By- President Emerson Mnangagwa has conferred the late Major-General (Retired) Sikhulile Simpson Nyathi with national hero status.

Zanu PF National Political Commissar Mike Bimha confirmed the development last night.

“The Politburo this afternoon (yesterday) applauded the decision made by President Mnangagwa to confer national hero status to the late Major General (Rtd) Simpson Nyathi.
“The public will be advised on the burial arrangements in due course,” said Bimha

Maj-Gen Nyathi died on Sunday morning at the Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks Referral Hospital in Harare.
He was 61.

By-Zimbabwe Consul-General to Johannesburg, Mrs Melody Chaurura has released the names of people who died in a road accident in South Africa when a Harare-bound bus overturned near Makhado in Limpopo Province last week.
It is reported that the driver of the Chihwa bus that was travelling from Cape Town to Harare lost control along the N1 highway, and it overturned killing five people on the spot.
Twenty of the passengers were critically injured, while 41 escaped with minor wounds and have been treated and discharged.
Mrs Chaurura said their consular team on the ground had identified the remains of Elfa Danha (49), Wilson Kumbirikai (66), Sydney Moyo (31), Tendai Ngirandi (31), Amanda Tafadzwa Muzhewe (30), Everjoy Makwara (29) and Linda Ruvanda (29).
“Following the tragic accident, we sent a consular team on the ground to assist with the identification of the deceased, verification of documents, and tracing of the deceased relatives,” said Mrs Chaurura.
“So, it has been established that the deceased and all the injured people are Zimbabweans.

“Currently, we are working assisting relatives of the deceased with the repatriation process. The process is at varying stages.”
She said the bus was carrying 66 passengers when tragedy struck.
Mrs Chaurura extended condolences to the grieving families and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
She said so far 10 others were in critical condition and admitted to various health facilities in Limpopo Province.

By-The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has declined to grant a request by Heal Zimbabwe to hold a candlelight commemoration of the late academic Alex Tawanda Magaisa in the Harare Gardens on 11 June.

In a letter dated 9 June 2022, the Officer Commanding Harare Central District Superintendent G Moyo advised Heal Zimbabwe that he would not sanction the event saying the organisers did not comply with provisions of the Maintenance of Peace and Order. Wrote Superintendent Moyo:
Your notification letter dated 9 June 2022 to hold a candle lighting commemoration of Dr Alex Magaisa on the 11th of June 2022 at Harare Gardens from 1200 hours to 1500 hours has been noted.
I am not in a position to sanction the gathering. You did not comply with Section 7 (1) (a) of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Chapter 11:23.
Magaisa died on Sunday at Margate Hospital in the United Kingdom after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The former advisor to late former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai worked at the University of Warwick, the University of Nottingham and since 2007, he was based at Kent Law School, the University of Kent at the time of his death on 5 June 2022.

His main area of teaching and research was company and financial services law.

By- CCC leader Nelson Chamisa has attended the memorial service of the late Alex Magaisa.

The memorial service is taking place at Celebration Centre in Harare.

Magaisa died on Sunday morning after years of battling a heart ailment. He succumbed to a heart attack at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Kent, southeast England.

Posted Chamisa on Twitter:

At the memorial….Celebrating a legacy of Active Citizenship-The life of Dr Alex Magaisa.

https://twitter.com/nelsonchamisa/status/1534947494471340032/photo/2

By A Correspondent- An advert by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe mourning the death of Major General Godfrey Chanakira has gone viral on the internet after the institutiojn mistakenly included the words Makorokoto, Amhlophe, Congratulations.

Chanakira was Permanent Secretary in Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s Office.

He retired from active military service in 2018, joining VP Chiwenga’s Office as a senior staffer.

By- Former Cabinet Minister Petronella Kagonye has been sentenced to 36 months imprisonment.

Kagonye was caged after being convicted for stealing 20 laptops t meant for schools in the Goromonzi South constituency.

Harare regional magistrate Mrs Vongai Guwuriro had initially sentenced Kagonye to 36 months in prison before setting aside 12 months for five years on condition of good behaviour.

A further eight months were set aside on the condition that she restitutes US$10 000, equivalent to the laptops she stole.

She will serve the remaining 16 months in jail.

By- The European Union (EU) ambassador to Zimbabwe Timo Olkkonen, has challenged the Government to investigate reported cases of enforced disappearances and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Speaking to NewsDay after the fourth EU-Zimbabwe Dialogue meeting in Harare on Tuesday, Olkkonen said:

Zimbabwe, unfortunately, has a history of forced disappearances. We still have reports of disappearances of people.

We encouraged the Government to take these allegations seriously and transparently look into them.

We want Zimbabwe to report on its findings and bring the culprits to justice. It needs to be addressed seriously so that the facts behind all the alleged cases are brought to daylight.

We have differences of opinion on how a number of human rights issues are addressed. We hope that Zimbabwe would make more progress on those matters.

However, Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry secretary James Manzou who co-chaired the fourth EU-Zimbabwe Dialogue meeting said there are no human rights violations in the country. Manzou said:

Zimbabwe doesn’t have any human rights violations. Of course, they would cite certain issues.

Yes, there are areas where we had different views. Even in your family, you have different views, but you sit down and discuss them.

So we used this opportunity to outline the reforms that we are undertaking such as media and electoral reforms.

This was an opportunity to tell them that this is what we are doing.

Olkkonen’s concerns on enforced disappearances came after CCC activist Moreblessing Ali was allegedly abducted by suspected ZANU PF members in Chitungwiza on 24 May.

However, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) released a statement saying Ali’s disappearance had nothing to do with politics.

Police said Ali was having personal issues with her former boyfriend, Pius Jamba, who reportedly dragged her away from a local bar.

More: NewsDay

Tinashe Sambiri|CCC leader President Nelson Chamisa has urged the nation to celebrate the achievements of the people’s hero, Dr Alex Magaisa.

A memorial lecture for Dr Magaisa is scheduled for today.

“We must celebrate Citizens Heroes..Let’s all do it for Our Champion,” said President Chamisa.

By A Correspondent- Zimbabweans working as carers in some of United Kingdom’s health care centres are being charged a shock 31% of their initial wages over a period as administration fees by unscrupulous agents back home who would have facilitated their migration, ZimLive can reveal.

According to payslips published by Fresh In A Box chief executive Kudakwashe Musasiwa on Twitter, one payslip showed that one worker took home just 604 British Pounds after initially grossing 2 255.13 Pounds.

In the payslip, the worker was charged 700 Pounds, while paying 69.41 Pounds National Insurance and other deductions of 450 Pounds.

The agencies’ costs are normally referred to as Administration or Miscellaneous fees on payslips. UK regulations allow a creditor to pay up to 25% of one’s salary.

Another payslip revealed that a worker who earned 861 Pounds was charged 480 Pounds as miscellaneous fees. National Insurance deducted 7.75 Pounds and pension 34.47 Pounds.

Todd Maforimbo, a Zimbabwean resident in the United Kingdom warned his compatriots against cutting deals without due diligence.

“There’s just too much happening in the UK healthcare sector; please people make wise and informed decisions before coming to the UK as care/support workers,” Maforimbo said.

However, a worker who has since migrated to the UK told ZimLive that the charges were justified as the facilitation package often involved one’s flight tickets and accommodation for the first three months of their stay in the UK.

As per agreement, the worker said he was supposed to pay the agent US$5 000 over a period of 12 months. He said he paid $2 724 for skills assessment, $286 as English test fees and $2 179 for a four-year visa permit.

“We are a broken nation. Home and away…we don’t need white slave owners when we are happy to enslave each other comrades. We must do better,” said Musasiwa.

But responding to Musasiwa, Albert Mandebvu, a researcher in human rights and social justice said the agencies were correct in deducting the fees.

“It’s dangerous to put out a comment like that without all facts. Remember when someone is brought from Zimbabwe, there are tickets and visa processing costs involved.

“These are not freebies, they’ve to be paid back. There may have been agreement between the two to deduct huge amount.”ZimLive

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday threatened to wield the axe on poorly performing Zanu-PF members and those deployed in government because they would cost the ruling party in the 2023 elections.

Mnangagwa made the remarks while opening a politburo meeting in the capital.

“It is unacceptable that those given positions of responsibility simply sit in offices with little to show (for it). Non-performers will face consequences,” Mnangagwa said, before admitting that factionalism was tearing the ruling party apart.

“The party remains the backbone of the nation. There is no room for mixed messaging within our party. We are a party of order with clear procedures. I challenge the party to courageously remove any cancerous cells that undermine the party unity and focus.”

The President also urged Zanu-PF members to roll out a massive election campaign to ensure a landslide victory next year.

“I, therefore, exhort us to proffer robust proposals that inject a new lease of life in the party and l want you all to know that we are all the servants of the party as we scale up our mass mobilisation for a resounding victory in the 2023 elections,” he said.

Zanu-PF is targeting to garner five million votes, with the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) setting its target at six million.

Mnangagwa, who has been endorsed as the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, is likely to square off against CCC leader Nelson Chamisa for the second time after he won the 2018 polls with a slim margin.

“Corruption in all ugly forms at every level, we are dealing with decisively and we will continue to fight corruption,” he added.

Agriculture deputy minister Douglas Karoro was arrested recently for stealing presidential farming inputs meant for communal farmers. Former Public Service minister Petronella Kagonye was yesterday convicted of corruption and awaits sentencing today.

By A Correspondent- A Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officer stationed at Infantry 4.1 Brigade has appeared in court on allegations of stealing cerevita and some biscuits from a shop.

Milton Mutumbi (30) appeared this week before Masvingo Magistrate Ritaiswe Silaigwana charged with theft.

Mutumbi and his alleged accomplice, Wilson Kambeva (36) of Dambiro street Mucheke A, are jointly charged for the crimes.

Prosecuting, Nixon Chamisa, said on 10 February 2022, at around 5 AM, Mutumbi and Kambeva broke into the complainant McDonald Tava’s shop at Mucheke Rank through a window.

The duo allegedly took 20×500g boxes of cerevita porridge, 2×250g loose biscuits, 10×500g biscuits and a box of cornflakes and hid them at a secluded place.

The court further heard that one Tanaka Mufamba who was at the working place on night duty witnessed the burglary.

The accused persons allegedly shared the loot and gave some to Mufamba so that he would not reveal the offence.

Mufamba was arrested by the police after receiving a tip-off. Mufamba then exposed the other two.

Police recovered 1 box of cerevita, 2×500g biscuits and one box of cornflakes from Mutumbi.

Silaigwana remanded the matter to 22 June 22 2022 for continuation of trial.-TheMirror

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe still has a long way to go to clear a deficit of over 25 000 teachers as only 3 904 teachers have been recruited so far this year.

The deficit may balloon as teachers are quitting the profession citing poor remuneration.

