assisting them in the destruction of houses belonging to certain sections of the society which would have been constructed on illegal sites, in the capital.
War veterans and known Zanu PF land baron are responsible for parceling out pieces of land for housing construction to desperate home seekers, and these are the houses which the Harare city council is in a spate of demolishing.
These houses are being built on wetlands, and reserved recreational areas.
The demolitions have been politicised with those Zanu PF land barons linked to either the ousted former Vice President Joice Mujuru or the Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa factions being at the receiving end.
At one point early this year, Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere blocked the Harare city council from demolishing an “illegal” settlement belonging to President Robert Mugabe’s business partner Billy Rautenbach.
Kasukuwere is a key member of the Grace Mugabe’s G-40 faction which is fighting against Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa in the fierce Zanu PF succession discourse.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police have not been assisting us in this regard, and we have been exposed to beatings by the violent public who would have been found wanting,” Booker Masasi, the city of Harare’s land management and development manager told delegates attending a property rights workshop which was organised by Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNF), National Association of Non Governmental Organisations (NANGO), and Coalition for Market and Liberal Solutions (COMALISO) in on Wednesday in Harare.
“We have had our municipal officers being stoned by the public who have become violent. We have an example of a certain person who was trying to erect a base station at an undesignated site in Borrowdale, when went there to stop him he fired seven bullets in the air”.

Morgan Tsvangirai’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says it will continue boycotting all elections until sticking points have been resolved and far-reaching electoral reforms enacted.
This comes as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is finalising preparations for the by-elections in Mazowe North, which has been vacant since the death of Edgar Chidavaenzi of Zanu PF.
The statutory instrument calling the by-election has not yet been gazetted, and the MDC has said it is boycotting that special vote as well.
This comes after the party also shunned the April 23 Guruve South by-election, won by Zanu PF candidate, Patrick Dutiro, who beat the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)’s Simbarashe Mutsvene.
The Guruve South seat fell vacant after the Zanu PF representative Criswell Mutematsaka lost the seat in terms of section 129(1)(k) of the Constitution when he was expelled from the governing party.
An MDC official told the Daily News yesterday the party would continue to disengage from all polls until electoral reforms outlined in the national electoral reform agenda (Nera) document have been enacted, adding the MDC remains opposed to participation in mere rituals disguised as elections.
Over 10 opposition political parties joined the MDC to craft and sign up to the Nera in the call for a truly credible election as a precondition for the return to legitimacy, which the parties agreed must become an issue of national priority.
Nera prescribes that the electoral body introduce the biometric vote and also wants the next 2018 poll to be internationally run and supervised by the United Nations.
“The official position of the party is that we shall not participate in any elections without electoral reforms having been carried out,” MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu told the Daily News yesterday.
“The reforms that we are demanding have been succinctly captured in the Nera document. Only the National Council of the party, being the highest decision-making body of the party in between congresses, has got the mandate and power to alter, amend and or abandon this position.”
Besides a biometric voter register, Nera also calls for the complete and total independence of Zec, the abandonment of the use of voter registration slips in polling, the use of postal voting strictly in accordance with the Sadc Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, dubbed the Grand Baie Protocol, and clear definition of voter education that recognises the Bill of Rights.
Nera also calls for an accurate and up-to-date electronic voters’ roll to be made available to all interested political players in a searchable and analysable format, and that traditional leaders should be apolitical.
It also calls for the harmonisation of all laws with the new Constitution of Zimbabwe, particularly laws such as Public Order and Security Act, Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act in particular Section and 121 of this Act, and the Broadcasting Services Act, among a raft of legislation.
Nera also envisages that members of the security services — the real power behind President Robert Mugabe’s throne — should not participate in any political activities and that the Diaspora vote should be immediately adopted and implemented and that those in prisons and other places of incarceration should be allowed to vote in accordance with the ruling of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other regional jurisprudence.
Tsvangirai, 64, has led the MDC since it was formed in 1999 to challenge Mugabe — the sole ruler since the country gained independence from Britain in 1980 — and his Zanu PF party.
But the ex-labour union leader has failed to dislodge the 92-year-old Mugabe in three elections, although none of them was free or fair, according to the MDC and Western observers.
Mugabe denies MDC allegations that his Zanu PF has cheated the MDC of victory in four major elections since 2000.
Tsvangirai was urged not to contest in the 2013 elections because many of the electoral reforms he had asked for had not been implemented, but he went on to participate and controversially lost to Mugabe.
The MDC has said it will not repeat that mistake. Tsvangirai’s party remains the biggest challenge to Mugabe’s continued hold on power. Tsvangirai is still seen as a popular hero and a focus for the MDC’s rallying cry of chinja or change. Daily News

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo | In a typical movie style incident, a local herd boy who was madly in love with his boss’ wife last week eloped with the woman, leaving his employer in a fit of rage.
The herd boy ran away with his boss, Andrew Muchemwa’s wife to Makanda Village in Gutu.
Stunned by the incident Muchemwa pursued the two to the village where he torched a house belonging to one Lazarus Makanda, claiming he was concealing the two.
Muchemwa went berserk and axed Makanda’s neighbour before destroying vegetables in the nearby gardens.
He proceeded to burn down two other houses belonging to Thomas Makanda and one Chirumanzu respectively.
“People are now fearing for their lives because Muchemwa does not care if you are involved or not. He destroyed vegetables in our gardens claiming we were concealing his wife. He also torched three houses saying he would not stop until we tell him where his wife was. The whole village is being tormented by the jilted man – such that we are having sleepless nights here,” said a villager who declined to be named.
The herd boy and Muchemwa’s wife are said to have fled to Harare, although some villagers claim the two are still in Gutu.
Acting Masvingo Provincial Police Spokesperson Assistant Inspector, Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the incident but could not divulge further details.
“We have received a report about malicious damage to property and the suspect is Andrew Muchemwa. We are currently looking for him .We are yet to establish the cause of his strange behaviour,” said Dhewa.

