Tinashe Sambiri|Zimbabwe is not Zanu PF and every citizen has the right to travel to all parts of the country, CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa has said.

Last week Zanu PF agents attacked President Chamisa’s motorcade in Gokwe.

The CCC leader wrote on Twitter:
“A SALUTE TO BRAVE CITIZENS & CHANGE CHAMPIONS IN GOKWE KABUYUNI…

This was a good fight, a learning moment and it’s a process.

We’re doing well against all odds.We continue excelling.We must deal with fear, forced voting,abuse of traditional leaders.
We will WIN BIG! #fakapressure.”

CCC deputy spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba wrote on Facebook:

“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.

Let it be known to zanupf and all the headmasters of chaos that you will never wish us away!
We will resist and fight any such attempts!

We will continue to organize and gather, we have the right and freedom to do so.

Zanupf is not Zimbabwe, this too is our home!”

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa’s “Operation Mango” is giving Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa sleepless nights.

Operation Mango urges citizens to wear green while they are yellow inside.

According to CCC Namibia, Mr Mnangagwa’s administration wants to use violence to justify postponement of elections.

See full statement below:

State-sponsored violence by the regime is a political formula to suspend elections in 2023.

27 August 2022

Progressive and patriotic citizens who champion social democracy in Namibia echo the same trajectory as the Change Champion in Chief President Advocate Nelson Chamisa on the infuriating issue of state-sponsored violence unleashed on social democrats. Cognizant of the evil intents to suspend the much-awaited harmonized elections after the change champions fight back against ZANU-PF thugs who are maiming, killing, and torturing citizens. ZANU-PF wants to declare a state of emergency before elections that is why they are provoking the majority of the citizenry.

Incessant political violence witnessed in Nyatsime, Seke, Uzumba, Wedza, Kwekwe, Masvingo, etc is an attempt to close the democratic space in the motherland.

It is imperative to avert falling into the diabolic trap of the regime which is desperate to have Zimbabwe ungovernable. As a peaceful party, we should not allow ZANU-PF to manipulate our peaceful approach to the national discourse. Defending ourselves is not violence but survival antics. What happened in Gokwe was a clear sign of panic and political ineptitude.

Operation Mango is an option for all the defenseless women, old men, and disabled who can’t run catch and mouse with the desperate ZANU-PF thugs who are used to kill innocent ciizens for a bottle of Super Chibuku and mutotiro.

These wayward youths must be liberated from these morons who are using state apparatus for the primitive accumulation of national resources.

Citizens should put themselves on the safe side from state repression. Citizens in Namibia support the operation since these sadists are torturing our members for putting on yellow. The best and most effective technique is to disguise the killers but knowing that the Citizens Coalition for Change is the only panacea to a New Great Zimbabwe.

The perpetual incarceration of Job Saro Wiwa Sikhala , Godfrey Sithole and the Nyatsime 14 is a direct attack on democratic values and constitutionalism since bail is a constitutional right enshrined in the constitution of 2013. Citizens should amplify their voices demanding the immediate release of the wrongfully imprisoned change champions. The culture of violence existed since the inception of the vibrant opposition in the new millennium. SADC, AU, and the United Nations must come to our rescue. We deserve their sympathy. Citizens in Namibia are pleading with the party to hastily implement our PREPARE(Pre-Election Pact on Electoral Reforms) so that we can manage to handle ZANU-PF rigging shenanigans.

It is not true that change champions can’t fight back but the pursued ideology does not allow them to use violence as a tool to resolve political issues.

Citizens Coalition for Change Namibia condemns the arbitrary arrest of the change champion, a resident of Mutawatawa, Isheanesu Chirisa who was arrested on trumped-up charges. The charges were concocted after the change champion attended a well-subscribed rally held at Nhakiwa in Uzumba by the people’s president Nelson Chamisa. Isheanesu is facing charges of having a firearm. The intention is to deter him from participating in the national discourse. We demand his immediate release. The political prisoner appeared before Mutawatawa Magistrates Court today and he was remanded in custody to Monday the 29th of August.

We are well informed that more are being hunted in Uzumba, Maramba and Pfungwe for belonging to the yellow train. We encourage the membership and the entire leadership to offer solidarity to the incarcerated change champions.

FreeJobSaroWiwaSikhala

FreeGodfreySithole

FreeTheNyatsime14

FreeIsheanesuChirisa

NoToViolence

Citizens Coalition for Change Namibia
Rundu Branch Interim Spokesperson
Robson Ruhanya

By A Correspondent- Having gone through a number of challenges in my life, including trying to commit suicide, I grew a passion and desire to reach out to other people since 2015.

I developed an aspiration to talk about mental health as I realised my personal experiences were similar, or even better, to what other people were going through.

In 2020, I thought I was ready to go public and talk about mental health. However, it was never easy and I procrastinated till June this year

My name is Vickie Maponga but some call me Vickie Mlilo. I am known by some to be a news anchor for the main news on ZBC television (ZBCtv).

Some two years ago, in commemoration of World Suicide Prevention Day, I was one of the people who were asked to dissuade people against suicide.

That was the first time I said in brief that I tried to commit suicide.

When the advert started running, someone texted me and said they knew I had not tried to commit suicide as I was “only doing it” for television.

That really hurt me!

I realised that is why most people do not reach out and talk about this subject. They do not want to be judged as some people do not take mental health issues seriously. What people see and concentrate on is how a person looks on the outside, we never get to see or care about how a person is on the inside.

If you are not strong on the inside, you will not be strong .

Suicide is a result of unattended mental health issues as there is a lot of stigma around it. The stigma, misunderstanding and labelling is just too much that a lot of people prefer to suffer in silence.

I tried to commit suicide three times.

I lost my child and during that time, I was devastated, depressed and always locked myself in a room. I suffered from anxiety. Losing a child and then failing to conceive for years, causes

anxiety, you get into a deep depression mode.

All these things affect a person’s mental well-being.

You can imagine going into labour to deliver a child you will never get to see and hold. These are some of the wounds that affect our mental wellbeing and some of these wounds do not completely go away, the pain gets better with time but there are days and moments when one just cries.

A lot of people are suffering and trying to make themselves strong but dying on the inside. If you die on the inside, you will eventually die physically because there is no full health without fitness in mental health.

Mental health is an important part of our lives.

It is unfortunate that when we hear about mental health, most of us think about a mad man in the streets. We do not think, know and realise that mental health is a problem anyone faces, and can cause depression, suicidal thoughts and worse still committing suicide.

When a person is going through mental health challenges, all they want is identification.

With cynical depression you lose interest in almost everything that you used to like.

I would spend most of the day sleeping. I was bedridden for a month, the only thing I could do was to wake up then go back to sleep. Sometimes I would stare at the ceiling and start thinking how useless I am, how much of a failure I was.

You are just filled with negativity around you and do not want to see or talk to anyone. I tried to read and the whole day struggled to go through a single sentence.

I found myself crying every single day and moment; tears just flowing. At times you cannot tell why you are crying because your mind will be loaded with issues.

I used to visit the doctor every other day and week as I would be in pain, headaches, everything would be sore. At some point I was checked for breast cancer, heart problems. Everything would be sore but results would come out fine.

At least four doctors took turns to examine me until I was diagnosed and started getting treatment.

Take note, most of these things I am telling you about happened when I was not on TV, not known yet. I am saying this because I wish to break this notion that “celebrities” get into depression too much, “celebrities” are committing suicide.

It is not about “celebrities”, but mental health.

When I tried to commit suicide, back then life was tough all around me

It was only the last time that I confessed to one of my sisters after a couple of months and told her “that time I was throwing up, it wasn’t n’ongo (bile), I had actually drank more than 50 tablets and just covered myself, hoping not to wake up.”

I only told her six months later.

That is the time I just decided; “hey, let me wait for the day that I will die and not try to kill myself anymore but instead make the most with the life that God has given me

Troubleshooting

What we often do not realise is that suicide is not the problem.

Suicide, just like depression and drug abuse, is what is spoken about more. It is what we see but what we do not realise is all these things are just results of mental health issues.

No one plans to be a drug addict.

The reason why most people get into drugs is because they have a problem which they are unable to solve.

