Condolence Message by the Honourable Acting President, General (Retired) Dr CGDN Chiwenga, following the death of Zexie Manatsa, 21st January 2022

I learnt with profound shock and deep grief of the death yesterday of legendary musician and artist, Cde Zexie Manatsa, who passed on at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals after succumbing to cancer.

His untimely demise leaves a deep chasm that will be very difficult to fill, not only for the Manatsa family which birthed him but also for our Nation which has lost a great patriot-artist.

Zex remains an iconic figure in the music industry whose music career dates back to the colonial days and peaking at the height of our armed liberation struggle.

He contributed immensely to the struggle for our country’s Independence through satirical, poetic compositions. Songs such as “Baba Tipeiwo Ndege,” “Musango Mune Hangaiwa”, Ndarota Ndina Mai”, among others immediately come to mind.

Singing at a time when the Rhodesian settler regime was committing horrendous atrocities against our people in order to preserve and perpetuate its minority rule, Zex used his musical talent and composition skills to revolutionary effect as he deployed different music styles such as township music, JITI, Simanje Manje and gospel to articulate national issues of the day.

His songs were always pregnant with messages aimed at inspiring others to focus on the greater good for our society and our great country.

Similarly, he was averse to both political and religious prostitution and encouraged our people to be patriotic and morally upright.

It will be recalled that his contribution during the liberation struggle was recognized when he was picked as part of the group of our local musicians to play alongside the legendary Reggae artist, Bob Marley, at Rufaro Stadium, at Independence in 1980.

The name Zexie Manatsa occupies pride of space in the annals of our national music industry and will always be remembered for his generosity of heart and givenness to mentorship and support of aspiring young musicians, including many successful top Zimbabwean musicians we have today.

Together with his famed musical band, significantly named the Green Arrows, Zex released many songs which have proved to be all-time hits such as Chipo Chiroorwa, Vaparidzi Vawanda, Tiyi Hobvu, among others.

In the passing of Zexie Manatsa, our country has lost a humble, devout Christian and pastor who will be greatly missed by many of us who knew him from way back in the ’60s and 70s.

On behalf of His Excellency the President, Dr E D Mnangagwa, our Nation, the arts industry, and my own behalf, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the Manatsa family, especially to his wife and children who have lost a beloved husband, father and mentor.

May they derive comfort from the knowledge that the Nation shares deeply their great loss, which is our loss together.

May his dear soul rest in eternal peace.

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Court Martial has sentenced two Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) members to 40 years imprisonment each for armed robbery.

The two soldiers, Lance Corporal Tatenda Dzimbanhete and Trooper Wilfred Munesi were sentenced on 19 January.

In a statement this Friday, Director Army Public Relations Colonel Alphios Makotore said five years each of their respective sentences were suspended on condition that they restitute their robbery victim, Simon Arnold of Surrey Farm, of cash amounting to US$16 830 and R600. Said Col. Mokotore:

Two soldiers, members of the Zimbabwe National Army, Lance Corporal Dzimbanhete Tatenda and Trooper Munesi Wilfred were on 19 January sentenced to 40 years imprisonment each by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Court Martial for armed robbery.

Five years each of their respective sentences were suspended on condition that they restitute the complainant, Simon Arnold of Surrey Farm near Marondera, cash amounting to US$ 16 830 and R600.

Both were reduced ranks of private and first-year trooper, respectively and discharged from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces with ignominy.

They both pleaded guilty to the charges of armed robbery which they committed on 15 November 2021 at Surrey Farm near Marondera.

The Zimbabwe National Army does not condone cases of indiscipline and misconduct and will continue to pass deterrent sentences on any would-be offenders.

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa has described the late iconic singer Zexie Manatsa as a pioneering legend of music in Zimbabwe.

Manatsa’s death is a devastating loss to the entire nation.

President Chamisa wrote on Twitter:

“ZEXIE MANATSA-A pioneering legend! What a gifted musician;what a great life.

My condolences to the Manatsa family & indeed the nation of Zimbabwe for the loss of this bundle of talent.

May The Holy Spirit comfort the family & us all during this very sad moment. RIP Great legend.”

MDC-T president Douglas Mwonzora recently suspended party deputy president Thokozani Khupe on several allegations that he said are being investigated.

It has now emerged that Khupe is facing seven allegations according to the letter of suspension dated 12 January 2022 addressed to her by Mwonzora.

The letter read:

Dear Madam

Re: Notice of Suspension Pending

Investigations Being of the reasonable view that you have acted in breach of the party constitution, its rules and regulations and acting in terms of clause 9.1.2.3 of the party constitution, I hereby suspend you from the party pending investigations and possible disciplinary action. This suspension is with immediate effect.

I am of the view that you have breached key provisions of the Real Change Code of Ethics for All Office Bearers of the Party as well as the Disciplinary Code of Conduct and Regulations contained in the Party Constitution. The grounds thereof are that:

1. Sometime in December 2020 you instructed one Patson Murimoga to make a report to the Police to the effect that some ZWL$ 6 million of Party money had been stolen from the Party.

You knew very well that this was false as you were in possession of all information to the contrary.

Your intention was to secure the arrest of certain leaders of the party on these false accusations

2. Sometime in April 2021 you instructed your former personal aide Kudzanayi Mashumba to file a false report that his money had been stolen from the President’s office.
Again you knew that this was false as you had
information to the contrary.

3. Sometime in August 2021 you instructed Amos Kaliati to file a High Court application challenging the Extraordinary Congress. You knew that the grounds that he cited were false.

4. You have undermined the National Council by publicly making false allegations against it.

At all times you have been in reasonable possession of correct information but you chose to publish false information.

5. You have from time to time contrary to the Party Constitution appointed “spokespersons” through which you have undermined the party leadership.

6. You have failed to discharge your duties as Deputy President contained in Clause 9.2 of the Constitution of the Party.

7. You have held meetings with some political parties hostile to the MDC-T with the intention to prejudice the MDC-T.

Some of these actions were calculated to bring the name of the Party into disrepute. The investigations into these allegations shall be done by the Arbiter General in terms of Clause 13.2.1 and Clause 13.2.2 of the constitution.

I have directed the Arbiter General to expedite the investigation to minimise possible prejudice to you, the party or any member of the Party.

I expect you to cooperate with the Arbiter General and his team as they carry out their mandate.

During the period of your suspension, you shall not do any party work, attend its functions, participate or initiate any of its activities.

You shall not, during your suspension do any activities including external activities emanating or deriving from your position as the Deputy President of the Party unless with the prior written notice from the President.

By A Correspondent- Some South Africans are forcing Zimbabwean migrants to move out of their rented houses in Gauteng Province while threatening to burn them.

Members of the South Africa First are undertaking what they call Operation Dudula, moving from house to house and evicting “illegal” immigrants from their rented dwellings in the townships.

In videos circulating on social media platforms, South African nationals are seen harassing people identified as Zimbabweans and ordering them to leave.

Below is one such video posted on Twitter by Phakama Mthwakazi warning Zimbabweans living in Gauteng to be careful.

Foreign Africans who are staying in SA townships around Gauteng, be on the lookout. #OperationDudula is violently removing people and telling them to go home. Your life is important, I pray for the safety of all Africans in that country. #Notoxenophobia pic.twitter.com/I2RhKQ6SmF

— Phakama Mthwakazi ?? ?? ?? ?? (@PhakamaMthwaka1) January 21, 2022

By A Correspondent- Chief Musarurwa born Enos Masakwa wept in court as his attempted rape trial against a 14-year-old girl entered its second day on Friday last week.

Tears ran down the traditional leader’s cheeks and he rubbed them off using his hands as a young brother to the complainant, a little boy gave evidence in court.

Provincial Magistrate Batanai Madzingira postponed the case to 31 January 2022.

The boy told the court that he saw Chief’s Musarurwa official vehicle parked at a secluded place near his parents’ home on the day the alleged rape attempt took place.

During cross-examination, the chief’s lawyer, Norman Mugiya, argued that the statement the complainant gave to the Police was different from the one given to Probation Officer Darlington Chigweshe and the court respectively.

Chigweshe, however, said that such was normal with children and in particular when they give evidence in the presence of the accused due to intimidation and fear.

The complainant’s father told the court that Chief Musarurwa gave him US$10 as an apology for fondling his daughter but the evidence was dismissed by the court.

Chief Musarurwa is facing two counts of attempted rape. In the first incident which occurred in September 2020, the minor said she went to fetch water from a borehole near Musarurwa’s homestead when the chief lured her to his place.

The traditional leader allegedly took the girl into a corridor in his house where he fondled her breasts, caressed her v*gina and kissed her. He then allowed her to go.

In the second incident that allegedly took place on 9 August 2021, Chief Musarurwa visited the juvenile at her place of residence and found her in the company of her parents.

He reportedly managed to persuade the girl to get into his official car and then drove off.