The new Constitution was adopted by a massive majority of the people of Zimbabwe and signed into law in March 2013. Three years on it would be reasonable to expect that the Government of Zimbabwe would be completing the alignment of the 400 Acts of Parliament that need adjustments to bring them into line with the Constitution.
One of the most important of these Acts is the Urban Councils Act as it affects nearly half the population of the country and impacts on the daily lives of millions. Instead, no effort has been made to bring the Act into alignment with the Constitution and instead, the Minister of Local Government is continually trying to use the old Urban Councils Act to impose his will on the democratically elected Councils that are tasked with the responsibility of governing the areas under their jurisdiction.
The principle of devolution was one of the most important issues raised by the people during Copac and as a result, the Constitution in Chapter 14 in sections 264 to 279 sets out in clear terms a new dispensation for elected Councils, giving them the right and all the powers required to Govern the areas under their jurisdiction.
In Mid 2015, the Minister of Local Government took steps to dismiss two Councilors and to suspend the remaining Councilors of the City of Gweru in complete disregard of the Constitution.
The MDC took the Minister to Court on this issue and was granted an order by the Courts in Gweru that the Councilors should resume their duties and stating that the actions of the Minister were ultra vires the Constitution. Despite this, the Minister appealed the decision to the High Court in Bulawayo and this Court confirmed the earlier rulings by the Court in Gweru and awarded costs to the Party, suggesting that the High Court considered the Ministers appeal to have no merit at all. Despite this clear decision the Minister has again appealed the rulings to the Supreme Court in Harare.
The MDC wants to know if the Minister has Cabinet authority to continuously appeal Court decisions thereby wasting Court time and incurring significant legal and administrative costs to be borne by the Exchequer. If he does have Cabinet support then this confirms the view that the Government holds the new Constitution in absolute contempt and has little or no intention of either abiding by the Constitution or pursuing the alignment of existing legislation or behaving in a Constitutional manner within the rule of law.
If he does not have Cabinet approval then it is time that the Government moved to rein him in and demand that he respect the Constitution in all respects in the manner in which he administers his Ministry and exercises his authority.
In recent weeks, in complete violation of the Constitution, the Minister has intervened in the affairs of the Council for Harare. He has demanded that the Council rescind its decision to appoint Mr. James Mushore as the new Town Clerk after an extensive and professional recruitment process that identified him as the most qualified and experienced candidate for this important post. When the elected Mayor of Harare refused to comply, the Minister responded by unlawfully suspending the Mayor both as Mayor of the City and as Councilor for Mt Pleasant.
In response the MDC has again been forced, in the absence of any action by Government to remedy matters, to go back to the Courts for a decision in the matter. An urgent application to stop the Minister interfering in the affairs of the Council has been submitted to the High Court and a decision is expected shortly. In addition the Party has reluctantly taken the decision to ask the highest Court in the Country, the Constitutional Court, to set aside the relevant sections of the Urban Councils Act that are clearly in conflict with the Constitution.
In addition to these Court actions, the Combined Harare Residents Association, acting in the interests of the residents of the City, has supported the Council’s decision to appoint Mr. Mushore to the post of Town Clerk and has made a separate application to the Courts for a specific ruling in favour of the Councils decisions. This is especially important as the Association was involved in the selection process and has expressed full confidence in Mr. Mushore as the new custodian of their interests.
The MDC wishes to state once again that the decision to appoint Mr. Mushore was a collective decision and that it stands in full support of his appointment and wants him to continue to assume his responsibilities in the Councils affairs while the Courts deal with the actions of the Minister. The Party considers the interests of the residents of the City of Harare as supreme in this matter and is absolutely satisfied that the Council has acted
lawfully in terms of the supreme law of Zimbabwe as expressed in the Constitution.
The Party recognises the professionalism of the Courts and has complete confidence that they will not deviate from their responsibilities as custodians of our Laws and our Constitution.
E G Cross
Shadow Minister of Local Government

The Grace Mugabe led Zanu PF faction, G-40, on Monday sabotaged Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa’s May Day celebrations which were held at Rufaro stadium.
Mnangagwa found himself addressing what appeared more like hot air- empty spaces in the stadium.

Terrence Mawawa, Zvishavane|In a rare case of supposed gender equality, a local man has been been left with eggs on his face after being embarrassed at the magistrate’s court -following the dismissal of his maintenance claim.
Innocent Hungwe was seeking $150 maintenance from his former wife, Chipo Mainge, saying he needed the money for survival since he was no longer employed. He also claimed he sponsored the woman’s tertiary education.
Initially Hungwe demanded that Mainge should repay him the money he used in paying for her college education.
To support her refusal to pay maintenance, Mainge argued that she was the one responsible for the needs of the children and she also produced her pay slip-reflecting she earns only$133.78 per month.
She also argued she owed Hungwe nothing since she was staying with the children adding she was also paying the school fees for the children.
“We both have equal duties to look after our children but he is not doing anything for them and he now wants to be maintained. He is selfish because he even earns more than what I get. He gets cash from rental proceeds from his late parents’ house. On the contrary my brothers paid for my college education- not him,” said Mainge.
After seeing Mainge’s payslip, Hungwe revised his maintenance demands down to any amount which would help him to buy food. However Magistrate Shepherd Munjanja dismissed Hungwe’s case after it was revealed it was Mainge who was staying with the couple’s three children.
Social commentators have attributed the incident to the current state of social and economic quagmire.

A Bulawayo woman who knifed her “adulterous” husband in cold blood after she allegedly overheard him telling his mother that he had sired a child out of wedlock has been jailed for an effective 17 years. Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva convicted Elizabeth Mbulayi, 28, of Nketa suburb of murder with constructive intent.
Mbulayi through her pro-deo lawyer, Wish Ndongwe of Mashayamombe and Company, had pleaded not guilty to the charge and tendered a limited plea of guilty to a lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Mbulayi, who had spent Christmas Day in 2013, drinking beer with her husband Simbarashe Denhere, fatally stabbed him once in the chest with a kitchen knife in the early hours of Boxing Day.
In his judgment, Justice Takuva disputed Mbulayi’s testimony, saying it was fraught with inconsistencies and lies to cover up her actions. The judge said no person deserves to die for having an extra marital affair.
“You actually used a lethal weapon and applied excessive force to push into your husband’s chest and subsequently killing him in a senseless murder. No one deserves to die for having an extra marital affair and we’re saying it’s unlawful to enforce sexual morality through violence,” said Justice Takuva.
The judge sad although the courts did not condone infidelity, they have a duty to protect the sanctity of human life.
“The courts have a duty to protect the sanctity of human life by punishing people who take the law into their own hands. You changed from a lover into a killer when you killed a person you loved demonstrating that there’s a thin line between love and hate,” he said.
“Just as people freely fall in love, they should also freely exit marriage through divorce or terminate their relationship instead of terminating life. The courts have a duty to educate the public that it’s unlawful to enforce sexual morality through violence,” said Justice Takuva.
Mbulayi, in her defence, claimed that Denhere provoked her by beating her with a fan stand and she failed to control herself due to anger. Mbulayi and Denhere had no child from their five-year union.
Prosecuting, Nokuthaba Ngwenya, said on Christmas Day in 2013, Mbulayi and Denhere left their home shortly after 8AM for Old Pumula where Denhere intended to have his company car repaired.
The court was told that soon after leaving the car, the couple went to a local beer garden.
The court heard that at around 1AM, the couple went home and had a dispute. Mbulayi grabbed a knife and plunged it into Denhere’s chest. State Media

