Does Chief Gutu belong to one party or the other?

His ruling on Friday and many statements he makes at funerals smacks just that.

On Friday he ordered CCC Ward 38 candidate Andersen Singende to pay 4 beasts to his Zanu PF opponent and Councillor Takawira Chezhira on allegations that Singende was spreading rumours that the latter was caught red handed with a married woman. What makes the decision predetermined is that Chief Gutu did not allow Singende’s witnesses to give their accounts while all witnesses from the complainant gave evidence. Singende as the accused paid US$50 to appear before the courts. 4 beasts can fetch US$2 400 and only High Courts grant such high levels of damages for defamation. The chief must remember that a good leader is a protector of his people and not an appendage to a system that makes his people suffer!

MASVINGO–Teachers at Guni Secondary School in Gutu South were on Wednesday last week forced to sleep in bushes after receiving death threats from a Zanu PF ward chairperson.

The threats rattled the teachers who were assaulted at an alleged Zanu PF base in 2008. A Rumhizha Secondary School teacher, Mujeyi Chamba died after being assaulted at the same base.

One of the affected teachers, Christopher Bishi Chikomo confirmed the matter to The Mirror.

He said the threat was issued by Zanu PF Gutu Ward 27 chairperson and aspiring councillor, Stephen Mawarire Muunde.

Muunde refuted the allegations when contacted for a comment.

“I am not aware of that. We did not carry anyone to acquire registration documents on that day. If anything, we want more people to join the party so we cannot be turning them away,” said Muunde.

Bishi said that equally baffling is that Deputy Provincial Education Director (PED), Micho Hove told him to follow procedure and report his case to Gutu District Schools Inspector (DSI), Ronald Muganhu.

He travelled from Man’a Business Centre early in the morning to Masvingo which is closer and cheaper than going to Mpandawana Growth Point only to be referred back to Gutu.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education communications director Taungana Ndoro dismissed the matter. He said a teacher at the school is angling for a political post.

“The information I have received is that the school deputy head is angling for a political post and is soliciting votes from the community. The school is not affected by that and all teachers are reporting for work,” said Ndoro.

Bishi said that his wife, Tariro was barred from getting into a Zanu PF vehicle which was carrying villagers to acquire national registration documents at Mpandawana. The vehicle was parked at Man’a Business Centre.
Muunde allegedly told her that her husband was teaching students opposition party ideologies and promised to deal with him.

Tariro warned her husband who informed school head Chipiri Man’oro who allegedly advised him to flee his house for the night. Several other teachers who declined to comment for fear of victimization also fled their houses and slept in bushes.

Man’oro who was hospitalized for three months after being assaulted in 2008 said he is not aware of the matter when contacted for a comment.

Bishi said he is living in fear of being attacked anytime… Masvingo Mirror

Hosiah Abraham Chisango, the town clerk for the City of Harare, was cleared on charges of perjury and criminal abuse of office by Harare Magistrate Mr. Noel Mupeiwa.

By authorising the destruction of a showroom constructed without a valid plan, Chisango was accused of promoting Pokugara Properties.

At the conclusion of the State case, regional magistrate Noel Mupeiwa declared Chisango, who was represented by Mr. Alec Muchadehama, not guilty of any misconduct.

He had entered a not guilty plea, arguing that since he was acting within the scope of his authority as the accounting officer, the court should not convict him.

He was charged with either perjury or criminal abuse of office.

This is Chisango’s second acquittal, coming three weeks after the High Court cleared him of a different criminal abuse of office charge in which he was accused of taking part in the sale of property in Mount Pleasant.

President E.D. Mnangagwa

I recall our first meetings with Churches and Church leaders soon after our Independence. Rhodesian propaganda had painted freedom fighters darker than the devil. We were a godless lot, blue-dyed communists associated with all manner of devilry.

This Rhodesian narrative would be repeated daily and unremittingly, until a large part of the Rhodesian populace — both black and white — began to believe these blood-curdling propaganda stories mischaracterising us.

By contrast, white Rhodesia beatified itself as holy, carefully cultivating a self-image of a God-fearing civilisation created by a selfless generation of “Founders” who had come from afar, to redeem and Christianise a benighted race inhabiting a “Dark Continent”. Until the white man came, Africa was a continent living outside history; lived as a continent filled by a race which did not know God! This was the colonial narrative.

When Ian Douglas Smith declared his Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), he claimed that he had “struck a blow for Christianity”, thus depicting UDI as Christian. The Anglican Church – the Church of the Settler Rhodesian State – was dutifully in tow, lending holiness to such apostate claims. That way, a colonial project by a foreign occupying power was characterised as Christian, and for the good and elevation of us Africans.

Colonialism was, thus, a God-send, not some racially oppressive system of foreign invasion and occupation.

The Church and State are inseparable

Rhodesia described itself as the last bulwark against “the black and red peril”. The “black peril” was represented by us Africans who threatened to overwhelm white civilisation through our overwhelming numbers, and by our culture described as rank heathenism.

The “red peril” represented communism whose diligent agents were “terrorists”, in this case our freedom fighters. These terrorists, so Rhodesian propaganda claimed, had been trained and “misled” by evil, foreign communist hailing from countries like the then Soviet Union, China and other progressive countries drawn from the Eastern Bloc, which supported our Liberation Struggle.

The communists had used their vile propaganda of communism to mislead an otherwise “happy” African populace grateful to be under British settler colonial rule!

Ogres of a godless creed

As events would have it, in the 1980 elections, we the so-called communist terrorists had now won a Commonwealth-supervised election, and had won it by a landslide. As a result, we had assumed the reins of Government in an independent Zimbabwe! The Patriotic Front, led by our late President, then as Prime Minister, Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe, and Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, had to meet clerics, most of them raised on the staple of vile Rhodesian propaganda, in order to allay their deeply ingrained and held fears of us.

Only a handful of Church leaders, mostly Jesuits, had met with us as the Patriotic Front in Zambia, at the height of the Struggle. Those knew our humanity denied us by Rhodesian propaganda, and understood our cause which Rhodesia mischaracterised as foreign and communist-inspired. But these clerics were in the minority.

You also had a few missionaries who led rural parishes and, thus, had interacted with, and become exposed to, our freedom fighters operating in liberated and semi-liberated zones. Those, too, knew us and even supported our cause. Otherwise the rest of the erstwhile Rhodesian Church was led by religious figures who viewed us as ogres; figures whose view of us neatly fitted within the terrible persona created of us by Rhodesian propaganda.

I remember that in one of those early meetings, all clerics – to the person – voiced disquiet over our choice of ideology of Marxist-Leninism, which they characterised as a godless creed. They were disgusted that we, the agents of that terrible creed, had won elections, and taken over Government. We needed complete redemption! Could we not, the clerics opined, drop this godless creed for Christianity, of course, under their tutelage as Church leaders?