In a Ministerial Statement presented to legislators in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Evelyn Ndlovu said:

The Public Service Commission authorised 10 000 posts initially and reduced that number to 5 000 posts for the year 2022 with Treasury concurrence.

Of the 5 000 posts, 3 904 have been filled and the balance of 1 096 will be filled in September 2022. In addition to this, another 1 454 attrition posts have since been filled.

At present, there are 10 100 schools in the country with an enrolment of more than 4.6 million pupils and an establishment of 136 000 teachers.

The teacher-pupil ratio for ECD is 1: 25 pupils, junior school, 1:40, lower to secondary 1:33, O level 1:30, and A’ level, 1:20.

However, an acute shortage of classrooms and teachers has meant that the recommended teacher-pupil remains a mirage.

The Government had announced that it would recruit 10 000 teachers in 2022 only to later revise the figure to 5 000.-Cite

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, Sean has reportedly been promoted to the post of army major, raising speculation that the Zanu-PF party leader is consolidating his power within the army as he prepares for the 2023 watershed elections.

Mnangagwa came to power in November 2017 after toppling his mentor, the late former President Robert Mugabe in a coup.

“Sean was a lieutenant before he was promoted to the position of captain in the Presidential Guard, a position which he currently holds,” a source said.

“He (Sean) is set to be appointed an army major after passing a course. Sean is also a businessman and is a disciplined person. At the moment he is one of Mnangagwa’s key pillars in politics,” the source added.

On Sean’s elevation, Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Alphios Makotore said the President’s son was still captain, but had passed a junior staff course.

“It is true that he passed a junior staff course, he is a captain in the army and has not been promoted. After passing the course, and just like anyone else, everyone needs progression in life. There was a picture of him circulating on social media saying he is now an army major. He was just celebrating passing a junior staff course just like any individual would do after being successful,” Makotore said.

Political analyst Methuseli Moyo said there was no reason to scandalise progression of the  Mnangagwa’s son in the army.

“So far no one has brought forward any reason why he should not be promoted, except that he is the President’s son. As to whether his upcoming promotion has a bearing on issues in Zanu-PF, I think it is farfetched. Again, to imagine that the President can consolidate power through his son in the army is stretching issues a bit too far,” Moyo said.

Another political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said: “I think he (Sean Mnangagwa) does not have an influence in the army as he does not have any war credentials.”-Newsday

Our zim girl representing ???????? pic.twitter.com/Mq4tf5qlvM

— Chiwambu (@miraramitatu) June 8, 2022

Alex Magaisa was also a founding board member of Citizens Initiative. We did a lot together. And I am thinking….
Alex Magaisa Citizens Hospital…..How does that sound?

— Freeman (@freemanchari) June 8, 2022

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s new leader is not coming from the MDC or its mutations, President of a newly launched political party Zimbabwe Transformative Party, Parere Kunyenzura has said.

Kanyenzura said because the current President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s days were numbered and his reign was coming to an end, Zimbabweans should prepare for a new leader.

.Speaking to the media at the launch of his political party in Harare, Kunyenzura said the country’s next leader was not coming from Zanu PF either.

He said:

“To avoid ambiguity, this David is not coming from the MDC group, with their various mutations that encompass the CCC brand, just in case some fanatics in this division may start to prematurely celebrate; neither is this successor David coming from within the ZANU PF stable.

What I am saying is the mind of God; and it will happen irrespective of the amount of resistance or opposing force. Should I hide the fact that God has appointed me the David? By no means! Certainly not! If I do, I would be a liar like most of them, which is sin. God did not even hide this fact from King Saul.”

We publish below the full text of the statement by Kunyenzura:

26 May 2022 Press Conference

Who we are

We are a newly formed political party called the Zimbabwe Transformative Party. We are not a puppet of the West, as some would like to accuse others of, neither are we of the East, to whom the accusers would like to incline, but we are a puppet of God, and in God we do believe.

Our slogan

Baba: Ndimi muchatimiririra kupinda mu Canaan. Asi chivimbiso chatitambudza.

Nkosi: Nguwe ozasimela ekungeneni kwethu e Canaan. Kodwa isithembiso sakho sesisihlupha.

Kanda vote yako: Pamuchinjikwa ipapo. Pamupostori ipapo. Pagemenzi ipapo.

Phosa i vote yakho: Esiphambanweni khonapho. Kumpostoli khonapho. Kugemesi khonapho. 

What we stand for

• A leadership in Government that is driven by the fear of the Lord.
• A commitment to economic recovery and the betterment of the living standards of Zimbabwe’s citizenry.
• Accountability of the Government about its revenue and expenditure, including, but not limited to, mineral revenue.
• General accountability of the Government to the electorate.
• Observation of the rule of law by the Government.
• Observation of property rights by the Government.
• A commitment to the upholding of human rights as enshrined in sections 44 to 87 of our Constitution.
• Taming corruption in deed and in word.
• Political tolerance to divergent views and constructive criticism and being open to reason, knowing quite well that correct ideas come from the people and that no one has a monopoly of knowledge.
• Depolarization of Zimbabwe’s citizenry and her political landscape.
• Infrastructural development, both soft and hard infrastructure; that includes the rehabilitation of our road networks.
• Improving the country’s health delivery system.
• Improving and steadying the country’s supply of energy.
• Improving the country’s education system.
• In summary, we are here to implement transformative or life-changing approaches to the system of governance. Changes that are lasting; changes that are marked; changes that eventually lead to individual, social, religious and economic systems to re-vision and introspect themselves.

Problem definition

If a problem is wrongly defined, there is a tendency to proffer wrong solutions to that particular problem. For example, when Mugabe was forced to resign, behind the scenes, through a military coup, every Zimbabwean was fooled and mobilised into believing that Mugabe was the problem.

The solution to that “problem” was the ascendancy of Mr Mnangagwa. But look, we have more and deeper problems now than we had with Mugabe, and there are more criminals surrounding the President now than there were surrounding Mugabe. Do not forget that teachers and the generality of civil servants were earning around US$540 per month when Mugabe was there, and what are they earning now?

What about the War Veterans pensions; and all pensions in general? What are civil servants getting in retirement packages and gratuities? So, Mugabe was not the problem, but the whole system of political governance, of which he was party to. If he alone was the problem, then by removing him, we could definitely have solved the problem, and by now we should have been flying on planet Mars! Alas; we are now in the abyss—and a self-inflicted one for that matter!

So, what then is our problem as Zimbabweans? The problem that Zimbabwe as a country faces today is that of a leadership that does not fear God. This type of leadership only pays lip service to their allegiance to the Almighty. In typical Pharisaic behaviour, they proclaim at the top of their voices that they are God-fearing; and even go on to attend worship assemblies and crusades by the day, yet under the cover of darkness they violate God’s moral law with impunity. Some of them have the temerity or audacity to violate God’s laws even during the daytime. If their assertion is true that they are God-fearing, then Zimbabweans pause to ask:

• What became of Herbert Wiltshire Chitepo who perished on 18 March 1975?
• What became of Josiah Magama Tongogara who perished on 26 December 1979?
• What became of over 20,000 people who perished in the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces between 3 January 1983 and 22 December 1987 during the Gukurahundi era? Is hatred a trademark of being Godly? Isn’t ethnicity [whether Ndebele, Tonga, Shona or Venda]; only tongue deep, in much the same way as colour [whether black or white]; is only skin deep?
• Are we not all descendants of one ancestral couple; Adam and Eve? Isn’t the whole universe full of descendants of the eight people who came out of Noah’s Ark— Noah, his three sons Shem, Japheth and Ham and their four wives? So where is this hatred coming from? Are we not all one people?
• Are we not all relatives of one another? Do we not share one ancestry? Will God not be happy in seeing the perpetrators of such heinous, monstrous, iniquitous and callous acts repenting of their sins? Shall not every one of us one day stand before the judgement seat of God, in order that each one of us receives what is due for what one would have done in the body, whether good or evil? [2 Cor. 5:10].
• Shall not each one of us give an account of himself to God? [Rom. 14:12]. Shall not each one of us be judged, whether great or small, in accordance with what one would have done on earth when one was still alive? [Rev. 20:12-13].
• Other questions which Zimbabweans pause to ask are: What became of Tonderai Ndira who perished between 13 and 22 May 2008 during the bloody election runoff?
• What became of Solomon Mujuru who was burnt beyond recognition on that fateful night of 15 August 2011, a hero dying immediately after celebrating Heroes and Defence Forces days?
• What became of Itai Dzamara who was abducted on the morning of 9 March 2015 and disappeared outright; who then was campaigning that the failed Mugabe must step down?
• Is a revolution that eats its own people; including eating those who are party to the revolution, a Godly revolution?
• If God’s sixth commandment says, “You shall not murder” [Exod. 20:13: ESV]; do leaders who are God-fearing go on and shed blood?Were not people killed like insects on the streets of Harare by the army on 1 August 2018, when they were agitated by the delay in the announcement of the presidential election results, as they were demanding the immediate release of the same; following the 30 July 2018 harmonised elections?
• Were Zimbabweans not killed again in mid January 2019 when they were protesting about the 150% increase in the price of fuel, along with the increasing levels of poverty, the poor state of the economy and the general decline in the standards of living?  
• Can our dear President of the Republic of Zimbabwe purport not to know what exactly transpired on these events that led to the death of civilians on the street of Harare? Does not section 213, subsections 1 and 2, of our Constitution, state that only the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, has the power to authorise the deployment of the Defence Forces and to determine the operational use of the same? Then if anything goes amiss in this deployment, is he not answerable to the citizenry for the outcome of the deployment?
• Were our Parliamentarians not equally culpable, for according to section 214 of the Constitution, when the Defence Forces are deployed in Zimbabwe to assist in the maintenance of public order; the President must cause Parliament to be informed, promptly and in appropriate detail, of the reasons for their deployment as well as informing Parliament of the place where they are deployed?
• So if Parliament was not informed by the President, then what did the Parliamentarians do? Sit and watch?  Shouldn’t they have resigned en masse if their conscience is clear, and if their parliamentary authority was undermined with impunity by the head of state and government? Ladies and gentlemen,
• God shall one day ask questions, by which he will demand answers! It is never too late at this juncture to come in the open and repent! God is eagerly looking forward to seeing this repentance.

Thus given the foregoing, our problem in Zimbabwe today is entrusting in positions of authority political leaders who do not fear the Lord. They are a god unto themselves. This set of a leadership does not know God.

They are a leadership that is insensitive to the plight of the generality of Zimbabweans; a leadership that is indifferent to the needs of the people, a leadership that is inward-looking, a leadership that is self aggrandising and a leadership that lacks empathy.

