Zimbabwe’s Prosecutor General, Johannes Tomana is responsible for rent dodgery for amounts accruing to over $146,000 it has emerged.
The National Prosecuting Authority has fallen on hard times as it struggles to pay rent for Corner House Building in Harare resulting in an outstanding bill of $146 000. When the National Prosecuting Authority Act became operational in January this year and the independent authority recruited its own secretariat, Government saw it fit to move them from the New Government Complex to some rented offices at Corner House.
Prosecutors moved into the new building in March this year, but the NPA is facing challenges in paying rent.
Prosecutor-General Mr Johannes Tomana revealed the information on Wednesday at the official handover of the same building from Government to the NPA. The bills have ballooned to those levels barely four months after the NPA took occupation of the building.
Appealing to Vice President and Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs overseer Emmerson Mnangagwa for financial assistance, Mr Tomana revealed that the bill now stood at $146 000.
“While we applaud our permanent secretary for the support we are being given, I want to call upon the accounting office to continue paying more attention to us in terms of the financial aspect.
“I say so because as I speak to you Sir, we are in rental arrears for this building to the tune of $146 000, which is not a very nice starting point . . .” said Mr Tomana.
However, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Mrs Virginia Mabhiza assured Mr Tomana that Treasury was addressing the problem and the debt would soon be cleared.
“The Treasury is very much aware of the problem and it is being addressed. Our plan is to clear the debt and to ensure payments are done six months in advance,” said Mrs Mabhiza.
Vice President Mnangagwa said Government would work towards constructing a building for the NPA to avoid renting other people’s properties.

He said the rented building for NPA was only a starting point for the newly established authority, but Government was planning to buy a building to accommodate prosecutors.
“This is the first of many steps to build the capacity of the NPA and hopefully in the short to medium term, it will buy its own building to be used as its headquarters. It is our vision that the NPA will be accommodated in its own premises throughout the country and that all its officers be housed in habitable offices,” said VP Mnangagwa.
VP Mnangagwa added that Government was trying to find ways of addressing all the challenges facing the NPA.
“Government is aware of the challenges faced by officers of the NPA and let me assure you that we are tirelessly looking for ways to address your conditions of service,” he said.
At the same occasion, Chinese Ambassador Lin Lin handed over a donation of 20 desktop computers, 10 laptops and five printers to the NPA.
VP Mnangagwa hailed the Chinese government for the donation, saying it strengthened the good relations between the two governments.
“Let me now also thank the Chinese government represented here by Ambassador Lin Lin for their generous donation of computers and printers.
“On behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe and indeed on my own behalf, I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to our all-weather friends from China.
“This generous donation is testimony of the good relations between the Government of Zimbabwe and the government of the People’s Republic of China . . .”
Mr Tomana said he had visited all NPA offices countrywide and realised the need to capacitate the authority for more efficiency. “We have travelled countrywide and we realised that the situation on the ground requires capacitation.
“The stations are working, but with improved capacitation, we can do better,” he said. Ambassador Lin said China would continue assisting Zimbabwe in line with the two countries’ bilateral relations.

-Herald

THE Mutare Show Grounds were cordoned off on Wednesday morning as scores of prison officers besieged the provincial agricultural exhibition centre to track down a convict who had escaped and disappeared into the adjacent Murahwa Hills. The fugitive, Kenneth Mubvumbi (29), who is serving two years at Mutare Remand Prison, made good his escape while doing maintenance work with eight other convicts under the watchful eye of two armed prison guards.
Mubvumbi tricked one of the guards into believing that he was relieving himself, yet he was scaling the perimeter fence.
Clad in his khaki prison garb, he vanished into the nearby thickets.
After realising that Mubvumbi had taken long to come out of the toilet, the guard went to investigate and got the shock of his life when he realised that the convict had actually escaped.
When journalists arrived at the scene moments after the escape, the two prison officers were at pains to explain what had happened.
One of them quickly called for help, while the other guarded the remaining eight convicts who were holding their garden tools.
“He lied that he was going to the toilet. Moments later he was gone,” said one of the convicts.
In no time, a Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service Nissan UD truck arrived at the Show Grounds with hordes of armed officers on board to beef up the search party.
They were briefed of the circumstances surrounding the escape and quickly went into action to track down the fugitive.
While some climbed up the hill, other officers mopped up the entire Show Grounds premises and surrounding areas looking for clues to nab the escapee.
“We have done this before and we are definitely going to apprehend him,” said one of the officers.

Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services public relations officer for Manicaland Region Principal Prison Officer Liberty Mhlanga said the fugitive was an inmate at Mutare Remand Prison serving a two-year sentence handed down by a Mutare court.
“He was sentenced on June 12, 2015 on malicious injury to property charges and was supposed to be out on October 11 next year. Circumstances surrounding his escape are that he scaled a security fence and disappeared into the Murahwa Hills.
“The fugitive was part of a nine-man crew that was doing maintenance work at the Show Grounds. He is yet to be located and we urge members of the public to report to the nearest police station if they have any leads,” he said.
PPO Mhlanga said search parties would work round the clock tracking the escaped convict.
In 2013, a 24-year-old prisoner was convicted by a local court for escaping from Mutare Farm Prison where he was serving a three-year jail term. Jealous Makaza made good his escape on September 24, 2013 after disappearing from the prison garden where he was working. He was due to complete the sentence on August 7, 2015.
In 2012, an armed robber escaped from holding cells at the Mutare Magistrates’ Courts soon after being convicted of four counts of robbery. Trymore Gata, who was awaiting sentence ran away from prison guards and sped off in a gate-away Toyota Mark II vehicle which was parked at the court’s entrance. He was later re-arrested and jailed.
In 2011 another armed robber was shot dead following a failed escape bid at the Mutare Magistrates’ Courts in which members of the public gave chase and apprehended the escapee in the city centre.-Manicapost

FOLLOWING a demonstration by MDC legislator Priscilla Mushonga on Zimbabwe’s importing of second hand underwear, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa has announced a 10 percent increase in import duty on second hand vehicles and a ban on the importation of second hand clothes.
Presenting the Mid-Term Fiscal Review in Parliament, Chinamasa increased surtax on imported second hand vehicles of five years and older to 35 percent from 25 percent in a bid to protect local car assemblers and contain the growing import bill.
Chinamasa announced a cocktail of measures to protect local industry which include a ban on second hand clothes and the scrapping of rebate on imported basic goods that can be produced locally from August 1. He said the economy continued to be weighed down by a ballooning import bill, with exports remaining constrained.
Imports for the six months to June this year stood at $3,1 billion from $3 billion recorded in the corresponding period last year, he said, adding that imports are expected to grow by six percent this year.
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
›› Economic growth revised downwards to 1,5 percent
›› Government to reduce wage bill from 80 percent to 40 percent of total budget.
›› Duty on second hand vehicles increased.
›› Groceries such as maize-meal, meat, sugar and flour to be removed from Traveller’s Rebate
›› Importation of second hand clothing and shoes banned
›› Agriculture output projected to decline by 8,2 percent in 2015.
›› $3 million facility for SMEs
›› $5 million seed money for Women’s Bank.
›› Revenue target reduced to $3,6 billion from $3,99 billion
›› World Bank to fund audits of Public Enterprises.
›› Blankets to be removed from the Open General Import Licence for two years.
›› Exports projected to decline by 5 percent
Exports account for 50 percent of the country’s liquidity, he said.
A marginal 0,4 percent growth was seen in exports receipts for the six months to June this
year amounting to $1,3 billion compared to $1,22 billion recorded in the corresponding period last year.
With Zimbabwe’s car manufacturing sector virtually non-existent, thousands of Zimbabweans have resorted to second hand car imports from Japan and Britain, driving up the import bill.
The importation of second hand clothes and shoes will be banned with effect from September 1 this year. Goods will be subject to seizure and destruction.
Zimbabwe’s textile and leather industries have, since dollarisation, been under siege from the influx of imports, especially finished second hand clothes, shoes and leather products that forced some of them to close down.
The new measures also form part of extensive measures the government is taking to grow the economy, with the economic growth rate revised down from 3,2 percent to 1,5 percent due to a poor agricultural season.
The slower growth is also expected to impact government revenues, which have since been revised downwards to $3,6 billion from $3,99 billion after first half collections missed the target by 6 percent.
Minister Chinamasa said apart from the negative impact of second hand imports of shoes and clothes on industrial recovery, these products posed a health hazard, as they were not subjected to fumigation.
He said despite the customs duty rates of $5 per kg on clothing and 40 percent plus $1 per pair of shoes to reduce competition for local industry, the products had continued to flood the market.
“I, therefore, propose to remove secondhand clothing and shoes from the Open General Import Licence.,” he said.
“Furthermore, any future importation of second hand clothing and shoes will be liable to forfeiture and destruction. Over and above this, the emergence of vending of cheap, low quality and smuggled imports is further choking both our producers and retailers, in addition to limiting inflows into the fiscus”.
The sale of second hand shoes and clothes had become so rampant along virtually all streets of the country’s major cities, towns and business centres, as most of the products were evading paying duty.
The used products were sold everywhere including in front of formal retail shops, which negatively impacted on established businesses that pay rentals and taxes to the government.
Prior to the proliferation of secondhand shoes and clothes, this form of trade was confined to officially designated places such as Mupedzanhamo in Mbare and Nkulumane in Bulawayo.
The minister also removed from the travellers rebate such grocery items as mealie-meal, meat, sugar and flour.
“Customs duty is levied on selected groceries that include flour, mealie-meal, bath and laundry soap, washing powder, toothpaste and petroleum jelly, among others.
“Cross-border travellers continue to import groceries duty free under rebate. However, there is no justification for continued rampant importation, since locally manufactured products are readily available,” he said. World Bank to fund audits of Public Enterprises.

A BULAWAYO man will regret the day he fondled a waitress’s private parts as he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for indecent assault.
Marvellous Ncube, 31, appeared before magistrate Batanai Tuwe facing a charge of indecent assault.
Ncube pleaded not guilty to the crime. The magistrate sentenced him to 12 months but suspended six months on condition he does not commit a similar crime.
Ncube will serve the remaining six months in prison. Prosecuting, Dzidzai Josiah said on April 6 at around 8PM the victim was at the counter when Ncube came from behind and put his hand between her legs from behind and fondled her private parts.
When the victim pushed off his hand Ncube started to insult the victim saying she’s stupid. A police officer Tayengwa Mhlanga, who was a patron at the sports bar, spotted Ncube.
Tayengwa told the court how Ncube fondled the victim.
“I saw him put his hand underneath the buttocks as if to touch the private parts. I went up to him to show him my police identity card,” he said.
He said he called another police officer who was on duty from Southampton Building to arrest Ncube.
Ncube told the court that he was not drunk and remembers the events of the alleged night.
“I didn’t touch her. I just asked for a drink and she called me a thief. I was surprised when the police officer arrested me,” he said. Tuwe found Ncube guilty of indecent assault.
“Indecent assault can easily turn to rape and this matter calls for a deterrent sentence. The rights of women must be seen to be upheld by the courts,” he said.-Chronicle

ZIMBABWE’s VICE PRESIDENT Phelekezela Mphoko has said he is not planning on removing President Robert Mugabe.
Speaking yesterday Mphoko dismissed claims that he is angling to succeed President Mugabe.
He said he is content with his current post.
Mphoko appointed last year, said he should not be mixed up in succession plots after becoming a target of so called anti-Government tabloids.
Grace Mugabe and Zanu-PF national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere have also denied similar claims, with Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa also being a target in a scheme which appears designed to cause distrust in the party’s hierarchy.
Mphoko, who is on a tour of developmental projects in Matabeleland South province, told villagers in Maphisa that the values of his party Zanu-PF did not allow him to fight for his leader’s post.
“It has been reported that I’m fighting with Mnangagwa over the presidential post. I come from a culture with proper leadership that does not allow us to fight for our seniors’ posts,” the Vice President said.
“I want the people to know that I’m happy with my post as VP and I’m not fighting with Mnangagwa over the presidency. President Mugabe is not only our leader, but our father. We therefore respect his leadership and this will never change.”
He said it was unfortunate that people were wasting time peddling lies instead of focusing on more important things that bring development to the country.
“The late Vice Presidents s Joshua Nkomo, Simon Muzenda, Joseph Msika and John Nkomo never gave President Mugabe any problems and this is what we were taught in our party. I have no intentions to give our leader any problems.
“Those who want to be involved in fights for the presidential post are free to do so, but they should leave me alone because I’ve important work to do for the nation as VP.”
Kasukuwere, who is also the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, recently distanced himself from the reports, saying he should be counted out of the imagined race.
He said he was there to assist and serve President Mugabe and should not be implicated in any succession plots and speculations.
President Mugabe has warned party members against propping up some leaders over others as this would create another “Gamatox” — a reference to a putschist cabal led by former Vice President Joice Mujuru who was expelled along with other top party officials for plotting to unconstitutionally depose him ahead of the 6th Zanu-PF People’s Congress last December.(State Media/Additional Reporting)