Healing wounds of colonialism

About the same time, our Ministry of Education, then headed by Dr Dzingai Mutumbuka, was transforming the curriculum to make our education more suited to the needs and values of a free Zimbabwe. Dr Mutumbuka worked with leading educationist-comrades like Dr Fay Chung and Sister Dr Janice Macloughlin. These comrades had developed curricula for our wartime schools. They now sought to adapt it to the needs of a free Zimbabwe, under the ZIMFEB Programme. Again, this raised more anxieties for the Church. From early colonial times, the Rhodesian Church had heavily invested in African Education; it ran the majority of schools for Africans in the country, right through to our Independence. Any changes to the curriculum, more so done by people long mischaracterised as proponents of communism – in their view a godless creed – was extremely disquieting to them.

After a long presentation by Church leaders – one by one and each representing a denomination – the message was stark and clear: our avowed ideology of Marxist-Leninism was unacceptable to the Church! When our turn came, the then Prime Minister, Cde R.G. Mugabe, rose to respond. He gave a long lesson in history, covering colonialism and the racial inequities it created, and the Liberation Struggle which that colonial rule triggered.

Later, he closed in on the issue of our choice of the ideology of Marxist-Leninism, expatiating what he understood it to mean. He also justified the Patriotic Front’s choice of it as an appropriate ideological framework for a post-Independent Zimbabwe as it sought to heal the wounds of a long colonialism, and in its quest to develop the country on egalitarian principles. He also drew parallels and similarities between our ideology and the values espoused by Africans under African communalism.

At the end of this long lecture to the clerics, he said: “We all came through Churches, to the number; we were raised by different denominations of the Christian Church, all of us in positions of leadership. I myself was raised by the Jesuits. We are practising Christians, practised Christianity even as we waged the Armed Liberation Struggle.

Ours was a just war, itself a notion developed by the Church.”

What followed next was dramatic. Cde Mugabe dipped his hands into his pocket and fished out a worn-out rosary.

He said: “This rosary has been with me throughout the war. It guided my faith and prayers daily; it still does to this day; will do so, right to my last days in this life!”

You can imagine the utter consternation from his audience at the sight of a worn-out rosary. The audience included the late Archbishop Patrick Chakaipa! Looking at the stunned clerics, the then Prime Minister declared: “If, as you say, Marxist-Leninism is godless, I say here and now: Give it a God!” That intervention changed relations between the State and the Church, laying a firm foundation to a partnership which endures to this day.

God-fearing leadership

Our struggle was led by a leadership raised by the Church. That Struggle was a just one. The State to emerge from it — the First Republic — was a God-fearing one. Its successor, the Second Republic, is God-fearing, and is built on values espoused by the Church. Our interaction with various denominations of the Zimbabwean Church is routine, and is predicated on a firm belief in a complementary partnership of State and Church. I cannot count the number of times I have held meetings with Church leaders; or even the many Church meetings I have attended and addressed, across denominations.

Last week was a turning point in this enduring relationship. As I addressed congregants at the historic Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, I told my God-fearing audience that our twin mantras of “Nyika inotongwa nevene vayo” and “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” were incomplete, and fell short of the Holy Trinity at the heart of the Church, namely, that of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To complete that Trinity, we needed something spiritual added. I then declared: “Nyika inonamatirwa nevene vayo!”

This new mantra we have added to our other two mantras, to form a credo of the Second Republic, comes from the heart. It is deeply held. All our politics, our policies and our programmes remain incomplete and unfulfilling until and unless we give them God.

My meeting with Church leaders of our country and, as happened late last week, from our region are meant to ensure that our politics are rooted in God. This is vital as our nation goes for polls. I continue to call on our Church leaders to pray for peaceful elections: before, during and after those elections. We should never tire of sermonising for peace in our land; indeed, praying for peace for our land; pray in our national languages and through our idioms, in our hearts and minds. God will hear us.

Divine favour

We develop our country using God-given resources. Looking at mineral resources we have discovered and are exploiting since the Second Republic, there is no doubt our nation enjoys divine favour. From a paltry US$2,5 billion turnover in mining before this New Dispensation, our mining sector is peeping the US$20 billion-mark, in the five short years we have subsisted as the Second Republic.

This is unprecedented. We continue to discover more minerals, no doubt through divine guidance.

The same salutary results show in most sectors, including in agriculture and in tourism. Both draw from our God-given resources, once more echoing the need to ensure we put God at the heart of our development.

Late last week, I received an utterly lifting progress report from Driefontain Mission. Our Catholic Church has embraced our mantra of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, and has started applying it in the Church. Through an investment vehicle the Catholic Church has dubbed Stella Mundi, it has embarked on an ambitious agricultural and value-addition programme, which the Church envisages will be rolled out to cover the whole country. The Bishops, led by Archbishop Ndlovu, have used the Church farm at Driefontain to tease out this new concept. As at last week, they had planted over 200 hectares of wheat, under seven centre pivots. More hectarage is being planted as I write. I thank the Catholic Church leaders for this salutary venture.

What is even more significant is that the funds the Church had mobilised for the project from well-wishers overseas were impounded by some Western country which has imposed sanctions on our country! They did not give up.

They approached Government and, together, we worked out a funding package for the whole project. Now it has taken off, and is set to expand and scale-up in intervening seasons. In due course, the Church will stand on its own.

The Catholic Church story is the story of our economy and of our country.

Looking inward

They say we should never waste a good crisis. As a nation, we have decided a bad crisis wrought by sanctions should be made good by us looking inward, and by us mobilising our own God-given resources. The lesson from Driefontain shows and demonstrates a lifting symbiosis between the three mantras we have coined for ourselves; and how, through them, we invent an enduring framework for a new partnership between the State and the Church. Both institutions, after all, serve the same person created in the image of God.

Nyika Inotongwa, igovakwa nekunamatirwa nevene vayo!
https://zbcnews.co.zw/2023/06/11/10485/

Tinashe Sambiri

CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa has assured the nation that the season of joy is coming.

Writing on Twitter, President Chamisa urged the nation to remain patient and vigilant.

“DON’T YOU HEAR THE ECHOES OF CELEBRATIONS reverberating across the nations and capitals of the world? We may be in tears today and now but shouts of joy are next and coming.

Great things are about to be done for us. We shall REAP BIG and HARVEST GREAT. Our neighbours in SADC.”

Tinashe Sambiri

The CCC vice President Hon Tendai Biti has called for the immediate resignation of Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Hon Biti also slammed Mr Mnangagwa for intimidating business owners.