This type of leadership is sinful. Lest we forget, if anyone knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, is sin [James 4:17]. So a good number of our leaders are sinful today in that they know that people are starving due to the meagre wages they earn; they know that people are dying due to lack of medication and proper staffing levels in public hospitals; they know that many basics like transport, food, shelter and education are beyond the reach of many Zimbabweans, but they fail to redress or remedy the situation. Therefore, if leaders know the right thing that needs to be done, but they ignore or fail to do it; they are definitely sinning against God.

Thus given our definition of the problem at hand, the following are, therefore, not the problems, but they are mere symptoms of the problem. They are the results of a problem. They flow naturally from the problem. They are the economy’s direct response to the problem.

Symptoms of the problem

• High levels of unemployment that hovers at over 90%, including university and college graduates who have never known formal employment; with some having graduated almost 20 years ago. Venturing into informal sector or entrepreneurship should be an option, and not mandatorily induced by circumstances.
• A meltdown of economic activity.
• High interest rates and the cost of borrowing.
• Hyperinflationary environment. According to Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at John Hopkins University, Zimbabwe has the highest rate of inflation in the world which is pegged at 244% followed by Lebanon’s official rate of inflation which is pegged at 208.13%. This makes our currency a worthless currency. Its highest denomination cannot even buy a half loaf of bread as of now, yet according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency [ZimStat], the country’s year-on-year inflation was 96.4% as of April 2022.
• Acute foreign currency shortages in spite of the three-tier exchange rates [i.e. interbank rate, auction rate and parallel market rate].
• High government expenditure, with a huge appetite for borrowing; resulting in high levels of both domestic and external debt. Zimbabwe’s external debt, at US$10.5 billion in 2020, stood at 86% of Gross Domestic Product according to the IMF. This debt is owed to the international financial institutions including the Paris Club, African Development Bank, and the World Bank.
• Deteriorating living standards; with over 80% of the population living below the national poverty datum line, making Zimbabwe the 22^nd poorest country in the world [World Bank]. The majority of Zimbabweans are living on less than US$1.90 per day, which is the international poverty rate according to the UN Human Development Index.
• Low life expectancy. The average life expectancy was as follows in 2021: Zimbabwe 61.63 years; South Africa 64.62; Egypt 72.22 years; Botswana 69.55 years; Namibia 64.12 and Zambia 64.12 years. [World Bank 2019].
• Failure to observe the rule of law.
• Failure to observe property rights.
• A poor operating environment for business; despite professing the ease with which business is done in Zimbabwe.
• Wages which are tantamount to slavery earnings; especially for government workers.
• A proliferation of roads that are riddled with potholes, or should I say “dish” holes.
• A poor health delivery system where basics like bandages and painkillers are hardly available; with health professionals miserably remunerated. In SA, a junior doctor earns an average salary of about R48 000; which is the equivalent of about US $3 402 per month. In other regional countries, the figures are: Namibia US3 120. Botswana     US1 518. Lesotho US $1 500. Swaziland US$1 500. In Zimbabwe, they earn peanuts; that’s why they are behaving like monkeys, for the old adage goes, “Pay them peanuts, and they will behave like monkeys”. They are constantly and rightfully making noises about adjusting their remuneration levels in line with the cost of living.
• A nation living under incessant power outages.
• A nation that is highly polarized.
• A politically intolerant system of governance; and the labelling of any dissenting voice as sell-outs.
• A political environment that is characterised by political violence and blood-letting, with lip profession to the upholding of the sanctity of life.
• Massive looting and plundering of state resources.
• Exponential levels of corruption that go unchecked; with lip profession to taming it.
• A miscarriage of justice, especially for opposition political players.
• High crime rate, some of which is precipitated by poor conditions of service, especially for government employees.
• Regular resurgence of medieval diseases such as cholera and typhoid, mainly due to contaminated water and the general unhygienic living conditions.
• Uncollected garbage, yet most residents religiously pay their bills monthly, and having urban settlements that go for almost 10 years without tape water—Mabvuku and Tafara come to mind, under the nose of a Local Government Minister; which central government so often shifts the blame to the opposition.
• An average teacher-pupil ratio of 1:60; in this day and age. I was in grade 1 in 1981 and 1:60 was the ratio then, soon after the war. Now about 42 years down the line, it is still the same; if not worse in some public schools.
• A country flooded with land barons most of whom, if not all of them, are politically connected; depriving innocent citizens of their hard earned cash.
• Repressive media laws such as the pending Patriotic Bill and the Private Voluntary Organisation Amendment Bill [PVO]. The Patriotic Bill seeks to criminalise acts that campaign against Zimbabwe, including, but not limited to, advocacy for the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe, private correspondence with foreign governments or any officer or agent thereof. A patriot cannot be created by legislation, but rather patriotism ought to be an intrinsic feeling of appreciation of the good socio-economic welfare of the country, and not as a result of a mandatory and repressive legislation. The PVO Bill that was subjected to community-based public hearings across the country; exposes the intention of the Zimbabwean government to provide itself with a legal tool to control and eventually silence civil society. If enacted, it will be a threat to the freedom of association, in sharp contrast to what is enshrined in section 58 of the Constitution.
• In fact, the list is inexhaustible.

Thus given the above plethora of symptoms, Zimbabweans need a new page; a new beginning and a new approach to governance. Leaders should morph up into new creatures that are fearful of the Lord God. They need to undergo transformation. Leaders should be good stewards of God’s people.

True wisdom begins when people begin to fear the Lord. The psalmist hammered the point home when he said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practise it have a good understanding. [Ps.111:10; ESV]. Solomon adds, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” [Prov.1:7; ESV].

Again he says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” [Prov. 9:10; ESV]. Thus the quest for wisdom begins when a man begins to fear God.  Consequently, intellectualism outside of God is being non-intellectual. What then does it mean to fear God? To fear God is not to be afraid of him. To fear God is to obey him, to respect him, and to live in accordance with the dictates of his commandments.

submission to the Lord is critical to the attainment of real understanding. Thus wise counsel comes from the Lord Jesus Christ; for he is the Wonderful Counsellor [Isaiah 9:6]. If one disobeys him, one will never know real peace. All things will fall apart under one’s nose if one disobeys God.

Thus leaders need the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD [Isaiah 11:2]; all of which are the hallmarks of our Lord Jesus Christ. The book of James caps it all when it says , “…the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” [James 3:17-18; ESV].

So wisdom from God is pure, peace-loving, not violent [gentle], willing to listen to sensible or logical thinking, willing to forgive those towards whom one has the power to punish or harm, full of good produce, unbiased and  free from pretence or deceit.

Can anyone deliver Zimbabweans from bondage except God?

Now given our current problem and its corresponding symptoms, where can Zimbabweans turn to? Who can save them? Is it the West? Not really! Can it be the East? Not really too. Nobody can save Zimbabweans from their predicament altogether.Absolutely no one, except the Lord Almighty! God is the only one hope remaining. He is that one hope that has never failed to save humanity in its entire history.

Under such trying times, Zimbabweans have never ceased crying to God their Maker. We would like to salute all Zimbabweans for their resilience and tenacity under these very difficult circumstances. Everyone has suffered including even most veterans of the armed struggle. No one has been spared.

They have suffered in the hands of their taskmasters. They have suffered in the hands of those in positions of political leadership. Is God deaf and dumb? By no means! God does not keep quiet when his creation is being tormented. God will fight in his people’s corner. He will fight on behalf of the Zimbabweans.

As a reminder, no single Zimbabwean has title deeds to the land of Zimbabwe. The whole universe is God’s creation. So no one has entitlement to Zimbabwe, including those in ZANU PF. It is God who created and allocated the various geographical regions to people upon which to live.[Acts17:26]. Therefore, every Zimbabwean is a stakeholder to the motherland called Zimbabwe.

Now, we would like to assure our fellow country men and women, that the true God towards whom you directed your prayers day and night, is not dump and deaf, neither does he sleep. God does not enter into the voice mail mode. Thus, this true God has sent us, to deliver Zimbabweans from the jaws of a monster, and this monster, unequivocally, is the ZANU PF political leadership and its administration.

We are not delusional; nor are we suffering from any hallucination. We are simply putting on record what is in the mind of God. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not our project, but God’s, in much the same way as the deliverance of Israel from the Egyptian bondage was not Moses’ or Aaron’s project, but God’s.

We are not hiding from anyone the fact that God has truly heard the prayers of Zimbabwe’s citizenry and has thus sent us as executors of his plan. We are his vessels who are ready to execute this plan on his behalf. He is the author of this project.

When God called Moses, he said to him, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey,……

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  God said, “But I will be with you…” [Exod. 3:7-12: ESV].

Even if God is omnipresent, that is, even if he is available at all places at the same time, for he is in heaven, his dwelling place, as he is on earth, he “descended” from heaven in a special way to deliver his people from the Egyptian bondage.

Zimbabwe today is comparable to the Egypt of yesteryear. Zimbabwe’s citizens are living in the yesteryear “land of Goshen in Egypt”; where oppression was the order of the day. Zimbabweans can no longer breathe. Democratic space has been squeezed by an authoritarian, totalitarian, autocratic, despotic and tyrannical political system of the ruling elite.

Her citizens have been oppressed and abused left, right and centre. Her political leaders were supposed to be good stewards and shepherds of God’s people. However, to our surprise, today’s political leaders have cannibalized God’s people and consequently, they have scattered them. Cannibalized them?

Yes, because as of now, a lot of Zimbabweans have perished in the hands of those who are supposed to look after and care for them. Some have been abducted and disappeared outright. There has been continued and systematic subjugation of the will of the people.

Scatter them? Yes, because over four million Zimbabweans are now livingin the diaspora, some as political refugees fleeing from political persecution, while others have fled the country as economic refugees looking for greener pastures because political leaders have committed economic genocide of exponential proportions.

Thus Zimbabweans have been crying for a very long period of time, and God has heard their cry, and has responded due to his abundant grace. Therefore, we have been sent by God as the Moses of today.

Political hurdles will stand in our way, but God will prevail

In directing us to take this political route, God is not oblivious to the fact that this journey will not be a stroll in the park. We have no illusions whatsoever about the troubles that are lurking ahead of us. God did not promise us that the journey will be trouble-free. Far be it. However, what he promised us is that even under trying times; he will not leave us alone as orphans.

He will always be with us; just as he promised his disciples that he would be with them always right up to the end of age [Matt. 28:20]. God is quite cognisant of the bumpy political road that lies ahead of us, and of the political hurdles that besiege this racing track. We are, therefore, fully aware of the political terrain on which we have now begun to tread. Notwithstanding these challenges, let us hasten to say that we are tempted to remind people that we have never seen or heard of a man or woman, in the entire history of mankind, who has waged a war against the Almighty and prevailed.

Absolutely no one! Just as God promised Moses that he will be with him, he indeed promised us that he will not leave us alone in this project. When a man’s actions are in conflict with God’s commandments, we will endeavour not to please man, the creature, but to please God, the Creator. As ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ, we do not trust in chariots and horses of war, but in the name of the Lord [Ps. 20:7].

