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.”

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has announced that from the 1st of February 2022, its agents will start capturing full truck details on the Bill Of Entry E- Cargo Manifest.

We present the notice:

CAPTURING OF FULL TRUCK DETAILS (HORSE AND TRAILER REGISTRATION NUMBERS) ON BILL OF ENTRY AND ELECTRONIC CARGO MANIFEST

Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Z1MRA) wishes to advise all declarants (Clearing Agents) that with effect from 1 February 2022, in addition to capturing the trailer registration number(s), it is now mandatory to also capture the horse registration number on the bill of entry.

The horse registration number shall be entered in box 18 and the trailer registration number (s) shall be captured in box 21.

Clients are encouraged to comply with this requirement as failure to capture full truck details, may result in issuance of Form 45 which will attract accounting fees.

All transporters are required to capture the horse registration number and trailer registration number(s) on registering the electronic cargo manifest.

By-There was a very high demand for condoms and morning-after pills during the festive season in Bulawayo, with some pharmacies running out of the pill, B-Metro has learnt.

This should not come as a surprise as research suggests that people tend to get busier between the sheets in December, thanks to the Christmas and New Year’s Day festivities.

The morning after pill and condoms are over-the-counter contraceptives available at pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription.

The morning after pill falls into the category of emergency contraception; an unwanted pregnancy can be avoided with its use.

It works by temporarily stopping the ovary from releasing an egg. It’s kind of like pulling the emergency brake on ovulation.
Felecia Mlauzi a nurse at Mpilo Central Hospital said some pharmacies ran out of condoms and morning after pills during the festive season.
“In December condoms and morning after pills are consumed in large numbers to an extent of running out of stock, I think it is because during the Christmas season people tend to be more excited and they become sexually active,” said Mlauzi.
A pharmacist, Caroline Ndlovu, from Executive Pharmacy shared her observation on the uptake of condoms and morning after pills during the festive season.
“From my observation for years, I have noticed that in December the uptake of condoms and morning after pills is very high and I think that is caused by the parties and alcohol influence because it will happen that when people are drunk, they end up having unprotected sex and the next thing they will be in pharmacies to get the morning after pills.
“In January the uptake then becomes low because people will be getting back to normality and they are fewer party activities as people will be back to business,” she said.
Nothando Peace Ncube from QV Pharmacy said women buy morning after pills because they are not scared of sexual transmitted infections, but pregnancy.
“Morning after pills are the ones being bought mostly in the pharmacy so from my own perspective I have realised that women are afraid of getting pregnant more than getting STIs and HIV.
But it is possible that they get free condoms from clinics and hospitals,” she said.
“Looking at the rate of morning after pills in 2021, they were just moving fairly because from April to December the average of the moving rate of these was 52 percent,” said Ncube.

• B Metro

By- In a propaganda move meant to cover up its election management incompetencies and rigging tendencies, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is now accusing NGOs of funding voters.

Below is ZEC’s propaganda piece done by the state-controlled Herald Newspaper.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has unearthed a scam in which some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) are providing incentives to hundreds of people to register to vote ahead of the March 26 by-elections and 2023 harmonised elections, resulting in the people making multiple registrations for them to access the money.This was exposed after ZEC’s ultra-modern biometric registration system, which among other things enables fingerprint mapping, picked that many people had registered many times.
The election management body’s system eventually flushed out those people as multiple applicants, but this was not before the NGOs and CSOs had made noise accusing ZEC of registering fewer people.
Those who participated in the scam did not disclose to the NGOs that they were already registered to vote but instead moved from one organisation to another getting incentives in return for making an application as a voter.
This was revealed by ZEC chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba in an interview with Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN) yesterday.
She was responding to issues raised by some NGOS on why ZEC had registered fewer people in 2021.
“I will say this without fear. There were a lot of people who were given incentives to register to vote and those people did not disclose to the NGOs and CSOs that they were already registered to vote in order to access the incentives.
“I am not implying, but saying this directly because they were then flagged by our system to say there is a person with one set of fingerprints who registered six times to vote, but they were already on the voters roll,” said Justice Chigumba.
“Our system, if you registered ten times it will only recognise one file. It will only say there is one registrant, you then come to me saying we registered 260 people to vote, were you aware that they are already registered, did you know whether their Identity documents were authentic, did you know whether they had different fingerprints, you cannot cheat the ZEC voter registration system.”
She said ZEC received reports that some people were moving from one NGO to another, making multiple applications to get more incentives.
“I am telling you emphatically that this is what transpired. It has been reported to us they would deliberately go to different voter registration centres and deliberately go to different organisations that were mobilising people to register to vote, and they would access incentives but when it comes now to being entered as a registered voter, the system would flag them as a multiple registrant.”
Turning to ZEC’s preparedness for both by-elections and 2023 harmonised elections, Justice Chigumba said everything was in place.
ZEc is going to launch a voter registration blitz in February ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.
Justice Chigumba said ZEC already had the $2 billion needed to conduct the March 26 by-elections meant to fill vacancies caused by deaths of incumbent and recalls by their political parties.
She said they had deferred voter registration blitz that was set for December last year because of Covid-19 at three of their offices and upon realising that the Registrar General’s office was not adequately capacitated to issue identity documents, an integral factor on voter registration.
The voter registration blitz, she said, was never meant for the by-elections, but to assist in the forthcoming delimitation exercise.
Justice Chigumba said the deferment did not disadvantage any prospective applicant given that provincial and district offices were always open and were never inundated with applicants as what obtains with the RG’s office.
“Voter registration has always been held towards delimitation. It has always been meant to beef up numbers for the delimitation exercise. As a commission, we do not make arbitrary decisions. Voter registration is continuous.
“Our stakeholders should understand that we have 10 provincial offices open on a permanent basis, 63 district offices open everyday, the evidence in December is that our offices were not inundated with applicants, we did not see long winding queues of people expressing the need to register to vote. Our permanent offices were not inundated with numbers. Our offices were open for those who wanted to register, what we postponed were the roving kits,” she said.
Justice Chigumba said the delimitation exercise was expected to start in September after the population census final results that is expected in August this year.

