A union representing teachers in Zimbabwe has highlighted another case in which one of its members allegedly received a pittance in terminal benefits.

According to the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), the teacher received Z $57,242.72 in terminal benefits following 26 years of service. This amount translates to US$673 using the official exchange rate.

However, using the widely accessible parallel market, this amount translates to US$380 using the black market rate.

The case of the teacher’s terminal benefits was shared by the PTUZ on social media platforms. The union shared the teacher’s letter which is dated 30 June 2021. In the post, PTUZ tagged the Public Service Commission, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube and Raymond Majongwe, the secretary-general of the union.

Part of the letter advising the teacher of the terminal benefits after 26 years of service reads,

PAYMENTS OF TERMINAL BENEFITS

Please be advised that following the termination of your service on 5.12.19 from Education, you are entitled in terms of Pension Regulations 1992 as amended to the following benefits

Refund of Pension contributions paid…………………………………. 12,799.42
Add Interest 4% of 26 Complete Years Served (104%)…….…… 13,311.40
……………………………………………………………………………….……….… 26,110.82

add gratuity………………………………………………………………….… 63,836.55
Total Benefits due…………………………………………………….… 89,947.37

less tax ………………………………………23,363.64
gvt debt ………………………………………     934.01                            32,704.65

Net Amount payable to you……………………………………………… 57,242.72

The above will be paid into your NMB account in July 2021.

F. Songore
For: General Manager, Pensions Management

Forget about wrong spellings on ZRP vehicles. This is what a guy who can write correct spellings, and served the country for 26 years with no blemish, is getting as pension @psczimbabwe @RMajongwe @MthuliNcube pic.twitter.com/qFaNR62kxY

— PTUZ_Official (@ProgressiveOf) August 22, 2021

After noting the post from the Progressive Teachers Union of ZImbbawe, the Public Service Commission responded saying unions should not post official communications online. The PSC also insisted that it would not discuss such issues online.

The PSC wrote,

On another note, PSC would encourage members with queries to approach the PSC or their unions, where they feel comfortable and such unions can easily engage PSC on behalf of their members than to post official,confidential, personnel letters on social media platforms

— Public Service Commission – Zimbabwe (@psczimbabwe) August 22, 2021

We publish below citizens’ reactions to the revelation…

https://twitter.com/ThembaNcube16/status/1429407985495945216?s=20

This is not the matter. The matter at hand is that the money that is paid after all these years of service is too little. While the person was working you were not paying him/ her enough. Teacher salaries are too little. Improve them so that they get more pension funds.

— Young Teachers of Zimbabwe (@teachers_young) August 22, 2021

This is too little. Pensioners are suffering. Please reconsider the peanuts you are giving loyal civil servants as pensions. No wonder some would rather die in office.

— James?? (@Iam_the_realMax) August 22, 2021

The pension is disheartening to say the least. PSC should strive to give its members, salaries that will translate better as pensions. That's the elephant in the room. Salaries that are below the PDL

— tendero musoro (@TMusoro) August 22, 2021

This is why madhara mamwe vachizofira or kurambira pabasa coz hapana chaunowana, apa inouya after donkey years isingachatengi chinhu

— bhurumango (@chaitemura1) August 22, 2021

By A Correspondent- The Fathers Against Abuse organisation has claimed that a lot of men are being abused sexually in their marriages. According to the organisation, many men are suffering in silence as they fear ridicule from society if they speak out.

Speaking to local publication, B-Metro, Alois Nyamazana, the co-founder of the Fathers Against Abuse said cases of men being abused are not taken seriously by society. Thus most abused men tend to remain quiet to avoid the stigma and ridicule from society.

Highlighting some of the cases he has encountered, Nyamazana said:

“There is a case I came across whereby a woman was hyper sexually active and so her husband ended up being sexually abused because she would follow him to work just to have sex. He had no choice but to end up sharing his predicament.

“There are also some women who use sexual enhancement drugs and that ends up putting pressure on the men to deliver sexually.”

Nyamazana compared how society responds to cases of men being abused against ow it responds when women are abused,

“…in our patriarchal society, if a boy child is sexually abused, it’s just normalised. There is also just shame and stigma attached to the boy child and men who are sexually abused.

“Also, sexual abuse against men and boys is normally just described as aggravated assault by the law but if a girl or woman has been abused it’s called rape…If a man is raped instead of saying indecent assault why don’t we just say it’s rape because the terms used to describe men who have been raped lessens the weight of the case,” said Nyamazana.

The co-founder of Fathers Against Abuse called on Parliament to standardize all laws to ensure equitable justice for all victims of abuse, “What we also want is standardisation of the law and we are continuously working with Parliament to make sure the law is standardised,” added Nyamazana.

A processing officer at the Registrar General’s Office allegedly stole 90 passport
application forms and handed them to three other men, who would sell them to
unsuspecting people applying for the travelling documents.

Annah Mangena is alleged to have stolen the application forms and handed them to Simon
Matsika, Chikura Bisset and Antony Mubweza, who would then sell them to passport
applicants.

Matsika, who is a clerk at City of Harare and stationed in Kuwadzana, appeared at the
Harare Magistrates Court jointly charged with Chikura and Mubweza on charges of
receiving stolen property.

The three, who were being represented by Harare lawyer Mr Tapson Dzetero, were
remanded to September 9 on $5 000 bail each.

Ms Tarisai Chitanhi, a supervisor, represented the RG’s office in the matter.

Prosecutor Mr Anesu Chirenje told the court that on July 1 this year, the RG’s department
received 10 boxes containing 20 000 passport application forms from Fidelity Printers and
Refiners.

Mangena is alleged to have stolen 90 of them.

It is alleged that one of the stolen passport application forms with serial number 4175014
was then picked after being submitted for processing while in the name of Paul Mutotobi.

-State Media

By A Correspondent| Controversial Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has slammed Zanu PF’s move to capture popular musician and dancer Sandra Ndebele saying its pitiful and a show of low regard for Zimbabweans electoral mentality.

Posting on Twitter this morning, the motor-mouth legislator said the move is yet another dry cut and paste job by Zanu PF.