Even if some of us may perish along the way, the resolve within us will not be extinguished; for we are prepared to endure on this route, and we will endure up to the end [Heb. 3:14]. We will suffer together with Christ in this project, in order that we may also be glorified with him when he returns [Rom. 8:17].

Our position on other main political parties

We acknowledge the role played by the MDC group and their mutable variants, especially from the days of its founding and iconic president, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai; for the democratic struggle that they have undertaken for almost 23 years now. Their efforts are quite cherished.

However, they have been in the dugout, they have been in the trenches for far too long. In fact, their struggle has been longer than the ZANU PF’s struggle itself of 17 years [1963-1980]. Zimbabweans are tired and desperate. Tired? Yes; because they have fought this war for over two decades now. Desperate?

Yes; because they are not quite sure if ever their landslide voting patterns will ever translate into them getting the power they so vigorously have been fighting for. Mugabe, by his own admission, said in one of their meetings that Morgan Tsvangirai had clobbered ZANU PF in the then Presidential election by winning 74% of the votes, only to be “corrected” by those in attendance to the effect that it was 47% of the votes and not 74. I hadn’t heard Mugabe as truthful as this before—a very honest statement from the geriatric! Very truthful indeed! So one is tempted to conclude that the MDC have been winning since the 2002 Presidential elections, but they have not been ruling.

On the contrary, we are here, in the name of God, to wrap up this struggle. We are here, in the name of God, to bring this chapter to its closure. We are here, in the name of God to bring it to its logical conclusion.

We also acknowledge the role played by the original and true cadres of the armed struggle, both in ZANU PF and PF ZAPU. They put up a brave and bitter armed struggle that culminated in the attainment of our independence that was epitomized by the raising of our Zimbabwean flag on 18 April 1980, ending a colonial system that officially had stretched from the midnight of 12/13 September 1890 when the Union Jack was raised on our soil; in the then Salisbury.

This legacy by the veterans of the armed struggle cannot be underestimated, neither can we downplay it. Their cause was, is and will still continue to be a well cherished cause. As Zimbabweans, we do not deny our indebtedness to this worthy cause, for which a lot of blood was shed. We salute all the gallant fighters of the armed struggle—both living and departed. However, this rich legacy has gradually been eroded by the shenanigans of the ZANU PF political actors, on whom they had bestowed the trust to lead Zimbabwe’s citizenry.

This rich legacy has wrongly been used as a license to maim people, as a licence to butcher and kill people; as a licence to pay a blind eye to the rule of law, as a licence to disrespect property rights, as a licence to pay a blind eye to revenue accountability and the general accountability of those in Government to the electorate,  as a licence to loot and plunder national resources with impunity, as a licence to pay a blind eye to the violation of human rights, as a licence to suffocate media and journalistic space,  as a licence to squash democratic space; as a licence to embark on political intolerance, and as a licence to violate the Constitution willy-nilly and to the whims and caprices of the ruling elite.

God forbid! All these vices are quite in sharp contrast to the ethos, values, cause and ideological thrust of the armed struggle. Today’s political actors in the ruling party have abused the trust and power which was vested in them by the stalwarts of the armed struggle. Not surprisingly, everyone is crying, including these stalwarts of the armed struggle because of the self-centredness of those upon whom they entrusted the stewardship of the country.

Our position on land

One of the key triggers of nationalism in Zimbabwe that subsequently led to the taking up of arms was the unjustifiable dispossession of the natives of their land and other resources without compensation. Section 72 of the 2013 Constitution; subsection 7; paragraphs (a) and (b); is quite explicit about this fact. Hence, according to section 72, subsection 3, paragraphs (a) and (b); and section 295, subsection 3, subject to section 295 subsections 1 and 2 of the same Constitution, no compensation is payable in respect of its acquisition, except compensation for improvements effected on the land before its acquisition, and no court may entertain any such application, for according to section 72 subsection 3 paragraph (c) of the Constitution, the acquisition may not be challenged on the ground that it was discriminatory in contravention of section 56 of the Constitution.

Thus Statutory Instrument 62 of 2020 was also promulgated with the same spirit of compensating such farmers only for improvements effected on their farms. Note that all “agricultural land” as defined by section 72  subsection 4; paragraphs (a) and (b) of the Constitution continues to be vested in the State, and no compensation is payable in respect of its acquisition except for improvements effected on it before its acquisition.

Historically, successive segregationist pieces of legislation were enacted that paved the way for inequalities in land ownership in Zimbabwe between whites and blacks. This philosophy of moving blacks off their land began immediately after the 1893 War of Dispossession which saw the defeat of the Ndebele. It continued for the next 84 years through to 1977.

It was a dual process of alienation [taking land from the original and rightful owners] and moving the original Zimbabwean inhabitants to less fertile and less well-watered Tribal Trust Lands or Native Reserves. From 1893 to 1977, there were seven Land Commissions that were set up by the settler authority to deal specifically with the land question, for example, the 1894 Land Commission, the 1902 Land Commission, the 1914 Land Commission and the 1925-26 Morris-Brown or the Carter Commission.

Thus the first land commission was set up in 1894 which specifically dealt with the aftermath of the defeat of the Ndebele. As a result of this defeat; the British South African Company [BSAC] claimed ownership of all land occupied by the Ndebele. Since the Ndebele, by right of conquest, had dominated most parts of Zimbabwe, this means that the white settlers, by extension, resultantly claimed the ownership of all land in Zimbabwe.

The 1894 Commission recommended the creation of “reservations/reserve areas” for the displaced Ndebele; and in 1895, two reserves namely Gwai and Shangani were established in a dry, semi-arid region hundreds of miles north of the centre of the Ndebele kingdom. In making such evictions, the Land Commission was not concerned about the economic and social well-being of the displaced people.

No wonder why the forced removal of the Ndebele to Gwai and Shangani as well as the hardships of living in that harsh environment, were among the primary causes of the 1896 Ndebele rebellion that culminated into the 1896-7 First Chimurenga/Umvekela, that became a national war.

The Carter Commission of 1926 recommended the segregation of all land on a virtually permanent basis between Blacks and Whites. The attitude of the Carter Commission is summarised in the following quote from their Report, “Until the Native [Black person] has advanced very much further on the path of civilisation, it is better that the points of contact between the two races should be reduced.”

Therefore, based on the Carter Commission’s Report, the need to divide the land between Blacks and Whites brought about the Land Apportionment Act of 1930. Hence, the division of the land as a result of the Land Apportionment Act produced the following outcomes in land ownership: Whites 51% of the land; Native Reserves 22%; Native Purchase Areas 7.8%; Forest Area 0.6%; Undetermined land 0.1%; Unassigned land 18.5%. Due to the Land Apportionment Act, about 1.5% of the population [whites], owned 51% of the land, while 98.5% of the population [blacks]; owned only 29.8% of the land.

As a consequence of this and subsequent Acts, the best land, for example along the Highveld was allocated to whites. Along the Highveld, temperatures were good and the rainfall pattern good too. On the other hand; the Native Reserves where ecologically fragile. These Reserves had poor agricultural soils, had erratic rainfall patterns and unfavourable climatic conditions.

They were also not quite suitable even for grazing. They were also “buffer zones” for wild animals like pigs, baboons and monkeys which fed on and destroyed their field crops, not forgetting lions and hyenas that preyed on their livestock. Note that the Land Apportionment Act made it illegal for Africans to purchase land outside of the established Native Purchase Areas.

Then there was the Native Land Husbandry Act of 1951, which was amended in 1969; which was enacted to achieve the following: regulate conservation measures; ensure good farming practices; relate the stocking levels of each area to its carrying capacity; allocate grazing rights to individuals; redistribute arable land into compact and economic units; and to register each individual’s holding of the land.

Do not forget that by this time, blacks were already overcrowded in what was called the Native Reserves or the Tribal Trust Land as a result of earlier pieces of legislation such as the Land Apportionment Act. This made the native areas become high population density homelands.

Then the Land Tenure Act No. 54/69, as amended in 1977; was another segregationist law that superseded the Land Apportionment Act. Its purpose was to ensure that each race would have its own area. Thus the interests of each race was to be paramount in its area and no race could own or occupy land in the area of the other race, except by permit, which permit was issued or refused by a Minister of Government, who was white. So these two Acts, namely the Land Apportionment Act and the Land Tenure Act; were not different in intention or effect. They were practically the same.

Let us not forget that by 1891, before Southern Rhodesia was established as a territory [Responsible Government was in 1923]; there were about 1,500 whites residing in the country. This number grew phenomenally especially after the Second World War which ended on 2 September 1945.

This number grew to about 75,000 by the end of 1945. In the decade 1945 to 1955, the white population doubled to 150, 000. So, in bid to cater for this ever growing population due to immigration, during this decade, over 100,000 farming black people had to be forcibly evicted and resettled away from the farmland that had been designated by whites, for white ownership. The white population in Zimbabwe continued to grow and it reached a peak of 300,000 in 1975-6; representing about 8% of the population.

Note that after the war in 1980, the land ownership imbalances where such that about 70% of arable land was in the hands of about 220 000 white people [with about 4 500 farmers amongst them]; while about 7.2 million black Zimbabweans [with close to 800 000 farmers amongst them]; directly or indirectly shared and depended on the remaining 30% of arable land. This imbalance was despite the fact that even by the early 1970s, total blacks outnumbered total whites by a ratio of 22:1.

Not surprisingly, due to the imbalances in land ownership that was engineered by successive pieces of segregationist legislation, the land question was the bedrock upon which a bitter and protracted armed struggle was premised. Land was the prime goal of King Lobengula’s War of dispossession as he fought the British encroachment in his dwelling area in 1893-4. Land was the principal grievance for the Ndebele and Shona uprising in the period 1896-7.

Land was also the overriding grievance that triggered the Second Chimurenga. Land was the fundamental grievance too that caused the Third Chimurenga. In all these wars, the objective of the wars was to right a historical wrong. Thus the land question was a primary cause of each and every Chimurenga/umvekela that was fought in Zimbabwe.

Given the foregoing, it would, therefore, be quite myopic for anyone to wish that blacks would once again be “moved off” their land, from which land they were originally evicted by colonial settlers without compensation. Never lose sight also of the fact that even well before the segregationist pieces of legislation were enacted, blacks were systematically being marginalised by the colonial settlers.

Thus in an effort to correct the historical wrong or the land ownership imbalances, there came the 1985 Land Acquisition Act. It gave a policy framework for land redistribution exercise by identifying and assessing farming areas that were not being efficiently utilized; determining the fair price for compensating the current owners of the underutilized land, which owners were primarily Europeans, and selecting rural dwellers that would be provided farming areas in the resettlement zones.