Said Hon Biti in a statement:
“An economy can never be run by threats of force , duress & countless notices, decrees & proclamations.

This bankrupt lot never learns from history .

We have been here before & force never worked . Do the right thing , RESIGN !!!”

After hearing an application that claimed the required amount of money was out of reach for some candidates, the Constitutional Court issued an order that ordered Parliament to decide on election nomination fees.
On August 23, Zimbabwe will have harmonised elections, and on June 21, candidates are due to submit their paperwork to the Nomination Court.

Statutory Instrument 144 of 2022, which established nomination costs for people wishing to run for office, was published in the Government Gazette.

A presidential candidate’s gazetted fee was set at $20,000 and a member of parliament’s cost at $1,000.

The nomination costs were contested before the Constitutional Court by Devine Mhambi Hove, the head of the Nationalists Alliance Party (NAP).

The Supreme Court decided that Parliament had violated the Constitution by approving the legislative instrument 144 of 2022 without first determining whether it was in compliance with the Constitution.

Parliament was given till Friday by the court to make a decision.

Ziyambi Ziyambi, Minister of Justice, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs, stated in a recent interview that it is anticipated that the National Assembly would debate and maybe vote on whether or not to maintain the fee.

According to Minister Ziyambi, a report on the validity of Statutory Instrument 144 of 2022 is likely to be presented by the Parliamentary Legal Committee today.

He stated that if the committee delivers a report that is neutral, the fees would stand, but if it issues a report that is negative, the committee will need to provide justification for its conclusion before lawmakers can act.

“What it means is that the Parliamentary Legal Committee (PLC) must sit and produce a report which I hope they did because they were given up to the 16th of this month to complete those processes,” said Minister Ziyambi.

“And then go with their report to Parliament and issue either a non-adverse report in which the fees will stand or they are issuing an adverse report in which Parliament will debate and vote. I think tomorrow (today) when they sit in the afternoon, we will know the position after the debate.”

He said before Parliament makes a decision on the nomination fees, the gazetted fees are still operational.

“As we speak, the fees are still standing that’s according to Constitutional Court because it said Parliament finish your processes. Statutory instrument is subsidiary legislation because it is delegated powers to make laws by Parliament,” he said.

“But once you make a statutory instrument it will start working the day that you publish it. But if Parliament decides that it is not constitutional then it falls away, so currently that statutory instrument is still in operation until Parliament meets and complete its work.”

“The Speaker will highlight the one that was given an adverse report and the chairperson of the Parliamentary Legal Committee would then read out their report indicating the reasons for issuing an adverse report on the law. Parliament will then vote whether to accept the report from PLC or allow the Statutory Instrument to stand,” he said.

Minister Ziyambi said Mr Hove jumped the gun when he took the matter to the Constitutional Court before Parliament had finalised its process.

He said the court processes had to be finalised before Parliament could act on the report.

“So, when this statutory instrument was issued, someone rushed to the courts and then Parliament said we cannot continue with our processes when the matter is before the court. So, the court said Parliament should continue with your work and issue either a non-adverse or an adverse report and complete,” he said.

Zanu-PF chief whip Cde Pupurai Togarepi said the party will take a position after the PLC makes its submissions.

“At this stage we are waiting for the Parliamentary Legal Committee to do its work as was directed by the court. The PLC will bring its position to Parliament which will then give us direction. I therefore suggest that we wait for the report from the relevant parliament committee,” said Cde Togarepi.

On the other hand, MDC Alliance chief whip Mr David Tekeshe said as the National Assembly debates the matter today, their position is that the nomination fees were too high.

“Tomorrow, we expect to be deliberating on that. It is very outrageous because it impedes other people who would be shut out on the basis that they do not have money, yet they can represent the people, so they will end up not contesting,” said Mr Tekeshe.

Constitutional lawyer Professor Lovemore Madhuku said it will be ideal for the country reverts to the past nomination fees.

He said the right to contest in elections should not be decided using money.

“They (nomination fees) take out people who would want to participate in politics. It limits political participation to the elite. You must have money to exercise your right to participate in politics and compete for the public office. With the prevailing nomination fees, if you don’t have US$20 000 you cannot even aspire to be a president. I don’t think it’s proper to say someone without money cannot be a president,” said Prof Madhuku.

President E.D. Mnangagwa

I recall our first meetings with Churches and Church leaders soon after our Independence. Rhodesian propaganda had painted freedom fighters darker than the devil. We were a godless lot, blue-dyed communists associated with all manner of devilry.

This Rhodesian narrative would be repeated daily and unremittingly, until a large part of the Rhodesian populace — both black and white — began to believe these blood-curdling propaganda stories mischaracterising us.

By contrast, white Rhodesia beatified itself as holy, carefully cultivating a self-image of a God-fearing civilisation created by a selfless generation of “Founders” who had come from afar, to redeem and Christianise a benighted race inhabiting a “Dark Continent”. Until the white man came, Africa was a continent living outside history; lived as a continent filled by a race which did not know God! This was the colonial narrative.

When Ian Douglas Smith declared his Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), he claimed that he had “struck a blow for Christianity”, thus depicting UDI as Christian. The Anglican Church – the Church of the Settler Rhodesian State – was dutifully in tow, lending holiness to such apostate claims. That way, a colonial project by a foreign occupying power was characterised as Christian, and for the good and elevation of us Africans.

Colonialism was, thus, a God-send, not some racially oppressive system of foreign invasion and occupation.

The Church and State are inseparable

Rhodesia described itself as the last bulwark against “the black and red peril”. The “black peril” was represented by us Africans who threatened to overwhelm white civilisation through our overwhelming numbers, and by our culture described as rank heathenism.

The “red peril” represented communism whose diligent agents were “terrorists”, in this case our freedom fighters. These terrorists, so Rhodesian propaganda claimed, had been trained and “misled” by evil, foreign communist hailing from countries like the then Soviet Union, China and other progressive countries drawn from the Eastern Bloc, which supported our Liberation Struggle.

The communists had used their vile propaganda of communism to mislead an otherwise “happy” African populace grateful to be under British settler colonial rule!

Ogres of a godless creed

As events would have it, in the 1980 elections, we the so-called communist terrorists had now won a Commonwealth-supervised election, and had won it by a landslide. As a result, we had assumed the reins of Government in an independent Zimbabwe! The Patriotic Front, led by our late President, then as Prime Minister, Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe, and Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, had to meet clerics, most of them raised on the staple of vile Rhodesian propaganda, in order to allay their deeply ingrained and held fears of us.

Only a handful of Church leaders, mostly Jesuits, had met with us as the Patriotic Front in Zambia, at the height of the Struggle. Those knew our humanity denied us by Rhodesian propaganda, and understood our cause which Rhodesia mischaracterised as foreign and communist-inspired. But these clerics were in the minority.

