An explosion, believed to have been the result of a small bomb that went off in the basement of Harare Club Chambers — a popular meeting place in the capital for former liberation struggle fighters — has sent alarm bells ringing regarding those who were behind it and their motive.
Although there were no reports of casualties after the explosion went off in the wee hours of yesterday, causing minor damage to property, it raised eyebrows as it came amid Zanu PF’s worsening factional and succession wars, which have lately sucked in former freedom fighters.
A concerned Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya, warned in an interview with the Daily News later that authorities should not take the explosion lightly, particularly given the tensions characterising the governing party.
“From afar, you can see that this (explosion) is a threat to comrades, who park their cars in the basement. So this should not be taken lightly at all,” Mahiya said.
Police confirmed that they were investigating the explosion at Harare Club Chambers, which is situated in the city centre, on the edge of Africa Unity Square that is often used by democracy activists to carry out their programmes and protests.
When the Daily News arrived at the scene mid-morning yesterday, a team of forensic experts was busy at work, sifting through the rubble — with people being advised to stay clear of the building.
Club Chambers has of late become a popular rendezvous for war veterans, with the ex-combatants now tending to hold most of their press conferences at the venue.
Earlier this month, disgruntled war veterans loyal to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangangwa wrote a strongly-worded letter to President Robert Mugabe — after meeting at the venue — challenging the nonagenarian on the continued purging of Zanu PF officials perceived to be close to the beleaguered VP.
As a sign of the extent of infighting among war veterans, disaffected former liberation struggle fighters, many of whom have been pivotal in keeping Mugabe and Zanu PF in power for the past 36 years, said last week that it was time the nonagenarian left office — in an unprecedented move that is set to shake Zanu PF down to its foundation.
Addressing journalists in Harare, the disgruntled ex-combatants — many of whom are signatories to the famous 1976 Mgagao declaration that catapulted Mugabe to the helm of Zanu — said they were withdrawing their support both to that epoch-making document, as well as to Mugabe.
The spokesman for these war veterans, Bernard Manyadza, whose war-time nom de guerre was Parker Chipoyera, said ex-combatants — the majority of whom are wallowing in abject poverty — had had enough of Mugabe’s “misrule”.
The tough-talking Manyadza, who was the head of instructors at the famous Mgagao Camp, also said the time had come for war veterans and fellow Zimbabweans to “rewrite history”.
In addition to vowing to do everything in their power to make Mugabe leave office, the disgruntled war vets also ominously threw their weight behind former Vice President Joice Mujuru, who is now leader of new political outfit, Zimbabwe People First (ZPF).
“At this juncture, it is particularly important for the people of Zimbabwe to know how …Mugabe first attained the reins of power as president of Zanu.
“It is us the war veterans who put Mugabe into power. In 1976 officers at Mgagao Training Camp in Tanzania, after consulting with others in Zambia and Mozambique, wrote a document denouncing the then president (of the party) Ndabaningi Sithole.
“The document, known as the Mgagao document, accused Sithole of abandoning the struggle to pursue his personal issues.
“After considering many factors, the war veterans agreed to endorse … Mugabe to succeed Sithole. In light of this, it is abundantly clear that … Mugabe was not elected, but selected to lead Zimbabwe’s armed struggle,” Manyadza said.
“We the war veterans who agreed to the authorship of the Mgagao document and appended our signatures to it now withdraw the mandate we gave to …Mugabe to be leader,” he added.
Manyadza said “real war veterans” remained marginalised while “opportunists” who currently occupied senior positions in government were “cowards” during the war of liberation.
Describing Mugabe’s meeting with a faction of war veterans a fortnight ago as a non-event, Manyadza — who was flanked by other “real” ex-combatants — said the Harare get-together had been “a missed opportunity” to put the 92-year-old leader under pressure.
“The illegitimate attendees are Zanu PF sycophants and bootlickers who can best be described as charlatans and opportunists.
“It was clear to everyone that most attendees were past the age of liberation fighters, but some old villagers who were paid to attend and ululate and sing praises to Mugabe,” he thundered.
“Mugabe is a habitual rigger who has rigged his own indaba,” Manyadza said, adding that the late struggle icon, Herbert Chitepo will be turning in his grave at the sight of how the party that he led effectively had now turned rogue.
“Chitepo insisted that there never was and never will be a living hero. He refused anyone to say ‘pamberi naChitepo or nani zvake (forward with Chitepo or any other person)’. He remained firm on this principle as he knew that all humans were fallible.
“Chairman Chitepo argued that if you say ‘pamberi neni, ko mangwana ndikatadza wozoti kudiyi (Chitepo discouraged hero-worshipping of individuals),” Manyadza added.
He also said that it was unfortunate that everyone who had challenged Mugabe within Zanu PF thus far had been purged from the former liberation movement.
“…even our service chiefs who have demonstrated absolute loyalty to the nation and their commander-in-chief have had their loyalty and allegiance questioned, firstly by the First Lady, and later by their commander-in-chief. This has set a very bad precedence.
“Again … the manner in which . . . Mujuru was removed from holding government and party positions at the instigation of Mugabe’s wife who had no political position at the time cannot be accepted or tolerated.
“Mugabe as the sole centre of power unilaterally makes ruinous decisions that have sadly brought life in the once prosperous nation to a standstill,” Manyadza added.
While the country’s opposition has routinely called for Mugabe to either resign or retire, there are now also growing calls for him to step down from within Zanu PF ranks.
Only last week, respected party elder Cephas Msipa said keeping Mugabe in power was tantamount to “punishing” the increasingly frail nonagenarian, further urging the long-ruling leader to retire immediately.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily News, he said Mugabe’s 56 years in politics were long enough for a “normal human being to hang the boots”.

In response to growing food insecurity in Zimbabwe, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Wednesday gave an additional $20 million to Zimbabwe.
The funding which has been channelled through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) brings the total U.S. funding for drought relief since June 2015 to $55 million.
In a statement, USAID -Zimbabwe Mission Director Stephanie Funk, said they will continue assisting Zimbabwe until the end of the drought season.
“The United States is committed to supporting the people of Zimbabwe during these difficult times,” he said.
“We are committed to working with WFP to meet the immediate food needs of vulnerable Zimbabweans, reduce suffering, and ensure families cope with the negative effects of the drought”.
The extended donation is going to support WFP’s Lean Season Assistance program, which provides monthly targeted food rations or cash transfers for food insecure people in the hardest hit districts of Zimbabwe.
WFP’s Lean Season Assistance usually operates from October through March, during the time between harvests when food can be scarce.
The WFP Country Director, Eddie Rowe said, “The generous additional $20 million contribution from USAID will allow WFP to continue food assistance for 450,000 people in 12 districts over the next six months”.
“The UN is grateful to the United States for answering our call for additional funding to scale up life-saving activities to reach the growing number of food insecure individuals,” said UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Bishow Parajuli.  “These funds will help increase our relief efforts to reach those most affected by the drought and other vulnerable groups.”
 

Poorly Fed Mugabe Officers Collapse During Independence Speech Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| There was commotion here on Independence day when a cop and a soldier fainted during Masvingo State Minister Shuvai Ben Mahofa’s speech delivery at Mucheke Stadium.
Despite frantic efforts by both the army and the police to conceal the matter, members of the public were all but stunned by the incident.
ZimEye.com was informed of how members the uniformed force spent hours standing while they had not eaten anything resulting in the embarrassing incident.
The scenery happened around 2pm when the two officers suddenly collapsed one after the other as Mahofa proceeded with her marathon speech.
It has been reported the food supplies at army barracks and police camps have been drastically reduced while the duties for both forces are expected to carry out remain the unchanged.
Although Masvingo Province acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa was not readily available to comment on the matter, residents of Mucheke suburb who went to the stadium said they witnessed the incident before their eyes.
“We were surprised by what happened. For the first time in my life, I saw two officers falling down. It is unheard of, yet very embarrassing, “said a resident of the R section of Mucheke suburb.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the army did not materialise as a junior officer quickly warned: “You will be in trouble with such issues my friend. Such things are highly sensitive.”