Air Zimbabwe is facing yet another crisis with the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Dr Obert Mpofu confirming that the airline has run out of Jet A1 fuel.
The minister confirmed the development to the State Media while raising fears that Air Zimbabwe might have to resort to seeking assistance from regional neighbours if its stocks have run dry.
Dr Mpofu also warned that while frantically trying to address the fuel crisis, several Air Zimbabwe flights will be affected and passengers inconvenienced.
Experts say the absence of a strategic leadership, a tainted image and other legacy issues have been identified as the major set-backs to turning around the fortunes of Air Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) says the recent Supreme Court labour rulings will help revive struggling companies operating under the current harsh economic environment.
ZNCC chief executive Christopher Mugaga on Tuesday told journalists in the capital that while the rulings had cost many people their livelihoods, the Court’s decisions would “pay dividend in the future”.
“There is absolutely nothing special about this ruling except that it was long overdue. Before (this ruling) companies could not dismiss excess workers, a situation which was bleeding and affecting performance,” he said.
Mugaga also said the ruling was a “mere interpretation of existent laws” thus making it “a very legal standing” by the court.
“We have always talked about how inflexible the country’s labour laws are, and now, the Supreme Court acted on one of the resolutions from our recently ended congress, which is that of aligning labour laws to accommodate streamlining measures.” Mugaga said.
This comes as Supreme Court Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku on July 17, 2015 passed a judgement that companies could terminate workers’ contracts at any time, without offering them packages by giving them three months’ notice.
The decision was in a case in which two former Zuva Petroleum managers, Don Nyamande and Kingstone Donga were challenging termination of their contracts.
The legal precedent that followed this decision was that most companies acted on this window and downsized, with close to 6 000 people having since lost their jobs since the ruling two weeks ago.
Early this week, barely 14 days after the first ruling, the same court made another landmark labour ruling giving employers the right to withdraw employees’ allowances and benefits saying these were not a right or entitlement.
In a judgment delivered at the Supreme Court, in a matter involving the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) against all its employees’ associations who were demanding payment of outstanding housing and educational allowances, it was ruled that the NRZ had no obligation to pay such allowances since issues of allowances were based on collective bargaining agreements.
Meanwhile, Davison Norupiri, ZNCC president said the ruling was similar to a case recorded in the 1990s.
“The ruling has stirred emotions and relief within the market, on the surface, it appears like a blatant violation of workers’ rights but once factors in the business environment we are operating in are put into play, one will realize this was a major relief.
“Surprisingly, the Zuva Petroleum vs. its staff is not the first ruling of this kind under the similar circumstances, if my memory serves me well, in the 1990s we had the Nhamo vs Chirisa case even though the judgment went unnoticed to the public,” he said. Dailynews.

The South African government this morning resumed a mass raid and deportation exercise of illegal immigrants resident in the country’s commercial capital Johannesburg.
The operation led by the South Africa Police Service includes officers from the country’s immigration department and reinforced by the City of Johannesburg’s Metro Police and members of the South African Defence Forces. Scores of officers and vehicles were this morning seen being dispatched into the notorious Hillbrow suburb of Johannesburg heavily armed and equipped.
Hillbrow is home to hundreds of thousands of foreigners most of whom are resident illegally in the country. Hillbrow is home to mostly Zimbabweans and Nigerians. It is estimated that about a million Zimbabweans are living in and and around Hillbrow a few of whom have proper documentation to reside in South Africa.
Panic hit the streets in the early hours of this morning as the police vehicles made their way into the metropolitan suburb. People were seen dashing in every direction fleeing the police. Scores of them who were on their way to work were seen getting off the taxis making good their escape back home.
At the time of this article, the police are still cordoning off several residential flats in the suburb and stopping everyone on the streets checking residence permits.
The South African government recently called on Zimbabweans resident in the country to come forward and regularise their stay in the country under a special dispensation permit. Only 650 000 out of an estimated 3 million Zimbabweans resident in the country responded to the call. The government has since been making threats to massively deport Zimbabweans who remained illegally in the country or using fraudulent documents.
It is not yet clear how long the operation code named Fiela will last or how much it will be spread into other towns in South Africa. In 2002, South Africa engaged in a similar exercise under operation Sikhukhula which was stopped by the United High Commissioner for Refugees after hundreds of thousands of foreigners had been deported or thrown into detention camps in South Africa.

DISCLAIMER: The below opinion piece is the author’s and no one else’s  : Once again, the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe, has put paid to speculations that were doing rounds in rumour mongering mills of the private media about her political ambitions.
Only recently, President Mugabe exposed other speculations that were peddled in the same media when he appointed Nyasha Chikwinya as the Minister of Women, Gender and Community Development, a ministry that detractors ruminated that it was being reserved for the First Lady. That was not to be and the First Lady pointed out clearly that she was not interested in a cabinet post. Indeed, she was very sincere in saying this because she has all the ministerial merits. There is nothing that could have stopped her from becoming one for she is far much better than certain people in the cabinet.
The First Lady bared out her thoughts on politics during her recent birthday celebrations. She told the whole nation, if not the entire world, that she was not eyeing the presidency neither did she had presidential ambitions. The private and international media have been awash with gibberish that suggested that the President was grooming his wife for the presidency.
Now that she has set the record straight, what is next for these peddlers of lies and prophets of doom? In any case, there is no law in Zimbabwe that prohibit her, as the First Lady, from seeking election as president, let alone any political office. She is a Zimbabwean citizen who, like anyone else, has constitutional rights to seek for any political office.
The constitution of Zimbabwe part 2 Section 91 subsection (1) (a)-(b) says: “A person qualifies for election as President or Vice President if he or she is a Zimbabwean citizen by birth, has attained the age of forty years, is ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe and is registered as a voter.”
Not that I am lobbying the First Lady to throw her hat in the ring but only that detractors must know that she is Zimbabwean who meets the prerequisites for the presidential office. She is a registered voter, a resident Zimbabwean, and she is 10 years above the constitutional age limit. Therefore, there is nothing whatsoever that can prohibit her from joining the presidential race as long as people support her.
However, we respect her decision to stay away from the presidential race and concentrate on women issues and her charitable projects. I personally wish if children’s affairs can come under her jurisdiction in the politburo. Nevertheless, Zimbabwe needs people of her calibre for the top office in the country. Like her husband, she is development oriented, which is what this country needs most in the face of the illegal sanctions that have devastated our country. She is philanthropist, a rare attribute that will pay dividend to this country. It will be a blessing in abundance for a country to have a big-hearted leader.
All the presidential hopefuls for this country, after the visionary leader, President Mugabe, must take a cue from the First Lady. They must be embodiment of all the virtues that are in the First Lady. They must adopt the zero tolerance to corruption and other vices. Zimbabwe needs someone who will be able to say, “Stop it” to all the vices that are an albatross around the neck of the socio-economic development of this country.
The birthday celebrations of the First Lady also exposed people who are always blind to good things but are quick to point at faults. The private media and other detractors slated the celebrations that they referred to as lavish. They wanted to give an impression that the First Lady was hosting the celebrations for personal benefits.
The First Lady keeps several orphans at her Mazowe children’s home and she is a patron of many other similar homes in Zimbabwe. The money she realised at the dinner will be channelled towards these homes. The funny part of it is that some of the people who are making the noise are the ones who sired and dumped or neglected the children that the First Lady is looking after.
There are many well-heeled people in this country but the idea of extending a helping hand to the needy and vulnerable section of the community never crossed their minds. Even the principal of these detractors, at one time, was very moneyed but never thought of adopting even a single orphan. Instead, he ‘adopted’ women, most of whom were gold diggers.
That principal lived large in a sea of poverty. He could afford a trip to New York to celebrate his belated birthday. He gave his newfound lover an open cheque to spend as she pleased. He could afford to pay US$36 000 in bride price for a wife, whom he later divorced and paid US$300 000 in an out of court settlement.
In a country that was economically bleeding, that principal afforded to buy a US$40 000-kitchen unit for a girl friend whom he later took for a wife. The same people, who try to play ignorance as an excuse to attack a noble cause, never censured that level of profligacy by their extravagant principal.

Rochdale News| A man has been charged with murder after a woman died in Rochdale.
Josphat Mutekedza (13/08/1979) of no fixed address was charged with murder and section 16 firearms offences and is due to appear before Manchester city magistrates today, Thursday 30 July 2015.

A 45-year-old man arrested has been released without charge.
At around 9.50pm on Wednesday 28 July 2015, police were called to reports of a disturbance on Shawclough Way in Rochdale.

Numerous reports were received of a man with a gun and further reports were received of shots having been fired.
A 35-year-old woman was found with stab wound injuries but she sadly died at hospital.-Rochdale News

Gokwe Nembudziya farmers have resorted to protect their cotton produce using so called “traditional methods” in which they use baboons as security guards following several thefts of their cotton bales by unscrupulous guards.
This came to light last week, after one of the security guards who was manning the cotton bales at Chinyenhyetu Township, met the traditional security partners, two baboons and a huge brown cat.
Simon Nderunderu of Kuwirirana village in Gokwe came face to face with two male baboons and a big brown cat sitting on top of a Chireya farmer’s cotton bales, and tried to scare them, but was in turn threatened by the creatures, before he took to his heals for assistance from the other guards who were on duty at the nearby shops.
The other two Rickson Machinga and Norman Ndoro advised Nderunderu to wait for the cotton owners to come, since most of Gokwe farmers have resorted to traditional ways of protecting their hard earned cotton produce.
“I am still in shock as I can still see the creatures in my eyes. I have asked my bosses to transfer me to another cotton depot, but they said I must resign if I am scared of Gokwe, and look for employment elsewhere,” said Nderunderu .
The two guards, who came to Simon’s rescue Machinga and Ndoro refused to be pictured for fear of victimisation from their employers and villagers, but confirmed the ordeal to ZimEye.com.
“We suspect our friend wanted to steal some of the cotton and came face to face with the creatures. In Gokwe, it is now common that farmers use their traditional means to protect their harvests, like what we saw at the cotton depot.
This time it’s no longer easy to reap what you did not sow in Gokwe, as most of the people are witches and can do everything possible to protect their wares from thieves,” said Machinga.
The owner of the cotton bales, who identified himself as Robson Kazenge confirmed the ownership of the creatures, but refused to shed more light on how he work with them.
“Sorry young man, it’s my secret that I will not reveal to you, because you will publish it and I will lose my wealth. What will you do to help me when I lose my strength? Iwe just know that these are my creatures that’s all,” said Kazenge before ordering this journalist to leave him in peace.
Gokwe Nembudziya has been awash with juju, as two weeks ago, a young girl rose from the dead before burial and also three old women confessed to have human flesh in their huts, for relish.
Headman Nembudziya’s representative Chekayi Chingwe confirmed the presence of the creatures and warned villagers against stealing from anyone’s fields, as death will befall them.
“We strongly warn thieves not to risk their lives here in Nembudziya, as we tried in vain to dialogue with juju community to resolve their issues amicably with their victims. Many people are dying as a result of theft from villages, especially from swelling stomachs and headaches,” he said.

A prophet Emannuel Makandiwa fake miracle exposed last month has opened another can of worms after the preacher attempting to ward off the humiliation was shown to have failed to heal the very same usher who pulled a string planted onto the red dress woman exposed by ZimEye.com, (Mrs Muza from Kwekwe).
Unedited church footage show that the same usher who performed the fraudulent act, remained with her own fat belly ( a real one) unhealed. The woman whose name was revealed as “Mrs Mbova”, is seen struggling with her bulging belly on live camera while Makandiwa claims to have healed the one Mbova is ushering(in a red dress). Her large belly is in sharp contrast to the one of the said “ill” woman in red dress- see picture below…

SEE VIDEO:

The woman in red dress has since been found to have lied that she has medical records to prove her belly condition. VIDEO:

In another video stitch up, Makandiwa responded to the expose’ as he called for ZimEye journalists to “bring their own bellies to be healed” by him. But news readers have asked why Makandiwa failed to perform the same miracle on his own usher a few centimetres from the patient, Mrs Mbova.

The Mugabe administration has once again come under fire from Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo Metropolitan Senator Eddie Cross, after he compared the effects of climate change as better than the Harare administration.
In his brief presentation during the Climate Change Consultative Forum in Bulawayo yesterday, the main opposition legislator blasted the ZANU PF led government for lack of professional governance in everything they do.
“Zimbabwe has failed to implement all important concerns and main activities due to their poor leadership skills and corruption. In as much as I am one of the legislators, I can confirm here that we have failed as a country, because we are under a bad government, whose mandate is not people oriented, but based on selfish ends.
This government is worse than the effects of climate change, as it has failed to rescue its people from the jaws of poverty they created,” said Eddie Cross.
His sentiments concurred with those of MDC Renewal Spokesperson Joshua Mhambi, who said that the Mugabe led government needed “guidance from the word of God”.
“While Zimbabwe was reduced from the bread basket of the continent to the cursed basket, the government must have the political will to deliver and implement their election promises. A bad government makes everything worse,” said Cross.