“Another dry, cut& paste job as @ZANUPF_Official has appointed Sandra Ndebele as their Bulawayo representative for Young Women in Economic Development. However, the abiding idea behind the move makes the whole thing pitiful. It’s a clear scramble for popularity& youth support,

“The move exhibits a low regard for the Zimbabwean electorate’s mentality. People can now see beyond these platitudinous actions which seek to harness and transfer popularity from a different sphere into the party’s community of politics,” said Mliswa.

He added that the strategy of using celebrities had lost steam with people now clearly knowing what they want which is answers to their everyday challenges.

“Beyond the few who are swayed by such dramas, people simply need answers to challenges in their lives. I was in Zambia two weeks before elections& the atmosphere on the ground was strange. They were very few posters of the then opposition @UPNDYouthLeague candidate, Hichilema,” added Mliswa.

By A Correspondent- Dominant mobile money service provider, EcoCash, has announced an upward review in transactional charges starting next month after obtaining the green light from regulatory authorities.

The company, which last reviewed its charges at the beginning of the year in January, said it will increase its charges effective September 19, 2021.

Tariffs for paying merchants

Transaction Value	Old tariff	New tariff	% Increase
$1.00 to $9.99	$0.89	$0.93	4.5%
$10.00 to $19.99	$1.45	$1.52	4.8%
$20.00 to $29.99	$2.06	$2.16	4.9%
$300.00 to $39.99	$3.17	$3.47	9.5%
$40.00 to $49.99	$4.19	$4.19	0.0%
$50.00 to $74.99	$5.69	$5.69	0.0%
$75.00 to $99.99	$7.53	$7.53	0.0%
$100.00 to $149.99	$7.61	$8.91	17.1%
$150.00 to $199.99	$9.21	$11.00	19.4%
$200.00 to $299.99	$10.41	$12.44	19.5%
$300.00 to $499.99	$10.86	$13.03	20.0%
$500.00 to $999.99	$33.79	$42.17	24.8%
$1 000.00 to $1 499.99	$49.41	$61.66	25.0%
$1 500.00 to $1 999.99	$70.72	$84.86	20.0%
$2 000.00 to $2 499.99	$87.30	$104.76	20.0%
$2 500.00 to $2 299.99	$103.43	$124.12	20.0%
$3 000.00 to $5 000.00	1.85%	1.85%	0.0%

These are just the EcoCash fees. From $300 onwards, consumers are taxed 2% of the transacted amount which adds to the overall cost of the transaction

Tariffs for sending money to other EcoCash users

Transaction Value	Old tariff	New tariff	% Increase
$1.00 to $9.99	$0.68	$0.72	5.9%
$10.00 to $19.99	$1.42	$1.49	4.9%
$20.00 to $29.99	$2.10	$2.20	4.8%
$300.00 to $39.99	$2.63	$2.88	9.5%
$40.00 to $49.99	$3.93	$3.93	0.0%
$50.00 to $74.99	$5.31	$5.31	0.0%
$75.00 to $99.99	$5.89	$5.89	15.0%
$100.00 to $149.99	$8.01	$9.38	17.1%
$150.00 to $199.99	$11.06	$13.22	19.5%
$200.00 to $299.99	$13.52	$16.16	19.5%
$300.00 to $499.99	$17.87	$21.44	20.0%
$500.00 to $999.99	$34.43	$42.96	24.8%
$1 000.00 to $1 499.99	$52.31	$65.29	24.8%
$1 500.00 to $1 999.99	$73.48	$88.18	20.0%
$2 000.00 to $2 499.99	$91.85	$110.22	20.0%
$2 500.00 to $2 299.99	$110.21	$132.25	20.0%
$3 000.00 to $5 000.00	1.91%	1.91%	0.0%

These are just the EcoCash fees. From $300 onwards, consumers are taxed 2% of the transacted amount which adds to the overall cost of the transaction

Tariffs for bill payments

Transaction Value	Old tariff	New tariff	% Increase
$1.00 to $9.99	$1.03	$1.08	4.9%
$10.00 to $19.99	$1.44	$1.51	4.9%
$20.00 to $29.99	$1.76	$1.85	5.1%
$300.00 to $39.99	$2.46	$2.69	9.3%
$40.00 to $49.99	$3.37	$3.37	0.0%
$50.00 to $74.99	$4.68	$4.68	0.0%
$75.00 to $99.99	$6.17	$6.17	0.0%
$100.00 to $149.99	$7.76	$9.00	16.0%
$150.00 to $199.99	$8.57	$10.25	19.6%
$200.00 to $299.99	$9.75	$11.65	19.5%
$300.00 to $499.99	$15.31	$18.37	20.0%
$500.00 to $999.99	$31.25	$39.00	24.8%
$1 000.00 to $1 499.99	$46.88	$58.50	24.8%
$1 500.00 to $1 999.99	$65.00	$78.00	20.0%
$2 000.00 to $2 499.99	$81.25	$97.50	20.0%
$2 500.00 to $2 299.99	$97.50	$117.00	20.0%
$3 000.00 to $5 000.00	1.85%	1.85%	0.0%

These are just the EcoCash fees. From $300 onwards, consumers are taxed 2% of the transacted amount which adds to the overall cost of the transaction.

There was no immediate comment from the company on the price adjustment. The increase comes at a time the prices of goods and services in the country have been escalating despite the stability in the official foreign currency exchange rate since the beginning of the year.

The EcoCash tariff schedule made no reference to the ZW$5 000 daily transaction limit imposed on mobile money transactions in May 2020.

Although the monetary authorities last year promised to review the EcoCash weekly limit of ZW$35 000 “continuously, in line with the requirements and convenience of the transacting public”, there has so far not been any changes made to the transaction limits.

By A Correspondent- As the daily number of new Covid-19 cases continues falling, the Government is considering reopening schools, especially as infections are concentrated in the 30 to 40 age group, so risks to school children are lower.

Schools closed on June 4 and were set to open for the second term on June 28. However, reopening was postponed because by then the third wave was continuing to gather steam.

The Government, through President Mnangagwa, is still to announce when schools will open but the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has been working to ensure that as soon as the go-ahead is given, it will be ready.

Community Working Group on Health director Mr Itai Rusike said in preparation for the reopening of schools, communities should follow guidelines and protocols on Covid-19 to lessen transmission.