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he is working hard to address the liquidity crunch that has seen most banks reducing maximum withdrawals to about $200 per day while others have stopped loading money into automated teller machines. As a result, some parents and guardians failed to access money yesterday for back-to-school shopping as schools open today.
Mnangagwa told workers who gathered at Rufaro Stadium for Workers’ Day commemorations yesterday that the government was concerned about the inconvenience that was caused by the liquidity crunch.
“The Ministry of Finance together with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe are currently seized with the matter and we’re confident of a speedy resolution,” he said.
RBZ Governor John Mangudya later said that they were treating the situation as a matter of urgency. “We’re indeed working on something as the Vice President said, to flush out the queues,” said Mangudya.
“The shortage isn’t in all banks. The shortages are confined to some banks. So, addressing the problem is an immediate issue. It needs immediate policy measures, so we’re working on that to ensure we normalise the situation. We don’t want people to continue going through what they’re going through.”
Mangudya reiterated that it was important for Zimbabweans to use plastic money in their transactions to avoid inconveniences.

BOARDING schools in Matabeleland region were yesterday turning away pupils for non-payment of fees ahead of today’s opening of the second school term. Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora told the Zimbabwe Teachers Association annual conference that ended in Victoria Falls on Saturday that boarding schools can bar pupils from entering their premises if they have not paid fees for the term.
The Minister said the policy excluded day schools and only boarding schools were mandated to exclude pupils as they require the money for their day to day operations.
The state media yesterday witnessed pupils with no proof of payment of fees being turned away from buses transporting them from the City Hall car park to their respective schools.
Some schools wanted pupils to have paid at least three quarters of the fees, with pupils being admitted on the condition that their parents would have signed affidavits stating that the remaining fees would be paid by month-end.
Some parents said the ongoing cash shortage and the late payment of salaries by some companies were making it difficult for them to settle fees in full. A parent with a child at Thekwane Mission School who asked to remain anonymous told the state media that her son was turned away.
“I asked them if I could take my son’s place to the school so I could make arrangements with the head because I paid for the bus. Banks have no money and today the banks are closed. I’ve paid three quarters of the fees that shows I’m committed to paying fees,” she said.
Embakwe Boys High School was allegedly accommodating those who had paid at least three quarters of the fees and parents were being told to write an affidavit stating that they would settle the remaining funds by the end of this month.
A parent whose daughter learns at St James High School had cash in hand, but her child was turned away. “My daughter will not be able to go to school today. I don’t know what they want me to do because today is a holiday and banks are closed. They didn’t want to take my money. They just told me to phone the headmistress or go to the school,” she said.
Matabeleland North Provincial Education Director Boithatelo Mnguni said parents should make a clear decision when choosing schools for their children. She said parents have an option to take their children to day schools as boarding schools are expensive.
“There’s no way a headmistress can make a budget on three quarters of the school fees. Parents should pay all the fees for the smooth running of the schools,” said Mnguni.
“Parents shouldn’t deprive their children of education. Why would you take your child to a boarding school when you can’t afford? Day schools are a cheaper option and parents should make clear decisions when placing their children in schools.”- Chronicle

Terrence Mawawa, Gweru | A man from Mberengwa raped his four year old daughter in full view of his other children, in a disturbing incident that has shocked the local community.
Morgan Chamboko of Hlupeko village, raped his own daughter as the child’s two siblings watched.
Chamboko appeared before Gweru Regional Magistrate Morgan Nemadire last week. He was charged with rape.
The incident happened on January 3 when the child’s mother had left the house to fetch some water. The child came out of the kitchen to pass urine outside the house and she began to scream.
When the child’s mother returned from the well, the minor said her father had raped her in the presence of her two brothers. The latter two confirmed the incident.
“On January 3 at around 10 am, I left the house to fetch water about 300 metres from home. I left the accused person, the complainant and the two other children at home. When I returned, I found the complainant sitting in the kitchen with her two brothers. She narrated the incident and I examined her. I noticed the redness of her vulva and some vaginal discharge and I reported the matter at Buchwa Police Station, leading to his arrest,” said the child’s mother.
The complainant was taken to Zvishavane General Hospital for a medical examination and it was confirmed there was penetration.
Chamboko was found guilty and he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. However three years were suspended for five years. He will therefore serve 15 years in jail.
Children’s rights groups have expressed grave concern at the increase in number of such cases of men sexually abusing minors.

CHIEF Ndiweni has petitioned police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri following a fresh confrontation with police in Ntabazinduna after they shut down a vocational training centre opened at one of their bases with the traditional leader’s backing. The chief once sought the closure of the police training depot in Ntabazinduna to make way for a vocational training centre.
Two weeks ago, the chief supported the opening of a vocational training centre at a police base but it was closed by the police last Friday. Chief Ndiweni said yesterday that the police closed Dunlop Vocational Training Centre saying it was being operated by an unregistered non-governmental organisation.
The chief led some of his subjects to protest against the closure of the training centre at the police base. Chief Ndiweni said he had petitioned Commissioner General Chihuri to transfer police officers at Ntabazinduna Police Base saying relations with the community had broken down.
“We engaged an NGO that wants to build an orphanage in Ntabazinduna and they’ve said they can assist us resuscitate Dunlop Vocational Training Centre. The VTC has been operating for the past two and half weeks and suddenly police told us that we should shut it down as it’s not registered with Umguza Rural District Council,” he said.
“The uptake of the programme by the youths has been overwhelming. On Thursday the police told me that the VTC should be closed as it was unregistered. I engaged the police and we agreed that the training centre could operate pending registration which takes less than five working days. The officer in charge of Mbembesi Police Station however overruled the decision by his juniors and closed the training centre on Friday.”
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi could not immediately comment on the matter yesterday saying he was travelling. Chief Ndiweni said there was bad blood between the police and members of the community.
Citing another example of the bad blood, he said: “I told them the other day to stop the distribution of food aid as it was getting dark but they continued. A number of elderly people were as a result robbed of their allocations on their way home.” State Media