Zimbabwe’s Police officers prone to numerous senseless acts across the country, will now have powers to shoot suspects who resist arrest or attempt to flee from police custody under sweeping new powers.
The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment Bill, currently at the public consultation stage, will allow police to use lethal force, even on unarmed suspects.
The development comes shortly after a “senseless” act by a police officer who was caught on camera nearly getting himself killed by dangling his full body onto a moving kombi, shocked the entire Harare community.

Jessie Majome, who chairs the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs parliamentary portfolio committee, on Tuesday told Gweru residents that if the Bill sailed through, police will have extra powers which she suggested cannot be supported by the Constitution.
She said: “Clause 15, Subsection (2) of section 42 of the Act permits the killing of persons who resist arrest or attempt to escape arrest. Under section 86(3) of the Constitution, the right to life can’t be limited by any law (except to the extent specified in section 48).”
Gweru residents attending the consultative meeting forcefully opposed the proposed law change.
They said if police were given power to kill, it would result in people living at the mercy of police officers.
Martin Chivhoko said police should rather shoot to injure or disarm an armed person. He said the Bill was not even clear on persons who were not armed.
“What if one is not armed but is resisting arrest? Will the police kill that person? Police shouldn’t just kill people,” he said. “What I’m saying is that killing shouldn’t be allowed as the police will finish us (sic).”
Cleopas Shiri from Mkoba suburb said the Bill should state that only dangerous criminals armed with guns should be killed. There was less debate when other proposed amendments were discussed.
Changes to Clause 20 Section 52(2) of the Act, which gives police officers power to stop people found carrying goods at night, passed without much comment.
It reads: “If anyone so stopped cannot give a satisfactory explanation for having the goods, the police officer can convey the person to a police station or prison and detain him or her until the next sitting of a Magistrates’ Court.”
“This clause will replace subsection (2) by other provisions that require, firstly, that a person so stopped cannot be detained unless he or she is suspected of committing an offence; and secondly, which ensures that people arrested under the section are accorded their constitutional rights.”
Clause 21 is being proposed to amend section 54 of the Act, which empowers a police officer to enter without a warrant any premises (other than a dwelling house) to get evidence of the commission of an offence by way of interrogation of any person and the examination of any books, records or other documents. “The amendment will require a police officer subjecting any person to these powers (whether that person is a suspect in a criminal offence or not) to furnish that person upon his or her demand with the particulars of his or her name, rank and number, and the reasons for carrying out the search and seizure without warrant. Any police officer who fails to do so will commit an offence.” -State Media/Additional Reporting

President Robert Mugabe yesterday said Government will not hesitate to kick out British and American ambassadors if they continue instigating chaos by funding vendors to resist relocation to designated areas. Officially opening the Global Small and Medium Enterprises Expo in Harare, the President warned the two ambassadors to stop fomenting anarchy here.
“The resistance by vendors, we see the British and American ambassadors coming to the vendors and giving them money wanting them to continue to resist and these are ambassadors of countries that have sanctions on us,” he said.
“So, we have said if they continue doing that we will kick them out of the country.”
President Mugabe said Zimbabweans were known worldwide as enlightened people and it was incumbent upon them not to be led into anarchy.
He said Americans and the British were averse to peace in developing countries and “just want to see chaos, people fighting each other, terrorism everywhere.”
President Mugabe said the British and Americans behaved as if they were possessed by demons that did not want to see peace prevailing in the country.
“What demons do they have? Apoka ndopanomuka shave rangu ipapo. When a person insists on wanting to do wrong things to undermine the peace and calm of a nation, to undermine the unity of a people, then they are no good for us,” he said.
“We don’t need the British ambassador here; we don’t need the American ambassador here. But they would want diplomatic representation with us. We don’t do that in their own countries. So, they have to behave. Behave and you will be in peace with us, misbehave and we will kick you out right from the bottom. It’s our country.”
Mugabe said Zimbabwe is an independent State that cherishes peace, which is a prerequisite for economic development.
“Hongu kana wakanga wawana nzvimbo yako, haisi nzvimbo yedahwa, dahwaka munoziva kuti rinoramba richi dzokera netsuro. Aiwa, kana wakanga wawana nzvimbo pawakanga usati wawanikidzwa uchiita mari, isiri nzvimbo yakanaka, wazowanikidzwa toti toda kukugadzirai zvakanaka tiise mastores pamunofanira kutengesera, aah kwete dzava nharo,” President Mugabe said.
He urged vendors to relocate to designated areas and not turn urban centres into chaos and confusion.
“Asika tinenge tisingade mvonga-mvonga, magariro atinoona kune dzimwe nyika where you see goats in the city centre like in First Street,” said President Mugabe.
“That’s what I once witnessed in West Africa, no, we want to ensure that those who have shops are able to sell their wares freely, then goats must go kumbudzi.”
Mugabe commended the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development Sithembiso Nyoni for organising the Small and Medium Expo and urged her to ensure that similar future expos are well publicised so that they become larger.
Mugabe said it was an acknowledged fact that the SME sector plays a pivotal role in the economic development of many countries.
He said according to the International Finance Corporation of 2012, there are more than 125 million SMEs globally absorbing about 67 percent of employment, and contributing more than 51 percent to the gross domestic product.
“Locally, SMEs employ more than 60 percent of the country’s workforce and contribute over 50 percent to the country’s GDP,” said President Mugabe.
“Having recognised the importance of such a viable and dynamic sector, essential and pivotal for economic development, we in Zimbabwe established the Ministry of SMEs and Cooperatives.”
He urged SMEs to obtain local and global certification standards so that their products can compete in the global economy. He said entrepreneurs should take advantage of Zimbabwe’s geographical location which is strategically placed at the centre of Sadc and the COMESA region.
He also said the Government was committed to addressing challenges being faced by SMEs which include lack of appropriate workspace, regulatory challenges and limited lines of credit.
He said SMEs were the ones that have sustained the country and showed great resistance to the enemies’ moral, political and economic onslaught aimed at installing regime change.
Mugabe said the small and medium enterprises were the ones that have continued to sustain the economy in the face of economic hardships exacerbated by drought and economic sanctions imposed by the West.
He said even people in rural areas had so much resilience that they make sure that children attend school through various initiatives that included selling livestock to buy uniforms.
“Even if we are small, we have the power to resist,” President Mugabe. “We have the power to say never again shall we come under the yoke of colonialism.”
President Mugabe commended the relations that exist between Zimbabwe and Iran and expressed hope that the two countries will exchange ideas on how best the SMEs can be harnessed and promoted for economic development.
Zimbabwe and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation between upcoming businesses and potential investors from Middle East country.
The decision to forge cooperation comes after the delegations from the two countries made successful visits to the respective countries over the last five months.
A 40-member Iranian delegation is in Zimbabwe for the 8th Zimbabwe-Iran Joint Commission which started on Tuesday.

The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Saviour Kasukuwere and the State Procurement Board (SPB) Chairperson, Charles Kuwaza could be charged for contempt of parliament after a parliamentary portfolio committee moved to have them charged.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Justice Mayor Wadyajena moved the motion this Wednesday, calling on parliament to charge Kasukuwere on charges of intimidation, verbal attacks and contempt charges.
Wadyajena alleges that the minister openly challenged him when the portfolio committee was conducting oral evidence hearings on the Marange Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trusts. Another dramatic moment also belonged to Lovemore Matuke who is the Chairperson of the Mines and Energy Parliamentary Portfolio Committee.
Matuke moved a motion for parliament to charge SPB’s Kuwaza who after appearing twice before the committee failed to adequately provide information while also insulting the committee for being disorderly. Kuwaza stands accused of failing to provide information on the ZESA tenders, and becoming ‘openly abusive.’
He at one time suggested there was no order in the committee, thus undermining the authority of parliament and the committee in particular. Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda indicated that after studying the motions, he will make a ruling.

The First Lady Grace Mugabe has implored those who run charitable organisations to be honest, transparent and upright in the running of the institutions.
Grace was speaking to representatives of several charitable organisations from different parts of Zimbabwe who gathered at Mazowe Children’s Home for the distribution ceremony of the proceeds of the First Lady’s 50th birthday fundraising dinner hosted Saturday night.
Mugabe urged charitable institutions to declare everything given in private and not to convert anything to their own personal use, warning them that God is always watching.
She said charity work is not a business where funds to do business can be applied for in a bank, adding that support for charity is from well-wishers who can only be inspired through good use of the donations.
Mugabe said charity should be viewed as a calling and be taken seriously with a committed heart.
She explained to the gathering that the Grace Mugabe Children’s Home is a permanent residence for the children unlike other institutions that take care of abandoned children up to the age of 18 when they are released into the world with or without education to equip themselves for the world.
Dr Fatima Maruta founder of the Rose of Sharon Orphanage implored the First Lady to conduct workshops on setting similar orphanages built along the lines of Mazowe Children’s Home.
Dr Maruta added that it is a pain to most orphanage founders to release their children into a jungle world after teaching them the ways of life.
The different homes received a variety of groceries, including bath soaps, rice, mealie-meal, cooking oil and US$5 000 each.
50 children’s homes from all provinces of the country were represented at the ceremony accompanied by two children from each one of the invited homes.
Mugabe also spoke about some charitable organisations who decline to give her children when her home approaches them saying they will be denying the children a second chance in life.
She said some institutions use the children to attract donations.
Some care givers who have served at the home for a period of at least 3 years were also acknowledged and thanked, with the First Lady almost in tears in expressing her gratitude.
The ceremony was also attended by President of the Senate Edna Madzongwe, Zanu PF Deputy Secretary for the Women’s League Eunice Sandi Moyo, Acting Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Prisca Mupfumira and the Minister of State for Mashonaland Central province Advocate Martin Dinha among several other government ministers, legislators and dignitaries.

FULL TEXT – Over the past two days the state-owned Herald newspaper has been running with a false story that Western governments had summoned the MDC to arrange funding for the party.
The publications give an impression that the state newspapers had an interview with our Secretary- General, Mr Douglas T. Mwonzora.
At no point did our Secretary- General have the interview with the state papers or anyone else for that matter on the subject. The reports are therefore false.
Further, the MDC is very much aware that the governments mentioned do not fund political parties. it is therefore the height of absurdity to even imply that these governments had invited the MDC.
The main sources of funding for the MDC are the political parties funding under the Political Parties (Finance Act) and the subscriptions from its members. The party has no other source of funding.
It is false therefore that the MDC will be visiting the countries mentioned in order to transact the business mentioned.The false publication is meant to justify the denial of the MDC of its share of the funds under the Political Parties (Finance) Act.
Yesterday, our Secretary-General wrote to the Herald setting the facts correct but this has fallen on deaf ears.
Obert Gutu, National Spokesperson, Movement for Democratic Change

Sugar milling giant Tongaat Hulett should fund Zanu (PF)’s election campaign in 2018 in return for favours from the state, Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Shuvai Mahofa has said.
The company has rejected Mahofa’s plea arguing that it is apolitical. Addressing Tongaat workers in Triangle last week Mahofa said that government was happy with the way Tongaat was assisting surrounding communities but would want to see more being done through supporting Zanu (PF) ‘s election campaign in 2018.
“We will always lean on you Tongaat Hulett,”said Mahofa. “We have big multi -national companies in Masvingo like Bikita minerals and Renco Mine among others but they have failed to work well with the government. We would now want you to support Zanu (PF)’s aspiring members of parliament in Masvingo in 2018.
“We are the leaders and once you fund our campaign I will make sure that all your programmes continue uninterrupted because we are in the driving seat,” she said.
The company’s managing director, Sydney Mutsambiwa, said: “I have no comment to make on what Minister Mahofa said but let me make it clear that our company is apolitical and cannot be pushed into politics.”
The government has clashed with Tongaat Huletts on several occasions with the state accusing the country’s sole sugar processor of failing to comply with indigenisation laws and failing to take on board blacks to get into the lucrative sugar cane growing business.
The company is also accused of under-declaring its land holdings. The company has denied all the allegations levelled against it, arguing that it supports local communities to the tune of $1 million annually. Zimbabwean

The Glen View Shopping Complex inferno on Wednesday morning saw the fire brigade arriving without any water, and after several hours later managing to douse the fire using “pothole water” taken from burst pipes. The entire Glen View shopping area 8 complex was razed down to ashes….CLICK HERE TO READ MORE –

Harare town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi is now demanding an exit package from the cash-strapped municipality after he was sent on forced leave last month. The State Media is reliably informed that Dr Mahachi’s lawyers have since engaged council over the matter. Dr Mahachi was set to retire at the end of the year.
“Dr Mahachi has offered to leave after seeing that he was not going to win the war with mayor Manyenyeni. He had agreed to leave council in December. Dr Mahachi however, gave us the burden of working out his package which is likely to be a hefty one,” said the source.
Clr Manyenyeni confirmed the development yesterday.
“They wrote a letter and they are saying let us sit down and discuss on the contract,” he is quoted by The Herald saying.
Sources at Town House said some directors are now jostling to replace Dr Mahachi.
The city’s Human resources and General Purposes chairperson Clr Wellington Chikombo yesterday said Dr Mahachi’s replacement would be chosen on merit.
“Town House is not a Banana Republic where idiocy is allowed to reign supreme much to the detriment of the city. We will not allow anyone who is not qualified to occupy that position on the basis that he has bought support from councillors. We want someone who is heavily chlorinated and competent,” he said.