You also had a few missionaries who led rural parishes and, thus, had interacted with, and become exposed to, our freedom fighters operating in liberated and semi-liberated zones. Those, too, knew us and even supported our cause. Otherwise the rest of the erstwhile Rhodesian Church was led by religious figures who viewed us as ogres; figures whose view of us neatly fitted within the terrible persona created of us by Rhodesian propaganda.

I remember that in one of those early meetings, all clerics – to the person – voiced disquiet over our choice of ideology of Marxist-Leninism, which they characterised as a godless creed. They were disgusted that we, the agents of that terrible creed, had won elections, and taken over Government. We needed complete redemption! Could we not, the clerics opined, drop this godless creed for Christianity, of course, under their tutelage as Church leaders?

Healing wounds of colonialism

About the same time, our Ministry of Education, then headed by Dr Dzingai Mutumbuka, was transforming the curriculum to make our education more suited to the needs and values of a free Zimbabwe. Dr Mutumbuka worked with leading educationist-comrades like Dr Fay Chung and Sister Dr Janice Macloughlin. These comrades had developed curricula for our wartime schools. They now sought to adapt it to the needs of a free Zimbabwe, under the ZIMFEB Programme. Again, this raised more anxieties for the Church. From early colonial times, the Rhodesian Church had heavily invested in African Education; it ran the majority of schools for Africans in the country, right through to our Independence. Any changes to the curriculum, more so done by people long mischaracterised as proponents of communism – in their view a godless creed – was extremely disquieting to them.

After a long presentation by Church leaders – one by one and each representing a denomination – the message was stark and clear: our avowed ideology of Marxist-Leninism was unacceptable to the Church! When our turn came, the then Prime Minister, Cde R.G. Mugabe, rose to respond. He gave a long lesson in history, covering colonialism and the racial inequities it created, and the Liberation Struggle which that colonial rule triggered.

Later, he closed in on the issue of our choice of the ideology of Marxist-Leninism, expatiating what he understood it to mean. He also justified the Patriotic Front’s choice of it as an appropriate ideological framework for a post-Independent Zimbabwe as it sought to heal the wounds of a long colonialism, and in its quest to develop the country on egalitarian principles. He also drew parallels and similarities between our ideology and the values espoused by Africans under African communalism.

At the end of this long lecture to the clerics, he said: “We all came through Churches, to the number; we were raised by different denominations of the Christian Church, all of us in positions of leadership. I myself was raised by the Jesuits. We are practising Christians, practised Christianity even as we waged the Armed Liberation Struggle.

Ours was a just war, itself a notion developed by the Church.”

What followed next was dramatic. Cde Mugabe dipped his hands into his pocket and fished out a worn-out rosary.

He said: “This rosary has been with me throughout the war. It guided my faith and prayers daily; it still does to this day; will do so, right to my last days in this life!”

You can imagine the utter consternation from his audience at the sight of a worn-out rosary. The audience included the late Archbishop Patrick Chakaipa! Looking at the stunned clerics, the then Prime Minister declared: “If, as you say, Marxist-Leninism is godless, I say here and now: Give it a God!” That intervention changed relations between the State and the Church, laying a firm foundation to a partnership which endures to this day.

God-fearing leadership

Our struggle was led by a leadership raised by the Church. That Struggle was a just one. The State to emerge from it — the First Republic — was a God-fearing one. Its successor, the Second Republic, is God-fearing, and is built on values espoused by the Church. Our interaction with various denominations of the Zimbabwean Church is routine, and is predicated on a firm belief in a complementary partnership of State and Church. I cannot count the number of times I have held meetings with Church leaders; or even the many Church meetings I have attended and addressed, across denominations.

Last week was a turning point in this enduring relationship. As I addressed congregants at the historic Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, I told my God-fearing audience that our twin mantras of “Nyika inotongwa nevene vayo” and “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” were incomplete, and fell short of the Holy Trinity at the heart of the Church, namely, that of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To complete that Trinity, we needed something spiritual added. I then declared: “Nyika inonamatirwa nevene vayo!”

This new mantra we have added to our other two mantras, to form a credo of the Second Republic, comes from the heart. It is deeply held. All our politics, our policies and our programmes remain incomplete and unfulfilling until and unless we give them God.

My meeting with Church leaders of our country and, as happened late last week, from our region are meant to ensure that our politics are rooted in God. This is vital as our nation goes for polls. I continue to call on our Church leaders to pray for peaceful elections: before, during and after those elections. We should never tire of sermonising for peace in our land; indeed, praying for peace for our land; pray in our national languages and through our idioms, in our hearts and minds. God will hear us.

Divine favour

We develop our country using God-given resources. Looking at mineral resources we have discovered and are exploiting since the Second Republic, there is no doubt our nation enjoys divine favour. From a paltry US$2,5 billion turnover in mining before this New Dispensation, our mining sector is peeping the US$20 billion-mark, in the five short years we have subsisted as the Second Republic.

This is unprecedented. We continue to discover more minerals, no doubt through divine guidance.

The same salutary results show in most sectors, including in agriculture and in tourism. Both draw from our God-given resources, once more echoing the need to ensure we put God at the heart of our development.

Late last week, I received an utterly lifting progress report from Driefontain Mission. Our Catholic Church has embraced our mantra of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, and has started applying it in the Church. Through an investment vehicle the Catholic Church has dubbed Stella Mundi, it has embarked on an ambitious agricultural and value-addition programme, which the Church envisages will be rolled out to cover the whole country. The Bishops, led by Archbishop Ndlovu, have used the Church farm at Driefontain to tease out this new concept. As at last week, they had planted over 200 hectares of wheat, under seven centre pivots. More hectarage is being planted as I write. I thank the Catholic Church leaders for this salutary venture.

What is even more significant is that the funds the Church had mobilised for the project from well-wishers overseas were impounded by some Western country which has imposed sanctions on our country! They did not give up.

They approached Government and, together, we worked out a funding package for the whole project. Now it has taken off, and is set to expand and scale-up in intervening seasons. In due course, the Church will stand on its own.

The Catholic Church story is the story of our economy and of our country.

Looking inward

They say we should never waste a good crisis. As a nation, we have decided a bad crisis wrought by sanctions should be made good by us looking inward, and by us mobilising our own God-given resources. The lesson from Driefontain shows and demonstrates a lifting symbiosis between the three mantras we have coined for ourselves; and how, through them, we invent an enduring framework for a new partnership between the State and the Church. Both institutions, after all, serve the same person created in the image of God.

