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.
School Head Steals $ 6000 Cash
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.
Mutsvangwa Dismisses Mujuru ZiFM Claim
War veterans leader Christopher Mutsvangwa, has rubbished a claim that he during a Zifm interview this week, uttered words to the effect of declaring that People First leader Joice Mujuru is “the vital trunk” that holds Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party.
An unsolicited message circulating yesterday ascribed the following words to Mutsvangwa:”It was a grave mistake for Zanu PF including me to expel mai Mujuru. I will not be surprised if someone told me that she went away with 60% of Zanu pf supporters. Ever since she left Zanupf, there is no peace. She was like a trunk on a tree. A trunk holds the tree. If there is no trunk, there is no tree to talk of,” Chris Mtsvangwa was said to have uttered on the radio station on the 12th April, 2016.
But Mutsvangwa last night told ZimEye.com, that claim is false. “Absolutely not true,” he said.
He continued, “Never had an interview with Zifm[this week],” he said as he added that it is all “concocted rubbish.”
A perusal of Zifm interview archives also appeared to confirm that the aforementioned words were never uttered by Mutsvangwa as there was no programming listing branded with Mutsvangwa’s name.
Woman Bashes Hubby, Mother In Law
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
Kangai Dodges $11million Cash Repayment
The former management owned Firstel in their individual capacities. NetOne and Firstel Cellular entered into a service provider agreement in which Firstel was mandated to find clients for NetOne contract lines and then remit the money collected from the subscribers to the service provider, less its commission.
However, the company did not remit the proceeds resulting in NetOne approaching the courts with the High Court and Supreme Court ruling that Firstel was supposed to pay the mobile operator the debt of about $8,3 million in January last year.
But the debt has since ballooned to about $11 million. Sources said the management was reluctant to pay, arguing that they had failed to collect the money after the introduction of the multi-currency system in 2009 as subscribers failed to settle their bills.
“So, management first approached the board requesting that the debt be written off, but after (the) board declined the request, they approached the High Court applying for liquidation,” said a source. “What it effectively means is that the former management wants liquidation so that they do not settle the $11 million debt that they owe NetOne, which is unacceptable.”
In an application filed with the High Court, Firstel company secretary, Mr Tamuka Madzore said his company was saddled with a $12 million debt with the bulk of it belonging to NetOne. “The application is being made for the reasons that the applicant is unable to pay its debts,” said Mr Madzore.
“The applicant currently has liabilities in the sum of $11 821 056, 93 of which the sum of $11 245 805, 23 is owed to one creditor.” “The applicant has failed to pay off these amounts and is no longer in operation as it has closed most of its branches throughout the country, leaving only the head office in Harare.
“Resultantly, the applicant is not able to service its debts. It is for these reasons that the board of directors has resolved that the company be placed under provisional liquidation.” Firstel recommended that Regatta Financial Advisory Services be appointed as their provisional liquidator.
Contacted for comment, NetOne board chairperson, Mr Alex Marufu said: “I do not have enough information to be able to comment at this moment.” However, at a press conference late last month, Mr Marufu confirmed that Firstel Cellular, owned by the Kangai-led management was the mobile operator’s biggest debtor.
The NetOne board last month, suspended several top level managers at the firm following the unravelling of irregularities. They have since ordered a forensic audit to establish the financial damage the company suffered under the leadership of Mr Kangai. State Media
Soldier Rapes Minor, Flees
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.
BREAKING NEWS-ZRP Slapped By Judge: Tsvangirai $15Bil Demo Okayed
The ZRP was today slapped by the High Court and ordered to pay costs in the case the opposition MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai sued the police for clearance to hold the demonstration on the missing $15billion.
Thanks to lawyers Kennedy Masiye and Sharon Hofisi of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights who mounted the legal battle at the High Court and successfully argued to secure a court order from High Court Judge Justice Happias Zhou interdicting Zimbabwe Republic Police officers from interfering with an MDC-T protest against rising poverty and the corruption scourge in Zimbabwe, the suit pulled through.
The lawyers filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court Tuesday evening seeking to interdict the Zimbabwe Republic Police from interfering with its planned protest scheduled for Thursday 14 April 2016 against rising poverty levels and corruption in Zimbabwe.
In the application (Case Number 3848/16), Masiye and Hofisi asked the High Court to issue an order barring Chief Superintent Newbert Saunyama, the ZRP Officer Commanding Harare Central District, Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri and Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo not to interfere with the MDC-T’s protest and for them not to interrupt, disturb or discourage the opposition party’s supporters from participating in the demonstration. The filing of the urgent chamber application was prompted by the ZRP’s response to the MDC-T’s notification to stage the demonstration of which the police “discouraged” the opposition party from protesting on the basis that “mass demonstrations interrupts the smooth flow of both human and vehicular traffic and that there is not enough manpower to cover the demonstration as “most police officers will be engaged in preparation for independence celebrations.”
Mujuru Mourns Chitepo
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.
ZAPU To March Against Mugabe in Belfast
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.
Bishop Manjoro Wife Dies | BREAKING NEWS
The wife of pentecostal preacher Bishop Bartholomew Manjoro, Apphia Clara Manjoro, has died.
Mrs Manjoro’s death was announced late last night.
While details were sketchy at the time of writing, the family announced in a statement, “We would like to announce that Mother General has graduated to heaven. Thank you for your prayers and support. They are felt and appreciated”.
The Manjoros branched out of Ezekiel Guti’s ZAOGA church in the mid 90s and started their own organisation, Faith World Ministries. More to follow…
UK Zim Embassy: Mass Protest for “Abused” Zim Boy
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…
Zanele Mahachi Killed In UK, Zim Man Arrested
A Zimbabwean man known as “Tee Fuz,” has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a young Zim woman, Leigh-Ann Zanele Mahachi, was stabbed to death in a Sheffield home this morning.
The 37-year-old man, from the Colchester area, was arrested this afternoon after South Yorkshire Police launched a murder probe and a manhunt.
He has been remanded in custody where he will be questioned by detectives.
South Yorkshire Police said a 22-year-old woman was found seriously injured in a property in Spotswood Close, Gleadless Valley, this morning.
She was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.
Paramedics were first to arrive, followed by police officers, residents said.
A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: “At around 8.15am today, police were called to Spotswood Close in Gleadless Valley to reports that a woman had been stabbed.
“The 22-year-old was taken to hospital but died a short time later. Her family has been informed.”
Investigating officer Detective Inspector Steve Ashmore said: “This is an extremely distressing incident and the victim’s family is currently being supported by specially trained officers.
“We are treating this as a targeted attack and I can reassure members of the public that we have a large number of resources at the scene and are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry to establish the full circumstances.
“A murder investigation is underway and we urge anyone with information or anyone who saw or heard anything in the Spotswood Close area this morning to contact us.”
A post-mortem is expected to take place later today.
A Gleadless Valley resident said: “I saw the ambulance and police this morning at around 8.25am, now police are everywhere.”
A number of streets are cordoned off with police tape, with police officers guarding the scene.
A number of blocks of flats are within the cordon.
Another resident said a police major incident van is parked at the crime scene and for
ensic experts are carrying out searches of the area.
She said they examined a number of cars and took photographs of them earlier today. (The Star/BBC/ Additional Reporting)
Mugabe Too Ill for Presidency-War Vets
The war veterans, who include ex-Zanla commander, Parker Chipoyera, former top intelligence operative Retired Colonel Bastan Beta, Levy Gwarada and Ngoni Chitauro, among others, said their move was a follow up to the mandate they bestowed on Mugabe during the liberation war.
The war veterans, however, denied they were linked to Mujuru’s opposition Zimbabwe People First.
“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 Robert Mugabe to be the leader,” Chipoyera told journalists in Harare.
The group accused Mugabe of running down the economy and playing the tribal card to retain power, hence the decision to withdraw their support.
They accused Mugabe of seeking to use them by only engaging liberation fighters during crises and discarding them in better times.
“To our fellow comrades, we take this opportunity to remind you that Mugabe no longer represents your interests,” Chipoyera said, at the same time urging Zimbabweans to resist Mugabe’s “tyranny” while demanding true democracy.
“Zimbabwe, once the jewel and breadbasket of Africa, is now a failed State and a laughing stock, even among the poorest of nations. Its people are now deeply divided along political, ethnic and tribal lines and the economy is in doldrums.”
He described the over 10 000 war veterans who met Mugabe in Harare last week as “fake liberation fighters” after they made “ridiculous demands” and portrayed themselves as “more special than the majority of Zimbabweans”.
The group claimed they deliberately avoided gate-crashing last week’s meeting, alleging there were security details deployed to attack them.
Contacted for comment, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya said: “If they have withdrawn, it’s them who have withdrawn. I don’t know them and I cannot comment on that. I don’t know what they are up to and I cannot comment.”
Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo also disowned the group.
“The President was voted by the people in 2013 and that is the only mandate he has until 2018. I don’t understand the import of their statement. What positions do they have because we cannot just listen to anybody? The war veterans have their own leadership and together with their ministry and secretary for defence in the politburo are the ones who met the President. Those ones I don’t know and who cares,” he said. newsday
Magaya Church Followers Arrested
Two Walter Magaya followers who are Angolan nationals have been arrested after they illegally entered the country in a bid to attend a spiritual healing session by ‘the preacher at Sakubva Beit Hall.
Their quest for spiritual healing last Tuesday landed them in court after they illegally crossed into Zimbabwe with the intention of attending the meeting.
Costa Daniel Antonio (36) and Afonso Esteve Joao (33) were awaiting deportation back to Angola after they were found guilty of contravening immigration laws.
They appeared before Mutare senior magistrate, Mrs Sekai Chiundura.
Antonio and Joao were both sentenced to three months imprisonment each which were wholly suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Antonio told the court that they were on their way to Prophet Walter Magaya’s service held in Sakubva as they needed deliverance from epileptic demons.
“Your Worship, we are all epileptic and were on our way to Prophet Walter Magaya’s sermon which was held in Sakubva. We had contacted the Prophet and we were to get our deliverance in this city. We erred by entering the country without valid travelling documents and beg for your forgiveness,” said Antonio.
Mr Fletcher Karombe prosecuted.
The State alleged that on April 4 at Forbes Border Post, the two were arrested by immigration officers after they entered and remained in Zimbabwe without passports or permits permitting them to enter and remain in Zimbabwe thereby contravening the law.
MP Threatens To Kill Villagers
Terrence Mawawa, Chivi| Zanu PF Member of Parliament for Chivi North, Retired Brigadier Mathias Tongofa, has threatened local villagers with death for expressing grievances over food distribution.
Chivi North Constituency is one of the areas grossly affected by El nino such that there is imminent need for food relief.
Tongofa has openly threatened local villagers who pester him for food relief with death, much to the shock of the entire local community. His outbursts have come at a time when Zanu PF youths are looting food aid from both the government and donor agencies with Tongofa’s approval.
Concerned villagers told ZimEye.com yesterday, the MP said opposition supporters would not get food aid, despite claims from the government that there is no politicisation of food aid. “Tongofa who is a former soldier has threatened to kill us if we continue to frequent his homestead to express our concerns,” said a local villager.
They continued saying, “it is very sad to note that Zanu PF youths are looting food aid at will and the MP fully supports their actions. We do not know what to do because the MP is ignoring us.”
As a result of selective food distribution, only 50 households out of the 600 families in need of relief have so far received aid, leaving the villagers facing a critical shortage of food.
Tongofa who is also the Deputy Minister of Youth and Indigenisation and is working with Zanu PF militia to intimidate known opposition supporters in the area, was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.
Mugabe Humiliates Zhuwao, Clarifies Indigenisation
Robert Mugabe has moved in to clip the wings of his notorious nephew and Indigenisation Minister, Patrick Zhuwao.
Mugabe has clarified on the confusion over the interpretation of the indigenisation law, which he said undermined market confidence and increased the cost of doing business while weakening the country’s competitiveness in the wake of a public spat between Cabinet ministers.
Mugabe’s intervention puts to rest squabbles pitting Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa on one hand and his Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment counterpart Patrick Zhuwao on the other pertaining to the financial services sector.
Said Mugabe: “The banking sector shall continue to be under the auspices of the Banking Act, which is regulated by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, and the insurance sector under the auspices of the Provident and Insurance Act.
“This policy position is essential for the promotion of financial sector stability, confidence and financial inclusion. These institutions will, nonetheless, be expected to make their contributions by way of financing facilities for key economic sectors and projects, employee share ownership schemes, linkage programmes and such other financial empowerment facilities as may be introduced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe from time to time.”
Banks would use empowerment credits or quotas to contribute towards the indigenisation threshold with a greater emphasis on lending to key sectors of the economy. The President said conflicting positions on the interpretation of the law had caused confusion among Zimbabweans, the business community, and current and potential investors, thereby undermining market confidence.
He made the clarification on the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Policy in a statement issued yesterday through Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe.
Mugabe said businesses under the reserved sectors category were exclusively for Zimbabwean entrepreneurs except for existing ones and where a special dispensation was granted by the line minister.
Reserved sectors include transportation (passenger buses, taxis, car hire services) retail and wholesale, barber shops, hair dressing and beauty salons, employment agencies, estate agencies, valet services, grain milling, bakeries, tobacco processing, advertising agencies and provision of local arts and crafts and marketing and distribution.
However, he said the laws were not cast in stone and would be changed from time to time. “Government shall from time to time decide and publish in the gazette, any changes to the list of businesses falling under the sector,” said President Mugabe
The clarification limits the role of the Youth and Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Ministry by allowing line ministries to come up with models of compliance. The President said the ministry’s role was to coordinate activities of line ministries in the implementation of the indigenisation policy through a Cabinet committee, chaired by the minister.
“Sector based empowerment credits or quotas will be granted to reflect the contribution of investors in such businesses to the national development efforts. “This will be agreed upon through negotiations involving relevant line ministries and investors.”
Zhuwao has recently been making pronouncements that conflicted with statements by Chinamasa and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya. While all of them agreed on Government’s irreversible position regarding indigenisation and empowerment, Minister Zhuwao’s seemingly combative approach seemed to unnerve investors while he seemed not to recognise superiority of the Banking Act in that regard.
“It is therefore fit and proper that I provide clarification on this very vital national policy, for the guidance of Government Ministers, the business community and would-be foreign investors,” said President Mugabe.
“To the extent that the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act does not sufficiently conform to this policy position, I have directed that the law be amended or changed forthwith accordingly,” the President said.
The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act compels foreign owned firms in Zimbabwe, valued from $500 000, to sell at least 51 percent of their shareholding to indigenous black Zimbabweans.
The President reiterated Government’s unequivocal position on empowerment, saying the indigenisation and economic empowerment policy was meant to grant Zimbabweans ownership and control of the means and factors of production, said the policy position was to bring indigenous people into the mainstream of the economy.
He said Government had sub-divided the economy into three main sectors namely resources, non-resources and reserved sectors. He said Government attached great importance to the indigenisation of the resources sector due to the finite nature of minerals.
“Government has therefore, a sacrosanct duty to ensure that such resources are exploited in a manner that safeguards the best interests of the country’s current and future generations,” the President said.
“As such, in terms of the policy, Government and or its designated entities will hold a 51 percent stake in businesses in the natural resources sector, with the remaining 49 percent belonging to the partnering investor(s).
“The need for investors in this sector to comply with prescribed indigenisation obligations is therefore non-negotiable,” the President added. However for existing businesses in the Natural Resources Sector where Government does not have 51 percent ownership, compliance with the Indigenisation and Economic Policy should be through ensuring that local content retained in Zimbabwe by such businesses is not less than 75 percent of gross value of the exploited resources.
Local content refers to the value retained in Zimbabwe in the form of wages, salaries, taxation, community ownership schemes, and other activities such as procurement and linkage programmes.
In terms of the non-resources sector the President said in this sector should exhibit economically desirable strategic objectives that contribute towards turnaround and sustainable socio-economic transformation, among them beneficiation and value addition of minerals.
He also said the desirable objectives include transfer of appropriate technology to Zimbabwe to enhance productivity, that created employment and impart skills, the granting of ownership and or employee share schemes for value to Zimbabweans and the developing and creating of linkage programmes, enterprise development, value chains and other desirable objectives, as may be defined by responsible minister, for the purpose of attracting foreign direct investment.
Grandpa Rapes 2 Girls
A 70-year-old Harare man allegedly raped two girls on the same day after enticing them by giving them $10 to share, a court heard yesterday. Jeremiah Masimo was facing two counts of rape when he appeared before magistrate Mr Elijah Makomo.
He was remanded in custody and ordered to apply for bail at the High Court. Allegations are that on an unknown date and month in 2015, Masimo met the two 12-year-old girls in the passage of a farmhouse and gave them 40 cents to share.
The court heard that Masimo started fondling their breasts and after that the girls went home and did not tell anyone.
It is alleged that on another unknown day that same year, Masimo followed the girls into the bush where they were relieving themselves and gave them a $1 to share. He allegedly started fondling their breasts and the girls again did not reveal the incident to anyone.
It is the State’s case that in February 2016 Masimo saw the girls coming from the bush to relieve themselves since the toilets were blocked and gave them $10 and told them to share $4 each and give him back the change.
The court heard that Masimo demanded to be intimate with the girls but they refused. It is alleged that the girls followed Masimo into a bushy area where he forced them to lie on the ground.
It is alleged that Masimo raped both the girls and threatened to kill them if they revealed the matter to anyone.
The matter came to light when one of the girls was sent to hospital after developing a rash and it was discovered that she had been raped leading to Masimo’s arrest.
Chitepo, Mwashita, Farewell!
Farewell Thee Comrades. May your Souls rest in Eternal Peace. Till Jesus Comes
BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA
It is very difficult to say a few words in farewell to the heroes of the beloved Zimbabwe, because of what they are and what they represent. A feeling of sorrow, an infinite grief catches our throat – sorrow for the loss of the nation. Two candles blown off on the same day. Mother Victoria Chitepo died in action as she sighed her last breadth Vivian ended hers. Two V’s vanished on the same day. Two Vs departed together. It is befitting that they will be buried on the same day. They are going away, the soldiers of the highest ideal of human redemption, exiles from their countries, persecuted by the tyrants of all peoples – grief for those who will remain but in the very depth of our heart, we are hallowed by our feeling of eternal gratitude to what they fought for. They lived for and they died for.
From all peoples, from all races, you came to us like sisters like children of immortal Zimbabwe and in the hardest days of the war, when our being was being trampled and threatened, it was you, gallant comrades of the Soil who helped save the country with your fighting enthusiasm, your heroism and your spirit of sacrifice.
For the first time in the history of the peoples’ post struggles, we lay to rest two women of valour at the same time who have helped save a threatened country’s freedom and independence – the freedom and independence of our land- women of different characters agreeing on ideology, yet all profoundly loving liberty and justice, they came and offered themselves to us unconditionally.
They gave us everything — their youth or their maturity; their science or their experience; their blood and their lives; their hopes and aspirations — and they asked us for nothing. But yes, it must be said, they did want a post in battle, they aspired to the honor of dying for us.
Banners of Zimbabwe Salute these heroes! They made history in life and made history in death.
Mothers! Women! When the years pass by and the wounds of war are stanched; when the memory of the sad and bloody days dissipates in a present of liberty, of peace and of wellbeing; when the rancors have died out and pride in a free country is felt equally by all Zimbabweans speak to your children. Tell them of these women of valour.
They gave up everything — their loves, their countries, home and fortune, fathers, mothers, husbands brothers, sisters and children — and they came and said to us: “We are here. Your cause, is ours. It is the cause of all advanced and progressive mankind.”
You will be profoundly remembered by all Zimbabwean comrades. Political reasons, reasons of state, the welfare of that very cause for which you offered your blood with boundless generosity, will water your legacy forever. You can go proudly. You are history. You are legend. You are the heroic example of democracy’s solidarity and universality in the face of the vile and accommodating spirit of those who interpret democratic principles with their eyes on hoards of wealth or corporate shares which they want to safeguard from all risk.
We shall not forget you;
Long live the heroins of Zimbabwe. May God bless your souls. Soon and very soon we will meet on the sea of glass. We will meet on the great morning.
[email protected]
HORROR DOUBLE:Father Rapes Daughter, Axes 3 to Death, Kills Self
HURUNGWE- In a heart-rending horrific incident, a 37 year old Hurungwe man after raping his (12) twelve year old daughter, axed to death his wife, brother in law, as well as a herd boy.
Continuing in the evil horror, he then went on to set alight two tobacco barns before poisoning himself to death, on Sunday night here.
The incident occurred at Hari homestead under headman Bhobho, Kapiri area, Chief Kazangarare situated about 65 kilometers north west of Karoi town.
His brother who had tried to resolve the dispute with the suspect after the shocking revelation of daughter’s rape, is currently nursing wounds at Karoi hospital sustained during the bloody scuffle in the movie style murder.
The survivor, Claudius Big Hari, aged 48 years old, narrated the horror act of his brother Ephraim from his hospital bed on Tuesday. He told ZimEye.com he is still to come to terms with what happened.
Ironically the greatest shock is yet to be unveiled as that his suddenly-murderous brother and three others are now late.
He explained that after the late Ephraim raped his 12 year old daughter, the man became furious at him as elder brother after noticing that her grandchild was no longer a virgin and she had confessed that the father was responsible for violating her.
The late Ephraim raped the daughter on several occasions when his wife was sick.
‘Our mother approached me saying we are a disgrace to the society and we must work out on how to resolve the rape charges amicably. I then called my brother and discussed the hot issue together on our own”. MORE TO FOLLOW…
12 000 Drop Out of University
At least 12 000 students from the country’s various tertiary institutions have been forced to drop out of school or defer their studies in the face of the deteriorating economic and political climate, the Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) said.
In a statement Zinasu said skyrocketing tertiary institution fees are beyond the reach of the majority who live under the poverty datum line.
“The majority of students in Zimbabwe are faced with debilitating financial constraints as most have civil servant and informal sector backed economic backgrounds,” Zinasu secretary-general Makomborero Haruzivishe said yesterday.
“Institutions like Zimbabwe School of Mines are charging $2 000 for tuition fees, Solusi University $ 1 500, National University of Science and Technology $800.
“At the University of Zimbabwe this semester alone, 2 800 students have either deferred or dropped out of school altogether due to tuition fee barriers. Great Zimbabwe University has 1 370 students’ deferments or dropouts, including almost 200 final year students …
“In teachers colleges, a total of 8 000 have been affected by the high tuition fees plague. In polytechnic colleges, some programmes …have been stopped as only four students only managed to pay tuition fees to register,” Haruzivishe said.
Despite the steep fees that students are being forced to pay Zinasu said infrastructure at most tertiary institutions is in a state of disrepair and inadequate to accommodate students.
“Buildings and other structures are either inadequate or unsuitable for the students’ needs or incomplete.
“The existing capacity for student’s accommodation in universities and polytechnic colleges can only cater for seven percent of the total enrolment…”, said Haruzivishe.
Noting the country’s power and water woes, Zinasu said a lack of proper sanitation has also impacted negatively on the operations of virtually all tertiary institutions. Daily News
Mugabe Blows $20mil on Trips
Former Finance minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Tendai Biti has sensationally claimed that President Robert Mugabe has this year alone blown almost $20 million on foreign trips.
Biti, who was the Finance minister during the inclusive government era from 2009 to 2013 and clashed on several occasions with Mugabe over constant foreign travels, told journalists at his Harare offices yesterday, that Zanu PF has now run out of ideas to manage the country.