Glen View is on fire.

Glen View Furniture Complex the place popularly known as “Ku-Masofa” was early Wednesday morning hit by a raging inferno. The Glen View shopping area 8 complex is in fumes, flames and ashes with numerous properties razed down by the inferno.
ZimEye.com can reveal the property after 5am was still on fire with just about all of its furniture destroyed after the fire brigade arrived with no water to douse the horrific fires which sent a stench across the whole neighbourhood.

Details were sketchy at the time of writing and a comment from the fire brigade not possible.

Concerns have been raised over the whereabouts of a 36 year old Zimbabwean mother.
The development comes after the woman gave testimony that she “killed” her child (INTERVIEW BELOW).

She was last seen by family members at her home in Birmingham in March soon after she told ZimEye.com she had somewhat aborted while engaged in a love triangle fight with her husband’s lover. Details were sketchy with family members saying they are worried for her safety amid concerns also for her immigration worries.
“Her phone is now off and we have no clue where she could be. It is a very difficult situation she was in but to do this is worse,” an in law relative identified as William, told ZimEye.com. Below is a video of her earlier interview:

The Supreme Court has dismissed former Attorney General Johannes Tomana’s appeal to reverse a High Court order compelling him to reinstate five prosecutors.
The five prosecutors had allegedly been dismissed for indiscipline and insubordination following an industrial action they engaged in 2011, but the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court’s decision that they be reinstated.
The five prosecutors Leopold Mudisi, Patros Dube , Derrick Charamba, Musekiwa Mbanje and Mehuli Tshuma on the 18th of September in 2011 acting under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Law Officers Association embarked on a strike seeking a redress of their salary related grievances.
Two months later, the then Attorney General Tomana allegedly withdrew his authority and power to prosecute conferred on the officers in terms of Section 76 of the constitution.
The High Court ruled in favour of the five, stating that they had not been dismissed lawfully and following due process.
Likewise, Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba and Justices Paddington Garwe and Bharat Patel unanimously dismissed an appeal by Tomana seeking the reversal of the High Court order.
The court maintained that in dismissing the five, all employed by the Civil Service
Commission as prosecutors, Tomana did not follow the tenets of natural justice embodied in section 3 of the Administrative Justice Act.

The domestic violence trial of Chitungwiza mayor Phillip Mutoti yesterday started at the Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Court with his wife Alice Kuvheya giving evidence on how she was being allegedly ill-treated by the city father.
By Sofia Mapuranga
Mutoti (44) pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared before magistrate Renika Dzikiti, accusing his wife of fabricating charges against him in a bid to tarnish his image as a politician.
Through his lawyer Fred Machokoto, Mutoti said Kuvheya wanted to be in the limelight while portraying him in bad light since she knew he was in the process of divorcing her.
“The complainant knows that my client has approached her family seeking to divorce her customarily, considering that the duo are married. This is why she is fabricating these charges to get back at him,” Machokoto said.
However, in her evidence-in-chief, Kuvheya (31) said Mutoti assaulted her at a time when she was weighing only 47kg due to ill health.
“He used vulgar language when he was insulting me outside our gate, calling my mother a prostitute. He said I was no longer satisfying him sexually because I was too thin and did not have any buttocks,” she said.
“He further told me that it was at my own peril if I was not on anti-retroviral treatment because he had already commenced taking them for the good of his health.”
Kuvheya said she was currently housed at Musasa Project, a shelter for abused women, since she feared for her life after Mutoti allegedly continuously threatened her with death.
“He said because he is the one who held all the power, he would ensure that he made my life a misery and I would have nowhere to go,” Kuvheya said.
She also said Mutoti had threatened to hire MDC-T youths who campaigned for him to deal with her.
“He takes drugs such as bronco [Bron Cleer] and marijuana and this is why I am now living in fear. That is why I decided to report the matter to the police in July even after the assault took place in March,” Kuvheya said.
Allegations against Mutoti are that on March 14 and at house number 343, St Mary’s in Chitungwiza, he had a misunderstanding with his wife after accusing her of stealing his $50.
The State alleges Mutoti left the house in a huff and went outside the gate, but his wife followed him and in a fit of rage, Mutoti charged towards her, dragged her inside the house slapped, punched, kicked and choked her before their security guard, only identified as Mutambirwa, intervened to save her.
Ntombikayise Nleya prosecuted.-Newsday

New Bill Allows Early Sex for Under 16s

The new General Laws Amendment Bill recognises early sexual activities by children under the age of 16 as it is proposing that they should not be prosecuted for having sex with each other. Gweru residents yesterday immediately blasted the bill saying the age of sexual consent should be raised to 18 years. In their submissions to the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee on the General Laws Amendment Bill and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment Bill during a public hearing at the Gweru Theatre, residents said it was un-cultural, inhuman and un-African to allow children under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activities without getting punished.
The chairperson of the committee, Jessie Majome, said: “We are here to get your views. The General Laws Amendment Bill will not prosecute boys under 16 who engage in sexual intercourse with girls under that age.” She said Section 70 of the Code (sexual intercourse or performing indecent acts with young persons) prevents the sexual exploitation of young persons.
“It, however, recognises sexual intercourse between young persons under the age of 16. It is implicit from the wording of this section that only adults may be prosecuted for this crime, because the subject of the crime is a ‘person’ and its object is a “young person” (defined in section 61 of the Code as a person below the age of 16).
“However, it is in society’s interests to protect all young persons from being “sexualised” prematurely, regardless of whether the perpetrator is, for instance, a boy of 15 who has “consensual” sexual intercourse with a girl of 13,” Majome said.
He said it was sad to note that society wanted to acknowledge early sex but that would result in the country raising spoilt children. “Our children will lack discipline, once they start engaging in sex they will not stop and we can’t allow that,” said Apostle Nyerenga.
Precious Mujere from the ZCTU said girls were starting their menstruation cycle at the age of 12 and by not punishing boys who indulge in sexual intercourse with them, the country would see a surge in teenage pregnancies and unwanted babies.
“If we agree to this we are promoting early pregnancies, early child births and early marriages. So perpetrators should be brought to book,” she said.
The General Laws Amendment Bill (H.B. 3 – 2015) seeks to amend 126 statutes in order to align them with the new Constitution. Major statutes to be amended under this Bill are the Electoral Amendment Act, Privileges, Immunities and Powers of Parliament Act, Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Interpretation Act and Trademarks Act.
Key issues that the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment Bill (H.B. 2 – 2015) is seeking to address are; rights of arrested people, private prosecution, police powers in relation to arrest, use of force, search and seizure, death penalty, bail and sentencing.

GOVERNMENT will soon revise its position regarding the funding of political parties from the fiscus following the admission by MDC-T that three Western governments were bankrolling its preparations for the 2018 harmonised elections. This might see the Government completely stopping some political parties from accessing funding from the fiscus or tightening the requirements.
In terms of Section 6 of the Political Parties Finance Act, political parties are not allowed to accept foreign funding.
However, in direct contravention of this law, MDC-T secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora announced that a delegation of senior MDC-T officials would on Friday visit three Western countries to receive funding and to brief the host governments on political developments here.
The visit will cover England, Australia and Norway. Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said the move by MDC-T naturally called for a funding review of political parties by the Government, among other issues.
“There are three things we are worried about with the move taken by MDC-T,” he said.
“Firstly, we are worried by the issue of external funding because the whole essence of funding political parties from the fiscus is to develop politics loyal to the nation.
“When we have foreigners funding local political parties, we have the reason to revise legal parameters that govern the funding.”
Mr Charamba said the stance taken by MDC-T might also scuttle re-engagement efforts underway between Zimbabwe and the European Union. Said Mr Charamba:
“We also have political-cum-diplomatic processes underway. When you have overtly hostile stance hinted by MDC-T, we have to reassess our own re-engagement efforts with the EU. Surely the EU cannot run with hares at the same time hunting with the hounds.
“Thirdly, are we surprised by the move by MDC-T? Not at all. The essence of MDC-T politics has always been external. MDC-T has proved to be a true proverbial chip off a corrupt block.”
Legal experts also condemned the MDC-T saying it was openly flouting the law. Prominent Harare lawyer Mr Terrance Hussein said: “That is in violation of the Political Parties Finance Act and there are some penalties that come along with that.
“In terms of Section 6 of the Act no political party or a member of the political party shall accept any foreign donation directly or indirectly.
“Any person or party which contravenes Section 6 shall be guilty of a fine equivalent to level 12 or equivalent to the market value of the donation. So if it happens that you receive a foreign donation of $20 million the fine you will pay is also $20 million.”
Another lawyer Mr Jonathan Samkange, said the law should take its course on such issues.
“When a political party violates the law it is the responsibility of the police to do their work,” he said.
“Even if you do not see the money they can be charged for attempting.”
Mr Mwonzora said the four day visit was made possible by the host countries that invited them although the party’s spokesperson tried to do a damage control by claiming that they were invited by their external province of England and Ireland.
“The four-day visit has been made possible by the host countries, which have invited us,” Mr Mwonzora said.
“We are also going to take that chance to meet with our party structures in these countries and intensify our 2018 political campaigns, which have already started in earnest.”
Asked about the “No Reforms No Elections” Mr Mwonzora said they had changed their political strategy.
“The game will never be the same in 2018 as we have changed our approach to the election,” he was quoted as saying.
“I cannot tell you our new strategy at this moment because it is still premature to reveal it, but I want to assure you that the game has changed for the better.”

The murder trial of the husband of Emily Munemo who was killed early this year, has been set for August.
Family sources told ZimEye.com Mr. Gibson Masikana will stand trial on a date to be announced around the middle of August 2015.
Emily Munemo was found stabbed twice in her kitchen on the 30th January this year. More to follow…

Ousted Vice President Joice Mujuru is reportedly dumping the   People First movement  thinking that she might be recalled by President Robert Mugabe, ZimEye.com can reveal.
Mujuru was dumped by Mugabe at the party’s controversial and discredited last December congress.
That was after Mugabe’s wife Grace had embarked on an anti-Mujuru crusade throughout the country accusing her of plotting to assassinate his 91 year old husband.
The “fall” of Mujuru saw many government ministers aligned to her also being either suspended or booted out of the party.
“Of late she (Mujuru) is not meeting with her allies (Jabulani Sibanda, and Dydimus Mutasa) who are also divided over the new political arrangement they were working on.
“Others are saying the People First project should form a coalition with the likes of the MDC-T and other progressive movements while others are opposed to that position.
“But Mujuru  being the leader of them all has been silent waiting for Mugabe to probably recall her”, said a source close to the Mujuru camp.
A local private newspaper the Daily News this week reported that Mugabe was now regretting for sacking Mujuru.
The paper said the aging leader has discovered that the allegations which were leveled against his former vice President were lies perpetrated by “hyenas” within the party.

Chances for suspended Harare Town Clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi to return to the Town House are getting slimmer by the day as the council’s human resources committee has placed him on indefinite leave.
Dr Mahachi, who was placed on three months forced leave, says he is still awaiting communication from the council through his lawyers.
The council’s human resources committee chairperson Councillor Wellington Chikombo says Town House fully supports the mayor’s decision, adding Dr Mahachi will not return to work until thorough investigations have been completed.
“Yes we placed Dr Mahachi on ad finitum leave and he will not be returning to the Town House soon. We endorsed the mayor’s decision because we cannot allow a situation where one person wants to behave with impunity,” said Councillor Chikombo.
In a telephone interview, Dr Mahachi professed ignorance on the matter.
He maintains council has not communicated with him.
Dr Mahachi, however, remains on his full salary and benefits.