Musarurwa allegedly parked his car and fondled the complainant’s breasts, caressed her v*gina and kissed her for about ten minutes before letting her go.

The girl reportedly went home crying and told her mother about the incident. The case was later reported at Chivhu ZRP on 25 August 2021.

Corence Chimbadzwa represented the State.-mirror

By -In a dramatic move hours after MDC-T President Douglas Mwonzora announced that he had suspended his deputy, Thokozani Khupe, the latter said she had fired the former.

Mwonzora Thursday said he had Khupe and her loyalist and former party spokesperson, Mr Khaliphani Phugeni, for allegedly taking MDC-T matters to court.

There are also high suspicions that Mwonzora planned to recall Khupe from Parliament.

Khupe, through her spokesperson Mr Ntando Ndlovu, declared that her suspension is null and void.
“I must point out that as far as we are concerned Douglas Mwonzora does not have any authority to fire anyone from the party because as far as we are concerned, he is not the party’s president.
According to our party constitution, if a party member joins or supports another political party, he or she automatically fires himself or herself from the party,” said Mr Ndlovu.
“Douglas Mwonzora wrote a letter to Zec stating that MDC-T will contest the upcoming by-elections using the MDC Alliance name so he automatically fired himself from the party.
You will recall that we were recalling people from Parliament based on that particular section 5.10.(a) when they insisted that they are MDC Alliance.
So, when Douglas Mwonzora is saying he is MDC Alliance it means that he has fired himself from the party in terms of our party constitution.”
The country is set to hold by-elections on March 26 and most of the vacant seats emerged as a result of elected MDC-T members being recalled for claiming that they belonged to the Mr Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance party.
He said Khupe will today address a media briefing detailing the direction of the MDC-T to the country and party members.

“Dr Khupe is firmly in charge of the party in terms of the constitution.
She is the remaining vice president of the party and she will exercise the functions of the president in the absence of Douglas Mwonzora who fired himself from the party,” he said.
“The rank and file of the MDC-T are not confused; they are clear on what is going to happen going forward.
Suffice to say that standing committee which took those irrational decisions are an illegitimate structure who are just a gang of friends and who have no legal standing.
Therefore, the decisions that they take are rendered null and void.”

By- Violence is looming in Zanu PF’s primary elections for candidates who will contest in the March 26 by-elections.

The party by Thursday had dispatched ballot papers to some of the provinces.

Zanu PF had also sent its Politburo members to the various provinces to administer elections.

Mike Bimha, the party’s political commissar, said Thursday that preparations for the polls were at an advanced stage.

“We have just deployed Politburo members to the various provinces who are going to administer the primary elections.
“They will be assisted by Central Committee members from other provinces and also a team of directors and other officials from the party headquarters.

“We also have election commissioners assisting in some of the provinces,” said Bimha.

By- A South African-based Zimbabwean was shot dead in Johannesburg last Friday by robbers who made off with his newly-acquired Mercedes Benz.

The cold-blooded murder was captured on video camera.
Cleopas Mukombeza (35) leaves behind a wife and four children.
On the video, one can see a car blocking the now deceased’s vehicle and the incident is said to have occurred in the Yeoville area of Johannesburg. Cleopas was pulled out of his vehicle before being shot from close range.
The thugs even kicked his body before driving away with his Benz. Someone, though, was recording the incident from a distance.
Some of the suspected killers, it was reported last night, have since been arrested. Repeated efforts to talk to Mukombeza’s close relatives were fruitless yesterday.
However, we managed to speak to his friend, who requested that he should not be identified, to protect him from the murderers who are still at large.
“The matter is still under investigation so no one really knows what really transpired,” he said. All we know is what we saw on the video that the police showed us and apparently the video is also circulating on social media. On the day that the incident happened, I had talked to him around 6.30pm and he said he was going to call me.”
The friend said he thinks the whole incident was a car-jacking incident which went horribly wrong.
“Cleo was self-employed, he used to ferry executives, for example CEOs, managers and other people who did not want to travel by Uber, his business wasn’t Uber to be precise,” he said.
“He had just bought the Mercedes that he was using that night.
“So, what I think is that it was a car-jack that went wrong because normally, in South Africa, if robbers try to take your car, and you fight back or look them in the face, they will kill you.
“Maybe, that is what might have happened.”
He said the incident happened on Friday and they only got to identify his body on Monday.
“When we noticed that Cleo was not with anyone we thought he would be with, we went to the police who said they had dealt with a murder case in Yeoville, Johannesburg,” he said.
“We only managed to identify and verify that it was actually him on Monday morning at the mortuary.
“As his family, we still have a lot of questions as to what really transpired, but we haven’t been able to get answers because the matter is still under investigation.”
He said some of the killers have since been arrested.
-H Metro

By- Residents in some parts of Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces will go seven hours without electricity today as the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) will be carrying out maintenance works.

The maintenance will take place from 9AM to 4PM.
ZETDC warned residents in the affected areas to treat all connections as live.

In a statement, ZETDC said the affected areas are Criterion BCC Water Works, Plumtree, Figtree, Marula, Tsholotsho, Nkulumane, Burnside, Waterford, Douglasdale, Hillside, Fourwinds, Nketa, Emganwini, Rangemore, Nkulumane and the surrounding areas.
“The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to advise its valued customers in the Western Region that there will be a power supply interruption on Friday 21 January 2022 from 0900hours to 1600hours for the purpose of carrying out critical maintenance.
Customers are advised to treat all circuits as LIVE during this period as power may be restored without notice. The inconvenience caused is sincerely regretted.”

By- Another Zupco accident has killed one passager barely a day after another bus from the same company killed a pedestrian in the CBD.

 These accidents involving Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) buses in Bulawayo have raised the ire of residents who were already unhappy with the parastatal’s monopoly over urban public transport.

On Monday evening a 33-year-old woman died on the spot while four other people were injured at Pick n Pay Hyper after a ZUPCO bus driver lost control of the bus and ploughed into people waiting for transport to take them home.

Then on Wednesday around 7 PM, one person died along Masiyephambili Drive while six others got injured in an accident involving a ZUPCO bus and a truck.

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) secretary for administration, Thembelani Dube said:

The ZUPCO monopoly is not coping with the demand and as a result the servicing of those buses and kombis under the ZUPCO franchise is questionable, hence the unfortunate incidents that have occurred: one next to Pick n Pay and near Fambeki (Magetsini area) where precious lives were lost and some injured.

Allow all players to partake in providing the service to the commuting public.

The market forces will come into play and residents will always have the capacity to make their choices.

Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) coordinator, Khumbulani Maphosa, said most of the ZUPCO buses are not roadworthy. Said Maphosa:

Eight months ago, during a CITE interview, I said the ZUPCO idea was a disaster already happening and it looked like an unnecessary attack on the government policy by then.

Let’s face the reality, we don’t have a public transport system, this ZUPCO monopoly is a disaster already happening.

These buses are not serviced and I don’t understand why they are on the road and where is VID (Vehicle Inspection Department)?

Someone, there is sleeping on duty because the truth is these buses should not be on the road.

Maphosa called on the Government to devolve the public transport system by ending the ZUPCO monopoly.

Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) chairman Winos Dube also expressed concern over the recent accidents. He said:

The questions we are trying to find answers to are numerous, what’s the cause?

Could it be said that involved vehicles are not roadworthy? Are drivers not mentally sound for this critical service?.

All these are things we are made to assume are causes of these accidents that cost human lives at the end of the day.

We therefore as BURA call upon all involved in this transport industry to exercise extra caution as we do our work.

In March 2020, the Government banned private transport operators from serving urban routes thereby creating a ZUPCO monopoly ostensibly to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

More: CITE

By- A Kadoma gold dealer allegedly shot himself dead at his house after bashing his wife.

Never Samanga(40) is alleged to have had an altercation with his wife, Tariro Burombo, 37, before killing himself.

Police confirmed the incident, urging people to resolve differences amicably.
Sources close to the family say Samanga assaulted his wife on the fateful night.
Fearing he had killed her, he then took his own life. Police spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident. “Police are investigating a case involving a Kadoma man believed to have shot himself at his house in Rimuka,” said Nyathi.
“Circumstances were that the now deceased, Never Samanga, came from work armed with a gun.
“He was reported to have had an outstanding domestic issue with his wife.
“After an altercation, Samanga was said to have left the room, where his wife was, and shot himself in the house corridor.
“Investigations, with a view to establish the actual cause of death, have begun,” Nyathi.

H Metro

By A Correspondent- MDC-T President Douglas Mwonzora has suspended his deputy, Thokozani Khupe.

In a statement Thursday, Mwonzora’s publicist, Witness Dube said the party was investigating several allegations against Khupe.

Below is the complete statement by Dube:
The MDC T wishes to advise that First Vice President Dr Thokozani Khupe has been suspended.
A letter dated 12 January 2022 was personally delivered to Dr Khupe and her legal team.