As the Finance minister Biti used to bankroll Mugabe’s foreign trips and has an inkling on the expenditure on foreign trips.
He said the country is going through a liquidity crunch spawned by government’s actions of raiding RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) balances at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
“The government is raiding these accounts to raise cash so as to support their bloated expenditures such as endless foreign trips for the president and hotel bills for (Vice President) Phelekezela Mphoko.
Mphoko has been staying in a hotel since he was appointed vice president in 2014 and even though there has been calls from both the opposition in the governing party for him to leave the lap of luxury in a presidential suite he has been adamant in his demands for accommodation fit for the royalty.
His lavish lifestyle has provoked the anger of many ordinary Zimbabweans, especially as the majority are trapped in the unforgiving jaws of hunger.
“This is against the fact that Mugabe has so far spent almost $20 million on foreign trips, including trips to obscure events such as the one in India,” Biti said.
The former MDC secretary-general said Zimbabwe is grinding to a halt as the Zanu PF led government has no desire of turning things around.
“In short, they are as carefree and indifferent as they are clueless,” he said, adding that the country needs structural reforms if it is to move forward.
He said the Zanu PF government failed to meet its 2013 election promise of creating over two million jobs, as several companies have since closed down instead.
Biti also said the Indigenisation policy, which requires foreign-owned firms to cede 51 percent of their shares to locals, must be repealed, if the country is to lure any investors and get foreign direct investment.
“There is massive shrinkage of the economy since 2013 with the growth rate being minus 1,8 percent in 2015 and that of 2016 being minus 3,5 percent. The outlook period of 2016/2018 will be in the red. Land invasions are continuing, the Indigenisation Act has not been repealed and continues to scare investors and the civil service is still infested with thousands of ghost workers,” he said, adding that Zimbabwe is in a circle of economic recession.
“…the government has started the crime of printing money through the issuance of Treasury bills that are now clogging the market. This government has been criminally issuing Treasury bills with total domestic debt now standing at $6 billion. The continued reliance on toxic Treasury bills is a major factor contributing to the current liquidity crisis,” he said.
Biti said, Zimbabwe must walk the talk on policy reforms and increase transparency.
He however said the only way to deal with Zanu PF was for opposition political parties to come together and work as a united force.
He also criticised government’s plan to regulate the social media, claiming this was a fascist plot and the hallmark of desperation from a country that already has a battered international image.
“Zimbabwe is burning and we are in trouble. Mugabe and his corrupt cronies lack the competence and the commitment to provide solutions to our national challenges which they in any case are guilty of creating,” Biti said.
Woman Uses Sister’s British Passport, Caught, Arrested
A Harare woman will never taste England after she was caught using her sister’s British passport to fly to London.
The 25 year old Shumirai Mtetwa of Mandara, was arrested at the Harare International Airport as she attempted to dupe immigration officials. She was intercepted following a tip off from a mystery caller with detectives pouncing on her to demand her to produce her passport.
She showed them the British passport number GBR 510******.
The detectives interrogated Mtetwa who confessed that the passport belonged to her sister Melody Mtetwa.
Melody lives in the United Kingdom.
Shumirai Mtetwa, was fined $100 for attempting to use her sister’s British passport to travel to the United Kingdom. She pleaded guilty when she appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe last Friday. Failure to pay the fine would land Mtetwa in prison for 20 days.
Prosecutor Mrs Francesca Mukumbiri alleged that at around 4pm Minerals and Border Control Unit detectives received a tip-off that a Zimbabwean woman was using someone else’s passport to fly to the UK.
The passport was handed over to the British Embassy.
Tsvangirai Appointed President of Zimbabwe in 8 Months’ Time, ‘Prophet’ Claims
President Robert Mugabe is dying in 8 months’ time, and his entire family kicked out of State House, ushering in MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai into power, a UK based preacher said to be a ‘prophet,’ has insisted.
The London based Austin Moses who first declared his prediction in 2014 while on a live ZimEye TV program, claims Tsvangirai will be President by the end of this year.
Moses who in June 2014 predicted what he said was “a big tree falling down with its branches”, foretelling of the shocking 2014 Mujuru purges(Mujuru’s party emblem 2 years later would turn out to be “the baobab tree”), fearlessly declared that Mugabe’s era will be over in a few months’ time before the end of 2016.
Pharaoh’s era is ending, said Moses.
When questioned on the date, he did not waste breath declaring almost instantaneously that it will be before the end of 2016 when the Mugabe dynasty will be forgotten forever.
“It will be between 2015 and 2017”, he said…
The London based pastor said Zimbabweans all over the world will soon be returning to their country as God is restoring Zimbabwe’s international status of old.
He said there would be great changes between now and 2017 and Zimbabweans must pray.
“According to what the Lord revealed to me, I saw many people, Zimbabweans returning back home. God is in the middle of returning the country back to its origins. It shall never be a desolate country any more. I am not a Zimbabwean, but I say what God has asked me to say, ” he said.
He continued, “the rein of Pharaohs in the land of Zimbabwe is coming to an end. The Lord revealed to me that between 2015 and 2017 He is returning Zimbabwe, ” he said.
‘Prophet’ Austin Moses is based in North London and has to his credit several accurate predictions including that of the Ukrainian crisis where after noticing the strength of his predictions, the Ukrainians soon extended a VIP invitation for him to grace their country.
Facebook Comments:
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Raalt Nester Ebenesto I don think its time for this stuff here. We want solutions to our problems not predictions of wen pipo shld die. We knww dat mugabe shall die.
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Dennis Mafagane Many profet has said that before , the biggist thing is to liberate the people of zim not to come with stupit prophecy -
Adriano Shoniwa The only way to achieve change is to understand the change process!A struggle that is supposed to take 6months can take several years!A struggle requires gaining an insight of how a system is operating,where and how it derives its power!Revolutionary parties” appeal” more to rural populace while oppostion parties are well grounded in urban politics!Revolutionary parties just need to neutralise urban votes!As long as your focus is “Mugabe,Mugabe!” even if he is gone pf will remain a cancer to live with!If it were nt for rural votes.It is high time opposition parties in Africa are not seen as fronts of western countries so that they are received well in rural areas!Rural people are “wise”!You should be very convincing to change them,they are highly conservative!!Hee! Mugabe will go!Heee!shall die!Those are facts of life!He will go its true!But who will make go?The people who give him power!He relies on people!So go to people and win people’s hearts and prove selves as better alternatives!kkkkk!MaPastor amera ” chiMugabe” pamuromo! -
Mthembo Petros Don’t forget Man United won ngempelasonto admin -
Nathan Dewa Mugabe achafa next year ,Mugabe is seriously ill , Mugabe will lose election , Mugabe sudden exit from politics , Mugabe this……ah please give the man and us as break , panyo penyu vamu profita intact I don’t believe in all this Bullshit of prophets its FAKE kubira vanhu Mari dzavo mhata Mese maprofita and those who believe in them , dark evil forces -
Munyaradzi Bhudhas Musekwa Zivai zvekunamatira siyanayi na mudhara wangu uyu -
Willard Will Chizinga usatinyepere iwe vaporofita venhema mawandisa.Mwari havatambwe navo. -
Stewart Vincent Karim Robin Van Perse scored a wonderful goal. united we stand -
Denis Chikwanda Prophets of Doom -
Tatenda Nzira He is no different frm muxular mula -
Richard Maposa Bosso loose again kkkkk -
Richard Kopje This is not news , fake prophets -
Madzima Mupfeki Kuda kuonekwa here -
Adriano Shoniwa Prophet of doom!Nhema dzoga!just whipping up people’s emotions and expectations!kurota hakurambidzwe asi marotero acho!Just the point yokuti “will be forgotten forever” is a lie!!
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Liberty Chinyota nxaaaa -
Buju Rusengah taneta nadzo mbwa idzo kuhukura hadzina mazino
HIV Positive Man Rapes 3 Women
Terrence Mawawa, Zvishavane| An HIV positive man from the small mining town of Zvishavane left the local community stunned after allegedly raping three women.
Ngonidzashe Nhanga appeared before Magistrate Story Rushambwa last week, facing three counts of rape. Nhanga raped the women while he was fully aware of his HIV status.
Sometime in February this year, Nhanga broke into a house in the Makwasha area of Zvishavane and grabbed the first victim by the neck, undressed and threatened to kill her if she refused to cooperate. He raped her once around 2300 hours and disappeared.
On the same night, Nhanga proceeded to a nearby house where he raped a 24 year old woman. He switched off electricity at the house and ordered the woman to undress but she refused. Nhanga then forcibly removed the woman’s clothes and raped her once and ordered her to take a bath while he watched.
The woman managed to see Nhanga ‘s face through the dim light provided by the tower light. She pushed him down overpowering him in the way and ran to the police station where she reported the matter.
On March 26, Nhanga broke into another house where he stole two Nokia cellphones before raping the 17 year old girl who was sleeping. He threatened to kill the teen after raping her.
Upon hearing some noise Edward Maphose, the woman’s neighbour, woke up to investigate and hit a fleeing Nhanga who forgot his red jacket.
Nhanga was later arrested after the police tracked him using his jacket and he was remanded in custody to April 12 (today) after the initial court hearing.
Dzamara Mate Gets Top Govt Job
Patson Dzamara’s close friend, Acie Lumumba Matumanje, has been assigned a top government post to spearhead ZANU PF’s empowerment drive, of which Dzamara also features in a video campaign.
The Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Patrick Zhuwao has appointed a 12-member steering committee to spearhead the drafting of the Zimbabwe Youth Empowerment Strategy for Investment.
The steering committee which will champion the drafting of a blue-print for the empowerment of young people countrywide and in the Diaspora, comprises a 12-member team of youths drawn from the 10 provinces.
The committee will be chaired by Acie Lumumba Matumanje.
The man is teamed up with Patson Dzamara in a government centric video labelled Generation 1635 – CLICK HERE TO WATCH.
Zhuwao says the committee will be tasked to develop a practical and vibrant youth strategy to be adopted in communities with the aim of positioning youths to become agents of positive change.
Dubbed the “Zimbabwe Yes for Investment”, the blue-print will feed into the African Union theme for 2017 which is ‘Harnessing the Demographic Dividend Through Investment in Youth’.
Other members of the steering committee include Sisa Noreen Sibanda as the Vice Chair, Andile Songo, Trisheillah Ziwira, Tafadzwa Sengwe, Tatenda Mavetera, Vangelis Haritatos, Emma Muringa, Batsirai Chiunda, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi Junior and Talent Chivange.
ZANU tortured Victoria Chitepo
Dear Editor,
Together with the nation I mourn the passing on of this South Africa born Zimbabwe liberation struggle heroine. She did a lot for the country even after independence when she was appointed into various ministries. Zimbabwe’s tourism industry soared during her time in that ministry.
She is among the very few liberation leaders who knew when to retire from service and decided to go home and watch over their grandkids as they grow. You will have to forgive me. I hate hypocrisy. I will depart from the norm about obituaries. I will not bore you with her numerous achievements for the country and her local community and Manicaland schools. I have read President Mugabe’s apologies on behalf of his wife as he showered praises on the late heroine. I know there will be acres upon acres of obituaries written by people more qualified to do so because they knew her better. I shall depart from the norm as l try to avoid ‘normalising the abnormal.’ I wonder if the nation is missing something here.
Mrs Chitepo died at the aged of 89, just three years younger than President Mugabe. It seems the family actually informed the President Mugabe of Mrs Chitepo’s death before the word spread around to relatives and the rest of us lesser souls. Mugabe announced it to the Central Committee. For me the sad news is that President Mugabe said Mai Chitepo was found by her daughter in the bathroom this afternoon. Other reports state that she was found by a relative. Was Mrs Chitepo living alone at the age of 89? Was she also one of those neglected liberation war leaders we only shower praises with when they are dead and have to be buried at the National Heroes’ Acre? The neglect of living heroes is so rampart they show how as a society we have abandoned our elderly. You shall forgive me, I do not know much about how Mrs Chitepo lived BUT her being found long dead in the bathroom in the afternoon by someone coming from elsewhere tells us a lot.
The sad news does not end at the puzzle of her possibility of living alone at 89. In addition, we are informed that Mai Chitepo, a member of the party’s central committee, was reportedly preparing to attend the meeting and her daughter/relative who had gone to pick her up found her dead. At the age of 89 she was still attending Zanu Central Committee meetings? What for? What new progressive ideas was she giving to the younger party members who are now preoccupied with abusing each other for positions? I find it puzzling that an eminently educated and seasoned politician who had gracefully retired from government service would continue holding unto a Zanu national position at 89. All the calls for Mugabe to resign and retire should also focus on all elderly folks still in Zanu and government. They are withholding the younger generation from taking leadership positions. They should retire completely from politics and leave it for their grandchildren who still have the energy to abuse each other. Why are Zanu cadres being abused by the party till they can no longer walk due to old age? Children should intervene on behalf of their parents and not let the Mugabe old age shame in politics also befall their parents.
– Ndaba Nhuku
Army Secrets on NIKUV: exMinister Mavharire Blasts All
Terrence Mawawa Masvingo| Former Zanu PF stalwart and Zimbabwe People First Official, Dzikamai Mavhaire, has begun blasting out sinister operations run by the Zimbabwe National Army, put in place to rig the outcome of elections.
Mavhaire claimed to journalists that the two election rigging operations, run by ZNA bosses are codenamed ‘Operation maguta’ and ‘Operation Champion farmers,’ as he vowed to confront the military men over these.
“This time around elections should be purely guided by the constitution. Zanu PF has a tendency of deploying soldiers to intimidate villagers but this time we will not allow that to happen. Soldiers must not meddle in politics .They must stay at the barracks,” said Mavhaire.
The outspoken Mavhaire, charged that both operations were used to intimidate villagers ahead of the 2013 polls, further challenging the soldiers to stay in their barracks and let the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) run the polls.
“So we are going to make sure that there will be no intimidation of villagers by soldiers. How can soldiers lead a farming programme yet some of them do not own a garden? We know Zanu PF is using soldiers under the guise of operation Maguta and Champion Farmers to cow villagers into submission,”he continued.
Responding to critics doubting his claims, Mavhaire insisted his ZPF would expose Zanu PF’s election rigging tactics.
Meanwhile, Retired Colonel Claudius Makova said electoral reforms should be implemented before the polls, calling for the need to uphold the provisions of the new constitution.
Man Impregnates 15 School Pupils
The community of Beitbridge is up in arms with a local customs clearing agent who has allegedly impregnated several pupils from Vhembe and St Mary’s Secondary schools in the border town.
Sources at one of the schools said the alleged sex predator, Rayson Tsvangirai Rushwaya, believed to be in his mid-20s, impregnated 15 school girls but the figure could be higher as some of his victims were reluctant to come forward.
He allegedly uses his aunt, a Form Four pupil at Vhembe High School, to lure her peers for him.
Three pupils who have since come forward are 17-years-old (above the age of consent).
Vhembe High School headmaster Ntshavheni Smutha Ndou confirmed that they had a meeting with some parents of the victims recently but declined to comment further.
“All I can say is that we had a meeting with a group of parents who claimed that their children were being abused by a certain man. We’ve since compiled a report and submitted it to our superiors and they’re the ones who can comment,” he said.
The Provincial Education Director for Matabeleland South, Tumisang Thabela, said they would deal with the matter when schools open for the second term next month.
“I got a report from Vhembe High School and we’ll only be able to comment once we’ve done our own investigations when schools open,” she said.
The Minister of State Security and Beitbridge East MP, Kembo Mohadi, expressed concern over the development.
“It’s not culturally correct for this man who is said to have impregnated over six girls. I understand that the matter has been reported to the police but it has been very difficult to prosecute him basing on the landmark Constitutional Court ruling which outlaws child marriages. We need to speed up the alignment of our laws with the Constitution so that such people get properly prosecuted and punished,” said Mohadi.
A source said Rushwaya uses money as bait to lure the girls whom he dumps after impregnating.
Rushwaya yesterday denied the allegations.
“It’s not true that I move around impregnating school girls. There’s only one parent who is ganging up with others simply because I’m in love with her daughter whom I want to marry. People are just trying to tarnish my image,” he said.
One of the victims, 17, who is six-months pregnant, narrated her ordeal to the state media. “When I first met Rushwaya he was driving his car and he parked it by the roadside and asked for my cellphone number and I gave him. We then started communicating and he proposed love. Initially I was reluctant but because he’d give me a lot of money I ended up giving in,” said the girl who has since dropped out of school.
The teenager also accused Rushwaya of infecting her with a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
The girl’s aunt said Rushwaya once offered to give her R6,000 for an abortion but she refused.
Another girl, a Form Four pupil at Vhembe High who was also allegedly impregnated by Rushwaya, refused to open up.
She is four months pregnant.
A nurse at Beitbridge District Hospital, whose daughter is also a victim, recently filed a report at Beitbridge Police Station. Prosecutors threw away the case, arguing that they had failed to come up with proper charges since there is no law in place outlawing child marriages.
“When I went to court, prosecutors said they couldn’t charge him under the Marriages Act since the Bill hasn’t yet been gazetted into law. My worry is that there’s lack of co-operation from some of the guardians whose children were also abused,” said the nurse.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele said he had not received a report on the matter.
Kudakwashe Munyoro, a lawyer from Women and Law in Southern Africa (WILSA), said Rushwaya could still be charged under sections 3 and 4 of the Domestic Violence Act as read with section 52 of the Constitution.
Former Beitbridge Town councillor and women’s rights activist, Patricia Ndlovu, said residents were working on a petition to hand over to the police and local political leaders.
The ConCourt in January outlawed marriages for children below the age of 18 in line with Section 78 (1) of the Constitution. The apex court said Section 22(1) of the Marriages Act (Chapter 5:11) or any law, practice or custom authorising a person under 18 years of age to marry or to be married is inconsistent with the provisions of Section 78(1) of the Constitution and therefore invalid to the extent of the inconsistency. State Media/Additional reporting
Sex for A Job
In a shocking incident, a married woman from Manhubu Village in Zaka under Chief Ndanga was allegedly coercing her two male domestic workers into having sex with her as part of their monthly payments.
The woman, Kesina Rusosa’s shenanigans of regularly paying her herdboys with sexual services were exposed after one of them later turned down the offer claiming he was tired of her services.
Apparently the herdboy started complaining stating that he could not fend for his family with sexual favours, before he reported the matter to neighbours who later alerted Rusosa’s husband Joseph Makwanda.
According to a source from the area, after receiving the shocking news, Makwanda confronted his wife who confessed that she had been paying their domestic workers in “kind” for a long time.
“What was happening is that Rusosa was coercing her two workers into having sexual intercourse with her as part of their payment and one of them who seemed to have been fed up with Rusosa’s sexual services started complaining that he was no longer interested in sleeping with her as he wanted money to buy food for his family.
“His complaint did not however, go down well with his fellow colleague who still wanted to be paid in sex. Following the fallout the disgruntled man told neighbours who later alerted the woman’s husband.
“When confronted by her husband the woman confessed that she indeed slept with their domestic workers as a way of paying them. The shocked husband reported the matter to his in-laws before approaching Chief Ndanga who later presided over the matter,” said a source who preferred anonymity for fear of reprisals.
When reached for comment Chief Ndanga confirmed the incident.
“It is true that I presided over a case of that nature. This was after Joseph Makwanda approached my court saying his wife had been cheating on him with their domestic workers. It was indeed a shocking matter which attracted the attention of villagers who crammed my court during trial. As part of my ruling I ordered the woman to pay two beasts to her husband,” he said. B Metro
Wicknell Backs Mnangagwa | PICTURE
Facebook, WhatsApp Govt Ban, Nonsense!
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION UNDER THREAT|It is with grave concern that ZINASU has come to learn that the government of Zimbabwe is mulling ill advised plans to regulate social media under the pretext of protecting citizens’ rights.
Barely a week after President Mugabe spoke about the issue on his return from a visit to Japan, the state controlled Sunday Mail has reported that the Zanu-PF led government is drawing up legal and policy instruments to govern information communication technologies in general and social media in particular.
It is telling that the state media has given China, one of the world’s least democratic countries, as an example of nations that have the type of social media regulation Zimbabwe seeks to pursue. Other African countries like Nigeria are in the process of trying to introduce legislation to regulate social media under very stiff resistance from civic society and the general populace while most developed countries that rank high on the democracy index have no laws that regulate social media.
In a nation like ours where the government fears free discussion, social media regulation will most certainly lead to curtailing of the freedom of expression which is guaranteed by Chapter 3, part 2 (61) of our constitution.
The current government of Zimbabwe which lacks public trust as a result of its egregious track record of introducing draconian legislation cannot and should not, under any circumstances, be allowed to draw up laws that further limit citizens’ rights.
The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and Public Order and Security Act (POSA) are perfect examples of draconian pieces of legislation that the government introduced under the pretext of protecting citizens’ rights and national security yet these laws infringe on freedoms of citizens.
The fact of the matter is all past actions of ZANU PF – a party that is well versed in Hobbesian and Machiavellian politics – show that it has zero interest in protecting citizens’ rights but is always on a mission to curtail them in a bid to limit political dissent and promote a culture of fear and docility among the citizenry.
Clearly, ZANU-PF seeks to misuse the free reign it is enjoying in Parliament courtesy of the paucity of opposition legislators to consolidate its grip on power by introducing pieces of legislation that protect the authoritarian state that it has created in Zimbabwe.
Civic society and the general populace cannot remain silent while ZANU-PF carries out its machinations unmolested; doing so would be akin to letting the devil run away with the gospel while the preacher and the congregation watch in amusement.
When Parliament conducts public hearings for the proposed legislation to regulate social media, the general populace, the student movement and civic society should take those hearings as an opportunity to vehemently reject any law that limits their freedom of expression and jealously guard all the rights afforded to them by the nation’s supreme law.
For and on behalf of ZINASU,
Zivai Mhetu
ZINASU National Spokesperson
Wicknell Chivayo Explodes
Humiliated ZIFA sponsor Wicknell Chivayo has struck back at his critics.
Writing from an unknown geo-location, Chivayo admitted he is a convicted criminal but said that is a private matter which does not in any way affect his company’s status. His admission is however set to sink him down since the law regarding tenders states that they can be reversed if and once a person is found to have been an ex-convict at the time the tender was granted.
Below was his full unedited outburst:
I’m still in London enjoying my vacation while dogs keep barking….I read this story from my 7 star hotel with laughter. You can take away every single deal I have but you can’t take away my passion….You can’t steal my grains…You can’t destroy what I already have as mine….Maka jaira vanhu vekuZimbabwe, munhu wese aita mari yakabiwa , imbavha, he is only a front, ane chikwambo, ingochani and all sorts of rubbish…..Katsi dzevanhu, muri simbe and that’s why the majority of us are poor…
When I spent 3 tough years participating in tenders manga muripi…I’m so excited and pleased to hear there’s an ongoing probe and I’m sorry to say that absolute rubbish is simply going to die a natural death because those assertions are frivolous and vexatious. The writer should have taken sight of the Procurement act before writing such a nonsensical article.