“The situation in the schools should be certified safe by the Government with all the schools having met the required standards necessary to be deemed safe to reopen. Communities should continue to be encouraged to be vaccinated in order for us to achieve herd immunity in the shortest possible time,” he said.

Mr Rusike said despite the decrease in new infections, the nation should not lower its guard as it was not yet out of the woods.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care weekly Covid-19 report shows that there has been a decline in new infections this week.

“The proportion of (infections) children of school going age five to 19 years, mostly at the primary and secondary school, stood at 11,1 percent. The Government is considering opening schools if the current decline in the number of new cases continues,” read the report.

A total of 2 780 new confirmed cases and 147 deaths were reported from August 14 to 20.

“The 147 deaths reported in the last 7 days were from Harare 53, Bulawayo 28, Manicaland 17, Mashonaland West 11, Mashonaland Central 9, Midlands 8, Mashonaland East 6, Masvingo 6, Matabeleland North 5 and Matabeleland South 4.

Five provinces contributed to 66 percent of the cumulative cases: Harare 21,8, Mashonaland West 13,1, Mashonaland East 10,5, Bulawayo 10,3, and Manicaland 10,2, said the statement.

The weekly report also shows that trends have not changed much with men accounting for 56 percent of deaths.

“A total of 147 deaths were reported this week, the number of deaths decreased compared to 268 deaths reported during the previous week. Community deaths account for 31,2 percent of the Covid-19 related deaths, a slight increase from 31 percent reported the previous week,” read the report.

In the past week the country recorded zero imported cases. South Africa however accounts for 81,6 percent of all the imported cases that have been reported in Zimbabwe since the outbreak of Covid-19.

As of 20 August 2021, local cases constituted 98,5 percent of the total Covid-19 cases reported in the country. The number of countries contributing to the imported cases are 27, of which South Africa contributes 81,6 percent of the total cases. Matabeleland South accounts for the highest number 763 of imported cases.

Health expert Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said the community deaths were due to the fact that some people wait until it is too late to go to a clinic or hospital. So many of those at risk of dying at home are those with underlying conditions as the prevalent delta variant can worsen some conditions like hypertension and diabetes.

People tended to go to hospital after trying home remedies that were not working. Some are not aware that they have the virus especially those with underlying conditions like diabetes and hypertension because the delta variant can cause sugar levels to rise and then people die without knowing they are positive,” said Prof Ngwenya.

“Some have relatives that are asymptomatic and they still visit each other especially during funerals defying what we have been told by the Government. These community deaths are unfortunate and if we do not change, we will continue recording more of these.”

Confirming the rise in cases among younger people in the 30-to-40 age group, he said: “More and more young people are being infected. They were once strong and resistant; they were asymptomatic but now they are getting sicker and dying in other countries. This variant is affecting almost all ages, said Prof Ngwenya.

He said it was unfortunate that the variant is now infecting youngsters who usually do not adhere to Covid-19 health protocols thereby spreading the virus.

-statemedia

As the daily number of new Covid-19 cases continues falling, the Government is
considering reopening schools, especially as infections are concentrated in the 30 to 40
age group, so risks to school children are lower.

Schools closed on June 4 and were set to open for the second term on June 28. However,
reopening was postponed because by then the third wave was continuing to gather steam.

The Government, through President Mnangagwa, is still to announce when schools will
open but the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has been working to ensure
that as soon as the go-ahead is given, it will be ready.

Community Working Group on Health director Mr Itai Rusike said in preparation for the
reopening of schools, communities should follow guidelines and protocols on Covid-19 to
lessen transmission.

“The situation in the schools should be certified safe by the Government with all the
schools having met the required standards necessary to be deemed safe to reopen.
Communities should continue to be encouraged to be vaccinated in order for us to achieve
herd immunity in the shortest possible time,” he said.

Mr Rusike said despite the decrease in new infections, the nation should not lower its
guard as it was not yet out of the woods

The Ministry of Health and Child Care weekly Covid-19 report shows that there has been a
decline in new infections this week.

-State Media

By A Correspondent- Their se_x life was not like it used to be.

But mamfundisi did not have a problem with it as she believed they were old.

Little did she know her husband of 17 years did something about it behind her back.

And the muthi he took increased his se_x drive, but mamfundisi was tired of it. The 47-year-old from Ga-Makausu, Germiston told Daily Sun he even became aggressive as if he’s possessed.

However, she said she and her husband (57) have never been people who believe in izangoma, at least that’s what she believed.

She said her husband started slacking in the poking game two years ago. “I was okay with it because I believed we’re too old to be poking all the time. But hubby was not okay with it and told me he was thinking of visiting his sangoma brother. I refused because we’re Christians and don’t use muthi.”

Mamfundisi said her husband seemed like he was okay with it.

“In April last year, I noticed that my husband was demanding se_x all the time. The poking was good at first, but I got annoyed when he started making it an everyday thing.”

She said she asked him where all this energy was coming from, but he ignored her.

Mamfundisi was shocked when she found muthi in one of her husband’s old socks.

She said when she confronted him about it, he said this was the reason their bedroom had been spicy and she should stop complaining.

“I don’t know how SunReaders can help me, but I need this thing reversed. My punani is tired,” she said.

“I threw those little plastics away, but my husband is still a hungry poking pastor from hell. We need help,” she said.

However, the pastor said his wife should be grateful for the man he’s become. “A lot of ladies would be happy, but she doesn’t understand that I did this for us,” he said.

He said he grew up in a family of izangoma and even though he’s a pastor, he believes in the power of traditional healers.

The sister (49) of Mamfundisi said she called her a lot last year complaining about the poking, but she didn’t think it was this serious.

“I sometimes laughed at her and told her she needed to do her wifely duties. I don’t know what to say about this situation because at the end of day, it’s both their choice,” she said.

Daily Sun also spoke to the sangoma brother. He said his brother asked for help and he couldn’t say no.

“He told me his wife would have a problem with it, but he would talk to her. I didn’t know she hated the idea so much.”

He said he could reverse the effect of the muthi, but the pastor had to come to him, not the wife.

-DailySun

By A Correspondent- The president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, has invited Dumelang Saleshando, the leader of the Opposition in Botswana to accompany him to the inauguration of the Zambian President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema.