The suspension was with immediate effect, pending investigations into the various allegations levelled against her.
Investigations are being conducted by a team led by the party’s Arbiter General.
The suspension is in line with the party constitution and is a result of certain issues that arose.

Once the said issues are investigated and fully resolved, the party will communicate such.

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa has pointed out that citizens are engines of change.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, President Chamisa called for an inclusive approach in the struggle for real change.

Said President Chamisa:

“DEAR ZIMBABWEAN CITIZEN…

Citizens are the engines that turn the turbines of good governance, a flourishing economy and national prosperity.

WE THE CITIZENS must #RegisterToVoteZW to deliver change and make things happen. Change must happen.

Make it happen! Thank you. God bless you.#Godisinit.”

BY- Residents in some parts of Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces will this Friday go seven hours without electricity as the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) will be carrying out maintenance works.
The maintenance will take place from 9AM to 4PM.
ZETDC warned residents in the affected areas to treat all connections as live.

In a statement, ZETDC said the affected areas are Criterion BCC Water Works, Plumtree, Figtree, Marula, Tsholotsho, Nkulumane, Burnside, Waterford, Douglasdale, Hillside, Fourwinds, Nketa, Emganwini, Rangemore, Nkulumane and the surrounding areas.
“The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to advise its valued customers in the Western Region that there will be a power supply interruption on Friday 21 January 2022 from 0900hours to 1600hours for the purpose of carrying out critical maintenance.
Customers are advised to treat all circuits as LIVE during this period as power may be restored without notice. The inconvenience caused is sincerely regretted.”

By- The High Court has deferred to next month, the case in which the State is seeking an explanation from former police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri on the sale of five properties that were part of the family’s large property portfolio.

Chihuri is being accused of side-tracking US$32 million of public funds into family companies and buying properties during the 25 years he was at the helm of the police force.

He is alleged to have sold five properties between 2017 and 2018, following his unceremonious departure from the police’s apex office.
The matter, which had been slated for hearing yesterday, was deferred during a case management meeting held before Justice Pisirayi Kwenda in his chambers.
Since Chihuri is contesting court orders allowing the State to forfeit his properties, Justice Kwenda proposed to have the matters consolidated into a single case for determination.
Both parties’ lawyers, Mr Chris Mutangadura appearing for the State and Mr Addington Chinake, acting for Chihuri, agreed with the judge’s suggestion and by consent of both parties the matter was moved to February 9.
The State seeks to freeze Chihuri’s companies and the properties, which his family acquired during his 25 years at the helm of the police force, pending the final outcome of possible criminal investigations and civil suits.
And in its fresh application that State wants Chihuri to explain how the properties were sold.
In the application counteracting Chihuri’s bid to set aside two orders issued against him, Prosecutor-General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi argues that a check with the Deeds Office showed the rushed disposal of assets by the Chihuri family.
The order, which the National Prosecuting Authority obtained at the High Court two years ago, encumbered Chihuri and the family’s various properties which were simultaneously placed under the management of the Asset Management Unit.
This means the properties cannot be sold without permission of the courts. The anti-corruption drive was enhanced through the enactment into law of the unexplained wealth regulations.
The orders were enacted into law through insertion of a new Chapter III A into the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act of 2013, with the High Court now empowered to make orders designed to elicit explanations from persons who exhibit possession of great wealth without having apparent lawful means of obtaining such wealth. Herald

By- A South African based Zimbabwean was last Friday shot dead in Johannesburg by robbers who made off with his newly-acquired Mercedes Benz.

The cold-blooded murder was captured on video camera.
Cleopas Mukombeza (35) leaves behind a wife and four children.
On the video, one can see a car blocking the now deceased’s vehicle and the incident is said to have occurred in the Yeoville area of Johannesburg. Cleopas was pulled out of his vehicle before being shot from close range.
The thugs even kicked his body before driving away with his Benz. Someone, though, was recording the incident from a distance.
Some of the suspected killers, it was reported last night, have since been arrested. Repeated efforts to talk to Mukombeza’s close relatives were fruitless yesterday.
However, we managed to speak to his friend, who requested that he should not be identified, to protect him from the murderers who are still at large.
“The matter is still under investigation so no one really knows what really transpired,” he said. All we know is what we saw on the video that the police showed us and apparently the video is also circulating on social media. On the day that the incident happened, I had talked to him around 6.30pm and he said he was going to call me.”
The friend said he thinks the whole incident was a car-jacking incident which went horribly wrong.
“Cleo was self-employed, he used to ferry executives, for example CEOs, managers and other people who did not want to travel by Uber, his business wasn’t Uber to be precise,” he said.
“He had just bought the Mercedes that he was using that night.
“So, what I think is that it was a car-jack that went wrong because normally, in South Africa, if robbers try to take your car, and you fight back or look them in the face, they will kill you.
“Maybe, that is what might have happened.”
He said the incident happened on Friday and they only got to identify his body on Monday.
“When we noticed that Cleo was not with anyone we thought he would be with, we went to the police who said they had dealt with a murder case in Yeoville, Johannesburg,” he said.
“We only managed to identify and verify that it was actually him on Monday morning at the mortuary.
“As his family, we still have a lot of questions as to what really transpired, but we haven’t been able to get answers because the matter is still under investigation.”
He said some of the killers have since been arrested.
-H Metro

By- Zanu PF Midlands provincial chairman Larry Mavima has disqualified two Kwekwe Central constituency parliamentary by-elections aspiring candidates on violence and vote-buying allegations.

Bishop Kandros Mugabe and Energy ‘Dhala’ Ncube, who intended to stand in the impending parliamentary by-elections, were both disqualified for allegedly dragging the name of the party into disrepute.

Mugabe lost in the 2018 elections, and Ncube is the nephew of former State Security Minister Owen Ncube.

“I can confirm that the provincial executive has decided to disqualify both Energy Ncube and Kandros Mugabe for bringing the name of the party into disrepute through violence and vote buying,” said Mavima.

 By- Seven elephants have been found dead by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers at the Ngamo Forest on the outskirts of the Hwange National Park.

Zimparks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, told VicFallsLive on Thursday that the seven elephants, including a bull and calves, died two months ago.

Farawo also revealed that tests carried out so far have ruled out cyanide poisoning. Said Farawo:

Our investigations are still ongoing, but the laboratory results ruled out the suspicion of them dying from cyanide poisoning but we are still exploring the possible causes of their deaths.

The seven deceased elephants were a family because there was a bull, substandard ones and calves.

Hyenas and vultures could’ve also immediately died because they fed on the corpses but patrol officers did not come across any that had died, so we suspect that they might have died from an infection that is still under investigation.

Their ivory was also still intact, so the other theory could be that they succumbed to a natural cause because when elephants age, their teeth fall off and at times their trunks could be faulty which affects their breeding patterns causing some problems which eventually leads to death.

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa has pointed out that citizens are engines of change.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, President Chamisa called for an inclusive approach in the struggle for real change.

Said President Chamisa:

“DEAR ZIMBABWEAN CITIZEN…

Citizens are the engines that turn the turbines of good governance, a flourishing economy and national prosperity.

WE THE CITIZENS must #RegisterToVoteZW to deliver change and make things happen. Change must happen.

Make it happen! Thank you. God bless you.#Godisinit.”

By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF secretary of finance Patrick Chinamasa has claimed that the main opposition MDC Alliance would not win the March 26 by-elections became its leaders Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti allegedly called for sanctions to be imposed on Zimbabwe.

In a long thread that he posted on Twitter, Chinamasa said Chamisa and Biti committed “unpardonable” sins by calling for imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe.

It was not clear from Chinamasa’s statements when Chamisa and Biti allegedly called for the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe.

“I address this tweet to Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti in their capacities as lawyers (although the first mentioned is a lawyer more in title than substance, skill and experience, and not as political leaders. I just want to remind them of two things.

I address this tweet to Messrs Nelson Chamisa & Tendai Biti in their capacities as lawyers (although the first mentioned is a lawyer more in title than substance, skill & experience) & not as political leaders. I just want to remind them of 2 things:— ZanuPF National Secretary for Finance. (@Chinamasa_PA) January 19, 2022

“First, when they asked foreign countries to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe and for foreign forces to intervene militarily to stop the revolutionary land redistribution programme, not only did they dig their own political graves, but they committed unpardonable acts of treason,” Chinamasa tweeted.

First, that when they asked foreign countries to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe & for foreign forces to intervene militarily to stop the revolutionary land redistribution programme not only did they dig their own political grave but they committed unpardonable acts of treason pic.twitter.com/ZKND9ucfmv— ZanuPF National Secretary for Finance. (@Chinamasa_PA) January 19, 2022

“Second, that in terms of our national Constitution and electoral Law, the Americans, the British and the Europeans, who have supported and sustained them from their formation, and who, at the request and instigation of MDC, imposed, extended and intensified the sanctions against Zimbabwe and its population, have no right to vote in the forthcoming parliamentary and local authority by-elections gazetted to take place on March 26, 2022.