First and foremost Mr Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo works for that company and regardless of his previous conviction the corporate veil protects the interests of the company. I wish to inform you that Registration of a company costs 100 dollars and registering with the State Procurement Board to participate in government tenders costs 100 dollars a year. My advice to all you losers is please go and register and participate in future tenders so you also get appreciation of the fair process….You don’t need a political connection or a blessing from a prophet to win a tender , all you need is technical compliance and to be the lowest bidder to specification…
The Procurement act clearly states that the boards decision is final and should only the participating bidders feel aggrieved they are given 21 days to appeal at the Admin Court….Now with the greatest respect What are you ??? The employer and the contractor both have contractual obligations and your senseless argument about a mere conviction 7 months later will not hold water….I sympathise with you and I know how it feels when you have never had 4000 dollars in your pocket and you hear your age mate is the master mind of successful inevitable energy deals worth 400 million dollars….Zvinorwadza I know but sorry to say in a very polite voice Go to Hell.
Senator:Satanism Should Co-Exist with Christianity
The MDC-T legislator for Mat South who says all men must be violently drugged in order to reduce their sex drive, last Thursday said she was going to lobby Parliament to allow witchcraft to co-exist with Christian beliefs, claiming Christians had a tendency of looking down upon traditional beliefs including sorcery.
Matabeleland South senator Sithembile Mlotshwa asked Rural Development and Heritage minister Abednigo Ncube to explain measures being taken by his ministry to defend traditional religion as part of preservation of culture.
Mlotshwa has in the past raised a lot of controversial issues in the Senate, like the introduction of sex toys in prisons, and that couples must have sex once a month.
“When we look at the Constitution, it says Zimbabwe is a Christian country, but we also have our culture which we need to preserve,” Mlotshwa said.
“However, looking at musical programmes on State broadcaster ZTV, Christians are shown performing songs that look down on the work of traditional healers and call it diabolic, yet that is the traditional culture of Zimbabwe and should not be viewed as diabolic.”
In response, Ncube said the country allowed for freedom of worship.
“The Constitution says there is freedom of worship and if you want to follow the traditional type of worship, it is up to you. If you want to follow Christianity or any other religion, you are free to do so. If you choose to play drums or traditional cultural dances, it is entirely up to you as Zimbabwe is a democratic country and a free country which believes in the conscience of individuals,” he responded.
Mlotshwa said there was need for co-existence of religions, adding the ministry must ensure that Christians and those that practice witchcraft co-exist because traditional religion was allowed.
Mashonaland West senator Tapera Machingaifa (Zanu PF) also asked Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora if it were possible for parents to go to schools to train their children traditional dances in preservation of culture.
“I am not a racist or a tribalist, but is it possible for parents to go to schools and train children traditional dances? In my constituency, children are being taught a dance called ‘chinyamusasure’ and Mhondoro music.
“Children should be taught traditional dances that obtain in their constituencies. In some constituencies there is Mbakumba dances while in Mashonaland Central there is Jerusarema,” Machingaifa said.
Dokora said the new curriculum will include cultural dances, especially in infant and grade two schools where children will be taught performing arts, by their teachers, and even parents from their areas of residence.-Newsday/Additional reporting
WARNING-DISTURBING PICTURES: Man Chopped And Dumped On Highway
The body of a man suspected to be in his mid (30s) thirties was on Friday found evidently thrown in the middle of the busy Beitbridge – Bulawayo highway about ten kilometres outside Gwanda.
The corpse, with wounds evident of being from an axe or a similar object around the face and back of the head, was found deliberately thrown into the highway to create a fake case of a hit and run by a vehicle.
However, there is was no evidence at the scene to show that there was a vehicle involved in the death of the person.
Police in Gwanda have since launched an appeal to members of the public who may have information that may lead to the arrest of persons involved in the killing of the man. TO SEE THE PICTURES, FOLLOW THE LIKE/SUBSCRIBE button at https://www.facebook.com/ZimEye and request via inbox Gwanda murder pictures
According to the police no form of identification was found with the body nor any possession such as a cellphone or money. The police have since appealed to anyone who may be missing a relative who most likely may have been traveling to Johannesburg on Friday to contact Gwanda Police.
Villagers at the Insindi area where the body was found have failed to identify the man. The villagers however suspect that he may have been attacked elsewhere and dumped in the area.
Some however claim that they heard sounds of a man screaming as one being in a fight with a number of people in the early hours of Friday morning followed by sounds of a car speeding off.
The villagers further claim that a week ago, they found another man badly beaten along the road looking for transport to Bulawayo. The man is said to have claimed that he had been robbed by four men in a South African registered Toyota Corolla. The man claimed to have got into that car at a pick up point in Bulawayo destined for Messina to buy stocks for his business. The villagers say the man claimed to have been robbed of more than R50 000 and $500 plus valuables that included a cellphone and an iPad.
Police could not immediately confirm the robbery incident but however urged members of the public to desist from traveling in private vehicles with unknown persons particularly to South Africa.
Meanwhile, the body of the man is still at Gwanda hospital mortuary.
Mugabe Nixes Corpse of Ambassador
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo |President Robert Mugabe ignored the burial of the late former Ambassador Alois Makumure Chidoda last week, triggering widespread outrage.
Chidoda(78) was the former ambassador to Botswana and Ethiopia and he was also the ruling party’s representative in Canada during the liberation struggle. Chidoda also played a pivotal role during the liberation war. Senior Zanu PF officials here surprisingly did not attend the burial of the late former ambassador. The only notable political figures at the funeral were former Zanu PF member and Zim People First senior official, Dzikamai Mavhaire and Maina Mandaba, the latter a Zanu PF official.
An irate Mavhaire said Chidoda deserved to be buried at the National Heroes Acre because of his contributions during the liberation struggle.
“The man deserved to be buried at the National Heroes Acre because of his immense contributions during the liberation struggle. He is the one who mobilised resources and arms of war for the ZANLA forces,” said Mavhaire.
Sources told ZimEye.com Zanu PF turned down the request from the family members to have him accorded national hero status.
Zanu PF National Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere claimed he was unaware of the ambassador’s death reflecting the level of neglect by the ruling party.
“I am not even aware of his death. The province was supposed to forward his credentials if they wanted him to be buried at the national shrine,” said Kasukuwere, indicating he knew little about the late ambassador.
Chidoda’s wife Rugare said the ruling party sat on the request adding Kasukuwere’s claims were baseless.
“We went to the PA’s office and we were advised to write a CV to the party and we did that. We submitted the CV to one Mai Mataruse who promised to come back to us but nothing was effected . What is being said is not true,” said Rugare.
Chidoda died last week after battling with cancer for six years, a period during which the ruling party totally neglected the former ambassador.
Appeals for medical assistance were also turned down by the ruling party.
To many’s surprise, Zanu PF Provincial Commissar Jeppy Jaboon also professed ignorance of Chidoda’s death.
VIDEO-UK: Police Raid: Zim Boy Hides in London Embassy
British police are set to raid a 16 year old Zimbabwean boy at the Zim embassy in London. Officers are currently camped outside the building at The Strand, since Sunday after the boy (name withheld), ran into the Zim embassy at the weekend in what he says is his fleeing UK social workers preventing him from traveling back to Zimbabwe.
In a public video (below), the boy narrates what he says is his ordeal at present and mentions he will not leave the consulate until they are given free passage to go to the airport to return to Harare.
There will be a demonstration at Zimbabwe embassy, Monday at 9am to prevent Social Services from taking the boy away by force, a source said.
On Tuesday the Zimbabwean Teen, who was due to appear in the Royal Court of Justice in London, went on the run and sought refugee at the Zimbabwean embassy, which is just 5 minutes walk away from the court.
He says, “two Indian support workers brought me to the court. We arrived early and they wanted me to meet with my solicitor on record. I refused since I already told the court I no longer want him to represent me. I said I wanted to meet with my mother first. I went to the toilet and when I saw the opportunity, I ran for my life. I arrived at the Zimbabwean embassy alone.
When asked how he had ended up in the mental health hospital in Norwich, the teen explained, “I was hunger striking to protest against my detainment in the UK. I had been in the country for 8 months with no school, no friends, no social life and no contact to family. I had been coerced by the UK social services to not speak with my family. I had also been coerced to lie about being gay or bisexual. My lawyer and my social worker had also coerced me to lie and exaggerate about the abuse I had suffered in the care of my mother.
When I realized that these people don’t give a sh.. about me and I had tried everything I could think of to get back to my family, I thought to stop eating. Instead of discharging me from their social care as per my wishes or taking me to a normal hospital and forcing me to eat, they instead locked me up in a glorified juvenile prison called Huntercombe Mental Health hospital Norwich where they got me waked up trying to defend myself from them injecting me with unidentified medicine and then they would end up injecting me all the same apparently to calm me down from all the hype of trying to defend myself.
When I realized that they did not care about me or my health, I gave up hunger striking. But they still insisted on keeping me in the mental health hospital because they claimed I was resisting medication and being aggressive when resisting 6-8 men holding me down to inject me against my wishes and feelings”.
In this interview, the teen talked about why he has been in care, why he ran away, what has happened since then and what his fears and wishes are. The interview, which was conducted yesterday via skype, as mother and son were at the Zimbabwean embassy in London were they sought refugee since Tuesday:
Bona Flies 8,245 km to Singapore to Give Birth
President Robert Mugabe’s daughter, Bona, has flown 8,245 kilometres to Singapore in order to give birth there.
At a time when there are numerous world-class health centres and hospitals in Zimbabwe, Bona Mugabe Chikore, flew to Singapore with her mother, Grace soon following after her, so she can deliver. Two entourages on taxpayers’ expense are at present in Singapore.
Her father, Robert, revealed this during the funeral of the late heroine Victoria Chitepo. Mugabe said his wife, Grace was unable to attend as she is in the Far East with daughter Bona, about to give birth. The funding for the trip is from the government treasury which expenditure Mugabe’s office has remained mum about. “There was such a great friendship between my present wife and Mai Chitepo. I was not able to get her on the phone yesterday; she had to run, vakaenda kumwana, mwanasikana,” said Mugabe. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW…
He continued,”akati ndoda kuberekera kuno kwandakadzidza. Kunana Chiremba vandinoziva so she is about to give birth. She is about to give birth, it’s a matter of days… She will be heartbroken,” said Mugabe.
Bona Mugabe’s Child Named |GRAPHIC
Mugabe Prints 2.2 Million Passports
Sukoluhle Sibanda| President Robert Mugabe is printing over 2.2 millions passports. This emerged from his recent mass-printing machine plant he commissioned last week in Harare. Mugabe installed a state-of-the-art passport production centre at KGVI, which prints 16,000 booklets daily. “We’re happy as a country to be among the pioneers of e-passport production,” said Mugabe, while celebrating.
Mugabe’s ZimAsset programme was poised to deliver more than 2,2 million new jobs which the liberation movement promised during the election campaign as well as fire recovery and growth of the country’s economy.
Other promises in the economic blueprint included 250 000 low income housing units, 310 public schools and 300 clinics, but struggling ordinary Zimbabweans have seen little, if any, of the promised million new jobs with company closures continuing — pushing the unemployment rate to over 85 percent.
Actually, the opposite is happening. Instead of 2.2 million jobs, Mugabe is in a rush to print 2.2 million passports so to banish sons and daughters of the soil. An estimated 40 000 graduates from universities and other tertiary institutions whose eyes are now on the diasporan pastures, are resorting to vending to make ends meet while access to health care has become a dream. Meanwhile, Zanu PF officials are busy engaging in a vicious power struggle as different factions fight to replace the 92-year-old Mugabe.
The economy, which soon after the 2013 elections Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa predicted would grow by 6,1 percent, has hit a bad patch with the government being forced to reverse its economic growth forecasts every quarter. Shame shame shame!
Kasukuwere Rattles Chiredzi As Arrests Loom
Zanu PF National Commissar and Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere is entangled in a tussle with Chiredzi Town Council management as the former battles to silence the local authority over the housing scam in which he has been named.
Kasukuwere last week deployed a team of auditors in a desperate attempt to allegedly divert attention from the housing scam. The minister is being accused of fraudulently sanctioning the allocation of residential stands through a dubious housing cooperative and millions of dollars have been realised through the scam.
ZimEye.com is reliably informed Kasukuwere has issued a directive to have Chiredzi Town Board chairperson Francis Moyo arrested since he is the one raising alarm on the scam.
It has further emerged Moyo is accused of driving a council vehicle that was involved in a terrible crash last month, a trivial matter sources say is meant to gag the vocal official.
A defiant Moyo denied the claims being raised by the Kasukuwere appointed auditors at the town house. “Yes I can confirm that there is a directive that has been issued to the police so that I can be arrested. I am shocked by the whole move since I never drove the vehicle on the said day .The auditors from the ministry have been appointed by the minister as a move to silence people thought to be vocal here,”said Moyo.
Kasukuwere is working closely with Chiredzi Town Secretary Charles Muchatukwa to muzzle officials who are determined to expose facts on the housing scam.
Council officials have also lambasted Kasukuwere for stooping low to wade into lower level matters,losing self esteem in the process.
My Hubby Is A Satanist
A 44-YEAR-OLD woman from Shurugwi stunned a court when she claimed that her 26-year-old husband is a Satanist who has a snake that gives him power and riches.
Marshal Machona Muzarabani, a barber, had dragged his wife Fillomina Dor Santos to court, accusing her of extortion.
Dor Santos told Shurugwi magistrate Evia Matura that Muzarabani fabricated the charges to fix her after she killed his snake.
Muzarabani said his wife demanded $800 from him when he asked for his clothes after their separation. He said Dor Santos threatened to kill herself and the couple’s two-year-old son to force him to pay.
Dor Santos, pleading not guilty to one count of extortion, said: “My husband is falsely incriminating me because I killed his snake. He’s a Satanist and after I killed the reptile, he started accusing me of taking away his powers. I attend Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries led by Prophet Walter Magaya and through prayers I managed to kill the snake.”
The magistrate acquitted Dor Santos at the close of the State case due to conflicting evidence. Bertha Bore appeared for the state. Meanwhile, Muzarabani has applied for a peace order against Dor Santos from the same court.
Matura is expected to make her ruling on the matter today. In his affidavit, Muzarabani said trouble for the couple started when Dor Santos’ child from another relationship stole his R30,000 and fled to South Africa.
“We had a long standing dispute with my wife after her child some time ago stole my R30,000 and fled to South Africa. Things haven’t been normal. My wife accuses me of not sexually satisfying her. This is said everyday and makes me feel inadequate. My wife is much older than me as I’m only 26 years old and she is 44,” he said. State Media
Horror Accident:18 Nearly Killed
Eighteen people, most of them Zimbabweans, were injured in a three-car pileup on Friday morning between Musina town and Beitbridge Border Post. Musina police spokesperson Constable Dakalo Ramagweda said the incident occurred at around 6am along the N1 Highway. She said intensive investigations were still in progress though initial indications were a result of an overtaking error.
“A Toyota Quantum travelling from the border post towards Musina was involved in a head on collision with another commuter omnibus which was travelling from Musina.
A few minutes later, another speeding Toyota-metered taxi, which was travelling from Musina rammed into the commuter omnibus. “A total of 18 people were injured as a result of the impact,” she said.
Const Ramagweda said emergency services and the police were alerted and they took the injured to Musina Government Hospital. She said most of the victims suffered multiple body injuries thought they were reported to be in stable condition.
She said the majority of the victims were Zimbabweans although nationalities for some were yet to be ascertained.
“As police, we continue to encourage drivers to always adhere to road traffic regulations and not to overtake when they cannot see clearly.
“We believe this accident was a result of human error which was avoidable,” said Cst Ramagweda.
Last year, seven people were killed near the same spot when a commuter omnibus they were travelling in collided with a haulage truck some two kilometres from Beitbridge Border Post along the N1 Highway.
The two vehicles collided near the weighbridge when the driver of the border post-bound haulage truck made a right turn in front of the speeding kombi, which was travelling towards Musina with 15 passengers resulting in a collision.
Seven people died instantly and nine others were seriously injured as a result of the collision.
A total of 38 Zimbabweans have died in road accidents in Limpopo Province in the last 12 months.-State Media
Headmaster Stole School Cash – Parents, Audit
THE Auditor-General has unearthed massive financial irregularities at Seke 1 High School in Chitungwiza ranging from inflating of prices for services rendered, duplication of receipt books for levies and illegal payment of allowances to staff members. The audit followed a request by parents who alleged that the headmaster grossly abused funds.
An audit report dated February 8, 2016, which the state media is in possession of, confirms use of duplicated school receipts. The use of duplicated receipt books prejudiced the school of $53 000. The receipting clerk, a Ms S Mujokoro, was responsible and this happened under the full view of the school head.
“Audit acknowledges use of duplicated receipt books which took place between the period May 2014 and February 2015. This was verified through matching the top copies submitted to audit by pupils against the used receipt books (carbon copies) present at the school.
“Despite having the same receipt numbers, some receipts had different information with regards to the name of the pupil, date, class, amount and the signature of the issuing officer. “Some receipts bearing the same receipt numbers (top and carbon copies) bore the same information but had different handwritings,” reads the audit report.
On allegations that the school bus was refurbished for $27 000, the audit notes that the service provider C & P Coach Builders & Spray Painters was paid $8 000. “Evidence obtained by audit revealed that the service provider C & P Coachbuilders & Spray Painters was paid more than $8 000 for refurbishing the bus. The payment was authorised by members of the School Development Committee.
“The total amount agreed upon by the SDC executive and the school administrators for the refurbishment of the bus could not be verified as minutes of the meetings held were not availed for audit during the time of audit,” reads the audit report.
The audit also revealed that the school was deducting Pay as You Earn and Aids Levy from staff members without handing the money to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
“The school was deducting PAYE and AIDS Levy from the employees’ salaries without remitting it to ZIMRA. This was for the period July 2015 to the date of audit. The school head, Mr Taruvinga Chrispen confirmed to audit that all the papers were in order and had signed but was waiting for the School Development Committee members, the secretary and the chairperson to sign and bring copies of ID as requested by ZIMRA,” the audit report reads.
It was, however, recommended that the school remits PAYE and AIDS Levy deducted from employees’ salaries to ZIMRA without delay.
The audit report also noted that illegal allowances were paid to staff members and ordered reimbursement by those who benefited.
“The school was paying out allowances to the members of staff as follows; sports master allowances to Mr Rafemoyo amounting to $180 at $60 per term on the following dates, March 26, 2015, August 5, 2015 and December 3, 2015; and ZIMSEC registration to Ms Chindudzi amounting to $350 as follows: $100 on April 20, 2015, voucher 31 and $250 on June 15, 2015 voucher 49,” the report reveals.
The headmaster was advised to ensure that allowances paid to members of staff are reimbursed.
The audit further unearthed improper procurement of services with companies belonging to friends being favoured. Noted the audit report: “The SDC entered into a contract with three companies to supply the school with uniforms, jerseys and shoes. These three companies had been supplying these items before but were re-engaged and asked to sign contracts with the school.
“Regarding this, audit noted that; the Procurement Committee was not involved in the procurement of these services. Instead, the Projects Committee carried out the duties of the Procurement Committee.
“Three quotations sourced by the Procurement Committee were not considered as the Projects Committee took over. The companies chosen were invited and awarded with contracts through recommendations by some Project Committee members without any tendering being done in violation of Procurement Regulations Statutory Instrument 171 of 2002.”
The audit report noted that there was a risk of awarding tenders to preferred suppliers for personal benefit; and flouting of procurement procedures which may call for penalties to be instituted against the school by the responsible authorities.
It recommended that the school terminates the contracts without delay and allow the Procurement Committee to carry out the required procurement processes as required by Procurement Regulations, Statutory Instrument 171 of 2002 on tendering methods.
It noted that the accounting assistant only identified as Mr M Manize had resigned without a proper hand over take over and recommended that the school ropes in the police. This was after Mr Manize refused to come back to Seke 1 High for the proper hand over take over.
“An amount of $850 was under banked from a total amount of $3 045 collected through master receipts 513 and 514. Of this amount, only $2 195 was banked on March 16, 2015.
“Audit enquiry revealed that; $1 155, which Ms S Mujokoro banked on March 16, 2015 out of a total of $1 925 collected on March 6, 2015 through receipts 52739 to 52788 was given to her by the accounting assistant, Mr M Manize, who had been instructed by the school head, Mr C Taruvinga; it also revealed that Ms S Mujokoro banked $1 140 on March 16, 2015 out of a total of $1 220 collected on March 16, 2015 through receipts 52789 to 52818.
“The shortfall of $80 was cash that had been earlier receipted by the accounting assistant Mr M Manize, who did not submit it to Ms S Mujokoro for banking; and it revealed that the accounting assistant Mr M Manize acknowledged having under banked the money in his letter of resignation which was addressed to the former chairperson Mr M Nyakuba, who confirmed having seen the letter.
“The Human Resources Committee was assigned to deal with the issue and asked Mr Manize to come in person for the handover takeover. Mr Manize did not turn up. The money had not been recovered up to the time of audit even though Mr Manize asked the committee to recover the money from his March salary and the leave days encashment,” reads the audit report.
Added the report: “Change from voucher 19/ 15 of $96 receipted on master receipt 499 was not banked and has no evidence of use on school business. This was receipted by the accounting assistant Mr M Manize.”
The audit report therefore stated that there was a risk of theft of school funds and recommended that the school recovers a total of $946 ($850 and $96) from the former accounting assistant Mr M Manize, without delay.
The audit was, however, silent on allegations that the borehole was drilled for $19 000 and made reference to the 2013 audit. The 2013 audit in The Herald’s possession confirmed that the borehole was drilled for $19 000.
“The tender for installation of a borehole was advertised in The Herald on October 17, 2012. Only one company (Dore & Pitt) responded and was awarded the tender. It is reported that the company drilled on three sites at the school where it encountered problems of a rocky surface after drilling for about 30 metres, and on the second instance found the weather capacity unsuitable and contaminated after carrying out tests. The company finally succeeded to drill a borehole on the third site but the school is still facing running water challenge.
“The contract signed between Dore & Pitt Private Limited and the School Development Association was not detailed in terms of the service provided by the contractor. The contractual agreement between the two parties lacked the bill of quantity the service provider was going to supply.
“The cost on the signed document was $9 045,69 for drilling the borehole, supply of submersible pump, 10 000 litre tank, tank stand which will be 4,5 metres high and all accessories to connect to the existing water system of the school.
“A total amount of $19 022 was used towards drilling and installation of a borehole at the school,” reads the audit report. The audit report noted that there was a high risk that the school budget would be overstretched.
“It recommended that contractual agreements should be detailed with enough information from both parties. State Media
War Vets Demand Mining Concessions, Millions in Cash
War Veterans Demands Shocking, Unrealistic-PDZ
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| War veterans are demanding school fee allowances, land, mining concessions, government jobs, among a raft of wishes.
The Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe (PDZ)has described the demands made by the war vets as shocking and unrealistic in a nation grappling with economic chaos.
Reacting to the demands, PDZ spokesperson John Anderson Nyawo, said in a statement yesterday the party has noted with sadness the outrageous demands raised by the former freedom fighters adding the conditions, if effected,would plunge the nation into further abyss.
The war veterans are demanding 20% each under the controversial indigenisation policy, 10% in the mining sector, exemption from tax, free allocation of residential stands and clearing of personal debts by the state. In 1997 the war veterans were granted the then $50 000 dollars each in a move that ignited social and economic turmoil.
Nyawo said the demands by the war veterans were ill-timed given the fragile state of the country’s economy. “While we acknowledge and applaud the role played by the war veterans during the liberation struggle, we are saddened by the timing of the demands from the former freedom fighters. We are fully aware of the fact that the liberation struggle’s founding principles were based on sacrifice and selflessness. The liberation struggle was never about monetary gains. Although we fully salute and commend the role they played during the liberation struggle, as PDZ,we have learnt with shock and utmost disapproval the proposal and demands to the government that were put forward by the war veterans. We believe that real war veterans stand for and with the people always ,” said Nyawo.
