By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has deployed a team of heavily armed riot police officers at the Midlands State University (MSU) to keep a close eye on disgruntled examiners marking Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) Ordinary Level scripts after they protested over allowances earlier this week.

One examiner has since been arrested and seven have been chased away. 
 
Sources said the cops, with AK47 rifles, batons and tear smoke equipment, have set up a 24hr camp on the premises and often make periodic bursts into the marking rooms to threaten the examiners, whom they refer to as sellouts.

The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) and sources within the university confirmed the development.

PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said the move could, however, backfire as examiners may decide to sabotage ZIMSEC because of the manner in which they have been treated. He told NewZimbabwe.com:

Anti-riot officers are now camped there, they are forcing examiners to work and that will definitely impact the quality of results.

Examiners are obviously under a lot of stress and having officers to fear will further compound their problems.

The examiners, some of them elderly, were Tuesday reportedly rounded up after deciding to join striking teachers in the middle of their marking schedule.

They cited incapacitation and failure by ZIMSEC to pay them allowances meant for their upkeep in Gweru.

Seven of the examiners are said to have been dismissed after being identified as ring leaders.

According to a source privy to developments, the examiners were even denied meal tickets as a form of punishment for their behaviour.

ZIMSEC promised examiners a US$25 daily allowance for those staying off-campus and US$12 for those on campus but instead paid ZW$9 000 upon arrival to sustain them for 26 to 28 days.

The amount paid translated to about US$2.50 per day.

ZIMSEC spokesperson Nicholette Dlamini said “there are no strikes that have been reported, everyone is at work. I am not aware of anyone who has stopped marking. We have sufficient markers at all our centres and they are currently marking.

A family of five was killed in a gas explosion on Wednesday night, police said.

Police and the fire brigade were called to the house at Eyestone Farm in Waterfalls at around 8.30PM after reports of a fire.

Emergency services arrived to find the two-roomed cottage engulfed in flames.

“It’s unfortunate that the gas cylinder which exploded was positioned next to the door, which cut out the family’s escape route,” police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.

Tank was near entrance, couldn’t escape.

The victims have been named as Kudzai Gozvora, 35, his wife Shupikai Makwara, 30, and their children Valentine, 10, Monalisa, 7, and Massive who was one-year-old.

Many households have been forced to use gas for cooking owing to high electricity tariffs or erratic power supply.

-Zimlive

By A Correspondent- The State yesterday said an ex-American soldier, who was nabbed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport intending to board a flight to Victoria Falls with a loaded pistol, should be jailed for 20 years.

Retired first class sergeant Ronald Leon Johnson faces two counts of carrying a firearm and ammunition in Zimbabwe without a firearm certificate in terms of the Firearms Act and violating the Civil Aviation (Security) Regulations Act.

Johnson appeared before magistrate Stanford Mambanje and pleaded guilty to the charges in mitigation.

He was represented by Thomas Nyakunika.

The State said Johnson had refused to give up his iPhone password to verify the people he was communicating with in Zimbabwe.

Prosecutor Wisper Mabhaudhi also told Mambanje that Johnson’s visit was suspicious, having served in various hotspots in his 25 years of service in the United States army.

“He has been sent on missions in different countries around the world. He went to South Korea from 1986 to 1987, in Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. He was at one time based in Germany from 1992 to 1994. He also served in Saudi Arabia in 2004. He served in a peacekeeping mission in Sudan. In summary, he is a military man with experience in hotspots throughout the world,” Mabhaudhi said.

“The accused had an iPhone which was functioning. The police wanted to have access to it, but the accused person refused with the password, indicating that he has a business contract with the United States government, which information he wanted to protect.”

Nyakunika told the court that his client did not know that carrying a gun in Zimbabwe was illegal.

“He is a holder of a valid firearm licence. The firearm was issued on March 5, 2017 and will expire on March 5, 2022. That permit enables the accused to move around in America. He passed through several airports,” he said.

Mambanje postponed the matter to today for sentence.

Allegations are that on February 5, Johnson entered Zimbabwe and was issued with a 30-holiday visa expiring on March 5, 2022.

He was later caught at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport with a loaded pistol intending to board fastjet Airline Flight Number 6J1WRA to Victoria Falls.-Newsday

By A Correspondent- While calls for dollarisation seem to be falling on deaf ears, an economics expert has predicted that government will give in to pressure and officially re-introduce the US dollar.

Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) lecturer Regret Sunge told journalists at a Wednesday press club discussion the high demand for foreign currency ahead of general elections next year will force government to consider its stance against bringing back the American dollar.

The event was organised by the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ).

Sunge said government will re-introduce the greenback so as to endear itself with the electorate, already reeling from challenges caused by the local currency.

“The economy is ready to re-dollarise and the pressure is actually mounting. This is 2022, next year we are heading into elections and by nature elections give pressure to the government,” said Sunge.

“If people are saying we need to be paid in US dollars, a government who would pay its workers in hard currency shortly before elections will be considered to be a government of the people.”

His sentiments come at a time when there is growing pressure from private and government employees to be paid in hard currency due to high inflation rate.

Zimbabwe dollarised between 2009 and 2013 with the country witnessing a stable inflation rate and significant economic growth, however a decision by finance minister Mthuli Ncube to reintroduce the Zimbabwe dollar has seen the country slowly getting back to 2008 high inflation levels.

Ncube and Zanu-PF have been quoted countless times reiterating that the US dollar will no longer be the main currency in use in the country.

Sunge however stressed that the country needed its own, strong currency. He dismissed the current currency, indicating that it had failed.

He added: “When we started the process of de-dollarisation, the rate of inflation began to spike and by 2020 we were at around 588% annual inflation.

“Initially, the economy adopted de-dollarisation and there were assurances we would really de-dollarise and the argument was that no economy can actually prosper without its own currency which we as economists will also agree to but we have been seeing developments now the economy responding negatively, the inflation starting to rise, GDP per capita is falling and our value of our local currency starting to decline.”