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| MDC-T Mayor for the City of Masvingo, Councillor Hubert Fidze, stunned all and sundry when he vindicated President Robert Mugabe after local residents exerted pressure on him to confront the nonagenarian over unpaid government bills.
Fidze shocked residents and stakeholders at a recent meeting in Masvingo when he defended Mugabe saying the government was not to blame for their failure to service the huge debt.
Residents of the ancient city demanded that Fidze and his delegation of councillors should confront Mugabe over the unpaid government bills said to be pegged at a shocking $12 million dollars.
In latest figures seen by ZimEye.com, the Zimbabwe National army owes the city council $8 million in unpaid water bills while the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services owe the city council $2,5 and $2 million respectively.
The city council has stepped up efforts to disconnect water supplies for residents with unpaid bills yet the local authority is scared of confronting the respective government departments. After being besieged by local Residents, Fidze said there was need to understand the government had no money to pay the bills.
“Why do you put pressure on us ?You must understand that President Mugabe’s government has no money at the moment. Some of your demands are far fetched.You have to keep on paying your bills. If you stop paying council will collapse. Why do you have to focus on what others are doing? Let us be realistic,” said Fidze.
Fidze uttered the controversial remarks after angry residents urged him to confront Mugabe in order to retrieve millions of dollars owed to the local authority by the government.
The irate residents said the council should immediately inform Mugabe about the unpaid bills adding the government contributed to the poor service delivery by the city council.
It is understood Fidze is in trouble with his bosses in the MDC-T after he allegedly sanctioned council’s donation towards Mugabe’s birthday bash in February. Party hardliners perceive he is sympathetic to Mugabe.

A TRAFFIC cop appeared in court yesterday for soliciting a $30 bribe from commuter omnibus operators plying the Chiremba Road route.
Rangarirai Chigome (42) allegedly demanded $30 from each commuter omnibus driver to allow them a seven-day unintterupted passage. He is charged with criminal abuse of office as a public officer.
Chigome was granted $100 bail and remanded to May 9. He was warned against interferring with witnesses.
The State withdrew charges against five other traffic cops who were facing similar allegations. These are John Shereni, Walter Makahamadze, Wonder Zvirevo, Conec Tembo and Ezekiel Nyungu.
Prosecuting, Ms Dora Moyo alleged that on April 14 at around 8pm Police Internal Investigations received a tip-off that Highway Patrol cops deployed along Chiremba Road were demanding bribes from commuter omnibuses.
It was alleged the officers demanded $30 from commuter omnibus operators to allow them uninterrupted passage for seven days. Those who did not comply with the bribe would be arrested for various traffic offences, the court heard.
A trap was set the following day at around 2pm. It is alleged that Chigome was approached by Emmanuel Mapiye and Inspector Wilson Chiwanda posing as commuter omnibus drivers.
Mapiye allegedly negotiated $30 for free passage of his commuter omnibus for a week.
Chigome agreed and was given $30 trap money by Mapiye.
It is alleged that Chigome endorsed the registration number of Mapiye’s commuter omnibus ABZ 6331 at the back of the Z69(j) book before releasing him.
Chigome was immediately arrested.

BASELESS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MY HUSBAND WILL NEVER WIPE OFF HIS LEGACY:JTR MUJURU
………I SHALL NEVER FORGET HIS SACRIFICE
We still celebrate the true heroes that led us to our independence, even if each year we are having less and less on what to celebrate, since many have turned their back on the true principles of the struggle. It has become a public secret that we all know what happened to my husband. A minority of people might try to drag his name in the mud and level-up baseless accusations against him but what he achieved can’t be dragged out of his legacy. My husband aiva munhu weVanhu. My family especially my children understand and know the kind of man that was called General Solomon Mujuru. Those who had the chance to meet and interact with him , will tell you his cheerful laugh and jokes. Just like everyone else he was not afraid to attend public events alone. He never applied for a bodyguard or driver saying “l will protect myself”. Nomatter how much they may try to remove him from the history of Zimbabwe, my family and l shall never forget his sacrifice.
We shall never forget.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth yesterday wished Zimbabwe a happy independence and wished her former colony best wishes in the coming year.
The 90-year-old British monarch sent the message to the people of Zimbabwe from Buckingham Palace yesterday, the day the southern African country gained its independence from British colonial rule 36 years ago.
The Queen, who has entered the record books as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch after surpassing the reign of her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, did not acknowledge Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe, in her statement, in an uncharacteristic move by a head of State wishing well for another country.
“It gives me great pleasure to send the people of Zimbabwe my congratulations on the celebration of your National Day, together with my best wishes for the coming year,” Queen Elizabeth II said in a terse statement.
Mugabe, 92, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, likes the British Queen who has been on the throne for 63 years, but not so much the politicians at 10 Downing Street.
In 2009, Mugabe, Africa’s oldest president, was stripped of a knighthood conferred on him by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994.
The Zimbabwean leader accuses the former colonial power of interfering in his country’s domestic affairs.
The Queen’s message is significant as relations between the two countries have entered a new phase, with Britain and the European Union suspending most sanctions first imposed on Zimbabwe in 2002, in protest against human rights abuses, electoral theft, and violations of democracy under Mugabe’s rule.
In broadcast to a packed and carefully orchestrated ceremony in a football stadium in the capital, Harare, to mark 36 years of independence, Mugabe said he will not brook any interference in his country’s domestic affairs.
“We should always remember that our independence did not come on a silver platter,” Mugabe thundered yesterday.
Many people arrived in buses hired by government to ferry residents of poor suburbs to the festivities, while others walked to the Chinese-built stadium in a nation that remains all but bankrupt and isolated internationally, and life for most Zimbabweans remains paralysed.
The commemorations come as the governing Zanu PF battles to ease mounting internal political tensions that threaten its stability and to revive an economy ravaged by nearly two decades of economic and political crisis. Daily News

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has backed his political enemy, Robert Mugabe, on the nation and government’s current status.
Speaking during a televised interview released at the weekend, Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe is not a failed state.
“I see there is disagreement, divisions and factionalism in ZANU PF.
“But I do not for-see any moment a civil war obtaining,” said Tsvangirai.
He continued, ” A civil war denotes a fact of a failed state. I don’t think that Zimbabwe has reached a failed state,” said Tsvangirai.
His comments in the below video, are set to oppose those of his aides and thousands of party members who have been declaring the very opposite –

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Former Zanu PF MP and suspected Central Intelligence Organisation(CIO)operative, Irvine Dzingirai, has been implicated in a fraud case involving 20 000 litres of petrol.
Dzingirai was the MP for Chivi South Constituency from 2008 to 2013 and he is widely suspected to be a member of the dreaded spy organisation-CIO.
Dzingiral last week appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Sibongile Mkandla facing theft charges.
Dzingiral(45), who resides in Rhodene, Masvingo, was jointly charged with Martina Mushangwe.
The two entered into an agreement with Tashoille Trading in which they were to market petroleum products on behalf of the company.
On October 22 2015, Tashoille Trading delivered 26 200 litres of petrol at stand number 101, 130 Mineral Road in Masvingo and the two took 10 872 litres of petrol which they delivered to Rukanda Filling Station in Chivi. The two received payment which they did not remit to the company.
The two also took 1540 litres of petrol which they supplied to Magwizi Filling Station in Mashava. They also supplied 1546 litres to Hama in Chirumanzu and 4087 litres to Ndanga Business Centre on separate days.
After the deliveries, Dzingirai and his accomplice did not remit the cash to the company. As a result the two failed to account for 18045 litres valued at $23 097 and nothing was recovered.
The two will appear in court again on April 28 for a continuation of the trial.