They then resort to trying to find solutions to deal with that problem by getting into drugs or alcohol.

Likewise, no one just wakes up and decides to kill themselves. A person may be going through a very difficult moment which he or she feels there is no solution for.

Because of the stigma around mental health, we are losing lives, potential and future leaders since people suffering from mental health issues feel there is no one to understand them.

I have even suffered and was treated for cynical depression and would drink a chunk of tablets every day for several months before I got tired and just stopped taking them.

At that time, I just said, “God; now it has to be you, me and my mind.”

I noticed that everything was in my mind as it (mind) is the master power that molds and makes a person, as a man thinks in his heart so is he.

I believe tablets play their own part when one is suffering depression but to really fight it and win, you need to work on your mind…its mental health.

Depression, suicide, affects everyone!

I have my own definition of mental health. I always say “Mental health is like having a headache, it can be triggered and caused by so many things. But you need to deal with the root cause.”

We have so many problems which people face in life and we can never write all of them down.

We cannot quantify all issues; but people have problems that include financial, marriage, work, employment, family, background issues and school fees etcetera.

If one fails to deal with a problem, does not find coping skills, strategies or mechanisms, we end up seeing people going to the extremes and taking their lives or becoming alcoholics.

Today, I do not speak as a victim. I do not speak as if I am above anyone, but do so as a person who knows that mental health is everywhere, with everyone. It is real and we need to normalise talking about it and break the stigma around it

By A Correspondent- The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to assist thousands of Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders who are living in South Africa as the 31 December deadline for the expiry of the special permit regime beckons.

An insignificant percentage is reported to have made representations to the Department of Home Affairs on why their permits should be extended, with media reports last week saying about four percent of permit holders have made applications to the South African government. Reports indicate that those who stand a bright chance to have their permits renewed are those in critical skills fields like engineering, science, health, mechanical engineering, Information Communication Technology and Finance, among others.

The expression of commitment comes amid revelations that the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa has started visiting companies and instructing them against hiring undocumented foreigners, while in some instances banks have started to deny permit holders due to expire the opening of accounts.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador James Manzou said while it was true that there has not been movement in terms of the deadline, there was continuous engagement between the two countries.

He advised those facing problems in South Africa before the deadline to approach the Zimbabwean Embassy in that country and get assistance.

“There is constant communication between ourselves and our South African counterparts on the issue of the deadline dates. The recent one being the Foreign Ministries Mid-Term Review Meeting of the third session of the Bi-National Commission between Zimbabwe and South Africa,” he said.

Amb Manzou hinted that they were being apprised on the developments on a day-to-day basis as they were in constant contact with the South African Embassy on various other issues including the developments as the calendar ticks towards the expiry of the permits date.

“As the date gets nearer and nearer towards the expiration of the permits on December 31, we are making engagements. There has not been a change of the dates but we are saying if there are any Zimbabweans that are facing those kinds of challenges, they have to approach the Embassy in South Africa and state their cases so that they get assisted,” said Amb Manzou.

He said the Government was aware of some of the challenges that people were facing and was ready to help if approached through the Embassy.

“Any help that our citizens may need they can get from there. We are ready to assist them if ever they are having problems of any kind. The Embassy in South Africa has been briefed on the situation and the South African Foreign Affairs Ministry has also been briefed on the issue,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit is a special dispensation document that was established more than 10 years ago and it provided legal protection to a number of Zimbabweans who live, work and study in South Africa.

In January this year the South African government decided that the arrangement should be terminated by December and that permit holders should apply for a visa to remain in South Africa on the basis of a list of critical skills.

In June, the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) took the government to court for discontinuing the permits, saying that the decision will turn ZEP holders in South Africa into undocumented migrants and force them to return home.

However, in the court papers, Home Affairs director-general Mr Livhuwani Tommy Makhode said the minister had allowed ZEP holders to apply for visas as contemplated by the Immigration Act. Mr Makhode said a decision not to grant further exemptions had not been made. “This is clear from the fact that ZEP holders are entitled to and were invited to make representations as to why their ZEPs should not be terminated and/or why their ZEPs should be extended for a period longer than [the] 12-month extension granted by the minister,” he said.

He said only 6 000 of the approximately 178 000 ZEP holders have taken the opportunity to make representations to the minister. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) last week quoted the chief executive for the National Employers’ Association of South Africa, Gerhard Papenfus, lamenting the loss of a hard-working workforce.

“It’s very unfortunate because these are very valuable employees in the hospitality sector so business is very unhappy with this arrangement. They work very hard and are very reliable. Losing good employees is very difficult

By A Correspondent- Suspected bandits have killed one soldier and kidnapped two officials of a farm company in Anchau town, Kabau Local Council of Kaduna state.

The bandits invaded the company around 1:30pm on Wednesday and abducted a Zimbabwean national and a Nigerian.

Even as the state government is yet to release a statement regarding the incident, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammed Jalige, who was contacted promised to find out the details and revert. He had not done so as of the time of filing this report.

A vigilante working in the community identified the Zimbabwean as one Mr. Charles Choko.

They (bandits) attacked and killed a soldier working in the farm company and also kidnapped one Mr. Charles Choko from Zimbabwe and one Yusuf Aliyu Bello from Kano state,” he said.

A villager, who pleaded anonymity, said that he saw a team of security agencies on Friday ‎going into the nearby bush in search of the victims.

When contacted to confirm the development, calls to the Chairman of the Local Council, Basher Suleiman Zuntu, was unanswered.

— The Guardian

By A Correspondent- At least 1200 farmers have been arrested this year for not dipping their cattle, a senior government official has disclosed.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana says it is a criminal offence for farmers not to dip their cattle.

The Communal Act of Zimbabwe and the Animal Health Act obligate farmers to take their cattle for dipping.

“Failure to do so is a criminal offence.

“This year 1200 farmers have been arrested for not doing so,” he says.

The law is there to protect animals from conditions like January Disease.

Meanwhile, the government is on record saying it will do everything in its power to protect the national herd.

Zimbabwe’s economy is agro-based meaning crops and animal husbandry is key to the country’s prosperity.

By A Correspondent- A 51 year-old widow from Ngozi Mine squatter camp in Bulawayo is living in fear of her son who is threatening to kill her for causing his arrest in 2016 after he ra_ped her daughter.

Her son was released from jail in October last year.

Since his release from prison, the 29 year-old has allegedly been pestering his young sister, now in Form 3 to commit incest with him.

At one point, he allegedly thoroughly beat her with dry tree branches after she refused to sleep with him before disappearing, she said

Since then, the widow and her daughter have been receiving death threats from him through text messages.

“There were days when we slept outside the house fearing that he may come and burn down the place as he is behaving like an animal since his release from prison,” she said.

“In 2016, he rap_ed my daughter when she was 11 years old. Then he spent five years there and was released last year in October.”

According to the woman, she has since taken her daughter to a safe house in the neighbouring Cowdray Park suburb.

“My son got furious that the sisters had hidden the little sister from him. When he saw her the next morning, he beat her up using dry tree branches which he had gathered, boxed her and kicked her, threatening to kill her,” she said.

“Now he has been sending threatening messages saying we hid his ‘wife’ from him.

“In one of the texts, he says I must count my days, and I will die and leave his “wife” who is his younger sister.”

“We live in fear with our grandchildren as we don’t know his whereabouts.”

The matter was reported to the police.

The area village head Sithembile Ndlovu-Tshuma confirmed the incident before appealing for assistance.

“He has been threatening saying the young sister must pay and the mother should make a plan. They have sought refuge for the daughter elsewhere but this is not enough. The family needs assistance,” Ndlovu said.

— The Standard

By The Telegraph- A Report by the  Telegraph has discovered that Zimbabwean nurses were being tricked into going to the United Kingdom by unscrupulous middlemen who withhold up to half their wages and force them to live in poverty.

The agencies – often run by Zimbabweans in the UK and unregulated – are reportedly taking advantage of the acute shortages of nursing and care staff across Britain’s hospitals and care homes as well as poor wages in Zimbabwe to lure the health care workers to the UK.