PDZ president Barbara Nyagomo called on the war veterans to seriously consider the socio-economic turmoil in the country.
“The government is struggling to pay civil servants and any extra financial load will plunge the nation into further economic turmoil. We are not defending the government but we are worried about the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans,” said Nyagomo.
The government has been struggling to pay civil servants and there has been increasing unrest among the government workers.Several government departments have suspended operations due to financial constraints in the wake of escalating unemployment.
Mujuru Can Appeal for reAdmission into ZANU PF
ZANU PF has opened the door to all suspended and expelled party members, including former vice-president Joice Mujuru to appeal against the sanctions.
The ruling party’s spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo yesterday said Zanu PF resolved at its Friday central committee meeting that all suspended members who felt they were unfairly dismissed from the party were free to appeal to the party’s supreme decision-making body outside congress.
He said the central committee was already inundated with cases where party members who were dismissed approached the organ for review of their sentences. Khaya-Moyo could not reveal officials who had so far applied.
“Those who feel aggrieved are free to appeal to the central committee,” Khaya-Moyo said.
“A number of appeals are coming in; I don’t know who they are.
“The politburo is an administrative body of the central committee and the central committee can overturn the decisions by the politburo. There are quite a number of appeals that will be heard by the central committee.”
Zanu PF fired Mujuru alongside 150 members who included former spokesperson Rugare Gumbo, Presidential Affairs minister Didymus Mutasa and several Cabinet ministers accused of working with the former vice-president in an alleged plot to oust President Robert Mugabe.
They were not given room to challenge their dismissals, let alone appear before the national disciplinary committee (NDC).
Zanu PF launched another round of suspensions in the past three months targeting Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s allies as infighting continued in the revolutionary party, this time pitting the VP’s faction against G40, another faction that enjoys the support of Mugabe and his wife First Lady Grace Mugabe.
On Thursday, Khaya-Moyo said the NDC had been asked to expedite dealing with all the various issues before them that would be determined in the next politburo meeting. Standard
Kasukuwere Faces Ouster
Mugabe met the former fighters at a meeting attended by over 10 000 people in Harare last Thursday where he deliberately avoided responding to demands for him to act on factionalism tearing Zanu PF apart.
He insists that war veterans are mere affiliates of the party and cannot dictate how Zanu PF should be run.
This followed a vote of no confidence passed by the liberation war veterans on Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo, Kasukuwere and Indigenisation minister Patrick Zhuwao.
Mphoko and the ministers are linked to the G40 faction, allegedly led by First Lady Grace Mugabe.
The war veterans reserved most of their venom at the meeting for Kasukuwere, but Mugabe ignored them. But Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) spokesperson Douglas Mahiya said they were not giving up the fight against Kasukuwere, setting the stage for another confrontation with Mugabe.
“The NEC [national executive committee] reviewed the meeting with the president and thanked members for their sincerity and commitment to the party through the recommendations they made to their patron and the president,” he said.
“The recommendations were made within the spirit of keeping the ideals of the revolution and in all honesty.
“He [Kasukuwere] is not only unsuitable, but also not qualified because he has not been through the mill.
“He did not go through the ideological education and orientation that war veterans went through. That is why the party is facing so many problems”.
Efforts to obtain comment from Kasukuwere were fruitless as his mobile phones went unanswered yesterday.
Mahiya said they would find a way to ensure that Mugabe listened to their demands.
“We have made our position clear and the leader of our party and county, our commander is aware of the feelings of the revolutionaries in Zanu PF,” he added.
“He is aware of the feelings of the very people he commanded during the struggle and the authors of our nation.
“We will give it time so that the president will find a way of dealing with these issues.
“We also think that if Kasukuwere understands the value of the struggle, the reason why so many people died he would step down.”
He said he saw nothing wrong with war veterans demanding that their party be led by people who understood its ideology.
“We will continue to push for the implementation of our resolution and through the proper party channels,” he said.
“There is nothing wrong with war veterans making these demands and recommendations because they are meant to sustain the revolution and make sure that the party does not die or disintegrate.”
At the meeting with Mugabe last Thursday, the former freedom fighters demanded that they be given control of the ruling party’s welfare, lands, security and commissariat department.
They claimed the ruling party has lost its way and in danger of implosion.
Mahiya said the war veterans leadership was “dismayed” by the contents of the welfare committee’s presentation.
“It seemed the recommendations and resolutions had been doctored and we will be revisiting that to investigate what might have happened. We were really disappointed,” he said.
The presenter of the resolutions under the thematic committee of statutory benefits breezed through and took less than ten minutes while other presenters seemed to have more detailed reports.
War veterans are linked to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s faction, which is fighting against G40 in the battle to succeed Mugabe.
Wicknell’s $400million Deals Probed
Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s multi-million energy deals with the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) are in jeopardy, as Zesa Holdings has reportedly started a process to review the tenders because of his criminal record.
According to documents seen by The Standard last week, some Zesa board members have started querying how Chivayo was awarded deals worth $441 million, given his 2004 conviction for fraud.
The board members want an investigation to establish whether there were no violations of the Companies and State Procurement Board (SPB) Act when Chivayo was awarded the contracts.
Former Finance minister Herbert Murerwa’s board is worried that ZPC’s association with an ex-convict could pose financial and reputational risk to the organisation.
“In the past few days, the media has been awash with articles about this gentleman and of concern is that ZPC, during our term, has awarded various multi-million dollar tenders to a convicted fraudster,” a document copied to all board members reads.
Zesa chief executive officer Josh Chifamba and ZPC board chair Stan Kazhanje were some of the many people copied in the email.
Chivayo was sentenced to five years imprisonment with labour, with two years suspended to three, after being found guilty of stealing $37 665 000 through false pretence in 2004.
“I think this poses various questions to which we must have answers and take corrective action to contain the financial and reputational risk which this situation presents as the shareholder of ZPC.According to the Companies Act, can a convicted fraudster be a director and a shareholder for a company?” the document queries.
“Was the conviction disclosed to us at tender stage and if so, did we make a deliberate decision to overlook this?”
The document further asked if ZPC did a proper job to award Chivayo the tender under the circumstances and what corrective measures the company could take.
The procurement policies, the document added, lacked checks and balances as it focused on financial and technical compliance, overlooking the need to engage with reputable individuals and companies.
“We owe the people of Zimbabwe a better deal than Intratek. If we have integrity, how do we align ourselves with such a company?
“No doubt due to the recent articles, heads will also roll from our principal who has somewhat been dragged to the foray. In my view, the ZPC board and management have a case to answer and so do we as Zesa Holdings,” reads the leaked document.
“I believe that the reputation of ZPC, ZH, board and management and Zesa at large is at risk as a result of this and as a board, we urgently need to address this matter. It would be a serious lapse in judgment or unwise of us if we were to ignore it or wish it away.”
It added: “In our role, we hold the nation’s hopes to bring desperately needed power solutions to the nation of Zimbabwe.
“I feel it is only our duty to have a position and solution on how we can possibly get ourselves out of this situation where we have placed such a huge responsibility on Intratek to deliver those hopes not on one occasion, but on several of those opportunities.”
Kazhanje referred all questions to Zesa spokesperson Fullard Gwasira.
Gwasira promised to respond by last night but had not done so at the time of going to print. Chifamba’s phone was not being answered yesterday.
Chivayo’s Intratrek was given a ZPC tender to set up solar power stations.-Standard
Victoria Chitepo Declared National Hero
THE late Victoria Chitepo has been accorded national heroine status, with a visibly grieving President Mugabe describing her as an exemplary woman of integrity worth emulating.
Formally announcing the conferment of hero status to mourners at her Harare residence yesterday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Dr Ignatius Chombo said Chitepo (88) was unanimously declared a national heroine after all Politburo members agreed she deserved the honour.
President Mugabe gave an emotional tribute, describing her as a “natural hero” and mother figure always prepared to lend a helping hand. He chronicled the role she played during the liberation struggle from the time she looked after comrades in Tanzania, where she lived with her late husband, founding Zanu Chairman Herbert Chitepo. President Mugabe said after her husband died in 1975, Chitepo remained committed to the liberation struggle and continued to work tirelessly for the party.
“She has gone now but she has written her own page or book of the struggle. She had borne quite a difficult burden pakafa murume, she was shattered but she still felt she did not only have children to look after, she had, also, the party her husband had worked for to care for. What her husband left undone she would do now, the fulfillment of the ambition and the mission which her husband left unfilled, she fulfilled it all.”
President Mugabe said Chitepo, who died at home last Friday as she prepared to attend Zanu-PF’s Central Committee, was steadfastly loyal.
“Tarasikirwa na mai. Vanga vari mai vanyerere asi vari mai vemusangano. Ndakanzwa kuti vakanga vaita shungu yekuti vauye kumusangano wedu we Central Committee nezuro, ndokubva zvakona vakafira mu bathroom.”
President Mugabe called her a graceful peacemaker, full of love and humility.
“I am sure every one of us here has a different story, everyone here has her own story to tell about Mai Chitepo; that story will always have an element of love, an element of her preparedness to assist, (her) charitable disposition, wanting to assist and wanting reconciliation. She never was quarrelsome. No, never. She was never involved in conflicts; she also always encouraged harmony in the party, dialogue in the party and togetherness in the party,” the President said.
He encouraged the Chitepo family to take comfort and reassured them he would stand by them.
President Mugabe said First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe was a close friend of the late heroine but was unable to attend as she was in the Far East with her daughter Mrs Bona Chikore, who is about to give birth.
Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he was one of the comrades looked after by Chitepo.
“She was a mother to all of us. In March and April 1963 I was one of the people taken to Panga Tanzania and stayed at her house. She took care of me, just as was the case with many other comrades because she was a mother to all cadres. The family will also be pleased to learn that the journey she travelled with President Mugabe before and after the liberation struggle lasted for close to 70 years,” he said.
In a statement yesterday, Zanu-PF spokesperson Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo said Chitepo was a unifier. A number of ministers, senior government and party officials were at her residence yesterday. Chitepo is survived by her four children, Nomusa, Zanele, Thokozile and Kule. Mourners are gathered at 38 Quorn Drive in Mt Pleasant, Harare.-State Media
PIUS NCUBE RETURN: Catholic Church Prepares
FORMER Roman Catholic Bulawayo Diocese Archbishop Pius Ncube is set to bounce back in the Roman Catholic top set-up amid revelations that a delegation from the diocese is pushing for him to be appointed an archbishop emeritus.
An emeritus is an individual who after having retired, is allowed to retain their title as an honour. According to the catholic-hierarchy.org; “A Bishop Emeritus is a bishop that is no longer acting as the leader of the diocese due to advanced age, ill-health, among other reasons.”
Sunday News can exclusively reveal that the former head of the Bulawayo Roman Catholic Diocese, who resigned after being embroiled in an acrimonious sex scandal with the late Rosemary Sibanda, could now be on his way back if the Pope endorses the move that is being led by a group of elders from the Bulawayo Diocese.
The former archbishop has been reportedly hibernating at Marist Brothers’ College in Dete since the scandal was exposed in 2007. If the move succeeds, the former archbishop will hold a position that is similar to South African apartheid stalwart and Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu from the Anglican Church, thus maintaining influence.
The delegation which has been tasked with lobbying is reportedly led by Bulawayo businessman and educationist, Mr Clemence Kunzekweguta and has already requested a meeting with the Apostolic Nunciature of Zimbabwe, who is the Papal representative in the country, Archbishop Marek Zalewski.
Sunday News has it on good authority that the delegation was initially meant to meet Archbishop Zalewski a couple of weeks ago but the meeting was postponed to last week and further postponed to this week after Archbishop Zalewski had to travel to his home country, India on a family emergency.
Contacted for comment, Mr Kunzekweguta confirmed the move but did not divulge much information saying it would be premature to comment on the matter as they were yet to meet with the Apostolic Nunciature.
“As you might not know this is a very sensitive matter, besides we don’t want to rush matters, as they say in SiNdebele; inhlwa ungayibamba ngekhanda ayisabambeki, iyabuyela emlindini (issues if rushed one ends up losing control).
“What is happening right now is that we want to go to Harare first then we can have a possible way forward because right now if we rush matters the Archbishop or even Rome might not take it in the right spirit,” said Mr Kunzekweguta.
Questioned on why they had chosen to fight for Ncube to be given such an honour considering his past, Mr Kunzekweguta said it was a matter of forgiving and moving forward.
“We want to heal families. This year, the Catholic Church chose it to be a year to forgive each other as a family and a nation therefore we felt that this will be a perfect opportunity for us as a church to emulate this and prove to the world out there that we live what we preach,” he said.
He, however, declined to reveal the names of the rest of the delegation that he was travelling with to Harare.
When Sunday News later contacted Mr Kunzekweguta on whether the meeting had materialised he said that Archbishop Zalewski had postponed the meeting.
Questions sent to the Roman Catholic church headquarters in Rome two weeks ago had not been responded to while officials at the Bulawayo Diocese said only Archbishop Thomas could respond. They, however, said he was out of Bulawayo and continued efforts to get in touch with him were fruitless. In Harare Archbishop Zalewski was constantly said to be in a meeting.
Sources revealed that the delegation initially tried to engage Bulawayo Diocese Archbishop Thomas but he declined alleging that this was a matter best handled by the Apostolic Nunciature office.
Reports are that the former archbishop is still held in high esteem by most Catholics countrywide. In 2007, Ncube made headlines when he was allegedly filmed having sex with a married woman. Following the unearthing of the sex scandal he resigned from the diocese. His resignation was submitted and accepted by the then head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI.
On 16 July 2007 Ncube was served with High Court summons for a $20 billion (Zimbabwe dollars) lawsuit by the husband of the woman, Mr Onesimus Sibanda, who accused him of having an adulterous relationship with his wife, Rosemary, now late.
Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy, meaning that they must never marry and must abstain from sex. He resigned and went to the Vatican before coming back home. He has been keeping a low profile since then.-State Media
Govt Plots to Regulate Social Media
State Media-Social media use will soon be regulated in Zimbabwe, with the State already drawing up legal and policy instruments to govern information communication technologies.
Local web developers are also in the process of stitching together products similar to social networking sites such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube, Skype and Twitter so as to enable greater supervision.
These measures are tailored to protect citizens’ rights following a surge in social media abuse through propagating falsehoods, defamation, character assassination and national security threats.
Countries like China have similar regulations and have developed their own social networking sites.
Sina Weibo, the equivalent of Twitter, is one of the most popular networks in China.
Following his return from a Japan working visit on April 2, 2016; President Mugabe advocated for hi-tech systems that engender development instead of abuse and infringement of people’s rights.
The President revealed that the Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Supa Mandiwanizira is seized with the matter.
Last week, Minister Mandiwanzira told The Sunday Mail that internet supervision is imminent.
He said that it will be incorporated into the National ICT Policy.
He also said the Universal Services Fund – established with contributions from telecommunications companies – will be used to spur technological innovation.
“There is an enormous abuse of the internet, particularly social media. Hardly a day passes by without a story alleging scandals involving social media. A vivid example is that of Tafadzwa Mushunje who was condemned by social media users after she was reported to have allegedly injected a toddler with HIV-infected blood.
“It later emerged that the story was absolutely hogwash and a fabrication. But imagine the impact that that had on a young girl like Tafadzwa. That is one classical example of how the internet is being abused and that cannot continue.
“In his statement, the President was saying we need to look at systems that protect the freedoms accorded to all Zimbabweans by our Constitution where those freedoms are being undermined by social media.”
Minister Mandiwanzira said experts are considering technological and legislative means to stop the menace which also extends to the hacking of internet accounts.
He said the broad initiative will result in cheaper and greater internet access.
“We need to put in place laws that protect internet users while also promoting internet usage.”
The minister stressed that the policy is not meant to infringe citizens’ pricacy.
“When we talk of having laws here (social media regulation), we have no interests in snooping on people’s communication. That is not our business, our interest is in protecting people.
“The President is saying let us do something about it and we are doing something about it. He mentioned the example of China which has gone to great lengths to protect the integrity of the internet.
“lt is in the interest of every country to protect the integrity of the internet so that it is a tool for development, not a tool for destruction. Our mandate is to look at various options as instructed by the President, and we are already on it.”
On local innovations, the minister said, “Last month, at the E-Tech Africa Expo, I mentioned that the ministry was working towards a fund that will promote ICT innovation, especially on applications, software development (gaming and education software) and others.
“We are targeting innovations that primarily address local market demands, which, we hope, can be grown for the global market. We want to promote locally-developed software as a step towards import substitution. The software development initiative has the support of all networks.
“It has been agreed that a portion of the cost of every (cellphone) call made will be directed to the Universal Services Fund. We started collecting that money on January 1, 2016; and believe the fund will have US$25 million in the next 24 months.”
“Furthermore, we also want local people to be very creative and talented. We are looking for those who have already developed something that could potentially have a market but don’t know where to go.
“We want to identify such people. The fund will invest in them to develop the product, register the necessary patent and then offer it to telecoms networks. It will thereafter be sold by the networks locally to the 13 million subscribers on local networks, creating local millionaires in the process,” he added.
74 Headmasters to Be Fired
The Public Service Commission has started expelling school heads linked to abuse of development levies, and 74 are before provincial disciplinary panels it has emerged.
The crackdown involves the PSC and the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry.
In 2015, Government started auditing all Government and mission schools following indications of abuse of funds.
Though only 2 000 out of 8 000 schools have been audited, authorities have unearthed irregularities ranging from flouting tender procedures to fraud.
The ministry estimates that over U$1,2 billion circulates in the learning institutions yearly, and some heads, bursars and school development association officials have been helping themselves to part of the sum.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail last week, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora said preliminary investigations pointed to rampant abuse of funds.
He said the expelled heads and those under investigation were charged with misconduct and abuse of office.
“At the moment, we have at least 74 cases which are at various stages of hearings throughout the country. There are also other cases that are before the courts, and more have been referred to the Public Service Commission for determination.
“Some school authorities have been charged with misconduct and others who are also found guilty will either be expelled, suspended or demoted. The decision, however, rests with the PSC.
“I have previously stated that the situation at most of our schools cannot continue. As Government, we need to put a stop to it, and we are still consulting stakeholders over the matter.”
According to the preliminary audit report, 20 heads in Mashonaland Central and 10 in Midlands have appeared before disciplinary panels.
Harare and Bulawayo have four cases each, Matabeleland South six, Manicaland seven, Mashonaland East eight and Mashonaland West nine.
Mutsvangwa Drops Bomb On Mystery Mugabe Letter
- Chris Mutsvangwa
War Veterans leader, Chris Mutsvangwa has dropped a bombshell response to the mystery Mugabe letter that rocked social networks this week.
Writing to ZimEye.com Saturday, Mutsvangwa rubbished the letter of apology in which he allegedly grovelled President Robert Mugabe, begging for forgiveness and expressing reverence to the 92 year old ruler.
Mutsvangwa, who earlier on refused to comment on the matter to other newspapers, exclusively told ZimEye.com the letter is not of his penmanship. Below was his message sent directly from his phone purportedly by his wife. It read “1. And the spelling of the surname on page is wrong. No signature and no stamp
2. Different names Mutsvangwa….Mutswanga in one letter
3. That English it’s not Christopher’s.”
Meanwhile Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) spokesperson Douglas Mahiya dismissed the letter as the work of a faction in Zanu PF known as G40.
“People must never underestimate other people’s intelligence and their ability to understand procedure,” he said.
“The chairman of the ZNLWVA (Mutsvangwa) is an experienced politician, he worked for the intelligence, was a member of the politburo and a long-serving member of the country’s diplomatic service.
“He knows how to handle such things if he wants to engage the President. He would never use social media.
“We are not surprised because, to us, this is the work of enemies of the war veterans, enemies of the revolution and obviously it is the G40.”
In the letter, purportedly written by Mutsvangwa, the war veterans boss heaps praises on Mugabe and profusely apologises for “my transgressions”.
“It is with a sunken heart, utmost sincerity and absolute humility that I throw myself at your feet to apologise profoundly to you personally, Your Excellency, your family, the party and the people of Zimbabwe, for all that I may have said to offend any or all of them, therefore, earning my current social and political censure and rancour,” the letter reads, addressing Mugabe by several titles.
“I wish to assure you, Your Excellency, that I never, by word or action, harboured any intention to impugn you or be part of any plot, either real or imagined, to remove you prematurely or unconstitutionally from office. As part of the finest crop of fighters, who were groomed in the crucible of the liberation struggle, indeed under your able stewardship, I have never found it in my heart to even fault you, let alone wish you out of power or dead.”
Following the aborted meeting of war veterans in February that ended with police using tear-smoke to disperse them, Mutsvangwa lost his position in the Zanu PF politburo after being suspended along with his wife Monica.
He was then axed from Cabinet amid indications he would be relieved of his duties as war veterans’ chairman, following a vote of no-confidence motion led by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene.
The fawning in the letter goes overboard, describing Mugabe as a “superhuman” and that war veterans are ready to die for him.
“To me and to the majority of my fellow combatants, you are an icon, almost superhuman and an infallible being,” the letter, which started making the round yesterday morning, reads.
“Yes, admittedly, when we talk or act, people around us are bound to analyse and interpret. Quite often, however, they may misread or exaggerate the meaning of our words or actions, thus misinforming or misleading authority to react in ways that, as in my case, amount to overkill.”
Mutsvangwa, according to the unsigned letter dated April 4, compares himself to a sparrow.
“In my present predicament and without at all attempting to understate the seriousness of my transgressions to those I may have offended, I feel like a mere sparrow, for whom all the howitzers that seem now arrayed in salvo against me may ultimately be a disproportionate weapon of choice to whip me back if I have strayed from the party line,” the letter, in typical verbosity characteristic of the ex-minister, said.
But a source close to Mutsvangwa said there were errors in the letter that the war veterans’ chairman would never make.
“The spelling of the surname is wrong, no signature, no stamp. Two different names — Mutsvangwa and Mutswangwa — in one letter. The English is not Christopher’s,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
The letter said Mutsvangwa was a loyal and dedicated party cadre.
“Zanu PF is the party of my life and family,” the contested letter continues.
“I have neither home nor life outside Zanu PF. With this in mind, Your Excellency, I appeal to you to find it in your heart to forgive me and my wife, Mornica (sic) as well, for everything that we may have done to offend the system that nurtured us into adulthood and political maturing.”
The letter says Mutsvangwa was prepared to recuse himself from the Thursday meeting between Mugabe and war veterans “in the interests of allowing an orderly, dignified and constructive conversation between you and your fellow war veterans”.
At the meeting held on Thursday, Mutsvangwa was not at the top table and did not actively participate in proceedings, sitting quietly with his wife Monica among other wartime commanders in the then high command and general staff. In parting, the letter purports Mutsvangwa accepting his punishment, but still supplicating for pardon.
“Rebuke us with words and with the rod even, we are your children. I have not refused to be rebuked. To err is human, but do not throw us to the wolves,” the letter concludes.(Newsday/ZimEye)
Magaya‘s Watch Goes for USD9 000 000 ($9 Million Dollars)
- Preacher puts own clothes on multi-million dollar auction
- Worshipping God or mere man? – Walter Magaya’s watch auctioned for $9million.