Tendai Biti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has slammed last week’s MDC-T demonstration held in Harare as a high sounding but useless political statement, which did not improve people’s lives.
Morgan Tsvangirai led his party’s demonstration on Thursday calling for the removal of President Mugabe, despite the fact that his constitutional term is yet to be concluded.
In an interview on Friday after a meeting in Bulawayo chaired by Biti, PDP deputy secretary-general Tongai Matutu said his party was directing its energies towards crafting sound policies instead of making political noise.
He said the MDC-T demonstration was meaningless as it did not provide solutions for struggling Zimbabweans.
“All what has been happening is that we’ve seen ‘mobocracy’ is taking place. The people using the critical masses as a basis upon which they take advantage of political power, but we believe that providing answers to solutions to the country is more critical than to gather 20000 people and subsequently gain nothing from that gathering,” said Mr Matutu.
“If you are going to call for (President) Mugabe to go, will he go after the march or after any other political gathering? Those are the issues if you’re to make any post-mortem of any particular gathering or any event. It should be measured by the results it achieved there- after.”
He said PDP is set to make its political presence felt as it was still working on its structures at ward level.
“We’re here and here for good. We’re not a second class political party. We’re a vanguard party and what we mean by a vanguard party is that we’re going to influence decisions proportionate to our size. We’re going to find solutions to issues that the nation is grappling with,” he said.-State Media

Terrence Mawawa, Gutu | In yet another incident of sexual abuse, a pastoral elder of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe(RCZ) raped his 12 year old niece claiming he wanted to merely feel the experience of having sex with the minor.
The man from Jaravani village in Gutu (name withheld to protect the juvenile’s identity), raped his niece after his wife had gone to the borehole to fetch some water for domestic use last month. The 57 year old man appeared before Gutu Magistrate Edwin Marecha facing rape charges. He pleaded with the courts for clemency saying he was a first time offender and a senior RCZ member.
The man claimed before Magistrate Marecha he only wanted to have first hand experience of how it feels to have sex with a minor.
“I can confirm that I called her(name supplied) in the kitchen when my wife had gone to the borehole. I forced her to sleep on the floor and removed her pants then I had sex with her. I did not enjoy the act as I expected because my manhood did not penetrate her small private parts. I continued until I ejaculated ,” said the accused during the court trial.
The accused person also claimed he did not intend to harm her but he just wanted to feel the experience saying he was a senior member of RCZ member. He also said he was officially ordained to wear the RCZ sash.
He pleaded with the magistrate to release him so that he could attend to his family while waiting for sentence. He was however remanded in custody and will appear before the Masvingo Regional Court magistrate next week.
Cases of paedophilic behaviour are on the increase in the country with analysts attributing the rise in such incidents to ritual beliefs-among other factors.

A MAN from Pumula suburb in Bulawayo has been arrested for allegedly raping and impregnating his landlord’s 14-year-old daughter. Maxwell Ndlovu, 34, appeared before Provincial magistrate Abednico Ndebele facing a rape charge. He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to April 29. The court heard that the matter came to light after the teenager’s mother discovered that she was pregnant.
Ndlovu claimed that he had consensual sex with the juvenile whose name cannot be disclosed for legal reasons. “I didn’t rape her. She agreed to have sexual intercourse with me. Her mother is influencing her to turn against me,” said Ndlovu.
Prosecuting, Stewart Madzore told the court that sometime in September, 2015, at around 11PM, the teenager was cleaning her room when the accused dragged her to his room. “Accused person dragged her to his bedroom where he placed her on the bed.
“He threatened the complainant with a catapult and he removed her underwear. “The accused person forcibly had sexual intercourse with the complainant once without her consent and without protection,” said Madzore.
He said Ndlovu told the teenager that he would kill her if she revealed the matter to anyone. “The matter came to light on March 27 when the mother discovered that the girl was pregnant and after questioning her she immediately divulged the incident,” said Madzore.

Zimbabwe turns 36 today.

Below is the live coverage of the events at the National Sports Stadium and elsewhere.
12:37: PRESIDENT MUGABE ENDS HIS ADDRESS AND THIS TAKES US TO THE END OF OUR UPDATES. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
12:30
Still Mugabe addressing…
“Government is committed to solving social economic beeds of the people….government continues to give attention to chronic diseases… development of rural communities, where most of our people reside, remains under focus… this led to the establishemt of rural development…government remains committed to improving the welfare of civil servants so that they earn salaries above Poverty Datum Line…government apologises for late disbursement of pensions.”
12:10
President Robert Mugabe is now addressing. We publish below excerpts of his speech.
Mugabe begins his address by paying tribute to the heroes of the country’s liberation war.
The 92-year-old, who often speaks off-the-cuff, is sticking to his speech.
On the prevailing El Nino-induced drought, ‘government has taken measures to mitigate the effects of drought through grain imports.’
“There has been an “introduction of 99 year leases to guarantee our farmers security of tenure…..consolidation of diamond and good mining has started to show some results… (on) manufacturing.. I am glad to to inform you that there has been a very rapid resuscitation of companies that were facing closure….and the formation of new companies…new companies include Pure Oil, Feed Mox, Novatex..Kefalos..etc…
“The rescuscitation and formation of new companies have helped create jobs and enhance fiscal space and increased production…government has found a financier and contractor for the Beitbridge and Chirundu road to be constructed for an estimate $2 billion…”
“Airzim and NRZ are on the revival path,”says Mugabe.
If true, this could come as good news to the NRZ workers who have been holding a vigil at the company’s offices demanding their long overdue salaries.
“Power shortages have eased…we have signed a loan with a bank that enables us to do Munyati, Harare and Bulawayo power stations.”
“Efforts are being made to trasform the Beitbridge Border post to a one stop border post to ease congestion and improve trade.”
“…regarding foreign policy, Zimbabwe successfully chaired the Sadc and AU platforms…the country’s ‘Look East’ policy received a boost after the visit of (Chinese leader Xi Jin)Ping in December (last year)”
11:45
The celebrations follow a usual template, where President Robert Mugabe has presided over the inspection of the guard of honour and lit the independence flame.
mgabe 2
What remains is whether the president’s speech will touch on the economic crisis that Zimbabwe is facing and the questions that Zimbabwe may have is whether Mugabe’s pronouncements will bear solutions to the myriad of problems that Zimbabwe is currently facing.
Mgabe
While the initial formalities of the event take place at the National Sports Stadium, where President Robert Mugabe is officiating, we have asked our readers what they think of this event. – Standard

More than 10 000 refugees and asylum seekers are currently staying in the country’s refugee camps and urban areas, Public Service, Labour and Social Services Minister Priscah Mupfumira has said.
Minister Mupfumira said this on Friday during celebrations to mark the International Day of the Social Workers.
“Zimbabwe recognises the strength and resilience of all those displaced by war, persecution and human rights abuses in pursuit of peace, safety and stability,” she said.
“It is Government’s prime responsibility to care and support its valuable citizens, through social service provision.
“However, without, the complementary services from other stakeholders, where social workers are engaged, Government alone would not be able to fully meet the needs of the vulnerable groups. Thus social work is vital.”
Minister Mupfumira said social workers play a pivotal role in the society. “It is from this view point that the social work profession is associated with serving society, through working with individuals, families and other groups of communities.
“Society therefore expects the social worker to be a catalyst, to bring about the desired positive change,” she said.
“The ordinary person in the street will always expect that some good will come out of every contact with a social worker.
“It is therefore imperative that the social work profession be dynamic to keep pace with changes in society.”
National Association of Social Workers president Mr Aaron Zinyanya commended Government for the support accorded to the sector.
“We recognise the good work that the Government has done and continues to do for the fulfilment of this theme.
“Government has put in place legislative, institutional and programme mechanisms to promote the worth and dignity of our peoples,” he said.
“Recently we had a landmark ruling banning child marriages and to us as social workers this issue is more social than legal and there is need for a lot of social mobilisation and conscientisation in our communities and social workers come in handy.”
Dr Gidraph Wairire from Kenya said there was need to look at the root causes of displacements of people in the process of helping them.
“Refugees and displaced persons are like any other people only that they thrive in extremely difficult circumstances as a result of the experiences that force them into such situations,” he said.
“Social work has an inseparable role in not only enabling them to deal with their situations but also in addressing the root causes responsible for displacement of people in our respective societies.”
This year’s commemorations ran under the theme “Promoting the Dignity and Worth of Peoples Focusing on Refugees and Displaced Persons”. -State Media