Jim Moyo (not real name), who moved to the UK from Harare in November 2018 to work in a care home in Margate, told Telegraph that exploitation of Zimbabwean health professionals in the UK is rampant. Said Moyo:

When you are working for an agency [in the UK], they pay you 50 per cent of your total salary.

You are getting paid £14 per hour, but then these guys will pay you £7.

He added that, once the tax was deducted, he was left with just £4 per hour for “rent, food and all sorts of expenses”. Said Moyo:

[The agency] tells you: ‘I paid for your accommodation, flights, visa, [I’m] your sponsor’. It’s like a hideous loan.

Hillary Musarurwa, a Zimbabwe-born social scientist in England, said:

Exploitation does not start on arrival [in the UK]. It starts during the application process [in Zimbabwe].

Not only health care workers are leaving Zimbabwe for the UK but also ex-teachers and geologists are retraining for UK care work, according to Joseph Zuze (not real name), a trainee nurse at Mutare Hospital, who plans to emigrate to the UK when he graduates.

The Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) is highly coveted, which has led to it being exploited by middlemen, according to Zimbabweans.

Zuze told Telegraph that he and his wife had been scammed by “agents” who charged $380 to put her on the training waitlist, despite the official Red Cross certification costing just $300.

These agents are not in any way employed, endorsed or contracted by Red Cross Zimbabwe and there is no evidence Red Cross Zimbabwe is aware of them. Said Zuze:

This has created another huge web of corruption; care agencies in the UK, run by Zimbabwe nationals, [are] gifting the COS to their relatives and friends first and anyone else [faces] hefty fees that reach £4,000.

Another Zimbabwe-born nurse working for the NHS in North London claimed that she knew someone in the UK “charging £7,000”.

Taffi Nyawanza, head of immigration at Mezzle Law in Birmingham who is well-known in Zimbabwe’s UK diaspora community, said:

UK law is clear. A recruitment agency cannot charge a fee for ‘placing’ an employee.

The person who ‘assigns’ or prepares and allocates the [COS] must not be related to the prospective employee.

[If] this is the case, the relationship must be fully disclosed to the Home Office.

However regulation of these agencies is weak. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) suggested that although it is unacceptable that some overseas-based agencies are charging fees to place candidates with jobs in Britain, it cannot do anything about it because the actors are not under UK jurisdiction. Said a spokesperson:

We understand repayment clauses may be used by some organisations to recoup upfront costs if internationally recruited staff do not meet the terms of their contract.

The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who ultimately set their pay, terms and conditions independent of central government.

However, we would be concerned if repayment costs were disproportionate or punitive.

According to Tich Dauramanzi, a Zimbabwe-born engineer who ran a legitimate care staffing agency in Stoke-on-Trent until 2017, the health care workers are also subject to zero-hours contracts, which means an employer does not guarantee the individual any hours of work. He said:

This is slavery happening in front of our eyes. I strongly believe we are going to have a court case very soon. Most of these employers owe people more money than they can ever pay.

[Recruitment companies] are recruiting a lot of young [Zimbabweans]. For some, this is the first time they have been employed.

Most of them are gripped by the fear factor. They’re told ‘here’s your only chance to come to the UK.

More: Telegraph

By James Gwati- Unconfirmed results in the Gokwe-Kabuyini by-election indicate that Zanu PF is leading amid rigging claims.

The election was held yesterday after ZEC chased away teachers recruited as election officers and violence by Zanu PF against CCC supporters, making the playing field unequal for the opposition.

The by-election followed the death of Zanu PF’s local MP, Leanard Chikomba, in a road accident.

Zanu PF’s Spencer Tshuma was contesting against CCC Costin Muguti.

Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency By Election Results‼️

ZANU-PF S. Tshuma: 10 880
CCC C.Muguti: 4 915 pic.twitter.com/VOfdrLADHN

— ?? ZANU PF PATRIOTS ?? (@zanupf_patriots) August 28, 2022

By James Gwati- Preliminary results in the Gokwe-Kabuyini by-election have shown that Zanu PF is leading by a wide margin.

The election was held yesterday after clashes between Zanu PF and CCC supporters, with the former perpetrating violence on the latter.

The by-election followed the death of Zanu PF’s local MP Leanard Chikomba in a road accident.

Zanu PF’s Spencer Tshuma in contesting against CCC Costin Muguti.

Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency By Election Results‼️

ZANU-PF S. Tshuma: 10 880
CCC C.Muguti: 4 915 pic.twitter.com/VOfdrLADHN

— ?? ZANU PF PATRIOTS ?? (@zanupf_patriots) August 28, 2022

By- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Saturday chased away teachers recruited as polling officials for the by-election in Gokwe-Kabuyuni.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe announced this on Twitter, saying that ZEC accused these teachers of supporting CCC leader Nelson Chamisa.

ARUZ said:
Some teachers in Gokwe who were recruited and trained as polling officials were chased away from their polling stations last night.
The teachers claim that they are accused of supporting Nelson Chamisa and his party CCC.
These teachers do not hold posts in the party and have never campaigned for them.
However, ZEC spokesperson Jasper Mangwana dismissed the report as false saying: “This is false. We have no reports on such an incident”.

Some Trs in Gokwe who were recruited & trained as polling officials were chased away from their polling stations last night.The Trs claim that they are accused of supporting @nelsonchamisa & his @CCCZimbabwe These Trs don't hold posts in the party & have never campaigned for them pic.twitter.com/hyAZWZm9vn

— Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe,ARTUZ (@ARTUZ_teachers) August 27, 2022

By- Harare has jailed one hundred and forty-eight (148) Malawian nationals found without legal documents.

The 148 were each sentenced to between four and six months in prison while awaiting deportation by Chivhu and Mvuma magistrates, respectively.

Sixty-five travellers were intercepted by Police in Chivhu, while 83 were arrested in Mvuma.

Chivhu Magistrate Henry Sande sentenced the group of 65 to four months imprisonment, wholly suspended pending deportation.

Prosecutors told the court that on Monday, police officers manning a roadblock at the 141-kilometre peg along Harare-Masvingo Road intercepted 65 Malawians travelling by road.

The foreign nationals were aboard two buses; Boundary with registration number AFQ 5485 and Sarge with registration number JF24GLGP.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers discovered that there were 55 passengers on the Sarge bus and 11 passengers on the other bus.

All 65 passengers were travelling with no valid documents permitting them to enter or remain in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, 83 Malawians who were intercepted at the 188-kilometre peg along Chivhu–Masvingo road appeared at the Mvuma Magistrates Court, for a similar offence.

The group was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment wholly suspended pending deportation.

More: The Mirror

By- A pro-President Emmerson Mnangagwa march planned for this weekend has flopped.

Organisers of the march under the banner MenBelieveED fronted by one Justice Matsatsira, said they have moved the march to an unspecified date.

Matsatsira told NewsDay that they postponed the march to pave the way for the weekend by-elections set for the Gokwe-Kabuyani constituency on Saturday. 

The seat fell vacant following the death of Zanu PF legislator Leonard Chikomba.

 Matsatsira said:

Those people who think that this march will not succeed are daydreaming. I have been supporting Mnangagwa since way back. We are a big thing, we have been encouraging our members to register to vote and our database is growing.

We have the numbers and we also have the support of the Zanu PF party. We have the resources. We will never fail because we have the resources. We were empowered by the new dispensation.

He said they plan to bus an estimated 10 000 people per province to Harare for the march.

In 2016, the Zanu PF youth league organised a “One Million Men March” in solidarity with the late President Robert Mugabe in a bid to extend his rule despite calls for him to step down.

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing holy places.

Mr Mnangagwa has a penchant for speaking at church gatherings.

On Thursday he seized an apostolic sect gathering.

Addressing a media briefing in Harare on Friday, President Chamisa accused Mr Mnangagwa of blasphemy.

He also challenged the regime to stop abusing traditional leaders.

” Our chiefs are in trouble, our kraal heads are in trouble…

The level of violence is shocking.On Thursday we were attacked by men with guns .

All the same change is unstoppable. We salute the people of Gokwe for refusing to be intimidated by the regime.

To our surprise, July Moyo and Larry Mavhima were directing police operations,” said President Chamisa.