Government is battling to avert a disaster as teachers and lecturers have gone on strike demanding US dollar wages while nurses have threatened to join over the same matter.

By A Correspondent- Lecturers at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) have gone on strike over salaries which they said had been eroded by inflation.

This comes days after their University of Zimbabwe (UZ) colleagues also embarked on industrial action Monday.

The development also comes amid an ongoing teachers’ strike which started on 7 February when schools were reopened for the first term.

In a letter to the university’s vice-chancellor (VC) Rungano Zvobgo, lecturers said the value of their salaries, paid in the local currency, had been eroded by inflation and a worsening economy.

They notified Zvobgo that they will not be reporting for duty with immediate effect and will only do so once they get a salary increment commensurate with the prevailing prices of goods and services. The letter reads:

Subsequent to the majority decision of the members in attendance to General Meetings held on 12 February, 2022 at Great Zimbabwe University Moot Court, Hebert Chitepo School of Law and Chemberi Hall, Mashava Campus, respectively and the indicated position in the Special Works Council held on 17 December, 2021 at Herbert Chitepo School of Law, a position has been taken to serve notice of the employees’ incapacitation.

Suffice to highlight that despite, the constituencies’ willingness to render services to the employer and to report for normal duty, the applicable salary rates are not consonant with and severely inadequate to cater for the basic needs of the employees as reflected in the shift of the Poverty Datum line.

It is undeniable that, there has been a drastic increase in the cost of living, inclusive of utilities, service providers’ premiums (medical and funeral policies), rentals, data bundles against a stagnant salary.

It is against this background that, we notify that our members are not able to report for duty with immediate effect, until due address is made to the plight of our members.

GZU director of information, Anderson Chipatiso said the institution’s management will meet with representatives of the workers’ union to find a solution.

The university’s top management stands accused of parcelling out lucrative packages and posts to close relatives and disgruntled workers are considering petitioning President Emmerson Mnangagwa over the matter.

By A Correspondent-A high-octane battle for political supremacy between Zanu-PF leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and arch-rival Nelson Chamisa plays out in Kwekwe this weekend when they hold separate rallies in the city.

It is a stern test for Mnangagwa who calls the city his own turf.

Buoyed by the bumper crowd he registered at the launch of the party’s by elections campaign last Sunday, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Chamisa hopes to take his shellacking political crusade to the mining city where his rally is billed to take place at Mbizo Four Shopping Centre on Sunday.

The shopping centre is a spitting distance from the venue of Mnangagwa’s own rally Mbizo Stadium. Mnangagwa’s rally is set for Saturday.

“The people’s President, Nelson Chamisa, will be launching a CCC campaign in Gokwe on Saturday, and Kwekwe Central on Sunday,” CCC Midlands Provincial spokesperson Takavafira Zhou said in an interview.

Zhou said the two Midlands rallies for Chamisa are expected to draw bumper crowds.

“The people’s power will be demonstrated as thousands of supporters are expected to attend these rallies. The most important aspect of a political party is grassroots support and the by-elections will separate the real advocates of change and sustainable development from pretenders. The CCC wave blowing across Zimbabwe will fire yellow warning shots from which it will spring to success in by-elections and 2023 elections. No amount of force and brutality can stop an idea whose time is up,” said Zhou.

Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba promised fireworks.

“We are going to be in Kwekwe this weekend. Let’s show them we rule the urban roost,” Charamba said on his Twitter handle

By A Correspondent- Bulawayo magistrate, Marygold Ndlovu, is on Thursday expected to make a ruling on a case involving Kumalo Primary School headmistress, Stella Mhlanga, who is facing allegations of peddling pornographic material.

Mhlanga (59) is alleged to have accidentally shared a revealing picture of her private parts on her WhatsApp status.

Mhlanga, who is out of custody, is facing charges of contravening Section 26 of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act Chapter 10:04 (Possession of prohibited articles). She pleaded not guilty.

In her defence outline, Mhlanga through her lawyer Byron Sengweni of Sengweni Legal Practice argued that she was never in possession of the alleged pornographic content.

She said that sometime in December 2019, she received a phone from her sister Sibusisiwe Moyo who is based in South Africa after her phone had been stolen by her housemaid. Part of her defence outline read:

Before handing the phone to the accused, the accused’s sister cleared the phone memory and when she received the phone there was absolutely nothing in it.

She will also deny ever posting pornographic images on her WhatsApp. The images were not posted via her phone but via some unknown device.

She will further state that upon receiving news that offensive material had been posted on her WhatsApp she was advised that she had been hacked and was also advised to restore her phone to factory settings.

When she restored the phone, she lost all the data in her phone but even before that she maintains that she did not have any offensive material.

She also argued that she was advised to stop using the phone in case the hackers attempt to hack it again.

At the close of the State case, Mhlanga’s lawyer filed an application for discharge arguing that the State had failed to prove a prima facie case against the accused and that the evidence was unreliable.

However, in response, the State submitted that a prima facie case had been proven.

The State argued that it had managed to show that the accused did have knowledge of the indecent pictures in her phone before and on the day she was arrested.

Allegations are that on 2 August 2021, a tip-off was received at Provincial Victim Friendly Unit to the effect that Mhlanga had posted pornographic material on her WhatsApp status.

She later deleted the picture but some of her contacts including teachers and parents with children at her school had already saved it and forwarded it to their friends.

Mhlanga later posted a new status apologising, saying someone had borrowed her phone. She said:

Good evening, sorry for what was posted on the status, someone had borrowed my phone. My sincere apologies people.

It’s not my character and I don’t post such in my status. Please delete.

Mhlanga was eventually arrested by the police who also seized her cell phone Samsung N910F Galaxy Note.

The cellphone was then referred to CID National Cyber Forensics Laboratory, Bulawayo for examination.

During the forensic examination, four pornographic images were retrieved from her phone and the nude pictures were also produced in court as an exhibit.-BMetro

By-The Botswana Police Service (BPS) said 9 men of Botswana and South African origin were killed on Wednesday, 23 February, after an exchange of gunfire with police officers in Gaborone.