-Herald

By- A Church of Christ pastor in Bulawayo recently appeared in court for robbing and raping a woman he had befriended in a bushy area near Entumbane suburb.

Samson Mudimba (37), appeared before magistrate Tancy Dube at Western Commonage Courts where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Magistrate Dube remanded Mudimba in custody to 25 January. Dube advised the suspect to apply for bail at the High court.

It is alleged that Mudimba befriended a woman he had boarded a pirating commuter omnibus with.

The complainant intended to go to her home in the Cowdray Park suburb but the kombi broke down near a fuel station at Matshobane suburb and the driver refused to reimburse them.

It is further alleged that the complainant decided to spend the night at her relative’s place in Entumbane suburb.

Mudimba allegedly told the woman that he was a police officer stationed at Entumbane police station and persuaded her into walking with him.

However, along the way, Mudimba allegedly became violent and grabbed the woman by her hand while threatening to kill her if she screamed.

He reportedly raped the woman once in a bushy area and robbed her of US$54, ZW$40 and R20.

Mudimba also forced his victim to surrender her cellphone before walking off and leaving her stranded.

The woman reported the robbery and rape at Entumbane police station.

An investigation by the police led to the arrest of Mudimba.

More: B-Metro

By- The President Emmerson Mnangagwa administration’s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the third time next week Wednesday.
Zimbabwe is one of the States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its upcoming session taking place from 24 January to 3 February, which marks the end of the UPR third cycle.
The UPR 40th session was originally scheduled to be held in November 2021, although was moved due to COVID-19 measures.
Zimbabwe’s first and second UPR reviews took place in October 2011 and November 2016, respectively.
The documents on which the reviews are based are
1) national report – information provided by the State under review;
2) information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, known as the Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities;

3) information provided by other stakeholders, including national human rights institutions, regional organizations and civil society groups.

The UPR is a unique process that involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States.
Since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all 193 UN member States have been reviewed twice within the first and second UPR cycles.

By A Correspondent- SA opposition Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie has incited xenophobia against Zimbabweans.

Mckenzie told eNCA that Zimbabweans were taking over South African jobs and should be kicked out.

He said citizens of South Africa should visit every company employing Zimbabweans and chase Zimbabwe nationals out of their country.

He was, however, challenged by the eNCA presenter hosting him telling him that what he was saying was promoting lawlessness.

Mckenzie’s statements have resulted in some South Africans now forcing Zimbabwean migrants to move out of their rented houses in Gauteng Province while threatening to burn them.

By Suspended MDC-T vice president, Thokozani Khupe, said that she was now the president of the troubled opposition party.

This comes after Thursday MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora suspended Khupe and her close ally and former party spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni.

In announcing Khupe’s suspension on Thursday, the party’s spokesperson Witness Dube said she was being investigated on several allegations. 

But addressing journalists and party supporters at Macdonald Hall in Mzilikazi, Bulawayo, on Friday morning, Khupe said Mwonzora fired himself from the party when he announced they would contest the upcoming by-elections as MDC Alliance. Said Khupe:

Mwonzora has notified the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that he will contest the upcoming by-elections under the MDC Alliance party, in so doing Mwonzora has fired himself from the party because, in terms of the MDC-T constitution, membership of the party shall be terminated if a member joins or supports a political party other than the MDC-T, termination of membership in these circumstances is automatic.

With all these transgressions, Douglas Togarasei Mwonzora cannot continue at the helm of a democratic party such as MDC-T.

It is in this vein that today, we, who are gathered here and many others scattered around the country, declare an official split.

They are now two MDC-T formations, one led by yours truly, Dr Thokozani Khupe, who is also the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and the other who I don’t know who their leader is.

More: The Sunday News

By-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.

The sad development is happening a few days after the Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie has urged South Africans to chase away foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans.

By ZNA | 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 to 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.

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.