By- Security details guarding the first lady Auxilia Mnangagwa have chucked out a group of Bulawayo-based journalists covering the celebration of the city’s centenarian residents.

Auxilia was officiating at the event held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on Thursday.

ZimLive.com reports that it turned out those who were permitted to cover the function were Harare-based ZBC and Herald journalists who now form her entourage.

Journalists based in Bulawayo were initially allowed to cover a march from the City Hall to the ZITF before the first lady arrived.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a journalist said Mnangagwa’s security was very open in its position that only journalists assigned to cover the first lady were the only ones welcome. ZimLive.com cites the journalist as saying:

The boys in suits surrounded one photographer who was taking pictures and asked him what he was doing. They told him that the first lady has her own team.

They then approached the Provincial Information Officer and instructed him to get all the Bulawayo-based journalist out of the venue which he did. 

This is a Bulawayo event and the centenarians being celebrated are our people from the city. Since we were denied the opportunity to cover them, our listeners have been denied the right to hear about this event

Journalists who were barred from the event also felt mistreated by the first lady’s communications team which failed to inform them beforehand that they were not welcome.

The event to celebrate and honour the city`s senior citizens who are 100 years and above was organised by the SPA Community Trust in conjunction with various organisations which include the Bulawayo City Council.

Last week the same happened in Marondera, where Auxilia’s photographer, John Madzongo, chased private media journalists from a Prison event.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe has reminded authorities to allow all journalists to enjoy their constitutionally-guaranteed rights of access to information of public interest.

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing holy places.

Mr Mnangagwa has a penchant for speaking at church gatherings.

On Thursday he seized an apostolic sect gathering.

Addressing a media briefing in Harare on Friday, President Chamisa accused Mr Mnangagwa of blasphemy.

He also challenged the regime to stop abusing traditional leaders.

” Our chiefs are in trouble, our kraal heads are in trouble…

The level of violence is shocking.On Thursday we were attacked by men with guns .

All the same change is unstoppable. We salute the people of Gokwe for refusing to be intimidated by the regime.

To our surprise, July Moyo and Larry Mavhima were directing police operations,” said President Chamisa.

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing holy places.

Mr Mnangagwa has a penchant for speaking at church gatherings.

On Thursday he seized an apostolic sect gathering.

Addressing a media briefing in Harare on Friday, President Chamisa accused Mr Mnangagwa of blasphemy.

He also challenged the regime to stop abusing traditional leaders.

” Our chiefs are in trouble, our kraal heads are in trouble…

The level of violence is shocking.On Thursday we were attacked by men with guns .

All the same change is unstoppable. We salute the people of Gokwe for refusing to be intimidated by the regime.

To our surprise, July Moyo and Larry Mavhima were directing police operations,” said President Chamisa.

By A Correspondent- The family of the missing St Matthias Tsonzo High School Form Four pupil Livingstone Sunhwa will have to wait a bit longer to find closure after the eagerly awaited Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) tests on his presumed remains came back inconclusive.

DNA testing is said to be inconclusive when it fails to produce information that allows an individual to be either included or excluded as the source of the biological evidence.

As a result, additional tests are now set to be conducted on teeth that were found in a forest to establish whether the remains are Livingstone’s or not.

Blood samples were collected from Livingstone’s mother, Selina Tadya and sister Pride Sunhwa, together with part of the skeletal remains, for DNA testing.

According to The Manica Post, a meeting involving Tadya, investigators and the DNA testing service providers was held in Mutare last week on Friday, with the inconclusive results being presented there.

Tadya confirmed the meeting to the publication saying that if further tests are inconclusive, the family will not give up its quest for closure. Said Tadya:

We are at a dead end, nothing is moving for seven weeks since the discovery of the remains. No concrete answer could be reached with the collected samples.

They told us that the samples did not yield enough DNA, hence there was no conclusive answer.

It will drag on because they have collected additional samples, the teeth, which they say can also be a reliable source of DNA in post-mortem testing.

They explained the challenges they are facing, but due to the gravity of this case, they said they cannot declare inconclusive results, hence the need for another round of trials with additional samples.

This means waiting for another 21 days. If they fail to come up with conclusive results within 21 days, they will then recommend that the samples be sent for further testing either in South Africa or Botswana where there is more advanced technology.

Their main argument is that the remains were exposed to the rain and the sun for a very long time such that DNA was eroded.

However, from my side they did not collect additional samples as the ones initially collected are still valid.

Tadya, a widow who was working in South Africa before she rushed home following his son’s disappearance, said her life is in limbo. She said:

It is painful and it’s straining me, my life is on hold. I can’t do anything. I cannot go back to work in South Africa. I am just seated at home with no money, yet everything is demanding money.

Soon schools will be open, I need to raise school fees for Livingstone’s sister. Where will I get the school fees when I am not working as I wait for the DNA test results? We desperately need conclusive results to bring closure to this case.

It hurts us as a family because we are still mourning and we do not know when the mourning will end. We are not at peace.

We can only be at peace after ascertaining whether those are his remains or not and accord Livingstone a befitting burial. What we are going through is awful and devastating.

Livingstone (19) disappeared from St Matthias Tsonzo High School in Mutasa on 6 December and is yet to be accounted for.

Prior to his disappearance, had been arrested on theft charges but was allegedly released as he was due to sit for his English final exam paper.

He never showed up for the examination and has been missing ever since then.

-manicapost

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has confirmed a road traffic accident involving a bus that killed 4 people on the spot including the driver at the 111km peg along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road on Friday morning.

In a statement released this Saturday, ZRP said the DAF bus with 40 passengers on board veered off the road and hit a tree. Reads the statement:

The ZRP reports a fatal road traffic accident which occurred at the 111km peg along Bulawayo-Vic Falls Road on 26/08/22 at around 0940 hours, where a motorist who was driving a DAF bus with 40 passengers on board went off the road and hit a tree.

Four people, including the driver, died on the spot, while 18 others were injured. The names of victims will be released in due course.

Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has condemned the recent brutal attack of four Techmag TV crew members by suspected ZANU PF members while filming ZANU PF and CCC  rallies that were held 800 metres apart in Gokwe.

In a statement on Friday, 26 August, ZUJ urged the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to bring the perpetrators to book as this “will send a loud and clear message to all merchants of violence” that violence has consequences. ZUJ said:

ZUJ condemns the recent attack by alleged ZANU PF supporters of four Techmag TV crew members for filming activities at competing ruling ZANU PF and opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) campaign rallies in Gokwe.

The four, comprising Toneo Rutsito, Tongai Mwenje, Pellagia Mpurwa and Chelsea Mashayambire, were allegedly beaten by at least 12 suspected ruling party activists for filming the party’s campaign activities that were being held adjacent to those of the CCC.

The two rallies were reportedly held about 800 metres apart. The four Techmag crew have since filed a police report (RRB Number 5075126) at Chitekete Police Station in Gokwe.

The heinous attack-which saw Rutsito reportedly losing a tooth and Mwenje sustaining a deep gash on the forehead-goes against the spirit of promoting freedom of the media in the country.

Journalists/media workers should be allowed to do their work without having to fear for their safety.

The security of journalists is a constitutional issue and should always be guaranteed by both political actors and government security agencies.

ZUJ, therefore, calls upon the police to thoroughly investigate the alleged assault of the journalists in Gokwe and bring the culprits to book in what the Union hopes will send a loud and clear message to all merchants of violence that freedom of the media should be upheld always and everywhere. There should be no compromise.

By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF yesterday expressed fears that Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator Justice Mayor Wadyajena’s US$5,8 million fraud charge may cost the ruling party dearly in today’s by-election set for Gokwe-Kabuyuni.

The seat fell vacant after the death of Zanu-PF legislator Leonard Chikomba in a car accident.

Zanu-PF and the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) have emerged as frontrunners in the by-election.

Addressing a Press conference in the capital yesterday, Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa indirectly threw Wadyajena under the bus and said the fraud case had a bearing on the vote outcome.

Wadyajena faces fraud and money-laundering charges involving US$5,8 million.

He is charged alongside his accomplices, Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) managing director Pious Manamike, marketing manager Maxmore Njanji, Fortunate Molai also of Cottco and Chiedza Danha, director for Pierpont Moncroix Mauritius.