A 27-year-old kombi driver from Gokwe has been sentenced to six years in jail for stealing a police officer’s vehicle that he later sold.
Erick Chinyaure from Gandiwa Village under Chief Nemangwe pleaded guilty to car theft before Kwekwe-Gokwe regional magistrate Amos Mbobo.
Chinyaure will, however, serve an effective four years in prison after two years were suspended for five years on conditions of good be- haviour.
Prosecuting, Robert Ndlala told the court that on June 11, 2014, Chinyaure approached Johnson Ndabambi, a Gokwe-based police officer, who had recently imported a Mazda vehicle worth $7 000.
He told the cop that he would use the vehicle to carry passengers for a fee.
The court heard that Ndabambi knew Chinyaure as a public service transport driver in Gokwe hence he agreed to the arrangement.
“Instead of adhering to what they had agreed, Chinyaure went to Norton with the vehicle the same day he received it and never returned or call Ndabambi advising him of his whereabouts,” said Ndlala.
He later sold the vehicle to one Liberty Mbofana in Norton.State Media

The Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC-T has ended its election boycott and will now contest the 2018 general polls despite its “No Reforms, No Elections” campaign adopted in 2014.
Zanu PF has capitalised on the “No Reforms, No Elections” campaign by grabbing all parliamentary by-elections held since last year as MDC-T boycotted.
In Bulawayo alone, Zanu PF won all six by-elections that the MDC T boycotted in June last year.
“We are preparing to participate in the 2018 elections and we are very categorical about it,” Tsvangirai told journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club on Friday night.
“What we are saying is that when we go to that election, it must give the people the confidence that the election will not be usurped like the 2013 one.”
He added: “We are participating in the 2018 elections and we are very confident that obstacles that were placed in our way before will be removed by the time we go to the polls.”
The MDC-T leader, however, insisted on key electoral reforms to ensure a level playing field.
“Our demand for no reforms no elections, was a campaign. It was not a decision to boycott the 2018 elections. We are not boycotting any election, come 2018. We are going to be there,” he said.
“We are going to make sure that we minimise the conditions that have militated against us. We are going to insist we have a level playing field.”
A decision to boycott by-elections did not go down well with MDC-T officials and legislators, especially those from Matabeleland where Zanu PF had in the past struggled to make inroads.
In Bulawayo, Zanu PF had not won a single seat since 2000.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) commissioner, Qhubani Moyo, said Tsvangirai’s announcement showed a vote of confidence in the country’s electoral system.
“As an electoral management body official, it is good news as it reflects a vote of confidence in the electoral reform processes done so far. We have taken charge of the voters’ roll from the registrar general,” Moyo posted on his Facebook page.
“We have also introduced marker pens and not ink dipping. We are preparing for biometric voter registration. That is how far we have gone so far, but we still have a few more things to do and we are happy that people are already happy.” Standard

Wedzerai Gwenzi from Chisumbanje asks with regret why his late father abandoned his family to join the liberation struggle.
Gwenzi says while his father played his part in liberating the country; he died after independence without anything — a pauper who had his land taken away by a white man, businessman Billy Rautenbach.
“I now blame my father for wasting his time fighting for independence and land ownership because during the time he spent at war, he could not mobilise resources for our education,” an emotional Gwenzi told delegates last Thursday at a Transparency International Zimbabwe launch of a documentary on women, land and corruption.
“Thirty six years later I am still fighting to take back our land in Chisumbanje. Government allowed one man, Rautenbach to displace close to 30 000 villagers for his sugarcane plantation.”
Gwenzi said the ethanol project at Chisumbanje had impoverished villagers to the extent that some women ended up selling their bodies to headmen, just to be given half a hectare of land to plough and feed their children.
“‘Sextortion’ is now the order of the day in Chisumbanje, and women are sexually exploited by headmen and other powerful people to get small pieces of land. They are scared to make reports for fear of losing the land — their only source of livelihood,” she said.
“Rautenbach is a powerful man and he has the backing of people at the top. We used to see former state security minister Didymus Mutasa and MPs threatening people whenever they tried to resist occupation of their land to make way for the ethanol project. Right now in Chisumbanje, there is need to capacitate women to be self-sustaining so that they can defend themselves from sextortion.”
Robinson Nyakurwa (74) said he was born in Chisumbanje and had seen different companies setting up in the area.
“A company called Tilco which was the first to set up in Chisumbanje looked after the villagers well. It used to build schools and people would be contracted to remove tree stumps and be paid well for it. Arda then took over from Tilco and they assisted us with tractors. They only requested that we buy diesel to use their tractors for ploughing,” he said.
Nyakurwa said when the ethanol project started the situation in Chisumbanje changed.
“He [Rautenbach], however, does not help people. He made an agreement with Arda to acquire 5½ hectares of land and we did not have qualms with that. But [although he has now taken thousands of hactres], he should leave the pieces of land where he has not worked to enable us to farm because we are now unsure where our next meal will come from,” Nyakurwa said.
Claris Madhuku, the director for Platform for Youth Development, said “sextortion” of women desperate for land in Chisumbanje was happening under cover, with most of them lacking courage to speak out.
“There is need to increase awareness on the affected women so that the cases can be reported. As the Chisumbanje community, the biggest problem we have is that since 2009, everything that was promised to the community has not been delivered,” Madhuku said.
Chinhoyi University lecturer Patience Mutopo who authored a book on women, land disposition and biofuels, said what was happening in Chisumbanje was a negation of human rights principles and protocols which Zimbabwe was signatory to.
“We cannot talk of the existence of working gender policies in Zimbabwe. We need responsive national gender policies which include views of rural women. Land policies should look at the rights of women and children, business human rights and corporate social responsibility,” Mutopo said.
Manase Chiweshe, an associate coordinator of the Chinhoyi University Unesco Saich Platform said urban land was desirable for women because unlike rural land, it could be sold.
“Land is now also a political tool and when we have elections in 2018, people will be allowed to build on illegal land but the houses will be demolished after elections,” Chiweshe said. Standard

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has exploded onto the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) saying they are corrupt.
Speaking at the Trade Fair in Bulawayo, Mnangagwa blamed the ZACC for corruption. We soon found that they were corrupt as well, the VP said.