As the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries (PHD Ministries) is in preparations for the construction of the new church in Waterfalls, Harare, many people have been left shocked with a preliminary auction done in church during the Friday service.
The leader Walter Magaya started the auction with (2) two of his anointed shirts which church members turned to bidders. They initial price was pegged at $20 but the price rose to an alarming figure which was beyond human logic. The first bidder was that of $1000 by a lady from United Kingdom and was skyrocketed to $5000 by one member in an effort to go home with the shirt but the next bidder’s efforts were fruitless as competitors followed up to $8000. The U.K based woman came back again making the shirt land at $9 000.00.
Additionally, other congregants as well as some who were making phone calls through the ministry’s official lines, began to request what Magaya was wearing. Among them all was a watch which attracted a whopping $3 000 000 ($3 Million United states dollars) but rocketed up to $9 000 000 ($9 million)
In addition it was more astonishing as people continue to bid for belts, at $2 000.00 whilst the others were continuously requesting for other items including one request for the shirt which Magaya was wearing that very moment.
The least expensive was mineral water which the preacher used to drink which rose from $0.50 to somewhere around $50.00.
All will be completed tomorrow (Saturday 9th April 2016) at Waterfalls Headquarters.
PICTURES: Wicknell “Dates” Grace Mugabe, Son In Dubai
The below pictures show controversial and humiliated ZIFA sponsor Wicknell Chivayo having dinner, as reported, this week in Dubai with the Mugabe family.
The stunning pictures were taken in Dubai and now released by Chivayo as he continued his row with Proffessor Jonathan Moyo. The man recently bragged to Moyo firing a warning on the Higher Education Minister that he will be punished by the First Family anytime soon following his recent outburst against Chivayo.
READ MORE ON CHIVAYO
Headless Baby Born At Masvingo Hospital
A Masvingo woman has given birth to a baby without a head. The woman who went into labour on Wednesday evening, left nursing staff at Masvingo provincial hospital’s maternity wing stunned after giving birth to twins, one of them headless.
The other baby who appeared normal, died a few minutes after delivery as the child had an extraordinarily very bighead, a condition medical experts said was incompatible with life. Acting Masvingo provincial medical director Dr Amadeous Shamu, yesterday confirmed the birth of a headless child at Masvingo General Hospital, saying the situation was caused by congenital abnormalities.
“It’s true there’s a case like that (birth of a headless baby) but it’is very rare to have such a situation though it’s generally known as a congenital abnormality, which is basically a deformation that occurs to a foetus during the early stages of pregnancy,’’ he said. “The headless foetus was incompatible with life after premature birth, while the other twin who was born alive but with a very big head, died after a few minutes,’’ added Dr Shamu. He said the mother of the twins was still detained to monitor her condition.
“We can’t unfortunately disclose the identity of the woman save to say that her condition is stable. It’s very rare for a person to give birth to a child without a head,’’ said Dr Shamu. – state media
Charamba Attacked by Witches?
Senior ZANU PF officials involved in factional wars are reportedly taking their issues to witch doctors to get juju to counter each other. An official of the party claiming to be close to President Robert Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba’s family, revealed to ZimEye sources that Charamba has already been a victim of the superstitious shenanigans.
According to the sources, the member claims that last week Charamba survived death by a whisker after suffering a strange ailment which the family has since attributed to witchcraft as advised by a traditional doctor.
Charamba is reported to have left for Japan with President Mugabe on the 23rd of March via Singapore on a state visit.
A day into the official visit, Charamba is reported to have fallen ill of a strange illness in Japan. According to the sources, the family claims that Charamba was experiencing stomach cramps that “locked” his excretion system and was failing to relieve himself.
The illness was so severe that he had to immediately be flown from Japan to Singapore for emergency attention.
Charamba was meant to have connected with the President flight on the way back home on Friday but the doctors couldn’t release him as they were still trying to understand unique features in the ailment. He was only released from hospital seven days later at the insistence of the family, according to the source.
Charamba’s issues with other ZANU PF officials are reported to have started in January when he clashed with the G40 faction by giving statements praising Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa against the other faction.
According to the member, Charamba’s family immediately took the President’s spokesperson to consult a witch doctor who advised the family that he had been bewitched by rival ZANU PF factions who actually want him dead.
Since his return from Singapore, Charamba has not reported for duty and is not at any hospital in the country.
The senior ZANU PF member claimed that Charamba is currently undertaking treatment at a traditional doctor’s surgery somewhere in Manicaland.
Mr. Charamba got entangled in the ongoing ZANU-PF factional wars taking sides with a faction aligned to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa. That faction is battling against another called Generation 40 (G40), believed to be determined to thwart the Vice President’s presidential ambitions.
It all started in January when Charamba featured in a radio interview attacking an anti-Mnangagwa faction,insisting he spoke for the President and not himself.
Although he did not mention anyone by name, Higher and Tertiary Education Minister, Jonathan Moyo, swiftly came out guns blazing, saying Charamba was out of order.
Since then, there have been calls from certain circles for his sacking from the President’s Office.
Mugabe Opens Passport Mass Printing Centre
State Media-President Robert Mugabe yesterday commissioned a state-of-the-art passport production centre at KGVI, which prints 16,000 booklets daily. This development will eliminate the long queues that over the years characterised the Registrar-General’s Office. Long queues and sleeping overnight to obtain a passport has been a daily order at the passport office.
Commissioning the centre, President Mugabe said Zimbabwe remained committed to the adherence to robust standards of travel documents and international security. “We’re happy as a country to be among the pioneers of e-passport production,” said President Mugabe.
He urged the Home Affairs Ministry to explore ways of further reducing the cost of obtaining passports and other travel documents, and the decentralisation of the process.
“We also should ensure that our people can easily obtain these documents, not too far away from their homes throughout the country,” he said. President Mugabe said the e-passport would boost the country’s security by enhancing border controls, in addition to expediting the processing of travellers at immigration points.
He said it would also thwart the production of fake travel documents. “The achievement we’re witnessing today is a result of passionate commitment to excellence and strict management of resources. “I would like to encourage others in government to emulate the continuous innovation and improved business process in order to improve service delivery as displayed here,” said the President.
The introduction of e-passports, said President Mugabe, also marked an important step forward in the implementation of the Home Affairs Command and Control System (HACCSY) that is spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, and extended to the immigration department under the same ministry.
The President said a similar approach should be used to bring to fruition the other key components, such as automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) and the computerised border management system envisioned under HACCSY.
The new passport production system was established with technologies provided by Japanese companies — Marubeni Corporation, Marpless, Uno Seisakusho and Toppan Insatsu Printing in partnership with GET. These Japanese companies’ involvement in the project was made possible by the introduction from NIP Global, an Israeli IT company.
Speaking at the same occasion, Japanese Amabssador to Zimbabwe Yoshi Tenadi Hiraishi, expressed confidence that the centre would greatly contribute to the improvement of Zimbabwe’s essential social infrastructure by reinforcing the country’s capacity to produce passports both in quantity and quality.
“I’m very pleased and excited to note that this has been realised by utilising Japanese technologies,” he said. “In addition, let me ask everybody to pay attention to the high quality service of Japanese companies, which have an internationally established reputation.”
Looking at the occasion in the context of bilateral relations between the two countries, Hariashi said the commissioning of the centre could be regarded as an important milestone to mark the start of nourishing bilateral relations between the two countries following President Mugabe’s recent visit to Japan.
President Mugabe was in Japan last week where he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed a Joint Statement in which both leaders agreed to further strengthen the two countries’ bilateral relationships in the field of economic, technical and other co-operation.
EXCLUSIVE- Hours Before Victoria Chitepo’s Death
-Chitepo Family Speaks Out on Hours Before Death-
By Simbarashe Chikanza|The family of the wife of the late ZANU leader, Advocate Herbert Chitepo, Victoria, reveals to ZimEye.com of what happened hours before Mrs Chitepo’s death.
The Chitepo family said the motherly icon who was found dead in her bathroom early Friday morning, was healthy, happy and even talked for a lengthy time the night before. Her daughter Thokozile told ZimEye, Mrs Chitepo attended the war veterans’ meeting and came back home where she had a lengthy family talk. On the day of her departure, yesterday, Mrs Chitepo was just preparing to go to the ZANU PF Central committee meeting when her daughter found her lifeless in the bathroom.
Thokozile said Mrs Chitepo died a happy, reflective and caring woman. She said, ” just yesterday the meeting with the war vets brought a lot of memories for her for all the things the duration of the war, the struggle and now since independence.
“And she kept… we talked until late, about oh, how it’s so good that we can do this; must be sure how many of the ex- commandants are now able to take care of their lives and after all they have committed, she truly truly was concerned about people’s success, she was happy when she saw people successful
“.. I think between her and my father there was something about just wanting to make it better for people. ”
Thokozile however did not suggest any foul play in her death.
Mrs Chitepo was found dead on Friday morning. A state postmortem was underway at the time going to press. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW
Girl Drowns While Trying to Save Brother
A 14-YEAR-OLD girl drowned in Khami River at Nyamandlovu as she tried to save her brother who had fallen into the river.
Villagers identified her as Hlelo Sibanda, a Grade Six pupil at Sikhululeni Primary School.
They said she along with Carlton Dube, 12, and Philisani Sibanda, 9, all of Village 1 Seafield, under Chief Deli, left home last Friday to bath at Khami River.
A villager, Siphetha Ndlovu, said: “Hlelo was in Grade Six while the two boys were in Grade Four. As they were bathing, Carlton slipped and fell into the river where he almost drowned. Hlelo dived into the river and swam towards him, intending to save him, but unfortunately drowned herself”.
She said Carlton was then saved by Philisani.
“The two boys rushed home and told their older brother’s wife, Regina Tshuma that Sibanda had drowned. Tshuma quickly notified villagers and we rushed to the river but we couldn’t find her. We immediately reported the matter to the police who then retrieved the body,” Ndlovu said. State Media
Mugabe Creates 2.5mil Vendors
Mahofa Humiliates Self Again, Fails To Climb Stairs
Mahofa himiliated herself before hundreds of Zanu PF supporters when she addressed the meeting seated at the Chitsanga Hall steps.
On the same day Mahofa also forced her delegation to have a briefing outside Chiredzi Town Council offices after she failed to climb up the stairs to the boardroom in the first floor.
The briefing was done outside after the minister had failed to climb the stairs. Although Mahofa was quick to apologise, hundreds of people who witnessed the embarrassing incident called on the minister and her ilk to resign and pave way for fresh and dynamic people. Mahofa said:”my apology for addressing the meeting while seated. I am not feeling well but I could not miss this important gathering.”
Zivanai Muzorodzi of Community Tolerance Reconciliation And Development Trust(COTRAD), said Mahofa’s resignation was imminent following the disgraceful incident.
“This is a mockery to the people of Masvingo. How can we have a minister of such calibre? We have been following Mahofa’s stories with passion and we are deeply saddened by the fact that she is failing to execute her duties. It is in her interest to resign because the hectic nature of her job endangers her own health. To worsen the matter, operations in the whole province have been affected by her poor health,” said Muzorodzi.
Masvingo based political analyst Prosper Tiringindi said it was noble for Mahofa to resign and pave way for an energetic minister.
“We feel sorry for Mahofa because she is our grandmother but I frankly believe she has to resign and leave room for someone else to take over,” said Tiringindi.
Mahofa who over a year ago also shifted her office to the ground floor at Benjamin Burombo Building, is now seen as a political liability in Zanu PF and in the entire province.
BREAKING NEWS: Victoria Chitepo Found Dead
The woman who should have been the First Lady of Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF Politburo member, Victoria Chitepo, was today found dead, 41 years later after her husband was brutally killed by suspected ZANU comrades.
Mrs Chitepo who is the widow of the late national hero and former Zanu leader Herbert Chitepo, has died.
She was 89.
Her husband, who was the first black African barrister to qualify on British soil, was killed while in exile in Zambia in 1975 in what the late Masipula Sithole referred to as factionalism in Robert Mugabe’s ZANU(then ZANLA army).
Mrs Chitepo was found dead today by a relative who had come to take her to the Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting.
Her daughter Thokozile Chitepo confirmed the death to the state media.
More to follow…
Journalist’s Arrest Exposes Mugabe Barbarism-Welshman Ncube
The Welshman Ncube led MDC has condemned the arrest yesterday by the police of Media Centre director Ernest Mudzengi saying the development exposes President Robert Mugabe’s barbarism.
Mudzengi was on Thursday arrested for running an online portal which published a story of President Robert Mugabe’s Gushungo holdings bombing.
Mudzengi was later released without charges after the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights had intervened.
In a statement Friday Kurauone Chihwayi the MDC national spokesperson said the arrest was barbaric.
“The MDC unreservedly condemns the callous and barbaric arrest of Mudzengi and many other media practitioners who have truthfully written about President Mugabe,his ministers and government officials,”he said.
“We are urging the regime to keep away from media houses to enable them to execute their duties without any fear or favour and incessant attempts to zip up the media should stop”.
MDC said the continued arrest of journalists is a ploy by government to frustrate the media so that they stop playing their watch dog role.
“The Mugabe regime should respect freedom of the Press to allow correct information to smoothly flow to the news consumers,” said Chihwayi.
The state continues the scrapped criminal defamation laws to arrest journalists who would have reported critically on President Mugabe.
Mugabe Expel Kasukuwere, War Vets Charge
War veterans on Thursday told President Robert Mugabe to fire Zanu PF party’s political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere who they accused of destroying the party.
Since his appointment to the position 18 months ago Kasukuwere has been on a spree of suspending and firing Zanu PF bigwigs on allegations of siding with the ousted former Vice President Joice Mujuru.
The Zanu PF political commissar is also part of the party’s group of young Turks, G-40 which is pushing for President Mugabe’s wife Grace to succeed the aging President.
Kasukuwere and his G-40 have labelled war veterans as uneducated drunkards.
President Mugabe has not cautioned Kasukuwere making war veterans to believe that he (Mugabe) is behind G-40.
At their historic meeting with Mugabe in Harare Thursday, war veterans said the entire commissariat department must be reshuffled.
“The primary role of the commissariat department must be mass mobilisation and political education of the party members and not of expelling and suspending members from the party,” said the angry former liberation war fighters.
The war veterans said they wanted to take over Kasukuwere’s portfolio in the party because he (Kasukuwere) has no liberation war credentials.
Prior to their meeting with Mugabe, former Vice President Joice Mujuru and now the leader of the Zimbabwe People First project, challenged war veterans to confront Mugabe over G-40.
“Go to hell” – War Veterans told
Staff Reporter
Villagers from Matobo area have told liberation war veterans to “go to hell” over the remains of Cecil John Rhodes buried at the famous World’s View mountain at the Matopos National Park.
In a presentation of their grievances to President Robert Mugabe yesterday, the War Veterans culture and heritage thematic committee said that they had resolved to force government to remove Rhodes’ remains “and send them back to the United Kingdom.”
In a fact gathering episode with Zimeye.com the villagers said that the war veterans must find pertinent issues to have the president address than waste time and resources focusing on issues that have nothing to do with the failures by government.
The majority of the villagers interviewed said that there is no way the community of Matobo will sit back and allow Rhodes’ remains to be removed from the area.
According to the villagers, Rhodes’ remains have become a part of their heritage and culture.
To the villagers the Rhodes tomb is their livelihood as they receive thousands of tourists every year who mingle with the villagers and buy artifacts and local produces giving them a means of survival.
“If they want to see a different kind of war, let these war veterans come try to temper with Rhodes’ grave,” said one villager Bongani Nyathi from the area.
“They have allowed Mugabe to fail to run the country and now want to turn their efforts to issues that have nothing to do with them,” said Mpumelelo Nkomo.
The issue over the removal of Rhodes’ remains from Matopos has been on going for a number of years. Every time it is brought up, the residents of the area resist the proposal.
Matobo villagers are famous for defending a white commercial farmer who was on the verge of losing a farm to ZANU PF CIO agent Jonathan Mashingaidze until the farm was given back to the commercial farmer.
The villagers have warned the War Veterans to brace themselves for a tough battle ahead if they harbour thoughts of removing Rhodes without their consent.
Mugabe’s Salary | PICTURE
President Robert Mugabe — who in 2014 claimed he was earning $4 000 a month, did not reveal how his salary had multiplied three-fold in less than 12 months without being gazetted by the government.
Speaking at Harare Central Hospital where he commissioned medical equipment bought through a $100 million Export-Import Bank of China loan facility, Mugabe described his $12 000 pay as meagre and not in line with salaries of his peers in the region. The 91-year-old leader said he earned a basic salary of $10 000 per month and allowances totalling $2 000.
“We should all just be grateful that we have food on our tables. Kana pane sadza nenyama ndizvozvowo (if there is only sadza and meat, that’s it). I am suffering just like you,” he said.
Magaya Attacked By Wicknell Chivayo
prophet basher…Wicknell Chivayo
PHD Ministries leader Walter Magaya has been attacked by humiliated ZIFA sponsor Wicknell Chivayo.
Chivayo who this week announced he is quitting on his sponsorship arrangement for the warriors, has attacked Magaya saying he is a crook.
The man has stood strong on his statement released four months ago on Magaya in which he also described prophets as a bunch of crooks sweet-talking people into offloading their money.
As he won the Star FM Businessman of the Year Award in December, he raged writing:”I just received a call, I’m told I won an award yesterday evening at Star FM as the Business Person of the Year. I’m an obnoxious though inspirational young tycoon involved in big business so in my view most grateful level headed people now feel I don’t receive the acknowledgement I deserve which is fair enough.
“I was also told this Business Person of the Year Award aims to reveal, recognise and reward a hard working person setting them up as positive role model for others to aspire to.
“As much as I’m humbled and very grateful for such recognition, I don’t see why there was need for any competition and a voting process. This was an obvious no brainier and it goes without saying. I was also very disappointed to hear the finalists where Sir , Philip Chiyangwa and Walter Magaya. Who chose these names and what criteria did they use to categorically define a business man? A big Yes, without any doubt my elder brother same mother same father Boss Phil the incumbent , undefeated ZIFA chairman, Gushungo and King of Selfies being my role model is a very successful businessman and qualifies but who is this so called Magaya?
“What business does he run that we know and where is it? They should nominate Prophet of the Year Award not suggest that collecting tithes is a business. Churches have become a business in Zimbabwe hence the reason there’s so much competition amongst prophets…Don’t be fooled and tricked by these bunch of crooks starting new churches sweet talking you with the prosperity gospel and exciting miracles…. My father in heaven is only a prayer away pfugama unamate.”
Mugabe Spokesman Hospitalised
By Andrew Kunambura| President Robert Mugabe’s spokesman, George Charamba, was on Monday released from a Singaporean hospital where he had been admitted for seven days for treatment of an undisclosed ailment.
Charamba accompanied President Mugabe on a trip to Tokyo, Japan, where he had gone to solicit investment deals and support the Japanese premier’s quest for reforms at the United Nations. The trip was at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister, Shonso Abbey.
Charamba was part of the delegation which left Harare on March 23, arriving in Tokyo two days later following a brief stopover in Singapore.
While in Japan, Charamba had to fly back to Singapore on Monday last week after suddenly complaining of “breathing problems”, according to sources. On arrival in the city, diplomatic sources said he was admitted at an unnamed hospital until early this week.
He had been expected to link up with the rest of the team when they landed in Singapore from Tokyo for the connecting flight to Harare but failed to do so, the sources added. His doctor is said to have refused to release him, saying he wanted to assess his condition.
“He reacted to an antibiotic and was admitted in Singapore. We understand the doctor had ordered him to take a rest for three days. He has since been discharged and is now expected back in the country today,” said a government source on Monday.
Charamba, who normally has a visible presence around President Mugabe, was conspicuous by his absence at the Harare International Airport when scores of ruling party supporters, government dignitaries and the party’s top brass turned up to welcome the ZANU-PF leader and his delegation from the Far East country.
He has been unusually quiet following his public fights with senior ZANU-PF members. Charamba was not answering calls to his mobile number yesterday.
Charamba got entangled in the ZANU-PF factional wars in which he took sides with a faction aligned to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The Mnangagwa faction is battling against another called Generation 40 (G40), believed to be determined to thwart the Vice President’s presidential ambitions.
It all started in January when Charamba featured in a radio interview attacking an anti-Mnangagwa faction, insisting he spoke for the President and not himself.
Although he did not mention anyone by name, Higher and Tertiary Education Minister, Jonathan Moyo, swiftly came out guns blazing, saying Charamba was out of order.
Since then, there have been calls from certain circles for his sacking from the President’s Office. Financial Gazette
National Peace Hearings Kick off Across Zimbabwe
By HON Jessie Majome| Public Hearings on the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill
The Parliament of Zimbabwe through the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee together with the Human Rights Thematic Committee and the Peace and Security Thematic Committee will hold public hearings on the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill.
In line with Section 141(a) of the Constitution, “Parliament must facilitate public involvement in its legislative and other processes and in the processes of its committees;…” members of the public are invited to the public hearings to give submissions on the above Bill. The public’s contributions will be compiled in Parliamentary Reports which will be presented in each house of Parliament (National Assembly and The Senate) for the Second Reading of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill.
Members of the public can also hand in written submissions at public hearings or post to:
The Clerk of Parliament
Parliament of Zimbabwe
P. O. Box CY 298
Causeway
Harare
OR e-mail to [email protected]
There will be a country wide tour where public hearings will be held in every province. The first meetings will be held on 11 April 2016 in Kwekwe at Kwekwe Theatre and Gutu at Gutu Council Boardroom, please consult the schedule below for date and venues of public hearings.
Please note that military uniform, party insignia, saying/singing slogans and heckling are not allowed at public hearings.
Issued by
Fungayi Jessie Majome MP
Chairperson of the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee
***
Team A
11 April 2016 Kwekwe Kwekwe Theatre 1100hrs
12 April 2016 Gweru Gweru Theatre 1000hrs
14 April 2016 Victoria Falls Chinotimba Hall 0900hrs
14 April 2016 Hwange ZPC Social Club 1500hrs
15 April 2016 Plumtree TMB Hall i.e. Plumtree Town Council Hall 1400hrs
16 April 2016 Lupane Lupane Local Board Community Hall 1030hrs
16 April 2016 Bulawayo Bulawayo Holiday Inn 1500hrs
20 April 2016 Harare Senate Chamber 1000hrs
Team B
11 April 2016 Gutu Gutu Council Boardroom 1200hrs
12 April 2016 Masvingo Masvingo Civic Centre Hall 1000hrs
13 April 2016 Mutare Mutare Civic Centre Hall 1000hrs
14 April 2016 Marondera Marondera- Mbuya Nehanda Hall Dombotombo 1400hrs
15 April 2016 Bindura Tendai Hall 1300hrs
16 April 2016 Chinhoyi Chaedza Community Hall 1400hrs
20 April 2016 Harare Senate Chamber 1000hrs
Mujuru is Not a God but Mugabe Claims to be One | OPINION
By Jealousy Mawarire| Last week I came across a piece, “Till Mujuru’s sins be white as snow” written by one of the many shadowy columnists in the Herald newspaper under a banner “Radar”.
My sources at the Herald told me it is none other than George Charamba, who now shuttles between Nathaniel Manheru and Radar, depending on which political opponents he would be wishing to attack.