They were granted $200 000 bail each last week and remanded to September 8, 2022.

“… always accepting some of the shortcomings and correcting them like what’s happening now in Cottco is what the government is working on and it has a bearing on voters, especially in that area. We need Cottco to be properly run as a business entity so that people who farm are paid in time and their money doesn’t depreciate,” Mutsvangwa said.

“Our teams are busy on the ground. The politburo appealed to the people in Gokwe to campaign and vote quietly. We want the people of Kabuyuni to vote peacefully and decide who they want to represent them.”

Meanwhile, divisions have rocked the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) amid reports of attempts to tamper with evidence implicating Wadyajena.

Internal fights within Zacc reportedly forced the anti-corruption entity to make a U-turn in its earlier public alert that was posted on its Twitter handle, where it was claiming that evidence against Wadyajena was overwhelming.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Zacc had implored the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe to do “justice” to the case.

The tweet was immediately deleted and reposted several times since being initially posted on Thursday afternoon, before it was permanently deleted yesterday.

Zacc insiders told NewsDay Weekender that there were divided opinions on how to deal with Wadyajena’s case amid claims that some “outsiders within government” were plotting to tamper with the evidence against the youthful legislator.

“Some senior government officials gave a directive for Zacc to alert the public on the need for Wadyajena to face the wrath of the law, a decision challenged by others,” a source within Zacc said on condition of anonymity.

Zacc spokesperson John Makamure unwittingly confirmed the infighting on Thursday night saying an individual within the organisation had posted the statement without authorisation from superiors.

“This is an internal matter which needs not to be publicised. Whoever uploaded the statement on our Twitter handle did so without authority from the superiors. The statement does not represent the position of Zacc as an institution,” Makamure said then.

Efforts to get a comment from him yesterday were in vain as he was not picking calls.

Zacc chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo said she was at a funeral when NewsDay Weekender contacted her for comment.

Zan”I am at a funeral,” she said. “You can call me later.”

By A Correspondent- Legislators have demanded for a VIP section at prisons and correctional facilities complete with good gyms so that they do not suffer from stress and mix with common criminals.

This was suggested in the National Assembly by Norton legislator Temba Mliswa (Independent) while contributing to a debate on the supplementary budget.

“I am kindly asking you to supplement money for jails, especially in the VIP section. There is too much corruption, so we want a section done so that the VIP members do not mix with the general public,” Mliswa said.

“May you please increase money for rehabilitation of jails because I am foreseeing a lot of them (VIPs) going to those jails? May you please build VIP jails with good gyms and other facilities for them so that they do not mix and mingle with those who will have committed crimes like armed robberies and murder and they will not get stressed.”

Matabeleland South Proportional Representative MP Sipho Mokone said government should improve prison facilities in Gwanda.

“There is a Gwanda provincial correctional facility that has been on the cards for quite some time now. Every year, we are told that it is going to be built. May you kindly provide funds for that project so that it is done expeditiously,” Mokone said.

MDC Proportional Representative MP Yvonne Musarurwa said women in prisons should also be considered.

“May you please build more spacious jails so that they live comfortably. They are incapacitated in terms of accommodation, may you please help them so that we reduce overcrowding. May you please increase the budget to $20 billion,” Musarurwa said.

In response, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube proposed to increase the budget for the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs ministry by $1 billion.

-newsday

By A Correspondent- Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa has urged his supporters to lie low to protect themselves from violent attacks from Zanu-PF loyalists as tempers between the two major political party rivals continue to flare ahead of next year’s general elections.

Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Chamisa, whose campaign rally in Gokwe was blocked by rowdy Zanu-PF activists on Thursday, urged his supporters to adopt what he termed “Operation Mango — green outside and yellow inside”, where they pretend to be Zanu-PF supporters in public while remaining opposition at heart.

They have localised violence to make sure that they will stop me. I want to say to Zanu-PF, I will go anywhere, and everywhere, you will not stop me,” Chamisa said.

“I have been telling people that if they want to kill you for T-shirts, don’t worry about them. Let’s go Operation Mango — yellow outside, green inside. Why? To preserve yourselves. Be Zanu in their slogan, be Zanu-PF wherever you are going, but show and maintain your integrity to support the change.”

His statement came in the wake of violent clashes which erupted in Mashonaland East and Midlands provinces this week, where suspected armed Zanu-PF youths disrupted CCC rallies and attacked Chamisa’s campaign vehicles.

Several CCC supporters and journalists were injured in the skirmishes that occurred at illegal roadblocks reportedly mounted by Zanu-PF youth in Wedza and Gokwe to stop Chamisa’s campaign rallies.

But the youthful opposition leader declared that he would not be cowed into submission, adding that he would “fight peacefully” for his constitutional rights.

“You are not the owners of this land. Zimbabwe belongs to Zimbabweans. Mr (Emmerson) Mnangagwa, accept fair competition, don’t resort to your tactics that you have been using. They will not work. I can tell you that I am ready to fight peacefully,” he said.

“Just in the past six months alone, it’s shocking that we have had over 26 arrests of mainly opposition leaders. Just in Gokwe alone, 13 people were injured. I saw all of them.”

Analysts and human rights watchdogs have predicted a violent run-up to the 2023 polls.

The run-up to the March 26 by-elections were also marred by political violence.

A CCC activist, Mboneni Ncube, was speared to death by suspected Zanu-PF supporters at a rally addressed by Chamisa in Kwekwe in February ahead of the by-elections.

Chamisa also bemoaned the involvement of senior Zanu-PF officials in the violence that erupted in Gokwe and urged authorities to put in place measures that promote peace.

He was referring to Local Government minister July Moyo and the ruling party’s Midlands provincial chairperson provincial chairperson Larry Mavhima and former chairperson Mackenzie Ncube, who were witnessed by NewsDay Weekender directing the police to block Chamisa’s rally in Gokwe.

“Government ministers are behaving like thugs. They literally incite violence, sponsor violence and co-ordinate violence, which is very unfortunate. What we want is to insist on peace,” Chamisa said.

He added: “As I have said, rural areas have become centres of mass victimisation.  Intimidation and terror against citizens, particularly those that are in the alternative is on the rise. Our chiefs are in trouble. Village heads are in trouble. They are being subjected to incessant harassment.  Food and support from government is being weaponised.

Violence has also become a big issue. The human rights situation in the country has gotten to another level. What is clear is that the subject of the matter is human rights in the rural areas. People do not have access to basic services.”

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) yesterday red-flagged a rise in political tension in the country ahead of the 2023 polls.

In a statement, ZPP said: “ZPP is concerned about the violence that is meant to violate the right to freedom of assembly and association. Political parties should always rein in their supporters so that they respect the rights of all citizens even if they are their political rivals.”

Zanu-PF has often accused the opposition of stage-managing the violence to attract the attention of their “Western funders”.

On Wednesday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa described Chamisa as “a mad man”.

Addressing congregants at the Johane Masowe Vadzidzi VaJesu shrine in Madziva, Mashonaland Central province, Mnangagwa said: “We also have a mad man in our midst who thinks that Zimbabwe will be developed by the British or Americans. We cannot stop him but he will continue to bark without ruling.

-Newsday

Advocate Nelson Chamisa

CHURCH IS FOR WORSHIP NOT POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING ..Politicians must desist from defiling places of worship and prayer by bringing contaminating toxicity and politics…turning holy ground into hunting ground for votes and political advocacy & canvassing.

All politicians who visit church gatherings for political grandstanding should sincerely introspect and check if they are in their lane. Let’s go to church to worship and praise God Almighty and seek God’s blessings rather than turn Church gatherings into political rallies.

Happy Sabbath ZIMBABWE

 By A Correspondent- Zanu PF Mazowe District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) Tafadzwa Musarara has condemned corrupt council officials who are illegally dishing out stands in a partisan manner.

Speaking at a DCC rally in Glendale Musarara said every corrupt official should be arrested.

As DCC we have noted you are calling for the arrest of corrupt council officials who are illegally parcelling out stands and make sure suitable candidates get stands.

Corrupt officials should be arrested and our President Emmerson Mnangagwa is clear on corruption so Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) should arrest the culprits.”