Nyika Inotongwa, igovakwa nekunamatirwa nevene vayo!
https://zbcnews.co.zw/2023/06/11/10485/

Does Chief Gutu belong to one party or the other?

His ruling on Friday and many statements he makes at funerals smacks just that.

On Friday he ordered CCC Ward 38 candidate Andersen Singende to pay 4 beasts to his Zanu PF opponent and Councillor Takawira Chezhira on allegations that Singende was spreading rumours that the latter was caught red handed with a married woman. What makes the decision predetermined is that Chief Gutu did not allow Singende’s witnesses to give their accounts while all witnesses from the complainant gave evidence. Singende as the accused paid US$50 to appear before the courts. 4 beasts can fetch US$2 400 and only High Courts grant such high levels of damages for defamation. The chief must remember that a good leader is a protector of his people and not an appendage to a system that makes his people suffer!

Tinashe Sambiri

CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa has assured the nation that the season of joy is coming.

Writing on Twitter, President Chamisa urged the nation to remain patient and vigilant.

“DON’T YOU HEAR THE ECHOES OF CELEBRATIONS reverberating across the nations and capitals of the world? We may be in tears today and now but shouts of joy are next and coming.

Great things are about to be done for us. We shall REAP BIG and HARVEST GREAT. Our neighbours in SADC.”

Tinashe Sambiri

The CCC vice President Hon Tendai Biti has called for the immediate resignation of Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Hon Biti also slammed Mr Mnangagwa for intimidating business owners.

Said Hon Biti in a statement:
“An economy can never be run by threats of force , duress & countless notices, decrees & proclamations.

This bankrupt lot never learns from history .

We have been here before & force never worked . Do the right thing , RESIGN !!!”

Tinashe Sambiri

The CCC vice President Hon Tendai Biti has called for the immediate resignation of Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Hon Biti also slammed Mr Mnangagwa for intimidating business owners.

Said Hon Biti in a statement:
“An economy can never be run by threats of force , duress & countless notices, decrees & proclamations.

This bankrupt lot never learns from history .

We have been here before & force never worked . Do the right thing , RESIGN !!!”

Anti-corruption watchdogs have petitioned the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to sanction President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s special envoy Uebert Angel for allegedly abusing his diplomatic status.

The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) and the Zimbabwe Women against Corruption Trust (ZWACT) made the call in a joint mini report on how transnational organised crime syndicates work, citing the Al Jazeera expose on gold smuggling and money laundering.

Their report titled: Fighting Transnational Organised Crime (TOC): The Case of the Zimbabwean Gold Mafia explains how and why gold mafias managed to steal the country’s resources.

In the Al Jazeera documentary, Angel was recorded by undercover journalists offering to use his status to launder millions of dollars through a gold-smuggling scheme.

“Sadc, AU and UN member states hosting diplomats abusing diplomatic immunity and privileges should consider sanctioning the rogue diplomats,” the anti-corruption watchdog said in their report.

The report was researched and written by ACT-SA director Obert Chinhamo and ZWACT leader Sandra Matendere.

The Civil Society Organisations Initiative for Stolen Asset Recovery in Southern Africa (CSO-ISARSA) and the Zimbabwe Civil Society Anti-Corruption Coalition (ZCSACC) provided additional review and editorial work on the final production.

“ACT-SA, ZWACT, members of the ZCSACC and the CSO-ISARSA are increasingly concerned about the phenomenon of transnational organised crime and how it is used by its protagonists to cement power at the detriment of the world citizenry,” reads the report.

Angel also claimed that their laundering operations had the approval of the presidency.

“We hope that relevant authorities will investigate and take punitive action against all those fingered in the underworld and upper world gold smuggling, money laundering and corruption,” the report reads.

“Countries of destination of the dirty gold and/or where individuals and entities implicated reside or operate from should cooperate and investigate all individuals and entities implicated in the scandal.

Authorities in Dubai, Zimbabwe and South Africa should all utilise the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) provisions on mutual cooperation, investigating and punishing individuals and entities implicated in gold smuggling and money laundering.

“Government should take necessary measures within its means to safeguard or protect natural resources.”

The UNCAC is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument.”

Government should put into action at the country level the implementation of the Accelerated IFF Agenda and the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) seeking to address illicit financial flows (IFFs) to ensure that African economic resources support African economic growth — and that growth improves living standards for all,” read the report.

Government was initially mum on the Al Jazeera expose, with some officials dismissing it as propaganda.

There was a public outcry that forced government into a major climb-down, promising to investigate the scandal.

-Newsday

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Analyzing the Electoral Prospects: Saviour Kasukuwere vs. Nelson Chamisa in the 2023 Elections.

Like for KASUKUWERE, Retweet for CHAMISA

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 7, 2023

Introduction:
The upcoming 2023 elections in Zimbabwe are shaping up to be a crucial moment in the country’s political landscape. With two prominent figures vying for power, Saviour Kasukuwere and Nelson Chamisa, it is essential to analyze their abilities to garner electoral support and assess their potential to secure victory. While Chamisa enjoys a significant advantage with over 85% of the electorate behind him, Kasukuwere’s base consists primarily of selectors and elite upper-class supporters. This article will delve into their backgrounds, political standing, and the implications they may have on the electoral outcome.

Background:
Nelson Chamisa has emerged as a prominent opposition figure in Zimbabwe. As the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A), he has successfully mobilized a substantial following across the country. Chamisa’s popularity largely stems from his charismatic leadership style, youthful energy, and promises of democratic reform and economic revitalization. His strong grassroots support and appeal to the younger generation have bolstered his chances of assuming power.

On the other hand, Saviour Kasukuwere’s entrance into presidential politics carries a sense of uncertainty. Formerly a powerful figure within the ruling ZANU-PF party, Kasukuwere was the major irritant to the rebellious military in 2017, which ultimately led to the removal of Robert Mugabe. Consequently, Kasukuwere is viewed as Mugabe’s potential successor and has occupied influential positions within the ZANU-PF, such as political commissar. However, some argue that Kasukuwere’s involvement in the political arena may be part of a strategy to dilute Nelson Chamisa’s support base, as suggested by media expert Pedzisayi Ruhanya.

Electoral Dynamics:
In terms of electoral power, Nelson Chamisa undeniably holds a significant advantage. With over 85% of the electorate supporting him, his grassroots appeal and extensive mobilization efforts have allowed him to gain widespread popularity. Chamisa’s message of change and reform resonates with many Zimbabweans, particularly the disillusioned youth, who view him as a symbol of hope for a brighter future.

In contrast, Saviour Kasukuwere’s support base primarily consists of selectors and members of the elite upper class. This limited electoral backing poses a challenge for his presidential bid. Zimbabwe has historically operated under a system that privileges the elite and the deep state cluster, disregarding the one man, one vote principle. However, this system, though unpopular, has consistently maintained power regardless of opposition. Kasukuwere’s reliance on this traditional power structure may limit his ability to garner broader popular support.