In a statement, BPS spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Dipheko Motube said the shootout followed a cash-in-transit van robbery at the Main Mall in Gaborone during which P1 million was stolen.

Below is the statement:
Nine men aged between 20 and 35 of Botswana and South African origin died in an exchange of fire with members of the Botswana Police Service this morning (23/02/2022) at Phase 2 location in Gaborone.
This follows an incident in which 11 armed men attacked and robbed Security Systems Cash-in-transit motor vehicle of over P986 000-00 at the Main Mall this morning.

The robbers fled the scene and were, later on, followed and confronted by the Police and an exchange of fire ensued resulting in fatal injuries to some of the robbers.
The Police have, in the process arrested a 30-year-old Motswana woman who was in the company of the robbers.
Assistant Commissioner Motube added that four pistols and an AK-47 Assault Rifle were found in the possession of the robbers whilst an undisclosed amount of cash was recovered.

By- Citizens Coalition for Change Vice president and prominent lawyer has lost his application to have his trial on assault charges against Ms Tatiana Alishina set aside and a new trial to start before a different magistrate and with a new prosecutor.

Justice Tawanda Chitapi at the High Court in Harare dealt with what he described as a lengthy application to start the trial afresh after matters arose over postponements and availability of lawyers with arguments made that the magistrate had erred and even that the magistrate exhibited bias.
In the end, Justice Chitapi ruled that the trial must resume before Regional Magistrate Ms Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro at the point proceedings were stayed to allow the High Court application, with no bar on Mr Michael Reza prosecuting.

Biti is free to use any legal representative of his choice, including Mr Alec Muchadehama who has been representing him through the trial so far and whose absence on other matters on one day last year triggered the row Justice Chitapi had to sort out.
The trial follows a complaint by Ms Alishina of a confrontation with Biti in and around Harare Magistrates’ Court complex after court proceedings in 2020.
During the trial there were applications for postponement and other applications, including one to have a point of law referred to the Constitutional Court. Some were granted but most were not.
On October 13 last year, the trial was supposed to resume, after being postponed for almost a week. When the court came into session a fill-in defence lawyer sought a postponement because Mr Muchadehama had been called to the office of the Master of the High Court over another matter he was handling.

After establishing that he should be free later in the morning Ms Muchuchuti-Guwuriro allowed a delay until 11.15am. When the lawyer was still missing she allowed the fill-in lawyer to contact Mr Muchadehama and the Master’s office several times.
It was established that while the original matter had ended well before the 11.15am trial restart time, Mr Muchadehama had stayed back for discussion on the Master’s fees.
Justicie Chitapi noted in passing that the Master of the High Court, was not a court and was not a judicial officer and so matters in his office could not be given priority over a matter in an actual court.
As a consequence of finding that Mr Muchadehama should be free, Ms Muchuchuti-Guwuriro said the trial had priority on that lawyer’s time and ordered the trial to restart.
The fill-in lawyer said he could not take part as he was unfamiliar with the case and would need a postponement to study the record, leaving Biti to defend himself. This is when Biti made his High Court application for a restart of the trial.
Justice Chitapi initially stayed the proceedings until the application could be thrashed out and decided in the High Court. Yesterday’s judgment basically found Ms Muchuchuti-Guwuriro had made an unbiased decision she was judicially authorised to make and so it stood.

Justice Chitapi dimissed the argument by Biti that Ms Muchuchuti-Guwuriro was biased, and dismissed his allegation that she had herself contacted someone at the Master’s office trying to track down Mr Muchadehama as there was no evidence of this and no affidavit from the named officer.
The judge said Mr Reza, as prosecutor and so the other counsel in the trial, had every right to try and track down his colleague. He agreed that the trial record sometimes showed intemperate remarks by Mr Reza but noted it also showed some of Biti’s statement were even more so. He found there was no collusion between magistrate and prosecutor in this matter.
The judge said higher courts were very reluctant to intervene in a matter properly before a lower court while the trial or suit were in progress. If every decision by a presiding officer that one party disagreed with could go to a higher court on review or appeal while the matter was still in progress then delays would be intolerable. In rare cases where someone’s rights could be seriously infringed otherwise, a higher court could intervene, but the judge stressed this was very rare.
Normally, these matters would come up in any application for review or appeal after the matter was concluded and usually any problems had by that stage self-corrected.

-State media

By- Bulawayo magistrate Marygold Ndlovu, is today is expected to make a ruling on a case involving Kumalo Primary School headmistress, Stella Mhlanga, facing peddling allegations of pornographic material.

Mhlanga (59) is alleged to have accidentally shared a revealing picture of her private parts on her WhatsApp status.

Mhlanga, who is out of custody, is facing charges of contravening Section 26 of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act Chapter 10:04 (Possession of prohibited articles). She pleaded not guilty.

In her defence outline, Mhlanga through her lawyer Byron Sengweni of Sengweni Legal Practice argued that she was never in possession of the alleged pornographic content.

She said that sometime in December 2019, she received a phone from her sister Sibusisiwe Moyo who is based in South Africa after her phone had been stolen by her housemaid. Part of her defence outline read:

Before handing the phone to the accused, the accused’s sister cleared the phone memory and when she received the phone there was absolutely nothing in it.

She will also deny ever posting pornographic images on her WhatsApp. The images were not posted via her phone but via some unknown device.

She will further state that upon receiving news that offensive material had been posted on her WhatsApp she was advised that she had been hacked and was also advised to restore her phone to factory settings.

When she restored the phone, she lost all the data in her phone but even before that she maintains that she did not have any offensive material.

She also argued that she was advised to stop using the phone in case the hackers attempt to hack it again.

At the close of the State case, Mhlanga’s lawyer filed an application for discharge arguing that the State had failed to prove a prima facie case against the accused and that the evidence was unreliable.

However, in response, the State submitted that a prima facie case had been proven.

The State argued that it had managed to show that the accused did have knowledge of the indecent pictures in her phone before and on the day she was arrested.

