By A Correspondent- The MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora says it will hold its 5th Ordinary Congress on 18 December 2022 in Harare.

Mwonzora notified party members about the development, saying this is in line with the MDC-T constitution. He said:

In line with the constitution of the Party, and following the relevant internal processes, notice is hereby given that the 5th Ordinary Congress of the Movement for Democratic Change (Tsvangirai) will be held on the 18th of December 2022 in Harare.

Mwonzora was recently nominated by the MDC-T National Council as the sole presidential candidate for the party’s 5th Ordinary Congress.

On 21 November 2022, party spokesperson Witness Dube said Mwonzora is now the party’s duly elected presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.

At the same National Council meeting, Chief Ndlovu was also nominated 1st Vice President unopposed.

By A Correspondent- Community leaders say the prevailing economic hardships have forced parents to abandon their children, making them vulnerable to sexual abuse.

This came out during engagements on gender-based violence (GBV) in public spaces organised by the United Nations (UN) Women in partnership with the Spotlight Initiative in Umzingwane district, Matabeleland South province.

Zimbabwe has recorded a surge in child marriages, with child rights activists advocating for stiffer penalties for perpetrators.

Activists under the banner of HeforShe, a UN-sponsored solidarity movement against GBV yesterday bemoaned the increase in child-headed families as parents flock to the diaspora to eke out a living.

“Children need guidance and protection from their parents. But what we have witnessed is children are nurturing themselves because of the absence of their parents. Children are often left in the custody of other people as their parents go to cities or even out of the country to look for jobs,” local church leader Lovemore Sibanda said.

Those guardians sometimes fail to protect them from abusers or provide moral guidance to them which results in the children behaving in a wayward manner.

“Sometimes those people who are left as custodians of children tend to sexually or mentally abuse them. Families should put in place concrete measures to strike a balance between protecting children from social ills and the need to meet their economic needs.”

HeforShe champion Vusumuzi Mpofu said parents and guardians were increasingly disregarding child protection laws due to the need to provide for families.

“We see parents taking children to the markets and turning them into vendors, which is against the laws. They spent the whole day loitering at the marketplaces mingling with older boys and men who eventually abuse them,” he said.

“Such environments are not conducive for child development and growth. Parents should protect children from dangers of the society. There is a need for increased education among parents on children’s rights.”

Activists against GBV have raised the red flag on child abuse after a nine-year-old girl from Tsholotsho gave birth at Mpilo Central Hospital.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- A 25 year old man has been arrested for allegedly posing as a police officer and demanding bribes from unlicenced business operators and artisanal miners at Selous, Mashonaland West province.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.

“On November 25, 2022, ZRP Saruwe arrested Welcome Darikwa (25) in connection with impersonating a police officer.

The suspect demanded bribes from shops owners and artisanal miners whilst pretending to be a police officer,” said Nyathi.

He said in one of the cases which occurred on November 24 this year, at Norwood farm in Selous, the suspect demanded and received US$58 bribe from an artisanal miner for failing to produce an Environmental Management Agency (EMA) licence.

“The suspect had allegedly approached the miner pretending to be a detective from CID Minerals Flora and Fauna Unit deployed to check for licences at mines and shops in the area,” said the police spokesperson.

By A Correspondent- Labour unions have raised concern over the safety of teachers following an incident where Zanu-PF Gutu district co-ordinating committee (DCC) vice-chairperson Fabios Musara allegedly detained teachers at Machingambi Secondary School for participating in a research and data collection exercise.

The teachers were hired to conduct a data collection exercise by Australian-based Felix Mavhondo for his latest research.

Mavhondo works in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University as a professor of marketing. The teachers had been authorised to do the data collection exercise.

Sources told NewsDay that there was a crisis on Tuesday last week when Musara stormed the school premises and summoned all the teachers who participated in the data collection exercise and accused them of being opposition activists.

“The teachers were detained for several hours. Musara threatened to beat them up, accusing them of being opposition activists. Some students at the school witnessed the teachers being embarrassed. Learning time was lost,” said the source.

Musara could not be reached for comment.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure confirmed the incident and called upon political parties to refrain from harassing teachers.

“Punishing teachers for engaging in academic research is an affront to both academic freedom and national development. Zimbabwe should be constantly chasing new frontiers of knowledge to find an escape route out of the deep hole we are trapped in. It’s not everyone is comfortable living in the Stone Age when the rest of the world has moved on,” Masaraure said.

“We call upon the ruling party to modernise its approach to politics. The persecution of teachers is a threat to access to education for the learners and a huge impediment to achieving the goals set out in NDS1.”

Educators Union of Zimbabwe (EUZ) general secretary Tapedza Zhou said the events at Machingambi Secondary School were disturbing.

“We are concerned about events at Machingambi Secondary School on 22 November, where teachers were victimized for partaking in research yet the foreign researcher was given a green light by the ministry.

 “The approving ministry must restrain political leaders from interfering with our teachers in schools. These current dynamics are an epitome of disaster,” Zhou said.

-newsday

By A Correspondent- Former Zanu PF Politburo member Jonathan Moyo has hit back at Saviour Kasukuwere after the latter said he will never beg ZANU PF or President Emmerson Mnangagwa for forgiveness, and seek readmission into the party.

Kasukuwere, who, like Moyo, fell out of favour with ZANU PF following the November 2017 military coup, recently said he will not go on his knees to beg for forgiveness from his erstwhile colleagues.

He made the remarks after Moyo and another self-exiled former cabinet minister, Patrick Zhuwao issued a public apology to ZANU PF members over their role in a campaign calling for the party to be removed from power.

Responding to Kasukuwere, Moyo claimed the former ZANU PF political commissar made endless calls begging ZANU PF to be readmitted into the ruling party. Wrote Moyo on Twitter:

Yet days after the coup, Savior Kasukuwere coined the term “New Dispensation”; he later made endless forgiveness calls and begged a ZANU PF bigwig with “APOLOGY CATTLE”!

It’s cheap for Tyson to make hay out of the open ‘apology letter’ @PatrickZhuwao and I wrote. Our letter is public and is to ZANU PF members; unlike his private ‘APOLOGY CATTLE’ to ZANU PF bigwig.

@Hon_Kasukuwere, in 2017 wrote “Let’s embrace the new dispensation and build our nation. Unity is strength and peace are prerequisites for progress.

