DEMANDING compensation from suspects in murder cases is illegal and people who do so should be prosecuted, Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Martin Makonese, said yesterday.
Sentencing a Zvishavane man, Simplicio Huku, convicted of culpable homicide, Justice Makonese said the courts frown upon families that demand compensation in the form of cattle or young girls before burying their loved ones who would have been murdered.
“The courts condemn the practice of demanding compensation for avenging spirits. That practice is widespread in the country and is unlawful as it is tantamount to extortion. Demanding compensation as a precondition for burial of a deceased is archaic and the court condemns such behaviour.
It’s a culture that must not be practiced in this modern world,” he said.
Justice Makonese said in some cases, the girl child normally falls victim to forced marriages.
Huku had earlier told the court that he was forced to part with 15 head of cattle, $700 for the coffin and also covered all the funeral expenses for the burial of a fellow villager, Everson Mushangwa, after he caused his death.
Justice Makonese said contributions towards funeral expenses, when done voluntarily, help to heal wounds of family members.
He said he found Huku not guilty of murder but guilty of a lesser charge of culpable homicide.
The judge said Huku struck Mushangwa once on the head that resulted in his death in a revenge attack.
“The court takes into account that Huku paid some form of compensation to Mushangwa’s family. The two years three months pre-trial incarceration period has also been taken into account. The accused is therefore sentenced to eight years in prison of which three years are suspended on condition of good behaviour,” said Justice Makonese.
Prosecutor, Tafadzwa Mupariwa, told the court that on October 19, 2013, Mushangwa and Huku fought.
He said the following day at about 11 AM, Mushangwa was walking along a foot path which passes through Huku’s homestead.
He said Mushangwa picked up a stone and threw it at Huku and it missed him.
In retaliation, Huku picked up a stone and threw it at the deceased. The stone hit him on the head and he fell down and his attacker fled from the scene.
He was taken to Mapanzure clinic where he was treated and referred to Zvishavane Hospital where he died on admission.
A report was made to the police leading to Huku’s arrest. State Media

By Pamela Shumba|Reports that teachers whose schools post poor results could forfeit as much as three months’ pay annually are a “cruel hoax”, a Cabinet Minister said yesterday.
Two newspapers claimed this week that teachers would be hit with the cuts starting 2017.

It certainly does not rain but pours for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa after it was learnt last night that the embattled Midlands godfather’s party foes were initiating a petition within the warring post-congress Zanu PF to oust him from both his party and government positions.
Well-placed sources told the Daily News, that so fed-up with him and his allies were Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF detractors that they had resolved that now was the time to move in for the kill.
“Successionists (Zanu PF code for Mnangagwa faction) have caused enough damage in the party as seen in the Midlands fiasco of the past few weeks. The party cannot be allowed to crumble because of the misplaced ambitions of one man and his suicide bombers.
“Because of this, comrades have resolved to campaign vigorously for a petition in all the party’s provinces calling for the ouster of Ngwena (Mnangagwa), as a way of ending the terrible fights and unnecessary confusion engulfing the party. We are now sick of it all,” a party official linked to the Generation 40 (G40) who are opposed to the VP, and who see him as “unelectable”, said.
Another reliable party source said those opposed to Mnangagwa were planning to mobilise at least 60 000 signatures from each of the country’s 10 provinces, as the raging Zanu PF war to succeed an increasingly-frail President Robert Mugabe escalates.
“Among some of the charges that Mnangagwa will face are the fact that he is dividing the party and also always abuses his powers each time he is left as the acting president,” the central committee member claimed, adding that it was also “revealing” that the VP had not disassociated himself from his supporters who publicly posed for pictures at the weekend wearing T-shirts labelled “Team Lacoste”.
“This was an open act of defiance against the president’s repeated calls for an end to the factionalism eating the party. Team Lacoste is in effect much, much worse than the cabal that was linked to former Vice President Joice Mujuru,” he said.
The G40 — who allegedly include Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere, Mugabe’s nephew and Indigenisation minister Patrick Zhuwao, and Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo among others — are said to enjoy the backing of Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko and influential First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Others who strongly support the first lady in the deadly succession wars are businessman Philip Chiyangwa, Labour minister Prisca Mupfumira, Harare South MP Shadreck Mashayamombe and Zanu PF heavyweights, Sandi Moyo and Sarah Mahoka.
At the same time, the fate of Mnangagwa’s alleged close allies — who are under the cosh in his Midlands heartland — now firmly lies in the hands of his co-deputy and high-office competitor Mphoko, who heads the ruling party’s national disciplinary committee (NDC).
In a move that puts paid to the premature celebrations of the past few days by Team Lacoste (Mnangagwa faction), following the acquittal at the weekend of the VP’s alleged allies on a litany of serious charges by a regional disciplinary committee, the three ministers at the heart of the saga have now moved to formally appeal for Mphoko’s intervention.
This latest body blow on Team Lacoste comes after Zanu PF national political commissar Kasukuwere also confirmed to the Daily News on Monday that the party officials who are under the gun in the Midlands were not off the hook — adding emphatically that only the NDC, and not the regional disciplinary committee, could finalise their matter.
At the heart of the Midlands crisis, linked to the ruling party’s escalating succession wars, are claims by ministers Makhosini Hlongwane, Tapiwa Matangaidze and Annastancia Ndhlovu that they have been the victims of harassment by Gokwe Nembudziya legislator Justice Mayor Wadyajena, his Gokwe-Kana counterpart Owen Ncube and Midlands youth league secretary Edmore Samambwa.
But in a hotly-disputed verdict, the regional disciplinary committee, which was tasked by Kasukuwere to look into the ministers’ complaints — and which now stands accused of having been led by alleged allies of Mnangagwa, and of reaching “a decidedly factional” verdict — concluded that the ministers had failed to substantiate their claims.
Not only did the ministers savage the verdict as “shamelessly partisan” on Monday, they have now written to Mphoko asking him to intervene and raising what they said were their “serious reservations” about the process followed by the Midlands disciplinary committee.
In their letter, the ministers argued that while the Midlands provincial executive had discussed and agreed to set up a disciplinary committee chaired by Zvishavane Ngezi MP John Holder regarding their complaints, the one that had been chaired by Mackenzie Ncube had been set up instead, allegedly at the behest of Zanu PF deputy secretary for administration July Moyo — allegedly to influence the outcome of the matter.
“That disciplinary committee (chaired by Holder) has not been disbanded by the provincial executive committee and true to the predictable culture of impunity and disregard of party processes and bullying of the executive, another committee was set up on January 8, 2016.
“Further, the fact that the decision of the first disciplinary committee was ignored in favour of setting up another one means that the disciplinary process is subject to manipulation and undue influence by external forces to itself,” the trio charged in their letter.
They also claimed that party protocol had been breached in the process of setting up the second disciplinary committee, further arguing that Mackenzie Ncube as a central committee member from Kwekwe was never going to hand down a fair hearing “given the well-documented relationship of all but one of the accused as they share the same neighbourhood in Kwekwe”.
“Thirdly, Cde Mackenzie Ncube, once appointed the vice chairman of the provincial executive committee, went on to preside over the preliminary stages of the disciplinary hearing, this notwithstanding the fact that he had not formally withdrawn his membership of the central committee, thereby creating a situation where a central committee member was presiding over provincial disciplinary processes,” they added.
In their Monday statement, the ministers — initially seen as Mnangagwa’s allies but now perceived to be aligned to the G40 — described the Midlands disciplinary committee as “shamelessly partisan”.
“If the committee has concluded the hearings, can it tell the nation, instead of engaging in cheap propaganda, where it carried out its investigations? Did it go to Mberengwa, Mataga for example?
“Did they talk to witnesses who were in Victoria Falls during the pre-budget meeting for example? Did they speak to minister A Ndhlovu? In short, did they conduct an inquiry to establish the facts and where did they do so?” they charged.
A Zanu PF politburo member who claims that he is “non-aligned” in the ruling party’s seemingly-unstoppable factional and succession wars said it appeared that Mnangagwa was beginning to “run out of both rope and oxygen”.
“Like Mai Mujuru before him, there is an impression that he is beginning to run out of both rope and oxygen in the party, unless the president rescues him like now.
“Remember that the women’s league quota system demands within the presidium are also still hanging around his neck like the proverbial sword of Damocles,” the senior party official said. daily news