Allegations are that on 2 August 2021, a tip-off was received at Provincial Victim Friendly Unit to the effect that Mhlanga had posted pornographic material on her WhatsApp status.

She later deleted the picture but some of her contacts including teachers and parents with children at her school had already saved it and forwarded it to their friends.

Mhlanga later posted a new status apologising, saying someone had borrowed her phone. She said:

Good evening, sorry for what was posted on the status, someone had borrowed my phone. My sincere apologies people.

It’s not my character and I don’t post such in my status. Please delete.

Mhlanga was eventually arrested by the police who also seized her cell phone Samsung N910F Galaxy Note.

The cellphone was then referred to CID National Cyber Forensics Laboratory, Bulawayo for examination.

During the forensic examination, four pornographic images were retrieved from her phone and the nude pictures were also produced in court as an exhibit.

More: B-Metro

 By-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son-in-law and Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) chairperson Gerald Mlotshwa snubbed the Youth, Sports, Arts, and Recreation Parliamentary Portfolio Committee.

Mlotshwa was scheduled to appear before the Parliamentary Committee Tuesday morning and answer questions on the country’s state of football, but he failed to show up.

The committee resolved to charge Mlotshwa with contempt of parliament if he fails to avail himself on Wednesday morning.

The committee is chaired by Chivi North MP Mathias Tongofa (ZANU PF) and other committee members include Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) vice-president Gift Banda, ex-ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda, Oscar Gorerino, Tatenda Mavetera and Trevor Saruwaka.

Youth, Sports, Arts, and Recreation ministry permanent secretary Thokozile Chitepo attended the meeting, but the committee resolved to adjourn it to Wednesday due to the unavailability of the SRC officials.

Initially, it was said Mlotshwa was out of the country before Chitepo later suggested that he could be in Bulawayo.

Later on Tuesday, Mlotshwa said he could not attend the meeting because the invitation was at short notice. Said the SRC in a statement:

Correspondence dated Friday, February 18, 2022, was delivered to SRC at 1605 hours inviting the SRC chairman to appear before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation after the public holiday on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

The invitation, not constituting a summons from Parliament, was at woefully short notice.

The Clerk of Parliament (Kennedy Chokuda) has acknowledged that the invite should not have been sent at such short notice. He received and accepted the chairman’s apologies.

He is out of Harare for the better part of the week, having left town on the morning of Friday, February 18.

He has been in communication with the Clerk of Parliament over the matter for a mutually agreed date when the SRC board is likely to appear before the committee.

The SRC has already, nonetheless, given its written submissions to the committee in lieu of, and anticipation of, its appearance.

Care must be taken by all concerned not to appear to be interfering or undermining those processes underway or pending before our courts and other investigatory authorities.

Meanwhile, Chitepo said the quarrel between SRC and ZIFA was also a matter of concern to Mnangagwa and his Cabinet.

On 16 November last year, SRC suspended the Felton Kamambo-led board over a litany of allegations, which they have denied.

More: NewsDay

By A Correspondent- Telecel Public Relations Manager Mrs Zitha Dube has died.

Mrs Dube collapsed and died at her home in Monaville yesterday.

The development was revealed by Telecel Director and IPRCZ Board member Christopher Ribatika who said:

Good Morning Colleagues.

It is with a heavy heart that i announce the passing on of Mrs Zitha Dube. Mrs Dube was Telecel Public Relations Manager and a member on the IPRCZ group.

She collapsed and died at her house in Monaville yesterday.

May her dearest soul rest in eternal peace.

Regards Christopher Ribatika IPRCZ Board Member, Telecel Director

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) vice-presidents Tendai Biti and Lynnette Karenyi-Kore’s latest bid for freedom at the Harare Magistrates Court has failed.

On Tuesday, Biti and Karenyi-Kore were further remanded by Harare magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro in a case where they face a charge of violating COVID-19 regulations.

The duo is being charged alongside deputy secretary-general David Chimhini, secretary for mobilisation and women affairs Vongai Tome, deputy secretary for corporate affairs Lovemore Chinoputsa and Gladys Hlatywayo, who is the secretary for international affairs.

The CCC officials, through their lawyer Alec Muchadehama, filed an application for exception to the charges but Muchuchuti-Guwuriro dismissed it saying their application for review was not yet ready.

Allegations are that on 5 June 2020, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) received a tip-off that the then MDC Alliance leaders were gathered outside Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House in Harare.

The gathering was allegedly in violation of Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020, which prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people.

The State further alleged that they were planning to stage an unsanctioned demonstration.

The police intervened and dispersed a gathering of opposition supporters at the corner of Nelson Mandela Avenue and Angwa Street, leading to the arrest of the accused.

More: NewsDay

By- One of Blanket Mine’s employees, Andrew Clydon Phiri, died Monday following an accident involving a Left-Hand Drive (LHD) loader at the mine’s underground haulages.

The Gwanda-based gold mine, announced the death of Phiri through its parent firm, Caledonia Mining Corporation.

“It is with regret that Caledonia Mining Corporation plc confirms that an accident took place on the morning of 21 February 2022 at the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe as a result of which one Blanket employee, Andrew Clydon Phiri (aged 35), was killed.

“The accident involved a LHD loader in one of Blanket’s underground haulages.
“Further details cannot be released pending the outcome of an ongoing enquiry into this incident by the relevant authorities,” it said in a statement.
“Caledonia expresses its condolences to the family and colleagues of the deceased.”

-State media

 By-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son-in-law and Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) chairperson Gerald Mlotshwa snubbed the Youth, Sports, Arts, and Recreation Parliamentary Portfolio Committee.

Mlotshwa was scheduled to appear before the Parliamentary Committee Tuesday morning and answer questions on the country’s state of football, but he failed to show up.

The committee resolved to charge Mlotshwa with contempt of parliament if he fails to avail himself on Wednesday morning.

The committee is chaired by Chivi North MP Mathias Tongofa (ZANU PF) and other committee members include Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) vice-president Gift Banda, ex-ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda, Oscar Gorerino, Tatenda Mavetera and Trevor Saruwaka.