In a leaked virtual address to his supporters, Kasukuwere said he is not a coward and is available to lead if his supporters invite him to do so.

By- MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora has set his Party’s 5th Ordinary Congress date on 18 December 2022 in Harare.

Mwonzora notified party members about the development, saying this is in line with the MDC-T constitution. He said:
In line with the constitution of the Party and following the relevant internal processes, notice is hereby given that the 5th Ordinary Congress of the Movement for Democratic Change (Tsvangirai) will be held on 18 December 2022 in Harare.
Mwonzora was recently nominated by the MDC-T National Council as the sole presidential candidate for the Party’s 5th Ordinary Congress.
On 21 November 2022, party spokesperson Witness Dube said Mwonzora is now the Party’s duly elected presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
At the same National Council meeting, Chief Ndlovu was also nominated 1st Vice President unopposed.

By- South African police have opened a crimen injuria case against a 60-year-old from Benon, Ekurhuleni, after she allegedly called for black people to be banned instead of banning pit bulls.

In South African law, crimen injuria refers to a wilful injury to someone’s dignity caused by the use of obscene or racially offensive language or gestures.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brenda Muridili said the 60-year-old uttered the speech on a widely circulated WhatsApp voice note.

She said the suspect was arrested and released the same day on a warning to appear in court on 27 March 2023.

What the woman said

Bookkeeper Belinda Magor was responding to a message on a WhatsApp group in which she said black women’s uteruses and ovaries should be removed. In the clip, she said:

Estella/Stella, I agree with you wholeheartedly. What I say is ban the black man.

They rape, they steal, they kill, worse than any pit bull could, and they get away with it. Ban those that are making the laws, ban Ekurhuleni, ban the black man.

Get all the black women and cut out their uteruses and their ovaries so that they cannot procreate because they will all turn out the same because they are all the same.

I’m very passionate about this. Ban them, kill them, shoot them. Get rid of them because they are the problem. Not pit bulls, not animals.

Animals are beautiful, and they deserve a warm bed, food, love and attention, and everything else.

God created those animals. Who created the black man? Do you think God? I don’t think so.

Call to ban pit bulls in South Africa

The call to ban pit bulls in South Africa comes as other countries such as Russia and the United Kingdom have either banned or put restrictions on ownership of the breed or its importation.

Last Sunday, two American pit bull terriers mauled to death a three-year-old boy, Keketso Saule, in Phomolong township in South Africa. | IOL

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa has bemoaned the pathetic state of the country’s hospitals.

President Chamisa on Saturday described the country’s hospitals as death traps.

See statement below:

OUR HOSPITALS ARE TERRIBLY SICK…

I’m so heartbroken after I visited Harare hospital yesterday.Our hospitals are death traps.

No electricity & water for days,no medicine & no machines. The inadequate & improper food, the worn out linen, the dilapidated beds and the general decay of the infrastructure ! We must unite to save our beautiful Zimbabwe .

I hear it’s the same at Mpilo,Pari & all other hospitals.

We are not poor. We just have poor leadership and poor priorities! We’re ready to #FixOurHealthcareSystem

By A Correspondent- A 33 year old abusive man from Mpopoma suburb in Bulawayo has been sentenced to four months in prison for smacking his wife over relish.

Roy Ndora pleaded guilty to physical abuse as defined in Section 3(1) (a) and Section 3(1) (b) as read with Section 4 of the Domestic Violence Act Chapter 5:16 when he appeared before Western Commonage court magistrate Shepherd Mjanja.

The magistrate sentenced him to four months imprisonment(or $30 000 fine).

The magistrate also sentenced him to 60 days imprisonment for malicious damage to property which was wholly suspended on condition that he compensates his sister US$100 being the value of the rear windscreen of her car which he damaged.

The court heard that on 12 November 2022 and at around 8pm, Samkele Moyo (31) was at home waiting for her husband to bring relish.

It is reported that when he arrived she asked him about the relish she had been waiting for and for no apparent reason he started assaulting her with open hands all over her body.

The court also heard on 15 November 2022 at around 7pm, the helpless Moyo went to her husband’s sister and sought refuge.

Ndora followed her there where upon arrival, he demanded to see her. His sister refused him access and he then became violent and damaged the rear windscreen of her car.

The matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of Ndora.

It also emerged in court that Ndora was a serial abuser who was always in the habit of verbally and physically abusing his wife together with their child.

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa has bemoaned the pathetic state of the country’s hospitals.

President Chamisa on Saturday described the country’s hospitals as death traps.

See statement below:

OUR HOSPITALS ARE TERRIBLY SICK…

I’m so heartbroken after I visited Harare hospital yesterday.Our hospitals are death traps.

No electricity & water for days,no medicine & no machines. The inadequate & improper food, the worn out linen, the dilapidated beds and the general decay of the infrastructure ! We must unite to save our beautiful Zimbabwe .

I hear it’s the same at Mpilo,Pari & all other hospitals.

We are not poor. We just have poor leadership and poor priorities! We’re ready to #FixOurHealthcareSystem

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa has bemoaned the pathetic state of the country’s hospitals.

President Chamisa on Saturday described the country’s hospitals as death traps.

See statement below:

OUR HOSPITALS ARE TERRIBLY SICK…

I’m so heartbroken after I visited Harare hospital yesterday.Our hospitals are death traps.

No electricity & water for days,no medicine & no machines. The inadequate & improper food, the worn out linen, the dilapidated beds and the general decay of the infrastructure ! We must unite to save our beautiful Zimbabwe .

I hear it’s the same at Mpilo,Pari & all other hospitals.

We are not poor. We just have poor leadership and poor priorities! We’re ready to #FixOurHealthcareSystem

By Farai D Hove | Police officers watched as Norton MP Temba Mliswa was violently slapped down by ZANU PF youths at a provincial hero’s funeral.

In a development that saw the legislator being escorted by police officers, Mliswa is on video screaming fire and brimstone at the cops.

He was at the time being accused of being an independent MP who is disrespectful of the ZANU PF leadership.

“No one will gather again the country [because of this violence.],” Mliswa bursts out at the cops. He continues saying.

“As police you have messed the president up, be ause you are supposed to maintain law and order,” Mliswa adds.