Zanu PF insiders claim that President Robert Mugabe no longer buys into the “contrived narrative” that former Vice President Joice Mujuru had plotted to oust and assassinate him — as it apparently becomes increasingly clear to the First Family that some ambitious ruling party bigwigs expediently “manufactured” the fib for their political benefit.
The sources who spoke to the Daily News yesterday claimed that events of the past few months had “clearly shown” Mugabe that some “hyenas”, and not Mujuru, were behind the seemingly unstoppable factional and succession wars that continue to devour Zanu PF.
“All indications are that both the president and Dr Amai (First Lady Grace Mugabe) are now aware that the allegations against Mai Mujuru were a contrived narrative by some ambitious hyenas who manufactured the plots for their personal benefit.
“This is why the president has not acted further against Mai Mujuru, even as these hyenas have continued to push for her to be incarcerated on account of the false claims of treason that she and others allegedly committed.
“Most people also noted at the weekend that Dr Amai made it very clear that she felt used by these over-ambitious hyenas who, after manufacturing the false claims against Mai Mujuru, were now pushing the equally false claims that she wanted to succeed President Mugabe,” one of the sources said.
At the same time, former Presidential Affairs minister Didymus Mutasa yesterday dismissed weekend claims by Grace that Mujuru was dismissed from both the warring post-congress Zanu PF and the government because she was arrogant and had surrounded herself with the “wrong advisors”.
State media quoted Mugabe’s controversial wife on Sunday saying that Mujuru had jumped the gun, become too arrogant and surrounded herself with wrong people in the run-up to Zanu PF’s damp squib “elective” congress last year.
Grace, who was nicknamed “monya for hire” in that chaotic period, tried to cut a motherly figure in her weekend interview — a sharp contrast to the belligerent and uncaring persona that she appeared to actively cultivate at the height of the ruling party’s internal ructions.
Mutasa, who has stood by Mujuru throughout the ongoing succession storm, said yesterday that while Grace was entitled to her opinions, she was “dead wrong” about the claims that Mujuru had fallen because she had become arrogant and had surrounded herself with the wrong people.
“They, (the First Family) are realising that they made mistakes. And she (Grace) is entitled to her views, but one day the truth will come out. We all know the truth,” Mutasa said.
Asked if he was prepared to reconcile with his erstwhile comrades in the troubled post-congress Zanu PF, Mutasa said flatly: “I will not go back”.
“The question is to reconcile with who? If we are reconciling to build Zanu PF, then we are not going back there. If it is Zanu PF, we are not going back there, but we are prepared to reconcile with anyone to build the nation,” Mutasa said.
The former close ally of Mugabe also traced the country’s political woes to Mugabe getting all executive powers from 1987 — adding that he yearned for a return to the days when the late Canaan Banana was the president and Mugabe the prime minister.
“When you look back at the period when we had Banana as president, you should consider that kind of constitution. Presently, we have chiefs but now they are being abused by Zanu PF, they have sold their souls. And yet that institution should be independent.
“Let us go along with that kind of constitution where the chiefs choose their president and we choose our own prime minister,” Mutasa said.
But Mutasa treaded a fine line between condemning Mugabe and reaching out to him, saying that it was not entirely the veteran leader’s fault that he was making many political errors — blaming Zanu PF “mafikizolos (Johnny-come-latelies” for lying to the nonagenarian about many things.
“I am glad that there has been this vindication of what we have already said in the past. I have always said that Baba, President Mugabe, was misled and is still being misinformed by unprincipled people who haven’t got the interest of the people at heart. And that is the unfortunate thing about the Zanu PF leadership,” he said. daily news

There was pandemonium and shock in Harare when a huge delivery van’s wheels were swallowed (partially) “by the road” underneath.

The incident occurred at Jason Moyo and Sam Mujoma streets in the capital, close to the Greatermans building. While newsreaders speculated that the van belongs to the Pick and Pay company, the company denied owning the vehicle and told ZimEye.com they will still follow up with City Council on the state of the road. “If our customers are at danger, we will take action with council”, a representative told ZimEye.com. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon.

 

MARONDERA-based Proton Bakery has taken its human resources manager Thomas Rugoho to court on 10 counts of fraud for allegedly fleecing several jobseekers of various amounts of money after promising to secure them employment.
Rugoho (40) and his alleged accomplice Moses Nyarufaro (35) are today expected to appear before Marondera magistrate Tendai Muchini for trial. Rugoho is currently on $100 bail.
The State alleges that sometime between February and November last year, several job seekers paid between $100 and $200 to Rugoho’s alleged middleman Nyarufaro in order to secure employment at the bakery.
It is alleged that Nyarufaro took the money and the job seekers’ academic qualification and contact details to Rugoho and then shared the money.
In one of the incidents, a complainant identified as Innocent Mukomborero was offered a job as a casual worker after paying $150.
Three months later, Nyarufaro allegedly called Mukomborero on his mobile phone and ordered him to pay an additional $50 to get a permanent contract. After paying the money, Mukomborero was allegedly upgraded to a permanent employee.
Using the same modus operandi, the suspects fleeced nine other desperate job seekers, with some securing employment while others failed. The matter came to light after police detectives received a tip-off about the alleged shenanigans at the bakery before launching investigations that led to the suspects’ arrest.

IN A MOVE that could go a long way in pacifying restive opposition forces, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) says it is now the sole custodian of the country’s electoral processes and has started compiling its new voters’ roll independent of Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede’s office.
Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau told NewsDay in an interview yesterday that the commission would now use Mudede’s discredited old voters’ roll as a “guideline only”.
“We are registering for each by-election as it comes. We are using the opportunity presented by a by-election in local authorities or constituencies to then register people, but using the 2013 voters’ roll as a baseline. To us, it is an indication of how many people are supposed to register in a particular constituency,” Justice Makarau said.
“For example, for Marondera Central constituency where we will have a by-election in September, we know that we are expecting around 31 000 voters, that number only acts as a guide for us. To us, the 2013 roll will give us an indication of how many people to expect and we will keep that number in mind as we register.”
The old roll has been criticised for containing names of dead people, under-age children as well as a disproportionately high number of centenarians.
“We are going to use the 2013 roll as a baseline, as just a guide. We know there were 6,4 million voters in 2013, so we will work with that figure in mind. We are, therefore, going to have slightly more or slightly less figures than that, but the existing figure will provide us with an indication,” Justice Makarau said.
“If we are going to come up with, say, a million, then we will know that there is a serious problem either with our figure or with those figures. We are aiming to reach round about that figure or slightly below. The figures could have been inflated for some other reason. Some people who had not registered back then might be interested now, but we need that 2013 figure as a control figure just to give us direction.”
Makarau said her commission was working on creating and maintaining the “best roll ever” and would institute regular checks to remove ineligible people, including those who would had died or moved permanently outside the country.
The opposition in Zimbabwe has pointed to the anomalies on the voters’ roll as an indication of the collusion between Zec and Zanu PF. Mudede, before the new Constitution, was for decades in sole charge of elections in Zimbabwe amid accusations he was biased in favour of the ruling party Zanu PF and President Robert Mugabe.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo residents yesterday described Zec as heavily compromised and discredited. The residents made the remarks during a Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee public hearing on the General Laws Amendment Bill held at a city hotel.
The hearings will run through the week covering Gweru, Masvingo, Mutare and Harare. Participants said Zec lost its credibility after it emerged that its operations were funded and controlled by government. newsday

Robert Mugabe activist Acie Lumumba who was spot-caught buying expensive suits with the President’s entourage in the United States, has been filmed saying he traveled to the US using his own money.
Lumumba who calls himself a Member of Parliament when he is not at all, told TV presenter Zororo Makamba his hands are clean. He features in today’s Tonight With Zororo. FULL VIDEO –

South African based Zimbabwean activist Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena was this weekend awarded the Joshua Nkomo leadership award presented by a South African based Zimbabwean cultural organization Matabeleland Arts Association and the Joshua Nkomo Foundation.
Mabhena a member of the Welshman Ncube led MDC’s National Executive Committee and Chairperson of the Zimbabweans Living in South Africa Community was given the award for his role in ensuring that the South African government extended work permits for Zimbabweans in South Africa.

Zimbabweans living in South Africa were given special dispensation permits by the South African government in 2010 which expired in 2014. After the expiry of the permits in 2014, the South African government was no longer kin to retain Zimbabweans in South African employment. Mabhena leading a host of Zimbabwean activists and groups engaged the South African government head on and managed to get the permits extended by another three years to 2017.
Speaking at the awards event which was held in Hillbrow Johannesburg to commemorate the Joshua Nkomo day, Mabhena thanked the organisers of the event for recognising his efforts and also thanked Zimbabweans living in South Africa for working well with their varied organisations and remaining united in the process of sorting out the permits issue. He told the huge crowd which filled the venue that they are still involved in negotiations with the South African government with a view of a further extension on the permits after 2017.
Prominent South African based Zimbabwean actor Ernest Ndlovu was also recognised for his efforts and was awarded the Artist Special Award. Ndlovu who has featured in several South African television programs which include Isidingo could not contain his excitement thanking the organisers for being the first Zimbabwean group to give him an honour for his efforts. The veteran actor is a recipient of several arts award from outside Zimbabwe.
Thousands of Zimbabweans attended the event which saw over twenty Zimbabwean music and cultural groups entertain the gathering. Top of the toast was undoubtedly Mlambos Express Band who are slowly making their way to being the top Zimbabwean contemporary rhumba outfit. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, the band manager Thabani Ndlovu thanked Zimbabweans in South Africa who came in their thousands to make the event a success. His band which was part of the organisers of the event, thanked fellow Matabeleland musicians for volunteering their time to come and show case their talents in honour of Joshua Nkomo the founding Father of Zimbabwe’s liberation. Ndlovu promised for a much bigger event come next year.

BINGA – An bomb explosion was heard at Binga’s Zimpost and TELONE building on Monday morning.
What residents thought was an accident was a violent raid by robbers at around 3am.
An unknown number of men broke the Binga ZIMPOST and TELONE security fence, further broke the burglary bars of the ZIMPOST window and gained access.
Inside they used dynamite to break off the cash safe.
They got away with US$16,400 and left the security guard tied to a tree unhurt.
The premises are at present closed while heavily armed police officers guard it and no arrests have been made. A comment from the police was not possible at the time of writing.

US President Barack Obama has effectively blocked Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe from attending his special meeting at the African Union’s hub. Obama who says: “We did not inherit this land (Africa) from our forefathers, we borrowed it from our children,” has publicly slapped Mugabe, analysts reveal.
African Union (AU) and Sadc chairman President Robert Mugabe will not be among several African leaders scheduled to meet visiting United States President Barack Obama at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today, his spokesperson George Charamba has said.
Charamba said Mugabe was unmoved by Obama’s visit to the AU headquarters, describing the event as just “a visit by any other visitor”.
“The chairman does not run the AU centre. Obama has come to Ethiopia for an official visit and to address the staff there.
There are many dignitaries who come to the AU headquarters and you can imagine if all come wanting the President’s input,” Charamba said.
“It’s the Head of State of another country. If you are afraid of him, we are not because he is just a Head of State who visits Africa and the AU headquarters by virtue of his ancestry. Madam (Nkosazana) Dhlamini-Zuma (AU Commission chairperson) is big enough to receive him.”
Charamba said when it was said Obama would address the 54-member bloc, Zimbabwe did not represent his audience.
Obama will today address the AU bloc on several issues affecting Africa.
“AU is not an organ run by Zimbabwe. It does not belong to Zimbabwe. If you want to know who is attending, call the AU offices,” he said.
He said Mugabe and other AU leaders would only receive the report of his visit in January at the AU summit.
“There will be a report on the summit in January where we will get a briefing on the visitor who is called Barack Obama ‘who we received and went back home happy’. . . He did not come to visit Mugabe. He went to Ethiopia and asked to visit the HQ. I did not see you writing that Mugabe snubs Obama when he went for the Ebola summit (in New York),” Charamba said.
Political analyst Charles Mangongera said the strained relations between Harare and Washington could have influenced the absence of Mugabe as AU chairman to meet Obama in Ethiopia.
“Obviously the nature of the diplomatic relations between Harare and Washington is such that Obama has carefully avoided Mugabe. If relations between the two were cordial, he could have conferred with the AU chairman but remember, they have a position on Zimbabwe that could have influenced his behaviour,” Mangongera said.-Newsday

Robert Martin Gumbura, the convicted RMG Independent End Time Message leader, will appear in court after a Harare magistrate reopened his case.
This comes a year after the magistrate filed his application for review at the High Court. Gumbura failed to follow up on the application for review. The prosecutor Mrs Kudzayi Chigwedere told the court that the application filed at the High Court was never followed up.
“There is no basis for the trial not to continue if the accused didn’t pursue his application,” she said.
Harare magistrate Mr Fadzai Mtombeni ordered Gumbura’s lawyer Mr Tapson Dzvetero to bring proof that the application was followed up.
However, Mr Dzvetero failed to turn up due to his commitments at the High Court prompting Ms Mtombeni to adjourn the matter to today for trial continuation. The trial was put on hold last year pending a High Court review of proceedings.
Gumbura, who was represented by Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba then, wanted the High Court to look into proceedings in which they alleged the magistrate made a gross error by putting him to his defence.
In the matter, Gumbura is jointly charged with his secretary Tendai Ganyani who allegedly assisted him rape a minor he had adopted. Mrs Chigwedere alleged that Gumbura took advantage of the underprivileged girl and raped her with Ganyani’s help.
The girl was one of the vulnerable members of the church who was adopted by Gumbura after an agreement between him and her father. It is alleged that after the adoption, Gumbura was responsible for her school fees and upkeep.
Ganyani allegedly ordered the girl to go into Gumbura’s office and she locked the door from outside. After raping the girl, it is alleged, Gumbura phoned Ganyani to unlock the door.
Both Gumbura and Ganyani deny the charge.