Youth, Sports, Arts, and Recreation ministry permanent secretary Thokozile Chitepo attended the meeting, but the committee resolved to adjourn it to Wednesday due to the unavailability of the SRC officials.

Initially, it was said Mlotshwa was out of the country before Chitepo later suggested that he could be in Bulawayo.

Later on Tuesday, Mlotshwa said he could not attend the meeting because the invitation was at short notice. Said the SRC in a statement:

Correspondence dated Friday, February 18, 2022, was delivered to SRC at 1605 hours inviting the SRC chairman to appear before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation after the public holiday on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

The invitation, not constituting a summons from Parliament, was at woefully short notice.

The Clerk of Parliament (Kennedy Chokuda) has acknowledged that the invite should not have been sent at such short notice. He received and accepted the chairman’s apologies.

He is out of Harare for the better part of the week, having left town on the morning of Friday, February 18.

He has been in communication with the Clerk of Parliament over the matter for a mutually agreed date when the SRC board is likely to appear before the committee.

The SRC has already, nonetheless, given its written submissions to the committee in lieu of, and anticipation of, its appearance.

Care must be taken by all concerned not to appear to be interfering or undermining those processes underway or pending before our courts and other investigatory authorities.

Meanwhile, Chitepo said the quarrel between SRC and ZIFA was also a matter of concern to Mnangagwa and his Cabinet.

On 16 November last year, SRC suspended the Felton Kamambo-led board over a litany of allegations, which they have denied.

More: NewsDay

By-A report claiming that Citizens for Coalition Change (CCC) president Nelson Chamisa incited people to use violence to get him into power during a rally in Harare on Sunday is false, CITE has established.

ON SUNDAY EVENING, a ZBC News report claimed Chamisa had incited his supporters to topple the Government during the CCC’s maiden rally at Zimbabwe Grounds, Highfields, Harare. ZBC reported:

While he might have changed the name from the MDC-Alliance to the Citizens Coalition for Change but for Nelson Chamisa old habits die hard and indeed a leopard can never change its spots.

The CCC leader surprised his supporters when he admitted that his party does not have an ideology except when he gets into power Western Countries will give him money.

Like violent student leader he is always been, Chamisa reminded men of violence, his supporters that unleashed on 1 August 2018 and January 2019 by calling on his supporters to topple the Government.

He also called on teachers to go on strike reminding many of the dark days of violent demos that destroyed the economy in early 2000.

Chamisa’s calls for teachers to go on strike confirms utterances by the opposition party masters in the House of Lords who revealed that they were indeed working with Zimbabwe teachers’ unions to destabilize the government.

This is not what Chamisa said according to CITE. On the issue of teachers’ strike and the Government’s threat to fire them, Chamisa was quoted as saying:

I know teachers are suffering, employees are suffering. Do you know that a teacher is not asking for much, teachers are only saying they want their salaries to be returned to the US$540 they used to get when Mugabe was still president.

Chamisa is not hunger, Chamisa is just a person. When people are hungry they have a legitimate reason to demand food.

When we are in power the first thing that we will address is to retain your salaries to what you used to get during Mugabe’s era.

We will review it going forward because teachers are the foundation of a nation, guardians of the destiny of any nation, the campus of civilization.

If there is no teacher there is are politicians, cooks, or builders. Teachers are supposed to be given respect.

On toppling the Government claims, Chamisa was actually referring to anomalies found on the voters’ roll. CITE quoted him as saying:

We commissioned experts to analyse the voters’ roll. I had been tipped off by some senior government officials that the document was being tampered with.

We have infiltrators in government departments — we have infiltrated all government departments.

We will not let ZEC get away with its manipulation. Starting with this by-election, if ZEC does not address these anomalies, it will not be well.

There will be instability in the country. On the issue of voter manipulation, do not panic. We have strategies.

The first strategy is to ensure that ZEC policies are compatible with the Constitution. If they don’t heed our demands, then we will take legal remedies.

But we know that the courts may not be able to deliver justice fairly. We have our own solution. We will go to the streets. We will protest against ZEC.

More: CITE

By- Another Zimbabwean man, Prince Dube(31), was on Tuesday shot dead during an alleged shoot-out with members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mmatswale township on the outskirts of Musina in Limpopo Province.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed Dube’s death, saying one of his accomplices was arrested. said Mojapelo:

The police received information about the believably dangerous suspect who, together with his companions, were allegedly terrorising the community around Musina with armed robberies and other serious crimes.

A dedicated team of the local members was assembled and conducted a snap search operation at the identified location.

A further probe led the members to the suspect’s alleged accomplices in the area, and on arrival the suspect allegedly started shooting at the members who returned fire, fatally wounding him.

He was identified as Prince Dube from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Majapelo revealed that police recovered five illegal firearms, including two pistols, two .303 rifles and one pellet gun, during the operation.

Dube’s alleged accomplice is being charged for murder, attempted murder and possession of illegal firearms.

More: IOL

By A Correspondent- Citizens Coalition for Change President Nelson Chamisa and Zanu PF leader Emerson Mnangagwa are expected to address their party rallies in Kwekwe this weekend.

This was announced by a top Chamisa ally and aspiring Mbizo lawmaker. Settlement Chikwinya on his Facebook page.

Posted Chikwinya:

It’s going to be an exciting Weekend for Kwekwe Residents as @edmnangagwa will address a rally in Mbizo Stadium on 26 February while @nelsonchamisa addresses at Mbizo 4 Shopping Centre on 27/02
Kuzaba lit, ” he said.

Tinashe Sambiri|Zanu PF chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has threatened the opposition with the gun.

The Zanu PF official stunned all and sundry after claiming her party will not concede defeat in the coming polls.

Muchinguri- Kashiri further claimed that the pen cannot change the current political scenario.

The Zanu PF chairperson accused the opposition of calling for sanctions on Harare.

Analysts Muchinguri-Kashiri’s utterances indicate Zanu PF has been shaken by President Nelson Chamisa’s rally.