The High Court has ruled against Prosecutor General Johannes Tomana who was seeking to prosecute Human Rights Lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa.
Passing the verdict this morning, Justice Garainesu Mawadze dismissed with costs Tomana’s lawsuit against the ZLHR Board Chairperson.

The Municipality of Gwanda has finally succumbed to pressure from the residents and withdrew its proposed compulsory installation of prepaid water metres.
 
For close to two years the Municipality and the Gwanda Residents Association had been battling each other in a protracted war over the water-metres, slammed as “rubbish gadgets” by residents.
 
Speaking to media, the Mayor of Gwanda councillor Knowledge Ndlovu said that his council has finally decided to listen to the wishes of the residents and is withdrawing from their previous stance of compulsorily installing the metres on all the houses in the town.
 
According to the Mayor the metres will be left optional for those residents who would voluntarily ask for the metres to be installed at their homes. The move by the Municipality Of Gwanda comes at the back of a similar retraction by the City of Bulawayo which also bowed to Residents pressure and made the installation of the gadgets optional.
 
The Gwanda Residents Association has however received the news of the Mayor’s statement with caution. The Association says that it will only find cause to celebrate the Mayor’s statement after a full council resolution to the effect has been passed by the local authority.
 
Speaking to ZimEye.com the General Secretary of the Association Mr Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo said that they will not take the Mayor’s individual accession on the matter as the final position of council until it has been tabled before a full council meeting.
 
“We are dealing here with a council holding a history of factions amongst itself and until they have met and come up with a confirmed resolution on the matter we will consider the battle as still on,” said Fuzwayo.
 
Fuzwayo however expressed excitement on the fact that council has acknowledged the voice of the residents to some extent.
 
“While we wait for the council resolution we are indeed at least joyed that some sectors of council have heard our call and agreed to it, that’s all that matters as a starting point,” he said.
 
Residents throughout the country’s major urban centres have been holding demonstrations against the prepaid water metres. Gwanda Residents demonstration against the metres was last year thwarted by the police at the last minute citing security concerns as reason for the blocking.

The latest twist in the lawsuit against former Education minister Aeneas Chigwedere in which he is accused of being “a bloody witch” filed by his son, Magwiza, at the Harare Civil Court, was yesterday rejected on the basis of jurisdictional grounds.
Newsday reprot

Presiding resident magistrate Brighton Pabwe said Chigwedere’s son ought to have filed the application in Marondera where both parties are permanently based.
“The Harare Civil Court cannot have jurisdiction to dwell on the matter because both parties reside in Marondera and the action happened in Marondera,” Pabwe said.

By Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo|Prolific MDC T MP(former) and now People First member, Jeffryson Chitando says his boss Joice Mujuru will bash President Robert Mugabe in a crashing defeat in the 2018 elections.
He said this is primarily because she is a knowhow guru in Zanu PF’s survival tricks.
Speaking to ZimEye.com in Masvingo early this week Chitando, the former MP for Masvingo Central Constituency, defended himself on why he dumped both Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC) and Tendai Biti(PDP) to join Mujuru’s People First. He lambasted both Biti and Tsvangirai saying they were political liabilities in the country.
Chitando has been criticised for being a political nomad who has switched camp several times but the former Tsvangirai think tank said he would not leave Mujuru’s party.
“Mujuru is the best candidate to defeat Mugabe and his wife Grace because she is well aware of the veteran leader’s tactics. She is going to hand Mugabe a crashing defeat in the 2018 polls. I decided to leave Biti because his party is not different from Tsvangirai’s MDC. Tsvangirai could have won in the previous elections but he has failed so it is time to focus on People First. Remember no ordinary opposition can win against Zanu PF and as People First -we are well positioned to win resoundingly in 2018,” said Chitando.
The outspoken politician also tore into his former bosses saying they are uselelss and must come and join Mujuru in order to revive their waning political careers.
To date Mujuru has taken over large chunks of supporters in Matebeleland and the Midlands area and in South Africa coordinators led by Francis Mufambi are routing supporters through vigorous door to door campaigns. PICTURE
Meanwhile Tsvangirai has hinted there are challenges in his crisis torn party and many critics believe the former premier is running out of steam ahead of the 2018 polls. But the MDC leader also attacks Mujuru saying she is structure-less.
Batsiranai Ngugama a local political writer however believes Tsvangirai has the momentum to defeat Mugabe.

Two teenagers from Binga have been arrested for allegedly taking turns to rape a 16-year-old girl at night after a church service.
Ndubeko Mwembe, 18, Kampandu Village and a 15-year-old boy from Sialozi Village both under Chief Dobola, in Kariangwe, Binga, appeared before Hwange regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga yesterday.
Mwembe faces two counts of rape while his partner in crime faces one. The two denied the charges and were remanded in the custody of their parents to today for continuation of trial.
Mwembe and the 15-year-old boy are friends and allegedly pounced on the girl when they spotted her walking home along a path with her cousin who later fled and informed the girl’s mother.
Prosecuting, Tawanda Sigauke said the rape allegedly occurred on December 7 last year.
“On December 7 last year at around 8PM and at Kampandu bush, the complainant and her cousin were walking home from a church service. They were approached by the two accused persons who grabbed the girl by the hands. The complainant’s cousin fled and went home to inform the complainant’s mother about what had happened.”
The court heard that Mwembe and his accomplice tripped the girl and pulled her into the bush.
They allegedly took turns to rape her while pinning her down.State Media

The Police say they are worried by the  increasing number of murder cases in Masvingo province which they suggest can be reduced if traditional leaders, the church and civil society organisations embark on education awareness programmes which encourage communities to value human life.
According to the state media 2015 saw an increase of 29% in murder cases compared to the previous years.
The state media reports that the concern was raised by Commissioner Rabson Mpofu who was representing ZRP Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri in Masvingo at the Province’s belated end of year party.