President Robert Mugabe’s clarification of the country’s controversial indigenisation and economic empowerment law, was a “reversal of G40’s scorched earth policy created to fleece the country’s resources”, war veterans’ chairman Christopher Mutsvangwa has said.
Mutsvangwa welcomed Mugabe’s move to “set the record straight” in an interview last week.
“It is a positive signal to investors. No country can survive, let alone grow in this capitalistic world without foreign investment,” he said.
“The Asian Tigers [India, China and Malaysia] had access to capital from all over the world.
“The way the indigenisation policy, noble as it is was, but twisted by a coterie of G40 enthusiasts, had resulted in chaos in the market.”
Indigenisation minister Patrick Zhuwao and his Finance counterpart Patrick Chinamasa have been involved in a public spat over implementation of the policy.
Before Mugabe’s intervention, Chinamasa insisted all foreign-owned banks had complied, a position disputed by Zhuwao.
Mutsvangwa claimed Zhuwao and a faction within the ruling party known as G40 and fronted by First Lady Grace Mugabe wanted to abuse the policy for ill-gain.
“They wanted to create the kind of anarchy we saw around the year 2000 when company executives and directors could not operate for fear of vigilante groups,” he said.
“Zhuwao and his ilk-like he warned in Marondera a few weeks ago, wanted to create a band of youths to bring strife into our economy and the president has put a stop to that,” he said.
“He [Zhuwao] promised youth he would be getting them money from companies. That is criminal abuse of office that cannot be allowed.
“Our indigenisation policy was meant to make sure Zimbabweans own the resources but never to shut out or frighten foreign investors. G40 wanted to collect levies to fund their nefarious activities.”
After Zhuwao’s ultimatum to companies to comply by April 1, the veterans of the liberation struggle called him to order, arguing he was scaring investors.
Political analyst McDonald Lewanika said Zimbabweans should be worried that “government has to constantly clarify its policies”.
“When a president has to clarify policy matters time and time again, it’s worrying and shows that there is a problem; either the policies are not clear to start with and open to multiple interpretations or misinterpretations, or the implementers are confused, incompetent or both,” Lewanika said.
But the opposition MDC-T described Mugabe’s summersault as a “dog’s breakfast”.
“Instead of clarifying the overwhelming confusion that has been brought about by the populist and often misguided remarks by Zhuwao, Mugabe’s statement actually adds to the confusion and policy inconsistencies,” said MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu
“Mugabe’s statement is actually very dodgy and sly. It shouldn’t be trusted and believed at all.
“He is simply trying to hoodwink and mislead the international community; particularly the Bretton Woods institutions.”
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said Mugabe’s aim in “clarifying” the policy was to hoodwink the international community.
“In our view, the statement is a mendacious and dishonest spin intended to arm Finance minister [Patrick] Chinamasa who is currently in Washington DC, USA for the World Bank’s spring meetings with a propaganda tool,” PDP spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.
“The statement, like the Zimbabwe Staff Monitoring Programme, is therefore lipstick on a pig in order to seduce gullible members of the international community by creating a semblance of reform.” standard

Police have ruled out foul play in the death of Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority game ranger Mr Kennedy Zvavahera whose naked corpse was found in Gonarezhou National Park in March.
The 31-year-old, the state media has established, had liver disease. The death had been linked to the ongoing “war” between ZimParks patrol teams and poachers, some of whom are believed to be coming from Mozambique.
It also came as villagers who live around the game park — mainly the Chitsa people — spoke of the bad blood between them and parks authorities who are pushing for their relocation.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said, “The postmortem revealed that he had a liver disease and according to the doctor who conducted it, it’s possible for someone with such a condition to suddenly die.
“The circumstances are that this game ranger had taken off his clothes to take a bath in a stream that is in the game park when he met his fate.”
A villager in the area said: “It still remains a mystery to us even after the postmortem.
‘‘Firstly, his shorts were found metres away from his body. His overall seemed to have been neatly placed on the ground as though one wanted to lie on it.
“The gumboots were also positioned as if one wanted to use them as a pillow. What is surprising is that there was mud all over his body.-State Media

In 2013, ZimEye.com broke revelations on a shocking loophole in Zimbabwe’s administration of estates as an executor was found to have presided over the signing of a fake will. One of Zimbabwe’s oldest law firms based in Harare, Wintertons Legal Practitioners, was fingered and reported to authorities on a case involving the forgery of the will document of the late, Mr Innocent Katsiga whose assets reportedly worth millions of dollars remains mysterious under their control. READ MORE-
Thousands of potential beneficiaries of estates of deceased people may have been prejudiced of their rightful inheritance through unscrupulous neutral executors.
This could have left genuine beneficiaries homeless following eviction from properties of their late relatives by unscrupulous executors who then sell the assets for a song.
A neutral executor is a registered administrator accredited and licensed by the Council for Estate Administrators (CEA).
He/she is supposed to have a degree in either Law, Accounting or Business, must have administered and finalised at least five deceased estates and be aged 25 and above.
An alleged case in point is that of file DR2389/06, which was given to one Decide Kutyauripo of Guidance Estate Administrators of 9 Peterhead Drive, Eastlea, Harare.
Investigations indicate Kutyauripo does not possess either the prerequisite qualifications or the experience to do the job, and there is no proof he executed the required minimum number of estates.
But after having been cleared by the CEA to do the job, Kutyauripo has attracted the wrath of the Master of the High Court, Mr Eldred Mutasa, who described him as “a rotten apple, someone who is making people suffer for no apparent reason, and must be chucked out of the system”.
On November 26, the family at the centre of the matter (who preferred anonymity) was invited for an edict meeting but asked for an extension to consult and come up with their own executor from within the family.
A few days later the three beneficiaries individually received text messages from Kutyauripo informing them that he had been selected as the neutral executor.
The messages also said he had unsuccessfully tried to call them on their mobile phones and could not locate their given addresses. He was, therefore, inviting them to his office to discuss their late father’s estate.
Two of the three objected and on January 14, wrote a letter addressed to the Master saying: “Please be advised that on November 6, we attended an edict meeting at your offices, but could not appoint an executor dative because some of the relatives we had invited were not able to attend (come) on the day in question.
“We are, therefore, asking your good office to give us a new date so that we can appoint (the) same. We understand you had already appointed one Kutyauripo to be our executor but we, as family members, are in a position to choose a member of our family to be our executor and we are, therefore, going to pray for the next date to appoint the executor. Your urgent co-operation thereto will be greatly appreciated.”
Guidance Estate Administrators, through Kutyauripo, wrote a letter on January 19 insisting they had been duly appointed neutral executors and attached an invoice for US$450 from Light Vale Properties with a call for the family to “urgently contribute some money to pay the bill so that we can avoid the sale of assets”.
The letter did not state how much the estate had been valued at.
Five months into an administration process the victims of the scam described as “a very long stint in hell”, the family has been bombarded with letters giving ultimatums and threats that the property would be sold despite them contributing US$1 080, which was deposited directly into the Sheriff of the High Court’s CBZ Selous Branch (account number 021 23886430037).
The Master’s Office confirmed receipt (serial number 0025440 JSC). The family also paid Guidance Estate Administrators US$150.
The company – whose other directors are listed as S Mukutiri, SE Mukutiri and SM Gowora – notified the family on January 27 that the value of the estate was US$22 000, submitted a different variation of US$23 000 to the Master, and then claimed their executor fees from an estate at US$27 000.
This, the Master of the High Court said, bore “all the ingredients of fraud”.
Despite having confirmed that the Master of the High Court had been paid his fees in full and that part of the evaluation fees had been deposited into their account, Kutyauripo on March 31 wrote: “We are advising you that we are now selling (the property) and are hereby giving you three months’ notice from today to June 30, 2016 to vacate the said property.
“Meanwhile, you are directed to allow our estate agents to view the property with their clients so that they will do their work without disturbances.”
Procedurally, authority to sell such a property is granted by the Master of the High Court who, in an interview last week, said he had never issued the permit as per Section 120 of the Deceased Estates and Inheritance Act.
Asked for his side of the story, Kutyauripo said he was not in a position to verify the exact value of the estate as he was not in office.mOn if it differed from the one he submitted to the Master of the High Court, he said “come to the office”.
Questioned on his credentials to practise, he retorted: “Why should that concern you? Do you have any need to be concerned about my qualifications?”
CEA administrator Simbisai Sithole said Kutyauripo was their member after he wrote two examinations covering Trust Law and Basic Accounting, before undergoing an oral test.
She said her office was not aware of the minimum degree qualification required by the Judicial Services Commission.-ZimEye/State Media