Then soon after the expiration of the 1980-1990 willing buyer-willing seller clause of the Lancaster House Agreement, came the 1992 Compulsory Land Acquisition Act. It sought to compulsorily acquire land. This Act was amended in 2000 [Fast Track Land Reform]; and further amended in 2005 to put all non-urban and non-communal land under state ownership.

The land redistribution exercise was meant to give back to the blacks their God-given inheritance; the land. Do not lose sight of the fact that the mainstay of the Zimbabwean economy has been and is land, upon which agriculture is based.

Notwithstanding the above facts, we do not condone the violent manner in which whites were removed from the land. We also do not condone a system of greed whereby the ruling elite eventually became multiple farm owners. In this regard, a rationalization of the land is needed and will be carried out. Zimbabwe should stick to the principle of one man one farm, in much the same way the veterans of the armed struggle advocated for a one man one vote.

Non-productive farms should be downsized and reallocated to those with competency in farming, because farming is and should be viewed as a business. White farmers who are still willing to cohabitate, farm and live symbiotically with black Zimbabweans should also not be left out in the rationalization exercise. They should also be allocated a piece of land on which to farm and earn a living, for land is a vital factor of production; that was given to humanity by God.

Our position on sanctions

Sanctions are a resultant child of ZANU PF’s maladministration. They are an illegitimate child born by ZANU PF from their shenanigans out of wedlock. Notwithstanding this fact, sanctions are not good for our people. They hurt the ordinary man on the street the most. They hit hardest the less privileged members of our society. It is true that they were enacted as targeted sanctions, for they were meant to target certain individuals and organisations with associations to such individuals.

However, when the assets of such targeted individuals were frozen, some of these individuals, if not all, entered into the mode of wrong compensatory behaviour. They wrongly responded by increasing their marginal propensity to loot and plunder national resources. To illustrate my point, for example, when a person’s US$1 billion was frozen; the person in question would loot first US$1 billion to cover the gap.

Then, he would also loot an additional US$1 billion as a “safety net” or as an “insurance sum”; ‘just in case’. The net effect is that the national assets are cleaned up. Therefore, it would not be surprising to find that there are no drugs in hospitals, let alone basics like bandages and painkillers. Given this background, the net loser was not the targeted politician, but the net loser became the ordinary man on the street who was meant to benefit from the embezzled national resources. No wonder why even if a loaf of bread costs US$100, these targeted individuals are so filthy rich that they can afford to buy several loaves of bread per day for the rest of their lives. Thus the response by the West of imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe was off the mark, it missed the target because it ended up hitting hardest the unintended target.

Please note that the “sanctions mantra” has been used rhetorically by the ruling party as a scapegoat for poor economic performance. Sanctions should never be used as a cover up for maladministration. The “sanctions mantra” is simply empty rhetoric and it is hyperbolic. People should not lose sight of the fact that as soon as Ian Douglas Smith announced a Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965, Southern Rhodesia was immediately slapped with an economic embargo by virtually all countries, save for apartheid South Africa and until 1974, Portugal.

The sanctions stretched for 14 solid years up to their revocation in December 1979 during the ceasefire period, when Southern Rhodesia had reverted to become a British Colony during the Lancaster House Talks. Please take note that despite the fact that Smith was fighting a bitter war to repel the gallantly ZANLA and ZIPRA combatants; Southern Rhodesia went on to post some budget surpluses in some of the years in the 1970s. As if that was not enough, sanctions gave the Rhodesian manufacturing sector a major stimulus. These sanctions obliged Rhodesian industries to diversify and create many import substitution undertakings to compensate for the loss of traditional sources of imports. The processing of local raw materials also increased rapidly.

Major growth industries included steel and steel products, heavy equipment, transportation equipment, ferrochrome, textiles and food processing. Thus the economy of Southern Rhodesian sustained international sanctions for over a decade following UDI under a very tough guerrilla war situation. As if that was not enough, in 1980, when the Union Jack was lowered and the Zimbabwean flag was moved in the opposite direction, the cross rate of the British Pound to the Rhodesian Pound was almost 1:1.The Unites States dollar, now the envy of many Zimbabweans was a pale shadow in strength to the Rhodesian dollar. The rand and the pula, we did not even look at them.

Hence, Smith was operating under a worse economic embargo than we are witnessing today, yet his economy grew phenomenally. From the aforesaid, we can authoritatively conclude that the current administration is merely using sanctions as a cover up for poor economic performance and deteriorating living standards. Sanctions have been used as a scapegoat for poor economic performance in much the same way as the Russo-Ukrainian war is now blamed for a spate of price increases in Zimbabwe, even if we know quite well that Russia illegally invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and by then, we were already in a hyperinflationary environment.

We are not denying the fact that exogenous factors like the war in Ukraine is contributing to the death of a child called Zimbabwe. They are playing a part. However, this child was already in the intensive care unit well before 24 February 2022. Therefore, the harm was triggered by endogenous factors, whilst the exogenous factors are merely finishing off the child.

Is funding Zimbabwe’s major handicap? Why is it that some of the richest nations in terms of natural resource endowment rank among the poorest?

Funding is not Zimbabwe’s major setback, but political will is. Political will, which is the determination of political actors to say and do things that will produce a desired outcome, is the main handicap. Put differently, in our context, political will is the extent to which key political decision-makers are committed to supporting a particular policy solution to a particular problem.

Thus political will exists when a sufficient set of decision-makers with a common understanding of a particular problem on the formal agenda, is committed to supporting a commonly perceived, potentially effective policy solution. If political will is non-existent, it does not follow suit that richer countries in terms of natural resource endowment automatically become richer countries economically. Look at Zimbabwe as an example. She is home to over 60 minerals, only 10 of which are actively being mined.

Zimbabwe has also the second highest grade of chromium ore in the world after South Africa, amounting to about 12 billion tonnes, which is about 12% of the global total. As if that is not enough, Zimbabwe has also the third largest deposits of platinum ore after South Africa and Russia, amounting to 6.83% of the global total. The Great Dyke is home to vast mineral resources, yet Zimbabwe is the 22^nd poorest nation in the world. Lest we forget, in Chiadzwa, one simply needed a pick and a shovel, unlike the diamond mines in Kimberley; South Africa; where one needs to dig 20 km deep in order to get these gems. Who benefited from the discovery of these gems in Chiadzwa? Did the Chiadzwa diamonds benefit the generality of Zimbabweans? The answer is in the negative.

Let us also look at the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the richest country in the world in terms of natural resource endowment. It has over 1,000 minerals, and has a surface area equivalent to that of Western Europe, and the second largest rainforest in the world; with untapped deposits of raw materials amounting to US$24 trillion; yet the DRC is the 17^th poorest country in the world according to the United Nations Human Development Index [2019 Report].

According to the World Bank, DRC has the 3^rd largest population of poor people globally. In 2018, it was estimated that 73% of the Congolese population, equalling about 60 million people, lived on less than US$1.90 a day, which US$1.90 is the international poverty rate. Therefore, almost 14% or one out of seven people living in extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa lives in DRC.

Let us contrast the above with Japan, for example. Japan, one of the most highly developed countries in the world, has virtually no natural resources like gas, oil, gold, coal, copper and iron. It largely depends on imported raw materials and energy. Do not forget that its nuclear power plants were closed some years ago due to incessant earth quakes and tsunamis. Japan is the largest importer of liquefied natural gas and coal, and the second largest importer of oil in the world, yet she ranks as one of the most developed economies.

Other than agricultural land, of which only 20% of total land is suitable for cultivation, and its fisheries; Japan has negligible mineral resources under her seabed. Note also that 40% of her total forests are planted forests. Despite all these setbacks, Japan ranks among the highly developed countries on planet earth. So to have or not to have natural resources is not the main determinant of economic prosperity/wealth/funding, neither is it the main determinant of poverty/human welfare.

So it is not simply a question of funding or of having a lot of assets or natural resources that triggers a country towards economic prosperity and economic independence. It is more to do with the political will to harness and appropriate the resources in question for the betterment of everyone’s living standards. Why, for example, is it that a good number of billionaires in the world today rise up like islands in a sea of poverty in poor third world countries? We should look no further than the unchecked access to the looting and plundering of state resources for our answer!

Hence, our problem in the developing world is not to do with funding or resources, but the mismanagement of the funds or resources is symptomatic of the problem. Leaders who do not fear God are the problem. How can we explain why Japan, which does not have a significant mineral resource, is an advanced economy? Human capital is not the only factor, for this can be acquired by Africa too, for example, through partnerships and knowledge transfers.

The answer is greed political leaders who are not made to account for their actions. These political leaders craft agreements with foreign investors, not for the benefit of their counties, but for the betterment of their families at the expense of their nation. This obviously shrouds the political will to advance their economies, since national benefits or resources become like private fiefdoms, which are meant to feed their families and friends at the expense of the rest of the populace.

No wonder why as Africans, we are always holding a begging bowl in our hands, yet Africa has a rich endowment in natural resources. These leaders do not exploit and appropriate the resources for the advancement of everyone’s living standards, but for their personal gain largely.

By failing to honour God, Belshazzar engineered his own downfall

When Belshazzar, son and successor to King Nebuchadnezzar was feasting and celebrating, he ordered that the utensils that his father had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem during his conquest of the same, be brought in before him at the party. He and his lords, his wives and his concubines put wine in them and drank the wine; and he praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but he did not honour the true God in whose hand was his breadth. Then as he drank the wine, a hand that came from the presence of God wrote on the wall in front of him. The inscription read: MENE MENE TEKEL and PARSIN. The interpretation, as revealed by God to Daniel was that:

• MENE: God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
• TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.
• PARSIN/PERES: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

This scenario is analogous to our Zimbabwean situation today. We have a similar message to the political leadership of the ruling party in government, that is, the administration of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde ED Mnangagwa. The message is that:

• God has numbered the days of your rule and brought it to an end.
• You have been put on a measuring scale by God and found wanting.
• Consequently, your kingdom has been given to your neighbour by God. Like in the days of Saul, God did not hide from Saul the fact that he had given the kingdom of Israel to his neighbour, David [1 Sam.28:17]. The reason why God rejected Saul was that Saul was the first to reject God. Reciprocally, God too rejected Saul. Hence, God told King Saul through the prophet Samuel, “…For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel” [1 Sam. 15:26]. Similarly, even today, God has also not hidden the fact that he has given the kingdom of Zimbabwe to your neighbour; a David. This fate has been sealed. This fate is irrevocable. This fate is un-appealable, for God’s case has no appeal. God is a Supreme Court in himself.

To avoid ambiguity, this David is not coming from the MDC group, with their various mutations that encompass the CCC brand, just in case some fanatics in this division may start to prematurely celebrate; neither is this successor David coming from within the ZANU PF stable. What I am saying is the mind of God; and it will happen irrespective of the amount of resistance or opposing force. Should I hide the fact that God has appointed me the David? By no means! Certainly not! If I do, I would be a liar like most of them, which is sin. God did not even hide this fact from King Saul.