The piece, which was premised on some rudimentary and often pathetic appreciation of the word of God as contained in Isaiah 1v 18 and such other verses that the author contrivingly, tried to contextualise in his attack of Jealousy Mawarire and Dr Joice Mujuru, was a response to the articles I have done to put on record the truth about Dr Mujuru and the many allegations that have been wrongly advanced by her political foes especially from Zanu-PF and President Robert Mugabe’s many bootlickers.
Yes, there are griots, praise singers around Mugabe who, after a session of unbridled blasphemous bootlicking, help themselves to national resources through outright theft, shady empowerment deals and some such murky activities whether its community share trusts, operationalization of the indigenisation and economic empowerment act among the many looting vehicles that Mugabe and his bootlickers have put in place to expropriate national assets and the country’s natural resources, be it diamonds or even elephants, lions and rhinoceroses.
Mawarire’s crime, according to the “Radar Charamba”, is that he is “digging deep the archives and dusting up every piece of evidence that will exonerate his Joice. For this reason, Mawarire “is most likely blasphemous” because Dr Mujuru “most likely sinned against God, and he (Mawarire) cannot replace Him (God) and seek to wash her sins white.”
Other than exhibiting doubt about the things he was writing about as shown by his continual use of the word “likely”, Radar Charamba admits that indeed evidence is replete which exonerates Mujuru from all the allegations levelled against her.
What is interesting, however, in Charamba’s “Radar” piece is the admission that “Mawarire is digging deep the archives and dusting up every piece of evidence.” Charamba inadvertently admits that Mawarire is not cooking up or contriving some such evidence to exonerate Dr Mujuru from the many false allegations propagated by a coterie of Mugabe’s bootlickers.
Admittedly, the evidence is there and what Mawarire is doing is just “digging deep the archives and dusting” it for all and sundry to see. And, surely, digging deep archives and coming up with evidence to exonerate my wrongly vilified principal is never blasphemous.
It is, primarily, doing research and every researcher relies on the empirical data he unearths to advance his cause and in so doing, I have never claimed to be God, his young brother or any such acquaintance save for the fact that I am his child, begotten of him through the ministration of his word by his servant Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa, a preacher and prophet he has assigned in my life.
It is a fact which Radar Charamba knows, that Jonathan Moyo exonerated Mujuru of any wrong doing when he told Steven Sakkur of the BBC in a HardTalk interview in January 2015, that all those allegations that First Lady Grace Mugabe hysterically propagated through the so-called “meet the people rallies” were as worthless and fake as her PhD degree.
They were just political banter in the same way the First Lady’s attainment of the same PhD was a joke of the year.
It is also a fact, and Charamba knows this too, that Godfrey Tsenengamu, Godfrey Gomwe and Vengai Musengi, in an interview with ANN7 have apologised to Dr Mujuru, and Dr Mujuru has a DVD of the same interview. The trio apologised for being used by Mugabe to falsely accuse her on allegations of witchcraft, corruption and plotting to assassinate Mugabe. This evidence is there and a lot such, we shall share with Zimbabweans in due course.
Back to Radar Charamba’s Herald article, I was particularly interested in one statement that Charamba makes which is fundamental. He says “it is clear that God does not like the idea of people worshipping other gods.” This is true, and as Zimbabwe People First, we have come out categorically clear that, “we say ‘No’ to worshipping of leaders which we equate to idolatry.”
We have also made it clear as a party, that “notwithstanding our non-negotiable independence, we declare our total dependence on God. He is the only One we shall praise and worship, not any individual.”
This is a value that we hold dearly as a party. It is expressed in our Motto “Worship, Respect, Support.” It is therefore surprising that individuals like Charamba who hail from an organisation that worships an individual, an organisation that deifies Mugabe, seek to tutor us on the subject of blasphemy and God being a jealous God who does not brook the idea of his people worshipping other gods.
Charamba, if he did not know, belongs to a cult called Zanu-PF where Mugabe is their god, according to Saviour Kasukuwere, the National Political Commissar of the party.
Kasukuwere told Zanu-PF supporters, while launching Auxilia Mnangagwa’s parliamentary election campaign in Chirumanzi-Zibagwe last year, that “there is only one Zanu PF and it is the one which is led by our god, President Robert Mugabe,”
If there is someone in this country who wants to play god, it is Mugabe who doesn’t chide his subordinates when they declare him a deity.
On the contrary, ZimPF is led by Dr Mujuru, a devout Christian who understands that no human being, dead or alive, can play the role of God.
It is in this vein that Dr Mujuru understands that if she has sinned against God, as is the case with any individual, the right thing to do is to seek the face of God in true repentance and after that her sins, whether as red as crimson, will all be washed as white as snow.
This is a personal and private exercise with her God which does not take forever before one is forgiven. We all have that privilege as children of God, to seek his face and ask for forgiveness, that is, if we don’t take ourselves to be gods like what happens with Zanu-PF and Mugabe.
While Dr Mujuru has a role, at a personal level, like any individual who doesn’t presume to be a god, to ask God for forgiveness, it is the role of others who understand her political and social life to correct the many distortions that her political opponents have been propagating for political expediency.
It is that which I, Jealousy Mawarire, will do, to my uttermost ability and for that, I make no apologies to Charamba or his god, Robert Mugabe.
I am fully aware that Charamba and his clones in the state media are out to paint a false picture that “Joice Mujuru has been identifiable with corruption and greed which even her expulsion from Zanu-PF has not cleansed her of,” but in equal measure, we shall make Zimbabweans know the real greedy among us.
In our endeavour to correct the many lies that have been broadcast about Dr Mujuru, we shall expose the real corrupt people in our midst.
It is a fact that Dr Mujuru is not a greedy person and for this reason, she did not line up to get any farm during the land reform programme despite the fact that she, and her late husband, lost two farms that she bought in 1985, Kumurinje and Kadogen farms in the Shamva area. She was content that the one farm that General Solomon Mujuru got would suffice for her and her husband.
Unlike some greedy, so-called Dr Amai, who is in the habit of taking all prime land that she sets her eyes on, regardless of the fact that some black Zimbabweans are now settled on the same land, Dr Mujuru and her husband got only one farm during the land reform programme despite the fact that they had lost two of their farms to the same programme.
It is also a fact that where the Mujurus had more than 700 hectares of arable, red clay soils with title deeds, the widowed Dr Mujuru now has less than 500 arable hectares of sandy loom without title. On the other hand, President Mugabe and his wife, from being landless in 1999, now own more than 33 farms with a total hectarage of 76 000.
These are stubborn facts on the ground and many Zimbabweans who care to know, understand that President Mugabe and his wife are multiple farm owners who did not just loot the country’s land, but have been trying, through parliament, to force Zimbabweans to pay for personal loans that they took from banks to invest on the farms that they invaded. That is what is called greedy Mr Charamba.
We have also observed some veiled insinuations and attempts at questioning Dr Mujuru’s morality. It is surely a cause of concern not only to Dr Mujuru, but to all those that fight for gender equality and women’s rights, that when female politicians rise to the occasion, some misogynists like Charamba seek to play voyeurs who peep into their sexuality and sexual lives.
It is a fact that Dr Mujuru has been widowed for close to five years now and has carried herself with dignity and uttermost respect for her late husband and his family. She has not been involved in any scandal save for the lies propagated by mentally unsound individuals who, themselves, failed to keep their marriage vows and bore children for married men while they were still under monogamous marriage contracts.
Dr Mujuru has done so much for this country and its womenfolk that it is ironic that women are being hired by power hungry male politicians to vilify her.
As Minister of State (Community Development and Women’s Affairs) she introduced a strategy to speed up the advancement of women’s issues.
According to the Herald 26 September 1985, the programme called for a “realisation that the development of women was a key factor to general development of a society because of women’s central role in the family and their numerical majority in society.”
The paper also adds that the strategy was aimed at “strengthening government’s will to devise policies, avail resources and programmes that would benefit women.”
As Minister of State (Community Development and Women’s Affairs), Dr Mujuru also championed the enactment of key legislation that had fundamental transformational benefits to the status and well-being of women in this country and the least that women should do to her, is to refuse to be used by men to vilify one of their own.
The Legal Age of Majority Act of 1982, which allowed women who had passed the age of 18 to enter into any contracts without the consent of a male guardian, was championed by Dr Mujuru. She was also instrumental in the enactment of the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1985 which recognised, for the first time, both the direct and indirect contribution of a woman to family prosperity.
The Act gave the courts the power to equitably distribute the family wealth according to the contribution, both direct and indirect, in the event of divorce and to determine which spouse was to get maintenance fees.
During her time in government, Dr Mujuru also championed the enactment of laws that ensured women got paid their full salaries while on maternity leave, equal pension contribution for both men and women and separate taxation for married people.
As a young, poorly educated minister of government in 1980, she championed adult literacy to benefit both men and women who had been disadvantaged educationally, by the colonial and patriarchal systems.
She, personally, undertook studies from ‘O’ levels until she attained her Doctorate degree recently, not only for her personal development, but to give inspiration to young women and show them that they, too, could overcome seemingly insurmountable social, cultural, economic and political obstacles and still attain what they desire to be in life.
Dr Mujuru’s contribution in government, and particularly to the women’s cause is a brilliant example which shows that the role of individuals in government is not to drill boreholes and hand-out small packets of salt to villagers as Kasukuwere would want us to believe, but to provide legislative frameworks and creating an environment conducive for people to express themselves and pursue their aspirations in life. In so doing, you empower the whole country rather than a few individuals who can drink from your seasonal borehole.
Dr Mujuru did not just promote women’s issues in government but as one who became the youngest government minister at independence, she has a keen interest in the youths and how they could help in developing the country.
She laments that the older generation has betrayed the youths who, today, are a tragedy because they are not learning anything from the leadership of the older generations other than confrontation.
Dr Mujuru believes that in a democracy, there are values that need to be followed and the most critical and central to ZimPF is tolerance and for tis reason she has ensured that in ZimPF we build an institution that promotes constructive, peaceful divergence of views and that “ it is never “My Way” or “No Way” and that the youths play an important role in crafting their own future and that this future is guaranteed if the youths accept that every other citizen should be allowed to create that future.
Next week, I will deal extensively with Dr Mujuru’s vision on the role that youths and our Diaspora can play in Building Zimbabwe in peace.
This article was first published on Jealousy Mawarire’s blog, “Mawarirespeaks.wordpress.com
Decapitated Head Of Missing Man Found
THE decapitated head of a man from Masvingo, who went missing last week, has been found near his garden. Lameck Mazodze, 62, of Mazodze Village under Chief Shumba, went missing on Saturday last week. On Tuesday, a boy from the same village, Josiah Mudzivo, 15, got a whiff of a pungent smell leading to the discovery of the head about 500 metres from the garden.
Police are still searching for the rest of his body. Family members yesterday dismissed a suggestion that Mazodze could have been attacked by wild animals and claimed he could have been murdered.
“His underwear, one of his shoes and a cellphone were found in the garden just beside a stump he was uprooting,” said a villager. Acting Masvingo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa said police were investigating the incident.
“I can confirm receiving a sudden death report of a man who went missing on March 26, only for his head to be found near his garden. We’re still investigating what could have killed the man,” said Asst Insp Dehwa.
Family members said they last saw Mazodze alive when he left home on March 26 saying he was going to work in his garden, less than a kilometre from his homestead.
Mazodze’s wife, Esnath Chadya, said the family was not bothered when her husband failed to return home as he had earlier told her that he wanted to do a piece job at Nemamwa Growth Point, about 10 kilometres away.
“We continued with our chores as usual. My husband sometimes spends weeks working at Nemamwa,” said Chadya. She said Mudzivo informed the family that there was a bad smell coming from their garden. “We became worried and when we couldn’t reach my husband, we called the police,” Chadya said.
She said an initial search led them to her husband’s shoe, underwear and cellphone. His daughter, Precious, 30, insisted her father was murdered. “I don’t believe that my father could have been attacked by wild animals as alleged by other villagers.
“Even if some villagers suspect he could have been attacked by hyenas, I know it’s not true. There has never been a case of a person getting killed by wild animals in this village,” said Precious.
She said if a wild animal had attacked her father, the family would have heard the noise because the garden was a stone’s throw away from the homestead. Precious said the family would have closure only if the rest of her father’s remains were found.-State Media
Dabengwa Attacks Dead Joshua Nkomo
By Chrispen Tabvura|The leader of Zapu, Dumiso Dabengwa has attacked his former boss, the late Dr Joshua Nkomo, accusing him of reneging and prematurely giving in to (Robert Mugabe) ZANLA demands and leaving them compromised, in the acceleration of events that led to the signing of the 1987 Unity Accord.
Dabengwa was speaking in retrospect, during the memorial service of the late ZIPRA commander, Lookout Masuku, at an event organised by Ibhetshu lika Zulu.
Lieutenant-General Lookout Khalisabantu Vumindaba Masuku, affectionately known as Mafela died on 5 April 1986 at Parirenyatwa Hospital, in Harare after succumbing to cryptococcal meningitis.
“Our leaders did not do justice to us, as they failed to update us on the reneging tactics displayed by our ZANLA colleagues. They opted to be diplomatic and this led us to where we are, in abject poverty and our reputation in shambles,” said Dabengwa.
Going further he added saying: “the history for the liberation is also totally distorted and without the mentioning of ZIPRA, as if we did not fight for the freedom of Zimbabweans. We are now acting as if we are shadows of freedom fighting, our children are deprived of the true history.”
Speaking on the same forum, the controversial former Minister of National Healing and Reconciliation, Moses Mzila Ndlovu, called for the removal of all Shona names on Bulawayo streets to replace them with the names of Ndebele freedom fighters.
“We need to have all streets named after Shona freedom fighters in Bulawayo renamed, especially Robert Mugabe way be renamed after our Ndebele fighters, who have been down played and suppressed,” charged an emotional Mzila.
“Baba Dabengwa, I am going to tell the truth and will always die telling the truth. The Shona speaking people in ZANU PF never liked Ndebeles from ZAPU. They designed the grand plan to eliminate all Ndebele activists and their leaders, which they did when they forced Joshua Nkomo into exile,” Ndlovu said.
He went further to assert, “after that they locked you Baba Dabengwa and Lookout Masuku on trumped up charges and later released you after the Unity accord, which was agreed after the massacre of more than 20 000 Ndebele speaking people.”
Horror as Dog Rips Off Owner’s Testicles
Beitbridge- A local man lost one of his testicles after being mauled by his own dog last week.
Last Dube of Beitbridge, has been hospitalised after the dog he has lived with for the past two years suddenly attacked him on his way to the veterinary department so that it could be vaccinated. Dube said the dog attacked him without provocation.
The dog pulled him to the ground at least three times as he attempted to free himself in the vicious attack.
It then ravaged his pelvic area in an unabated attack on its master.
Dube whose manhood was also badly damaged was visibly in pain when he narrated the ordeal.
“I was on my way to the veterinary department when the dog suddenly attacked me. I have been feeding the dog for the past two years and I am still wondering what went wrong. I don’t know what provoked the dog. I was badly hurt and I am still in deep pain,” said a traumatised Dube. Although he survived the relentless attack, Dube said the dog should be shot as soon as possible. Eyewitnesses watched from a distance as the dog attacked a hapless Dube.
“We could not come to Dube’s rescue because the dog was vicious. It ripped off his trousers and tore his pants and he was seriously injured. He lost one of his testicles as a result of the attack The man was only rescued by a taxi driver who drove towards the dog. That is when it released him. He was then taken to hospital since he was wincing with pain,” said an eyewitness.
A veterinary officer here said the dog could have been infected with the deadly rabbies virus.
Gushungo Bombing story: Police Release Journo| BREAKING NEWS
Harare- Police investigating the Gushungo bombing fracas have released journalist and Media Centre director, Earnest Mudzengi, who they had detained early yesterday.
In a statement the Zimbabwe lawyers for Human Rights said they “are relieved that journalist and Media Centre Director Ernest Earnest Mudzengi has just emerged out of Harare Central Police Station, where he fielded questions from police detectives over an article published on The Zimbabwe Sentinel, an online news portal.
“The story which the police detectives took interest in quoted jailed Zimbabwe People Front Party leader Owen Kuchata declaring that his political party would roll out demonstrations to compel President Robert Mugabe to step down as leader of the troubled southern African country.
“Police also questioned Mudzengi, who received legal assistance from Gift Mtisi of ZLHR, about the operations of the Media Centre and recorded a statement from him as they consider to treat him as a witness in a case in which they are reportedly investigating.”
Winnie Mandela Loses Qunu Court Case
In his last will and testament, Mandela left the Qunu property to all members of the Mandela family as a place to unify them. The former President was married to Graça Machel when he died on December 5 2013.
Madikizela-Mandela’s lawyers filed papers during 2014 and claimed that the property had been obtained while she was married to Mandela and belonged to her in terms of AbaThembu custom.
Advocate George Bizos, one of the executors of the former president’s will, opposed the action lodged by Madikizela-Mandela. The matter was dismissed with costs.
Madikizela-Mandela was left out of Mandela’s will, which was released in February 2014.
Shortly after the court decision, the royal family of the Kingdom of AbaThembu issued a statement in which it welcomed the judgement handed down in respect of the ownership of the Qunu property.
“We still believe that there was no need for Nkosikazi Nobandla Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to wait to be told by a court of law that Nkosi Dalibhunga Nelson Mandela was indeed a man of integrity who properly applied his mind before he finalised his will,” said spokesperson Daludumo Mtirara.
“We believe that Nkosikazi Nobandla Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Mandela was misled by some members of the family. We further believe that she did not receive a legal advice she mostly required. We want this judgment to be used as a frame of reference for learning purpose because we are guided by custom, tradition and trends.
“This matter should have been addressed by the Mandela royal family, if no agreement, elevated to the royal family of the Kingdom of AbaThembu. We are aware of the tasks that is before us in aligning procedures and processes to address challenges that the sister royal houses might be facing. Even though she lost the case in court, she remains a member of the Mandela royal family by virtue of her former marriage and the Mandela children that she beared. However, she must respect our traditions and the functioning of the traditional royal structures” [all sic].
Winnie Mandela’s lawyer Mvuzo Notyesi indicated afterwards that they intended appealing the decision. mail and guardian
Tsvangirai appoints Shadow Cabinet
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai today announced his shadow Cabinet that he said will work hard in crafting and articulating alternative policies and programmes for the country.
He announced his shadow cabinet before the party’s national executive committee that met in Harare today to discuss the national crisis, adding that he had no doubt about the capacity of the men and women he had appointed.
Tsvangirai stressed to the executive that the shadow Cabinet will not be a shadow of the ZANU PF Cabinet in the strictest sense because the current government had failed and there was nothing either to monitor or to shadow. Moreover, he said the current Cabinet was structured taking into cognizance the need to balance the ZANU PF factions and not necessarily to transform the lives of people.
He said the MDC would not follow a template tainted by patronage, tired nationalism and factionalism. He bemoaned the apparent policy discord currently in government and said the MDC team will be robust in taking government to account and in policy articulation.
Apart from the shadow Cabinet, President Tsvangirai also appointed a team of portfolio secretaries that will shadow key Commissions, regulatory and statutory bodies.
The Shadow Cabinet
1. Finance —— Hon. Dr. Tapiwa Mashakada
2. Energy Development and Procurement ——– Eng. Elias Mudzuri
3. Transport and Infrastructure ——– Hon. Morgen Komichi
4. Policy ——- Hon. Nelson Chamisa
5. Tourism, Parks and National Resources ——- Hon. Sithembile Mlotshwa
6. Information Communication Technologies ——- Mr. Khalipani Phugeni
7. Local Government and Public Works ——- Mr. Jameson Timba
8. Mines and Small scale Mining ——- Hon. Gabuzza Joel Gubuzza
9. Urban Development and Re-Enginering ——- Hon. Eddie Cross
10. Foreign Affairs ——- Hon. Theresa Maonei Makone
11. Health ——- Dr Henry Madzorera
12. Public Service, Labour and Social Security ——- Hon. Purina Mpariwa
13. Defence ——- Hon. Gift Chimanikire
14. Home Affairs ——- Rtd. Major Giles Mutsekwa
15. Women’s Affairs ——- Hon. Fanny Chirisa
16. Legal Affairs ——- Mr. Douglas Togarasei Mwonzora
17. Commerce, Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Enterprises — Mr. T. Mureyi
18. Education, Tertiary and Vocationl Training —– Prof. Heneri Dzinotyiwei
19. Agriculture, Infrastructure and Food Security —- Mr. Valentine Ziswa
Portfolio shadow secretaries for statutory bodies and key institutions
1. Zimbabwe National Roads Authority (ZINARA) ——- Hon. Bheki Sibanda
2. Judicial services Commission ——- Hon. Innocent Gonese
3. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission——Hon. Murisi Zwizwai
4. Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority ——- Mr. Blessing Chebundo
5. Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission——Jon. Jessie Majome
6. Gender Commission ———- Hon. Lillian Timveos
7. Zimbabwe human Rights Commission —- Hon. James Makore
8. Zimbabwe Media Commission——Mr. Job Sikhala
9. Peace and Transitional Justice Commission—-Hon. Concilia Chinanzvavana
10. Sports Commission ——- Mr. Clifford Hlatshwayo
11. Public Service Commission —— Hon Tracy Mutinhiri
12. Traditional Leadership ————- Hon. Misheck Marava
13. National arts Commission ———– Hon. Agnes Sibanda Mloyi
14. Zimbabwe National Water Authority —– Dr Mandhla Nyathi
15. People Living with Disabilities, Special Needs ——- Mr. Denias Mudzingwa
The shadow Ministers for Lands and Water Development and Youth Affairs will be announced in due course.
Luke Tamborinyoka
Presidential Spokesperson and Director of Communications
Movement for Democratic Change
Harvest House
Chitungwiza Municipality In Another Housing Scandal
Chitungwiza Municipality has been implicated in a massive corruption case which has prejudiced the local authority of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The graft which was unearthed by an internal audit, includes the illegal selling of land by individual Councillors to unsuspecting home seekers.
Newsday reports of an data trail revealing that several councillors and workers usurped the role of the planning department by identifying undeveloped stands and submitting land for verification and allocation to the department of housing.
The culprits would then allocate the stands to themselves and other connected beneficiaries, thereby enriching themselves while prejudicing council of the much-needed revenue.
“Councillors are policymakers and identification of undeveloped stands and open spaces should remain the duty of the planning department,” the report said.
One councillor (name withheld) was implicated in the sale of more than 40 stands. Several other councillors were also implicated in the scam.
The report said site plans were being drawn by outsiders for use by council, a development that had worsened the illegal allocation of stands.
Chitungwiza mayor, Phillip Mutoti yesterday referred all questions to the town clerk, George Makunde.
Makunde was at first evasive when asked to comment by NewsDay and demanded to know who had leaked the report.
“Who gave you that report? Where are you getting those things?” he queried.
But when pressed further, Makunde said the matter was being looked into and promised to issue a statement when investigations were complete.
“It is a matter that is still being investigated, but all I can say is that we have received reports from residents complaining that certain Councillors are taking over repossessed stands and selling them or building their houses on them.”
Chitungwiza municipality is not new to corruption in 2010 the town’s former MDC-T mayor, Israel Marange, was arrested and convicted for corruption.
That was after the MDC-T had fired more than 10 of its Councillors on similar allegations.
Jestina Mukoko Meets US Presidency | IN PICTURES
Leading human rights activist and torture survivor, Zimbabwe Peace Project Director, Jestina Mukoko, was this week honoured by US Second Lady Dr Jill Biden, among global activists, as they celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the International Women of Courage Award.