Determined efforts to conceal her anguish were in vain as streams of tears rolled down Josephine Muropa’s cheeks.
She was narrating to us how her daughter, Ruramai, had been sold into servitude.
Hunched on a sofa in her two-room cottage in Chitungwiza’s Unity N suburb, it took a great deal of effort to tell the story.
“My daughter did not do anything wrong to anyone, she was only looking for a better living but they sold her into slavery and she is now suffering,” Josephine said.
This was a few weeks ago and the world was a dark place for mother and child.
Ruramai, like many other young Zimbabwean women, fell victim to a suspected human trafficking ring.
It is alleged she was signed up by a bogus employment agency to do domestic work in Kuwait but discovered soon after arrival in that country that she was going to be an unpaid labourer.
Ruramai tried to escape but she was captured and confined as her handlers demanded US$3 000 for her freedom.
Josephine had neither the money nor the means to help her daughter. Then came an ultimatum: pay the money immediately or Ruramai would “disappear from Earth”.
However, a month after that, Ruramai is coming back home.
After The Sunday Mail Extra of March 20, 2016 published the story of how Ruramai’s plight in Kuwait, the young lady soon got help from the Zimbabwean Embassy there.
“I am happy she is now in safe hands and she is coming back home,” Josephine said last week, bursting with joy. “She is not yet with us but she is at the Embassy and they are treating her well there. I cannot ask for anything more because when she was being held hostage she was being abused but now she is living in a safe place with good people.”
Josephine said they had no option but to raise the money being demanded. With the help of friends and relatives, the US$3 000 is there and only Ruramai’s air ticket remains to be bought.
“With the help of relatives, friends and the embassy we managed to raise and pay the money they were demanding,” Josephine said. “There was no option, they were threatening to sell her and we don’t know what might have happened to her if we had not paid that money. I speak to her and she says she is fine. We are expecting her any moment from now.”
Ruramai said by by phone she says she is staying at Ambassador Mark Marongwe’s house and she might already be in Harare as you read this as she anticipated getting on a flight home last Friday.
“My family managed to raise and pay the money to the agent and right now I am waiting for an air ticket,” she said.
“I am staying at the ambassador’s house, the embassy has been giving me a lot of help and I am grateful. The issue of the air ticket is being sorted and I am likely to board a plane to either South Africa or Mozambique. From there I will connect by bus to Zimbabwe.”
It will be a joyous reunion when Ruramai finally meets her family again after having been subjected to unbearable suffering in a foreign land with no-one to turn to.
Nevertheless, she is just one of the very few fortunate ones who have managed to escape captivity.
Over 200 Zimbabwean women are still believed to be trapped in virtual slavery in Kuwait and other countries, and activists are unhappy with the way the issue of human trafficking is being handled.
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe last week said Government should treat the issue with urgency and bring back the remaining women that were trafficked to various countries, particularly Kuwait.
“The Government was applauded for repatriating about 13 girls though there is still need for the Government to urgently assist all Zimbabweans in Kuwait and other countries,” said WCoZ members at the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre Network last week.
They also resolved to engage the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Women’s Affairs, Kuwait’s Embassy in Harare and other diplomatic missions in an effort to help trafficking victims.
A trafficking victim who fortunately made it back home last week expressed a bit of disappointment towards Zimbabwe’s foreign office in Kuwait.
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha said Government was making progress in repatriating hundreds of young women still trapped in Kuwait.
◆ Note: Ruramai and Josephine Muropa are not their real names. state media

A MAN from Bulawayo suspected of using umubobobo and indecently assaulting a woman who was queueing at a shop by rubbing his sexual organ on her buttocks, was yesterday sentenced to nine months in jail. Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa convicted Meluleki Moyo, 27, of Morningside suburb, of indecent assault due to overwhelming evidence. The magistrate suspended four months from Moyo’s sentence for five years on condition that he does not within that period commit a similar crime.
He will serve an effective five months in prison. In passing sentence, Maphosa said Moyo’s conduct was morally deplorable and described him as a social misfit who was an embarrassment to himself and society and hence deserved a custodial sentence.
Prosecuting, Kudakwashe Jaravaza said on March 17 this year shortly after 5.30PM, the complainant and her sister were standing in a queue at a shop situated between 6th Avenue and Lobengula Street in Bulawayo’s central business district.
The court heard that Moyo, who was standing behind the complainant, unzipped his pair of trousers, pulled out his manhood and rubbed it on the woman’s buttocks without her knowledge.
Moyo was spotted by a shop employee who then alerted the complainant. “When the complainant turned her back she saw Moyo in the process of zipping his trousers while his organ was still protruding and she screamed for help,” said Jaravaza.
A security guard, who testified in court, said he initially thought that Moyo had stolen from the woman when she screamed. Moyo, in his defence, denied indecently assaulting the complainant, arguing that she was framing him.
In mitigation, Moyo, who is not married and has no children, pleaded for leniency, saying he was looking after his mother and siblings. State Media

Government has declared the Beitbridge road accident which occurred early hours of yesterday morning, a national disaster.
In a statement on behalf of the government, Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere — who visited the accident victims at Beitbridge District Hospital and toured the accident scene alongside his State Security counterpart Kembo Mohadi — said the deceased would receive State-assisted funerals with each family getting $200 cash and transport.
“Subsequent to the road traffic accident involving a haulage truck and a bus belonging to MB Transport, which occurred along the Beitbridge- Masvingo highway at the 46km peg in the early hours of April 15, I have since invoked Section 32 (c) of the Civil Protection Act Chapter 10.06 of 1989 to enable assistance to be rendered to the bereaved.”
“Each bereaved family will receive $200 ‘chema’. Further assistance is being provided by Insurance Council of
Zimbabwe who have undertaken to meet the hospital bills of the injured and mortuary facilities,” said Kasukuwere.
Contrary to early reports claiming that sixty people may have been killed in the accident, twelve people were actually killed, while 45 others injured most of them seriously when the MB Transport bus collided head-on with a haulage truck 45km outside Beitbridge town.
Minister Kasukuwere said Government was seized with the issue of dualisation and upgrading of the Beitbridge-Harare Highway with a view to reducing perennial road carnage.
The police officer in charge of crime in Beitbridge District, Assistant Commissioner Bobby Murwira, said during a Civil Protection Unit meeting
yesterday that the bus was travelling from Harare with 51 passengers on board.
“Upon reaching the 242 km along the Masvingo- Beitbridge Road, the bus hit a donkey and swerved to the side of an on-coming truck resulting in a head-on collision, that killed 10 people on the spot. Two other people died upon admission at Beitbridge
District hospital,” he said.
Asst Comm Murwira said 45 others were injured and taken to Beitbridge District Hospital where 13 were transferred to Bulawayo for further treatment.
Meanwhile, police have released seven names of the 12 victims of the accident, who include a one year, 10 months old baby. Half of them are from Dulibadzimu suburb in Beitbridge.
Those identified are: Mavis Mutizwa (28), Belinda Chapeyama (one year, 10 months baby), Elizabeth Musona (26), Melody Muchaneta Dzongodza (29) all of Beitbridge; Irene Mukuto (30) of Highfield, Harare, Alsum Masvovere (29) of Mbizo, Kwekwe
and Ranganayi Garu (23) of Chitungwiza.
In a statement yesterday, chief police
spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said those who were missing their relatives should proceed to Beitbridge District Hospital and identify the remaining unidentified five bodies.