The inauguration is scheduled for this Tuesday. Pindula News presents a statement by the Botswana government on the matter.

REBUTTAL TO UFM NEWS CAPTIONED “ZAMBIAN PRESIDENT INVITES SALESHANDO TO HIS INAUGURATION”

GABORONE, 23rd August 2021: The Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation wishes to refer to a recent post by the online UFM News circulating on social media platforms, entitled “Zambian President invites Saleshando”. The said post inaccurately states that His Excellency Mr. Hakainde S. Hichilema, President-Elect of the Republic of Zambia, extended an invitation to the Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Mr. Dumelang Saleshando to attend the President-Elect’s Inauguration Ceremony on 24th August 2021.

The Ministry wishes to underscore that the post by UFM News is misleading. Accordingly, the Ministry wishes to categorically correct this inaccuracy by setting the record straight that His Excellency President Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, has extended an invitation to the Leader of Opposition to accompany him to the inauguration of the Zambian President-Elect in the spirit of cordial relations that exist among political leadership of Botswana and inclusiveness. His Excellency the President has also invited Former President Mr. Festus Gontebanye Mogae.

Therefore, the post’s inaccuracy ignores the fundamental reality of His Excellency’s efforts to be all-inclusive. It instead, reinforces untruths that are polarizing.

Contact – Public Diplomacy, Research and Policy Analysis

By A Correspondent- Police in Harare at the weekend raided bars and arrested 60 people for public drinking.

Posting on their Twitter handle Sunday, ZRP said the raids would continue until the public complies with the Covid-19 regulations of not gathering at public places.

“60 people were arrested in Hre at several bars and nightclubs last night while contravening COVID-19 regulations. Bar and nightclub operators should lead by example. Let us all comply with measures put in place by the Government for the benefit of everyone’s health and security,” posted ZRP.

Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba has gone against clear state media footage that exposes how his boss planned and operationalised the 1 August 2018 brutality.

Charamba’s verbage, comes ahead of a Zambian parliamentary probe of Mnangagwa’s role as he worked together with outgoing President Edgar Lungu, to destroy evidence of his own brutalities since August 2018.

Mnangagwa’s proxy, Lungu was defeated in the just ended elections.

Writing on Twitter, Charamba accused journalist Hopewell Chin’ono of having sold out opposition “hideouts” and their operation methods after the 2018 harmonised elections.

“Both the doctors for human rights and Counselling Services Unit (CSU), as with many other regime change outfits, got funding from the US embassy, whether directly through USAid and its agencies, or indirectly and with support from many Western governments including the United Kingdom government, through accounts ran by some Nordic countries,” he said.

He added saying “in rare yet notable cases, funds would be routed through United Nations agencies.”

He also claimed all the reported cases of brutality were sponsored and dramatised to “overwhelm the nascent Second Republic”.

“The strategy was a simple one from a propaganda point of view: engage several make-up artists who manufacture horror images in brisk succession to a point where a narrative of gory brutality sticks, and with such rapidity that the police — then still under reconstruction in the wake of events of 2017 — would simply get overwhelmed and too paralysed to investigate any alleged case. ME

By A Correspondent- The late vice president Joshua Nkomo’s son, Sibangalizwe Nkomo, has exposed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lies on Gukurahundi.

Nkomo has said he is convinced that the government is not sincere about solving the Gukurahundi issue.

Below is Sibangalizwe’s statement.

Following the meeting between the Head of State Mr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and Traditional Leaders on the 21st of August 2021, I am convinced more than ever that the Government of Zimbabwe is not sincere about solving the issue of Gukurahundl. This Is because I strongly feel the process is fundamentally flawed for the following reasons: Mr Mnangagwa Is said to have met with Matabeleland based Civic Society Organizations under the banner of the Matabeleland Collective. The public must know the exact identity of the so-called CSOs and what their interest is In Gukurahundi. There is also need to clarify where this group gets its mandate from. On the 7th of February 2020, the grouping of these CSOs split with those that have a track record of working with our people leaving the Matabeleland Collective. The government must then let the public know who exactly is Matabeleland Collective. Those who left, amongst many reasons cited state control of those negotiating with Mr Mnangagwa. As such, the Impartiality of these people is now heavily compromised. We cannot have a situation where the perpetrator has monologues with himself and then makes resolutions for the people. Our people must reject Matabeleland Collective with the contempt It deserves.

By A Correspondent- The late vice president Joshua Nkomo’s son, Sibangalizwe Nkomo, said people of Matabeleland would not recognize President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Gukurahundi meeting he held at the weekend.

Nkomo has said Mnangagwa held the meeting with bogus people who are not victims of the 1980s’ genocide.

Below is Sibangalizwe’s statement.

Following the meeting between the Head of State Mr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and Traditional Leaders on the 21st of August 2021, I am convinced more than ever that the Government of Zimbabwe is not sincere about solving the issue of Gukurahundl. This Is because I strongly feel the process is fundamentally flawed for the following reasons:

Mr Mnangagwa Is said to have met with Matabeleland based Civic Society Organizations under the banner of the Matabeleland Collective. The public must know the exact identity of the so-called CSOs and what their interest is In Gukurahundi. There is also need to clarify where this group gets its mandate from. On the 7th of February 2020, the grouping of these CSOs split with those that have a track record of working with our people leaving the Matabeleland Collective. The government must then let the public know who exactly is Matabeleland Collective. Those who left, amongst many reasons cited state control of those negotiating with Mr Mnangagwa. As such, the Impartiality of these people is now heavily compromised. We cannot have a situation where the perpetrator has monologues with himself and then makes resolutions for the people. Our people must reject Matabeleland Collective with the contempt It deserves.

By A Correspondent- Police in Harare at the weekend raided bars and arrested 60 people for public drinking.

Posting on their Twitter handle Sunday, ZRP said the raids would continue until the public complies with the Covid-19 regulations of not gathering at public places.

“60 people were arrested in Hre at several bars and nightclubs last night while contravening COVID-19 regulations. Bar and nightclub operators should lead by example. Let us all comply with measures put in place by the Government for the benefit of everyone’s health and security,” posted ZRP.

By A Correspondent-The Zimbabwe Republic Police has once again been exposed for failing to print the correct spelling for a Bulawayo based police station signpost.