A comment from the police was not possible at the time of writing.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW

By- The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) said that they have temporarily suspended the urban commuter train service because of heavy debts owed to them by Zupco.

The Parastatal’s spokesperson Andrew Kunambura said in a statement that the suspension was effective from 28 November 2022. 

He said:

The suspension was occasioned by an unsustainable operating environment arising from huge debts owed to NRZ by ZUPCO.

NRZ was therefore left with no option but to suspend commuter trains from 28 November due to capacity challenges.

Normal services will resume once ZUPCO fulfills its obligations as set in the agreement.

The urban commuter train service was launched in partnership with ZUPCO last year to ease congestion in Bulawayo and Harare at the height of the coronavirus crisis. | CITE

By- Zanu PF has terrorised Gutu- Mpandawana growth point targeting CCC members.

CCC Gutu district elections officer Lloyd Mupfudze told The Mirror that the violence is creating a humanitarian crisis by the day with more than 30 families running away from homes and workplaces.

Mupfudze appealed to well-wishers for food and shelter for the victims of the violence adding that the situation was deteriorating. He said:

There is a crisis. Families that have run away from their homes don’t have shelter and food. Others have lost sources of income after being pushed out of their workplaces.

These victims and their children need to eat and a place to sleep but we have no means to help.

Many people are sleeping in the bush for fear of being attacked at night. The majority of the victims are residents of Mpandawana while others stay on the outskirts of the growth point.

Many people have moved together with their children out of the district to Harare and other places.

It is well-organizedwell-organized and funded violence in the district and the Police is not arresting anyone to the extent that some people are assaulted at Police stations and in front of senior officers.

The godfathers of the violence are known and they openly brag about it. Gangs of hired thugs move in groups in broad daylight armed with banned weapons like catapults, knobkerries, stones and machetes.

They choose their victims randomly and they abduct, assault men and women in public.

Meanwhile, the Officer Commanding Masvingo East, Superintendent Taurai Mambure, was reportedly forced to call for an urgent all-parties meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue of violence.

Mambure reportedly barred The Mirror from the meeting and refused to give a statement after more than 4 hours of deliberations.

Alleged victims of political violence

Four Makumbe brothers Tom, Kudakwashe, Nhamo and Jervas were reportedly severely assaulted, thrown into sewage and had their phones crushed.

The brothers have a welding company at Mpandawana Growth Point but they closed the shop and disappeared.

CCC councillor, Bernard Chimwango’s wife, Blessing Chiriga was assaulted this week at the main bus rank.

She and her children have left the district for fear of further attacks, while Chimwango is also no longer staying at his house which is at Mpandawana, reported the mirror.

Who is behind the attacks?

According to The Mirror, the ringleader in the attack has been identified as Josephat Sarukore who is the ZANU PF District chair.

Sarukore’s brothers Tawanda and Samson have also been fingered while Joseph Mudziwepasi, a son of a businessman at the growth point has openly confirmed his role in the violence.

By- The Emmerson Mnangagwa-led government is targeting CCC officials and wants to jail them ahead of the 2023 elections.

The Zanu PF administration is doing this by amending the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act so that it criminalises anyone who insists that there are no sanctions in Zimbabwe.

Zanu PF has consistently accused the opposition of inviting sanctions on its members.

The Cabinet last Tuesday approved the amendments, which are set to introduce harsh penalties for citizens found guilty of “harming the country’s national interests”.

Citizens who invite a military attack on Zimbabwe from a hostile foreign government through private correspondence will face the death penalty or life imprisonment under this amended law.

Those who campaign for economic sanctions and trade restrictions would be liable to imprisonment for a period of up to five years.

According to the proposed new law, citizens who actively encourage sanctions on Zimbabwe would be barred from voting, registering as voters, and holding public office for up to 15 years. Reads the Bill’s memorandum:

Our Constitutional order of Zimbabwe that is based on parliamentary democracy affords many avenues for aggrieved citizens to redress their wrongs, including against the State.

It is therefore improper for citizens and residents of Zimbabwe to implement measures that undermine our sovereignty, dignity and independence as a nation. This (new) clause will criminalise such conduct.

According to the Bill, any citizen or permanent resident of Zimbabwe who actively participates in meetings whose object involves imposing sanctions or trade embargo against Zimbabwe shall be guilty of wilfully damaging the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe. It reads:

Upon conviction, the courts can impose a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or both; additionally or alternatively on the motion of the prosecutor, to any one or more of the following, if the offence is attended by aggravating circumstances — termination of the citizenship of the convicted person, if the convicted person is a citizen by registration or a dual citizen: Provided that the convicting court shall not impose this penalty if it would effectively render the convicted person stateless; cancellation of the permanent resident status of the convicted person, if the convicted person is a permanent resident; or prohibition from being registered as a voter or voting at an election for a period of at least five years but not exceeding fifteen years.

The Bill also says those convicted of actively encouraging sanctions will be prohibited:

… from filling a public office for a period of at least five years but not exceeding fifteen (15) years, and, if he or she holds any such office, the convicting court may declare that that office shall be vacated by the convicted person from the date of his or her conviction, unless the tenure of the public office in question is regulated exclusively by or in terms of the Constitution.

If the amendments are passed into law, Zimbabwean citizens who call for military or other armed intervention in Zimbabwe by a foreign government will face the death penalty. It reads:

Any citizen or permanent resident of Zimbabwe who, within or outside Zimbabwe, actively partakes (whether himself or herself or through an agent, and whether on his or her own initiative or at the invitation of the foreign government concerned or any of its agents, proxies or entities) in any meeting whose object the accused knows or has reasonable grounds for believing involves the consideration of or the planning for – military or other armed intervention in Zimbabwe by the foreign government concerned or another foreign government, or by any of their agents, proxies or entities; or subverting, upsetting, overthrowing or overturning constitutional government in Zimbabwe; shall be guilty of wilfully damaging the national interest of Zimbabwe and liable to — the same penalties as for treason; or the same penalties as for subverting constitutional government, in a case referred to in paragraph (b).

ZANU PF director for information and publicity, Tafadzwa Mugwadi, welcomed the Bill, saying “national interests are sacrosanct to all Zimbabweans, notwithstanding their differences, political or otherwise.” | The Sunday Mail

By- The Zanu PF government has amended the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act so that it jails opposition members it accuses of inviting sanctions in the country.