“It is imperative that you remain cognisant of the fact that some crimes of concern remain prevalent in your policing area. I therefore urge you to employ robust crime prevention strategies to tame this malady of crime,” he said.
On a positive note, cases of armed robberies in the province declined by 39 percent, with stock theft cases also decreasing by 2 percent.
In a related development the state media also reports that the judiciary was worried has expressed concern with the upsurge of brutal killings and domestic violence cases in the country.
This came out at the official opening the 2016 legal year for the Gweru High Court circuit.
Speaking in Gweru during the ceremony, Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Martin Makonese expressed concern with the continued increase of brutal killings committed by both sexes around the country.
He said despite lengthy prison sentences imposed on offenders, there is still an upsurge of brutal killings, adding that it is worrying that even juveniles are also committing such brutal crimes.
“We now live in a society where the respect for human life for some people simply does not exist. Knife stabbings have become common and all types of weapons such as hoes, shovels, logs spears and axes are used to inflict injury against fellow human beings over petty disputes. The courts shall continue to impose heavy penalties on offenders who show little regard for human life,” said Justice Makonese.
He added that all stakeholders such as traditional leaders, religious organisations and social organisations must play their part in educating communities on the need to resolve disputes without resorting to violence.’
Justice Makonese also lamented the increase of domestic violence cases and crimes of passion and commended police for apprehending offenders and bringing them to account.
 

By Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Zanu PF stalwart and well-known Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa sympathiser Addmore Hwarare last week threatened to kill a police inspector investigating a corruption case implicating him.
Hwarare who is also a war veteran is the former Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Industry Workers Union(ZISMIWU) boss, was booted out of the union following a spate of corrupt activities. He is facing various charges of corruption and embezzlement of funds.
According to court records Hwarare arrived at the Chiredzi magistrate court while Inspector Henry Dowa of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was processing papers in the company of a female detective. He then allegedly threatened to kill the police officer soon after the cop has submitted the court papers.
Prosecutor Liberty Hove confirmed the incident and said Hwarare stormed the public prosecutor’s officer and threatened the police inspector with death.
“Inspector Dowa came to my officer in the company of a lady .They were seeking clearance to have Hwarare’s bank accounts frozen while his case involving corruption and abuse of funds was being investigated. I compiled the draft application and soon after completion Hwarare got into the office and threatened to kill the police officer,” said Hove.
Hwarare is now being charged with threatening to commit murder as defined in section 186(1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.
Meanwhile sources in the ruling party claimed Hwarare’s political foes wanted to tarnish his image because of his allegiance to Mnangagwa.Some even said the case is being pursued to silence the outspoken Hwarare.
However political observers argue the controversial war veteran was caught offside when he threatened a police officer on duty .

In a suspected case of ritual murder, a five year old boy from Nyakuchicha area under Chief Makopa in Chiweshe was brutally killed and his body was discovered six days later with some limbs missing.
The dismembered body of the boy, Patrick Mungazvombo (pictured) who went missing on Sunday last week was discovered on Saturday.

Urban dwellers should brace for more water shortages until December after government on Monday directed local authorities to tighten water supplies because of the drying water sources.

• “Resisting indigenisation is like shouting at my uncle, Robert Mugabe”

Youth Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Patrick Zhuwao has liked the controversial black empowerment laws with deadly AIDS pandemic which has as he said “infected” all foreign companies.
President Robert Mugabe’s nephew was bragging at a business meeting in Harare which was also attended by a few remaining white businessmen when he said foreign companies have to learn to live with the disease (Indigenisation law).
“The position from a policy point of view is extremely clear, ( Totongo gara nayo yatofanana nechirwere kana watoenda kuNew Start centre waongororwa ropa wangoziva kuti ndozviripo wotopinda pachirongwa) It  is like HIV after you have tested positive that you have no option but to start taking Anti Retroviral drugs”said Zhuwao.
Zhuwao said resisting the Indigenisation law was tantamount to shouting at his Uncle President Mugabe.
“Indigenisation and economic empowerment ladies and gentleman is not something  that is to be debated, it is something that was taken as a political manifesto item by Zanu PF and Zanu PF won a two thirds majority on that,” said Zhuwao.
He continued, “no matter how much you may want to turn around and say to political powers, listen, can we re-look at this, the political powers have been given a particular mandate. So it will be a waste of time to talk about renegotiating the policy that is a reality that we need to live with”.
The indigenisation laws which dictate that foreigners get minority shareholding in business ventures with locals have divided the President Mugabe’s administration with conflicting statements coming from different cabinet ministers.
The law has also reduced investment energy from ernest investors who fear losing their money.

The CEO of Harare Central Hospital, Ms Peggy Zvavamwe who blew nearly $90,000 of hospital cash on a personal vehicle while the infirmary continues to fail to buy basic such as painkillers, was this morning stormed by angry workers.
There was drama when furious workers charged towards her office as they ordered her to resign.
She is accused of freezing vital medical procurements until the US$88 000 was raised for the purchase of her new car.

By Terrence Mawawa | Three ministers linked to Grace Mugabe ‘s G40 faction in the Midlands Province face expulsion for perjury after raising false or unproven allegations against members of a rival political faction.

By Terrence Mawawa|The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority(ZIMRA), has “attacked travellers” once again increasing the duty fees for imported goods as the broke government seeks to raise money to pay civil servants.
Sources in the parastatal told ZimEye.com yesterday the travellers’ rebate and the daily remission of duty have been drastically reduced meaning travellers have to part with a lot of money to have their goods cleared at Beitbridge border post.
Sources at Beitbridge disclosed to ZimEye.com, there was no time to notify travellers because the government was in desperate need to boost its coffers to pay civil servants.
It is understood the government now solely depends on Zimra for revenue collection and payment of civil servants.
“The duty free allowance -travellers’ rebate has been reduced to $ 200 from $300 per calendar month-meaning those travelling from South Africa have to fork out extra money for payment of duty. Same day travellers used to bring in $50 dollars worth of duty free goods but the duty free fee has also been reduced to just $10 dollars. The daily remission of duty has therefore been drastically reduced,” said a ZIMRA official at Beitbridge border post.
Informal transporters known as malayichas have also been affected since they are now expected to pay for the goods they transport under commercial importation and in turn they will also increase their charges, it has emerged.
The raft of changes introduced by Zimra are set to negatively affect travellers as government desperately seeks to boost its virtually dry coffers in order to pay civil servants.
Sources also said all goods previously classified as duty free commodities would now be taxed by the parastatal in a desperate bid to increase cash inflow.
“Almost everything will be taxed in some way. We are being issued with directives so there is nothing we can do about,” said the source.