This follows last week’s embarrassing spelling mistakes on their new cars, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa commissioned at Morris Depot.

https://twitter.com/Doctor_Jus/status/1429477683537321986/photo/1

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa has described the late founding leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Dr Morgan Tsvangirai as a great companion.

According to President Chamisa, Dr Tsvangirai was a father to many people.

In a brief statement released on Saturday, President Chamisa implored citizens to register to vote.

“This great man( Dr Morgan Tsvangirai) was just more than a leader and father and to many.

To me, Dr MT was a great companion and confidant. I miss his naughty smile and our happy moments..

WANGU, go and register to vote!

MTHWAKAZI Republic Party (MRP) leader Mqondisi Moyo has said any government initiative towards resolving Gukurahundi will not work as they dismissed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s meeting with traditional leaders in Bulawayo today as meaningless.

Mnangagwa met members of the National Chiefs Council (NCC) at the State House in the country’s second city where it was resolved to allow a victim-centred process and case by case exhumations and reburials.

The meeting came after chiefs conducted a two-week consultative process with unnamed Matabeleland civic society organisations and the clergy on issues affecting Matabeleland, particularly the unresolved 1980’s massacres.

However, in reaction, the MRP said there will never be any closure on Gukurahundi without a truth-telling commission and Mnangagwa stepping aside.

“Let me reiterate that as MRP and Mthwakazi in general, meaningful Gukurahundi related talks should begin with the establishment of a truth-telling commission that will operate independent of Zanu-PF and government,” Moyo said.

“It is the people of Mthwakazi who should truly lead the process, not Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF, not Mnangagwa aligned chiefs but chiefs who are known for integrity and serving with distinction.

“Mnangagwa led negotiations are unacceptable. How can the perpetrator be a referee? It has been said that other people have been invited to the planned meeting.”

Mnangagwa has been mentioned as having been one of the key players in Gukurahundi as he was a State Security minister at the time of the massacres.

According to the Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice (CCJP) over 20 000 people were killed in Matabeleland and Midlands when the late Robert Mugabe sent a North Korean trained force to ostensibly silence dissent and any attempts aimed at toppling his government.

This followed the discovery of arms caches at Zapu properties.- cite.org.zw

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa has described the late founding leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Dr Morgan Tsvangirai as a great companion.

According to President Chamisa, Dr Tsvangirai was a father to many people.

In a brief statement released on Saturday, President Chamisa implored citizens to register to vote.

“This great man( Dr Morgan Tsvangirai) was just more than a leader and father and to many.

To me, Dr MT was a great companion and confidant. I miss his naughty smile and our happy moments..

WANGU, go and register to vote!

Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance vice president Professor Welshman Ncube has said he will never abandon the people’s struggle.

According to Professor Ncube, the Zanu PF regime is desperate to dismantle the popular movement.

“The agents of the regime deployed everywhere including among us are on a roll with FAKE & UTTERLY FALSE stories & Facebook & Twitter accounts.
” I am going nowhere. I stand with Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti and Lynette Kore in the fight 4 the people. The MDC Alliance is my home,” Professor Ncube wrote on Twitter.

The agents of the regime deployed everywhere including among us are on a roll with FAKE & UTTERLY FALSE stories & Facebook & Twitter accounts. I am going nowhere. I stand with Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti and Lynette Kore in the fight 4 the people. The MDC Alliance is my home.

— Prof. Welshman Ncube (@Welshman_Ncube) August 21, 2021

Last week Zanu PF agents claimed Professor Ncube was no longer part of the MDC Alliance.

MDC Alliance Secretary General Hon Charlton Hwende also took a swipe at Zanu PF moles for seeking to disrupt the people’s struggle.

Below is Hon Hwende’s statement:

Constructive criticism makes us better leaders. I always read everycriticism and insult directed at me as a person and the Office of the Secretary General which I lead.

I also don’t respond because I understand the frustration but of late some stories being peddled on Twitter are outright lies created to cause disunity, suspicion and division.

A case in point is the story that VP Welshman Ncube has left the MDC Alliance. The VP is busy on the ground directing and supervising party programs. I speak to him daily because he is my immediate supervisor as he is charged with supervising Party Administration.

Another one is the lie that some people want to expel the Youth Secretary Cde Gift Ostallos Siziba . We are busy recruiting and registering people to vote and such stories help in promoting apathy which benefits Zanupf.

We are a United team focused on removing Zanupf and it’s corrupt leadership. My appeal to the people is that if you have any suggestion or strategy to help the party and the struggle please inbox me or call me on my number 0777772275.

22 August 2021.

NCA Party Press Statement on Fake Media Story.

▪️The NCA party has noted with disgust, a false story being circulated under the heading ” Retire from politics- Madhuku scoffs at Chamisa’s fresh bid to join the national dialogue (VIDEO).

▪️The NCA party wishes to advise all concerned person/s that everything in the article is false.

▪️ The article refers its readers to a non-existent ZBC news video. The link purportedly given for the video leads to information on ZBC licenses.

▪️The NCA President, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, never had any interview with the ZBC in which he made the alleged statements.

▪️As a matter of principle, NCA party President would never issue such statements and the NCA party does not have such an approach to the politics of our country.

▪️For the record, Professor Madhuku, as a person, is very close to Advocate Nelson Chamisa, as a person.

▪️ The NCA President does not, and will not, engage in politics of personal insults.

▪️On the contrary, the NCA party believes that every citizen has a right to participate in politics at whatever level of their choice.

▪️ The NCA party is a separate and independent political party building itself into a formidable political organisation ready to compete in our country’s political terrain in all future elections.

▪️Further, POLAD remains open and there is no way the NCA party can block entry into POLAD by key political players like the political party being led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa.

▪️The NCA party strongly condemns political actors who drag its President into their creation of fake news to satisfy their selfish and narrow minded political agendas.

▪️ In this case, why put into the mouth of the NCA party President their own preferred words against Advocate Nelson Chamisa?

▪️We condemn the political individual/s behind this fake story because it is not only politically unacceptable but is also distorting the NCA party message to all stakeholders.

▪️The fake story is meant to attack both Advocate Nelson Chamisa and the NCA party.

▪️Let the NCA party and its President speak for themselves: to be sure, the NCA party will always speak out against some of the positions of its political competitors, but it must be allowed to do so on its own terms and in its own words.