Last but not least, I urge my sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers in the Security Services of Zimbabwe [the Defence Forces, the Police Service, the Intelligence Services and the Prisons and Correctional Service]; that they should remain apolitical as per section 208 subsections 2 and 3 of our Constitution. This is purely a political contest; and politics should be left to civilian rule.

A better Zimbabwe will be better for everyone, including you too. Lest I be misquoted and be charged with either treason or subversive speech; let me put it on record that we do not seek to overthrow the government through undemocratic and unconstitutional means. That is not Godly, and more so, we do not subscribe to that sort of philosophy. Our hands cannot kill even a cockroach. Our overriding principle is that we will get into power through the ballot box, democratically.

Like a dove, I come in peace and in peace I sign off.

AMEN.

PARERE KUNYENZURA

PRESIDENT: ZIMBABWE TRANSFORMATIVE PARTY.         

By-Former Minister in the late President Robert Mugabe cabinet, Petronella Kagonye has been found guilty of stealing 20 laptops meant to benefit schools in the Goromonzi South constituency.

Harare regional magistrate Mrs Vongai Guwuriro Wednesday convicted the former minister.

She said Kagonye failed to account for the laptops during the course of the trial and her explanation as to what happened to the laptops was not reasonable.

Kagonye was convicted after a full trial.

By- CCC leader Nelson Chamisa is seen in a picture paying extra attention to senior citizens.

Posting the picture and commenting on the same, CCC deputy spokesperson Ostallos Siziba, said Chamisa is a listening leader.

Posted Siziba:
This time unopinda! Uyangena! Says magogo.Wise counsel and wisdom from the elderly

By- High Court judge Justice David Mangota has given the Justice Minister and the Attorney-General 45 days to develop a Code of Conduct for Vice-Presidents and Ministers.

A Case Alert issued by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum this Wednesday reads:

High Court gives Minister 45 days to develop Code of Conduct for Vice-Presidents and Ministers Harare High Court Judge Justice David Mangota has ordered Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi and Attorney-General Prince Machaya to craft a law that will stipulate the Code of Conduct for Vice President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

Justice Mangota made the ruling in an application which was brought by a former ZEGU Law Student Nyasha Chiramba who approached the High Court seeking to compel the Minister and AG to initiate the drafting of the Bill envisaged under section 106 (3) of the Constitution.

Chiramba argued that the Vice-Presidents, Ministers and Deputy Ministers have been involved in different types of misconduct including sexual misconduct and abuse of state resources yet there is no compliance with this piece of legislation.

Former Vice-President Kembo Mohadi was forced to resign after the audios of his sexual escapades went viral on social media.

Only last week, the President fired a deputy minister for conduct said to be inappropriate for the office.

The deputy minister, Douglas Karoro, was recently arrested for criminal abuse of office.

In a judgement which was delivered Wednesday 8 June, Justice Mangota ruled that that law is overdue since the Constitution was promulgated 9 years ago.

He ordered the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General to draft the Bill and submit it to the Cabinet within 45 days.

Chiramba was represented by Darlington Marange of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum.

END

Tinashe Sambiri|The Zanu PF leader Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa is worse than Adolf Hitler, CCC Youth Assembly spokesperson, Stephen Sarkozy Chuma has said.

Chuma has pointed out that awful conditions in the country’s prisons reflect Mr Mnangagwa’s brutality.

“These are dehumanizing conditions reminiscent of slave trade era that we face inside
@edmnangagwa
‘s concentration camps disguised as prisons. In March/April 2020, i spent 45 days sleeping like this at Hre Remand dark cells. ED is worse than Hitler,” Chuma argued.

Mr Mnangagwa is a “candidate” for Chikurubi Maximum Prison, according to Sarkozy.

“Joji Charamba threatens Hre Mayor
@JMafume
by jail at Chikurubi for blocking corrupt Pomona deal. Roving bandits and murderers like Mnangagwa, July Moyo, Obadiah Moyo etc are proper candidates for Chikurubi Prison. One day they will have their place in there!”

By-Former Minister in the late President Robert Mugabe cabinet, Petronella Kagonye has been found guilty of stealing 20 laptops.

The laptops were meant to benefit schools in the Goromonzi South constituency.

Harare regional magistrate Mrs Vongai Guwuriro said Kagonye failed to account for the laptops during the course of the trial and her explanation as to what happened to the laptops was not reasonable.

Kagonye was convicted after a full trial.

By- Former Zanu PF Chiredzi West MP , Darlington Chiwa, is allegedly neglecting his family and flashing money on stepchildren.

This was said by his ex-wife Miriam Dhanda who was applying for RTGS$300 000 maintenance at Chiredzi which was reduced to RTGS$150 000 by Magistrate Diana Musiiwa.
Dhanda said Chiwa has lots of money and was splashing it on his five stepchildren that he is allegedly sending to school.
“Chiwa has a lot of money, he married another wife who has five children and he is sending them to school,” said Dhanda.
The claim which was heard on Monday this week is for maintenance of the couple’s child who attends an A School. Chiwa who is also a former Police officer argued in court that the amount was too high since he gave her a tractor which she can use to get income. He was married to Dhanda for 26 years.
Dhanda however, said she no longer has any source of income after the collapse of the marriage. She accused Chiwa of destroying her sources of income. She went on to say the matter is still before the courts.
Dhanda and Chiwa separated in January last year amid a lot of drama. Chiwa has a pending case in which he is accused of demolishing Dhandha’s shop at Stoneridge in Chiredzi
Dhanda also said Chiwa has married a nurse identified as Locadia Mudare who works at Masvingo General Hospital.
“I no longer have any source of income because Chiwa destroyed my shop in May last year and the case is pending at the courts,” said Dhanda.
She said that Chiredzi East Legislator, Denford Masiya is giving her daughter transport to school.
“My child needs fuel to go to school and currently I am getting help from Hon Masiya who also has his child at the same school,” said Dhanda.
Musiiwa gave Dhanda RTGS$150 000 payable from June 30. Masvingo Mirror

By- CCC leader Nelson Chamisa is seen in a picture paying extra attention to senior citizens.

Posting the picture and commenting on the same, CCC deputy spokesperson Ostallos Siziba, said Chamisa is a listening leader.

Posted Siziba:
This time unopinda! Uyangena! Says magogo.Wise counsel and wisdom from the elderly

https://twitter.com/Cde_Ostallos/status/1533157040117489665/photo/1

By- High Court judge Justice David Mangota has given the Justice Minister and the Attorney-General 45 days to develop a Code of Conduct for Vice-Presidents and Ministers.

A Case Alert issued by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum this Wednesday reads:

High Court gives Minister 45 days to develop Code of Conduct for Vice-Presidents and Ministers Harare High Court Judge Justice David Mangota has ordered Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi and Attorney-General Prince Machaya to craft a law that will stipulate the Code of Conduct for Vice President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

Justice Mangota made the ruling in an application which was brought by a former ZEGU Law Student Nyasha Chiramba who approached the High Court seeking to compel the Minister and AG to initiate the drafting of the Bill envisaged under section 106 (3) of the Constitution.

Chiramba argued that the Vice-Presidents, Ministers and Deputy Ministers have been involved in different types of misconduct including sexual misconduct and abuse of state resources yet there is no compliance with this piece of legislation.

Former Vice-President Kembo Mohadi was forced to resign after the audios of his sexual escapades went viral on social media.

Only last week, the President fired a deputy minister for conduct said to be inappropriate for the office.

The deputy minister, Douglas Karoro, was recently arrested for criminal abuse of office.

In a judgement which was delivered Wednesday 8 June, Justice Mangota ruled that that law is overdue since the Constitution was promulgated 9 years ago.

He ordered the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General to draft the Bill and submit it to the Cabinet within 45 days.

Chiramba was represented by Darlington Marange of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum.

END

By- The Nelson Chamisa led Citizen Coalition for Change opposition party is this weekend holding a memorial for Mbongeni Ncube.

Ncube was killed by suspected Zanu PF activists who disrupted a CCC rally in Kwekwe in February.

The skirmishes that claimed Ncube’s life happened while party leader Nelson Chamisa was addressing the rally.

CCC said the memorial services would be held this weekend.

“Memorial Service for Mboneni Ncube Date: 11 June 2022 Venue: Vungu District,” posted CCC on tweeter Wednesday.

Initially, 16 people were arrested but the rest were released without charge after thorough investigations leading to the remaining five appearing in court facing murder and public violence charges.
The five Edmore Shoshera, Albert Maketo, Talent Imbayago, Panashe Mukavaza and Percy Mukwaturi were initially denied bail when they appeared before Kwekwe Magistrate Mrs Florence Nago.

https://twitter.com/CCCZimbabwe/status/1534475798148702210/photo/1

By- Citizen Coalition for Change has set dates for the memorial of its Kwekwe supporter who was killed by Zanu PF thugs.

Mbongeni Ncube at the CCC rally in Kwekwe in February, which was being addressed by the party leader Nelson Chamisa after Zanu PF thugs disrupted the gathering.

CCC said the memorial services would be held this weekend.

“Memorial Service for Mboneni Ncube Date: 11 June 2022 Venue: Vungu District,” posted CCC on tweeter Wednesday.

Initially, 16 people were arrested but the rest were released without charge after thorough investigations leading to the remaining five appearing in court facing murder and public violence charges.
The five Edmore Shoshera, Albert Maketo, Talent Imbayago, Panashe Mukavaza and Percy Mukwaturi were initially denied bail when they appeared before Kwekwe Magistrate Mrs Florence Nago.

https://twitter.com/CCCZimbabwe/status/1534475798148702210/photo/1

By- CCC, youths led by Cicilia Chimbiri have intensified voter registration programme.

Chimbiri, a courageous CCC female cadre, said encouraging youths to register to vote was the only way to eliminate Zanu PF.

She posted on Twitter Wednesday.

While they are deliberate voter suppression, it must become almost impossible to prevent a motivated, determined young citizen from registering to vote. We need a national effort to recruit, coordinate, and mobilise for voter registration.

While they is deliberate voter suppression it must become almost impossible to prevent a motivated, determined young citizen to register to vote.
We need a national effort to to recruit, coordinate, mobilise for voter registration #RegisterToVoteZW pic.twitter.com/xBHRn1nA38

— Cecillia Mukundi Chimbiri (@ceechimbiri2) June 8, 2022

By A Correspondent- A wellwisher who provided over 50 coffins for victims of Cyclone Idai in Ngangu Chimanimani Shane Michael Kidd has died.

ZimEye can exclusively reveal that Kidd died in a car accident in Biriiri, Chimanimani.

This is a developing story.