Mukoko a journalist by profession was on December 3, 2008, abducted during the night, from her home, by state security agents and held for several weeks in which she endured and survived the most gruesome torture.
In 2010 Mukoko, was awarded the International Women of Courage Award by the US government. In the picture coverage below Mukoko is seen with other women of courage from around the world, being honoured by Mrs Biden.
Mugabe’s Gushungo Dairy Bombing Story, Police Arrest Media Centre Director
Police in Harare has raided the Media Centre and its director Ernest Mudzengi for running a website Zimbabwe Sentinel website www.zimsentinel.com for publishing a Gushungo story.
Mudzengi was picked up by three plain clothes police officers who said they wanted him to interogate him over a story on Gushungo Dairy (owned by President Robert Mugabe) bombing plot published by his website which was authored by a freelance jounalist Mlondolozi Ndlovu.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has since deployed a lawyer to represent Mudzengi.
“Human rights lawyers have finally located journalist and at Harare Central Police. Police have informed lawyers that they are treating Earnest Mudzengi as a possible witness in a case in which they are investigating,”ZLHR spokesperson Kumbirai Mafunda told ZimEye.com.
Freelance jounalist Frank Chikowore wrote on his Face book page
“The arrest of Mudzengi is an affront to freedom of expression enshrined in the country’s constitution.
“There is no reason to arrest Mudzengi as some of the alleged plotters have since been convicted by a competent court of law in this land. Mudzengi MUST be released unconditionally”.
Jonathan Moyo Bunks War Vets Meeting
Professor Jonathan Moyo who claims to be a veteran of the liberation struggle, made a no show at the highly important war veterans meeting in Harare today, Thursday. Moyo has openly said he is a war comrade who following his stint in Tanzania, was dispatched to the United States for studies (listen to the below audio).
It was a no holds barred Thursday afternoon in Harare, when veterans told Robert Mugabe, they want Moyo’s sidekick Saviour Kasukuwere fired and a war veteran put in his place. They argued charging that the national commissar job is for ex fighters only. Moyo was unavailable for commenting at the time of going to press. CONTINUE READING – LIVE UPDATES –
LIVE UPDATES:War Vets’ Mugabe Meeting
15:43 – Mugabe ends speech delivery.
Even when I retire, when I go, it will be part of the things I say you do this when I'm gone (regular war vets meetings) #Mugabe
— Mduduzi Mathuthu (@Mathuthu) April 7, 2016
15:30
Mugabe continues to plough into the country’s liberation history while skirting the issues raised by war veterans… issues like the duties of the commissariat department in the party, regarding the mass suspensions.
Mugabe said “…people should not lie that have gone to Singapore for treatment. I won’t die vanyare…”
In reaffirming that he has no intention to leave office anytime soon despite his age and frailty, Mugabe calls on mmbers to avoid concentrating on succession and focus on building the economy.
“Many countries are willing to help us..the Chinese..India and Japan…they want to help but zvinwe vanoti bhadharaiwo”
15:20
If you were disciplined during the war, you should continue to do that after the war. You should respect your elders…
15:05
Mugabe still addressing….
“Our party used to have a strong ideology…war vets did not fight for financial gains..but independence,”he says.
#zimbabwe #mugabe to #warvets: we went to war to give independence to Zimbabweans oppressed by whites. Not to say i shld get some money.
— harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) April 7, 2016
14:55
Mugabe has promised to give war vets mines, urges them to take any mine they want…he says the country is theirs…”the whole of the mining companies are open…start your mines we have trained people but they only want to work for whites”
He promises land to war veterans..”there are still white farms that we can chase away…”
“After realising there was a lot corrupt activities foing on in the allocation of land…all applications for land will now come to my office..”
14:45
In a shocking revelation, Mugabe says, in the 2013 elections, he pleaded with army chiefs to reclaim electoral victory and assured them to retain their positions after the victory.
“The war veterans’ demands will be looked at depending on what Finance minister (Patrick Chinamasa) will say.
He, once again, blames sanctions and says things are easing up. This is despite the gloomy economic outlook that Zimbabwe is facing as companies shut down amid a deepening cash crisis.
“We are in a diffiult position due to sanctions..but things are easing up.”
The opposition parties have always accused Mugabe of manipulating the country’s electoral system by militarising it.
14:35
Mugabe appears to duck the issues raised by the war veterans as he rattles on about political power dynamics in elections in Zimbabwe, focusing on the 2008 elections where he lost to Morgan Tsvangirai and accusing former Vice-President Joice Mujuru of de-campaigning him.
“Others were no longer happy, saying the country could not be kept captive by Mugabe… (like) Mavambo(/Dawn/Kusileparty leader Simba Makoni) … vana (Joice ) Mujuru formed Mavambo kuti vaone kushamwaridzana navarungu
14:25
President Mugabe goes down the history lane, narrating the path of the liberation struggle. He then emphasises that war veterans need to unite.
“I have actually suggested to (Secretary for War Veterans in Zanu PF Sydney ) Sekeramayi that we will meet again in 2017.Zvichemo zvaiswa apa zvizvhinji zvisina kuzadziswa, you are pleading for help on your welfare… we were forced into a coalition with (Opposition MDC-T leader Morgan) Tsvangirai because of some of our leaders…we have to safeguard the values of the party”
14:15
Mugabe: Mujuru wanted me to lose in 2008 so that she would form coalition government with Morgan Tsvangirai
13:45
In a thinly veiled attack on Zanu PF National Political Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, the committee on ideology said the party’s commissariat is to teach the party’s ideology, and not to fire or suspend members.
This comes as Kasukuwere has been behind a spat of suspensions and expulsions in the party. They called for constructive criticism and suspension of members should be done according to party constition.
The central committee should have the final vedict.
13:25
War vets have requested representation in central committe and politburo “…politics and guns should co-exist even in America…party commissar is the commissar of the army”
The war veterans have requested annual meetings with the president to examine the party’s ideology, and the establishment of a war veterans wing in Zanu PF.
13:25
Thematic group on ideology continues with its report
“War veterans supported indigenisation, but most war veterans said have not benefited…they demanded transparency….and 20% quota in every indiginisation deal”
“There is no unity and loyalty in the party…this is weighing on patriotism….lack of ideology is now causing factionalism..this is threatening splittong of the party”
In what could be a reference to slogans that praise First Lady Grace Mugabe, the committee on ideology has recommended that ‘slogans should prop the name of party…president and not a living person who is not the president…slogans should first be approved by central committee like before”
13:17
Thematic group on ideology presents its report
“…the party is anchored on socialism…we looked at various things..our slogans, what we are doing as a party, politics the supremacy of politics over the gun, we also looked at educational ideology”
“War vets agreed that the party has done a lot to maitanin socialism but all efforts failing due to lack of money to support agriculture.”
13:00
President Mugabe seen struggling to keep awake, briefly closing his eyes and dozing off as the thematic committee on the economy gives its report.
“Preference for appointment for strategic positions ..eg permanent secretaries..ambassadors…lands officers etc..should be given to former combatants not withstanding their academic qualifications since they were tried and tested during the struggle”
“War vets’ children shld be given preference to presidential scholarships… and war veterans should be given 30 % in disused mining claims.”
12:40
Thematic committees are now presenting their reports.
1. Welfare committee
The welfare committee reports highlights that government should expand services so that former combatants can access health care, education..fees for their children, scholarships, land, duty free vehicles, and residential stands
2. Thematic Committee report on economy
“Economic status of war vets does not reflect on their contribution to the liberation struggle… this is contrary to the provision of the constitution which requires the state to legalise the improvement of their economic welfare…they said their are entitled to a good pension, health care..which has not been done”
“We want preferential treatment as provided by the constitution….war vets should be exempted from paying tax on land, and inheritance of land by spouses of war vets should be enshrined in the constitution.”
The committee demands demands a stake from mineral produce…for a war vets revenue fund.
“Affirmative action shld be taken by state to help war vets who want to venture into business, as individuals or groups”
12:30
War veterans ministers Tshinga Dube pleads for unity..says all revolutionary parties have managed to maintan unity among its combatants.
Says Tshinga Dube, “War veterans were grouped into five…the first group deliberated issues of war vets welfare. The second was on economy…to ensure that the economy is turned around for the good of the war vets. The third…party ideology and the fourth was in threats to the liberation. Fifth was on liberation heritage.”
He acknowleges Chiwenga, Chihuri, Zimondi, Valerio Sibanda, Shiri…members of high command.
12:20
War veterans like Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa, Joice Mujuru and many others who have left Zanu PF are not present at the meeting in what can be viewed as a meeting of only those war veterans aligned to Zanu PF.
Not much fireworks are expected from this meeting as war veterans are going to give feedback on the thematic committees that met yesterday and President Mugabe will address before the meeting ends.
12:10:
Accompanied by Vice Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, President Robert Mugabe walks in. The entourage includes Kembo Mohad, Ignatius Chombo, and Sydney Sekeramayi
Conspicuously absent is the First Lady Grace Mugabe who has previously stoked conflict after publicly chiding war veterans leader Christopher Mutsvangwa.
Sitting on the front row with Mugabe is Oppah Muchinguri, Mohadi, Sekeramayi, Tshinga Dube, Mphoko and Chombo.
According to the programme, the meeting starts at 1:30 p.m.
So far thousands of the war veterans have gathered at the City Sports Centre and they are seated according to their provinces.
Mashonaland provinces bay look lively, playing to music from the police band..while Masvingo and Midlands and Bulawayo look tense.
Christopher Mutsvangwa is seated in the front row, not the the high table, with Victor Matematanda sitting close to him.
On the high table are the following, Simon Khaya Moyo, Simbarashe Mumbebgegwi, Webster Shamu, yes Webster Shamu, Marble Chinomona, and Cain Matema.
Prying into Hubby’s Phone is a Criminal Offence – High Court Judge
Harare High Court judge Justice Tawanda
Chitapi has ruled that it is illegal for a spouse to pry into their partner’s mobile phone to read messages and other information in the phone without the owner’s permission.
Justice Chitapi made the landmark ruling as he sentenced Fortunate Nsoro (36) of
Chitungwiza for knifing her husband to death for refusing to show her a “suspicious” text message that he had received on his
cellphone.
Nsoro fatally stabbed Petros Mutasa (55) in February last year, in a dispute over the text message which her husband had received on his cellphone.
Justice Chitapi convicted Nsoro of culpable homicide and sentenced her to 10 years in jail.
He suspended two years for five years on
condition that she does not commit a similar crime within the period.
The judge used Section 57(d) of the new
Constitution, which guarantees every person the right not to have the privacy of their communications infringed.
LATEST ON:Baby Dumped In Blair Toilet
Below are the latest details concerning the baby boy found dumped in a blair toilet at Fairfields, Mvuma on Saturday.
READERS’ NOTE: Those wishing to donate to the lad’s welfare are advised to do so via Mvuma Hospital where the lucky boy is currently hospitalised.
The latest witness statements say the lad was dumped on Thursday not Friday as earlier claimed, and so likely spent two nights in the pit.
The little lad was spotted Saturday morning after his voice was heard crying 6 feet below while soiled in smelly human waste in the pit. People who rescued him struggled to do the task only to finally manage using the help of specials tools.
MYSTERY EXPLAINED:
A certain Mr Mtangi who witnessed some of the drama on Thursday last week has spoken of his recollections.
Mr Mtangi voluntarily states that he regrets ignoring to alarm bells raised by his wife, that a woman who was with them at the bus stop on the morning of Thursday 31st March 2016 around 10am had visited the toilets at Mushaike- Fairfield’s business centre and returned with out the baby hence a towel which was seemingly strapping the baby at her back, was dangling on her waist without the baby.
Urayayi further states that, he was accompanying his wife to board a bus to Harare where his wife was taking their own baby for medicals, and in no time had a Harare bound bus arrived and his wife still awe struck boarded the bus and left whereas, the baby dumber walked scort free heading for Mvuma town +-14 km away from Fairfield’s with the belief that her baby had drowned in what she thought was a fasces infested pit latrine.
Urayayi best describes the woman as of middle height and most probably in her middle 20’s, thereabout between 23-28 years of age and of chocolate completion.
The woman was wearing a black gin skirt, a purple blouse and carrying a black satchel.
Mr Mtangi further states that, before the dumbing of the cute baby boy, the woman looked confused and troubled, hence he dared to enquire since he was equally troubled with his own kid’s illness.
The baby miraculously survived in the latrine, six meters in the ground for more than 2 and half days- approximately 50hrs without and devoid human interaction up and until he awoken on the 2nd of April in the comfort of human faeces when he heard my voice!
When I saw the baby cry, I could tell it was going to survive and the boy did survive.
Long live sir “Fairfield’s Chamakanda” the name I attribute to this handsome “beautiful” miraculous baby!
Guard Shoots Down Gold Panner
A SECURITY guard has been arrested after he allegedly shot dead a suspected illegal gold panner at Epoch Mine in Filabusi following a 15km high-speed chase.
A group of about 15 gold panners allegedly sped off in a Toyota Hiace when security guards approached them, at around 7PM on Tuesday.
The vehicle was parked at the mine, where thieves stole 102 gold carbon boxes on Monday.
The chase ended at Filabusi Business Centre when Lufukudo Mgande of Para Reserve Security and Private Investigators, fired a bullet that shattered the rear windscreen of the Hiace.
It hit the panner, Wellington Moyo in the back of his head. He died on the spot.
Police, the state media established, freed the rest of the panners after searching the vehicle and finding metal detectors.
Residents declined to speak on the matter saying they didn’t see the incident as it occurred at night.
But the security company’s managing director Spare Sithole said Mgande was not to blame for the fatal shooting of Moyo.
He said his guards were professionals who would not recklessly shoot suspects. In this case, he said, they fired warning shots, before shooting at the vehicle.
“After realising that they were not stopping he tried to shoot the kombi’s tyres but missed because of the bumpy roads. The bullet hit the panner in the back of his head. We sincerely apologise that a life was lost but my security guard shouldn’t shoulder the blame,” he said yesterday.
Sithole said the guards were following a lead following a burglary.
“On Monday at about 2AM we received information that there was a break in at Epoch where 102 gold carbon boxes were stolen. Yesterday night at about 7PM we were investigating the case and we saw the kombi and tried to stop it. However, they sped off resulting in a high-speed chase,” said Sithole.
He said the panners only stopped after a security guard had shot a tyre on the vehicle.
“He was executing his duty. He fired warning shots but they didn’t heed his warnings. Even after the panner was shot his friends didn’t stop. They only stopped after he fired the second shot when he aimed at the kombi’s wheel,” said Sithole. He decried disrespect given to security guards saying they deserve the same respect as is given to other law enforcement agents.
“As long as security guards are called omahobho they’ll never be respected. They’re serving the country and should be given respect. They’ve initiated citizen arrests on several criminals but people are not recognising their importance,” he said.
When a state media news crew visited Filabusi yesterday, the kombi had been impounded at the local police station. Matabeleland South Acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nkosilathi Sibanda said the matter had not reached his office.
Boy Sodomises 3 Boys
A 14-YEAR-OLD boy from Luveve suburb in Bulawayo has appeared before a magistrate’s court for allegedly sodomising three boys from his neighbourhood.
The boy, whose name cannot be disclosed for ethical reasons, allegedly had anal sexual intercourse with the three minors aged eight, nine and 13, a court heard on Monday.
He appeared before provincial magistrate Abednico Ndebele facing three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Ndebele did not ask him to plead and remanded him out of custody.
“The accused is a minor and in order for him to be tried, permission has to sought from the prosecutor general’s office. You shall therefore be advised of the dates when you will be expected to appear at the Bulawayo regional court for his trial,” said Ndebele.
The boy admitted to having anal sexual intercourse with the three minors.
“I admit to the crimes against me,” he said.
Prosecuting, Mufaro Mageza told the court that on a date unknown to the prosecutor during the month of September 2015, the boy approached the 13-year-old victim and asked him the whereabouts of a pair shoes that he had borrowed.
Mageza said the boy threatened the teen and forced him to have anal sex with him.
He said he would harm the boy if he told anyone about the incident.
The prosecutor said his second victim was the nine-year-old boy.
The court heard that on September 8, 2015 at around 6PM, the victim was playing with his friends and the accused at his place of residence.
“Whilst they were playing the accused person instructed the complainant to pull down his trousers to knee level and bend over.
“The complainant complied and the accused had anal sexual intercourse with him once,” said the prosecutor.
The court heard that the eight-year-old became the boy’s final victim before the matter came to light in October.
“On a date unknown but during the month of September, 2015, complainant was playing with his friends when he was approached by the accused.
“The accused instructed the complainant to pull down his trousers and he complied after he had been threatened,” said Mageza.
“The accused had anal sexual intercourse with him once,” said the prosecutor.
Mageza said the three minors were medically examined and a medical report can be produced in court as an exhibit.
JAIL BREAK: Prisoner Vanishes Out Of Prison
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| A prisoner who is a notorious robber, has vanished out of Mutimurefu Prison in classic James Bond style.
Kudakwashe Nyashanu is nowhere to be seen after he successfully crept out of the prison.
A senior Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) boss has since landed himself into trouble after assisting the inmate to escape from jail in a suspected case of corruption, ZimEye.com can reveal. SEE THE SATELLITE MAP below to track alternative routes Nyashanu likely took during the drama. [ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW]
Shepherd Chinhara a senior officer based at Mutimurefu Prison, 15km from the city of Masvingo, assisted Kudakwashe Nyashanu, who was serving a 76 month jail term for robbery, to escape from prison by concealing him in his vehicle boot.
According to police reports, Chinhara drove his car and parked it near the place the inmates were carrying out their duties. He then left the car boot open and Nyashanu jumped into the vehicle. Chinhara immediately drove away from the place towards the main gate where he instructed a junior officer not to conduct a routine check of the vehicle.
However other inmates who witnessed the whole drama alerted the prison officer on duty, leading to Chinhara’s arrest but Nyashanu had already escaped.
“Chinhara who is a senior prison officer has been implicated in a jail escape scandal at Mutimurefu Prison and he has since been arrested. He is assisting the police with investigations. He used his influence to assist the inmate to escape from jail. He is expected to appear in court later this week. Chinhara is currently in custody after being nabbed over the issue,” said a police source.
Although his motive was not known at the time of writing, it is widely believed Chinhara was promised payment in cash.
ZRP Cop Stabbed to Death
A member of the Police Constabulary was fatally stabbed on Monday evening in Shurugwi after he attempted to arrest a suspect who was wanted in connection with an assault case.
Isaac Muzira died on the spot after he was stabbed with a knife on the left side of his chest by the suspect, identified as Thamsanga Sibanda.
Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday confirmed the incident.
“On April 4 at around 2pm, police constable Muzira was on duty and in police uniform together with constables Chitimbe and Mushambi when they received a report of assault,” she said.
She said this was after William Sibanda had reported that Sibanda had assaulted him following a misunderstanding involving gambling. Snr Asst Comm Charamba said investigations were still in progress.State Media
Joice Mujuru Comfie Queen
Joice Mujuru Comfie Queen
President Robert Mugabe has beaten Joice Mujuru on vital factors of tact, strategic vision and planning, so far. At the rate of unfolding events, a 94 year old Mugabe will send his pro·té·gée Mujuru to the cleaners in 2018.
Joice Mujuru is Zimbabwe’s comfie queen, always relaxed who even when her husband was killed in 2011 and then a few years later, her farm violently burnt down, soon after being openly warned of her imminent fate, would remain cuckolded inside until she suddenly fell from her “heaven”, banished forever by Robert Mugabe.
Mrs Mujuru has today continued her chill-spree saying she will win the upcoming 2018 elections resoundingly with neither brand nor plan while carrying the murderer Didymus Mutasa’s face. Unless they brand themselves and be identified with a set agenda or objectives, they will continue to grapple in Zimbabwe’s political darkness – into oblivion.
So far their body language betrays a worrisome double mindedness.
A factor comparative analysis from across the Limpopo will point that Mujuru has failed what the young Julius Malemas have managed through strategic branding and focus which now make him the Malema the ANC’s greatest threat ever. The fact that to date, the PF project has no clear brand or catchy party slogan, and not even a single campaign message string that resonates with the masses, demonstrates that it is spirit-less. It betrays the suddenness with which the party was formed, propelling it onto the limelight when it was least prepared.
Consequently, since the party was officially launched some weeks ago, not only does it seem to follow every direction the wind blows, but many in its leadership have strenuously tried to brush off past misdeeds of various natures which refuse to die. Not even the tag of opposition politics is strong enough to white-wash the dirt and blood on the hands of many in the leadership.
Their lack of strategy and identity were this week betrayed by two isolated events. The spirited way in which they came out in full support of the notorious disgraced War Veterans. Every democracy loving Zimbabwean knows and understands fully well the history of the notorious war vets during the previous elections. The violence they unleashed upon innocent citizens, the rape of women, the wanton looting the trauma that whole communities are still suffering from today. Full reports are at large concerning this an example being the following – Zimbabwe’s 2008 Elections Featured Systematic Rape.
One wonders what lapse of judgement would cause this new kid on the block to quickly embrace an outfit that has outlived its purpose in a future Zimbabwe that even the 92 year old Robert Mugabe distances himself from. He is currently panicking and sees them as a volcanic liability, while Mujuru remains chilled about them.
While PF wants to posture as a new democratic force with a new value system and ethos departing from its mother the ruling Zanu PF party, its failure to deal decisively with the question of war veterans openly displays the fact that the umbilical cord has not completely been severed.
Furthermore, recent reports in the newspapers that former Minister Didymus Mutasa might well be on his way back home to Zanu PF further build onto this theory. Also compounded by the fact that even in the building of structures those who have terrorized whole communities, such as the party’s provincial chairman for Matebeland South, Jabulani Mathuthu, are rewarded without any sensitivity to the people that in their hey days of power, they terrorised.
In this left right dance, the Mujuru camp wants to curry flavour with the pro-democracy movement, while at the same time remaining fully embedded and hoping to keep links with Zanu PF.
Zim Warriors Beat Zambia
THE Mighty Warriors remained on track in their campaign to qualify for the Africa Women Cup of Nations when they narrowly beat Zambia in the first leg of the final soccer qualifier at Rufaro yesterday.
A first-half goal by striker Kudakwashe Basopo just before the half-time break kept their hopes alive as they struggled to settle in the game, especially in the opening half.
However, Mighty Warriors coach, Shadreck Mlauzi, was contend with the 1-0 win over their neighbours from the north of the Zambezi River as he hailed his defenders for not conceding a goal in yesterday’s match.
“We could say we are a good side especially our defensive aspect, we rarely concede. So going away again it’s going to be a very different ball game altogether.
“So what is important is as we are going away with a (slender) 1-0 lead. What we wanted to avoid was that scenario where we conceded an away goal. So at the end of the day we are happy we did not concede.
“So going forward I think on our side it’s plus two goals given that when we go away we are not going to sit back, we are still going to search for a goal and hopefully consolidate what we have done here,” said Mlauzi.-State Media
Wicknell Fires Warning on Jonathan Moyo: “You Will Be Kicked Out”
Humiliated ZIFA donor Wicknell Chivayo has fired “bullets” at Higher Education Minister Prof Jonathan Moyo who this week said ZIFA does not need Chivayo.
Below was Chivayo’s unedited outburst written on his social networking portal:
I just decided to rush to London and spend the weekend with my sisters , I’m having too much stress with these football issues. Others are misquoting me saying I’ve made a U turn , I said the balance over 3 years which is clever way of saying NO MORE….The next money I will ever give them will be next year in November….I was also very disturbed to hear yesterday that Professor Jonathan Moyo said the Warriors don’t need Chivayo’s money they need corporate sponsorship.