Implications and Potential Outcomes:
Kasukuwere’s entrance into presidential politics carries inherent risks. While there is a chance that electors may favor him over the relatively junior Chamisa, the odds are stacked against him. It is plausible that Kasukuwere’s candidacy might inadvertently benefit Chamisa by splitting the ruling party’s support base. Similar to the impact Simba Makoni had in the 2008 elections, where he managed to damage then-President Robert Mugabe’s support base, Kasukuwere might find himself unable to gather substantial support beyond a small percentage, thus becoming an asset to Chamisa’s campaign.

Conclusion:
The 2023 elections in Zimbabwe will undoubtedly be a critical juncture for the country’s political trajectory. Nelson Chamisa’s broad support base, charismatic leadership, and promises of democratic reform and economic revitalization have positioned him as a formidable contender. On the other hand, Saviour Kasukuwere’s entrance into presidential politics remains shrouded in uncertainty, as his reliance on the traditional power structure and limited electoral backing pose significant challenges.

MUTARE–Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) Mutare Central constituency candidate Brian James was attacked at a voter inspection centre by alleged Zanu PF supporters on Friday last week.

He confirmed the matter to Chipinge Times and said he did not file a Police report but now goes around with security for his protection.

The incident happened at the District Development Coordinator (DDC) office in the Central Business District.The suspected Zanu PF supporters allegedly tried to force themselves into his vehicle outside the centre. One member allegedly kicked his door before he sped off.

“I was checking my transfer to Ward 10 from Ward 12 at the DDC’s office. Zanu Pf supporters stopped on my way out. A woman confronted me and told me not to contest the election.

“I got into my vehicle, and they mobbed me. One of them hit the side of my vehicle, and I drove away. I am now taking precautions. I am no longer travelling alone,” said James.

James is contesting the constituency against businessman Esau Mupfumi…

Full story on www.chipingetimes.co.zw

NEWS HEADLINES: FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara has thrown his weight behind Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa’s candidature ahead of the August 23 general elections.

In an exclusive interview with Alpha Media Holdings’ digital radio and television station,Heart & Soul TV (HSTV), Mutambara described Zanu PF leader and presidential candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa as an average and incompetent leader.

@NewsDayZimbabwe @HStvZim

CCC

By A Correspondent

The Zanu PF leader Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the party is well-known for spilling blood.

Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters, mainly first time voters, at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo on Friday, Mr Mnangagwa said the former revolutionary party was stronger than ever and ready to win polls.

“We are the only party that has people’s interests at heart.

We have a record of fighting for the people’s freedom since the days of the liberation struggle.

As you know, we are known for fighting and even spilling blood like what happened during the war of liberation,” said Mnangagwa.

He also threatened to deal with people he described as economic saboteurs.

“Vote for the ruling party, not those who will never rule this country.We are in charge.

We know what is happening, the western countries are working with the opposition in a bid to remove us from office.

Business owners be warned, we know that you are working with the opposition to discredit the new dispensation.

These people( business owners) are manipulating prices of basic commodities but we will put them in their right place.”

Speaking at the same rally, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira described Mnangagwa as an indefatigable and invincible political figure.

“Baba Mnangagwa will rule for ever, pasi neChafa Chisati Chatanga.

We are not going anywhere. There is lot of work to do and we will finish all projects currently underway,” declared Chadzamira.

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) is alarmed by the rise in incidents involving the unauthorised sharing of intimate photos and videos. According to the regulatory agency, people who engage in such actions may be prosecuted under the Data Protection Act, which might result in a five-year prison sentence.
The problem has gained attention as a result of the recent incidents involving Felistas Murata, often known as Mai TT, Apostle Talent Chiwenga,, all social media influencers. Supposedly by her ex-husband, Murata’s naked photos and videos were published on numerous social media sites.

Dr. Gift Machengete, the director general of Potraz, addressed the situation in a statement and emphasised how the dissemination of this content violated the Data Protection Act.

.

“Potraz as the designated Data Protection Authority of Zimbabwe has noted with concern the increasing number of incidents of collection, sharing, distribution and or broadcasting of intimate images and or videos without the consent of the person whose intimate images and or videos would have been shared,” said Dr Machengete.

“The purpose of this notice is to advice members of the public that: 1. Intimate images and videos form part of personal information which is categorised as sensitive data under the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07]. The Act prohibits the collection, sharing and distribution of sensitive data without the consent of the data subject. 2. The Cyber and Data Protection Act (Chapter 12:07] as read with Section 164E of Criminal Law Codification & Reform Act [Chapter 9:07] prohibits the collection, transfer, sharing and or broadcasting of intimate images and or videos without the consent of the person concerned.”

He said the law seeks to curb the humiliation and embarrassment of persons whose intimate images and or videos would have been shared.

“It also empowers citizens to have control over the processing of their personal information. This is in line with the fundamental rights to human dignity and the right to privacy as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe in Sections 51 & 57 respectively,” he said.

Dr Machengete said those found sending needs will be liable for prosecution.

“Those who continue to collect, share, distribute and or broadcast intimate images and or videos without the consent of the data subject of the images and or videos shall be liable for imprisonment for a period up to five (5) years or a fine up to level ten and or both such fine and such imprisonment,” said Dr Machengete.

“Members of the public are strongly advised against the collection, sharing or distribution and or broadcasting sensitive personal information, including any intimate images and or videos of any person without the consent of the data subject.”- state media

Chief Gutu has ordered a local businessperson to pay three beasts to sitting Gutu Ward 38 Councillor Takawira Chezhira for allegedly spreading rumours that he was caught red-handed with a married woman.

Anderson Singende will pay two beasts to Chezhira and the other beast to Privilege Vanda and was ordered to make a public apology to Chezhira, whom he alleged was caught red-handed.

She is married to Tungamirai Havana of Zvinowanda Village near Gutu Mission. The trial lasted some 45 minutes.

Sindenge is Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate for Ward 38.

The court refused to entertain Singende’s witnesses, but Chezhira’s witnesses allegedly, Zanu PF Ward 38 committee members, testified.

The court concluded that Singende is trying to gain political mileage over Chezhira by spreading rumours since they are tussling for the same seat.

One of Chezhira’s witnesses, Lilian Manhivi, told the court that she overheard Singende telling some villagers that Chezhira was caught red-handed with Vanda in a bushy area near Havana’s homestead… Masvingo Mirror

MASVINGO–Teachers at Guni Secondary School in Gutu South were on Wednesday last week forced to sleep in bushes after receiving death threats from a Zanu PF ward chairperson.