Refresh this page for latest updates.

Tinashe Sambiri|Controversial politician, Killer Zivhu has slammed the so called new dispensation.

Zivhu launched a thinly veiled attack on Mr Mnangagwa’s administration arguing the previous regime took better care of civil servants’ welfare.

Mr Mnangagwa removed his long time boss Robert Mugabe from office via a military coup.

Zivhu argued:

“Open truth to politicians, ukanzwa muporofita wemu Zimbabwe achiti you are going to win elections, Uri kufadzwa nhemha nemagumaguma , hatina vaporofita mu Nyika yedu yose, kunze kwezvima tsotsi zviri kungwavha ne Bhaibheri.

When thieves were surrounding the President civil servants were earning more than 400 USD , now thieves are gone, Minister Mtuli zvirikufamba seyi, civil servants are complaining about money, apa mbabva dzakadzingwa dzose.

News reaching Chivi just now, in a certain African Country social media platforms to be switched off 4 months before elections and two months after elections.

Guys nharo ndedzeyi kana zvichiramba bvumayi vanhu vanonzwisisa kwete kuita shungu dzisina basa, on this one you are going to blame Ukraine, pama Hospital you blame sanctions, pamunoti makonewa ndepapi chaizvo, pasi rose chero America they admit their mistakes, Zimbabwe haibvumi.

Kana uchida kuona kuti Zimbabwe inorwadza, rwarigwa nehama yako kana iwe wacho, kwete zvinotaurwa nana musoro bhangu vanopiwa ma 100 USD to defend nonsense on social media , Ivo vakatiza Zimbabwe yacho.”

Champion Langelihle Dube (Zonda) popularly known as MR. TUESDAY, who personally mobilised & helped to register the highest number of voters amongst all CCC district members, has died. He was ATTACKED & KILLED in the early hours of morning at his Lobengula home. MHSRIP pic.twitter.com/V3Wt9FNFom

— @nelsonchamisa (Bulawayo) (@bulawayoblue) June 8, 2022

By A Correspondent- A Harare man, Luke Takuruvinga, was on Tuesday arrested and charged with criminal nuisance after police officers accused him of filming them.

The police officers also alleged that Takuruvinga said they were thieves who were after bribes. A case alert by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum reads:

Man arrested for using a mobile phone at a police station

A Harare man was arrested at a police station on Tuesday after police officers accused him of filming them while he was using his mobile phone to try to call a friend.

Luke Takuruvinga was a passenger on a Mbare – bound bus from Epworth, which was forced to drive to Hatfield Police Station by police officers over an undisclosed offence.

While at the police station, Taruvinga took out his phone to communicate with a friend, but the police officers immediately pounced, accusing him of filming them.

The victim claims that he was slapped several times by the police officers before he was detained.

Taruvinga was charged with criminal nuisance after the police officers also claimed he insulted them by saying they were thieves who were after bribes.

However, he was eventually released following the intervention of lawyer Noble Chinhanu from the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum.

He opted to pay an admission of guilty fine after he was threatened with overnight detention in order for him to appear in court on Wednesday.

By A Correspondent- A senior Mashonaland East Mines and Mining Development ministry official has been sucked into a gold claim ownership wrangle after he allegedly accepted an application of conversion of a disputed claim.

Milmath Security (Pvt) Limited is accusing acting provincial mines director Tendai Kashiri of involvement in the illegal conversion of the gold claim in Makaha area in Mudzi.

In a letter dated May 25, through their lawyer Blessing Zihanzu, Milmath Security (Pvt) Limited demanded answers from Kashiri on his role in the alleged scandal.

“On April 28, Mr Zihanzu came to your offices requesting to inspect the record to have an appreciation of what is contained in the records. You furnished our counsel with copies of cards as proof of the alleged conversion.

One of the cards you showed him revealed that Radnor 58 was forfeited on April 10, 2013,” the letter, which was copied to Mutoko Police and provincial police offices, read in part.

“Our mine surveyor, Aaron Pazvakavambwa also visited your offices on April 29, 2022 in the company of Zihanzu for the purpose of inspecting the records as well.

“A perusal of the record revealed that the map and co-ordinates submitted by Prosper Machekera, in compliance with section 45(2) of the Mines and Minerals Act (Chapter 21:05), he converted Radnor 51 (29824MB) and not Radnor 58.  They are within Radnor 51 (29824MB) as clearly indicated by the map,” the letter added.

Milmath is embroiled in a gold claim wrangle with Machekera over Radnor 58.

The company accused Kashiri of accepting the application of conversion despite the matter still being before the courts and the same ministry.

“Our client was surprised to discover that the said application was made when there was a pending case at the High Court involving Prosper Machekera, Milmath Security (Private) Limited and your office.

It was mostly surprised by the fact that you allowed the processing of the said application knowing fully that there is a dispute regarding that particular block. It is, therefore, our client’s view that the actions of Prosper Machekera and yourself point to a criminal offence (which) must be explained.

“As a result of the above circumstances, our client instructed us to demand, as we hereby do, that you provide us with reasons on why an application for conversion of Radnor 58 (registration number 29825MB) was made in 2020, yet you indicated to us that the same block was converted in 2007.

It is important that we understand why payment for the conversion was accepted by your office when conversion was already done as you indicated,” the laywers added.

-newsday

By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF party members topped human rights violations, with 165 cases in April and 193 in May in a development rights groups say indicates the ruling party’s penchant for violence.

The figures were released by pressure group, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) in its latest report.

According to the ZPP’s Monitoring Report, there was an escalation of political activity last month as major political parties are now preparing for the 2023 general election.

The patterns of intimidation and harassment, abductions, and assaults implicating the ruling party continued unabated.

“The organisation (ZPP) recorded cases where Zanu-PF abused its influence in government to manipulate national processes like the voter registration blitz, the mobile national documentation outreach, and aid distribution,” the human rights monitor noted.

“In this month’s roundup, we dig into these cases and provide detailed analyses and recommendations. Between March and June 2008, over 200 opposition supporters were killed while thousands of others were injured and tens of thousands were displaced in one of the vilest electoral periods in Zimbabwe’s history.

“The systematic targeting of the supporters of the then main opposition party, the MDC-T, was in response to the party’s parliamentary and presidential election victory over Zanu-PF”.

According to the ZPP, for the first time in 28 years (2008), Zanu-PF faced defeat right in its face and the party used all at its disposal – the police, intelligence agents, the military, war veterans and youth militia- to overturn the defeat.

“After the orgy of violence, the country was to get into a multi-party dialogue that led to a unity government between Zanu-PF and the opposition. For five years, Zimbabwe enjoyed general political harmony and unfortunately missed a chance to conduct, for the first time, a genuine, inclusive and effective healing and reconciliation process to deal with the conflicts that date back to colonial times”.

The ZPP said what was more worrying at the present moment was that Zanu-PF ward leaders were holding meetings, mostly in the Mashonaland, Masvingo and Manicaland provinces, and are threatening to unleash violence the same way they did in 2008 if they lose in the 2023 elections.

“So far, Zanu-PF has been responsible for 165 human rights violations in April and 193 in May, all related to how the party is closing down the space for opposition activity.

“In one of the cases recorded in Mt Darwin East at Chaparira village, Zanu-PF activists led by Christopher Mbereko allegedly besieged the home of a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) supporter Tendai Kurauone* on the night of 14 May and attacked him, leaving him seriously injured. The Zanu-PF youths accused the man of working with CCC cheerleader, Godfrey Karembera known as Madzibaba veShanduko.”

-NewZimbabwe

By A Correspondent- A Mutawatawa man was rescued by human rights lawyers after he was arrested and charged with undermining the authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Lovemore Muchenje was charged after he allegedly posted a picture in a WhatsApp group depicting Mnangagwa wearing a dress and writing a caption saying “Pa Economy ndiri Mainini“.

Muchenje, who spent a night in detention, was set free after the intervention of Tinashe Chinox of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

Chinox challenged the prosecution of his client in the absence of a Certificate of Authority to Prosecute issued by the Prosecutor-General in terms of the law.

By A Correspondent- Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) national chairman Tafadzwa Musarara, however, said there is no reason for the country to experience bread shortages as there is adequate wheat in the country.

Musarara said this amid reports that some bakeries are demanding strictly United States dollars only for bread, leading to an “artificial” shortage of bread in some parts of the country.

Bread is the most popular source of protein in Zimbabwean households and it is a handy all rounder that can be served for breakfast, lunch and kids’ lunch pack.

Zimbabwe’s major bakeries, Lobel’s Bread and Bakers Inn on Saturday 4 June, hiked the price of bread from less than $500 to $636 per loaf.

Some tuckshop owners in Harare are claiming that they were failing to get enough bread supplies from bakeries, who only want foreign currency for bread orders.

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) are not happy with the developments. CZR president Denford Mutashu urged members of the public to boycott shops demanding US dollars for bread. Mutashu said,

“The retail sector and consumers have no capacity to pay in US$ for bread when they earn local currency. Bread should continue to be accessible in all currencies.”

Mutashu added that,

“CZR is engaging GMAZ and the National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBAZ) over the issue. Bread is a key basic commodity and once it is sold in US$ for whatever reason, the whole economy will follow suit and dollarise””

National Association of Consumer Rights spokesperson Effie Ncube said that it’s natural for bakeries to demand foreign currency since Government departments are also charging for services in US dollars.

Said Ncube, “The bakeries are now following the example of the government which has allowed the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) to charge examination fees in US$. It is not surprising that some bakeries are now demanding US$ for bread.”

By A Correspondent- Electoral watchdogs have implored the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to consider another voter registration blitz to offer citizens who have since acquired identity cards the chance to register to vote.

This followed complaints from across the country that many people failed to register during the first and second phases of the Zec biometric voter registration blitz due to lack of IDs.

The December 2021 voter registration blitz only resulted in 2 000 new voters registering while around 110 000 registered during the second voter registration blitz in February this year.

A recent report by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) and the Election Resource Centre (ERC) revealed that lack of IDs and other necessary documents hindered several prospective voter registrants from registering to vote.

The report said: “Before the commencement of the phase 2 registration blitz, the Registrar-General (RG) began a national identity document (ID card) issuance blitz on April 1, 2022. This was 10 days before the second biometric voter registration blitz which was to begin on April 11, 2022.

“A national ID is an important document for one to register as a voter during the voter registration process. ERC, Zesn and other stakeholders contend that without the issuance of IDs a large group of eligible Zimbabweans will be disenfranchised.

“Considering that the RG is in the process of an ID blitz up to September 2022, ERC and Zesn implore Zec to consider another blitz post September 2022 to provide citizens that would have acquired national IDs the chance to register ahead of the commencement of the boundary delimitation exercise.”

Zesn and ERC also urged the RG to consider relaxing requirements for accessing vital documentation required by citizens.