According to the below state media report, the organization’s bosses splurged US$5,5 million on luxury homes, top-of-the-range cars and executive furniture at a time when the commission was being accused of doing little to fight corruption. A fortnight ago, four top managers were suspended for alleged misappropriation of funds.
Sunday Mail report:
The houses were bought in 2009 after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe provided funding through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the apex bank and ZACC on October 10, 2008.
ZACC chairperson Dr Job Wabhira yesterday said the “commission was looking at the issue to clean up what happened in the past”.
He said although he did not work with the commission in question, his office was seized with dealing with any corrupt activities which might have occurred.
“We are looking into everything; we will look at the issue (procurement of houses and cars).
“The commission is working in liason with the National Prosecuting Authority, judiciary and the police; we are not competing but complementing each other,” said Dr Wabhira.
Those who benefited from the largesse are said to be still occupying the luxury homes – five years after leaving the organisation.
Documents at hand show that former commissioners who left office in 2011, benefitted as follows:
Prosecutor-General Mr Johannes Tomana got a house at 366 Glen Helenway, Glen Lorne valued at US$280 000;
Then commission deputy chairperson Dr Rutendo Faith Wutawunashe received a property worth US$200 000 at 42 Stratford Greystone Park;
Then commission chairman Mr Abdulman Eric Harid was given number 22 Dawning, Greendale(US$100 000);
Mrs Bessie Nhandara 24 Honeybear Lane, Helenslave (US$180 000);
Ms Alice Nkomo 8 Uxbridge, Bluffhill (US$90 000);
Retired Brigadier Elasto Madzingira 11 Iffley Close, Greendale (US$110 000);
Retired Police Senior Assistant Commissioner Casper Khumalo 50 Garlands Rise, Mt Pleasant (US$150 000);
Mrs Juliet Machoba 17 Dougal
Avenue, Mandara (US$160 000);
Mr Kuziwa Nyamwanza 4 Hilmorton Road, Meyrick Park (US$60 000);
Jailed former ZACC chief executive officer Mr Ngonidzashe Gumbo reportedly benefited through a US$1 026 912.50 house.
Suspended ZACC general manager investigations Ms Sukai Tongogara, received a house worth US$637 192.50, while Mr Edwin Mubataripi (general manager prevention and corporate governance) benefited a US$753 267.50 house.
These two are on suspension together with Mr Christopher Chisango (general manager finance, human resources and administration and Mr Gibson Mangwiro (manager finance) pending a hearing over alleged corrupt activities.
They are being accused of being involved in a case in which Mr Gumbo was jailed for two years for defrauding the agency of US$435 500 in a deal which saw the purchase of ZACC headquarters located at 872 Betterment Close in Mt Pleasant.
Apart from the houses, the ZACC bosses also benefited top-of-the-range vehicles such as Mercedes Benz ML 350 worth US$160 000 for Mr Gumbo, and two other same Mercedes cars for the commission.
Other vehicles include Toyota Fortuner worth US$60 000, four Toyota Hilux double cab each valued at US$40 000 and 13 Isuzu KBs each valued at US$18 000.
ZACC also splashed US$558 738.31 on executive office furniture, carpeting, office security and surveillance systems.
Another US$50 629 was spent on cellphones, switchboard, telephone receivers and fax machines
The suspended ZACC general managers also stand accused of allocating themselves 700 litres of fuel per month each while investigations vehicles get 200 litres.
A whistleblower said, “They (ZACC general managers) awarded themselves 700 litres, landline and cellphone allowances monthly and these are backdated whenever Treasury releases funds for operations.
“On 7 January 2015, they awarded themselves with backdated fuel coupons and other self-approved allowances in excess of US$2 000 each time the commission was on annual shutdown.
“What business were they doing when the commission was not investigating any crimes?

Nyagomo Confronts Mugabe Over Workers’ Plight

A 30-year-old Harare man fatally shot his maid with his service rifle after accusing her of deliberately infecting him with HIV, the court heard yesterday. It is alleged that Phelimon Chigwada shot his wife Memory Mahari who is battling for her life at Parirenyatwa Hospital after she had tried to cool his temper. Chigwada, who is a security guard, was facing murder and attempted murder charges when he appeared before magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe.
He was remanded in custody to May 5 and advised to approach the High Court for bail application. Allegations are that on April 23, Chigwada had a misunderstanding with Chiedza Rambanepasi whom he was accusing of deliberately infecting him with HIV.
The court heard that during the dispute, Chigwada took his service 303 rifle and shot Rambanepasi who died on the spot. It is the State’s case that after shooting Rambanepasi, Chigwada turned to Mahari and shot her in the jaw.
A report was made leading to Chigwada’s arrest.
Meanwhile, a jilted Harare man appeared in the same court on Monday accused of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend with a kitchen knife in the heat of a dispute. Emmanuel Chikwanda (25) was charged with murder. He was remanded in custody to May 9 for trial.-State Media

Anglican Bishop Sebastian Bakare says President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party should be cursed for looting the Marange diamonds.
Bishop Bakare told western diplomats, members of the civil society, and politicians gathered at a private venue for the official launch of a book titled “Facets of Power” Politics, profits and people in the making of Zimbabwe’s bloody diamonds, in Harare Thursday that maggots were waiting for the “corrupt” Zanu PF diamond looters.
“Reading through the pages of this book, one cannot fail to understand the plight and struggle of the powerless peasants of Marange caused by selfish and the brutal elite with no regard and human dignity,” said Bishop Bakare.
The man of the cloth said Mugabe destroyed Manicaland.
“The story of bloody diamonds has however not only scandalised, shamed and destroyed the image of the Marange community alone, but also of the entire nation. The recent announcement of the disappearance of $15 billion affects us all since all natural resources should benefit the people and the entire nation.
“Never, never again should we allow the power hungry, shameless and corrupt elite system that denies equal opportunities for all,” said Bishop Bakare.
Government in 2008 deployed soldiers in the Chiadzwa diamond fields who brutalised local villagers, also killing many.
The administration allocated the diamond claims to the Chinese and known top state security officials.