▪️As NCA party we call upon all Zimbabweans and any interested person/s to ignore the fake article that is as fake as its non existent authors.

Issued By
Madock Chivasa
NCA Party National Spokesperson
Phone +263 772 904 492 +263 775 614 471
Email [email protected]
Facebook National Constitutional Assembly.

By A Correspondent- United States pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna last Wednesday started trials of its experimental mRNA HIV vaccine.

Moderna has enrolled 56 healthy adults without HIV to test the safety of the vaccine mRNA-1644 and basic immune response.

The vaccine is a collaboration between Moderna, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

The candidate, mRNA-1644, is based on the same mRNA platform as Moderna’s highly effective Covid-19 jab, which is one of two of the only mRNA vaccines to be authorised anywhere in the world. The other is Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine.

“The uniquely challenging year of 2020 for all of society proved to be an extraordinary proof-of-concept period for Moderna,” said Moderna’s CEO Stéphane Bancel in a January 2021 update about the firm’s vaccine programmes.

“Even as we have shown that our mRNA-based vaccine can prevent Covid-19, this has encouraged us to pursue more-ambitious development programmes within our prophylactic vaccines modality. Today we are announcing three new vaccine programmes addressing seasonal flu, HIV and the Nipah virus, some of which have eluded traditional vaccine efforts, and all of which we believe can be addressed with our mRNA technology.”

mRNA-1644 is the first HIV mRNA vaccine to be trialled in humans. Moderna will also be trialling another version of the candidate called mRNA-1644v2-Core. Both have been tested for safety in non-human subjects.

Targeting B-cell responses

mRNA-1644 is designed to stimulate B cells of the immune system to generate broadly neutralising antibodies (bnAbs) against the virus.

In 2009 previously undescribed potent bnAbs from large groups of HIV-infected individuals were first identified. It was the isolation of these antibodies that renewed activity in HIV vaccine development.

By investigating how these antibodies interact with the virus and neutralise it in lab tests, scientists were able to underpin numerous spots of vulnerability on the HIV virus, which they used to design vaccine immunogens.

The first of these engineered immunogens is eOD-GT8 60mer, developed by IAVI and partners. In a Phase I trial scientists tested whether this approach would stimulate the human immune system to initiate the generation of bnAbs.

An additional development that ignited interest in the design of immunogens to induce bnAbs was the gaining of a clearer understanding of HIV’s outermost protein – the HIV Envelope glycoprotein, which is the target of all bnAbs

“For decades scientists were hindered by their inability to capture the precise structure of this notoriously unstable trimeric protein,” IAVI has noted. “But recent advances have allowed them to both stabilise and understand HIV Envelope in unprecedented detail.”

Now, the Moderna trial will explore how to deliver the eOD-GT8 60mer immunogen with Moderna’s mRNA technology and investigate how to use mRNA to direct cells to make proteins that will elicit immune responses against HIV.

The holy grail for HIV on the horizon?

A highly stigmatised virus, HIV is no longer a death sentence but it is responsible for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a lifelong, progressive disease with no effective cure.

According to Moderna, approximately 38 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV with 1.2 million in the United States. Approximately two million new infections of HIV are acquired worldwide every year and around 690,000 people die annually due to complications from HIV/AIDS.

The most common routes of transmission are sexual intercourse and IV drug use, meaning that younger people are at the highest risk of infection.

HIV represents a significant economic burden – from 2000 to 2015, a total of US$562.6 billion globally was spent on care, treatment and prevention of HIV.

The first vaccine for this devastating disease is considered a holy grail in pharma.

There have been multiple attempts before now but many were found to be unsafe and most failed to demonstrate a hint of effectiveness – two studies evaluating adenovirus type-5 vectored vaccines for HIV (Ad5) in the 2000s were found to actually increase the risk of HIV infection.

Other vaccines for various infectious diseases including Covid use an inactive form of the virus they aim to generate an immune response for – in some cases “live” viruses are used.

mRNA vaccines however don’t contain any parts of a virus meaning that they should be safer.

With this type of vaccine, a piece of messenger RNA that codes for a part of the virus, in this case HIV, is enfolded into a vector. Once injected, the mRNA travels inside cells, where the cells’ genetic machinery produces the virus protein. Based on that protein, the immune system is then trained to recognise the virus so that when it encounters it, it rallies to attack it.

Over the years, HIV has mutated into numerous variants. Another possible benefit of the mRNA approach is that it is viewed as easily modifiable, meaning it could have an edge over other vaccine techniques.

Moderna noted the Phase I trial, to be conducted with US academic partners including the University of Texas at San Antonio, George Washington University, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Emory University, is expected to be completed by May 2023.

If the vaccine is found to be safe and shows signs of generating an immune response, it will progress to more advanced trials and spur hopes that a comprehensive solution to one of the world’s most devastating pandemics is on the way.

As IAVI president Mark Feinberg wrote in June at the 40th anniversary of the HIV epidemic: “The only real hope we have of ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic is through the deployment of an effective HIV vaccine, one that is achieved through the work of partners, advocates, and community members joining hands to do together what no one individual or group can do on its own.”

(This article was originally published by Clinical Trials Arena)

Source – www.clinicaltrialsarena.com

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police has said it has since corrected the spelling errors on some of its vehicles…

The police posted on Twitter to announce the development:

“The ZRP appreciates and notes the concerns raised by members of the public on spelling errors by the contractor on vehicles. The ZRP Transport Section has since corrected the anomalies. We thank the public for the observation.”

The spelling errors had prompted some to say the tender was given to an incompetent contractor.

Commenting on the corrections, some highlighted the significance of social media as it was in this case used to alert authorities of an issue they were not aware of.- Pindula News

By A Correspondent- The multi-million-dollar government-funded Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) in Chiredzi is now mired in controversy after it emerged that tenders were allegedly awarded without due diligence.

One of the companies that clinched the tender to fix the drainage system has a questionable background, it has emerged.

Trade Code Investments is accused of doing substandard work after clinching the tender.

Work on 110 metres of the 150-metre project is said to be of poor quality in both the materials used and workmanship.

Trade Code and Ablixon Investment are working on the drainage system.