“The RG’s office must consider continuous relaxation of requirements so as to ensure that all citizens access documentation necessary for participation in the voter registration process,” read the report.

The national ID blitz will run until September 2022 in all provinces across the country.

COUNTDOWN TO MNANGAGWA’S SUDDEN END ● STATE POWER NOW https://t.co/mcB6r3Apwl

— Simba Chikanza (@schikanza) June 8, 2022

By A Correspondent- ZANU PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu is reportedly under siege according to a leaked audio from Believe Gaule.

Believe Gaule a former MDC senator and Jonathan Moyo ally claims that Obert Mpofu has lost grassroot support in Matebeleland North province. Gaule claims that his faction has defeated Obert Mpofu.

Gaule was heard making these claims while instructing a journalist on what to write and how to write it as Gaule was trying to set a narrative ahead of the much anticipated ZANU PF congress.

Political analyst Harold Ndimande said, “It is ridiculous for Gaule to claim that Mpofu a national leader has downgraded himself to youth wing politics at provincial level.”

Gaule is fighting Obert Mpofu but Obert Mpofu has nothing to fight for as he is already in the upper echelons of the Politburo something that Gaule has not yet achieved. Gaule is not on the same level as Obert Mpofu therefore it is foolishness for Gaule to claim to have defeated Obert Mpofu.”

Believe Gaule claimed that his faction wanted to pass a vote of no confidence against the newly elected ZANU PF Mat North provincial executive. Gaule was defeated at the polls by Richard Moyo.

ZANU PF insiders say Obert Mpofu is under attack at a crucial moment when he should be supervising and coordinating the holding of the National people’s congress, an important organ and meeting of ZANU PF structures.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently called for unity in the party a call that has been ignored and rejected by Gaule and those around him.

By A Correspondent- Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives on Wednesday besieged the house of a former senior official who is fighting his expulsion in court after exposing cases of suspected corruption within the organisation, and forcefully took his vehicle before speeding off in dramatic fashion, The NewsHawks heard.

Over six operatives forced their way into Shadreck Mugabe’s house and some into one of his spare bedrooms where they grabbed the keys to the vehicle, a Toyota Corolla.

Witnesses said the combative agents claimed they were working on instructions from their superiors.

“What we know is they got to the house when he was bathing after dropping his children from school. We saw people we felt were strangers who acted as if they were observing something from the house,” one of the witnesses who stays close to Mugabe’s house said.

“They went in and demanded to see him but while they were asking to see him, they were already by the car, demanding the keys and observing.”

The car in question is a personal issue vehicle allocated to senior officers and should have been sold at book price after five years.

Mugabe was issued the vehicle on 2014 and the five years elapsed in 2019.

“Those who came in were six, but there were others milling around.”

A senior CIO official said the way the operatives behaved, especially towards a colleague, was unusual, an indication they were acting on instruction from some superiors.

Mugabe is one of the two officers who are being hounded out of the spy agency together with Charity Madyambudzi in what is seen as a ploy to silence them over queries they raised as per their mandate in ensuring accountability in procurement and the engagement of contractors.

The two argue that their suspension was not procedural. They were later fired, but they argue in court that the act was illegal as due process was not followed.

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwean public sector employees are now comparing and contrasting their salaries to how many loaves of bread they can buy.

Last weekend, the price of bread rose from $450 to between $600 and $945, with the majority of workers taking home $35 000 per month.

A teacher’s payslip seen by NewsDay on Tuesday revealed that educators take home $19 818, excluding the US$75 COVID-19 allowance.

Following the latest bread increases, teachers say their salary is now equivalent to 20 loaves of bread.

Speaking to NewsDay, Tafadzwa Munodawafa, the Educators Union of Zimbabwe (EUZ) president, said that the low salaries were a mockery of the teaching profession. He said:

This is an example of a rare payslip for a teacher. It’s clean. No loans. Most teachers have three loan deductions and net around $9 000.

The only money left of significance is the US$175 (US$100 from the salary) that comes in cash. Remember, this is a teacher who once earned US$540 before October 2018.

Our members and the fraternity at large have made it clear that it’s no longer feasible to continue to work under the prevailing economic hardships.

Currently, a teacher at the entry point is earning just about two dozen loaves of bread. It’s preposterous, to say the least.

As a union, we have come to appreciate that the government doesn’t respect the process of dialogue.

The employer has continued to give us a raw deal. Our genuine demands for a sustainable salary that should contribute to our pension package continue to be ignored.

We are left with no choice, but to organise ourselves to resist the slave wages.

I call upon all teachers union leaders and other government workers’ unions to come together to map a collective way forward as is expected of us by the members we
represent.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure said:

Teachers are earning as little as $20 000 per month (outside COVID-19 and cushion allowance), a salary which can only afford to pay for 20 loaves of bread.

The teachers are starving, and cannot afford to access basic services such as education, healthcare and accommodation among others.

Job Sikhala and Hopewell Chin'ono must check their backs. End of tweet.

— Windhoek Cables Network ???? (@WindhoekCables) June 7, 2022

By-Botswana, police have gunned down two Zimbabweans suspected of being part of a six-man armed robbery gang.

Botswana Police Service public relations officer, Senior Superintendent Near Bagali confirmed the incident, which occurred in the neighbouring country on Monday.

In a statement, he said three other suspects, two of them Zimbabweans, have been arrested. Another suspect who is a Motswana is in hospital after he was injured during the shootout.

Senior Supt Bagali said the gang, which was armed with pistols stole cellphones from a house.
“Two Zimbabwean men died in an exchange of fire with members of the Botswana Police Service this morning (06/06/2022) near Botswana College of Engineering and Technology.
Another suspect a Motswana man got injured in the process and is hospitalised.
Three others being two Zimbabweans and a Motswana have since been arrested,” he said.

“This follows an incident in which the six armed men aged between 33 and 45 allegedly attacked and robbed a 34-year-old man of cellphones at his residence.
The robbers fled the scene and were later involved in an exchange of fire with the police.”
He said the police have since recovered three pistols suspected to have been used in the commission of the offence.
The stolen cellphones have also been recovered from the suspects.
Senior Supt Bagali said a vehicle with false registration number suspected to have been used in committing the crime has been impounded.

He said preliminary investigations indicate that some of the suspects have been on police wanted list for various cases of robbery committed in Gaborone and surrounding areas.
Senior Supt Bagali said further investigations were underway.
Botswana is home to a number of Zimbabweans who have moved to the neighbouring country.

By-CCC deputy chairman Job Sikhala has released dehumanising prison cells pictures.

Sikhala posted pictures of squalid prison cells and said he was once subjected to a dehumanising experience.

He posted:

This is the way we were sleeping and maltreated at Chikurubi Maximum Prison when myself, 

@daddyhope

 and 

@NgarivhumeJacob

 were detained. This is the prison life they exposed us to for fighting and opposing corruption.

https://twitter.com/JobSikhala1/status/1534250528753999885/photo/1

By- Prison officers at the country’s maximum-security Prison, Chikurubi, have said that the correctional service centre’s infrastructure was falling apart due to lack of maintenance.

They said the prison was poorly resourced and could not adequately accommodate female inmates with minor children.

This week, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services correctional officer Christmas Tarwira pleaded with members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice to pressure government to rehabilitate the outdated infrastructure at the female section.

“The infrastructure that you see is very old, this is one of the oldest prisons in Zimbabwe, and the infrastructure is not able to accommodate children. Due to lack of resources and poor infrastructure, there is not (much) we can do,” Tarwira said.
“The place we use as a psychiatric centre is very old; it does not have facilities suitable for psychiatric patients. The infrastructure is so old and not suitable for what we are doing. We also need something with modern specifications that would cater for everyone. If we had resources we would separate inmates — those that are convicted and those not convicted would stay in separate cells,” he added.
Acting officer-in-charge Stella Katiyowo said: “We also have a challenge with our kitchen as we are using a makeshift kitchen. The electric stoves are no longer working, and so we moved away and we are now using firewood which is a challenge especially when it’s raining. This forces us to have lunch and supper at once.
“The sewer system is also dilapidated and sometimes prisoners use the manual method to scoop out sewage water, but it is not safe.”
On projects for the inmates, Katiyowo said female prisoners underwent cutting and design training, but the courses were being threatened by lack of funds.
“Our security fence is old which makes it easy for prisoners to escape,” Katiyowo added.
ZPCS officer commanding Harare Metropolitan Gilbert Marange said: “We are getting very little funding. We received $30 million to cater for all prisons in Harare metropolitan province, and if we are to purchase fence for this prison, it may not be enough.” Newsday

By- The Zimbabwe National Army has announced the death of Retired Major General Sikhulile Simpson Nyathi.

ZNA spokesperson Colonel Aplhios Makotore made the announcement Tuesday.

Below is the statement:
Commander Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Lieutenant General David Sigauke regrets to announce the untimely passing on of Major General (Retd) Sikhulile Simpson Nyathi. Maj Gen Nyathi died on Sunday morning, 05 June 2022 at the ZNA 2 Referral Hospital in Harare.
He was 61.
The late Major General (Retd) Nyathi was born on 12 September 1960 in Mapate Village in Gwanda District, Matabeleland South Province. He did his primary education at Mapate Primary School from 1966 to 1972. He then proceeded for his secondary education at Manama Secondary School from 1973 to 1976 in Gwanda District.
He joined the Liberation Struggle under the Zimbabwe African People’s Revolutionary Army (ZPRA) after crossing the border into Zambia via Botswana on 27 January 1977. The late freedom fighter received military training at Chakwenga Guerrilla Training Camp One (CGT1) in Zambia that same year. He later on proceeded to the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) for further military training in January 1978.
At Independence, the late Major General Nyathi was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army on 01 June 1981. He rose through the ranks to Major General in 2020 the rank he retired with from the ZNA that same year.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course. Mourners are gathered at Number 6, 215t Avenue, Mabelreign in Harare.
ALPHIOS MAKOTORE
Colonel
-Director Army Public Relations

By-Former MDC member of parliament and Zimbabwean economist Eddie Cross has defended President Emerson Mnangagwa’s economic failures.

Cross said that the nation should not panic about the inflation which has triggered the prices of essential commodities to rise.

He said the inflation is being caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February this year.

ZBC quotes Cross, defending Mnangagwa:
The President must not panic. The people must not panic, but we need to be cautious and support all government reactions to such pressures which are driven by global commodity markets.
The economic fundamentals are sound; our Zimbabwe dollar should be strong, but we are destroying our dollar. The Minister of Finance should trace the markets and institute proper mechanism to deal with these monopolies. These economic woes and attack on our currency will end in 24 hours.
Cross speaks after Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor, John Pamonetsa Mangudya has said the government has a robust strategy to sustain the local currency.
The currency has been losing value against other currencies since its reintroduction in June 2019.