The threats rattled the teachers who were assaulted at an alleged Zanu PF base in 2008. A Rumhizha Secondary School teacher, Mujeyi Chamba died after being assaulted at the same base.

One of the affected teachers, Christopher Bishi Chikomo confirmed the matter to The Mirror.

He said the threat was issued by Zanu PF Gutu Ward 27 chairperson and aspiring councillor, Stephen Mawarire Muunde.

Muunde refuted the allegations when contacted for a comment.

“I am not aware of that. We did not carry anyone to acquire registration documents on that day. If anything, we want more people to join the party so we cannot be turning them away,” said Muunde.

Bishi said that equally baffling is that Deputy Provincial Education Director (PED), Micho Hove told him to follow procedure and report his case to Gutu District Schools Inspector (DSI), Ronald Muganhu.

He travelled from Man’a Business Centre early in the morning to Masvingo which is closer and cheaper than going to Mpandawana Growth Point only to be referred back to Gutu.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education communications director Taungana Ndoro dismissed the matter. He said a teacher at the school is angling for a political post.

“The information I have received is that the school deputy head is angling for a political post and is soliciting votes from the community. The school is not affected by that and all teachers are reporting for work,” said Ndoro.

Bishi said that his wife, Tariro was barred from getting into a Zanu PF vehicle which was carrying villagers to acquire national registration documents at Mpandawana. The vehicle was parked at Man’a Business Centre.
Muunde allegedly told her that her husband was teaching students opposition party ideologies and promised to deal with him.

Tariro warned her husband who informed school head Chipiri Man’oro who allegedly advised him to flee his house for the night. Several other teachers who declined to comment for fear of victimization also fled their houses and slept in bushes.

Man’oro who was hospitalized for three months after being assaulted in 2008 said he is not aware of the matter when contacted for a comment.

Bishi said he is living in fear of being attacked anytime… Masvingo Mirror

A Mushika-shika driver was beaten to a pulp by Inter Africa bus touts after he overtook and stopped in front of the bus on Monday, some 10km from the city along the Mutare-Masvingo Highway.

MASVINGO–Teachers at Guni Secondary School in Gutu South were on Wednesday last week forced to sleep in bushes after receiving death threats from a Zanu PF ward chairperson.

The threats rattled the teachers who were assaulted at an alleged Zanu PF base in 2008. A Rumhizha Secondary School teacher, Mujeyi Chamba died after being assaulted at the same base.

One of the affected teachers, Christopher Bishi Chikomo confirmed the matter to The Mirror.

He said the threat was issued by Zanu PF Gutu Ward 27 chairperson and aspiring councillor, Stephen Mawarire Muunde.

Muunde refuted the allegations when contacted for a comment.

“I am not aware of that. We did not carry anyone to acquire registration documents on that day. If anything, we want more people to join the party so we cannot be turning them away,” said Muunde.

Bishi said that equally baffling is that Deputy Provincial Education Director (PED), Micho Hove told him to follow procedure and report his case to Gutu District Schools Inspector (DSI), Ronald Muganhu.

He travelled from Man’a Business Centre early in the morning to Masvingo which is closer and cheaper than going to Mpandawana Growth Point only to be referred back to Gutu.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education communications director Taungana Ndoro dismissed the matter. He said a teacher at the school is angling for a political post.

“The information I have received is that the school deputy head is angling for a political post and is soliciting votes from the community. The school is not affected by that and all teachers are reporting for work,” said Ndoro.

Bishi said that his wife, Tariro was barred from getting into a Zanu PF vehicle which was carrying villagers to acquire national registration documents at Mpandawana. The vehicle was parked at Man’a Business Centre.
Muunde allegedly told her that her husband was teaching students opposition party ideologies and promised to deal with him.

Tariro warned her husband who informed school head Chipiri Man’oro who allegedly advised him to flee his house for the night. Several other teachers who declined to comment for fear of victimization also fled their houses and slept in bushes.

Man’oro who was hospitalized for three months after being assaulted in 2008 said he is not aware of the matter when contacted for a comment.

Bishi said he is living in fear of being attacked anytime… Masvingo Mirror

Chief Gutu has ordered a local businessperson to pay three beasts to sitting Gutu Ward 38 Councillor Takawira Chezhira for allegedly spreading rumours that he was caught red-handed with a married woman.

Anderson Singende will pay two beasts to Chezhira and the other beast to Privilege Vanda and was ordered to make a public apology to Chezhira, whom he alleged was caught red-handed.

She is married to Tungamirai Havana of Zvinowanda Village near Gutu Mission. The trial lasted some 45 minutes.

Sindenge is Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate for Ward 38.

The court refused to entertain Singende’s witnesses, but Chezhira’s witnesses allegedly, Zanu PF Ward 38 committee members, testified.

The court concluded that Singende is trying to gain political mileage over Chezhira by spreading rumours since they are tussling for the same seat.

One of Chezhira’s witnesses, Lilian Manhivi, told the court that she overheard Singende telling some villagers that Chezhira was caught red-handed with Vanda in a bushy area near Havana’s homestead… Masvingo Mirror

MUTARE–Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) Mutare Central constituency candidate Brian James was attacked at a voter inspection centre by alleged Zanu PF supporters on Friday last week.

He confirmed the matter to Chipinge Times and said he did not file a Police report but now goes around with security for his protection.

The incident happened at the District Development Coordinator (DDC) office in the Central Business District.The suspected Zanu PF supporters allegedly tried to force themselves into his vehicle outside the centre. One member allegedly kicked his door before he sped off.

“I was checking my transfer to Ward 10 from Ward 12 at the DDC’s office. Zanu Pf supporters stopped on my way out. A woman confronted me and told me not to contest the election.

“I got into my vehicle, and they mobbed me. One of them hit the side of my vehicle, and I drove away. I am now taking precautions. I am no longer travelling alone,” said James.

James is contesting the constituency against businessman Esau Mupfumi…

Full story on www.chipingetimes.co.zw

NEWS HEADLINES: FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara has thrown his weight behind Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa’s candidature ahead of the August 23 general elections.

In an exclusive interview with Alpha Media Holdings’ digital radio and television station,Heart & Soul TV (HSTV), Mutambara described Zanu PF leader and presidential candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa as an average and incompetent leader.

@NewsDayZimbabwe @HStvZim

CCC

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on Friday threatened “punitive measures” against businesses accused of “illegal forward pricing practices thereby manipulating the foreign exchange rate.”

“In terms of the law, businesses are permitted to apply a margin of up to 10 percent above the interbank exchange rate,” the central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit said in a statement.