Millicent Kanyemba a representative of flea market operators in Glendale expressed displeasure citing that the promises initially made to them to have proper structures built for them were renenged on.

 Mashonaland Province Youth League Deputy Secretary for Economic Affairs Tendai Chinyani also decried the dubious allocation of stands in Glendale noting that these corrupt tendencies within the council can be an Anchilles Heel for the ruling party as it makes the inexorable march towards the attainment of the 5million votes set target for President Emmerson Munangagwa in next year’s elections if these alleged culprits are not brought to book.

Youths from Mazowe District recently wrote a letter to the Mashonaland Central Provincial leadership and District Co-ordinating Committe(DCC) alleging that Cllr Dominic Chimumba was allocating stands to some selected Youths a move that they perceive to be a voting buying gimmick.

-Source:EdsonMapani

By- Zanu PF MP for Bindura South, Remigious Matangira has accused the opposition of being homosexuals.

Matangira said this in parliament this week while defending some religious sects that shun vaccination.

Some Apostolic sects in the country do not allow their members to visit clinics or hospitals for treatment when they fall sick or receive vaccination against COVID-19 or child killer diseases.

As legislators debated the issue, Norton MP Temba Mliswa (Independent), suggested that the government uses different forms of media to urge the public to be vaccinated. He said:

Can there be a public announcement through the national radio, television, et cetera when such an exercise is being done to make people aware and help officers including departmental heads in various districts to disseminate the information that every child is supposed to be vaccinated?

It was the same again with COVID-19; other parents did not want to do that. We also talk about the very same constitutional provision of the right to life; that failure to do so, those parents will certainly face the full wrath of the law.

Mliswa’s remarks did not go down well with Matangira and Chinotimba who vehemently defended the churches that do not recognise conventional medicines.

Gesturing toward the opposition bench, Matangira then shouted, “ikoko ndiko kune ngochani (there are homosexuals on the opposition benches). People’s churches should be respected.”

This infuriated Mliswa who demanded that Matangira withdraws his remarks. Mliswa said:

Hon. Matangira should withdraw the statement that “uku ndiko kunogara ngochani” we can also retaliate but please withdraw that statement. Ngochani ndiyani? Do not be a coward Hon. Matangira, shame on you!

You say things that you cannot repeat even to your own children. You said it. Withdraw your words. Uri murume werudzii anorukwa musoro. Unoda kunyenga ani kuno? Hatikude nevhudzi rako iro isu. You lie to your family if you cannot withdraw that statement.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Tsitsi Gezi then intervened and ordered Matangira to sit down and for Mliswa to calm down.

Matangira then withdrew his statement. He said:

I said that people from that side support homosexuality. I did not say there are homosexuals in this House.

Honestly speaking, we have a lot of people who are in jail but who did not commit any offence. Anyway, I withdraw my words.

More: NewZimbabwe.com

By- Top government officials in Midlands, Thursday directed police to block a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rally set for Simchembo 1, Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency.

Zanu PF members also assaulted four journalists on their way to cover the rally.

Initially, the Zanu PF thugs blocked CCC leader Nelson Chamisa from addressing the rally.

The seat fell vacant after the death of Zanu PF legislator Leonard Chikomba.

Led by Local Government minister July Moyo, provincial party chairperson Larry Mavhima and Mackenzie Ncube, police besieged the venue where the CCC had already pitched its stage in preparation for the rally.

The ministers were seen by NewsDay directing the police to disperse opposition supporters.

Senior police officers then approached CCC interim organising secretary Amos Chibaya to disperse the crowd saying the environment was not conducive to hold their rally.

Chibaya, Josiah Makombe, Prince Dube and other senior CCC members confronted the Zanu PF senior members that included Ncube, Moyo and Mavhima, asking them to produce the clearance letter allowing Zanu PF to hold its rally at the same venue.

In an interview, Chibaya said: “We are surprised that the police are now trying to block our rally which they cleared. It is worrisome that they are taking orders from Zanu PF in our sight. They are afraid to tell Zanu PF leaders not to disturb our rally.”

Three journalists from the Technology Magazine (TechnoMag) and one from ZimDaily were attacked at Chitekete Growth Point on their way to cover the rally.

Toneo Rutsito, Tongai Mwenje, Pellagia Mpurwa, from TechnoMag and Chelsea Mashayamombe from ZimDaily lost their cameras and mobile phones to the Zanu PF supporters during the skirmishes.

Mpurwa briefly passed out during the assault.

Rutsito lost a tooth, Mwenje sustained a deep cut on his forehead and Mashayamombe complained of leg pain after being struck with various items on their backs as they lay on the ground.

“We were only saved after a Toyota V8 vehicle arrived and one of them said, the boss has said you can now free them,” Mwenje said.

They, however, failed to identify the said boss in the Toyota V8 vehicle.

The journalists made a police report at Chitekete Police Station.

Political analyst Rashweat Mukundu said the Gokwe violence was evidence that the country was headed towards violent polls in 2023.

“The recent events of increased violent attacks on the opposition clearly indicate that 2023 is going to be the most violent election that Zimbabwe has ever seen,” Mukundu said.

“What is needed now is unified efforts from civic groups and the opposition in pushing back through advocacy and engaging the regional groups and the international community to mitigate the violence that we are currently seeing in the country.”

Another political commentator Vivid Gwede said: “The permissive attitude of the police and lack of concern by the nation’s leadership simply adds to this foreseeable tragedy now inevitably set to unveil next year.”

By- A Chegutu magistrate, Ms Beverly Madzikatire has freed Zanu PF Chegutu West Member of Parliament Dexter Nduna .

Nduna was arrested for occupying land for the expansion of Chegutu Municipality without lawful authority.

He was arrested Wednesday and spent the night in holding cells before appearing in court Thursday.

Madzikatire granted Nduna free bail when he appeared before the courts for contravening Section 3 (1) (4) of the Gazetted Land (Consequential Provisions) Act.
He will be back in court on September 21.
Nduna is accused of influencing thousands of people to invade and occupy Risboro Farm and illegally allocating stands. The Government has earmarked the farm for urban development under the Smart City project.
Prosecuting, Ms Abigail Fana, told the court that Nduna led a group of people and tried to occupy the gazetted Risboro Farm from 18 to 25 June this year where unlawful parcelling out of stands was also done.
Nduna’s lawyer, Mr Ignatius Murambatsvina, denied the allegations levelled against his client. He added that there was no substance to the issue, claiming it was politically engineered.
In his warned and caution statement dated August 24 signed at Kadoma CID, Nduna denied the allegations.
The complaint in the matter is Risboro Joint Committee made up of Chegutu Municipality and Chegutu RDC.
-Herald

By- Zanu PF Zanu PF Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena is said to have bribed some Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission officials so that they kill evidence in his fraud case.

Wadyajena faces fraud and money-laundering charges involving US$5,8 million.

He is charged alongside his accomplices, Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) managing director Pious Manamike, marketing manager Maxmore Njanji, Fortunate Molai, and Cottco and Chiedza Danha, director for Pierpont Moncroix Mauritius.

They were granted $200 000 bail each last week and remanded to September 8, 2022.

Sources within Zacc said they were attempts to tamper with evidence implicating Wadyajena.

This reportedly forced the anti-corruption entity to make a U-turn in its earlier public alert that was posted on its Twitter handle, where it was claiming that evidence against Wadyajena was overwhelming.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Zacc had implored the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe to do “justice” to the case.

The tweet was immediately deleted and reposted several times since being initially posted on Thursday afternoon, before it was permanently deleted yesterday.

Zacc insiders told NewsDay Weekender that there were divided opinions on how to deal with Wadyajena’s case amid claims that some “outsiders within government” were plotting to tamper with the evidence against the youthful legislator.

“Some senior government officials gave a directive for Zacc to alert the public on the need for Wadyajena to face the wrath of the law, a decision challenged by others,” a source within Zacc said on condition of anonymity.

Zacc spokesperson John Makamure unwittingly confirmed the infighting on Thursday night saying an individual within the organisation had posted the statement without authorisation from superiors.