Zimbabwe’s Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku on Thursday dismissed an urgent chamber application by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights(ZLHR) to stay the reciting of the national pledge in schools until the court makes a ruling on the case.
ZLHR lawyer, David Hofisi says the Constitutional Court will only hear the matter in June.
Government, through the ministry of education, introduced a national pledge which school children have to recite and Minister Lazarus Dokora said schools would start enforcing it starting next month.
President Robert Mugabe will now join 4.2 million pupils, parents and guardians in the inaugural national schools pledge to be recited in all schools on May 3.
The urgent application was filed Tuesday by a parent Mathew Sologani. The respondents were cited as Dokora, the headmaster of Mashambanhaka Secondary School, Mashonaland East, the headmaster of Chizungu Primary School in Harare and the Attorney General.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights is representing Sologani, a father of three. The lawyers had argued in papers filed Tuesday that, the applicant (Sologani) is entitled to an urgent hearing of the matter due to the fact that he will suffer irreparable harm if his children are compelled to recite a pledge which is contrary to their views, opinions and beliefs.
The lawyers further said Sologani prayed for the following order:
The policy requirement for recitation of the national pledge in all schools and by all schoolchildren as required by the 1st Respondent be and is hereby stayed pending the determination of the Constitutional Court Application filed in Case Number CCZ /16.
Consequently, there shall be no recitation of the national pledge as required by the 1st Respondent pending the determination of the Constitutional Court Application filed in Case Number CCZ 31/16.
As such, the 2nd and 3rd Respondents shall not, require school children, including Applicant’s children, to recite the national pledge as formulated pending the determination of the Constitutional Court Application filed in Case Number CCZ 31/16.
Each party to bear its own costs.
The National Pledge
The pledge reads” “Almighty God in whose hands our future lies: I salute the national flag. United in our diversity by our common desire for freedom, justice and equality Respecting the brave fathers and mothers who lost lives in the Chimurenga/Umvukela. We are proud inheritors of the richness of our natural resources. We are proud creators and participants in our vibrant traditions and cultures. I commit to honesty and dignity of hard work.”VOA

A HIGH Court judge yesterday ordered prominent Matabeleland South commercial white farmer David Connolly to vacate Centenary Farm and blasted the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Paddy Zhanda for allegedly shielding him.
Connolly, through his company, JC Connolly and Sons (Pvt) Ltd, has since 2014 been locked in a protracted legal wrangle with the Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Ray Ndhlukula, over the ownership of the farm.
The ruling by Justice Joseph Musakwa of the Harare High Court follows an application by Connolly who sought the confirmation of a provisional order which was granted in his favour in 2014.
The order, by a Bulawayo High Court judge, barred Ndhlukula from evicting Connolly from Centenary Farm. The order also interdicted Ndhlukula from occupying the farm and bringing in his cattle into the disputed piece of land pending the finalisation of the matter.
Justice Musakwa said Connolly was in occupation of gazetted land, which was compulsorily acquired by the state in 2000.
In discharging the provisional order, Justice Musakwa said although Connolly has not been charged for unlawful occupation of the disputed farm, he had no right to remain on the property.
“The applicant has no legal right to the land in question and the elements of a clear right as a requirement for the interdict hasn’t been met. In my final analysis, the provisional order is hereby discharged with costs,” ruled Justice Musakwa.
The judge also blasted government officials, among them the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Paddy Zhanda, for “legitimising” Connolly’s occupation of the farm through their frequent visits to encourage him to continue with his farming activities. “It matters not that the applicant has received covert encouragement from government officials. In fact, it was duplicitous of those government officials to have given the applicant such false hope without ensuring he’s issued with a legal permit to remain on the land,” said Justice Musakwa.
Connolly, through his lawyers Webb Low and Barry, argued that since the acquisition of the farm he has been in peaceful and undisturbed occupation of the property and productively utilising the land.
Ndhlukula, through his lawyer Gerald Mlotshwa of GN Mlotshwa and Company, said Connolly failed to establish a clear right to the land. He said the farm belonged to him, arguing that he had an offer letter from the Lands and Rural Settlement Minister Douglas Mombeshora.
In March last year, Connolly celebrated a short-lived victory after the Bulawayo High Court ordered Ndhlukula off the farm and subsequently sentenced him to a suspended 90-day jail term on condition that he complied with the order issued in 2014 within 14 days.

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Controversial Remnant Ministries leader Phillip Mugadza staged a one man demonstration in Masvingo last Saturday- calling for President Robert Mugabe’s immediate resignation as a result of his failed economic policies.
Mugadza rose to prominence last year when he was arrested following the one man protest he held in Victoria Falls ahead of the Zanu PF annual conference.
He spent several weeks behind bars.
The outspoken pastor held the demonstration in the city centre saying Mugabe must resign because his government has brought the country to a hault as a result of controversial and failed policies.
Mugadza said Mugabe was not God and he should hand over power and give others a chance to lead the nation.
The pastor recently caused a stir in Masvingo after chaining himself on a pole to indicate the lack of freedom in the country.
“Zimbabwe is chained and there is no freedom of expression and association. Those who oppose the government are brutally silenced. That is not a Godly way of leading. There is need for total freedom from oppression. The government has done nothing to improve the plight of the people. I came to my home town(Masvingo) to deliver this strong message. I will not be intimidated. I will travel to all towns around Zimbabwe to express the same message,” said Mugadza.
The controversial pastor addressed passers-by at an open space near Glow Petroleum in the city centre-a few metres from Masvingo Central Police Station and the Central Intelligence Organisation(CIO) provincial offices. Mugadza was accompanied by the president of the Christian Voice International, Pastor Clement Zenda, who said religious leaders should come out in the open and speak against violence and intimidation.
Mugadza drew the attention of scores of people who showed keen interest in his message, an indication the people of Zimbabwe are hard pressed by social and political challenges.