The Cabinet last Tuesday approved the amendments, which are set to introduce harsh penalties for citizens found guilty of “harming the country’s national interests”.



Citizens who invite a military attack on Zimbabwe from a hostile foreign government through private correspondence will face the death penalty or life imprisonment.

Those who campaign for economic sanctions and trade restrictions would be liable to imprisonment for a period of up to five years.

According to the proposed new law, citizens who actively encourage sanctions on Zimbabwe would be barred from voting, registering as voters, and holding public office for up to 15 years. Reads the Bill’s memorandum:

Our Constitutional order of Zimbabwe that is based on parliamentary democracy affords many avenues for aggrieved citizens to redress their wrongs, including against the State.

It is therefore improper for citizens and residents of Zimbabwe to implement measures that undermine our sovereignty, dignity and independence as a nation. This (new) clause will criminalise such conduct.

According to the Bill, any citizen or permanent resident of Zimbabwe who actively participates in meetings whose object involves imposing sanctions or trade embargo against Zimbabwe shall be guilty of wilfully damaging the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe. It reads:

Upon conviction, the courts can impose a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or both; additionally or alternatively on the motion of the prosecutor, to any one or more of the following, if the offence is attended by aggravating circumstances — termination of the citizenship of the convicted person, if the convicted person is a citizen by registration or a dual citizen: Provided that the convicting court shall not impose this penalty if it would effectively render the convicted person stateless; cancellation of the permanent resident status of the convicted person, if the convicted person is a permanent resident; or prohibition from being registered as a voter or voting at an election for a period of at least five years but not exceeding fifteen years.

The Bill also says those convicted of actively encouraging sanctions will be prohibited:

… from filling a public office for a period of at least five years but not exceeding fifteen (15) years, and, if he or she holds any such office, the convicting court may declare that that office shall be vacated by the convicted person from the date of his or her conviction, unless the tenure of the public office in question is regulated exclusively by or in terms of the Constitution.

If the amendments are passed into law, Zimbabwean citizens who call for military or other armed intervention in Zimbabwe by a foreign government will face the death penalty. It reads:

Any citizen or permanent resident of Zimbabwe who, within or outside Zimbabwe, actively partakes (whether himself or herself or through an agent, and whether on his or her own initiative or at the invitation of the foreign government concerned or any of its agents, proxies or entities) in any meeting whose object the accused knows or has reasonable grounds for believing involves the consideration of or the planning for – military or other armed intervention in Zimbabwe by the foreign government concerned or another foreign government, or by any of their agents, proxies or entities; or subverting, upsetting, overthrowing or overturning constitutional government in Zimbabwe; shall be guilty of wilfully damaging the national interest of Zimbabwe and liable to — the same penalties as for treason; or the same penalties as for subverting constitutional government, in a case referred to in paragraph (b).

ZANU PF director for information and publicity, Tafadzwa Mugwadi, welcomed the Bill, saying “national interests are sacrosanct to all Zimbabweans, notwithstanding their differences, political or otherwise.” | The Sunday Mail

By- Zanu PF has displaced more than 30 CCC family members in Gutu- Mupandawana growth point.

CCC Gutu district elections officer Lloyd Mupfudze told The Mirror that the violence is creating a humanitarian crisis by the day with more than 30 families running away from homes and workplaces.

Mupfudze appealed to well-wishers for food and shelter for the victims of the violence adding that the situation was deteriorating. He said:

There is a crisis. Families that have run away from their homes don’t have shelter and food. Others have lost sources of income after being pushed out of their workplaces.

These victims and their children need to eat and a place to sleep but we have no means to help.

Many people are sleeping in the bush for fear of being attacked at night. The majority of the victims are residents of Mpandawana while others stay on the outskirts of the growth point.

Many people have moved together with their children out of the district to Harare and other places.

It is well-organized and funded violence in the district and the Police is not arresting anyone to the extent that some people are assaulted at Police stations and in front of senior officers.

The godfathers of the violence are known and they openly brag about it. Gangs of hired thugs move in groups in broad daylight armed with banned weapons like catapults, knobkerries, stones and machetes.

They choose their victims randomly and they abduct, assault men and women in public.

Meanwhile, the Officer Commanding Masvingo East, Superintendent Taurai Mambure, was reportedly forced to call for an urgent all-parties meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue of violence.

Mambure reportedly barred The Mirror from the meeting and refused to give a statement after more than 4 hours of deliberations.

Alleged victims of political violence

Four Makumbe brothers Tom, Kudakwashe, Nhamo and Jervas were reportedly severely assaulted, thrown into sewage and had their phones crushed.

The brothers have a welding company at Mpandawana Growth Point but they closed the shop and disappeared.

CCC councillor, Bernard Chimwango’s wife, Blessing Chiriga was assaulted this week at the main bus rank.

She and her children have left the district for fear of further attacks, while Chimwango is also no longer staying at his house which is at Mpandawana, reported the mirror.

Who is behind the attacks?

According to The Mirror, the ringleader in the attack has been identified as Josephat Sarukore who is the ZANU PF District chair.

Sarukore’s brothers Tawanda and Samson have also been fingered while Joseph Mudziwepasi, a son of a businessman at the growth point has openly confirmed his role in the violence.

FULL TEXT- The ZRP reports a fatal road traffic accident in which three people died and one person was seriously injured when a Zhong Tong bus with 50 passengers on board had a head on collision with a Toyota wish vehicle with four occupants on board.

The accident happened at the 65 km peg along Ray-Chiredzi Road. The bodies were taken to Msiso Hospital Mortuary for post mortem whilst the injured is admitted at the same hospital.

2/2 at the 65 km peg along Ray-Chiredzi Road. The bodies were taken to Msiso Hospital Mortuary for post mortem whilst the injured is admitted at the same hospital.

— Zimbabwe Republic Police (@PoliceZimbabwe) November 26, 2022

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa says the citizens project is proliferating rapidly.

Despite relentless attempts to disrupt the citizens project, change is unavoidable, according to the people’s President.

“GETTING READY….CHANGE CHAMPIONS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Receiving the delimitation report, voter registration update, voters’ roll status, the state and status of the citizens project, the political & economic situation,national budget and #PREPARE.

It’s game on!!#fakapressure,” said President Chamisa in a brief statement.