Ablixon only delivered a small pile of concrete stones before allegedly disappearing. It could not be established where it is operating from or its directors.

Trade Code Investment has not finished constructing a laboratory at Chiredzi Government High School after it won a US$300 000 tender to construct the building six years ago.

The science laboratory has been a white elephant since then.

District schools inspector (DSI) Petronella Nyangwe, confirmed that the building was lying idle but referred further questions to the provincial education director (PED), Shylette Mhike.

“I can confirm that there is an impasse between the school and the contractor; but you can talk to the PED. She will give the ministry’s position,” Nyangwe said.

“I am not allowed to talk to the press.”

However, the PED could not be reached for comment as her mobile phone went unanswered.

Investigations revealed that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is constructing a new court building next to another existing one which was commissioned in 2016, and is hardly five years old.

The project, which was funded by Plan International was led by Trade Code Investments.

JSC secretary Walter Chikwana could neither deny nor confirm that the building was sub-standard, but only said it was a temporary court.

Chikwana said Tongaat Hulett partnered the JSC this time around and undertook to sponsor the rehabilitation of the court premises.

He said construction would be supervised by the district chief architect from the Local Government and Public Works ministry.

“All I can say is that (building) was a temporary court because it has prefabricated walls. Plan International just offered to construct the court for us,” Chikwana said.

“The refurbishment of the court is in line with the JSC’s quest to ensure access to justice for all.”

“The Triangle circuit court will then be converted into a fully-fledged resident magistrates court to ensure the expeditious completion of cases in the Lowveld.”

Plan International spokesperson Sibusisiwe Ndhlovu requested for time to check if the building they funded was a temporary structure.

Trade Code was also blacklisted from doing business with Tongaat Hulett after it was contracted to ferry manure given for free to Tongaat by a reputable Chiredzi based abattoir.

The company allegedly connived with Tongaat employees to bill the company for both transport and the free manure.

Venancio Kurauone who is Trade Code Investments director and chairperson of the controversial Zanu-PF-linked Lowveld Business Development Association confirmed that the laboratory remained unfinished six years later.

“I did not get much from constructing that laboratory,” Kurauone said.

“In fact, I ran a loss.

“They failed to calculate that I have to remit 25% of their payment to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority as tax.

“So when they added other jobs that we didn’t agree on in the first place; that’s where we encountered a problem.

“As for the Tongaat issue it was blown out of proportion.

“The matter was resolved that’s why the workers involved were not dismissed.

“I will soon be back at Tongaat because it needs me more than I do.”

United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers’ Association (UCHIRRA) has since written to Chiredzi town council expressing their displeasure at the tender process.

Part of the letter dated August 13, 2021 signed by the association’s advocacy officer, Constance Chikumbo read: “Some of the contractors, who were hired have a history of corruption and doing shoddy jobs.

“We expect council to tender respectable companies with clean history.

“As a result, residents fear continued corrupt activities.

“Lack of trust by residents may result in them dodging to pay their rates. As the representative of the people, UCHIRRA would like transparency, accountability and improved citizen participation to enhance better service delivery.”

Chiredzi town secretary Charles Muchatukwa was not reachable for comment.

-standard

By A Correspondent- Robert Martin Gumbura heavily divided opinion in life and continues doing so in death.

He died of Covid-19-relatied complications at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison aged 65 while serving time for rap_ing several women.

He was jailed in 2014 and was initially sentenced to 50 years in prison, 10 of which were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

Part of his sentence also included a conviction of being found in possession of porn0graphic material.

However, while some people couldn’t care less about his demise, family, friends and congregants still maintained he was wrongly convicted.

They all claim he was an upright man.

Up until his untimely death, they still hoped his bid for freedom would be granted, as he was appealing against both conviction and sentence.

To them, the clergyman was a “victim of some complicated conspiracy”.

Last year, Gumbura’s sentence was slashed to 20 years after a series of appeals made through the High Court.

And by the time of his death, the RGM Independent End Time Messages Church founder had served nearly half of his reviewed sentence.

Shocked

“His death came as a shock. We were never told that he was sick and up to now we are still trying to come to terms with the fact that he is no more.

“We are grieving, a lot is happening and I will be able to give you more details in due course when things hopefully settle,” the late Gumbura’s second wife and family spokesperson, Queen Bunga, told The Sunday Mail Society.

His brother, Innocent Gumbura, was equally distraught.

“We got a call from prison officials the night before his (Gumbura) death, asking us to bring some medication for him. Unfortunately, when we delivered the items the following morning, he was already dead.

“I am still confused to say the least. They should have told us in time that he was not well or at least allowed us to conduct a postmortem to ascertain the cause of death,” he said.

Gumbura’s death has naturally led to growing questions on the fate of his 11 wives, 33 children, church and various businesses and properties he left behind.

His first born is 38-years-old, while the last is aged eight.

The total number of assets is yet to be ascertained but includes 11 houses, several church buildings, a mine, farm and a fleet of more than 20 vehicles.

Nothing has been distributed yet.

“The family is still collecting all his personal belongings from his various homes around the country, bringing them to his Harare residence. Likewise, we have asked all the wives to temporarily move to Harare so that we do things as a family at once.

“It is hectic, we are conducting a lot of meetings to set up a Trust then we go on to register his estate,” said Innocent.

Gumbura’s wives, he added, are still united despite their husband’s death.

“Everyone is at the 25-bedroomed Marlborough home where we are mapping the way forward.”

According to Gumbura’s brother, all the wives have vowed not to marry again.

“It is us the siblings who seem worried, but the wives are fine, they are united and they stand together as they have always done. They have vowed that they are not going anywhere.”

However, before passing on, Gumbura told The Sunday Mail Society that he did not mind if his wives decided to move on.

“By the time I leave this place, I will be very old, so I cannot be selfish to force them to wait for me; they are free to remarry if they wish,” he said then.

The family survives largely on their farm produce and proceeds from the mine and church.

The farm is presently being run by the second wife.

There are indications, however, that his church did not have a succession plan.

Uncertainty

Apart from the late businessman-cum clergyman’s wives and children, there are at least 50 people, including poor church members, the homeless and orphans, living at the Harare house.

Their fate and future is now uncertain.