A top Masvingo businessman has been swindled of his mercedes benz plus thousands of dollars, by a 32-year old prophet who promised healing for a troublesome illness and to destroy a goblin.
Soshangane Nzumakase (32) allegedly forced the tycoon’s wife Anesu Mamboininga of Rhodene suburb to surrender cash and property worth nearly $50 000 to get rid of a goblin that was haunting her husband.
The prophet referred by some as a “N’anga”, Nzumakase of Runyararo West suburb in the city, demanded over $30 000 and a Mercedez Benz worth over $15 000 from Mamboininga whose husband Teedzerai Ndige was seriously ill because of an alleged goblin haunting him.
Nzumakase has since appeared before Masvingo provincial magistrate Mr Langton Ndokera facing extortion charges.
He denied the charges arguing that he helped Mamboininga and Ndige after allegedly teaming up with three other Chipinge-based prophets and n’angas to kill a powerful goblin that was haunting Ndige.
Nzumakase, who is represented by Mr Collins Maboke of Ruvengo and Maboke also argues that he lost some of his household property to fire after he tried to burn a big snake that Ndige kept at his house only to get the shock of his life after the snake started to torch his clothes back home.
Mr Ndokera remanded Nzumakase out of custody to February 15 for trial.
The prosecutor Mr Tavonga Musona told the court that sometime in 2012, Mamboininga approached Nzumakase for help after Ndige had developed mental illness which could not be treated by other prophets, doctors and traditional healers. Mamboininga allegedly went to Nzumakase’s house in Runyararo West were he found him dressed in traditional healing garb and started performing rituals before demanding payment to save Ndige from death.
Nzumakase then allegedly went to Mamboininga’s Rhodene suburb house where he also performed some rituals and said Ndige was going to die unless the spirit and goblin that was haunting him was tamed.
In a bid to save her husband’s life, Mamboininga went to Nzumakase’s house a few days later and asked for help whereupon she was told that Ndige was being haunted by a goblin that could only be killed with the help of powerful traditional healers in Chipinge.
They teamed up and went to the Tamandai area of Chipinge where rituals were performed but Ndige’s condition worsened. In January 2013, Nzumakase told Mamboininga that he had saved Ndige from death the previous month and demanded a bus as payment or the equivalent.
Mamboininga gave Nzumakase $6 600 and a Mercedez Benz worth $15 000.
Nzumakase allegedly continued to threaten Mamboininga that her husband was going to die and was paid $12 000 realised from sale of household property.
Early this month, Nzumakase allegedly lied to Mamboininga that he had found some human flesh in her Mercedez Benz and demanded the car’s registration book so that he could go and burn the goblin in Bulawayo. Mamboininga became suspicious and made a report to police leading to Nzumakase’s arrest along the Masvingo-Mbalabala Road. – Agencies

At a time when the hospital is failing to buy basics such as painkillers, Harare Central Hospital has blown over $88,000 for its CEO, Mrs Peggy Zvavamwe.

State Media report

Harare Central Hospital chief executive officer Mrs Peggy Zvavamwe is under investigation following her recent cash purchase of an executive vehicle worth over $88 000 at a time when the institution is struggling to provide even pain killers for patients, sources have revealed.
Sources close to the happenings told The Herald that Mrs Zvavamwe was placed under investigation by the Ministry of Health and Child Care two weeks ago after she ordered the finance department last month to stop all other procurements until they raised $88 359 required for her Jeep Cherokee in line with her conditions of service.
The ministry’s acting principal director for curative services Mr Douglas Mangwanya promised to provide details, but later stopped picking his mobile phone.
Sources said the money was raised from daily revenue and instead of buying medicines and other sundries, it was used to pay for Mrs Zvavamwe’s vehicle.
The payment was effected last Thursday and a black Jeep Cherokee was delivered to the health institution on Friday.
Suppliers are now said to be demanding their dues after learning that the institution raised such huge cash amounts.
“This is shocking, considering the fact that hospitals, including Harare Central Hospital were blaming the economic environment for shortage of medicines in institutions yet they can raise such amounts in a short space of time,” said a source.
“This shows that our priorities are completely misplaced. Imagine patients are walking away with prescriptions every day. The hospital does not have antibiotics, painkillers or even cotton wool. Patients are being asked to buy medicines because the hospital cannot provide them yet they not only prioritise purchase of a vehicle but cash purchase of such magnitude,” added the source.
Another source from the Ministry of Health and Child Care head office weighed in and said that hospitals were expected to purchase vehicles for their CEOs through bank loans and not cash from the hospital coffers.
“The approval from Treasury was that they secure loans for procurement of executive vehicles, which will be paid in monthly instalments. That was a better arrangement as it does not suffocate other areas of service provision,” said the source.
But Mrs Zvavamwe dismissed the allegations saying everything done was above board.
Mrs Zvavamwe said every year end, the institution experiences financial difficulties resulting in suspension of all procurements except for medicines and kitchen goods and 2015 was not an exception.
She said the drug shortages experienced at Harare Central Hospital were similar to those that were being experienced by other central health institutions in the country.
“Our theatre is functioning at full throttle; the children’s hospital is functioning. If there are no medicines, how do these departments work? The shortages we are experiencing are not peculiar to Harare Hospital,” she said.
Mrs Zvavamwe said they started saving for the vehicle in April last year and the money was only paid to suppliers at the beginning of January.
She said getting a loan from the bank would still mean the hospital will be paying something monthly to the bank.
She dismissed allegations that the hospital was now saving money for vehicles for directors saying the approval was only for the chief executive.
Central hospitals throughout the country are experiencing drug shortages largely due to financial challenges experienced in the country.
Usually, hospitals would get their drugs from Natpharm at subsidised rates but Natpharm is unable to procure medicines due to financial challenges.
According to Natpharm, medicines for Government institutions stored at the company only constitute 10 percent while the rest were bought by donors and are meant for specific conditions such as HIV and Aids, tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal health.- State Media

Harare – ZimEye brings you updates on the missing 14 year old boy, Jonathan Mhlanga who disappeared Sunday 17th January at around 8pm in Hatcliff.
Information coming through from witnesses who called in following the ZimEye article is that he was spotted on Monday in Domboshawa while dropping off a kombi. The location of the citing is the Domboshawa showgrounds. Despite this information, however, his exact whereabouts at present are still unknown.

The infamous so called “Nikuv rigging system” will now be a thing of the past once the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has moved to adopt a finger print and eye scan system.