Second, that in terms of our National Constitution & Electoral Law the Americans, the British & the Europeans, who have supported & sustained them from their formation & who, at the request & instigation of MDC, imposed, extended & intensified the sanctions against Zimbabwe …— ZanuPF National Secretary for Finance. (@Chinamasa_PA) January 19, 2022

“They ought to know that being regularly invited as honoured guests to the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] and Pentagon (US), M15 HQ [United Kingdom’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency] gives them no political capital that can translate into votes for them and will not save the MDC Alliance from the political rout that awaits them come March 26, 2022.”

They ought to know that being regular invited honoured guests to the CIA & Pentagon (USA) HQ & M15 (UK) HQ gives them no political capital that can translate into votes for them & will not save the MDC Alliance from the political rout that awaits them come 26 March 2022.— ZanuPF National Secretary for Finance. (@Chinamasa_PA) January 19, 2022

Chinamasa said the people of Zimbabwe should reject “quislings”.

“For this treachery, the mass revolutionary party Zanu-PF will execute its revolutionary mandate and politically bury the MDC-A and its allies in the forthcoming by-elections on March 26,” he said.

For this treachery the Mass Revolutionary Party ZanuPF will execute its revolutionary mandate & politically bury the MDCA & its allies in the forthcoming By-Elections on March 26. Nyika inotongwa nevene vayo. Those who have eyes let them ‘eye’ & those who have ears let them ‘ear’— ZanuPF National Secretary for Finance. (@Chinamasa_PA) January 19, 2022

Chamisa and Biti referred all questions on the issue to the MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere, who blasted Chinamasa’s utterances describing them as very unfortunate.

“Their President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) told them to stop moaning about sanctions, which as a matter of fact, were imposed because of the Zanu-PF misrule. It’s not sanctions. Rather, it is corruption by regime elites which has brought this nation to its knees,” Mahere said.

“The people voted for the MDC Alliance in 2018, and they will vote for it again. You (Chinamasa) are frothing at the mouth and invoking incendiary language because the whole country is saying that you have no answer to this resounding call for change and new, ethical leadership.”

By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance activist, John Mupanduki, who was allegedly abducted, tortured and dumped in Bikita a week ago, was arrested charged with communicating statements prejudicial to the State.

Mupanduki was on Thursday granted ZW$5 000 by the Masvingo Magistrate Court. He was ordered to report every Friday at Bikita Police.

The MDC Alliance said in a statement:

We condemn his arrest [and] persecution. Those who abducted him on 7 Jan have not been brought to book. [The Zimbabwe Republic Republic Police] has not investigated his report.

Mupanduki was allegedly abducted by unknown assailants around 2 AM at Nyika Growth point early this month.

According to the MDC Alliance, Mupanduki’s abductors were driving an unmarked car. He was reportedly found the following day badly tortured and disoriented.

Mupanduki later made an official report at Bikita Police Station Law and Order after making an initial report at Nyika Police Base.

By A Correspondent- The price of flour has increased by 6.5% from $112 000 to $119 000 per metric tonne thereby triggering a rise in the price of bread by 15% from $175 to $210.

In a statement on Tuesday, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) chairman Tafadzwa Musarara said the new flour prices were effective from 9 January 2022.

Musarara said the increase in the price of flour was caused by the depreciating local currency against the US dollar, increases in the price of fuel, unreliable power supplies, among other factors.

He said:

The price movement has been occasioned by the upward movement rate on the auction since our last review, increase in fuel, maintenance and running costs, increases in the use of substitute\alternative sources of power due to intermittent ZESA supplies, increases in costs of labour, and increases in the price of imported blending wheat.

Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) acting director Rosemary Mpofu lamented the recent hike in the price of bread, saying the 15% hike was unjustified. She said:

We are saying that the 15% increase in bread prices is too high. At the beginning of this year, people were complaining about increases in the price of stationery, uniforms and school fees.

The three major bakers in the country, Bakers Inn, Proton and Lobels all increased bread prices, but their overheads are not the same.

Prices should show that suppliers are competing. What it means is that they are not competing and they do not care about consumers.

… Why is it that their pricing is following the black market rate when they get United States dollars at a cheaper rate?

The price of USD$1 at the black market is $210, and therefore using the RBZ exchange rates, bread should cost at least $150, yet it has gone up to $210 per loaf.

By A Correspondent- A Seke man drowned on his way to Nyatsime, ZimEye has learnt.

A close relative said on facebook:

Mourn with us because we are failing to accept this. To Unit F residents, we have lost one of our own, a brother,, friend and colleague, Prosper Chinyoka Nhandi.

He drowned on his way to his field in Nyatsime. Is this the goodbye? He was very young to die. I am in pain.

By A Correspondent- Chief Chikwaka on Wednesday testified against rape-accused Harare-based pastor Tapiwa Freddy before Harare Magistrate Gloria Takundwa.

Chief Chikwaka, an uncle of the complainant, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) presenter Rutendo Makuti, said the preacher enjoyed oral sex with his niece and also when the DJ was having her periods.

The traditional leader also alleged that T Feddy had sexual intercourse with Rutendo without her consent.

He said:

She said Freddy had accompanied her to her rural home in Chiendambuya. When they came back, the accused said he was tired and wanted to rest after arriving at Rutendo’s residence. He was then given a place to rest.

Rutendo told me when she went to the kitchen and came back to where the accused was, that was when Freddy touched her, but she rejected his advances. However, she was overpowered until they had sexual intercourse without her consent.

She also said the accused enjoyed having oral sex and also liked intercourse with her whenever she was on her menstrual periods.

Chief Chikwaka said he was surprised when his niece said he had not reported the rape to the police. He said:

I then followed up and asked her after a long time if she had reported and said “No”.

I asked why she had not reported and she said the accused was spreading stories that indicated he was proposing to her and she would accept him.

T Freddy is alleged to have threatened Rutendo, saying she will either vanish or lose her job if she reported him to the police. Said Chief Chikwaka:

Freddy was allegedly threatening Rutendo that she would disappear or be fired from work, but when he met me, he denied these allegations

By A Correspondent- A British national, Nigel Paul Byrne is seeking US$3 000 monthly maintenance from his estranged Zimbabwean spouse, Sandra Byrne, saying that he has fallen on hard times.

Nigel alleges that it was Sandra’s duty to take care of him at law.

The couple legally married under British law, the Marriage Act 1949 in 2007, but relocated to Zimbabwe where they then wedded in 2011 under the Marriages Act (Chapter 5:11).

Nigel submitted that the two registered a company, Bio Express Labs (Pvt) Ltd under his wife’s name. He claimed his wife told him that as a foreigner, he could not register a company locally.

He said he used his income from engineering work to fund the company at its formation, and that he worked as its chief executive.

In his application for maintenance, which was filed at the Harare Magistrates Court yesterday, Nigel submitted that he could no longer afford the cost of living, and was being denied access to their matrimonial home and company records.

He is seeking US$1 300 for accommodation, US$500 in rates, electricity (US$100), food (US$200), maid (US$120), medical expenses (US$400), fuel (US$100), clothing (US$150) and US$130 for water bills.

“The profits from the company are handed over directly to the respondent, thus the applicant’s only recourse is to make an application for spousal maintenance of the other spouse and has the capacity to do so,” Nigel stated.

“The applicant’s reasonably anticipated monthly expenditure on a standard no higher than that maintained while the respondent and him were living together is the sum of US$3 000.”

He also submitted that he was currently unemployed, making it difficult for him to meet day-to-day costs as he was evicted from their matrimonial home and denied access to company profits.

He said his legal practitioners advised him that he had rights to seek maintenance from his spouse.

“I have been advised by my legal practitioners of record that spouses owe each other a reciprocal duty to support each other provided there is need and ability on the part of the claimant and the responsible person respectively,” Nigel deposed.

By A Correspondent- Transport challenges have re-emerged in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city after the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) launched an operation on Saturday targeting drivers of unregistered vehicles and those without number plates.

The Police said some of the unregistered and plate-less vehicles were being used by criminals in the commission of rapes, armed robberies, among other crimes.

Residents who have been boarding private vehicles due to the acute shortage of Zimbabwe United Passengers Company (ZUPCO) buses said since the ZRP operation commenced, the transport crisis has worsened.

A student at Zimbabwe College, Sithandiwe Ndebele (22), told Chronicle that the transport crisis is affecting students as they are failing to make it to school on time.

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) chairperson, Ambrose Sibindi implored the Government to avail more ZUPCO buses and kombis to address the transport crisis. Said Sibindi:

Government policy states that only ZUPCO vehicles are allowed to transport people.

But these buses and kombis are not enough, they are failing to fully take care of the transport system.

The solution to these challenges can be allowing other legal transport organisations such as Tshova Mubayiwa, BUPTA, and City Transit to operate again as they used to.

This can help reduce pressure on ZUPCO, considering the fact that some of its buses are not in good condition.