“This is an internal matter which needs not to be publicised. Whoever uploaded the statement on our Twitter handle did so without authority from the superiors. The statement does not represent the position of Zacc as an institution,” Makamure said then.

Efforts to get a comment from him yesterday were in vain as he was not picking calls.

Zacc chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo said she was at a funeral when NewsDay Weekender contacted her for comment.

“I am at a funeral,” she said. “You can call me later.” NewsDay

By-Zanu PF said that Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena’s US$5,8 million fraud case will cost the ruling party in the Gokwe-Kabuyuni by-election today.

The seat fell vacant after the death of Zanu PF legislator Leonard Chikomba in a car accident.

Zanu PF and the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) have emerged as frontrunners in the by-election.

Addressing a Press conference in the capital yesterday, Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa indirectly threw Wadyajena under the bus and said the fraud case had a bearing on the vote outcome.

Wadyajena faces fraud and money-laundering charges involving US$5,8 million.

He is charged alongside his accomplices, Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) managing director Pious Manamike, marketing manager Maxmore Njanji, Fortunate Molai also of Cottco and Chiedza Danha, director for Pierpont Moncroix Mauritius.

They were granted $200 000 bail each last week and remanded to September 8, 2022.

“… always accepting some of the shortcomings and correcting them like what’s happening now in Cottco is what the government is working on and it has a bearing on voters, especially in that area. We need Cottco to be properly run as a business entity so that people who farm are paid in time and their money doesn’t depreciate,” Mutsvangwa said.

“Our teams are busy on the ground. The politburo appealed to the people in Gokwe to campaign and vote quietly. We want the people of Kabuyuni to vote peacefully and decide who they want to represent them.”

By Farai D Hove | Nelson Chamisa is set to be blocked in the upcoming 2023 elections, it has emerged.

Announcing the development, the controversial ZANU PF Secretary Of Information, Christopher Mutsvangwa indicated saying before 2023, parliament is to create a law that will invalidate political parties that do not have structures.

Nelson Chamisa has to date kept his party structures a secret, which thing has made his opponents grind into endless guess work. CONTINUE READING…

Mutsvangwa says: Those parties which are individuals will not participate in elections… we can't allow parties that don't have structures… we will not accept that…no, no, no Mr @nelsonchamisa, before the elections, we will pass a law… https://t.co/PTFNyplkue

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) August 26, 2022

Fadzayi Mahere :

BREAKING: Violence perpetrated by Zanu PF thugs has broken out at the venue of the Gokwe Kabuyuni Rally. Zanu PF thugs are assaulting citizens who had come to attend the rally. Change Champion in Chief
@nelsonchamisa
’s convoy has also been attacked. #NoToViolence

At least 15 Zanu PF cars have barricaded raids & attacked President
@nelsonchamisa
’s motorcade as he approached the Gokwe Kabuyuni Rally. The thugs are armed with machetes. The rally will proceed despite this security emergency

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing holy places.

Mr Mnangagwa has a penchant for speaking at church gatherings.

On Thursday he seized an apostolic sect gathering.

Addressing a media briefing in Harare on Friday, President Chamisa accused Mr Mnangagwa of blasphemy.

He also challenged the regime to stop abusing traditional leaders.

” Our chiefs are in trouble, our kraal heads are in trouble…

The level of violence is shocking.On Thursday we were attacked by men with guns .

All the same change is unstoppable. We salute the people of Gokwe for refusing to be intimidated by the regime.

To our surprise, July Moyo and Larry Mavhima were directing police operations,” said President Chamisa.

By A Correspondent- Vice president Constantino Chiwenga yesterday threatened to deregister errant medical aid societies, accusing them of gross malpractices, failure to abide by the rule book, including abuse of funds and breach of corporate governance guidelines.

Chiwenga, who doubles as Health and Child Care minister, made the threats in a speech read on his behalf by Minister of State in his office, Sibangumuzi Khumalo, at the ongoing 2022 Zimbabwe Medical Association annual conference in Victoria Falls.

He said the ministry was strengthening the regulation of private health insurance and medical aid societies.

“We want them to stick to their mandate, that is, to ensure that the wage earners’ medical bills are fully paid and timeously. In that regard, the ministry will not hesitate to deregister any errant medical aid society,” Chiwenga said.

In 2018, Chiwenga fired thousands of striking nurses in his capacity as the superintendent of the government’s social services cluster, but the decision was later reversed.

Last year, Cabinet announced plans to regulate medical aid societies following plans to establish a medical aid societies regulatory authority.

In May this year, the Medical Services Amendment Bill was published in the Gazette to regulate operations of medical aid societies

The new regulatory body will fall under the purview of the Health and Child Care ministry.

“We have instituted a forensic audit on some and we are still waiting for the audit observations. This way, the providers of care, the funders and members will be satisfied,” Chiwenga added.

Results of an audit instituted at Premier Service Medical Aid Society are yet to be known, while workers at Premier Service Medical Investments called for the government to fire the board and its directors for gross mismanagement.

“A number of policies and strategies have been developed and more are still being worked on,” Chiwenga said, adding that public health surveillance and disaster preparedness and response would also be improved going forward.

Meanwhile, Chiwenga is set to open this year’s Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) annual all-stakeholders’ conference on health scheduled for September 14 to 17.

 Alpha Media Holdings, the publishers of NewsDay, Southern Eye, The Standard, Zimbabwe Independent and Weekly Digest as well as proprietors of online radio and television station Heart & Soul, are media partners of the event.

AHFoZ chief executive Shylet Sanyanga said last year’s event was also officially opened by Chiwenga.

Economist Persistence Gwanyanya will give an economic outlook and likely impact on the health sector.

Other speakers include World Health Organisation country representative Alex Gasasira and outspoken Kenyan motivational speaker, Patrick Lumumba, among several others.

AHFoZ was formerly the National Association of Medical Aid Societies (NAMAS).

By- Senior Zanu PF members in Midlands, Thursday directed police to block a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rally set for Simchembo 1, Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency.

Zanu PF members also assaulted four journalists on their way to cover the rally.

Initially, the Zanu PF thugs blocked CCC leader Nelson Chamisa from addressing the rally.

The seat fell vacant after the death of Zanu PF legislator Leonard Chikomba.

Led by Local Government minister July Moyo, provincial party chairperson Larry Mavhima and Mackenzie Ncube, police besieged the venue where the CCC had already pitched its stage in preparation for the rally.

The ministers were seen by NewsDay directing the police to disperse opposition supporters.

Senior police officers then approached CCC interim organising secretary Amos Chibaya to disperse the crowd saying the environment was not conducive to hold their rally.

Chibaya, Josiah Makombe, Prince Dube and other senior CCC members confronted the Zanu PF senior members that included Ncube, Moyo and Mavhima, asking them to produce the clearance letter allowing Zanu PF to hold its rally at the same venue.

In an interview, Chibaya said: “We are surprised that the police are now trying to block our rally which they cleared. It is worrisome that they are taking orders from Zanu PF in our sight. They are afraid to tell Zanu PF leaders not to disturb our rally.”

Three journalists from the Technology Magazine (TechnoMag) and one from ZimDaily were attacked at Chitekete Growth Point on their way to cover the rally.

Toneo Rutsito, Tongai Mwenje, Pellagia Mpurwa, from TechnoMag and Chelsea Mashayamombe from ZimDaily lost their cameras and mobile phones to the Zanu PF supporters during the skirmishes.

Mpurwa briefly passed out during the assault.

Rutsito lost a tooth, Mwenje sustained a deep cut on his forehead and Mashayamombe complained of leg pain after being struck with various items on their backs as they lay on the ground.

“We were only saved after a Toyota V8 vehicle arrived and one of them said, the boss has said you can now free them,” Mwenje said.

They, however, failed to identify the said boss in the Toyota V8 vehicle.

The journalists made a police report at Chitekete Police Station.

Political analyst Rashweat Mukundu said the Gokwe violence was evidence that the country was headed towards violent polls in 2023.

“The recent events of increased violent attacks on the opposition clearly indicate that 2023 is going to be the most violent election that Zimbabwe has ever seen,” Mukundu said.

“What is needed now is unified efforts from civic groups and the opposition in pushing back through advocacy and engaging the regional groups and the international community to mitigate the violence that we are currently seeing in the country.”