The Zimbabwean Government will cut salaries of teachers who will fail to produce good results especially for public examination classes, among a cocktail of measures aimed at improving the quality of education in the country.
This comes into effect this month following an announcement in the budget statement presented by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa last year which also recommended that teachers at all schools which will register below 50 percent pass rate at Grade 7 and O-level will forego their April, August and December salaries.
The development comes at a time when teachers are also quaking in their boots following increased visits by officials from Civil Service Commission who are conducting impromptu checks and head counts. In Bulawayo, some teachers said inspectors were checking records of mark books, scheme books and pupil’s registers.
“Sometimes they even inspect if teachers are properly dressed. Most of these inspectors are rough,” said a teacher at a local school.
Another teacher said at his school some teachers were coming to work at around 11am since they teach hot seating classes, but inspectors were not prepared to listen to such cases.
“They argue that teachers are supposed to be at work for eight hours. The inspectors said all those who were not at school when they visited must bring their books to the regional offices or they will be struck off the payroll.”
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira defended the unannounced visits and said they were not targeted at teachers only but all civil servants.
“CSC is the employer and it is within its mandate to inspect Government workers. The inspections are an ongoing process and they are being done in all Ministries not only in schools, to make sure that work is being done,” she said.
In addition to the visits, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has also increased the teacher-pupil ratio.
According to the guideline sent to all heads the new teacher-pupil ratio for Early Childhood Development has been revised up to one teacher per 25 pupils from the previous one teacher per 20 pupils, while for junior schools it is now one teacher per 40 pupils up from one teacher per every 35 pupils.
For secondary schools, Form One to Four, the ratio has been reviewed to one teacher per every 35 pupils from the previous one teacher per 30 pupils, while for examination classes, Ordinary level it is now one teacher per 33 pupils up from one teacher per 25 pupils.
Practical subject teachers will now be superintending over 100 pupils each up from the previous one teacher per 75 pupils.
Meanwhile, thousands of relief teachers have been sent back home, hardly two weeks after being hired, after Government terminated their contracts last week following the recalling of teachers on vacation leave.
The exact number of affected relief teachers could not be immediately established as officials from both the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare were not forthcoming with details.
A circular from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education dated 18 January, which also announced the recalling of all teachers who were on leave said relief teachers who had been engaged had to leave work in 24 hours.
“Reference is made to the Permanent Secretary’s minutes dated 18 January 2016 that all teachers who had applied for vacation leave be recalled to their respective stations. Teachers on relief posts should be given 24-hour notice to leave stations if they had already been engaged,” reads the circular signed by Matabeleland North acting provincial education director Mr Jabulani Mpofu.
However, teachers’ unions said they believed what was happening in the education sector was a direct attack on teachers.
They indicated that they were planning to file papers in court challenging the issue of recalling teachers on leave while consulting their members with a view to down tools in protest over “harassment”.
Zimta chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said their lawyers were already working on papers which they will file in court this week.
“That decision has already been made. Our lawyers are already working on the papers which we expect to file this week. We have told the Government that this is the route we are taking if they do not reverse that decision. This decision was necessitated after consultations with our members who have all said that this is an illegal decision hence the need for us to take them to court,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said teachers felt they could only be given an ear if they strike.
“I cannot rule out the possibility of a strike, everything that is happening now is building up towards a strike. First was the budget presentation by the Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa. We were never consulted during its making but there are a lot of provisions that negatively affect our membership. After that we are told of a 450 page-report on the sector that was presented to Cabinet. We do not even know its contents, we were supposed to meet with the Government on 20 January to discuss this report and other matters but this never materialised. We are consulting our membership and we will surely have a way forward soon,” said Mr Ndlovu.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Mr Takavafira Zhou also said they were consulting their members on the way forward.
“It is like we do not exist at all. This is a clear fight. Our members are now looking at us to get a clear way forward because every teacher is frustrated, first nothing is being said about our bonuses and then all these other mind boggling policies. When you look at it, it is like someone is sitting at a certain office tasked with frustrating teachers. As it stands I will not rule out a strike, the only question right now is when?” said Mr Zhou.-State Media

A man has killed his six-year-old nephew in Marondera.
Mr Knowledge Kapesa was arrested after admitting to killing Tashinga Kapesa.
The lad’s body was found floating in a nearby river where the uncle had dumped him.
At the time of writing the motive for the killing was not yet known.
The murder by the man who is brother to Tashinga’s father has since caused an extremely disturbing family row as the father Blessing has begun accusing his father, Emmanuel Kapesa of conniving with the murderer.
The elderly Kapesa had to flee and seek refuge elsewhere after Blessing threatened to axe him.
Kapesa spent the whole night hiding but later returned after being persuaded by neighbours. A neighbour to the Kapesa family, Mr Chrispen Mashayamombe says the whole community is still in shock following the tragic incident.
Tashinga was an Early Childhood Development pupil at Grand Chase School.

Veteran journalist and former editor of The Sunday Mail Pascal Mukondiwa has died. Mukondiwa (70) died at Chitungwiza General Hospital yesterday morning.

Constitutional Court Ruling on Child Marriages

The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) applauds the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe for handing down a progressive judgment today, the 20th of January 2016, in which marriage of children under the age of 18 years has been outlawed. The judgement will go a long way in preserving the sexual reproductive health and human rights of minors who are below the age of 18.
ZADHR has always campaigned for the abolition of early and forced child marriages, emphasizing that such marriages compromise the health, education and basic human rights of the child.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe in terms of section 81 guarantees that children under the age of 18 years have the right to health, the right to be protected from sexual exploitation or any other form of abuse, the right to education, and the right to be protected by the law. In abolishing child marriages the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe has given life to section 81. However, there is need to realign any laws which are at variance with the constitution’s provisions and which are at variance with the judgement.
Early and forced child marriages are known to perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Every year, worldwide, it is estimated that 15 million girls, some as young as five years old are forced into marriage. Over 700 million women worldwide alive today were married as children and that 1 in every 3 girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18. Judging from such statistics it is clear that early marriages are inimical to development and predisposes young girls to health complications such as HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer, fistulas and stunted growth in children born of young mothers, factors which also lead to an increase in both maternal and child mortality.
In light of the foregoing, ZADHR will intensify its efforts in campaigning against early and forced child marriages. It has been observed that early marriages in Zimbabwe are most common in former commercial farming areas and amongst certain religious sects. The Constitutional Court judgement thus opens up space for civic education and empowerment of the girl child and communities through mass awareness of the girl child and women in general.

Zanu PF in Mashonaland East Province is appointing village heads into its structures.
The involvement of traditional leaders in politics is a breach of the Constitution which states that traditional leaders should neither be members of any political party nor act in any partisan manner.
One disgruntled Zanu PF official based in Mutoko who requested not to be named told ZimEye.com that a number of local village heads and their assistants are being incorporated into the party’s cells.
He said the latest case happened last week at Murewa centre at Zihute hall where Zanu PF held its provincial meeting which was presided over by Mabel Nkatazo (proportional representation MP for the area) and Daniel Garwe.
Both Zanu PF Mashonaland East Provincial Chairman Joel Biggie Matiza and MP Nkatazo could not pick up calls when ZimEye.com contacted them for comment.
Commenting to the development People’s Democratic Party’s Mashonaland East Chairperson Langton Matuku said they are aware of the inclusion of traditional leaders by Zanu PF in its provincial structures.
Matuku said his party was in the process of preparing some papers with the aim of suing Zanu PF for breaching the constitution.
“While they (Zanu PF) have a right to mobilise membership from ordinary people, we regard their targeting traditional leaders as going offside and would like to warn both the Zanu PF provincial members concerned and any traditional leaders who comply with such illegal orders that PDP will take legal action to stop this madness,” he said.

By Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo|A Bikita man has left the local community shell shocked after brutally killing his son for farting .
In a cold blooded murder incident, Solomon Musaengana of Musaengana village stunned local villagers after bashing his grade 7 son over farting.
According to a police report the incident happened last Sunday night when his son Munyaradzi farted in the kitchen sending his father into a fit of rage.
Narrating the sad ordeal a relative to the family said Musaengana charged at the child and killed him by crashing his head against a rock outside their hut.
“Munyaradzi had just returned from herding cattle so his mother gave him sadza to eat and he farted in the process.Her mother chased her out of the kitchen and Musaengana followed him, caught the boy and crashed his head against the rock.Musaengana continued to assault the boy with a whip until he collapsed and died instantly ,” said the relative.
Musaengana who has since been arrested claimed he wanted to teach his son conventional rules of social behaviour.
Musaengana ‘s wife screamed for help as her enstranged husband brutally killed their son.By the time local villagers arrived Munyaradzi was already dead.
Kraal head Musaengana said the incident was attributed to demonic possession.
“We are still in a state of shock and I strongly believe the incident happened as a result of demonic influence,” he said.
The police here have also expressed concern over the increase of murder cases across the province .

A HOPE Fountain man who clobbered his father to death with a knobkerrie while his mother watched helplessly, has been freed after the High Court ruled that he was mentally unstable when he committed the brutal killing.
Vulindlela Ncube, 41, fatally assaulted his father Enos Ncube, 64, after accusing him of bewitching him. Vulindlela of Village B, will however, be restricted to a special institution to receive medical treatment after Justice Francis Bere of the Bulawayo High Court passed a not guilty verdict.
The judge ruled that Vulindlela could not be held legally responsible for killing his father as he was mentally ill at the time of committing the crime.
Justice Bere returned a special verdict of not guilty to a murder charge because of insanity in terms of the Mental Health Act. Medical reports compiled by psychiatrists showed that Vulindlela was suffering from mental health problems when he killed his father.
“From the evidence given in court, Vulindlela was examined by psychiatrists and the medical report showed that he was suffering from a mental disorder. He has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and therefore can’t be held legally responsible for his actions,” ruled Justice Bere.
The judge said Vulindlela was a danger to society and ordered him to be taken to a mental health institution for further treatment.
Prosecuting, Whisper Mabaudhi said on May 14, 2010 shortly after 5.30PM, Vulindlela arrived home from a beer drink and proceeded to the sitting room where he took a teapot and a mug.
The court heard that when his father took a knobkerrie and rebuked him, Vulindlela became violent and he disarmed his father and started assaulting him.
“Ncube fell down and Vulindlela struck him in the face and forehead until he died,” said Mabaudhi.
Vulindlela’s mother alerted her neighbours and they came and apprehended Vulindlela. A report was made to the police leading to his arrest.-Newsday

By Terrence Mawawa Masvingo|School pupils at Zimondi Secondary School in Chikomba District teamed up with the local community and boycotted lessons in protest against the school head who is being accused of corruption and fraud.
At least 200 pupils at the school refused to attend lessons last week protesting against the headmaster Isaac Huruva who is being accused of corruption and fraud.
Huruva who was on suspension last year for allegedly defrauding the school of $ 12 000, resurfaced this term, irking the parents and the pupils .
The pupils refused to attend lessons demanding Huruva’s resignation, reports state. “About 200 pupils refused to attend lessons demanding the school head’s resignation. Only 40 pupils attended lessons and we hope there will be sanity. There are allegations that the headmaster siphoned money from the school coffers and the matter is being investigated,” said a source at the school.
Chikomba District Education officer Ngoni Mujuru confirmed the incident and claimed the poor attendance was common during the opening weeks of the school term.
However ZimEye.com is reliably informed Huruva appeared in court last year on allegations of fraud and the headmaster is also expected to appear before the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education investigating team in the district this month.

A  Harare court heard that a man beat his wife for allegedly practising witchcraft and possessing goblins.
Fiona Murisa yesterday appeared before magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa saying her husband, Callisto Mujera, who is a police officer, accuses her of possessing goblins which are blocking his success.
Murisa, who was seeking a protection order, claimed that Mujera has barred her relatives from visiting their matrimonial home, accusing them of being witches out to hurt him.
“He is my husband ,but he assaults me saying that I am a witch,”.
“He also rebukes me calling me all types of derogatory names such that I had to leave our matrimonial house because I could no longer stand his abuse. I want him to be barred from coming to my house because he will assault me again,” Murisa said.
Her husband, Mujera denied the allegations and told the court that Murisa was the one abusing him.
“She is lying before the court and I wish the court to grant a reciprocal protection order because she also abuses me,” he said.
She tries to turn my children against me, by telling them bad things.
“She tells our children that I am a promiscuous man. I cannot be banned from going to her house as she has told the court because she is living at a college where I am doing my studies,” Mujera said.
The magistrate ordered Mujera to stop abusing his wife and accusing her of witchcraft and possessing goblins as he does not have any evidence. –  State Media

Three political party leaders alleged to have made PDP leader Tendai Biti their chief negotiator, have dismissed the news report as false and misleading.
Below is their full statement:
The Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ), the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and Zapu hereby advise their members and the general public that the story under the bylines of Elias Mambo and Wongai Zhangazha published by The Zimbabwe Independent (22 January 2016) stating that our respective parties agreed at a recent meeting to appoint the President of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Tendai Biti to be the chief negotiator for and on behalf of our parties with the yet to be formed People First is totally false and a complete fabrication in every respect without any factual foundation. No meeting of the parties mentioned in the story took place nor have the parties agreed on any engagement with People First let alone on the appointment of any person to represent them in such alleged engagement.
While we as progressive democratic parties recognize and accept the imperative of like-minded political parties who share the same values in words and deeds, to join forces in order to find common solutions to the challenges facing our people and save them from the suffering brought upon our nation by the ZANU PF regime we don’t believe that this purpose is in anyway served or advanced by the giving and publication of false stories.