Below is Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy(YARD) leader, Temba Mliswa’s press statement regarding the disturbance of the YARD Press Conference of Wednesday 27th April 2016:
Wednesday’s riotous disturbance at the Media Centre during YARD’s press conference was certainly no surprise. We were expecting this sort of behaviour and now have the violent nature of Zanu Pf and its youths clearly evidenced.
This is what we are up against as citizens of Zimbabwe , the regime in its full brutal glory. If ever there was any doubt about Zanu PF’s affiliation to ZICOSU or of the party’s intimidation tactics and violent nature then the truth has been exposed for all to see!
What is sad to note is that the poor misguided youths have been brainwashed to serve political expedience at the expense of students rights and basic needs. Students continue to be victimised in institutions, fees continue to be out of reach of the ordinary student, basic sanitation and living conditions continue in their deplorable state whilst the rate of sexually related infections and diseases continues to sky rocket as our youths are forced into compromising situations to get by.
Are these the education standards that were envisaged when the free education initiative was implemented? Is this the educational environment that parents look forward to for their children and died during the liberation struggle for? No wonder why all the top brass send their children abroad for further education and yet they are the very same people who create the unsavoury environment that our children are forced to deal with.
Our streets are littered with thousands of degreed vendors who even after struggling to go through the university system continue the struggle after school….when does it all end?
We are victorious that the regime played into our hands and we will be making a report to the police to further test the judiciary system. Let us see how unruliness is handled. This display will not deter us, it is this very anti-tolerant and violent nature that we as YARD advocate against. One by one the youth will realise that there is no future in chaos and although a process, Zimbabwe will one day overcome. We cannot fault the youth as its is the system that has turned them into the monsters that they are today but all is not lost and sanity will be restored and that restoration lies with each and every one of us who yearns for a democratic, peaceful Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe we once knew and were safe, the bread basket of the continent that had its own currency in before greed and corruption stole our heritage.

A Mutare-based businessman has dragged Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo to court to force him to facilitate the re-imbursement of $78 900 seized by the police following his arrest in 2008 on theft charges.
Tendai Blessing Mangwiro, filed an application for mandamus (a judicial remedy) on Monday, demanding Chombo to act in terms of his duties and facilitate the release of his money.
Mangwiro, who was cleared of the theft charges in 2012, said that since an order for the re-imbursement of the money was done over a year ago, Chombo has not acted in terms of the directive.
“…it is respondent (Chombo)’s failure as the minister of Home Affairs to comply with the statutory duty on him…which prompted me to make this application…,” Mangwiro said.
He accused Chombo of misleading his lawyers, following several communications, where the minister claimed, “all necessary arrangements have been made to request and pay the amounts due to your client as granted by the court.”
Mangwiro said according to Section 5 of the State Liabilities Act, where a person successfully sues the State, the court cannot order execution or attachment against the State’s property.
He however, said Chombo as the nominal defendant and Home Affairs minister had an obligation to have the money paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
“…I implore this honourable court to hold the respondent as a public servant to be personally held liable for not complying with the honourable court’s order because he has failed or neglected to perform a mandatory duty which is cast upon him by the statute because the statute has set him as an agent of the legislature,” Mangwiro said.
He is now seeking a directive for Chombo to comply with the court order, failure of which he argues the minister must be declared to be in contempt of court.
In his previous court papers, Mangwiro said that the police seized US$78 900, Z$46 135 000 000, which he said was equivalent to US$1 537 837, 33 and two vehicles.
The two vehicles were released in 2008, but he is still to get the confiscated money. Daily News

ZIMBABWE was slowly becoming a “market for other countries” with very little exports in return to drive the economy forward, Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing delegates at the International Business Conference hosted by the Zimbabwe International Trade (ZITF) company, Mnangagwa said the country was not doing enough in terms of exports urging the public and private sector to work hard to address the anomaly.
“Meanwhile, the government has noted with concern that Zimbabwe is slowly becoming a market for other countries with very little export in return. Efforts are underway to arrest the trend and revive domestic industry,” Mnangagwa said.
According to national statistics agency, Zimstat, Zimbabwe recorded a trade deficit of $323 million in the first quarter of the year. The agency said imports to March amounted to $490 million against $167 million exports, which remained heavily skewed towards consumptive products following a significant drop in raw materials importation.
Most of the imports were consumptive products such as bottled water, sugar, soap, cooking oil, cellphone handsets, electronics, vehicle spares, vehicles, generators and second hand vehicles.
Cumulatively, to March, Zimbabwe’s imports stood at $1,3 billion, while exports amounted to $626 million.
Mnangagwa said there was need for a paradigm shift by industry and business towards the use of abundant domestic resources and skills to provide goods and services of competitive quality.
“This will in turn undoubtedly endear Zimbabweans to locally produced goods and make them competitive on the international market. To this end, government remains committed to assisting industry and business in their efforts to re-tool in order to ensure business viability,” he said.
He urged businesses to invest in innovation and technology to improve productivity and quality of goods and services.
During the question and answer session, Mnangagwa also spoke about the issue of corruption. He urged both the private and public sector to fight corruption.
“For any country to succeed, corruption must be fought left, right and centre. Let it not be a duty of the government alone but everyone,” he said.
Asked by participants what the government was doing about the $15 billion money which President Robert Mugabe alleged disappeared in thin air, Mnangagwa said he “believes investigations were taking place” to ascertain whether the allegations were true or not.
The fair running up to Saturday under the theme Innovate, Integrate and Industrialise, would be officially opened by Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé tomorrow.
Sixteen countries, including Zimbabwe, were represented. These were Botswana, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
This year’s edition had attracted about 390 direct exhibitors, compared to the closing total of 387 last year. The figure included 32 direct foreign exhibitors, the same as was achieved in 2015. -Newsday