By Farai D Hove | Norton MP Temba Mliswa was slapped down by ZANU PF youths at a provincial hero’s funeral.

In a development that saw the legislator being escorted by police officers, Mliswa is on video screaming fire and brimstone at the cops.

He was at the time being accused of being an independent MP who is disrespectful of the ZANU PF leadership.

“No one will gather again the country [because of this violence.],” Mliswa bursts out at the cops. He continues saying.

“As police you have messed the president up, be ause you are supposed to maintain law and order,” Mliswa adds.

A comment from the police was not possible at the time of writing.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa says the citizens project is proliferating rapidly.

Despite relentless attempts to disrupt the citizens project, change is unavoidable, according to the people’s President.

“GETTING READY….CHANGE CHAMPIONS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Receiving the delimitation report, voter registration update, voters’ roll status, the state and status of the citizens project, the political & economic situation,national budget and #PREPARE.

It’s game on!!#fakapressure,” said President Chamisa in a brief statement.

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC vice president Hon Tendai Biti has described Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address as empty and void of logic.

Hon Biti accused the Zanu PF leader of destroying the principles and components of nationalism.

Zimbabwe has been reduced to a mere teapot – shaped country without unity, love and freedom, according to Hon Biti.

He said:” The regime has failed to deal with the political question…the regime has failed to deal with the national question .

Minority groups have been isolated by the Zanu PF regime. The essence of nationalism has been lost.

Citizens are suffering due to the regime’s insensitivity.”

“Our Change Champion, Hon #BitiTendai has responded to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by Mr Mnangagwa.

He says it is out of touch with the current situation in Zimbabwe,” CCC said in a brief statement on Thursday.

Watch : Biti rubbishes Mnangagwa SONA:

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe and a police officer only identified as Mabika have been ordered by the court to pay ZWL$800 000 to a Mbare resident who was arrested by the police in 2021.

According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Tinashe Maumbe (24), a resident of Mbare, was arrested together with his friends Reward Majoni and Tinashe Majoni by ZRP officers on 16 January 2021.

Maumbe demanded payment amounting to ZWL$900 000 as damages for unlawful arrest, detention, humiliation and embarrassment. Said ZLHR:

On 4 November 2022 and after presiding over the trial of Hon. Kazembe, Matanga and Mabika, Harare Magistrate Ayanda Dhlamini granted judgment in favour of Maumbe and ordered Matanga, Kazembe and Mabika to pay him ZWL800 000 as compensation for violation of his rights after ruling that ZRP officers had “hysterically” arrested the 24-year-old Mbare resident based on their personal opinion of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, queer and questioning people.

Out of the ZWL800 000, ZWL$400 000 is for damages for unlawful arrest and detention while ZWL$400 000 is compensation for inhuman and degrading treatment.

Magistrate Dhlamini further ruled that the police officers, who arrested Maumbe, were not even aware of the COVID-19 provisions, which they purported to have cited upon apprehending him.

The Magistrate concluded that Maumbe’s arrest and detention was unlawful and that the police officers had jeered at him and insulted him for allegedly being a homosexual and by so doing, violated his right to human dignity guaranteed in terms of provisions of section 51 of the Constitution.

By A Correspondent Embattled Zimbabwe Warriors midfielder Kudakwashe Mahachi has been acquitted of attempted murder charges following his trial on allegations of scalding his four-year-old son with hot water in South Africa.

Mahachi was acquitted of two separate charges of attempting to kill his son.

This follows the former Supersport United footballer’s trial at Tredgold magistrates’ court in Bulawayo.

During trial, Mahachi’s lawyer Nkosiyabo Sibanda of Tanaka Law Chambers said his client should be acquitted on discharge arguing that the three “key” witnesses who testified in the trial gave contradicting statements.

In passing his ruling, trial magistrate Mark Dzira concurred with the defence’s arguments saying the State failed to prove the essential elements of the case adding that evidence given by the witnesses was contradictory and disjointed.

Dzira also said medical experts who examined the child could not figure out the cause of the injuries hence tilting the benefit of the doubt towards the footballer.

The trio was walking past Matapi Police Station in Harare’s Mbare high-density suburb when the law enforcement agents manning the entrance to the police station enquired where the trio was going.

The ZRP officers allegedly accused Maumbe and his friends of being homosexuals and told them that homosexuality is not permitted in Zimbabwe.

The trio was subsequently detained by the police and no charges were preferred against them. In fact, they were jeered by cops and were only released after ZLHR lawyers intervened.

With the help of Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of ZLHR, Maumbe sued Matanga, Kazembe and Mabika by filing a summons in April 2021 at Harare Civil Magistrates Courts.

Maumbe demanded payment amounting to ZWL$900 000 as damages for unlawful arrest, detention, humiliation and embarrassment.

Said ZLHR:

On 4 November 2022 and after presiding over the trial of Hon. Kazembe, Matanga and Mabika, Harare Magistrate Ayanda Dhlamini granted judgment in favour of Maumbe and ordered Matanga, Kazembe and Mabika to pay him ZWL800 000 as compensation for violation of his rights after ruling that ZRP officers had “hysterically” arrested the 24-year-old Mbare resident based on their personal opinion of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, queer and questioning people.

Out of the ZWL800 000, ZWL$400 000 is for damages for unlawful arrest and detention while ZWL$400 000 is compensation for inhuman and degrading treatment.

Magistrate Dhlamini further ruled that the police officers, who arrested Maumbe, were not even aware of the COVID-19 provisions, which they purported to have cited upon apprehending him.

The Magistrate concluded that Maumbe’s arrest and detention was unlawful and that the police officers had jeered at him and insulted him for allegedly being a homosexual and by so doing, violated his right to human dignity guaranteed in terms of provisions of section 51 of the Constitution.

By- The imprisoned CCC deputy chairman and Zengeza West MP, Job Sikhala, has written a strong letter from Chikurubi maximum security prison challenging the status quo.

The die-hard politician said he was ready for anything and would not be bought by money or be cowed into abandoning the fight for democracy.

Sikhala has been in pre-trial detention at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison since June this year on allegations of inciting public violence and has been denied bail by the courts more than eight times.
The CCC vice chairman was arrested in the aftermath of violence that rocked the Nyatsime area in June this year following the murder of CCC activist Moreblessing Ali.
In his latest letter from prison shared on social media by his spokesperson, Freddy Michael Masarirevu, Sikhala characterised his imprisonment as persecution.