Brawling post-congress Zanu PF bigwigs have opened another battlefront in their party’s seemingly unstoppable factional and succession wars, this time exchanging deadly barbs over the government’s unfulfilled bonus promises to restless civil servants.
At the same time, the continued inability by the broke State to pay its employees their promised 13th cheques for last year is raising fresh tensions, with disaffected public sector doctors, nurses and teachers threatening to embark on debilitating mass actions over the issue.
Well-placed Zanu PF sources told the Daily News yesterday that the thorny bonus issue had become a “poison-laced game of poker” in President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party, with many bigwigs taking positions over the matter that merely advanced their faction’s interests.
“The war has now moved to bonuses and it’s literally a free-for-all at the moment. The sad thing is that many of those diving in to throw punches are only interested in their factional interests and not the civil servants or the welfare of the country.
“The fact is that there are two irreconcilable issues at play here. The first is that the economy is in serious distress and the government is broke, which means that it cannot afford the bonuses.
“The second is that the president did promise civil servants their 13th cheques, which means that the money must be found somehow. So, something has to give — hence the current poison-laced game of poker among the various party factions over the issue,” an insider said.
Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo deftly kicked the sensitive issue for touch when approached for comment yesterday, referring the Daily News to the government, which he said was best-placed to offer insights into the matter.
“We cannot comment on the matter, since the minister (Public Service minister Prisca Mupfumira) has already made statements on that,” Khaya Moyo said.
A forthright Mupfumira said on Tuesday that the issue of bonuses for civil servants was not a priority at the moment for the cash-strapped government, which is battling to raise funds to feed millions of citizens facing starvation.
She also said that she was not sure when the money for bonuses was going to be made available by the fiscus — although she reiterated the government’s commitment to fulfil Mugabe’s promise.
“It is a matter of priorities my son, people are starving out there and government has no money. So, the priority at the moment is to feed the people.
“I urge civil servants to be patient because like we said, we are committed to paying (them their bonuses) because the president said we must and now it’s a matter of when not if.
“We do not have a date yet because of the other things we are grappling with, but treasury is looking for the money and once it is there, they will be paid. We all need bonus, don’t we?” Mupfumira said.
To underscore the boiling factional war over the bonus issue, an outspoken Zanu PF activist aligned to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s faction, Energy Mutodi, has savaged politburo member Jonathan Moyo over the matter.
He said contrary to recent suggestions by the Higher Education minister that 13th cheques should not be a right, the government should pay the outstanding bonuses as soon as possible.
“The statement by Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo in which he said that bonus was not a right for government workers and that some civil servants did not deserve it because they are ‘drunkards and non-performers’ is unfortunate and should not have been said by a Zanu PF minister and a politburo member,” Mutodi posted on his Facebook page.
And twisting his factional knife in, he claimed that ever since Moyo had made the remarks, there had allegedly been disquiet among civil servants who felt let down by the government.
“The statement by the honourable minister has given a wrong impression that government has a callous unconcern (sic) for the civil servants who have for a long time endured economic hardships emanating from economic mismanagement and poor policies by government among other factors such as sanctions.
“The failure to pay bonuses is just one symptom of failure on the part of government and if professor Moyo was an alert and hardworking minister, he should have argued for the reversal of the destructive policies that continue to harm the economy such as the indigenisation policy that is scaring away investors,” Mutodi charged.
In the meantime, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, Francis Rwodzi, told the Daily News yesterday that since the government was reneging on its bonus promises, it should brace for strikes in February.
“We embarked on a strike and after we were paid our December salaries we made a statement that we will not be able to render our services if our bonuses were not paid and we will down tools in February,” Rwodzi said.
At the same time, the decision by the government to order all teachers on leave to immediately return to work has angered teachers unions who say the directive is illegal and that they will challenge it in court.
According to a circular that has been delivered to all schools around the country, the Public Service Commission intends to visit schools to ensure that teachers comply with the order.
Zimta Chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu has said the directive is a violation of leave conditions for teachers, adding that his union will approach the courts to seek redress.
He also said that the circular had come at a time when teachers were worried about whether they would get their promised bonuses.

FOR FULL STORY READ HERE – Mugabe Family Arrival Triggers Demolishing of Airport Rd Homes

Houses along Airport Road have been demolished following a notice given to residents late last year.
The residential area was declared illegal as houses were built on Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) property.
The Harare City Council has embarked on an exercise to demolish all illegal structures across the city with the latest demolition being of illegal settlers along Airport Road.
The settlement along Airport Road has been declared illegal as the land is reserved for the expansion of Harare International Airport. The settlers were notified by the city fathers of the intention.
Settlers in the area complained on the decision by the local authority citing non-communication while also alleging that their funds have been abused by land barons.
Harare has seen the emergence of illegal settlers since the adoption of the multi-currency system with land barons being accused of duping desperate home seekers of the hard earned cash.State Media

A SELF-STYLED prophet from Silobela operating in Filabusi allegedly raped a Grade 5 pupil who had been brought to him for prayers because she was sleep-walking and having nightmares.
This came to light yesterday when Nyasha Hadebe, 28, was arraigned before Gwanda magistrate, Sheila Nazombe, facing two counts of rape. Hadebe was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to January 26.
Prosecutor, Takunda Mafudze, said sometime in November 2015, the minor was sent to Hadebe’s home for treatment as she was sleep-walking and having nightmares. During the same month, Hadebe woke up at night and went to the girl’s room which was adjacent to his bedroom hut.
He let himself in and raped her. Hadebe raped her again on Christmas Day. On that day, the girl went to sleep alone as usual and locked the door from inside. At about 11PM, Hadebe allegedly woke up from his bedroom, leaving his wife asleep and broke into the hut in which the minor was sleeping.
The girl did not see him entering the room as she was fast asleep. He raped her again and warned her against telling anyone about the abuse.
The matter came to light when the girl returned to her parents’ home on the following day and told her aunt.
The aunt and some elders reported the matter to the police and Hadebe was arrested.
The girl was referred to Filabusi District Hospital and it was confirmed that she had been raped.-State Media

A 6 year old Bulilima boy jumped off a moving pickup truck and died on the spot after the vehicle failed to stop at his dropping off point.
Nkosiyazi Sibanda, a Grade 1 pupil at Khame Primary School, was on his way from school when the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon. Khame area councillor, Tamilika Ndlovu, said Nkosiyazi, who was in the company of his schoolmates, was offered a lift by a community member.
“The boy was in the company of his peers and they were coming from school around 2PM. They passed through Khame Business Centre where one of the villagers had parked his car.
“They requested for a ride to their respective homes and he agreed. The boy was supposed to be the first to disembark but the driver did not stop. When he realised that he had missed his bus stop he jumped off the vehicle,’’ said Ndlovu.
He said the driver continued on his way and only stopped a few metres away after other children notified him about the incident. Ndlovu said when the driver returned to check on the boy, he was already dead. He said the boy’s head crashed on the road.
Nkosiyazi’s grandmother, Midah Sibanda, said she received news of her grandson’s death while she was waiting for him to return home from school. The boy’s parents work in South Africa, but they have since returned home for his burial.
She said she found Nkosiyazi dead, about 300 metres from their homestead. “My grandson was living under my custody as his parents stay in South Africa where they work. He left in the morning for school and I expected him to return in the afternoon like he always did.
‘’When my neighbours called me to the scene, my grandchild had already died. His head was severely injured and there was a lot of blood on the ground. I assumed that he panicked when he saw the vehicle passing his bus stop which explains why he jumped,’’ said Sibanda.
“As a family we only heard that Nkosiyazi had jumped out of a moving vehicle that was being driven by a local person. In as much as we would have loved things to happen in a different way, we just have to accept that accidents happen.
“It pains us though that we have lost a young life in the family. Children are gullible and adventurous and there is a need for anyone who handles them to be extra careful”.State Media