“There is no justification for non-compliance with the legal margins in light of the recent implementation of a market determined interbank exchange rate system.”

The Zimbabwe dollar crashed this week when it lost value by nearly 50 percent, sending prices of goods through the ceiling.

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe said this week that a family of six now requires Z$1 million a month to survive, up from Z$611,275 in April – but salaries remain stagnant.

Government workers have threatened strikes if their salaries are not urgently reviewed, presenting a threat of a winter of discontent for President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is seeking re-election in general elections on August 23.

The central bank is blaming businesses for fuelling the currency instability, and is threatening drastic actions including freezing accounts and prosecuting company directors.

“The forward pricing and non-compliance with legal limits is being done at the detriment of the consumers who bear the brunt of the resultant unjustified pricing of goods and services,” the bank said.

“With immediate effect, the FIU will be escalating and widening remedial and punitive measures against delinquent businesses by not only imposing administrative fines but also directing that the culprits’ bank accounts be frozen indefinitely and referring the culprits to relevant authorities for the suspension and revocation of trading or operating licences and prosecution. Liability will also be extended to directors and owners of the concerned businesses.”

However, economic analyst Professor Gift Mugano has dismissed the threats saying FIU has no capacity to monitor every business in the country.

“Is the FIU aware that it has no capacity to police more than 6 million people and SMES in the informal sector? It is understandable that they must say something but this will not address the chaos we are in. These statements will not help the situation. Wheels are off,” said Mugano.

A fight between two men over a well-endowed commercial ƨǝx worker led to the stabbing murder of another on Thursday in Matabeleland North.

The incident, according to the Police’s Twitter page happened in Inyathi where Ayanda Ncube is suspected to have stabbed and killed Brian Dube.

“Police in Inyathi are appealing for information which may lead to the arrest of Ayanda Ncube (32) who is being sought in connection with a case of murder which occurred in a bushy area near Ngangwini Business Centre, Durban area on 08/06/23.

“The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim, Brian Dube (21) with a knife on the shoulder after an argument over a commercial ƨǝx worker. The victim died on the way to the hospital.”- My Zimbabwe News

A Form 3 Chisipite Senior School pupil, Hope Mafiko has scooped the first prize in the “My Dream” painting competition pitting more than 2 000 African youngsters.

The competition, held in March this year, was organised by the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe and facilitated by the China Zimbabwe Exchange Centre and The Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe.

It was co-hosted by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the China Manned Space Engineering Office and the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Africa.

More than 2 000 entries were submitted, of which 50 stood out.

The Upper Six student’s painting was the only Zimbabwean one to be selected out of 400 local submissions.

“This piece is inspired by my dream to one day be one of the best interior architects in Africa. In the dream-like scene picture, I used colours that relate closely to my country (red, yellow, green). Green is the dominant colour because of Zimbabwe’s agricultural strength,” says Hope.

“I put people that come from different classes in Zimbabwe because I hope that one day, I will be able to bring futuristic and modern instalments to Southern African museums galleries and complexes, where all people rich and poor can see these wonderful lights and experience cutting edge interiors.

“My dream is that I am able to put more second and third-world African countries into the limelight of modern architecture by making spectacular sceneries like the one I have just painted.”

The youths from Africa, with their colourful paintings, expressed their best wishes for China-Africa cooperation, peace and development, human progress and a better life.

The Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe said China stands ready to offer a platform for African youth to show the world their youthful vitality and their African dream and renew the China-Africa friendship, “In the meantime, we stand ready to share our experience and outcomes in the development of high-tech, enhance technology transfer in the agricultural and industrial fields and give a boost to Africa’s modernisation drive.”

Meanwhile, Hope’s winning painting will be among several others to be part of an international exhibition to take place on the recently launched Shenzhou-16 manned spaceflight mission on the China Space Station, mission commander Jing Haipeng announced.

Jing said that they will stage the first and display paintings received from African teenagers from 10 African countries, including Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Egypt, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. – ZBC News

By A Correspondent

The Zanu PF leader Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the party is well-known for spilling blood.

Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters, mainly first time voters, at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo on Friday, Mr Mnangagwa said the former revolutionary party was stronger than ever and ready to win polls.

“We are the only party that has people’s interests at heart.

We have a record of fighting for the people’s freedom since the days of the liberation struggle.

As you know, we are known for fighting and even spilling blood like what happened during the war of liberation,” said Mnangagwa.

He also threatened to deal with people he described as economic saboteurs.

“Vote for the ruling party, not those who will never rule this country.We are in charge.

We know what is happening, the western countries are working with the opposition in a bid to remove us from office.

Business owners be warned, we know that you are working with the opposition to discredit the new dispensation.

These people( business owners) are manipulating prices of basic commodities but we will put them in their right place.”

Speaking at the same rally, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira described Mnangagwa as an indefatigable and invincible political figure.

“Baba Mnangagwa will rule for ever, pasi neChafa Chisati Chatanga.

We are not going anywhere. There is lot of work to do and we will finish all projects currently underway,” declared Chadzamira.

By A Correspondent

The Zanu PF leader Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the party is well-known for spilling blood.

Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters, mainly first time voters, at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo on Friday, Mr Mnangagwa said the former revolutionary party was stronger than ever and ready to win polls.

“We are the only party that has people’s interests at heart.

We have a record of fighting for the people’s freedom since the days of the liberation struggle.

As you know, we are known for fighting and even spilling blood like what happened during the war of liberation,” said Mnangagwa.

He also threatened to deal with people he described as economic saboteurs.

“Vote for the ruling party, not those who will never rule this country.We are in charge.

We know what is happening, the western countries are working with the opposition in a bid to remove us from office.

Business owners be warned, we know that you are working with the opposition to discredit the new dispensation.

These people( business owners) are manipulating prices of basic commodities but we will put them in their right place.”

Speaking at the same rally, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira described Mnangagwa as an indefatigable and invincible political figure.

“Baba Mnangagwa will rule for ever, pasi neChafa Chisati Chatanga.

We are not going anywhere. There is lot of work to do and we will finish all projects currently underway,” declared Chadzamira.

A fight between two men over a well-endowed commercial ƨǝx worker led to the stabbing murder of another on Thursday in Matabeleland North.

The incident, according to the Police’s Twitter page happened in Inyathi where Ayanda Ncube is suspected to have stabbed and killed Brian Dube.

“Police in Inyathi are appealing for information which may lead to the arrest of Ayanda Ncube (32) who is being sought in connection with a case of murder which occurred in a bushy area near Ngangwini Business Centre, Durban area on 08/06/23.

“The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim, Brian Dube (21) with a knife on the shoulder after an argument over a commercial ƨǝx worker. The victim died on the way to the hospital.”- My Zimbabwe News