Reads the letter:
No amount of gold or silver or superlatives will break the solidity of my enduring spirit against all forms of persecution, machinations, plots, and conspiracies against myself. Ask those who know me better.
I urge all of you, dearest compatriots, to also remain resolute and unshaken in light of the vices in our nation. Keep your eyes on the ball.
I find bright spots in my willingness to make sacrifices, even against all forms of adversity. People are not freed by doing nothing but by making selfless sacrifices.
I might be suffering in prison because the precious life of Moreblessing Ali was terminated by those who have arrogated themselves that power, but my ‘persecution’ goes beyond that.
It is, to me, an effort to eliminate me politically and silence us all. Despite the laurel wreath of the present, I am resolute, unmoved, and unshaken here at Chikurubhi Maximum Security Prison.
Great men and women are remembered and counted among the marathon runners of history. The vicissitudes of the present are a test of endurance. I am prepared to run this race to the finish. This, let me emphasize, I am prepared to do.
The great warriors of the world are those not understood by the present but remembered by history in a legacy that will span centuries.
This will be the mark of men and women who are prepared to carry the fight for their ideas and ideals to the end, damn the consequences.
I am embodied by the great observation of the greatest man ever to live. In Africa, the good guys usually lose; they are imprisoned, tormented, tortured, killed, beaten up, or simply beaten down, but they are immortalized by history.
Let them throw me in jail, no matter how insurmountable the situation appears. I see victory all around. We shall be victorious.
May the Gracious Almighty God bless and protect all of you!

By A Correspondent- Harare North legislator Allan Markham (CCC) has filed a High Court challenge against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) seeking to compel it to provide the national voters roll in electronic format.

Zec has been refusing to release the electronic voters roll saying that would compromise the security of its database.

Recently, Zec demanded a staggering US$187 000 from a local independent election watchdog for the release of a hard copy of the voters roll.

In an application filed at the High Court yesterday, Markham cited Zec as respondent.

In his founding affidavit, Markham said during the period February to April 2022, he analysed an electronic copy of the voters roll prepared and released by Zec before the by-elections that took place in March 2022 and noticed several anomalies.

This prompted him to write to Zec drawing its attention to various anomalies on the voters roll, and was advised that the electoral body was in the process of producing an updated version.

 “The electronic form is portable and can be analysed with relative ease, while a hard copy of the national voters roll will be cumbersome to hold (one hundred and eighty-seven thousand pages) and practically impossible to analyse.  In addition, it takes 30 days to print a copy of the hard copy before an applicant who has complied with all the conditions set by the respondent can have it. The choice, therefore, to procure an electronic copy is both borne out of its being more affordable and easier to obtain and analyse,” Markham said.

 “The review of the voters roll also allows citizens to appreciate if any registration potentially violates the principle of one-man one-vote, that is double or duplicate registration. It tells you in combination with other information, such as a census, the general information as to what percentage of eligible people remain unregistered, allows efforts to establish why and how their registration can be facilitated, an important part of the exercise of any citizen’s political rights.”

He said access to the voters roll allowed citizens to exercise their political rights in terms of the Constitution.

 “In order to meaningfully participate in the delimitation exercise, one needs to know the voters roll and where everyone is registered by polling station. Stakeholders cannot be consulted on delimitation if they have no access to a searchable copy of the voters roll so that they can check numbers per polling station and boundaries.

“So the respondent is conducting the delimitation exercise on its own “consulting” with stakeholders who have not seen or accessed the voters roll yet. Put differently, the respondent is purportedly consulting with stakeholders and effecting changes when stakeholders do not have the voters roll. This is meaningless,” Markham said.

He said once a citizen has communicated to Zec and paid the prescribed fee, the electoral management body is obliged to produce the electronic voters roll.

Zec is yet to respond.

By- The looted and bankrupt National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has temporarily suspended the urban commuter train service.

The Parastatal’s spokesperson Andrew Kunambura said in a statement that the suspension was effective from 28 November 2022. 

He said:

The suspension was occasioned by an unsustainable operating environment arising from huge debts owed to NRZ by ZUPCO.

NRZ was therefore left with no option but to suspend commuter trains from 28 November due to capacity challenges.

Normal services will resume once ZUPCO fulfills its obligations as set in the agreement.

The urban commuter train service was launched in partnership with ZUPCO last year to ease congestion in Bulawayo and Harare at the height of the coronavirus crisis. | CITE

 By A Correspondent- A high powered delegation of military officers led by Air Force of Zimbabwe  (AFZ) Air Vice Marshall Biltim Chingono was in Pakistan this month to inspect modern aircraft and armaments during a defence exhibition where deals worth millions of United States dollars were sealed, the Zimbabwe Independent can reveal.

Chingono, alongside an elite group of AFZ and Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officers, were in Karachi between November 15 and November 18, 2022, for the world-acclaimed International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (Ideas).

Over 30 contracts were signed during the exhibition held in the Asian country.

The top global military exhibition, which showcases an array of advanced armaments “provides a perfect interactive platform to defence forces and governments to access the best products and technology to meet their security and defence-related needs,” its website states.

Organised by the Pakistan Defence Export Promotion Organisation, the global arms exhibition has evolved since its inception to be regarded as “an established rendezvous for convergence of international defence exhibitors, delegates, security analysts and top-level policy planners”.

Relating to the Zimbabwean crew which attended the premier global military exhibition, Chingono was accompanied by Air Commodore Pio Maketo among other Air Force officers as evidence gleaned by the Independent shows.

The presence of the Zimbabwean high-level delegation in nuclear-armed Pakistan which neighbours India comes a year after Mnangagwa’s official helicopter crash-landed due to a technical problem while some of the military unit’s aircrafts have been involved in accidents.

Broadly, the accidents have been triggered by hostile weather, technical faults and in some cases human error.

Zimbabwe’s Air Force, widely regarded as one of the best in the region had some of its aircraft damaged and destroyed during the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) war from 1998-2002.

Zimbabwe’s costly intervention in the war as part of Operation Sovereign Legitimacy (Osleg) primarily meant to keep at bay Western-sponsored rebels angling to topple the resource-rich country’s leader Laurent Kabila.