There are those vehicles you board telling yourself that I’m kind of signing a death sentence.

ZUPCO Division Operations Manager Tineyi Rwasoka said he was not aware of reports claiming that people were failing to get transport at night. He said:

ZUPCO vehicles knock off when we are sure that there are no commuters waiting to be ferried to their homes, but we do take note of the curfew time.

We are not aware that commuters are facing the challenge, we will look into the issue as soon as we can.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister Marian Chombo said:

As we acquire new buses, we distribute to each province an equitable number of buses to enable continuous travel by our passengers.

In addition to the continuous enrolment of our private players into our franchise system to augment our fleet complement, we have also introduced rail services in the major cities during peak hours to provide passenger transportation.

In the urban areas, we also augment our available fleet by utilising buses that ply the intercity routes during the day, which assist with peak hour movement of our passengers.

We encourage all to use designated pickup points for the purpose of boarding our buses.

By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF was yesterday forced to postpone its primary elections from today after violence broke out in several provinces as aspiring candidates for the March 26 polls canvassed for votes.

The primary elections will now be held tomorrow.

Zanu-PF also barred several candidates from contesting in the primaries after they were linked to the skirmishes and vote-buying to secure tickets to represent the party.

The party’s recently-held provincial elections were also marred by violence and allegations of vote-rigging.

Zanu-PF political commissar Mike Bimha confirmed the postponement of the primaries which he said would now be observed by the party’s politburo and central committee members.

Provinces will provide their own polling officers.

“The party has deployed the politburo, central committee, national elections commissioner and secretariat from party headquarters to take overall charge of the conduct of both the National Assembly and local authority primaries. Provincial leadership should take instruction and guidance from the politburo members deployed to their respective provinces,” Bimha said in a statement.

Party insiders said the elections were postponed to give the party time to vet its candidates following the violent skirmishes.

The party yesterday disqualified two Kwekwe Central constituency aspiring candidates, Bishop Kandros Mugabe and Energy Ncube, for violence and vote-buying.

Ncube is related to the former State Security minister Owen Ncube, who was booted from his government post for reportedly presiding over the ruling party’s violent Midlands provincial elections.

The former minister was accused of bussing machete-wielding youths to the The Winery, a Zanu-PF property on the outskirts of the Midlands capital, where they allegedly threatened everyone at the venue who opposed the ex-Cabinet minister.

Yesterday, violent skirmishes were also recorded in Chinhoyi, where a vehicle belonging to aspiring local government candidate, Zacharia Pumhayi, was damaged by youths aligned to his rivals.

In Mashonaland East, two aspiring candidates were disqualified from contesting.

Noah Mangondo was barred, for the second time, from contesting in the Murewa South constituency. Ex-soldier Richard Mavhunga was also barred from contesting in the Marondera Central constituency.

The two were disqualified on the basis that they contested as independent candidates in the 2018 harmonised elections.

Addressing a Mashonaland East provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Marondera yesterday, provincial chairperson Daniel Garwe said disqualified candidates should approach the national headquarters for redress.

The province has three parliamentary and 10 ward seats vacant.

Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa referred questions to the Bimha, who was not picking calls.

By-elections will be held to fill 28 parliamentary and 105 local authority seats that fell vacant mostly after the MDC-T recalled MDC Alliance councillors and legislators, and as a result of deaths.-newsday

Cabbages are not for January disease. They're for life. The next first family has some healthy organic cabbages for you all. Vaye vanoda kutukirira @DMwonzora pa twitter muzoona kutukirira makaguta pic.twitter.com/nzitKoVCbn

— Mr_kays (@Mr_Okays) January 20, 2022

By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF Midlands Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) disqualified the nephew of under-fire former State Security Minister Owen ‘Mudha’ Ncube from contesting in the party primary election for Kwekwe Central.

The elections are slated for this Friday to select candidates who will contest in the March 26 primary elections.

The Kwekwe Central parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Masango ‘Blackman’ Matambanadzo in 2020.

However, Wednesday, the Zanu-PF PCC met and disqualified Ncube’s nephew, Energy Ncube, and the party’s losing 2018 parliamentary candidate Kandros Mugabe.

“The provincial executive held a meeting today (Wednesday) and resolved to disqualify Kandros Mugabe and Dhala (Energy Ncube) from the race,” said a source.

He said the disqualifications were due to the violence that rocked Zanu-PF internal polls last year with both Energy Ncube and Mugabe accused of fanning the disturbances.

“The party resolved to disqualify them following episodes of violence in the run-up to the primary polls and also dividing the party,” the source said.

Energy Ncube confirmed the disqualification.

“I come to you with a very heavy heart. Asi chandoda mese muzive ndechekuti everything happens for a reason. It’s sad that I have been disqualified and so has Kandros Mugabe,” he said.

“Reasons for the disqualification will be disclosed, but let’s not lose focus.”

Mugabe was not immediately available for comment.

Zanu-PF PCC has resolved to field former Kwekwe deputy mayor, John Mapurazi, as its Kwekwe Central candidate in March.

Mapurazi is going to face off with the MDC Alliance candidate, Judy Tobaiwa, and MDC-T’s Mbekezeli Ndlovu.

Mudha was fired as minister early this month by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on charges he was behind the violence that occurred when the Midlands PCC held a meeting held in Gweru to fill up vacant executive posts in the province.

By A Correspondent- The Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM) led by Bishop Amon Madawo has been granted its application for services of the Sheriff of the High Court to evict the church’s former deputy president Cossam Chiangwa, who now leads a rival church, Apostolic Faith Mission of Zimbabwe (AFM), from a property in Westgate, Harare.

The AFM’s lawyers, Mtetwa and Nyambirai Legal Practitioners sought the services of the Sheriff of the High Court to implement the eviction of Chiangwa, and those claiming possession through him, from 696 New Ardlyn, Westgate.

On 10 November 2021, the High Court ordered Chiangwa to vacate the premises but he had stayed put, prompting AFM to seek the services of the Sheriff of the High Court. The order, dated 19 January 2022, read:

WHEREAS Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe obtained an order in the High Court of Zimbabwe on 10 November 2021 against Cossam Chiangwa of No. 6 Kremio Drive, Marlborough, Harare ordering him and those claiming possession through him to be ejected from and out of 696 New Ardlyn, Westgate, Harare at present occupied by the said Cossam Chiangwa and those claiming possession through him.

NOW therefore you are required and directed to eject the said Cossam Chiangwa and all persons claiming through him, his goods and possessions from and out of all occupation and possession whatsoever of the said ground and/ or premises, and to leave the same, to the end that the said may peacefully enter into and possess the same, and for so doing this shall be your warrant.

And return you this writ with what you have done thereupon.

By- Mavambo President and Former Finance minister Simba Makoni, has appeared before the courts facing charges of violating the Exchange Control Act.

Makoni, whose party contested in the first round of the 2008 disputed Presidential elections, was arrested for selling products, at his Power Speed Electrical Shop in Harare, above the official rate of $88.55.
The court set his trial date for February 17, and he is jointly charged with his company.
He appeared before Harare regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
The Exchange Control Act prohibits the selling, displaying and offering of goods or services for sale, above the official exchange rate in Zimbabwe.
It is said that on October 6 last year, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe received information that some companies were procuring foreign currency at the forex auction, and selling their products above the official exchange rate.
The Reserve Bank Exchange Control Department deployed its officers who approached a number of retail outlets.
The following day, John Mashal Chinembiri and Tanaka Lincoln Sanyamahwe, from the Reserve Bank Financial Intelligence Unit Department, visited Makoni’s shop.
Chinembiri bought 750ml of Benzine for $423,65 while Sanyamahwe purchased the same product for US$2,42.
The State alleged the two were issued with point of sale receipts reflecting a rate of $175 per US$1.
This was in contrast to the official exchange rate of $88,55 to the United States dollar, which was prevailing on October 5, 2021.
Meanwhile, Best Zone Pharmacy, represented by its director Isaac Chipako, appeared before the same court, facing the same allegations.
Chipako’s trial date was set for February 9. The court heard that Best Zone pharmacy sold Benylin cough syrup for $1260 or US$7, which was at a rate of $180 per United States dollar.
This was in contrast to the official $88.52 per United States dollar. Lancelot Mutsokoti appeared for the State.

• H Metro

By- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has refused to be involved in the fight over the MDC Alliance name between the MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora and the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa.

This comes after Mwonzora last week wrote a letter to ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba asking her to block Chamisa and his party from using the name and symbols.

Chamisa has insisted on using the MDC Alliance name in upcoming elections since it was the one his party used when he narrowly lost the presidential race to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2018.

On Wednesday ZEC spokesperson Joyce Kazembe told NewsDay in an interview that ZEC would not interfere with disputes between political parties over names. She said:

We cannot block any party that would want to register with any name as long as the name brought is different from any other name that has already been registered with another political party.

If there are other individuals who want to block others from using certain names which are different from theirs, we won’t entertain them.