By Simbarashe Chikanza

The trial of Borman Ngwenya, who is accused of attempting to petrol-bomb the First Family’s Alpha Omega Dairy, continued yesterday with the accused telling the court that he only got to know Zimbabwe People’s Front political party president Owen Kuchata last year at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces celebrations.
In his defence whilst being led by his lawyer, Mr Exactly Mangezi, Ngwenya (30) said Kuchata approaced him on the day in question asking him to link him up with a female soldier identified as Rumbidzai Matsanga who was part of a team he was commanding.
Ngwenya is facing charges of insurgency, sabotage, banditry or terrorism.
“I didn’t know Kuchata was a member of an opposition party until a time when Matsanga who was now in a love affair with him told me that his profile picture was written President 2018,” he said.
Ngwenya told the court that he asked Kuchata several times if he was involved in any opposition political party, but he refused to disclose anything to him saying soldiers were not to be trusted in such things.
“One day, I was surprised to hear that Sergeant Mahachi and Chitimbe came looking for me at my house since I was on leave. I proceeded to my workplace that day and saw Sergeant Mahachi. After about 10 minutes, he came to me with military police and they arrested me,” said Ngwenya.
Ngwenya said he slept in the cells and was taken to 2 Intelligence Company the following day where Sergeant Mahachi showed him a picture in his mobile phone of him and Kuchata.
He said Sergeant Mahachi asked him whether he knew that Kuchata was the leader of an opposition party. “I told Sergeant Mahachi that my communication with Kuchata was centred on the fact that we come from the same rural home,” he said.
Harare magistrate Mrs Fadzai Mtombeni deferred the matter to April 22 for continuation.
Allegations are that police received a tip-off that Kuchata, Ngwenya, Solomon Makumbe (29) and Silas Pfupa (37) were planning to bomb Alpha Omega Dairy’s processing plant and tuckshop during the night.
The dairy’s processing plant and tuck- shop are located at Gushungo Dairy Estate, Jumbo Road in Mazowe. Acting on the tip-off, the police proceeded to the farm and laid an ambush about 100 metres from the quartet’s target.
Around 10pm, the detectives saw the men approaching the dairy’s processing plant and immediately arrested them. They searched them and recovered four Molotov cocktails (petrol bombs), ammonium nitrate, nails and sand in 750 millilitres empty brandy bottles.
In a separae case, a soldier who was on the police wanted list on allegations of raping a 14-year-old maid on two occasions, tried to strike a police officer who wanted to arrest him with a hoe as he attempted to evade arrest, the court heard on Tuesday.
The cop had to unleash a sniffer dog on him in a bid to save his life, but Seven Munetsi (31) also attempted to kill the dog.
Munetsi had gone into hiding after the housemaid had filed rape charges against him.
He was initially charged with rape when he appeared before regional magistrate Ms Fadzai Mthombeni.
After a full trial, Ms Mthombeni was convinced that it was a consensual relationship and convicted Munetsi of a lesser charge of having sexual intercourse with a girl under the legal age of con- sent.
On the two counts, Munetsi was fined $500 (or six months jail).
On the third count of resisting arrest, Munetsi was fined $100 (or one month). In aggravation, prosecutor Ms Ressy Nyamombe had called for a short but deterrent prison term saying that offences of this nature were on the rise, hence a restraining sentence was called for, to send a signal to would-be of- fenders.
She said Munetsi exposed the girl to risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.
The State was alleging that sometime in October last year Munetsi took advantage of his wife’s absence and entered a room in which the girl was sleeping and took her to his room. He was intimate with the girl on other occasions.
Eventually the girl went to the police station and made a report.-State Media

By Terrence Mawawa| Members of the dreaded Zanu PF militia, have openly defied President Robert Mugabe’s calls to distribute food aid in a non-partisan manner.
Speaking during his belated birthday celebrations, President Mugabe said: “Food is distributed to people regardless of their affiliations. In the rural areas, you don’t go asking, are you Zanu PF, are you not. No we don’t mind the politics of the people.”
“It doesn’t matter to which party they belong whether it be MDC-T or MDC-Z or what or People First, or People second or people third, we just give them,” he continued.
Cynics have, however, quickly pointed out that Mugabe’s utterances were loaded with cheap political grandstanding meant to hoodwink the nation into believing he was a leader with people’s needs at heart.
In defiance, Zanu PF youths last week, told hundreds of hungry residents at Tsungubvi Community Hall in Glendale that only card carrying party members would benefit from the food distribution exercise despite the dire need for relief in the community.
Further compounded by Zanu PF party members who include, Mathias Tongofa an ex-soldier based in Chivi North constituency, who threatened to kill villagers who frequent his homestead seeking relief.
Glendale residents told ZimEye.com ,the youths erased names of suspected opposition members and replaced them with known Zanu PF activists.
In defiance of President Mugabe’s directive, it is understood that one Blessing and a Mr Malunga (address known) of Glendale spearheaded the vetting process, Zimeye.com can further reveal that the two threatened that ‘sellouts’ meaning opposition members, would be denied food.
“Zanu PF youths are compiling lists on partisan basis. Those who do not belong to the ruling party are being left out of the process. The situation is really tense here,” said one resident.
Those who do not attend Zanu PF meetings are also being left out of the food distribution processes.
“On April 8 , Malunga and Blessing told us that those who do not support Zanu PF should vacate the place since they would not receive food aid,” said a local resident who chose to remain anonymous.
Furthermore, Bikita South Constituency MP Jeppy Jaboon, said opposition supporters would not be considered in the food distribution process, while in Gutu West Constituency, kraal-heads who openly chant Zanu PF maxims have warned that villagers would starve if they don’t join the ruling party.

Terrence Mawawa, Gutu| There was panic at Gutu Police Camp, Mpandawana town last week when two notorious cops woke up bald-headed in mysterious circumstances.
Sources at the camp said the officers were shocked to the heart following the bizarre incident in which the cops’ heads were “shaved” by suspected goblins.
Many CIO and ZRP cops are known for authorising witchcraft charms on their lives bowing down to N’angas instead of Jesus Christ and God, when they think they are creating fortunes, they are in effect bringing misery on their lives, a local pastor warned yesterday.

One of the affected officers expressed extreme shock at the incident. “It also happened to my colleague,” said the cop who declined to be named.
ZimEye.com is reliably informed the two affected cops reported the bizarre matter to the Officer In Charge and a parade was immediately organised.
Sources claimed the parade was aborted after the Officer In Charge was soon afterwards hit by said “invisible things”, suspected to be goblins.
Asked to comment on the incident Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa said he was unaware of the story.
“I have talked to the officers in Gutu and they have not told me about such an incident. So there is nothing of that sort I have heard of and I think it could be mere imagination,” said Dhewa.

Former Vice President Joice Mujuru, now the leader of Zimbabwe People First (ZPF), has spoken out describing her time that she spent being the vice president as the most frustrating part of her political career. She says President Mugabe never listened to her advice and neither did he listen to anyone else.
Mujuru said this on Wednesday at a meeting with ZPF Harare province youths. She told the youths that she was guided by traditional and Christian values and, as such, she was not interested in slogans denouncing other people.
“Pasina na Tsvangirai or someone like that means that person must die. This is what we were taught during the liberation war training and it was meant for the people that we were fighting against and was never meant to be repeated later.
“This is why I am appealing to all the youths who are gathered here to desist from uttering slogans such as being used by Zanu PF. Never use such slogans; they promote hate and disharmony within the country.”Mujuru also said that she was never part of any Zanu PF political dirty games that were played against opposition leaders and their followers.She also told the youths that between April and June ZPF will be registering new members. Mujuru said a membership card similar to a visa card with a chip was being designed and would be unveiled soon.
“In July, there shall be ward elections followed by elections at constituency level in August; come September provincial polls and then October elective congress,” said Mujuru.
The former Zanu PF number two was sacked from the ruling party in December 2014 during the run up to the party’s congress. She alongside other Zanu PF stalwarts, were fired on allegations of plotting to remove Mugabe from power, witchcraft and fanning factionalism. – State Media

A prison guard appeared in court accused of allegedly assaulting and robbing a Bulawayo man at knifepoint and getting away with his mobile phone and $10.
Shylock Tshuma, stationed at Khami Prison, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya and pleaded not guilty to one count of robbery. He was remanded in custody to April 15.
Prosecuting, Denmore Kasenza, alleged that on April 3 at around 5AM, Nkosizwile Masuku was walking along Herbert Chitepo and 4th Avenue when Tshuma approached him.
“Tshuma was in the company of three accomplices who are on the run. One of the men was armed with an okapi knife which they used to instill fear in Masuku,” said Kasenza.
“As one of the men held the knife, the other three assaulted Masuku and took away his cellphone and $10 and disappeared into thin air. Masuku, however spotted Tshuma.”
The court heard that Masuku met Tshuma during a beer drinking binge five days later and managed to identify him.
“Masuku notified the police leading to Tshuma’s arrest. He failed to recover his phone and the stolen cash,” he said.
Recently, in an unrelated case another prison guard and a former police detective connived with a notorious criminal to steal $45,000 from Filabusi Post Office in Gwanda. The three suspects appeared before the Gwanda magistrates’ court facing unlawful entry and theft charges.
Mondli Dube, 23, a guard at Grey Prison in Bulawayo and Shepard Makwikwi, 39, were each granted $300 bail and ordered to report every Monday and Friday at Bulawayo Central Police Station. – state media

Zimbabweans in the Diaspora Vote Demonstrations in Pretoria
Zimbabweans in South Africa led by Joice Mujuru’s new party, yesterday came out in full force to stage a demo asking for the restoration of their rights to vote whilst they are out of their country.
All Zimbabweans who live and work in the Diaspora have been stripped of their right to vote. Every time they voted apart from the 1980 vote that brought Mugabe into power which was supervised by the British government.
In what might be a sign of Mujuru’s political strength, the marchers were escorted by members of the South African police service and the Pretoria metro. They proceeded from Marabastat to the Zimbabwean Embassy about four kilometers marching and dancing all the way. At the Embassy they were addressed by Lawrence Mavhaire a coordinator of Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First party.
Mavhaire stressed that Zimbabweans in the Diaspora should be allowed to vote. He also stressed the need for the Zimbabwean Embassy to help its citizens to obtain different services required to make life easier as it was hard to survive without papers such as passports and birth certificates.
However at the embassy they were received by two people who claimed to stand in for the ambassador who said he was in Zimbabwe for a funeral.
The protesters said they will be back next week.