CHITUNGWIZA town clerk Mr George Makunde has come under fire from residents for demanding a new vehicle worth $70 000 at a time when the municipality is struggling to pay workers. Chitungwiza Residents’ Trust spokesperson Mr Marvellous Khumalo said the city fathers should be more sensible and focus on key issues affecting the town.
“It is an issue we have been discussing that council should prioritise service delivery. This shows how greedy and selfish the town clerk is at this hour.
“How can he demand that council buys him a car when it is struggling to pay workers? While we appreciate that he should have a car, it should go in line with the revenue trend,” he said.
An urgent special council meeting set up to iron out outstanding issues that included the town clerk’s car issue was abandoned after Mr Makunde and Chitungwiza Mayor Phillip Mutoti ruled that there was nothing urgent on the agenda that called for such a meeting.
The agenda included the failure by council to pay workers a flat fee of $250, payment of gratuity, the issue of 30 percent from Clyna Trading and debt collection.
Mr Makunde said the vehicle was part of his conditions of service.
“My conditions of service allow me to have another vehicle after three years. The one I am using is a second-hand one which has travelled for about 191 000 km,” he said.
He said he was in dispute with Mrs Vengesayi over the vehicle issue.
“The meeting has been cancelled by the mayor because we have noted that the issues raised were not urgent and out of scope. We asked that the issues should follow the proper order,” he said.
Councillor Mutoti distanced himself from the scuffle, accusing Mrs Vengesayi of trying to use him to settle her scores with Mr Makunde.
“The meeting was called off yesterday by the town clerk after the chamber secretary came advising me to suspended Makunde. She could not tell me why she was lobbying for that and she has no basis of accusing the town clerk,” he said.
Mr Makunde accused Mrs Vengesayi of trying to topple him as the town clerk.
“She has been circulating a document. I think she wants to emulate the situation that took place at Town House in Harare and she is the one who wants my post,” he said.
Mrs Vengesayi denied harbouring any intentions of taking over office.
“I am not trying to topple anyone, but I want everyone to do his or her job. My role is to advice the town clerk, management and council. “When I advised the mayor, he was reluctant to take action,” she said.

…


A BULAWAYO man allegedly raped a married woman after he had gone to her home to demand his $1 owed by her husband in the middle of the night, a court heard.
Tafadzwa Ignatious Kadongo, 29, of Trenance, allegedly raped the woman in the absence of her husband who works in the city centre.
Kadongo appeared yesterday before regional magistrate Mark Dzira facing a rape charge.
He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to today for continuation of trial.
Prosecuting , Tinashe Dzipe told the court that on July 19 this year at around midnight, the woman was alone at her house when Kadongo approached her demanding his outstanding $1 for the fish that he had sold to the woman’s husband.
“She told him that her husband was at work but Kadongo went on to force open the door which was supported by a stone to stop it from opening. He entered the house.
“Kadongo got into the woman’s blankets, removed his trousers and raped her once. She screamed for help but Kadongo threatened to kill her,” Dzipe told the court.
The court heard that after raping the woman, Kadongo took the stone used to hold the door and threw it outside leaving his cap inside the room. Dzipe said the woman told her husband soon after his arrival and a report was made to the police leading to Kadongo’s arrest.
The woman’s husband told the court that they owed Kadongo $1 as they had bought fish from him on credit.
Kadongo, an ex-soldier, said in his defence that he went to the woman’s home in the morning of the same day and forgot his cap which was now being used as an exhibit in court.
“Your worship, my cap fell when I was at the woman’s home and I forgot it but I didn’t rape her. “I’m the one who made a report to the neighbourhood police after hearing rumours that I was being accused of rape. This woman never reported the incident to the police.
“Her husband pleaded with me not to report the matter but solve it out of court but I decided to rope in the police officers as I sought justice,” said Kadongo.
The state seeks to prove that Kadongo is misrepresenting facts to the court. A medical examination was conducted on the woman on July 20 and it will be produced in court as evidence.The trial continues today with a defence witness giving his evidence. Chronicle

A 30-year-old NMB Bank Limited banker was sent to jail for one-and-a-half years after stealing $170 000 from his employer that he blew up on gambling. Alfred Gusha of 13 Rue Close Msasa Park, Harare, was convicted on two counts of theft. Harare regional magistrate Mr Noel Mupeiwa sentenced Gusha to three years in prison before suspending six months on condition of good behaviour.
Another year was suspended on condition that Gusha restitutes the bank. However, he will serve an effective 18 months in jail.
Gusha was the custodian of NMB vault and made cash bundles before sealing them.
In mitigation, Gusha begged for the court’s lenience saying he is a family man.
“I am a first offender who lived the life of a saint up to the time I committed this offence,” said Gusha.
“I am addicted to gambling and did not benefit anything from the offence. I withdrew the money for the last big gamble but it all went into the drain.
“I lost everything including my employment as a result of this offence. It is highly unlikely that I will be able to get employment especially in the banking sector despite my experience as a seasoned banker.”
The complainant was NMB bank represented by its security manager Mr Negion Majahana Moyo. The prosecutor Ms Tinashe Makiya, told the court that on October 2, Gusha stole $36 230, which he was managing and converted it to his own use.
In a bid to conceal the offence, Gusha mixed $1 notes with $100 notes to appear as though all were $100 before putting the money in the vault.
The offence was unearthed on October 14 when Gusha failed to report for work prompting the branch manager to open the vault and discovered the trick.
Gusha then went into hiding after the matter had been reported to the police and later surrendered himself on July 20.

Secretary general of the MDC Renewal, Tendai Biti, has said Zimbabwe is being governed by selfish people who waste their energies on petty issues instead of solving the country’s deepening economic problems.
“These people are driven by malice and subjectivity, without any concern for the people. If Grace and Mugabe could put all the energy they expended on fighting Mujuru over petty gossip, then this country would be a $50 billion economy.
“Unfortunately, we are being governed by very selfish people, incompetent people, greedy people, vindictive and cruel people and it’s sad in a country where unemployment is 90 percent, where four million of our citizens have left the country.
“The country is churning out thousands of graduates every year, only for them to become vendors and I think we are the only country in the world with educated vendors because I discovered when I talked to Harare vendors last week that one in every five is a graduate,” Biti said.
The spokesperson for MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai, Luke Tamborinyoka, described Grace as “a disgrace to the nation who now wanted to unnecessarily divert people’s attention from the real issues affecting the country”.
“Because of her antics, she has become an unnecessary diversion from the real issues afflicting the country. She is vending executive powers she does not formerly have in public places and should therefore be the first vendor to be removed from our streets,” Tamborinyoka said.
Grace has revealed that she ousted Mujuru because of gossip. Grace said revealingly that she used “to hear a lot of things that were taking place in terms of the former vice president”.
What had broken the camel’s back were the disruptions she experienced when she mounted her controversial rallies around the country last year, and as Zanu PF imploded — which she blamed on the former VP.
“The one thing I did not like was that as I was going on the tour last year — the Meet the People Tour — they put together a group of boys, gave them money, bought them beer, got them drunk and sent them to boo me when I was addressing; making noise, beating drums, shouting and I endured that.
“In almost all the provinces, it was like that at every rally. It was happening, but I later said enough was enough. You cannot continue to do this to me. I have been very quiet for a very long time.
“Things have been said, written and gossiped about me. I said enough was enough; if you actually want now to translate it into public fight, let’s go for it. I also have a mouth to talk, I have a brain to think. So, I said this should stop forthwith (laughs). That’s why people talk about “Stop it!” (laughs) because they were dividing the party.
“She (Mujuru) had a faction, which was working against the president and we had only one president elected and only one centre of power. She was now making her own clique with people who were following her and to them, it was a foregone conclusion that she was going to be the president of this country and where they got that from, we didn’t understand.
“This should have come from the party and she could have waited. I loved her so much, I tell you. She disappointed me. I liked her so much. She knew that I liked her, but she was very elusive in her ways. She didn’t even want to communicate with me.
“I think it had more to do with the people who advised her. She chose the wrong people to advise her. Unfortunately, she caused all this that happened. She could have easily listened to advice. I even sent people to talk to her: ‘You are over trusting other people’,” Grace told The Sunday Mail.
“She did not want to take advice from me. I sent people to talk to her, but she thought I was foolish, or I wanted to stop her ambitions. However, I was very genuine about the things I did for her.
“Other women and I campaigned for her to be in that position; she must not forget. The president supported her fully to be in that position, but she started being too ambitious. She could have waited for her time.
“I’m telling you; she had an opportunity, a very good opportunity if she had kept her cool and listened to the advice of others. She would be somewhere today. But she decided to do things the wrong way and she has herself to blame — unfortunately,” she added.

An ex-soldier from Bulawayo raped a married woman after he visited her home to collect his $1 owed by her husband during the night, a court heard.
29 year-old Tafadzwa Ignatious Kadongo, of Trenance, allegedly raped the woman in the absence of her husband who works in the city centre.
Yesterday Kadongo appeared before regional magistrate Mark Dzira facing charges of rape.
He entered a not guilty plea and was remanded in custody to today for continuation of trial.
Prosecuting ,Tinashe Dzipe told the court that on July 19 this year at around midnight, the woman was alone at her house when Kadongo arrived demanding his outstanding $1 for the fish that he had sold to the woman’s husband.
“She told him that her husband was at work but Kadongo forced open the door which was supported by a stone to stop it from opening and entered the house.
He got into the woman’s blankets, removed his trousers and raped her once. When she screamed for help Kadongo threatened to kill her,” Dzipe told the court.
The court heard that after raping the woman, Kadongo took the stone used to hold the door and threw it outside dropping and leaving his cap inside the room. Dzipe said the woman told her husband when he arrived, then they reported the matter to the police who arrested Kadongo.
The woman’s husband told the court that they owed Kadongo $1 as they had bought fish from him on credit.
Defending himself,Kadongo, denied going to their house during the night, instead,said he went to the woman’s home in the morning of the same day and forgot his cap which was now being used as evidence in court.
“Your worship, my cap fell when I was at the woman’s home and I forgot it but I didn’t rape her. I’m the one who made a report to the neighbourhood police after hearing rumours that I was being accused of rape.This woman never reported the incident to the police.
Her husband pleaded with me not to report the matter but solve it out of court but I decided to inform the police officers as I sought justice,” said Kadongo.
The state seeks to prove that Kadongo is misrepresenting facts to the court. The woman was medically examined on July 20 and the results will be presented as evidence in court.
The trial continues today with a defence witness giving his evidence. -State Media

A Harare magistrate today ordered the immediate release of three civil society leaders who were arrested Saturday after finding that the state had violated the constitution.
Combined Harare Residents Association director Mfundo Mlilo, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition’s programs manager, Nixon Nyikadzino, and deputy national chairperson of the Africa Unity Square pressure group, Dirk Frey, who were arrested outside the magistrates court on Saturday were arraigned before Harare magistrate today facing charges of violating the Public Order and Security Act and the Protected Areas Act.
After the charges were read to the accused by state attorney, Idah Maromo, defense counsel Gift Mtisi challenged the placement of the accused on remand arguing that Mlilo, Nyikadzino and Frey were being held illegally.
Mtisi submitted that the state had violated the national constitution by failing to bring the accused persons to court within 48 hours as stipulated in Zimbabwe’s supreme law.
But the state counsel opposed Mtisi’s application saying the accused persons were brought to court before the 48 hour period had lapsed and were ordered by the prosecution to return to the police station to correct some typographical errors on the charge sheet.
However, Mtisi argued that the trio should be released because they had not been arraigned before a magistrate at the expiry of the stipulated period even though they were brought to court before that time period had expire.
In his ruling, magistrate Tendai Mahwe found that the state had violated a section of the constitution that he said is explicit that accused people should appear before a competent court before the constitutionally-stipulated timeframe had lapsed.
Mtisi welcomed the court’s ruling and urged authorities to adhere to the national governing charter whenever they were dealing with suspects.
Mlilo, Nyikadzino and Frey were arrested on Saturday at the magistrates court where they had gone to hear a case of other civil society members accused of taking pictures at a protected area who were arrested Friday at the Harare Remand Prison where leaders of some non-governmental organizations had visited the jailed leaders of the National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe, Samuel Wadzai and Sten Zviorwadza.
Wadzai and Zvorwadza are facing charges of public violence after they allegedly assaulted Harare municipal police when went to the city council headquarters demanding the release of wares of illegal street traders that had been confiscated by the local authority during a crackdown on illegal vendors.-VOA

ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK

​PRELIMINARY STATEMENT: MUDZI WEST PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTION

Harare – 25 July 2015 – The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) as part of its watchdog role in electoral processes observed the Mudzi West parliamentary by-election held on the 24^th of July 2015. The parliamentary constituency seat fell vacant following the death of former MP Mrs Aqualinah Katsande who passed away on 28 March 2015.
Observation Methodology
The Network deployed 6 short term observers for the by-election comprising static observers based at some of the Ward and Constituency Collation Centres. In addition 7 mobile observers were deployed and this preliminary statement is informed by their observations. ZESN’s observation efforts conform to the Electoral Laws of Zimbabwe. 
Opening and Setup, Voting and Counting Procedures
In polling stations where ZESN observers were deployed, opening and setup procedures were successfully completed on time. Observers reported that all polling stations had all the required voting materials such as ballot boxes, ballot papers, ZEC official stamp, indelible ink and the voters’ roll at the time of opening. All polling stations covered by ZESN observers had adequate polling personnel with an average of 6 per polling station. ZESN observer reports show that the process was generally, peaceful and smooth with no major incidents reported. 
Counting
At all polling stations where ZESN observed closing of polls and counting, the processes took place according to procedures and results were displayed outside the polling stations. At all the ward collation Centres and the constituency collation centre where ZESN observed, all party agents signed the V11 form thus agreeing that the process had been conducted well.
Assisted voters and turned away voters
ZESN observers indicate that there are significant numbers of voters who have been assisted to vote. By close of polls, ZESN noted that an average of 25 voters was assisted at each polling station visited by mobile observers and the majority were illiterate. Disturbing figures were observed at Tsakare Primary School ward 4 and Chipfuri Primary School ward 5 where our mobile observers reported that 38 and 52 voters had been assisted by 1308hrs and 1542hrs respectively. Furthermore, ZESN noted that some of the reasons for turned away voters were, some voters had no identity documents while some were bringing the wrong identity documents and others were not appearing on the voters’ rolls.  
Voter Education
ZESN noted with concern that voters continue to be turned away in elections, an issue that could have easily been addressed by a comprehensive voter education programme. This observation is of concern given that voter education for the by-election was conducted. This therefore raises questions on the voter education methodologies employed, the reach and the timeframe allotted to the process. 
Political Party Agents
It is regrettable that at most polling stations where ZESN observed only ZANU PF had deployed election agents. ZESN notes that the failure by the other contesting candidate to deploy agents is unfortunate given that the presence of election agents is not only crucial in enhancing the transparency of the electoral process but provides candidates with a basis for informed calls for reforms to electoral processes. The role of party agents is provided for in the Electoral Law therefore political parties are encouraged to take full advantage of the provision. 
 
 
Police presence
ZESN has repeatedly observed that police officers are actively involved in the election process especially in assisting voters. ZESN reiterates its position on police presence and roles inside the polling stations which goes against international best norms and standards. ZESN calls for the role of the police to be limited to maintaining law and order.
 
 
Data disaggregation
ZESN continues to observe the compilation of disaggregated data by age and gender and commends ZEC for collecting such crucial data that can inform voter education programmes and other electoral processes.

Recommendations; 

·         ZESN therefore calls for a continuous rather than the current periodic voter education for by-elections being provided by ZEC and electoral stakeholders to ensure that all potential voters are reached. In addition, ZEC should invest in more comprehensive voter education programmes to improve voters understanding of key electoral requirements. 
·         ZEC should work with civic society organisations to ensure that voter education programmes and voter information content dispel fears of intimidation and retribution that might be one of the major reasons for assisted voters in the elections. 
·         ZEC should avail to relevant stakeholders disaggregated data by age and gender recorded during polling in order to inform their electoral programmes such as voter education and campaigns. 
·         Contesting political parties must ensure comprehensive deployment of political party agents to ensure informed advocacy interventions for electoral reforms.
·         ZESN reiterates previous calls on the role of the police that it should be limited to maintaining law and order within the vicinity of the polling stations.
 
Conclusion 
ZESN continues to note the recurring gaps and inadequacies in the legal framework of elections. The Network therefore reiterates that electoral reforms still remain a priority in promoting credible elections. ZESN implores political parties, government and parliament to speed up the harmonisation of the Electoral Laws to the Constitution and the need for political will to fully implement the electoral provisions as Zimbabwe prepares for the 2018 elections.
 

ZESN is a member of:
§  Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM)
§  Southern African Development Community Election Support Network (SADC-ESN)
§  CIVICUS
§  Observer status with AU African Commission

Opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has said were it not for the MDC’s unwavering commitment to democratic change in the country, his party could have in the past taken up arms to liberate long-suffering Zimbabweans — a move that would have plunged the country into unprecedented violence and anarchy.
Addressing thousands of his supporters at Matsika Primary School in Makoni West yesterday, Tsvangirai also lauded former Presidential Affairs minister, Didymus Mutasa, for “having seen the light” and finally realising how “cruel” President Robert Mugabe allegedly was.
He said the MDC remained committed to peaceful change in Zimbabwe despite “the massive rigging at the polls” by Zanu PF, and the ruling party’s “proven” unwillingness to cede power to his party after suffering electoral defeats.
Tsvangirai said this was also the reason why his party was insisting on electoral reforms in the country ahead of the eagerly-anticipated 2018 national elections.
“Nyaya inonetsa munyika ino ndeyekuti vanoti nekuti takarwa hondo, power haiendi kuMDC neball point (The problem we have in this country is that Zanu PF says because it participated in the liberation struggle, power can not be transferred to the MDC through the ballot box).
“Let me warn you, isu kubva musi wekutanga takataura kuti we don’t want violence. Tingadai takati nekuti matibira 2000 tavakubatawo pfuti. Chinotitadzisa chii? Asi aizo-suffer ndiani? Tisu vana veZimbabwe (We said from the beginning that we don’t want violence. We could have said because you stole the 2000 elections we are taking up arms. What could have stopped us? But who was going to suffer? It’s us Zimbabweans),” the MDC leader said.
He pointed out that there were few countries that had emerged prosperous from a civil war.
“Hakuna nyika inoita progress iinehondo. Zvinoreva kuti isu takagara takacomitter ourselves to democratic change nekuti tinoziva kuti kana pasina hondo tichaita change (There is no country in a war situation which develops. We always committed ourselves to democratic change because we know that we will achieve change without violence),” Tsvangirai said.
He said once democracy was achieved in Zimbabwe, the country would experience real liberation, with people returning to work and the international community’s confidence being regained and allowing for foreign direct investment.
“Kana democracy yauya nerusununguko vanhu vachaenda kumabasa, vekunze vachaita confidence vakaunza mari.(Once we have democracy we will have true liberation. People will go to work and the international community will have enough confidence to invest in the country),” Tsvangirai said.
He said he had become more resolute and clear about the need for change in the country after enduring many hardships in his protracted battle to dethrone Zanu PF and Mugabe from power.
“We have come a long way in our journey. But there are other people who are now battle-weary, while others are told by Zanu PF to ditch me. But I’m happy that people are always there for me. We have seen a lot,” the former premier in the government of national unity said.
He added that he would not give up “the fight” as his supporters had endured untold suffering for the party and nation’s cause.
He also said the government should consider introducing a universal pension for older persons, regardless of whether they were previously employed or not.
“You see these old people jiving and gyrating here, a government of the people must formulate policies that help those who are now incapable of looking after themselves and those who are wallowing in abject poverty,” he said.
Tsvangirai recounted his “recent persecution by Zanu PF in order to divert his attention from his tour of Manicaland” — a reference to the police disruptions of his meetings, as well as failed attempts by the deputy sheriff to attach his personal property over a pay dispute between his party and its former employees.
“We have seen a lot. I was coming from Honde Valley and I heard that my house had been emptied and I said I won’t go back home because what they are doing is childish,” he said to wild applause.
Speaking about Mutasa, Tsvangirai said he welcomed the fact that he had removed “his blinkers about how cruel Mugabe is”, adding that this vindicated what the MDC had been saying all along.
“Didymus today now knows Mugabe is evil. But someone who is repentant is better. I don’t talk about Biti and Mangoma, they are too small and not worth talking about, it’s a waste of time,” Tsvangirai said.
He said people must not be “mesmerised and seduced by little goodies” such as cups of rice which were being donated by Zanu PF, as hunger continues to decimate families throughout the country. Daily News

It never rains but pours for Zimbabwe’s workers who barely a week ago were told they are no longer entitled to retrenchment pay.
The Supreme Court has made another landmark labour ruling giving employers the right to withdraw employees’ allowances and benefits saying these were not a right or entitlement.
This comes barely 14 days after the same court gave the employer the right to terminate workers’ contracts and offload them at three months’ notice without having to pay retrenchment packages.
In a judgment delivered at the Supreme Court, in a matter involving the National Railways of Zimbabwe against all its employees’ associations who were demanding payment of outstanding housing and educational allowances, the court said the NRZ had no obligation to pay such allowances since issues of allowances were based on collective bargaining agreements.
“The appellant’s (NRZ) position at all times was that it preferred to negotiate on basic salaries and not allowances. In my view both the Labour Court and the Arbitrator ought to have found that the allowances, not having been negotiated by the parties and therefore not forming part of their collective bargaining agreement, were not a right or entitlement for appropriation by the respondents,” the court said.
“They (allowances) cannot be imposed by the arbitrator, or indeed any court, in the same way that a court cannot write a contract for the parties. What occurred in this case was totally improper. The Labour Officer, the Arbitrator and the labour Court all missed the point.”- Newsday

The Marange community was left in shivers after a villager went berserk and brutally murdered his brother in cold blood, sliced his body into pieces before hiding the deceased’s private parts in a beehive following a misunderstanding over meat.
Tonderai Kichini (31) of Machiwanga Village allegedly dragged Tichaona Kichini’s body from the room where he had butchered him and chopped it into several pieces using a knife and axe.
Tonderai went further to pack the deceased’s body parts into two 50kg sacks and threw them into a disused well. He also took Tichaona’s head and private parts and hid them in a beehive.
Manicaland provincial police spokesman, Assistant Inspector Luxson Chananda, confirmed the brutal murder and said on July 15, at around 10am, a neighbour saw one of the dogs eating a piece of meat.
“He became suspicious and monitored his dogs’ movements. He saw some traces of blood which led him to the now deceased’s kitchen hut,” he said.
Last Saturday, Tonderai appeared before Mutare magistrate, Mr Langton Mukwengi, facing murder charges.
He was asked to apply for bail at the High Court since he was facing a Third Schedule offence.
It was the State’s case led by Mr Shepherd Chavarika that Tichaona had asked his brother, Tonderai for keys to their kitchen hut where he wanted to collect some food.
Tichaona refused to hand over the keys and this did not go down well with the accused.
He then drew an iron bar from the fireplace and struck his brother thrice on the head, before he collapsed and died.
“When he realised that he had killed his brother, Kichini took an axe and a knife with which he used to cut his brother into pieces. He cut off the head and private parts before crushing them using mortar and a pestle.
“He later took the chunks and stuffed them in a beehive. He then took the remaining body parts and buried them in a dry disused well.”
The court also learnt that Kichini’s was once convicted of assault. His mental status is also questionable.
He will be back in the dock on July 29.-