As long as the MDC acronym is used without making the name similar to the other names that have already been accepted as political party names, we can’t reject the registration.

Meanwhile, on Monday this week, a little known political party led by Thulani Gula Ndebele notified ZEC that it would also contest the by-elections as MDC Zimbabwe.

MDC Zimbabwe was registered as a political party in November 2019, according to documents that have been circulating online.

United Kingdom-based legal commentator, Alex Magaisa, warned Chamisa and his party that they could be barred from using the MDC Alliance name if Mwonzora decides to take the legal route. He said:

In the past, we have seen the nomination court accepting several names with the same acronym.

The electoral law requires a party to have a distinct symbol that does not resemble that of any other party.

What will, however, happen is, if ZEC cannot block the MDC Alliance from contesting using the MDC Alliance name, the electoral court may.

Mwonzora may challenge the use of the name at the nomination court and proceed to the electoral court, where the judgment cannot be contested.

There is no appeal and ZEC will abide by the court ruling and stop them from using the name.

More: NewsDay

By- A team of police forensic experts and fingerprint scientists have been roped in to assist in investigating the case in which four robbers recently raided a Mashwede Holdings food court and two other premises in Southlea Park, Harare.
Police yesterday said they are still hunting the gang of four armed robbers who got away with a vehicle, a Mitsubishi double cab and more than US$5 000.
The vehicle which had been parked at the premises for safe keeping was later found dumped in Nyatsime area and also near the scene was the safe containing the cash which had been robbed at Mashwede Holdings.

The scene was then attended by a team from the CID Scenes of Crime section which is responsible for evidence gathering by scientifically examining crime scenes, gathering fingerprint evidence and linking suspects to crimes that would have been committed.
According to police, the net will soon close in on the armed robbers as they have intensified investigations.
Police said the robbers, who were armed with a pistol and a rifle, first attacked a security guard who was sitting inside one of the vehicles parked at the premises before tying both his hands and legs with shoe laces before grabbing a second guard, and also tying him up with shoelaces.
The gang then went to Virtue Service Station where they used a hammer to break a metal screen to gain entry into the premises. They then ransacked a butchery and took away US$290 which was in one of the drawers inside an office before proceeding to a mini market at the premises where they stole electrical appliances.

Investigations revealed that the gang went to the third compartment which houses Chicken Mash owned by Mashwede Holdings and forcibly broke the aluminum doors with a hammer before attempting to break a safe which was containing cash, but failed.
So the gang then pushed the safe outside and loaded it on to a Mitsubishi double cab which had been parked at the premises for safe keeping. The vehicle was found dumped in Nyatsime area in Chitungwiza as investigations continue.
This was not the first time that Mashwede Holdings has been hit by armed robbers.
In 2020, armed robbers raided Mashwede Holdings and got away with over US$100 000, R42 000, $14 000 worth of fuel coupons, firearms and 20 live rounds of ammunition. The heist allegedly involved five Mashwede Holdings workers and nine robbers.
Among the five workers were two brothers related to the business owner, while two were security guards.
The five workers, Musafare Mupamhanga and Conwell Kasambarare (26), were then arrested and appeared in court where their case is still pending.
Spicer Takawira and Mupamhanga, who were wanted for committing a spate of armed robberies, housebreakings and thefts around the city, were last year arrested following a shootout with police in Glen View 7, Harare.

Police in November roped in Interpol to help in tracking down one of Zimbabwe’s most wanted armed robbery suspects, Kasambarare who is believed to be part of the famous Musa Taj Abdul gang.
He is facing a plethora of robbery and housebreaking charges. Kasambarare recently jumped bail and police have launched a massive manhunt for him.
He was re-arrested early last year on charges of committing a spate of heists countrywide, including the famous Mashwede Holdings robbery.
Kasambarare was granted bail last month but failed to turn up in court for his latest remand hearing, prompting the issuance of a warrant of arrest.

By- Zanu PF Midlands provincial chairman Larry Mavima has disqualified two Kwekwe Central constituency parliamentary by-elections aspiring candidates on violence and vote-buying allegations.

Bishop Kandros Mugabe and Energy ‘Dhala’ Ncube, who intended to stand in the impending parliamentary by-elections, were both disqualified for allegedly dragging the name of the party into disrepute.

Mugabe lost in the 2018 elections, and Ncube is the nephew of former State Security Minister Owen Ncube.

“I can confirm that the provincial executive has decided to disqualify both Energy Ncube and Kandros Mugabe for bringing the name of the party into disrepute through violence and vote buying,” said Mavima.

By- EFF President Julius Malema Wednesday approached white restaurants and demanded that the owners give South Africans employment preference ahead of foreigners.

Malema, however, said the employers should not stop employing Zimbabweans.

He made the remarks when he toured some restaurants to establish the employment ratio of South Africans versus that of foreign nationals. He told journalists after visiting restaurants in the Mall of Africa in Midrand:
We want to make an emphasis to the owners of restaurants that no-one should stop employing Zimbabweans and say the EFF said they don’t want them.
We want Zimbabweans to work in SA. It is their home. They should make no apologies about hiring Zimbabweans or any other African brother or sister. In doing so, they must be considerate that there are locals who must at all times be given preference.
Malema was initially barred from entering Kream restaurant with a manager handing a letter telling the politician that he would not be allowed inside.
He was eventually let in and commenting after the incident, he said Kream leadership apologised for their misbehaviour and blamed it on their legal department that had allegedly given the order.

Malema added that the EFF was pushing for the protection of the rights of South Africans and making sure local citizens are prioritised when it comes to employment.
He added that they are, however, not saying “our Zimbabwean, Lesotho, eSwatini and fellow African brothers and sisters should not be employed.”

Malema’s move has been condemned by political analysts who said it could incite xenophobia against foreigners.

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF has announced the postponement of its primary elections for the March 26 By-elections.

In a statement Wednesday, the party’s national commissar, Mike Bimha said the primaries are now on Friday.

He, however, did not state the reasons for the postponement of the elections, which were due today.

Below is Bimha’s statement:

Provinces are advised that primary elections for both House of National Assembly and Local Authorities have been postponed to take place on Friday January 21 2021.

The Party has deployed Politburo, Central Committee, National Elections Commissioners and Secretariat from Party Headquarters to take overall charge of the conduct of both the House of National Assembly and Local Authority primaries. Provincial Leadership should take instruction and guidance from the Politburo Members deployed to their respective Provinces.

Party Headquarters will assign Central Committee members to serve as Presiding Officers in the National House of Assembly primary elections. Provinces are requested to provide Polling Officers in both Parliamentary and Council elections as well as Presiding Officers in the Local Authority primaries.

Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa says he will never betray the late Movement for Democratic Change founding President Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’s vision.

President Chamisa also lashed out at “Lucifers” who betrayed the people’s struggle in a bid to please Zanu PF.

According to President Chamisa, fortune favours the principled.

“PRINCIPLE,HUMILITY & INTEGRITY. Fortune favours the principled.

The principled refuse to be comprised or bought to get it the easy way.Reason why I supported Dr MT to the hilt & up-to the end.

Sideshows and theatrics delay victory. It’s Luciferan to betray others!#LoyaltyisRoyalty,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.

Tinashe Sambiri|Representatives of former revolutionary party Zanu PF are unelectable due to rampant theft of State resources, corruption and violence against defenceless citizens.

This was said by MDC Alliance vice chairperson Hon Job Sikhala on Tuesday.

Zanu PF is afraid of the people’s struggle and it’s leader, Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa has dismally dismally failed to revive the economy, according to Hon Sikhala.

He argued:
In fear of us, they are running around like headless chickens in total confusion. Lets keep them guessing and unleash the fatal blow when they are in Mars chasing wind.

We are the people and with the people. Faka pressure !!!

By elections are coming. We must teach the old people’s home party a big lesson.

Start mobilising yourselves everywhere.

House meetings street by street, village by village.

RegisterToVoteZW

Chi party chakarambwa na Robert Mugabe asati afa kuti hachivhoterwi uye chaora, iwe takarasima nezvakasvipiwa na founding member we party.

Ndokunonzi kurwara.

Endai munorutsiswa

Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa says he will never betray the late Movement for Democratic Change founding President Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’s vision.

President Chamisa also lashed out at “Lucifers” who betrayed the people’s struggle in a bid to please Zanu PF.

According to President Chamisa, fortune favours the principled.

“PRINCIPLE,HUMILITY & INTEGRITY. Fortune favours the principled.

The principled refuse to be comprised or bought to get it the easy way.Reason why I supported Dr MT to the hilt & up-to the end.

Sideshows and theatrics delay victory. It’s Luciferan to betray others!#LoyaltyisRoyalty,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.

By-A 30-year-old Harare man has appeared in court on allegations of kidnapping a woman in the Harare Central Business District.
Jethro Mubaiwa was facing kidnapping charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Yeukai Dzuda.
He was remanded in custody to tomorrow for bail application.