She wrote on Twitter:
“Wapwere weZimbabwe wango ziwa the party to vote for. Zimbabwe yaka uya ngehondo saka haizo endaba ngeball point pen!!

The regime change agenda will not be tolerated. This is a threat to our sovereignty. Western sponsored imperialist backed CCC will never rule this country. Never!

Kuvotera wanhu wanoda masanctions kusafunga.”

By A Correspondent- A Zimbabwean national, Wellington Kachidza, who pleaded guilty to multiple murders in South Africa, revealed that after a ransom was paid for his victims, he killed them by crushing their heads with rocks.

Kachidza (27), appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Last week, Kachidza pleaded guilty to multiple crimes including at least six murder charges, eight kidnappings, three rapes, robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft.

The court accepted his plea and convicted him on 34 counts in total.

The case was postponed to Wednesday for evidence in mitigation before sentencing.

Kachidza revealed in his guilty plea how he lied to his victims to lure and murder them.

He claimed to need help fetching a car in Eesterust because he did not have a driver’s licence.

On arrival at Eesterust, he would tell his would-be victim that the vehicle was on a plot in the distance and convinced them to accompany him.

In one such incident, on 8 October 2019, Kachidza approached Rendani Maphiri at a garage where he worked and duped him into fetching the car. He said:

After the deceased had knocked off from work, we took a taxi to Eesterust and when we reached there, I convinced the deceased that the motor vehicle was on the other side of the mountain and we had to take a shortcut over the mountain.

When we reached the top of the mountain near a reservoir I attacked the deceased and hit him with a rock on the head. The deceased fell to the ground and became dizzy.

I instructed him to take out his cellphone and to call his sister to tell her he was kidnapped and I demanded an R5 000 ransom.

About R2 000 was sent to the deceased’s cellphone and I later withdrew the money at an ATM.

Kachidza then took his victim’s cellphone by force and after the money was transferred, he killed him by bashing his head with a rock and left his body on the mountain.

Kachidza also lured Tebatso Mogoathlo using the same method and immediately attacked him on the mountain, striking him with a stone on the head. He said:

I then removed his shoelaces and tied his hands. I took his cellphone and told him to call his mother and inform her that he has been kidnapped.

I demanded R3 000 to be paid in the deceased’s bank account.

He said after R2 000 was deposited, he crushed the deceased’s head with a rock and left his body on the mountain.

On the charges of rape, Kachidza lured victims by making them believe he found them a job but would later instruct them to undress and then rape them.

Kachidza also pleaded guilty to contravening South Africa’s Immigration Act.-TimesLive

By Nomusa Garikai- The EU calls on the Zimbabwe government to implement the EU 2018 election recommendation but to no avail because they are ignoring Zanu PF’s political partner – it takes two to tango!

“The EU follows closely the electoral agenda in Zimbabwe and stands ready to continue its support to electoral reforms – an important pillar to strengthen democracy – based on the recommendations of the 2018 EU Election Observation Mission. The EU is preparing for a follow-up mission,” reads the EU’s recent statement.

“Moreover, the EU welcomes the reassurances given by the authorities of Zimbabwe that they will be inviting international electoral observers for the 2023 elections including an EU Election Observation Mission.”

The recommendations of the 2018 EU Election Observer Mission are absolutely necessary if Zimbabwe is to hold free, fair and credible elections. Not even token reforms have been implemented.

On the other hand, it is no secret that Zanu PF will be risking losing the elections if the regime was to implement these recommendations. The EU pressure on Zanu PF to implement the recommendations is reduced if not totally neutralized by Zimbabwe’s opposition’s determination to participate in these elections knowing fully well not only that Zanu PF was rigging but more significantly that by participating they were giving Zanu PF legitimacy.

Zimbabwe’s opposition has been participating in these flawed elections for selfish reasons.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” confessed David Coltart in his book The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe. Coltart is a former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 to 2013 GNU.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

EU’s call for election reforms and free and fair elections is falling on deaf Zanu PF and MDC/CCC ears; as long as Chamisa and company continue participating to give Zanu PF legitimacy there will never be free, fair and credible elections. It is high time that EU acknowledged for there to be meaningful political change in Zimbabwe pressure must be brought to bear on both Zanu PF and the MDC/CCC because there is a symbiotic relationship between the two.

Zimbabwe is standing on the edge of the precipitous abyss and another rigged election may well send the nation tumbling over the edge. Both Zanu PF and MDC/CCC must now be told in no uncertain terms that they each have a role to play in making sure 2023 elections are free, fair and credible.

By A Correspondent- A 42-year old Harare man yesterday appeared at the Mbare Magistrates Court charged with insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Clapton Redi (42) pleaded not guilty when he appeared before magistrate Rangarirayi Gakanje, who remanded him to March 2 for trial commencement.

Allegations are that on December 14 last year, Patrick Madiye, who is employed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission as a senior investigation officer, parked his vehicle at Tsiga Tyres along Jack Bakasa Street, Mbare.

Madiye allegedly overheard Redi talking to one Majaya, a Zanu-PF ward chairman in Mbare, insulting the President .

Redi was asked by Majaya why he was insulting the President.

He allegedly continued to insult Mnangagwa, leading Majaya to file a police report, which resulted in his arrest.

Tatenda Furaijo appeared for the State.

By A Correspondent- Six Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activists appeared in court facing a charge of insulting police officers calling them President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s dogs.

Nobody Makoni (51), Batsirai Sora (33), Kudzai Sachiwo (27), Jacob Chigodora (32), Chipo Mungoshi (34) and Memory Chikodze (35), who are on $5 000 bail, appeared before Barbara Mateko at the Harare Magistrates Court.

They will be back in court on March 3 for a ruling.

According to the charge sheet, it is alleged that the six insulted police officers saying: “Mapurisa imi murimbwa dzaMnangagwa. Munongoshandiswa muchafa muchitambura (You police officers are Mnangagwa’s dogs. You are being used, you will die poor).”