During the Karachi defense exhibition, which was attended by 524 arms manufacturers from 44 countries, which also included China, Russia and Belarus, the Chingono-led team inspected a fleet of JF-17 aircraft and drones, among other armaments that were on display raising expectations that Zimbabwe would soon place orders.

Security and defense sources told the Independent last week that Zimbabwe’s presence at the Ideas expo, which returned after a four year Covid-19 induced hiatus indicated that “Harare’s short-term and long-term plans to steadily improve its aircraft and armaments are in line with modern technological advancements”.

During the highly subscribed military exhibition, the Zimbabwean team also held meetings with the Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

As first revealed by this publication in 2020, Zimbabwe, reeling from Western-imposed sanctions is now predominantly procuring its armaments from Eastern Europe and countries in Asia including Pakistan.

The United States (US) and European Union (EU) have since 2001 maintained sanctions on the Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), the country’s arms manufacturer.

To understand whether the Southern African country placed orders to buy armaments from the exhibiting manufacturers and the primary objective of the team’s visit, questions sent to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Public Relations director Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mutes were referred to the Air Force.

Air Force Wing Commander Donovan Muroyiwa said he was “consulting” when the Independent asked him the same questions.

Questions related to the same subject posed to Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri primarily meant to understand whether Zimbabwe was considering strengthening its fleet of aircraft and armaments by acquisitions were not addressed before going to press.

Questions sent to organisers of the Ideas exhibition in Pakistan also drew blanks.

Leveraging on its motto “Alæ Præsidio Patriæ” which translates to: “Our wings are the fortress of the nation,” Zimbabwe’s Air Force has scored major victories in various missions including Mozambique and DRC. Within Zimbabwe’s borders, it has been deployed to carry out life-saving evacuation operations.

The Pakistan exhibition showcased a wide array of military hardware which was classified in nine (9) distinct groups which included (i) weapons, ammunition, turret, (ii) vehicles, aircraft and drones, (iii)battlefield management, (iv)training and simulation, (v)special equipment and engineering services, (vi) industrial and logistic support, (vii)naval ships and submarines, (vii)industry sectors, (ix) services.

Under the arms, weapons and turrets category, exhibiting firms displayed air defence systems, anti-tank wall breaching systems and close defence weapons while the vehicles, aircraft and drone category showcased main battle tank variants, light armoured and un armoured vehicles and vehicle engines and transmission systems.

In 2019, while on an official visit to Belarus where Zimbabwe reportedly finalised deals worth US$350 million spanning across various sectors, Mnangagwa toured the Volat plant, also known as OJSC MZKT, that manufactures a range of military hardware and directly falls under the State Military Industrial Committee.

At that time, Volat indicated that the President was exposed to a wide spectrum of military hardware.

In October this year, the government took delivery of a specialised medical helicopter and ambulance from Russia, in a diplomatic gesture that demonstrated Harare and Moscow’s solid bilateral ties.

The 2020 Sipri report, which offered a rare glimpse into how Zimbabwe has bolstered its arsenal, highlighted that the southern African country shelled US$647 million from 1980 to 2020 in declared arms purchases.

Strikingly, Sipri’s report shows that the US has not exported weapons to Zimbabwe since the country’s independence in 1980.

The security think-tank’s report indicates that in 2000, Harare took delivery of a fleet of six MI-24P combat helicopter gunships from Russia for US$22 million.

Before 2000, when Zimbabwe still enjoyed relatively cordial relations with the West, Sipri’s report shows that the country purchased six (6) SF.260 jet aircraft from Italy in 1998 and 23 units of Almat APC (armoured personnel carriers) from France in 1996 at a cumulative cost of US$15 million.

By- Two ZNA soldiers accused of shooting dead two Mwenezi brothers have been acquitted of murder by Justice Garainesu Mawadze at the High Court in Masvingo.
The soldiers who are based at HQ1 Brigade in Bulawayo and were acquitted on Tuesday are Tapiwanashe Basopo (37) and Collen Ncube (29). They were deployed to Mijingwe Ranch in Mwenezi when the shooting incident happened.
The allegations were that Basopo, Ncube and a third soldier Chrispen Maphosa (30) who is at large were on December 26, 2019 approached by Olman Nyunyana who complained that his brother Ernest had been severely assaulted by three Matarise brothers on Christmas evening.
Basopo, Ncube and Maphosa offered to track and apprehend the accused brothers. Maphosa and Basopo armed themselves with AK 47 rifles and dressed in army regalia. They arrived at Shayamabvudzi Business Centre at around 9 pm and confronted Sifelani who ran home and informed his brothers, Ngonidzashe and Hosiah.
The brothers armed themselves with a knife, machetes, an iron bar, and a screwdriver and went and confronted the soldiers. A misunderstanding arose and the brothers charged towards the soldiers.
Sifelani and Hosiah were then shot dead. Ngonidzashe escaped and filed a Police report. Police teamed up with military Police and arrested the three soldiers.
Four live rounds, three spent cartridges, magazines and two AK47 rifles were recovered.
The State however, said in court that it did not have enough evidence to nail the two and Justice Mawadze cleared them of the charges.
Police are looking for Maphosa after a warrant of arrest was issued by the High Court on March 17, 2022. Justice Mawadze did not clear Maphosa of the charges after noting that the suspect had not reported for work for several months.
Sifelani and Hosiah were shot in the chest and head respectively and they died on the spot.
“The State has indicated that there is not enough evidence to get a verdict and my judgment is as follows. Maphosa remains on warrant of arrest issued on March 17, 2022. Basopo and Ncube are hereby cleared of the murder and any other related charges and are hereby acquitted. The two AK47 rifles being held as exhibits will remain since the State intends to try Maphosa,” said Justice Mawadze.
Justice Mawadze said Basopo and Ncube had religiously attended court hearings and urged them to behave appropriately as members of the uniformed forces.
Emmanuel Mathose prosecuted and Martin Mureri of Matutu Mureri Legal Practitioners appeared for Ncube and Basopo. Masvingo Mirror

By- CCC deputy chairman and Zengeza West MP, Job Sikhala, has written another letter from Chikurubi maximum security prison.

The die-hard politician said he would not be bought by money or be cowed into abandoning the fight for democracy.