Manicapost

ZIMBABWE’S FIRST Lady Grace Mugabe has for the first time revealed that her husband’s party Zanu PF is plotting to dislodge her.
She at the weekend blew into the open standing rumours that bigwigs hoping to succeed President Robert Mugabe are on a bloody campaign fearing that she harboured ambitions to take over the Presidency from her 91-year-old husband.
Mrs Mugabe told the State media during her lavish 50th birthday celebrations at their posh Borrowdale home on Saturday that Zanu PF had been rocked by power struggles centred on succession.
She said some of the smear campaigns were being channelled through the media.
“We hear a lot of things being said about us (First Family), allegations being made that she has presidential ambitions,” Grace said.
“When these people who actually think they are the ones to take over after Mugabe imagine that Mugabe’s wife has those ambitions, they actually start mudslinging. I know some detractors are writing about it, that Mugabe is grooming his wife to become the President after he retires, and it will never stop because there are people who think they are the ones to take over out there,” she said.
“And they think that if Mugabe is really grooming his wife, we must ensure we pull her down and this is what has been happening. It is all about those people who fear they may wake up one morning with Mugabe’s wife as the President.”
Grace, however, ruled herself out of the presidential race or any other political office besides her Women’s League post, but said some Zanu PF hawks were burning the midnight candle at both ends plotting against her to ensure Mugabe did not anoint her successor.
Observers have said Grace’s remarks were aimed at Mugabe’s two deputies, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko.
Last month, Mugabe publicly accused the two politicians of leading factional groups in the race to succeed him.
Since Grace’s entry into politics as Zanu PF Women’s League boss last year, her influence on Mugabe and Zanu PF has been growing by leaps and bounds with some observers saying she had become the de facto President of the country.
Mugabe himself has admitted Grace’s influence over him and recently, Grace made another more profound revelation that Mnangagwa and Mphoko took instructions from her on how to run government affairs.
Mnangagwa is widely believed to be leading a faction angling to take over from Mugabe, and is now squaring off with the G40, reportedly fronted by political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere and Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo with the backing of Mphoko.
In her interview, Grace said those angling to take power had been approaching her to find out if she would be running for the Presidency after Mugabe.
She added: “There are people who come to me . . . and I have told them in no uncertain terms: ‘In future, don’t come and ask me that question. Tell whoever has sent you that they must keep it to themselves.’ I don’t have the ambition to run for the Presidency.”
Grace said she was not interested in politics, but women’s issues only.
“I have never — in any way, in any place, at any time — said I would want to be the President of this country.”
The First Lady also all but confirmed her influence on her ageing husband and his ruling Zanu PF party when she said nothing could stand in her way if she wanted to be a Cabinet minister.
“If I had really wanted, if I had been as ambitious as they say, I would have said yes, I want to be a minister. There was nothing to stop me anyway, but I said no because I didn’t want to,” she said.
Grace said former Vice-President Joice Mujuru had a perfect chance of succeeding Mugabe had she maintained her cool and stopped poking at her.
Her Saturday birthday bash — attended by over 2 000 people and beamed live on national television — coincided with her first anniversary in politics.(Newsday/Additional Reporting)

The Zaoga church members in Mucheke surbub  of Masvingo were left shell shocked when their elder a married man, was found dead at one of the sex workers’ houses.
It is alleged that Gifford Mudondo  67 was found dead a few minutes after the two had been intimate.
Acting spokesperson of Masvingo police Assistant Nkululeko Nduna confirmed that the incident took place on Monday. “Gifford Mudondo (67) was found dead in Maida Chin’anga’s bedroom on her bed with his trousers on the floor,” he said. 
The police attended the scene after they were notified about the incident and when they arrived, they collected Mudondo’s body from the woman’s bedroom. This was a shock especially to his family and church members.
An elder has the same status and rank as that of a pastor.
His close relatives believed that Mudondo had gone to the woman’s house to place orders as the woman is a tailor, but could not explain how he ended up dead and naked in her bedroom.
Close sources said Mudondo who works as a driver went to Mucheke Bus Terminus after work and parked his vehicle before proceeding to Chin’anga’s house in the same suburb.
“Mudondo left his vehicle parked at the terminus apparently to avoid being seen by other congregants. The next thing we heard that he is dead and his body was found on the woman’s bed while naked with his trousers on the floor,” said one resident.
He went on to say it was a lie that Mudondo had gone to place orders since the woman is a tailor.
Instead he saidMudondo was Chin’anga’s well-known client and their secret was known and some congregants were fully aware of it.
“What we got pertaining to this incident is that Mudondo and Chin’anga were intimate. The two were seen on several occasions together despite the fact that the man is a church elder at Zaoga and the woman, a known sex worker in the location,” he said.
After the incident, Chin’anga confided in her friends within the same location about what had happened and one of them advised her to alert the police.
The police attended the scene and removed the body from the bedroom .The body was taken to Masvingo General Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem. – State Media

Robert Mugabe’s securocrats have begun approaching the MDC-T seeking for some sort of a reunion in order to fix the economy, highly placed Morgan Tsvangirai sources have claimed.

Mugabe’s security agents who include Service Chiefs are the ones who have for years assisted President Robert Mugabe to “rig” elections and clinch onto power. In March 2008 after Mugabe was beaten in the first round of the Presidential polls by  Morgan Tsvangirai, when the “junta” openly manipulated figures denying Tsvangirai his win.

They held on to the Presidential poll results for over six weeks and only to  announce that Tsvangirai had not garnered enough votes that would allow him to take over  from Mugabe.

“They (top security officers) are making concerted efforts trying to invite the party for talks,” said a senior official in Tsvangirai’s MDC party who cannot be named due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.

They continued, “they are saying we should meet as a party and assist government with ideas of how we could together shape the economy.

“But we are very careful because we do not trust these guys. Remember some of them have publicly declared their patronage to Zanu PF and have vowed to die for Mugabe .So ware treating them with due care”.

President Robert Mugabe’s Spokesman George Charamba was not available for comment at the time of writing as his phone kept ringing without being answered.

First Lady Grace Mugabe has revealed that she used to climb trees the same way young boys do.
Speaking during her birthday celebrations as she called for gender equality,  Grace indicated she ruled the jungle.
The First Lady who was born in the diaspora in South Africa after her parents migrated in search of greener pastures, said she
“ grew up in a rural background, typical African rural environment.”
She continued, “I grew up a very disciplined girl. I could stand my ground among my peers. I could climb trees, milk cows, fetch firewood and carry a bucket of water on my head.”
Grace called for equality between boys and girls, saying it was good that the new Constitution recognised gender equality.
She said girls should be empowered through education and praised President Mugabe for education policies which encouraged people to go to school.
“I realised early in my life as I grew up the importance of education and the difference it makes to one’s life,” she said.
“Education is the only chance that the girl child has to rise above the cultural customary practices that continue to cast women as inferior to their male counterparts.”

First Lady Grace Mugabe has revealed that her body is under attack from numerous ailments years running culminating to the last one this year which was cancer at the intestines.
Speaking during her birthday celebrations in Harare, Grace indicated she has been slain by numerous attacks the latest one which was cancer.
She told delegates, “I am, therefore, most grateful to you all for accepting the invitation to come here to celebrate with me and my family the precious gift of life which God has given me over these past 50 years.
“They have been 50 years full of illnesses for me. The other day when I returned from Singapore after I had been hospitalised, I had undergone surgery there, and I was trying to narrate to people my medical history.
“I am a very strong person. I don;t think if I wasn’t that strong I would be here today. When we were coming over to this marquee here I was saying to my husband ‘thank you very much for being there for me, I have been very sick and you have been always on my side’ and I went on to say ‘if it wasn’t for you, for that support morally and financially I would be dead by now’. I went on to say to him that ‘I don’t think if I were married to somebody else I would be alive today because I have gone through a lot’.”
Mrs Mugabe said it all started in 1986 when she had her tonsils taken out and 10 years later in 1996 she was under the knife again when her gall bladder was removed because she had developed gall stones.
“And then 10 years after, in 2006, I contracted pneumonia and the doctors started treating me for malaria and then they realised that no it wasn’t malaria, it was pneumonia and the treatment came quite late,” she said.
“I almost lost my life there, but God wanted me to live for a reason, I suppose for the children that I have adopted. By the way, the children are now 90 of them. The 90th one came only two days ago from Masvingo.”
She said a few months ago she went under the knife again to have her appendix removed.
Although she said that the ailment was an appendix infection, close family sources have revealed that she was actually attacked by colon cancer.
She continued, “so, you can imagine, I was talking with people in hospital that you know the doctors, they are giving me anesthesia and then they view my body,” she said. “I have gone under body viewing many times by the doctors inside out.
“But I thank God because I am a very strong person. I do not think a person would have gone through so many operations would be as strong as I am, but I thank God for that.”

STATEMENT OF THE MONTH:

“We haven’t inherited this land from our fore fathers. We have borrowed it from our children,” Barack Obama in Nairobi, Kenya.

Nearly five months after the disappearance of democracy activist Itai Dzamara, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) spokesman Mfundo Mlilo and programmes manager Nixon Nyikadzino were on Saturday arrested by ZRP cops and harassed for having visited National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe (Navuz) chairman Sten Zvorwadza, his director Samuel Wadzanai and 14 other vendors who are in remand prison after they were denied bail on public violence charges.

Tichaona Danho, the Occupy Africa Unity Square (OAUS) member who was one of the two who accompanied Itai Dzamara when he first handed in the original petition on 17th October 2014 was called in to answer questions about an alleged threat towards a police officer. Mr Danho reported to Harare Central Police Station on Wednesday 22 July 2015 as instructed in company of Advocate Kwaramba from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). He was kept in custody over night and released the next day.
Another OAUS member Charles Nyoni was arrested by the Zimbabwe police on Friday 14 July 2015 afternoon. Charles Nyoni, CRISIS in Zimbabwe Coalition Information Officer, Edgar Gweshe and another unnamed activist were detained by the Zimbabwe Prison Services at Harare Remand Prison. The three were part of a group of over 50 Civil Society members who had gone to Harare Remand Prison on a solidarity visit for arrested National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe (NAVUZ) leaders and vendors. Charles was released on bail the next day.
Dirk Frey, the deputy chairperson of OAUS was taken by police on Saturday 25 July 2015 for questioning and is still in custody.
OAUS condemns the continued blitz against its members and leaders of other civic societies. OAUS is urging the government of Zimbabwe to focus attention and redirect their resources to the deteriorating economy of Zimbabwe. The government should not attempt to draw away people’s attention from the houses that are being demolished on another wave of Murambatsvina 2. The government has failed to provide the 2.5 million jobs it promised us and our jobless youths are finding life meaningless as they aimlessly roam the streets of Zimbabwe. Employees are getting fired from work without adequate notice; instead the government is busy persecuting peaceful human rights defenders. We have been reduced to a nation of vendors and beggars. There are more demanding matters of the state than the systematic and brutal persecution of peaceful civil protestors.
OAUS would like to reiterate the call made by the Civil Society of Zimbabwe which demands and call upon;
1. The Government of Zimbabwe to immediately release the civil society leaders and activists.
2. The Government of Zimbabwe to desist from intimidating, harassing and interfering of legitimate operations of civil society in Zimbabwe.
3. The ZPCS and ZRP to exercise professionalism and carry out their duties in non-partisan manner with due diligence and stop harassing and intimidating human rights defenders.
4. The Government of Zimbabwe should create an enabling environment for CSOs in accordance with the Zimbabwean Constitution and the various regional and international norms which Zimbabwe has signed which protects fundamental rights of human rights defenders to exist and be protected by law, to organize associate and carry out peaceful and legitimate activities.
5. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to condemn this act of repression and demand, from the current Chair, guarantees for Zimbabwean CSOs to operate freely.
OAUS would like to stand shoulder to shoulder with all Civic Societies whose leaders and members are being persecuted day and night.
OAUS would like to remind the government of Zimbabwe that under The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
· Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
· Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
· Article 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
· Article 9: No one should be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
· Article 10: Everyone is entitled in full equality and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him or her.
· Article 12: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
· Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
· Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers
· Article 20: (i) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. (ii) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
The above Human Rights Declaration, together with our 10 Golden Rules; which promotes non-violent protest is our flagship and we have the right to uphold them. Our leader, Itai Dzamara, as a citizen of Zimbabwe, had the right to exercise the above rights. We therefore call upon the government of Zimbabwe to pragmatically assist and facilitate the safe return of Itai Dzamara. We also call upon the government of Zimbabwe to stop the persecution, intimidation of our members and the immediate release of all detained civic society leaders.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE. WE ARE THE NUMBERS. LET’S GO!
Occupy Africa Unity Square.
Tendai Kwari.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday stood astute as he was worshiped by his critic Solomon Madzore’s father, party cadres say.
Pictures from the Buhera rally on Saturday show Elder Madzore kneeling at the ground while clasping his hands for Tsvangirai. In the act, the elderly man looked up to Tsvangirai in full view of the crowd. According to rally-commissar Job Sikhala, Elder Madzore dropped to the dusty ground to apologise for the way his sons Solomon and Paul have “sinned” against Tsvangirai.

Sikhala wrote of the pictures saying this is “Paul and Solomon Madzore’s father apologizing to Morgan Tsvangirai at a Rally in Buhera today about what his sons are doing to him,” said Sikhala.
Sikhala’s comments drew a flood of attacks from news readers.
“There is nothing to apologize since his sons have their rights to chose a group or political party of their choice. Kusarudza bato raunoda is not like kudyisa mombe dzako mumunda waTsvangirai,” wrote one contributor on the Zim Policy Dialogue forum.
“Tsvangirai must STOP IT, ” wrote Mugabe supporter Kisnot Mukwazhe.
Added ZimEye columnist Ndaba Nhuku, “does MT have to allow everything that Mugabe does to be part of his own political drama? No! He should have long stopped this nyaya yokupfugamirwa like some Lord!! Seems he loves it yet we always criticise Mugabe’s attack dogs for doing exactly that.”