Zanu PF central committee member and President Robert Mugabe nephew Phillip Chiyangwa has reportedly ordered the arrest of the Southlea Park Home Owners Association leadership who are challenging his $42 million compensation for the government owned farm  home to 8000 people.
On Wednesday the Harare Central Police Station’s Law and Order Section arrested two leaders of the residents’ association Nathan Nyambuya and Clifford Kaseke ” on Chiyangwa’s orders”.
The police detained the two after telling them that Chiyangwa was accusing them of trespassing and influencing residents to stop paying compensation for their stay at “his” land.
Clifford Kaseke the deputy Southlea Park Home Owners Association President said they were detained by the police the whole of Wednesday.
“The police told us that we were facing three charges, that is, trespassing, blocking residents from compensating Chiyangwa and selling stands,” he said.
“For selling stands we asked them to show us the evidence which they said Chiyangwa had and on trespassing we did show them our home addresses which indicated that we are home owners and we indeed stay in Southlea Park and it is the third allegation of  blocking residents from paying compensation which we admitted and showed them the High court application we filed  last week in which we are not resisting to pay but seeking clarity on the farm ownership, and it was after we had produced the High court application when the police released us and told us that they were going to  call us when they have finished their investigations”.
Southlea Park residents last week filed an application with the High court challenging Chiyangwa’s compensation demands.
The court gave Chiyangwa (10) ten days to respond before setting a hearing date.
It was after Chiyangwa was served with the summons at the weekend that he plotted for the arrest of the residents.
At the beginning of the year Chiyangwa ordered the police to block the same residents from meeting where they wanted to deliberate on the eviction threats he issued in December.

The US through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided an additional $5 million for Zimbabwe towards the eradication of hunger bringing the funding for humanitarian assistance the Barrack Obama administration  has extended to Harare to $32.5 million since June last year.
The contribution which is being channelled through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe comes after United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Director of Southern African Affairs, Bradley Bessire’s week long state visit where he assessed the current lean season and El Niño’s impact on food security in Zimbabwe.
USAID, Zimbabwe Mission Director Stephanie Funk said  the  additional $5 million contribution will support WFP’s Productive Asset Creation activity starting in May 2016 and will provide food rations or cash transfers to benefit over 80,000 individuals in eight districts across Zimbabwe over a period of six months.
“USAID is proud to support the World Food Programme to help vulnerable Zimbabweans cope through this difficult drought,” he said.
“This program addresses immediate food security needs while gradually helping vulnerable communities build resilience to climatic shocks and eliminating the need for food assistance in the long-term”.
He said the assistance will also see beneficiaries participating in the creation or rehabilitation of community assets, including irrigation systems and dams, to improve infrastructure and livelihoods for the future.
According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee, an estimated 1.5 million rural Zimbabweans will be food insecure in the first three months of this year.
This figure is likely to increase if El Niño, as predicted, causes continued drought and a poor April to June 2016 harvest.
The USAID assistance comes after there are reports of people in Masvingo, Chipinge and Matebeleland are said to be surviving on wild fruits.

By Terrence Mawawa|Residents of the City of Masvingo are drinking rusty water posing a serious health hazard in the process.
The situation has worsened at a time the Masvingo City Council blew $ 500 000 on posh vehicles for top management.
The local authority is at the same time battling to purchase the necessary chemicals for water treatment and purification-much to the chagrin of local residents. The city council spent a further $ 21,000 on motor vehicles accessories for management to enhance comfort.
The Masvingo Residents Trust (MRT) said in a statement released this week council must immediately resolve the matter to ensure residents get safe drinking water.
“The city council must ensure that residents get safe drinking water. Instead of buying themselves expensive vehicles they were supposed to channel such money towards water treatment and purification. We hope and trust the matter will be resolved urgently as we have now gone for several weeks drinking rusty and poorly treated water,” said MRT in a statement .
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Association(MURRA) spokesperson Godfrey Mtimba said it was for the city council to prioritise luxury ahead of people’s health.
“There is a potential health risk as a result of drinking contaminated water therefore we urge the local authority to act on the matter as soon as possible,” said Mtimba .
Masvingo City Council town clerk Adolf Gusha was evasive on the matter but he told ZimEye.com the council embarked on strategic partnerships to immediately resolve the matter.
The city council is under fire for purchasing posh vehicles for the local authority’s bosses at a time residents are drinking contaminated water.

A 42-year old Marondera man in the habit of bashing his sick wife accusing her of disturbing his sleep because of her frequent visits to the toilet in the middle of the night on Monday appeared before Marondera magistrate Tatenda Makwanya facing assault charges.
Reuben Mandina pleaded not guilty to the charges of assaulting his wife, Jubilee Masomere (26), but was remanded in custody to Friday when the magistrate is expected to deliver the judgment.
According to court papers, on January 4 this year at around 9pm, Mandina came home and found that the complainant had not cooked supper since she was not feeling well. Mandina then prepared the food himself. The accused person retired to bed and started accusing his wife of disturbing his sleep due to her frequent visits to the toilet.
As a result of the accusations, the complainant woke up and slept in the dining room. The accused allegedly followed his wife and ordered her to dress so that he could escort her to the hospital, but the complainant refused.
This did not go well with Mandina, who then assaulted Masomere with open fists several times. He reportedly snatched his wife’s mobile phone after she tried to call her sister.
Tariro Shirichena and Courage Chakawa represented the State.-Newsday

Vapositori sect members are in trouble after the Constitutional Court today declared marriages of girls who are under the age of 18 years, illegal.
Leading a full bench of the Constitutional Court on Wednesday Justice Florence Ziyambi ruled that no woman or man can be married before attaining the age of 18.
The ruling comes after Tendai Biti a member of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights had approached the Constitutional Court representing Loveness Mudzuru and Ruvimbo Tsopodzwa, who were married before the age of 18, and he was challenging that early marriages violate the country’s new constitution.
Justice Ziyambi said, “the application has succeeded and with effect from 20^th January 2016 registration of marriages under the age of 18 customarily or religiously is illegal and it is inconsistent with the constitution of Zimbabwe.”
Speaking to journalists after the land mark judgement Biti said he was happy to be part of “this history”.
“I think is an amazing judgement and the court should be congratulated for taking such a bold decision,” said Biti.
“I had feared that the court would leave that to the legislature but sometimes when the legislature is in differences the courts play their part and today the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe played its part”.
“So I am very proud to be part of this history, and if know that the struggle for women’s emancipation is far from over; but this is a far reaching decision and a very important decision,” he said.