The alleged incident happened in Epworth in November last year where opposition activists had gathered for a meeting.

Their lawyer, Noble Chinhanu of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, yesterday challenged the State to prove how the police officers were robbed of their dignity by the alleged insults.

“There is nothing to show that the accused were not merely making an observation on the office of a police officer in particular and nothing in their personal capacity as human beings. The complainant’s name was not mentioned except the offence of a policeman/policewoman in general. The complainant is taking offence for the entire police service,” Chinhanu said.

Tambudzai Dzumbunu, a female police officer stationed at Epworth Police Station is the complainant in the case.

Chinhanu argued that being called Mnangagwa’s dog was a compliment as it described the loyalty of the “insulted” police officers.

“If the accused meant that the office of the police officers can be construed as Mnangagwa’s dogs in the sense that they are in the loyal service of the State and Mnangagwa is the Head of State, one wonders why we are even wasting resources on this case. There is no particularisation of which part is insulting,” Chinhanu said.

“This could be anything and the accused at the very moment are perplexed wondering which of the following is the reason for the feelings felt by the complaint: is it the reference to the dog, is it the reference to being in Mr Mnangagwa’s service in particular, is it the claim that they are being abused or is it that it was said that they are suffering or will die suffering?”

“The complainant is obviously not a dog belonging to Mnangagwa and no one in their right mind would mistake her for one. There is no mention of the insulating qualities of a dog that the accused likened her to. On most accounts, a dog is a wonderful animal with noble qualities and traits. Most notable is the wonderful phrase ‘man’s best friend’ with regard to its loyalty, braverly, companionship, service and protection or security.”

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- A 31 year old man was fatally wounded during an alleged shoot-out with the police in Mmatswale township on the outskirts of Musina in Limpopo.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the suspected criminal identified as Zimbabwean national Prince Dube died on Tuesday, while one of his accomplices was arrested.

“The police received information about the believably dangerous suspect who, together with his companions, were allegedly terrorising the community around Musina with armed robberies and other serious crimes. A dedicated team of the local members was assembled and conducted a snap search operation at the identified location,” said Mojapelo.

The law enforcement team succeeded in apprehending the suspect.

“Further probe led the members to the suspect’s alleged accomplices in the area, and on arrival the suspect allegedly started shooting at the members who returned fire, fatally wounding him. He was identified as Prince Dube from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe,” said Mojapelo.

He said police recovered five illegal firearms, including two pistols, two .303 rifles and one pellet gun, during the operation.

“The firearms will be subjected to ballistic examination to determine if they were used in other serious crimes. Cases of murder, attempted murder and possession of illegal firearms have been opened. The suspect might be linked with other serious crimes as police investigations are unfolding,” said Mojapelo.

In Gauteng, a group comprising South Africans, a Botswana national and Zimbabweans on Monday exchanged extensive gunfire with police officers in Rosettenville, Gauteng.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said the group of men appeared to be well trained and proficient in the use of firearms.

“Our investigators have just left the scene now, they are exhausted. They picked up about a hundred bullets from the scene. They were still picking some this morning,” said Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa.

“It really looks very bad. Some of the deceased robbers were found in people’s yards. Imagine getting to your house and there you found somebody’s body. They were also shooting at police. Some of the bullets are on the roofs of some of the houses in that area. It is a very big scene that will take quite a lot to complete in investigating.”

She said the criminals looked experienced.

“Even the manner in which they were shooting at the police, it looks like people who are well trained. The allegation is that the suspect from Botswana who was arrested is a mastermind. I mean, a person leaves Botswana and comes to commit crime in South Africa and becomes a mastermind of crime. It is saddening,” she said.

“We don’t want to judge. I’m just gonna leave it at that. Ipid is doing its job, only to investigate. The rest, we leave it to the courts.”

She said Ipid had collected the firearms of the police officers who were involved in taking down the criminals.

“So far we have got about 50 names of police officers who were involved. We are going to collect their statements as well. Some of them were really not in a good state. I was there last night when investigators were interviewing them. Some are really traumatised,” said Langa.-IOL

“This is Gurwe Radio and we announce today that the soldiers have taken over the country and President …and his wife… have flown out; we now have a new govt and everyone is celebrating.”

A hilarious doctored picture of CCC President Nelson Chamisa chasing Emmerson Mnangagwa down a street has taken the nation by storm.

In the graphic Chamisa is wielding a sharp stick pursuing Mnangagwa, while the ZANU PF coupist is busy pouncing the ground fleeing Chamisa like a copper wire thief. The image is reminiscent of the weeks before the removal of Robert Mugabe when a social media radio station began dishing out podcasts that suggested Mnangagwa would chase his own boss Robert Mugabe out of Zimbabwe. The audiocasts would sound as follows: “This is Gurwe Radio and we announce today that the soldiers have taken over the country and President Mugabe and his wife Grace have flown out; we now have a new govt and everyone is celebrating.” WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?

By A Correspondent- Citizens Coalition for Change President Nelson Chamisa and Zanu PF leader Emerson Mnangagwa are expected to address their party rallies in Kwekwe this weekend.

This was announced by a top Chamisa ally and aspiring Mbizo lawmaker. Settlement Chikwinya on his Facebook page.

Posted Chikwinya:

It’s going to be an exciting Weekend for Kwekwe Residents as @edmnangagwa will address a rally in Mbizo Stadium on 26 February while @nelsonchamisa addresses at Mbizo 4 Shopping Centre on 27/02
Kuzaba lit, ” he said.

By A Correspondent- CCC President Nelson Chamisa will be at Gokwe centre for the by-election rally this Saturday.

His party’s vice spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziba made the announcement.

“This weekend, we will present the Alternative, the Citizens Coalition in Gokwe. The intention, fellow Africans, is to articulate our agenda, introduce our candidate and prepare Zimbabwe for Change,” Siziba posted on his Twitter handle, Tuesday.

By-Yonah Ncube (94), who served as a personal driver to the late nationalist, Vice President Joshua Nkomo, is suing the state and seeking reparations after he was shot by a Fifth brigade soldier in 1983.