The court heard that on January 11, the complainant proceeded at corner Baines Avenue and Eight Street where she then parked and sat on the passenger seat while waiting for someone.
It is alleged that Mubaiwa then arrived and found the complainant seated on the front passenger seat in the car with no one on the driver’s seat.
The court heard that Mubaiwa suddenly entered the car and took off at high speed along a road towards Avondale.
It is the State’s case that Mubaiwa then drove to Avondale Police after the complainant pleaded with him to drop her.

Upon arrival, the complainant reported the matter leading to Mubaiwa’s arrest.

-State media

By- Zanu PF Midlands provincial chairman Larry Mavima has disqualified two Kwekwe Central constituency parliamentary by-elections aspiring candidates on violence and vote-buying allegations.

Bishop Kandros Mugabe and Energy ‘Dhala’ Ncube, who intended to stand in the impending parliamentary by-elections, were both disqualified for allegedly dragging the name of the party into disrepute.

Mugabe lost in the 2018 elections, and Ncube is the nephew of former State Security Minister Owen Ncube.

“I can confirm that the provincial executive has decided to disqualify both Energy Ncube and Kandros Mugabe for bringing the name of the party into disrepute through violence and vote buying,” said Mavima.

By Court Correspondent  | Zimbabwea activist and poet, William Chinyanga has just come out court in the case in which he is charged for terrorism at the Old Bailey, London. Wed-the first day of trial and Prosecutors spent the morning into the afternoon reading and arguing the charges against him before a judge and to a 13 member jury.

From 10am, the Prosecutor elaborated on the 4 charges which border on incitement to commit and to encourage terrorism. The speeches are centered on live videos streamed between 1st and 2nd Dec 2019.

The Prosecutor said on the 1st to the 2nd Dec 2019, he live-streamed to over 7,900 followers in a mixture of Shona and English and went far beyond legitimate complaints.

At the beginning of the hearing, the Police Officer who arrested William Chinyanga walked out of court to acknowledge to Simba Chikanza that he has truly received phonecalls over the nearly 2 year period, and (while sounding out as if he has been interested in hearing further witness evidence) claimed saying he telephoned back in 2019 but there was no voice mail service to take in messages. There was confusion when he at the same time demanded that Chikanza should not be allowed to testify, saying the current interpreter is enough to give witness evidence.

Chikanza asked how possible that was for his official phone to fail to go into voicemail, something that can be proven with the network provider, and why the officer failed to send text messages.

The officer said he does not send text messages, to which Chikanza charged saying there is far more communication to the officer in the form of emails and physical visits to police stations, plus link ups with police, prosecutors, and even the Attorney General. The officer left to go back into court saying he will liaise with the Defence Barrister. An hour later, the court security said they would allow Chikanza into the court gallery to which the latter refused saying it could thereby jeopadize his ability to be a witness as stated earlier. Chikanza walked away.

The hearing is slated to run for several days.

By- Zanu PF secretary for security, Lovemore Matuke, has warned some rogue party members against disregarding the endorsement by the Politburo of the recently held provincial elections results, which elected new leadership.

“We expect party members to work in unionism in line with the party’s constitution. The constitution is our bible. Members should not defy the Politburo directive. Those newly provincial executive members were already endorsed,” said Matuke.
The call comes after reports emerged of heated disagreements at Provincial Coordinating Committees (PCCs) in some provinces.
However, Matuke said the Politburo’s decision is the supreme law of the party, so members who defy will face disciplinary action.
He urged members to adhere to President Mnangagwa’s call that regardless of the internal poll outcome, there were no losers in Zanu PF because ultimately, it is the masses who are victors.
“We want party members to cooperate with the Politburo decision, we should not create divisions within our ranks. Provincial elections were internal elections hence the party will not tolerate waywardness. Let us adhere to President Mnangagwa’s call”.
Matuke added that Zanu PF cadres are known for being disciplined and therefore are expected to toe the revolutionary party line.

By- Former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko faces imprisonment after the court has said that he must now defend himself on charges that he wrongly ordered the release of two top Zinara officials from police custody.

This week, Harare regional magistrate Mr Trynos Utahwashe dismissed Mphoko’s application for discharge at the close of the state’s case.

Mphoko is charged with criminal abuse of office after he allegedly ordered the release of former acting chief executive of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration, Moses Juma, and former Zinara board member Davison Norupiri from Avondale Police Station after their arrest in 2016.

He had applied for discharge at the close of State case arguing that the State had failed to present evidence in court that warrants his conviction. The State opposed his application.

In his ruling, Mr Utahwashe ruled that Mphoko had a case to answer and must be put to his defence.
The matter is being held in camera although his immediate family members are allowed to attend the trial.
According to the State, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) received a case on May 6, 2016 in which Juma and Norupiri were being accused of fraud and criminal abuse of office.
Investigations resulted in the arrest of the two for criminal abuse of office. Warned and cautioned statements were recorded on July 12, 2016.

The two were detained at Avondale Police Station pending court appearance on July 14, 2016.
On the same day at around 6pm, Mphoko, who was then Acting President of Zimbabwe, went to Avondale Police Station where on arrival, he allegedly abused his office by ordering the immediate release of the two accused persons from police custody.
The officer-in-charge allegedly stood his ground, challenging the unlawful instruction, but eventually succumbed to pressure from the then acting President and released the two from police cells.
This was done without ZACC’s knowledge, according to the State.

On July 14, ZACC officers went to Avondale Police Station to pick up the two suspects for their court appearance, but discovered that Mphoko had ordered their release.
Mphoko is expected back in court on February 4.

The power struggles between Chief Chikwanda and the newly installed Chief Musara have erupted again.

Chief Musara, born Boniface Musara Tuesday, dragged Chief Chikwanda’s aide Moses Hwingiri for allegedly undermining his authority.

The Mirror heard that Hwingiri disrupted two funerals where he blocked Chief Musara’s representatives from delivering the latter’s speeches. Hwingwiri claimed that the area was not under Chief Musara hence Musara should not speak at the funerals.
The matter is before Masvingo Magistrate Patience Madondo and the State is represented by Ruvimbo Makoni.
The Mirror heard that villagers in the area are observing chisi (sacred day) on two different days on Wednesday or Thursday depending on which chief the villager pays allegiance to.
It is the State case that on May 23, 2021, Hwingwiri of Magaisa Village under Chief Musara caused havoc at Muchechesi Village where he attended a funeral.
The Mirror heard that Hwingwiri interrupted when it was the village head’s turn to deliver speech arguing that the area fell under Chikwanda and not Musara. He influenced mourners not to respect Musara’s jurisdiction.
In the second count Hwingwiri was at a funeral at Dzani village under Chief Musara. When it was Chief Musara’s turn to deliver his speech, he interrupted Musara’s aide, Makomo Chirume from reading the speech and ordered him to sit down.
Accused went to inform the mourners that the area falls under Chikwanda.
The speech was not read. The case was reported leading to the arrest of accused.

• Masvingo Mirror

By- Former Finance minister in the late President Robert Mugabe administration, Dr Simba Makoni, has appeared before the courts facing charges of violating the Exchange Control Act.
The court set Makoni’s trial date for February 17.
He is accused of selling products, at his Power Speed Electrical Shop in Harare, above the official rate of $88.55.
Makoni, who is jointly charged with his company, appeared before Harare regional magistrate, Stanford Mambanje.
The Exchange Control Act prohibits the selling, displaying and offering of goods or services for sale, above the official exchange rate in Zimbabwe.
It is said that on October 6 last year, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe received information that some companies were procuring foreign currency at the forex auction, and selling their products above the official exchange rate.
The Reserve Bank Exchange Control Department deployed its officers who approached a number of retail outlets.
The following day, John Mashal Chinembiri and Tanaka Lincoln Sanyamahwe, from the Reserve Bank Financial Intelligence Unit Department, visited Makoni’s shop.
Chinembiri bought 750ml of Benzine for $423,65 while Sanyamahwe purchased the same product for US$2,42.
The State alleged the two were issued with point of sale receipts reflecting a rate of $175 per US$1.
This was in contrast to the official exchange rate of $88,55 to the United States dollar, which was prevailing on October 5, 2021.
Meanwhile, Best Zone Pharmacy, represented by its director Isaac Chipako, appeared before the same court, facing the same allegations.
Chipako’s trial date was set for February 9. The court heard that Best Zone pharmacy sold Benylin cough syrup for $1260 or US$7, which was at a rate of $180 per United States dollar.
This was in contrast to the official $88.52 per United States dollar. Lancelot Mutsokoti appeared for the State.

• H Metro

By- Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), leader Julius Malema Wednesday visited restaurants in South Africa to assess the employment ratio of South Africans against that of foreign nationals.

This comes as local nationals are complaining that businesses are employing foreign nationals leaving them to languish in poverty.

Analysts view the move as a departure from Malema’s African brotherhood philosophy, which considered “fellow Africans” as equal to South African nationals.