Sikhala has been in pre-trial detention at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison since June this year on allegations of inciting public violence and has been denied bail by the courts more than eight times.
The CCC vice chairman was arrested in the aftermath of violence that rocked the Nyatsime area in June this year following the murder of CCC activist Moreblessing Ali.
In his latest letter from prison shared on social media by his spokesperson, Freddy Michael Masarirevu, Sikhala characterised his imprisonment as persecution.

Reads the letter:
No amount of gold or silver or superlatives will break the solidity of my enduring spirit against all forms of persecution, machinations, plots, and conspiracies against myself. Ask those who know me better.
I urge all of you, dearest compatriots, to also remain resolute and unshaken in light of the vices in our nation. Keep your eyes on the ball.
I find bright spots in my willingness to make sacrifices, even against all forms of adversity. People are not freed by doing nothing but by making selfless sacrifices.
I might be suffering in prison because the precious life of Moreblessing Ali was terminated by those who have arrogated themselves that power, but my ‘persecution’ goes beyond that.
It is, to me, an effort to eliminate me politically and silence us all. Despite the laurel wreath of the present, I am resolute, unmoved, and unshaken here at Chikurubhi Maximum Security Prison.
Great men and women are remembered and counted among the marathon runners of history. The vicissitudes of the present are a test of endurance. I am prepared to run this race to the finish. This, let me emphasize, I am prepared to do.
The great warriors of the world are those not understood by the present but remembered by history in a legacy that will span centuries.
This will be the mark of men and women who are prepared to carry the fight for their ideas and ideals to the end, damn the consequences.
I am embodied by the great observation of the greatest man ever to live. In Africa, the good guys usually lose; they are imprisoned, tormented, tortured, killed, beaten up, or simply beaten down, but they are immortalized by history.
Let them throw me in jail, no matter how insurmountable the situation appears. I see victory all around. We shall be victorious.
May the Gracious Almighty God bless and protect all of you!

By- Police in Mutare have arrested a 31-year-old Mutare man for selling live rounds in the streets.

Kudzanai Zvinoera was found with 11 rounds of live ammunition he was selling at Mhaka Shopping Centre in Yeovil suburb of Mutare.

Zvinoera appeared before Mutare magistrate, Langton Carter, and was charged with contravening Section 4 (1)(2) of the Firearms Act, Chapter 10:09 (Possession or acquisition of ammunition without a certificate).

He pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined ZWL$30 000. However, Zvinoera will spend 30 days in jail if he fails to pay the money by 5 December.

Prosecuting, Thurstone Mubvumbi, said Zvinoera was found in possession of 10 live rounds of ammunition and the other round was found at his place of residence. He said:

On November 14, at Mhaka Shops in Yeovil, Zvinoera was found in unlawful possession of 11 live ammunition without a certificate or licence.

On that day, police received information that Zvinoera was selling live ammunition.

Police reacted to the information and found Zvinoera in possession of 10 live ammunition.

He was arrested and taken to his place of residence where another bullet was found in his room.

Zvinoera was asked to produce a certificate or licence authorising him to possess or acquire the ammunition but he failed to do so.

Upon cross-examination, Zvinoera said the bullets belonged to his late father who was an ex-combatant.

He said the bullets were left behind by his father when he surrendered his gun to law enforcement agents some years back.

Zvinoera also said he was jobless and he was trying to raise money for his own upkeep by selling the ammunition. He said:

I am unemployed and was looking for money for my upkeep. My late father owned the bullets. He was a war veteran.

When he was asked to surrender his firearm some years back, he complied but left the bullets at our house.

The bullets have been in our house for decades. I thought I could sell them to raise money for my upkeep.

The 11 bullets were forfeited to the State. | The Manica Post

and trapping in people.

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) November 26, 2022

A horrific accident happened Friday night in Harare at corner Samora Machel Avenue and Enterprise Road (now named Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Road, although noone uses that name). Nickson Mpofu reports how a haulage truck and Toyota Fun Cargo car collided, causing extensive damage and trapping in people.

and trapping in people.

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) November 26, 2022

By- Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s business partner Frank Buyanga Sadiqi, has been attacked in Prison.

Buyanga, recently arrested in South Africa for potential extradition to Zimbabwe, has reportedly been attacked in a Johannesburg remand prison by other inmates and is seeking a transfer to another prison.

He was arrested on allegations of kidnapping his son in Harare in 2020, and on charges of contempt of court in Zimbabwe.

He was remanded in custody to Tuesday next week to allow South African authorities to verify his identity documents after it was found Buyanga’s South African identity documents show he was born in Zimbabwe, yet his Zimbabwean passport says he was born in the United Kingdom.

Last week, the Zimbabwean National Prosecuting Authority applied to the High Court in Harare challenging the cancellation of a warrant of arrest for Buyanga, which had been issued by Harare magistrate, Mrs Judith Taruvinga.

He has since appeared before the Randburg Magistrates Court and was remanded in custody for his bail hearing.

Last Monday, Buyanga had his warrant of arrest cancelled at the Harare Magistrates Court after Mrs Taruvinga said she had erroneously issued the warrant of arrest. But Prosecutor-General Mr Nelson Mutsonziwa immediately applied to the High Court challenging the cancellation and cited Mrs Taruvinga and Buyanga as the first and second respondents.

He wanted the High Court to set aside Mrs Taruvinga’s judgment, arguing that the warrant was cancelled without following due processes.

“The court presided over a matter in which it lacked jurisdiction to cancel a warrant of arrest after it had been executed by law enforcement authorities of the Republic of South Africa under an extradition request made to it by the Republic of Zimbabwe.

“There was a gross irregularity in the proceedings or the decision of the court, in that the court perpetuated contempt of court by (Buyanga) by granting his legal practitioner audience in circumstances where the High Court, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe, had previously found him to have dirty hands and consequently denied him an audience,” said Mr Mutsonziwa in the application.

Last week, South African lawyer representing Buyanga, Mr Laurence Hodes, called for a speedy bail hearing for his client.

South African media outlet News 24 reported that Mr Hodes told the Randburg Magistrates Court that the warrant executed by Interpol and used for arresting Buyanga on November 10, had been cancelled in Zimbabwe. Mr Hodes claimed he handed over the documents, including Buyanga’s passport, to the South African National Prosecuting Authority. He said Buyanga owns a property in South Africa, adding the defence had attached his visa permits to their affidavit, which would help show that he is not a flight risk and was entitled to bail.