Another political commentator Vivid Gwede said: “The permissive attitude of the police and lack of concern by the nation’s leadership simply adds to this foreseeable tragedy now inevitably set to unveil next year.”

By James Gwati- The police have again ignored to arrest Zanu PF thugs who attacked a CCC Gokwe-Kabuyuni rally.

Chamisa was on Thursday in Gokwe for a rally to drum up support for his party candidate ahead of the Gokwe-Kabuyunu constituency seat by-election this weekend.

The opposition leader was whisked away from the scene by his security after violence intensified.

"⛔️ALERT: There’s been an escalation of violence in Gokwe ahead of a rally to be addressed by Change Champion in Chief, Nelson Chamisa," Mahere said. pic.twitter.com/YL3EXX1a1u

— TheNewsHawks (@NewsHawksLive) August 25, 2022

By- A Chegutu magistrate, Ms Beverly Madzikatire has freed Zanu PF Chegutu West Member of Parliament Dexter Nduna .

Nduna was this week arrested for occupying land for the expansion of Chegutu Municipality without lawful authority.

He was arrested Wednesday and spent the night in holding cells before appearing in court Thursday.

Madzikatire granted Nduna free bail when he appeared before the courts for contravening Section 3 (1) (4) of the Gazetted Land (Consequential Provisions) Act.
He will be back in court on September 21.
Nduna is accused of influencing thousands of people to invade and occupy Risboro Farm and illegally allocating stands. The Government has earmarked the farm for urban development under the Smart City project.
Prosecuting, Ms Abigail Fana, told the court that Nduna led a group of people and tried to occupy the gazetted Risboro Farm from 18 to 25 June this year where unlawful parcelling out of stands was also done.
Nduna’s lawyer, Mr Ignatius Murambatsvina, denied the allegations levelled against his client. He added that there was no substance to the issue, claiming it was politically engineered.
In his warned and caution statement dated August 24 signed at Kadoma CID, Nduna denied the allegations.
The complaint in the matter is Risboro Joint Committee made up of Chegutu Municipality and Chegutu RDC. Herald

By- A pro-President Emmerson Mnangagwa march planned for this weekend has flopped.

Organisers of the march under the banner MenBelieveED fronted by one Justice Matsatsira, said they have moved the march to an unspecified date.

Matsatsira told NewsDay that they postponed the march to pave the way for the weekend by-elections set for the Gokwe-Kabuyani constituency on Saturday. 

The seat fell vacant following the death of Zanu PF legislator Leonard Chikomba.

 Matsatsira said:

Those people who think that this march will not succeed are daydreaming. I have been supporting Mnangagwa since way back. We are a big thing, we have been encouraging our members to register to vote and our database is growing.

We have the numbers and we also have the support of the Zanu PF party. We have the resources. We will never fail because we have the resources. We were empowered by the new dispensation.

He said they plan to bus an estimated 10 000 people per province to Harare for the march.

In 2016, the Zanu PF youth league organised a “One Million Men March” in solidarity with the late President Robert Mugabe in a bid to extend his rule despite calls for him to step down.

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing holy places.

Mr Mnangagwa has a penchant for speaking at church gatherings.

On Thursday he seized an apostolic sect gathering.

Addressing a media briefing in Harare on Friday, President Chamisa accused Mr Mnangagwa of blasphemy.

He also challenged the regime to stop abusing traditional leaders.

” Our chiefs are in trouble, our kraal heads are in trouble…

The level of violence is shocking.On Thursday we were attacked by men with guns .

All the same change is unstoppable. We salute the people of Gokwe for refusing to be intimidated by the regime.

To our surprise, July Moyo and Larry Mavhima were directing police operations,” said President Chamisa.

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing holy places.

Mr Mnangagwa has a penchant for speaking at church gatherings.

On Thursday he seized an apostolic sect gathering.

Addressing a media briefing in Harare on Friday, President Chamisa accused Mr Mnangagwa of blasphemy.

He also challenged the regime to stop abusing traditional leaders.

” Our chiefs are in trouble, our kraal heads are in trouble…

The level of violence is shocking.On Thursday we were attacked by men with guns .

All the same change is unstoppable. We salute the people of Gokwe for refusing to be intimidated by the regime.

To our surprise, July Moyo and Larry Mavhima were directing police operations,” said President Chamisa.

By James Gwati- Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in South Africa said they were worried about the ongoing xenophobic protests outside Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital by Operation Dudula members who are preventing patients, including migrants, from accessing the facility.

MSF said these actions must be rejected and should trigger urgent action by health authorities and leaders to protect access to healthcare for all.

 Operation Dudula supporters have been protesting outside the hospital for three weeks, chanting threatening statements through loud hailers and preventing many from entering the facility. 

“Just this morning, several people were turned away by the protestors based on their appearance and accent,” says Sibusiso Ndlovu, health promotion supervisor for MSF in Tshwane, adding that the protestors are putting the hospital staff under immense pressure with demands that all foreigners be removed. 

“They have even demanded that critically ill patients who are migrants must be ‘unplugged’ and taken out,” she says. 

Hostility to serving migrants in South Africa’s health facilities has been intensifying, fuelled by inflammatory and political statements from government officials, including Limpopo Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, who was recently recorded berating a Zimbabwean patient in a health facility, claiming that migrants are overburdening the health system. 

If migrants are fearful for their safety in entering or leaving health facilities, and if health workers are placed under pressure to behave as immigration officers, the consequences will be felt across the population. 

“One major concern as the politicisation of healthcare expands is that serious notifiable diseases could go unrecorded and untreated, which will inhibit the public healthcare system’s overall capacity and ability to contain infectious disease outbreaks,” says Dr Tasanya Chinsamy, medical activity manager for MSF in Tshwane. 

One of the patients denied care in Kalafong Hospital today was a 37-weeks pregnant migrant woman with high blood pressure, who instead had to seek help from a local clinic. “Clinics are not equipped to provide tertiary care for complex cases such as these which require access to a specialist and certain medications that are only available at hospital level,” Chinsamy says. 

“When patients are denied the appropriate level of care initially their conditions often worsen and they return as emergency patients. Their risk of becoming more ill or dying is thus greatly increased, as is the cost to the government. Nobody benefits and the most vulnerable suffer disproportionately regardless of their nationality or legal status,” says Chinsamy. 

By James Gwati- CCC leader Nelson Chamisa has escaped homicidal attacks by Zanu PF thugs in Gokwe-Kabuyuni.

Chamisa was on Thursday in Gokwe for a rally to drum up support for his party candidate ahead of the Gokwe-Kabuyunu constituency seat by-election this weekend.

The opposition leader was whisked away from the scene by his security after violence intensified.

"⛔️ALERT: There’s been an escalation of violence in Gokwe ahead of a rally to be addressed by Change Champion in Chief, Nelson Chamisa," Mahere said. pic.twitter.com/YL3EXX1a1u

— TheNewsHawks (@NewsHawksLive) August 25, 2022

By James Gwati- President Emerson Mnangagwa’s god-father and Local Government Minister July Moyo has been named in the Thursday Gokwe Zanu PF violence at the CCC rally.

Zanu PF thugs armed with AK47s also chased CCC leader Nelson Chamisa and prevented him from addressing the rally.

Chamisa was in Gokwe-Kabuyuni for a weekend by-election campaign rally.

His party reported on its social media platforms that Zanu PF senior members, including Midlands Provincial Affairs minister Lary Mavhima, orchestrated the Thursday violence.

The party posted on Twitter:

GOKWE VIOLENCE: We’ve received reports that Larry Mavhima & July Moyo were co-ordinating the orgy of violence in Gokwe today. Zanu thugs using over 29 cars & armed with AK47s & other weapons were involved in a high speed chase against President 

@nelsonchamisa

’s convoy.

⛔️GOKWE VIOLENCE: We’ve received reports that Larry Mavhima & July Moyo were co-ordinating the orgy of violence in Gokwe today. Zanu thugs using over 29 cars & armed with AK47s & other weapons were involved in a high speed chase against President @nelsonchamisa’s convoy.

— Citizens' Coalition for Change (@CCCZimbabwe) August 25, 2022