The workers of Alpha Omega Dairy which is a Subsidiary of Gushungo Holdings owned by the First Family have appeared in court facing theft charges.
The 13 workers are facing charges of stealing various dairy products valued at $704,50, but all of them are denying the charges.
James Wellington Mugombi (35), who is employed as a factory manager, Zondai Kayinga (28), a security guard, Kenneth Mugabe (40) a truck driver, Jacob Musasa (42), sales representative responsible for the entire management of the company, Abel Mutongerwa (33) assistant sales representative responsible for vendors, Alec Kudangirana (27), Mackenzi Richard Makufa (35), Abraham Chiwurira (36), Ignatius Mubani (34), Tafadzwa Chidzedzedze (25), Joramu Mugundani (25), Takudzwa Muchena (21) and Joseph Muzokura (21) — who are all warehouse assistants — are facing theft charges.
In denying the charges, Chidzedzedze, Mugundani, Muchena and Muzokura said their duties were only to offload goods from the truck. They told the court that they saw the excess goods while offloading the truck and reported the matter to the security personnel.
Harare magistrate Ms Vongai Muchuchuti deferred the matter to April 26 for trial continuation.  Allegations are that sometime this month, Nyoni received information that the 13 were conniving to steal stocks from Alpha Omega depot in Mazowe.
The court heard that Mugombi would instruct Mukufa to load extra goods in the delivery trucks from Mazowe depot to the Harare distribution depot after conniving with Mubani, who is based in Harare.
It is alleged that Mukufa would also team up with Kudangirana and Chiwurira to load extra goods in the presence of Kayinga, who would then certify that the goods loaded tallied with the accompanying invoices.
The goods would be driven to Harare by Mugabe. Upon receiving the extra goods, Mubani and his assistants Chidzedzedze, Magundani, Muchena, Muzokura, Mutongerwa, Musasa and Mugabe would sell the extra goods and the money realised would be shared between the entire team.
The court heard that, acting on a tip-off on December 19, Nyoni and his assistant Oren Hove went to the Harare depot and upon arrival they made an on-the-spot check and discovered variances in stock in the system and the actual stock at hand.
This prompted Nyoni to put an immediate measure that all stock from the Mazowe depot was to be verified upon delivery by him, and this measure was effected without the knowledge of the 13.
It is alleged that on December 20, at around midday, the 13 accused persons, using the usual modus operandi loaded and despatched a truck to Harare distribution depot being driven by Mugabe.
Upon arrival, it is alleged that Nyoni supervised the offloading of the truck and discovered that it was loaded with extra goods, leading to the arrest of the 13. -state media

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday said he was humbled by the massive turn up of his supporters for a successful peaceful demonstration against the “brutal” Zanu PF regime.
The MDC-T staged a demonstration upon which it was expressing concern on the mysterious “missing” $15 billion diamond revenue.
The demonstration was initially called off by the police and preceded after the Kennedy Masiye and Sharon Hofisi from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights on Wednesday mounted a challenge against the ban.
On his Twitter handle after the march Tsvangirai wrote, “Thank you so much for showing up and demonstrating in peace against this brutal regime”.
Feeling threatened by the huge crowd the MDC-T leader still has Zanu PF propagandist and spin doctor Professor Jonathan Moyo downplayed the former Premier calling the demonstration as anti nationalism.
“MDC-T demonstrations against spirit of independence? Misfits of society. Three days to go before the historic day!,”Moyo wrote on his twitter handle.
The police during the peaceful demonstration arrested MDC-T MP for Bulawayo East, Thabitha Khumalo for unspecified reasons. This came after another senior Tsvangirai lieutenant and Harare West, MP Jessie Majome had received death threats the night before ordering her not to participate in the Harare protest march.
 

Terrence Mawawa Bikita | There was a cloud mystery here when a prominent local businessman last week took his life after failing to cope with a ballooning debt of more than $50 000 (some which he owed dreaded senior CIO agents).
Boniface Mujaji, who was owner of DME Garare at Nyika Growth, drank poison last Friday and died on the same day at Silveira Mission Hospital.
Mujaji who was also a car dealer, could not cope with the mounting debt and decided to commit suicide, his close relatives told ZimEye. They however failed to dispel questions over the role of the CIO in the death.
It is understood his debt was in excess of $ 50 000.
One of Mujaji’s clients, Wibert Chakanyuka, said he was owed $7000 by the late businessman after he gave him the money to purchase a Toyota Granvia vehicle via the internet. Mujaji failed to deliver the vehicle and Chakanyuka took the matter to court.
Mujaji also owed many other people money, including senior (CIO) state security agents.
“It is true that Mujaji had my $7,000. I had since sued him and the case was supposed to be heard at the Bikita Magistrate court. It is unfortunate he took his life before the matter could be settled,” said Chakanyuka.
A shocked relative said it was unfortunate Mujaji decided to take his life.
“We are still disturbed by Mujaji’s untimely death,” said Mujaji’s relative who chose to remain anonymous.
There was pandemonium at the funeral as some angry relatives threatened to beat up individuals thought to be reporters. The incident has left residents of Nyika Growth Point stunned since Mujaji was a prominent figure in the area.

The March Against Poverty and Corruption is going ahead as scheduled :
The MDC-T Secretary General has issued the following below statement about today’s planed march.
We assemble at the Freedom Square and get a briefing from the Organising Department. We emphasise that this is a peaceful march. It is sanctioned by the High Court.
We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Our demands to the government are clear and straight forward. We have won together before and we can still win again today. All we need to have is discipline and unity of purpose. This is no time for hate language among ourselves.
Zimbabwe has suffered enough at the hands of this regime but the people shall prevail. Victory is certain.
From MDC-T Secretary General Hon D Mwonzora

Sheffield, UK-A 22-year-old Zimbabwean woman who died following an incident in Sheffield (Tuesday 12 April), Zanele Leigh-Anne Mahachi, is set to be flown out of the UK to Zimbabwe for burial.
Leigh-Anne Mahachi, was stabbed during an incident in Spotswood Close, Gleadless Valley, at around 8.15am.
Leigh-Anne (pictured), who was living at an address in Spotswood Close at the time of her death, was taken to hospital but died a short time later.
A post-mortem carried out on Tuesday 12 April night found that she died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
A 37-year-old Zimbabwean man, from the Colchester area, known on social media as “Tee Fuz,” has been arrested on suspicion of murder and continues to be interviewed by detectives.
Leigh-Anne’s family have released a photograph of her and have requested privacy at this difficult time.

As the National Railways of Zimbabwe workers’ industrial action enters its third week, a makeshift technical staff manning the parastatal’s locomotives yesterday crashed down a goods training carrying over 80 000 tonnes of drought relief maize.
The train traveling from Harare to Shamva, derailed in Glendale shortly after its departure from the GMB in Harare.
Causes of the derailment were not disclosed by the government at the time of writing, but sources within the parastatal blamed the accident on inexperienced staff running company due to the industrial action by the workers.
Residents in the area quickly helped themselves to the maize before members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police arrived to guard the maize.

Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi|A headmaster here stole at least $ 6000 cash from the school coffers through forging bank funds transfer documents.
Chibwedziva Secondary School head , Zenda Simbarashe Jackson(53) last week appeared before Chiredzi Magistrate Geraldine Mutsotso facing three counts of fraud and three counts of forgery. Zenda forged the bank funds transfer documents by appending a signature which he purportedly presented to the bank as having been signed by Thulani Siphumise, who is the School Development Committee(SDC) vice chairperson.
On May 30 around 12pm Jackson also forged Siphumise’s signature to withdraw cash from CBZ. He also misrepresented himself on several occasions and withdrew cash from CBZ. Through forging documents, Jackson stole at least $6000 from the school account. Meanwhile SDC sources said there was need to carry out further audits since there were more fraudulent activities yet to be unearthed. “There is need to carry out further audits at the school.We know that a lot of sinister activities took place at the school. It is unfortunate Jackson forged the vice chairperson’s signature in order to withdraw cash from the school account without the SDC’s approval,” said a member of the Chibwedziva SDC.
Cases of school heads involved in the embezzlement of funds have been on the increase and last year a headmaster in Bikita took his own life after failing to account for thousands of dollars.

A Mvuma woman assaulted her husband and when he escaped to her mother’s homestead, Siphilisiwe Chivasa, also attacked her mother-in-law accusing her of meddling in her son’s marriage.
Siphilisiwe, 22, and her sibling Easter Chivasa, 24, appeared before Mvuma magistrate, Vimbai Makora, facing assault charges. The mother-in-law, Anna Mutema, suffered bruises all over her body.
The two sisters both of Baru Village in Mvuma pleaded guilty to the assault charge. They were each sentenced to 18 months in prison. Six months of their sentences were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The magistrate described the duo’s actions as barbaric. Prosecuting, Bernard Nyoni said on March 25 this year at around 7PM, Mutema’s son had a misunderstanding with his wife Siphilisiwe.
Easter who had visited her sister intervened, taking her side. “Siphilisiwe and her sister Easter assaulted her husband who rushed to his mother’s place and reported the matter,” said Nyoni.
He said Mutema went to her son’s homestead in a bid to resolve the misunderstanding.
However, Nyoni said when she got there; the siblings attacked her accusing her of meddling in her son’s marriage.
“Unfortunately Easter who was very aggressive, charged angrily towards Mutema and started beating her up until she fell down,” said Nyoni.
“Siphilisiwe joined in and beat up Mutema and also twisted her right hand. Mutema sustained a fracture and was taken to Mvuma District Hospital for medication.” State Media

Police officers had a hard time tracking a soldier who was fleeing arrest over rape charges that they had to unleash sniffer dogs to apprehend him.
Seven Munetsi, 31, of Glen Norah B in Harare went into hiding after his housemaid had filed rape charges against him.
“After the accused person realised that police officers had put him on the wanted list, he fled (and), he was finally apprehended with the help of a sniffer dog called Tiger,” said the investigating officer.
“When we arrived at the scene of arrest, Munetsi came out holding a hoe and tried to strike us.” Munetsi was sentenced to six months imprisonment wholly suspended on condition that he deposits a $500 fine.
“The court ought to consider that the accused person committed this offence out of ‘greed and not need’ considering that he was a married man entitled to conjugal rights,” said prosecutor Ressy Nyamombe during aggravation.
“Offences of this nature are on the rise and a deterrent sentence is called for to send a signal to like-mined individuals that our courts do not tolerate such conduct. The accused person exposed the juvenile to the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.”
The complainant, 14, was from the same neighbourhood as Munetsi.
Nyamombe proved that sometime in October last year, Munetsi took advantage of his wife’s absence and entered a room in which the victim was sleeping.
Munetsi then lifted the complainant to his bedroom and forcibly removed her clothes before raping her.
The court heard that the juvenile cried for help but Munetsi threatened to assault her if she divulged the ordeal to anyone.
After that incident, Munetsi regularly forced himself on the juvenile whenever he wished.
On February 25, around midnight Munetsi went into the room where the minor was sleeping with two of his children.
He lifted the girl to his room and ordered her to strip naked but she refused and he forcibly did so. The girl cried for help but no one came to her rescue since it was raining.
The following morning she went to the police station and made a formal report.
Although Munetsi was initially charged with rape Harare regional magistrate Fadzai Mthombeni convicted him of having sex with a minor after considering that circumstances reflected that both parties could have consented.

 
Staff Reporter
Former Vice President now leader of the opposition Zimbabwe People First Joice Mujuru has mourned the late Victoria Chitepo who died on the 8th of April.
In her message, Mujuru describes the sudden death of Chitepo as a shock to her party.
Mujuru described Chitepo as a dedicated fighter for the liberation and development of the country both before and after independence and a rare woman nationalist.
“As Zimbabwe People First (ZIMPF), we learnt with sorrow and sadness about the untimely and tragic death of Gogo Victoria Chitepo…”
Gogo Chitepo contributed immensely to the liberation and development of this country before and after independence. She represented that rare breed of early nationalist women who sacrificed their lives to support their husbands…”
Mujuru who spent several years working with Chitepo in her days in ZANU PF praised the late nationalist for single handedly taking care of her family while her husband veteran nationalist Herbert Chitepo was out leading the liberation struggle or in prison.
She expressed her heartfelt condolences to the Chitepo family on the sad loss of Victoria.
“On behalf of my party, ZimPF, my family and my own behalf, I wish to express my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the Chitepo family on the passing on of Gogo Chitepo, a gallant fighter and patriotic daughter of Zimbabwe.
Our prayers and thoughts are with the children of Gogo Chitepo. May her soul rest in eternal peace,” she said.
Chitepo will be buried at the National Heroes Acre today. Officials within Mujuru’s office however expressed sadness that Mujuru will not be able to attend Chitepo’s burial due to the ZANU PF protocol that would not allow her at the national shrine for the burial.
Opposition parties have expressed concern at ZANU PF’s manipulation of national events such as national heroes declaration and burial.

 
Staff Reporter
As opposition parties pile pressure against the governance of the country by President Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF, the Dumiso Dabengwa led ZAPU has also joined in the massive public demonstrations to send a message of displeasure on the state of the nation.
ZAPU Belfast branch in the United Kingdom will be commemorating the country’s 36th independence by holding a march against the ZANU PF government in the small town, on Independence Day.
According to Sipho Sibanda, a spokesperson for the organisers, the party members will be demonstrating against the ZANU PF government under the theme “Celebration of Zimbabwean National Independence Day – and a call for change.”
Sibanda said that a list of issues against Mugabe’s government will be tabled at the demonstration.
“Zimbabwe, under the rule of ZANU-PF, is a state which is marred by wide scale of human rights abuses, disregard of constitution by the ruling ZANU PF and  the state, in terms of the following,
√Laws of association
√The right to demonstrate
√Freedom of association
√Detentions without trial.
√Demolitions of homes
√Farm invasions.
√High levels of corruption in the government.” said Sibanda in a statement issued to media today.
“Many of the asylum seekers from Zimbabwe in Belfast today have come here fleeing persecution under the Mugabe’s regime.
We are therefore protesting to support democratic voices in Zimbabwe who want change, freedom and all our constitutional Rights,” reads the statement.
Other opposition parties are holding similar demonstrations on several issues against Mugabe’s government.
Morgan Tsvangirai will tomorrow be leading his party in a demonstration in Harare against the failed economy by Mugabe’s government while Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First South African Province will be marching to the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria to demand that Zimbabweans living outside the country be allowed to vote in the next elections.

A protest is underway at the Zim embassy in support of a Zimbabwean boy who is currently “trapped” in the building having fled into it for refuge last week.
The 16 year old boy is complaining of having been abused by British social workers, and is demanding free passage to fly back to Harare, embassy sources told this reporter.
The lad says he has endured months (a whole year) of turmoil under British care workers and has even been forced to seek asylum under the guise of a fake claim “merely so the social workers can satiate their work targets”.
A campaign for donations has since been launched to help sustain the boy and his mother in the building which has neither bathroom nor sleeping facility.
The British authorities are under fire for taking the boy away into their “care” from his mother as they were flying past London en route to Harare, in a case that has sent shockwaves in the Zim diaspora community, as the boy back then took advantage of the British police system, at the time saying that he does not like his home country, Zimbabwe.
What further irked Zimbabweans was the fact that the Zimbabwean and Canadian embassies were not informed of the actions taken by UK(The boy has both Zimbabwean and Canadian citizenship).
Families have raised concern that the lad was taken into British care even though he has no UK residency and was in transit past the island country to Harare. The social workers have obliviously opened a loophole to empower foreign children to obtain an easy way to live on British taxpayer funds.
But the same system does not allow him access to study as he explains in a public video…