Ncube who was shot while at Nkomo’s home in Pelandaba Suburb told CITE in an interview at his sister in law’s house in Nketa suburb on Saturday that the matter has also been taken to the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) for attention. 

He added:

It was on 5 March 1983 when a soldier shot me point blank on the right side of my chest. I remember losing a lot of blood. I want them to pay me for my blood. They can estimate the amount of blood I lost and calculate its cost. 

I need closure, as I have been traumatised all my life since that day. I was 55 then and ever since I was unable to work.

On March 5, 1983, we heard a helicopter flying above announcing that Bulawayo was surrounded and everyone was commanded to stay home. I and other workers were at Nkomo’s house in Pelandaba in the afternoon when soldiers arrived with the support unit and searched the whole house. Many more surrounded the house and we wondered what they wanted. That afternoon I sent my son to a neighbour’s house because I had an uneasy unfeeling.

Ncube said that evening one soldier returned back and found him by himself. The soldier questioned him in Shona demanding to know where Nkomo was.

He responded saying he did not know but the soldier did not believe him. The soldier then commanded that the houses be searched. During the search, the soldier shot Ncube on the right side of his chest and he collapsed.

The soldier then left. Ncube was recovered later by the police support unit which came with one soldier and drove to Mpilo where he was admitted for two months under police guard.

The day after Ncube’s shooting, a state newspaper reported that Nkomo’s driver who was armed with a gun had been shot and killed, reports he denies.

After he was discharged, Ncube was taken straight to jail at West Commonage Police Station where he spent almost two months but no docket was opened, neither was a statement or his fingerprints taken.

Ncube says it is difficult to heed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for reconciliation adding he wants to know “why that soldier shot me.”

Ncube demands to be paid US$2.9 million as reparations but his lawyers, Webb, Low and Barry, however, have revised the figure down to US$30 000 broken down as follows: US$10 000 for loss of employment, US$20 000 for pain and suffering.

More: CITE

Tinashe Sambiri|Citizens’ Coalition For Change leader President Nelson Chamisa has declared that Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa will not be given space to steal the people’s victory in the 2023 Presidential Election.

President Chamisa made the remarks at Zimbabwe Grounds on Sunday.

President Chamisa is confident CCC will defeat Zanu PF in both rural and urban areas.

“Don’t worry about the countryside. Rural areas are now centers of transformation and change. I toured our rural communities and the regime almost had me killed after seeing the response of the citizens there. Yellow has been embraced everywhere.

Some citizens say voting is pointless because they’ll be rigging. The biggest rigging is not registering to vote. If the farm is big enough, the baboon won’t steal all the yield. We need to win with a huge margin that will overwhelm ZEC’s rigging plans.”

President Chamisa added:
“We’ve commissioned a team of experts to work on the voters roll. We’ve even been getting warnings from some in government, to pay attention to it. Yellow is everywhere. We’ve unearthed irregularities & now they are declining their own voters roll.

We gather here to also declare that never again shall elections be rigged in Zimbabwe. We need to give dignity to our security officers. Our war veterans helped liberate us. In my days in Parliament, I always stood for warvets & we represented them for free, under our law firm. Many died without enjoying the independence they fought for.”

According to President Chamisa, teachers have a constitutional right to demand decent living conditions.

“Our government will honour teachers. They are the foundation & guardians of the destiny of any nation. They are the campus of civilisation. Without teachers there are no politicians, cooks nor builders. They must be respected & given back their dignity.

Chamisa is not the poverty affecting our civil servants. Teachers have a right to demand a better salary and shouldn’t succumb to threats. Under our government, we will revert back to the salaries and benefits previously enjoyed by our civil servants.

In 2003, Mudede did the same in Kuwadzana & produced a VR with over 8k voters. We went to court to have the VR produced during 1st 20 minutes & that’s how we exposed them. We are warning ZEC to remove fake names on the VR & return them where they belong.”

By- The late Vice President, Joshua Nkomo’s driver Yonah Ncube (94), has sued the state for gunfire wounds he suffered in the hands of a Fifth brigade soldier in 1983.

Ncube who was shot while at Nkomo’s home in Pelandaba Suburb, told CITE in an interview at his sister in law’s house in Nketa suburb on Saturday that the matter has also been taken to the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) for attention. 

He added:

It was on 5 March 1983 when a soldier shot me point blank on the right side of my chest. I remember losing a lot of blood. I want them to pay me for my blood. They can estimate the amount of blood I lost and calculate its cost. 

I need closure, as I have been traumatised all my life since that day. I was 55 then and ever since I was unable to work.

On March 5, 1983, we heard a helicopter flying above announcing that Bulawayo was surrounded and everyone was commanded to stay home. I and other workers were at Nkomo’s house in Pelandaba in the afternoon when soldiers arrived with the support unit and searched the whole house. Many more surrounded the house and we wondered what they wanted. That afternoon I sent my son to a neighbour’s house because I had an uneasy unfeeling.

Ncube said that evening one soldier returned back and found him by himself. The soldier questioned him in Shona demanding to know where Nkomo was.

He responded saying he did not know but the soldier did not believe him. The soldier then commanded that the houses be searched. During the search, the soldier shot Ncube on the right side of his chest and he collapsed.

The soldier then left. Ncube was recovered later by the police support unit which came with one soldier and drove to Mpilo where he was admitted for two months under police guard.

The day after Ncube’s shooting, a state newspaper reported that Nkomo’s driver who was armed with a gun had been shot and killed, reports he denies.

After he was discharged, Ncube was taken straight to jail at West Commonage Police Station where he spent almost two months but no docket was opened, neither was a statement or his fingerprints taken.

Ncube says it is difficult to heed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for reconciliation adding he wants to know “why that soldier shot me.”

Ncube demands to be paid US$2.9 million as reparations but his lawyers, Webb, Low and Barry, however, have revised the figure down to US$30 000 broken down as follows: US$10 000 for loss of employment, US$20 000 for pain and suffering.

More: CITE