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Scores of teachers from the rural areas were stranded in the ancient city of Masvingo after failing to get their salaries from their respective banks, amid indications the 2008 chaos could resurface.
The teachers were forced to sleep on the pavements after being told the banks had no cash. Some of the teachers travelled from as far as Mwenezi about 180 kilometres from Masvingo. In a snap analysis carried out by ZimEye.com yesterday some banks limited the daily cash withdrawal to $200 while others did not have the money to pay the desperate civil servants. As the country’s economy continues to deteriorate, there are speculations the chaos that rocked the nation in 2008 could resurface.
Economists have warned the treasury has been overburdened with expenses while the nation’s industry is stagnant. Speaking on Independence day last week President Robert Mugabe surprised all and sundry when he claimed the nation was experiencing economic prosperity,in sharp contrast to the plight of the civil servants. Teachers who spoke to ZimEye.com said they spent the whole night sleeping on the pavements despite the biting cold as winter approaches.
“I am from Mwenezi and I slept on the pavement because I had no money to go back home. I had no option but to sleep on the pavement. I might be forced to sleep here (on the pavement again) since I have to wait for bonus.I need at least $14 to travel to and from Mwenezi. I do not have any extra cash and last night I only drank a bottle of water,” said the teacher from Maranda Mwenezi.
Another female teacher from Rutenga, Mwenezi said : “I don’t know anyone here so I slept on the pavement. I went to BancABC and there was no cash.We were told to wait for another day.Hundreds of teachers are stranded .The situation is highly critical.”
The government has claimed agents of regime change are working tirelessly to sabotage the country’s economy. It remains to be seen whether the teachers will get their bonuses on Saturday as earlier announced by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo|$200,000 has reportedly disappeared as a raging storm brews at the Roman Catholic owned St Antony’s Msiso High School with parents accusing the head of gross abuse of funds.
Disgruntled parents yesterday accused the school head Emmaculate Tinago of rampant corruption and gross embezzlement of school funds to the tune of USD200,000.
The parents also accused Tinago of constructing a sub standard structure at the boarding school after failing to account for the hostel construction levy collected from the parents for over six terms.
The parents said the school constructed the below standard structure claiming it cost $ 200 000.
“We have been paying the hostel construction levy for more than six terms. Initially she told us the levy will be paid for six terms but to our surprise the payment period has been extended. The head also took school equipment to her farm. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is deeply reluctant to act on the matter. We have written several letters to the ministry to no avail. The head has a habit of inflating figures.
She also inflated figures for the borehole construction project at the school. We have gathered evidence that she also demands kickbacks from companies that supply goods at the school,” said one parent who spoke to ZimEye.com.
Efforts to get a comment from Tinago did not materialise but sources at the school claimed the head was being protected by senior education officials. Another angry parent said:”The Ministry has to send a team of auditors to analyse the school’s financial records. The head is concealing a lot of sinister motives. She spends most of her time at her farm in Chiredzi. The school’s high standards are waning with each passing day.”

A MARRIED man from Gweru who sodomised his neighbour’s 12-year-old son has been slapped with a 15-year jail term.
Never Noah, 24, of Chihota Farm, appeared before Gweru Regional Magistrate Morgan Nemadire facing one count of indecent assault. He pleaded guilty and was jailed for 15 years.
Noah will, however, serve 12 years of the prison term after Nemadire suspended three years for five years on condition of good behaviour. In passing sentence, Nemadire bemoaned the increase in sodomy cases in the Midlands province.
“Indecent assault cases have increased and that’s a cause for concern. You were cruel in the manner you committed the crime on a young boy aged 12. You weren’t sexually starved since you’re married. You deserve a long prison term and hence l’ll sentence you to 15 years in prison. Furthermore, three years will be suspended on condition of good behaviour,” he said.
Prosecuting, Andrew Marimo said on April 24 this year, the complainant was walking alone along Matobo Road in Gweru when he met the accused.
“Noah grabbed the complainant, dragged him into a nearby bush where he laid him on his chest before he removed his trousers and sodomised him once,” said Marimo.
The court heard that the boy was screaming for help as Noah sodomised him.
Noah, the court heard, released the complainant when some people were approaching the scene.
“The accused was chased by John Deke who was among the people who heard the boy’s screams. He was caught after sprinting for a distance of 200 metres. The accused was handed over to the police,” said Marimo. – State Media

Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana erupted in court complaining that the stalling of his criminal abuse of duty trial by the State was prejudicing his functions.
The trial, which was scheduled for yesterday, was reset to June 1 and Tomana’s bail condition was relaxed to reporting once a fortnight at CID Law and Order instead of every Friday.
Tomana is charged with criminal abuse of duty as a public officer or alternatively defeating or obstructing the course of justice after he allegedly ordered the release of two men — Solomon Makumbe and Silas Pfupa — suspected of trying to petrol-bomb the First Family’s Alpha Omega Dairy Farm in Mazowe.
Through his lawyer, Mr Tazorora Musarurwa, Tomana insisted his trial should have started yesterday.
“When the matter was last remanded, April 27 was set as the trial date, this means today (yesterday) trial should have started,” he said. “On February 14 we went to the national director of prosecution informing them that we had not yet received State papers.
“They said we should be served with State papers immediately so that trial could start. Today we are served with witness statements, which were recorded at the beginning of February.
“There is no reason State failed to serve us in time. We thought with the sensitivity of the matter State would want to conclude it in time.”
Mr Musarurwa said they wanted an earlier trial date and Tomana should be removed from reporting every Friday at CID Law and Order because it was affecting his functions as the Prosecutor General of the country.
The prosecutor, Mr Timothy Makoni, submitted that the judiciary system is like a conveyor belt and other matters are already in queue.
“It would be unfair to remove other matters to accommodate the accused. He should wait his turn in that chain of events,” said Mr Makoni. “We are amenable to have accused’s reporting conditions reduced to once a fortnight.”
Harare magistrate, Mr Vakayi Chikwekwe, adjourned the matter and relaxed Tomana’s reporting conditions. He is on $1 000 bail.
It is the State’s case that Makumbe, Pfupa, Kuchata and Borman Ngwenya were arrested for possession of weaponry for sabotage and money laundering for terrorism purposes.
On January 25, their request for remand placement forms were taken to the National Prosecuting Authority where Mrs Ziyambi, Mr Mutsonziwa, chief law officers Michael Mugabe and Chris Mutangadura went through the documents and gave the greenlight for the four to be placed on remand.
The quartet was taken to court for initial remand and was remanded in custody.
On January 29, the ,State alleged Tomana, knowing that police investigations were still in their infancy and without having sight of a complete docket, directed the withdrawal of charges before plea against two of the accused Makumbe and Pfupa.
The two were released from remand. He unilaterally suggested that the two be treated as witnesses, which was contrary to the evidence at hand which is linking them to the offence, the court heard.-State Media