With the greatest respect Honourable Minister your opinion surely is irrelevant at this stage…. HOOO NHAI MAKA JAIRA KUCHICHIDZIRA VANHU VASINA MARI VASINGA PINDURE NE KUTYA OFFICE DZENYU….MA OFFICE ENYU HAACHA TYISA NEKUTI RINO DOKA GUSHUNGO VAKU RONGEDZESAI MAVA KUMBA MUKOMA… TAKAZVIONA IZVI AMAI MUJURU VAI TSENGA MVURA ICHI BUDA MASVISVINWA asi nhasi kana kusangana navo HANDIVA MHORESE because I have no need to….THE BIG MAN BEHIND YOU NDIYE ANE YESE MUGARE MAKAZVI ZIVA BOYZ DZANGU. HIS EXCELLENCY ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE is the only reason why we respect you…..
At this stage i would be more interested to hear what the Minister of Sports or the Minister of Finance would have to say. If one of those two said Warriors don’t need your money I would honestly feel very relieved. I’m having sleepless nights WILLARD KATSANDE is calling and texting every day if you withdraw my boss I’m resigning as the Captain , MUSONA is also calling and texting our Boss journalists are very unprofessional please forgive us we need you , COSTA NHAMOINESU Boss we are sorry for that article , us as players are happy with your efforts. PHILLIP CHIYANGWA is calling and texting Wicky my dear brother i love you forever please forgive the nation this reporter anopenga chete. MINISTER OF SPORTS Mr Chivayo we apologize for the wrong article the country is grateful for your support for football…..
Then who are you to come up and say the WARRIORS don’t need his money. Nhai MUKOMA JONONO I’ve always thought you where a Proffessor maybe your PROF title means PROPHET….what is corporate sponsorship ? Do you think I print this money at home ??? What difference does it make if I’m taking it from my company ??? Ask your best friend Phillip Chiyangwa other than HARD CASH which account I always transfer all the money that I have given him in retrospect from ??? If an individual is richer than corporates then why not allow him to do as he wishes for the nation? Where are the said corporates and what has been stopping them from coming in all these years. Corporates are run by individuals who make the decisions and can actually react the exact same way so let’s all focus on the issue at hand.
When I came to drop PHILLIP CHIYANGWA at your house after the match ndakaona parking yenyu yaka zara zvi motikari zvaka siyana siyana ko makadii kutiwo as a patriotic citizen I’m donating this car to the COACH WE MA WARRIORS….All i was saying was CHAKANAKA CHAKANAKA mukaka haurungwe tendai mwana we vanhu anogona. Makapedzisa kuiona rini 4 – 0 mu National Sports Stadium ? Ma players aiziva kuti PAY MASTER , mbada yedu SIR varimo mu ground. That’s all the motivation they needed. Others are said to be demanding apologies but let’s get it right I’m a self made MILLIONAIRE i would never stoep so low and over react over such a small thing on the expense of the NATION but semunhu ane mari yake if that reporter and his paper don’t APOLOGISE for writing a false story where I’m performing exceptionally kana CENT MUNONYEBA never ever in my life. If they apologize ko ndiri munhu mukuru I will forgive them…However having said that once bitten twice shy MARI NDOUYA NAYO MU GROUND HARD CASH ndopa ma players angu GAME OVER NDOENDA…
Ndino ziva ma politicians mukaona attention yawandisa pa munhu one munovhunduka kuti akazo torwa ne imwe party angatinetse mangwana but zvandiri we ZANU PF hard core wani TEAM BOB for life…MABAYA WRONG BUTTON VAKURU VANGU ndiri muzukuru wa CHENJERA ndinoera MOYO CHIRANDU ndinobva pa GANDAMI apa mu WILTSHIRE…MUGARE MAKA ZIVA KUTI HAPANA KANA ZVAMUNO NDIITA….
Wicknell Chivayo “A Notorious Thief, Fraudster”: Judge Blows SECRET FILES Open
By Ndaba Nhuku| The humiliated ZIFA sponsor who this week pulled away from his pledge and now brags saying he can employ the national coach, Kalisto Pasuwa at $7,000 per day
for the next 7 years, Wicknell Chivayo, is a convict of money laundering of a shocking nature. He is even a Chikurubi maximum prison inmate- resident, ZimEye.com can reveal.
This reporter can reveal Chivayo has even altered his surname to dodge forensic detection. The 35 year old Wicknell Chivayo (real name – Wicknell Munodaani Chivhayo), is a cheque fraud and money laundering convict well known at Chikurubi prison between 2005 and 2008, the High Court has revealed.
Contrary to his self-doctored claim using the late politburo member John Nkomo’s name in which he says he inherited money from his father, indelible court files blown open this week reveal Chivhayo made his fortune rather from crime loot through mainly bank fraud as this investigation shows with impeccable traceable detail.
While former Army Captain (and UCAD leader) Albert Matapo also revealed Chivhayo is a long serving inmate and Chikurubi resident, court archives show the man is the leader of a syndicate that pocketed an initial R1million from stolen cheques Chivhayo himself encashed into his own bank account. Court records narrate before he rose to fame, “Chivhayo on the 4th and 5th July 2002, “unlawfully received some money which was the proceeds of crime and which was in the form of three cheques which he deposited into his bank account, and that on 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 July 2002 he withdrew the money from his bank account and disposed of it, when he knew or ought to have known that the money was derived or realised, directly or indirectly, from the commission of an offence.
“Alternatively, Chivhayo was charged with theft by false pretences, the allegation being that during the period extending from 28 June 2002 to 15 July 2002 he unlawfully and with intent to steal misrepresented to Digby Sean Nesbitt that he had deposited R837 000.00 into Shane Peter Nesbitts bank account in South Africa in exchange for $37 665 000.00, which sum Digby Sean Nesbitt was induced to hand over to him, whereas the sum of R837 000.00 had not in fact been deposited into Shane Peter Nesbitts bank account.
“Chivhayo pleaded not guilty to both charges. He was, however, found guilty of the main charge and was sentenced to five years imprisonment with labour, of which two years imprisonment with labour was conditionally suspended. He applied for leave to appeal against the conviction but the application was dismissed by the learned Judge in the court a quo on the ground that there were virtually no prospects of success on appeal. His application for bail pending appeal was also dismissed”.
COMMENT: At first we had Paweni. Then came Peter Pamire and Philip Chiyangwa. Now we have Sir Wicknell Munodaani Chivhayo. These people have no foundation for their wealth except that they have used hook and crook tactics and spill blood to rob the weak and the unwary. With good cash in their hands they have turned to ZANU PF, giving it donations to secure protection and amnesty. If this is the so called “in line with ZimAsset”, that means Zimbabwe is doomed and is now a cheap nation without ethics and rules.
This week many heads rolled to realize that Wicknell Chivhayo had promised to pay the national coach Pasuwa some monthly salary only to renege on the undertaking on the very last minute. For the last two months the kept mum as he went unpaid and would not come out clearly for fear of having the promised deal aborted. It was just sad in that Chivhayo’s promise was never deeded in writing as a contract that is why he can call the shots at any time. Pasuwa is not to blame because even the “wise” Chiyangwa who is also an illiterate desperado, failed to realize the need for a written contract. Desperate as the national team and ZIFA are, anything that looks like cash is welcome because our government is broke to the marrow.
It is now unfortunate in that even cash from thugs, gangsters, robbers and fly-by-night murderers is now finding its way into becoming acceptable cash for sponsoring national events like soccer. That only happens in the Third World because if it were in the first world, someone could be behind bars as we speak. The anti-money laundering regulations are clear enough. No sane government would want to be associated with robbery proceeds or blood money. This is the sad day that we find Zimbabwe struggling to accept any form of money without even checking where it is coming from.
Wherever Chivhayo stole the millions from is now a puzzle. He is now a hero who can afford $3000 for lunch to pay Pasuwa. At four vacations a month, what more can he ask for when Zimbabwean authorities are that docile and desperate? And the fact that he now donates and wines and dines with people like Philip Chiyangwa makes him eligible for protection as an untouchable figure. The internet is already awash with the dirty past works of Chivhayo on how he used to steal and rob people. All that has been forgotten and he is the very person who has now been favored with government tenders like the Gwanda solar project when he can’t even read or write, let alone appreciate what business is all about.
Only in Zimbabwe do we worship village yokels, zombies and confused cockroaches once they start smelling like real money. Where else in the world could a Form 2 drop out become head line news of the day when the world already knows that he is a thug and a robber?
Chivhayo is now rich or rather wealthy. But he stands eligible for being a rich fool because he is empty headed. He can’t express himself. He is illiterate and can only use his cash to find his way and associate with top government ministers who are also feeding from his trough. Now he is a protected man and his money is being sanitized. Where is the ZACC? Where is the Minister of Sport? How about the Minister of Justice? Where are we going with this infraction of ethics and rules? How can we accept stolen money to fund our national team? Worse still how can we be promised cash that will never come as the sponsor keeps changing posts and tries to escape the obligation as he pours vitriol on journalists doing their job?
It’s a sad for Zimbabwe. Cry the beloved country. Even murderers, thugs, prostitutes, or thieves get hero-worshipped in the idolatry of Zimbabwe where any headline with a robber or thief sells the papers. It’s a sad day.
Police “Ambush” anti Kuwait Slavery Demo
Armed police hoardes in central Harare on Wednesday blocked a peaceful march organized by the Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance who are demanding a quick repatriation process of the women stranded in Kuwait after falling prey to bogus Kuwaiti employment agencies.
Police detained one of the organizers of the event, Lynnette Mudewe who they summoned to Harare central police station.
The march was also meant to hand over a petition to the Kuwaiti Embassy in Harare and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights’ Kumbirai Mafunda, said the police were at 11am holding (3)three protesters including Lynette Mudehwe over anti-trafficking demo. “Zimbabwean police currently holding three human rights campaigners Tendayi Lynnette Mudehwe, Ndakaziwa Gatsi and Loveness Kudzanga in a truck at Megawatt Building in central Harare as they prepare to stage a protest demanding that government expedite the return of several Zimbabwean women, who are victims of human trafficking in Kuwait.
“Protesters are proceeding with the demonstration at the Kuwait Embassy in Belgravia in Harare,” he said at the time.
However the demo was eventually blocked by the police and Miss Mudehwe detained.
On Tuesday The Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance said it was deeply concerned with the continued trafficking of Zim women and the slow pace the government of Zimbabwe is taking on the repatriation process of those still stranded in Kuwait.
Over 200 Zimbabwe women are said to have been trafficked to Kuwait over the past few months.
BLOODY ATTACK: Wife Stabs Hubby
A 27-YEAR-OLD Victoria Falls woman was yesterday ordered to perform 280 hours of community service for stabbing her husband with a kitchen knife following a domestic brawl.
Tracy Moyo of Mkhosana high-density suburb was convicted on her own plea of guilty when she appeared before Victoria Falls resident magistrate, Rangarirai Gakanje charged with physical abuse.
The court heard that on July 12 last year, Moyo’s husband Zamani Sibanda (33) arrived home from Chinotimba and found his wife away from home. She arrived a few minutes later, and a fierce quarrel ensued after Sibanda asked about her whereabouts.
Moyo, in a fit of rage, stabbed him several times on the right leg. Sibanda was then rushed to hospital for medication, leading to Moyo’s arrest.
In her defence, Moyo said Sibanda caused her to lose her temper after he labelled her a prostitute.
“I admit to the charge, but he is the one who started to slap and punch me accusing me of being a prostitute. He then took the knife from the kitchen to stab me, and as l was trying to take it away it accidentally stabbed him on his right leg,” she said.
Moyo was initially sentenced to 10 months imprisonment before eight months were suspended on condition of good behaviour and the remaining two months were commuted to 280 hours community service at Victoria Falls Magistrates’ Court.-Agencies
Mugabe mates Fingered In Panama Leaks
TWO prominent businesspeople with suspected links to President Robert Mugabe have been fingered in the ongoing international financial fall-out over what has become known as the Panama Papers.
Panama Papers are a series of confidential financial information leaks held by Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca and Mugabe is named as having allegedly benefited through Zanu PF-linked business tycoons John Bredenkamp and Billy Rautenbach.
According to reports, in 2009 Mossack Fonseca ended its relationship with Bredenkamp allegedly after revelations of his links with Mugabe.
“Bredenkamp, on the firm’s books since 1997, had been described in 2002 by a United Nations expert panel as ‘experienced in setting up clandestine companies and sanctions-busting operations’.
“In 2008, months before Mossack Fonseca cut ties, Bredenkamp was sanctioned by OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control, a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US government charged with planning and execution of economic and trade sanctions in support of US national security and foreign policy objectives) for allegedly being a ‘crony’ of Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe and a well-known Mugabe insider,” media reports quoting the papers claimed.
Mugabe, at the height of his political confrontation with Western countries and in the aftermath of the imposition of sanction by the European Union and the US, challenged his accusers to bring evidence that he owned anything outside Zimbabwe.
Bredenkamp has consistently denied allegations linking him and his business ventures to Mugabe. In 2012, Bredenkamp successfully overturned European Union sanctions against him and his companies.
But, according to the Panama Papers: “One company, Tremalt Limited, purchased equipment for armies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations alleged. It took seven years before a Mossack Fonseca employee reported internally that an Internet search implicated a separate company the law firm said was owned by Bredenkamp in a series of allegations concerning arms deals.”
Another government-linked business magnet, Rautenbach, has also been fingered in the reports and described in the documents as one of Mugabe’s “alleged bagmen”.
Other leaders named in the leaks include Yulia Tymoshenko, “a former Ukrainian Prime Minister and oligarch nicknamed the ‘gas princess’; Beny Steinmetz, an Israeli billionaire who had reportedly used a Mossack Fonseca-incorporated shell firm in the British Virgin Islands to pay a bribe to a wife of the homicidal dictator of Guinea, where Steinmetz was seeking (and subsequently got) a huge mining concession”.
Eleven million documents were leaked from one of the world’s most secretive companies, Mossack Fonseca.
The leaks also detail the offshore activities of family members and associates of former Chinese Premier Li Peng, ex-British Prime Minister David Cameron, Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak, and former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, among many other oligarchs across the world. newsday
PICTURE: Snake 6.5Metres Long Spotted in Triangle
The below picture has been received from Glenn Stutchbury/Ross Kennedy of Vic Falls Safari Lodge. A Black mamba – approx 6.5m long – spotted near a cemetery in Triangle – fundi’s reckon a mamba this size probably hatched during the 60’s and would carry enough venom to kill 400 men
Dear Editor,
The below picture has been received from Glenn Stutchbury/Ross Kennedy of Vic Falls Safari Lodge. A Black mamba – approx 6.5m long – spotted last week near a cemetery in Triangle – fundi’s reckon a mamba this size probably hatched during the 60’s and would carry enough venom to kill 400 men.
ZBC Under Fire Over Tezvara Picture
Two ZBC journalists who broadcast the picture of witch doctor Nehanda Nyakasikana (D.O.D 1897) standing aside the famous Marondera man in shorts (Tezvara), are in hot soup.
On Monday state broadcaster, ZBC, caused a stir by broadcasting a video displaying the doctored Tezvara standing with Nehanda.
The mishap went viral on social media with Zimbabweans from all walks of life ridiculing ZBC’s incompetence.
ZBC on Tuesday apologised for the video saying it was going to correct the story.
“ZBC apologises for the “tezvara” picture yesterday. Mbuya Nehanda’s role in the struggle will be tackled today,” said the state broadcaster on its Twitter handle, Tuesday.
Sources at Pockets Hill, ZBC head offices told ZimEye.com that two video editors who as is alleged, “doctored” the Tezvara picture, were under fire.
“The two have since been asked to write comprehensive reports explaining why they decided to doctor the picture, but we see this as a witch hunt because they are not responsible for the final broadcast. Their duty is to edit not broadcasting content,” said one journalist who requested not to be named.
Dokora attacked by Teachers Over Chimurenga National Pledge
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Teachers here have slammed the move by the Education Ministry led by Lazarus Dokora to distribute templates of his national pledge craft to schools, calling it a direct attempt to indoctrinate pupils with the Zanu PF mantra.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Sylivia Utete Masango, representing her boss Dokora, last week dished out to the templates to school pupils in Masvingo claiming the national pledge would be mandatory because it reminded pupils about their social background, national heritage and the gains of the liberation struggle.
The national pledge, expected to be launched on May 3, requires pupils to salute the national flag while reciting words perceived to be deeply political in nature.
The national pledge reads in part:”I salute the national flag, respecting the brave fathers and mothers who lost lives in the Chimurenga /Umveleke. We are proud inheritors of the riches of our resources. We are proud creators and participants in our vibrant traditions and culture.”
Angry teachers in Masvingo Urban blasted Dokora for the deliberate attempt to inculcate the Zanu PF Chimurenga mantra in school pupils.
Teachers who spoke to ZimEye.com after the pupils received the templates said:”We are deeply worried about the move to introduce the so called national pledge. Dokora has gone too far in an attempt to please his boss President Robert Mugabe. The national pledge which will be launched on May 3 does not have any direct benefit to the pupils.
In fact it is a political move aimed at indoctrinating school children.”
Pastors have also attacked the move with a Masvingo based one Pastor Godfrey Zenda also weighing in his protest saying it violates spiritual freedoms of the citizenry.
Mugabe is expected to attend the official launch of the national pledge at a school in Matabeleland next month.
Mahofa Strikes Again, Attacks Mugabe Over Food Shortage
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo|Barely a few months after she swiped at First Lady Grace Mugabe as a young woman who should not be found usurping men’s authority, Masvingo Minister Shuvai Mahofa has laid into her own boss Robert Mugabe saying his leadership has the failed the nation. In her first address in the ancient city last week, Minister Mahofa told party members at Victoria Primary School she was disappointed by the lack of zeal on the part of her boss Mugabe’s administration.
The outspoken Mahofa who has just returned to office after a lengthy absence following what many believed was a deadly sickness caused by food poisoning, attacked Mugabe’s administration for allowing the food crisis in Masvingo Province to continue. She said the failure by the government to come up with poverty alleviation methods, reflected a lack of commitment.
“Masvingo is a province that is hard hit by drought and we did not receive food aid from government in February and we want our allocation to come.The food being distributed is not enough to feed the people in need in the province. We need to be more committed towards food relief efforts.I am surprised by what is happening. Even those who lead us have to reflect the passion to help those in need of food aid,” said Mahofa.
Although Mahofa subtly mentioned the need for commitment from her said “leaders”, many party immediately expressed displeasure saying the minister’s words were pointing at President Mugabe.
“Mahofa must show respect for the government leader who is President Mugabe.How can she say the government has failed to feed the province of Masvingo yet she is part of the system?Therefore her utterances were loaded with evasive talk. She has to be careful with what she says,” said a senior provincial member.
Shamu Snatched $2K Bribe – Kereke
Zanu-PF Bikita West legislator Munyaradzi Kereke yesterday accused former Minister of Media, Information and Publicity Webster Shamu of demanding $2 000 to reveal who framed his rape case and the minister was trapped and caught with the extortion money.
Continuing with his defence yesterday, Kereke said Shamu demanded the money so that he could help him manage the rape case.
“I reported the matter to higher officials in Government and a trap was set involving Central Intelligence Organisation boss Musafare Nyamudahondo and his junior,” said Kereke.
“We used marked notes and drove to Shamu’s Borrowdale Brooke home, me ahead and Nyamudahondo following. All evidence was collected and the highest office is aware of this.”
Kereke alleged that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission bosses were bribed with houses and money so that they did not investigate former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr Gideon Gono.
“Gono summoned two ZACC bosses one Butaunashe and (Eric) Harid and gave them $10 000 and $10 500 respectively as gifts to go on holiday.
“Houses were bought for (Ngonidzashe) Gumbo and placed on shelf companies using State money.
“A house was bought in Alexandra Park for a female commissioner who was in charge and another in Borrowdale for Gumbo.
“I wrote to Retired Maj-Gen Happyton Bonyongwe to look into the matter because it was a clear corruption between Gono and ZACC.”
Kereke told the court that Dr Gono paid a Standard reporter, Caiphus Chimhete, and fed him with information to smear his career.
“Chimhete invaded my privacy when he entered my bedroom pretending to be a relative of my wife Patience Maramwidze during an inspection in loco,” said Kereke.
“However, David Butau confessed and apologised to me for the rape case after his relation with Gono turned sour.
“This was after Butau was accused of externalising 450 000, which saw him fleeing into exile to United Kingdom.
“I managed to help him prove that the 450 000 was money meant for agriculture equipment transferred to him by Gono to buy foreign currency.”
The magistrate, Mr Noel Mupeiwa, ruled that hearsay evidence was not allowed after Kereke started divulging what Butau communicated with the mother of the alleged victims, Chipo Maramwidze.
Kereke suspected Butau of having an affair with Chipo.
Kereke disowned the gun register book produced in court as an alien document. “I signed for a black ledger book printed by Fidelity Printers with serial numbers on each page not the tiny counter book brought in court,” he said.
Father Defends Own Daughter’s Rapist
A FATHER is defending his own daughter’s alleged rapist in a classic case of colluding motives.
The alleged rapist, Tavengwa Timire, 34, a teacher at Gebbuza High School in Hwange, has been arrested for allegedly raping his wife’s mentally challenged younger sister on numerous occasions.
Timire of Ingagula in Hwange, pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of rape when he appeared before Hwange regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga.
Interestingly, the victim’s father will today testify in favour of the alleged rapist son-in-law.
Timire, an Art teacher, claimed his wife’s younger sister, based in Bulawayo, was out to fix him.
“We had consensual sex,” Timire told the magistrate as he disputed that the victim, 20, is mentally retarded.
He was staying together with the victim in Hwange when the alleged abuse took place in 2010 and 2011 until she moved in with another sister in Nkulumane 5, Bulawayo. The woman was once his student at Gebbuza and Timire could not explain the kind of grudge that would make her fabricate rape charges against him.
The court heard Timire’s wife, the alleged victim and their sister based in Bulawayo were now not on talking terms as the accused’s wife begrudges them for reporting her husband who she had been shielding since 2011 to protect her marriage.
Prosecuting, Tawanda Sigauke said the alleged rape started in April 2010.
“Sometime in April 2010, the accused sneaked into the victim’s bedroom and raped her once. In September 2010, Timire again entered the spare bedroom and had sex with the complainant,” said Sigauke.
The court heard that Timire’s wife, who suspected that her husband was having an affair with her sister, had also sneaked into the room and was hiding under the bed while the two had sex. She allegedly slapped her younger sister but didn’t report the case, the court heard.
“Between January and August 2011, Timire allegedly raped the victim several times as he would enter her bedroom in the absence of his wife,” said Sigauke.
The matter came to light when the victim relocated to stay with the Bulawayo-based sister and revealed to her how Timire had been sexually abusing her.
The court heard that for some time, the Bulawayo-based sister tried to engage her elder sister (Timire’s wife) on the issue but she chose to keep quiet to protect her husband and her marriage.
“He approached me begging for an out of court settlement but I refused because he took advantage of my sister’s mental condition and connived with his wife to conceal the crime,” the victim’s Bulawayo-based sister told the court.
A report was made at Nkulumane Police Station leading to Timire’s arrest.-State Media