The change in Malema’s approach to immigration issues and South African Immigration Politics follow the victory of Herman Mashaba, president of ActionSA, in some local government authorities.

Below is EFF’s statement on Malema’s tour of restaurants:

CIC Julius Malema will conduct a visit to restaurants to check the employment ratio between South African citizens and foreign nationals.
The visit will consist of an interaction between CIC Julius Malema and the management of these restaurants, to check their labour policies, staff compliment and ensure that our fellow Africans are not exploited and locals are employed to a satisfactory level.
The visit will be conducted under the following details:
Venue: Kreme Restaurant. Mall of Africa. Midrand
Time: 10:00 Date: Wednesday, 19 January 2022 (TODAY)

By- Chinese mining company Monaf Investments has given villagers in Muchesu ward 12, Binga, three months’ notice to vacate their ancestral land after it was granted a permit to extract coal in the area.

This is not the first group of Binga villagers to be ordered off their ancestral land to pave way for Chinese coal mining projects.

Last year, government flexed its muscles and ordered villagers in Dinde to relocate to allow for a similar project in their area after they had resisted.
Binga activist Mujopeni Mudimba confirmed the latest development yesterday.
“Due to economic challenges, they only did the exploration process, where sample holes were drilled in 2010 and they went back. Now under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision 2030, they were given the greenlight to carry on with their investment and they came last year in October and resumed the project. They started by drilling a four-square metre hole which measures almost 64 metres deep and this is called a shaft,” he said.
“Then the eviction starts here. There are 14 homesteads on top of the coal belt, but not under the same village head. Some are under Siamulamfu, others under Ncheme 1, some under Siabutale. The meeting was held last week on Thursday January 12, 2022 in the presence of the Monaf Investments, ZimParks [Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority], district development co-ordinator, council, the President’s Office, EMA [Environmental Management Authority] and Ministry of Health representatives.”
Mudimba said the main agenda was preparation for resettlement of those affected and they were given a three-month notice to leave the area.
“All this will be done under Phase 1, but Phase 2 will be in two to five years’ time, we will see almost half of the ward being evicted, mostly Zuka village, and this village has two schools. The purpose is to build a power plant and other projects on the site, according to Monaf,” he said.
Mudimba said villagers were not happy with the evictions although the company promised to create jobs for the youth in the area.
“Each village head in the affected area has been given a period to go and look for a good resettlement site where houses will be built for the affected people, boreholes will be drilled and installed. This was a promise from the company. Good sanitation will be a task of the health sector,” he said.
“There are divisions among the villagers. Some wanted to resist the project, but since unemployment is a major economic challenge, almost half are in support of the project.”
A villager from Muchesu said Monaf was just making empty promises so that they could leave the area.
“We have seen a lot of people suffering as a result of these resettlements. It is impossible that this company will build houses for us or create jobs here. We are just going to suffer. It’s hard to leave our land. Things are not being done according to our will. Government does what it desires with our land,” said Simoni Mudenda.
Local councillor Mathias Mwinde confirmed the development, adding that they were holding a meeting to discuss the issue.
“Some arrangements are being made to resettle villagers. We are expecting to hold a meeting and discuss the concerns of the villagers because they are not really happy about being moved,” he said.
-Newsday

By- The National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) has announced the nationwide shortage of Blood Group O, saying that it is now operating with a day’s supply against growing demand as the majority of Zimbabweans are of that blood group.

More than 52 percent of Zimbabweans are in Blood Group O.
Those in that group can donate to people in blood groups A and B, but they can only be transfused with blood from those in their group.
School pupils account for more than 70 percent of blood donors and following the extended closure of schools as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, very little blood is being collected.

A pint of blood can save three lives and blood is usually needed by pregnant women during delivery, accident victims and patients requiring surgery.
A five days’ supply from a healthy blood bank is recommended at any given time and the NBSZ said it has more than seven days’ supply for Blood Group A, which is above the normal supply and could lead to expiries in the absence of increased demand.
For Blood Group B, the bank is running on about four days’ supply which is stable according to blood stocks standards and there is a shortage of Blood Group O.
NBSZ chief executive officer Ms Lucy Marowa said the institution had to adjust the frequency of donating to try and improve stocks.

“We do have a countrywide shortage of Blood Group O because it’s the most common blood group in Zimbabwe. At least 52 percent of people are Blood Group O meaning that even when we collect, the group is likely to dominate and at the same time it’s likely to run out faster compared to the others,” said Ms Marowa.
“Groups A and B can receive O blood but Group O cannot receive from any group other than O and this means we have a crisis if the situation does not improve. This means those in Group O cannot receive blood or undergo medical procedures that require blood urgently, they cannot be saved which may lead to an unnecessary loss of life.
We keep encouraging blood donors to come through and donate as often as possible and we look forward to recruiting more donors to improve our stocks.”
She added that in emergencies requiring blood, usually there is not enough time to do the matching and because group O is a universal blood type, doctors end up transfusing blood O and that gives a strain on blood group O because it moves out very quickly.
“We will also be allowing females to donate four times a year unlike in the olden days when they could donate after four months. Men on the other hand can now donate up to five times a year so that we improve.
This has been proven scientifically to be safe and we hope members of the public will come through and save lives,” said Ms Marowa.

-State media

By- Former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko faces imprisonment after the court has said that he must now defend himself on charges that he wrongly ordered the release of two top Zinara officials from police custody.

This week, Harare regional magistrate Mr Trynos Utahwashe dismissed Mphoko’s application for discharge at the close of the state’s case.

Mphoko is charged with criminal abuse of office after he allegedly ordered the release of former acting chief executive of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration, Moses Juma, and former Zinara board member Davison Norupiri from Avondale Police Station after their arrest in 2016.

He had applied for discharge at the close of State case arguing that the State had failed to present evidence in court that warrants his conviction. The State opposed his application.

In his ruling, Mr Utahwashe ruled that Mphoko had a case to answer and must be put to his defence.
The matter is being held in camera although his immediate family members are allowed to attend the trial.
According to the State, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) received a case on May 6, 2016 in which Juma and Norupiri were being accused of fraud and criminal abuse of office.

-State media

By- The are fears of xenophobia in Soweto following the launch by South Africans of an operation targeting vending stalls owned by foreigners.

The destruction of vending stalls happened at the Bara Taxi Rank in Soweto on Sunday.

The hawkers have complained that a resident-driven operation put in place to evict vendors who were in the country illegally wrongfully targeted them, resulting in them losing their stock.
The operation has also affected some local citizens. One trader said her ID book was thrown away when she provided it as proof of being a South African citizen, and that she was also accused of having obtained it illegally.
On Sunday, scores of residents, under the banner of Operation Dudula, descended on the rank to remove illegal immigrants hawking there. Watch the video below for more.
While some have criticised the South African citizens for the “xenophobic” attacks, some say blame the ANC government for failing to provide basic services to the general populace.
They say the public is expressing its anger at the wrong people, “the so-called foreigners from the other parts of Africa who are the soft targets of the frustrated communities.”

-Agencies

By- Acting Chief Magistrate Mrs Faith Mushure has dismissed MDC-Alliance members Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri’s application for the quashing of charges of faking their abductions, saying she had no jurisdiction to entertain their application.

Mamombe and Chimbiri, through their lawyers Mr Alec Muchadehama and Mr Jeremiah Bamu, had applied for exception and quashing of their charges saying the State allegations did not warrant criminal charges.
After Mrs Mushure dismissed their application, the duo through their lawyer, indicated that they wanted to make an application for referral of the matter to the Constitutional Court.
They had indicated that they would file a written application on January 24, but the State led by Mr Michael Reza opposed.
Mr Reza told the court that the matter had taken too long before completion and suggested that the application be made orally on an earlier date.
“They can make oral submissions because they knew that they had intention to make this application. This case has grown old,” he said.
Mr Bamu told the court that they wanted time to allow them to get a transcript of the record.
He also told the court that there was a documentary they wanted to acquire from Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to include in their application.
Mrs Mushure ruled that Mamombe and Chimbiri make oral submissions on January 20.
On May 13 last year at around 12.30pm, Mamombe, Chimbiri and Netsai Marova, who is on the run, went to Choppies Supermarket in Warren Park 1, Harare, where they gathered with other MDC Alliance youths.
It is said they then staged a demonstration against the recalling of their MPs from Parliament and the alleged misuse of the Covid-19 pandemic funds.
On the same day, they allegedly called their friends, family and lawyers, saying they had been arrested at a roadblock near the Exhibition Park in the capital and were taken to Harare Central Police Station.
Upon receiving the communication, their lawyer Mr Jeremiah Bamu reportedly went to the police CID Law and Order.
Mr Bamu is alleged to have approached a senior officer, saying Mamombe, Chimbiri and Marova had been arrested and taken to Harare Central Police Station.
According to the State, checks were made and it was established that they were not arrested.
Social media platforms and local newspapers were awash with news that the three had been arrested, it is alleged.