“In total, there are about 92 people living there (Marlborough) and we are not related to them, so we have told them to leave because we do not have the capacity to take care of them.

“My brother had a big heart; even in prison, he continued to care for these people, so he would simply give us instructions and we followed. We even paid bail for some people he would have met in prison; that is the type of person he was.

“He paid school fees for many kids whom we are not related to and even provided for a lot of families . . . but if indeed he was a rap_ist, why would those people want to stay with him? Who wants to be associated with a rap_ist?” he queried.

But Gumbura’s brother believes he was a “problem child” before he converted.

Born second in a family of seven, the late clergyman was said to have been the naughtiest child in the family.

He was into all sorts of drugs.

“He was infamous for doing drugs. It was not a secret. But he was not into girlfriends. I do not remember him having any girlfriends, except for Tafadzwa, who later became his first wife. Up to now I do not believe he rap_ed anyone,” said Innocent.

Gumbura spent his early childhood in Gweru before moving to Highfield in Harare, where his parents had bought a house.

However, around 1980, after completing his Advanced Level at Highfield High School, he converted to Christianity, much to the surprise of his family and those who knew him.

He joined the Baptist Church before moving to End Time Messages.

During that time, he enrolled at a local teachers’ college where he studied towards a Diploma in Education.

After graduating, he went on to teach at Regina Mundi, Ascot and Mambo High Schools.

“(Regina) Mundi was a girls’ school but we never got any reports or accusations about girls or women . . . He was, in fact, a good history teacher with a brilliant photographic memory. Once he met someone, he would never forget them,” reminisces the brother.

Phillip, who was Gumbura’s friend, described the late as a jovial and witty character who always left the congregation in stitches during his sermons.

He recalls the several visits in prison when they would talk and laugh endlessly.

“He was always bubbly. It was as if he was not in prison or that he had accepted his predicament,” he said.

Breaking ranks

During the late 1980s, Gumbura, who was still under End Time Messages as a senior member, began preaching about polygamy.

This created a lot of enemies for him.

As a result, he formed a breakaway church in the early 90s and named it RMG Independent End Time Messages Church.

Within three years, the church had more than four branches around the country and over 2000 congregants.

Despite his family trying to talk to him out of it, he remained adamant and went on to establish more branches beyond borders.

But around 1994, he found himself in trouble with the law.

“There were three guys in his church who worked for a local bank and they got involved in some scandal at their workplace,” revealed the brother.

“They got away with large sums of money and used part of it to pay tithes of about US$60 000.”

During investigations at the bank, it was discovered that some of the money had been paid to RMG Independent End Time Messages Church, leading to Gumbura’s arrest.

He appeared in court but was later acquitted after it was discovered that he was not connected to the theft.

But, as if fate wanted him to spend the last part of his life in prison, a few years later he found himself in the dock again.

A man (name withheld) dragged him to court for allegedly having an extramarital affair with his wife.

Due to lack of evidence, the case was dismissed.

In 2014, he hogged the limelight again charged with more than five counts of rap_e.

“There were a lot of enemies in his life, so when he was arrested, this time we did not panic, thinking it was a setup and he would soon be acquitted.”

The family believes Gumbura was a victim of an elaborate plot by his enemies.

“At some point they also arrested me on accusations that I was interfering with witnesses… I had no knowledge about it. Further, I was not even part of his church, so I would not know any of them.

“I also went through the documents on charges of porn0graphy and could not pair any one of the said ladies with him; it was photoshop,” he argued.

According to Innocent, three ladies who implicated him later approached the family, confessing that they had been paid to incriminate him.

“The ladies confirmed to us that this issue involved some high-profile people who were within former president Mugabe’s Government and they were using some members from his previous and new church.

“My brother was simply hated for his work and they wanted to take his wealth, but I believe he is in a better place now because he went through a lot.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has sued a number of companies that ordered workers to take the Covid-19 vaccines – or risk losing their jobs.

In an urgent High Court filing on Friday, the ZCTU said the actions by companies such as Zimnat Insurance, the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA), TelOne, Windmill Limited, Seed Co Zimbabwe and the Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences violated workers’ constitutional rights.

Public service minister Paul Mavhima and Attorney-General Prince Machaya are also joined in the court action.

The ZCTU argues in the court application:

There is no law in Zimbabwe making vaccination compulsory. Each person, having fully considered the implications and effects of vaccination, is expected to make a personal decision on whether or not to get vaccinated and where a person decides to get vaccinated, he or she is expected to make a decision relating to the timing of the vaccination…

In the process, the aforesaid employers are infringing the fundamental rights of the affected employees protected by section 51, 52 (c), 65 (1) and 65 (4) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Thousands of workers in Zimbabwe have been affected and thousands are more likely to be affected if this court application is not heard urgently.

The ZCTU said minister Mavhima, through its lawyer Professor Lovemore Madhuku, was not taking appropriate action to protect the workers as section 17 of the Labour Act (chap 28:01) requires.”

Many companies have been ordering their workers to be vaccinated or lose their jobs while some learning institutions including the University of Zimbabwe are also reportedly threatening to block unvaccinated learners from entering their premises.

Vaccination remains voluntary but members of the public feel the conditions set by many service providers are an indirect way of making vaccination compulsory.

By A Correspondent- About 200 families that were evicted from a farm on the outskirts of Marondera in June are still living in the open as the government is yet to fulfil its promise to resettle them.

The families, mostly Zanu-PF supporters, were kicked out of Maganga Estates, which is owned by Hunyani timberlands.

They are camped on the outskirts of the farm while waiting for alternative land to settle.

“We are still living at this holding camp waiting for the government to fulfil its promises,” one of the settlers said on condition of anonymity.

“We were told that there are 210 hectares to be shared amongst us.

“Our fear is that we are approaching the rain season with nothing tangible on the ground.

“We engaged the Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs minister Apollonia Munzverengwi and she promised to make sure that we get the alternative land the government promised us.”

An official privy to the developments at Maganga Estates said the government was willing to allocate land to only 46 settlers, who were officially allocated plots at the property.

The evicted farmers occupied the Maganga Estates at the height of the land reform programme despite protests by the legal owners of the land.

Hunyani took the case to the courts and won, but the settlers refused to budge as they enjoyed backing from Zanu-PF.

Munzverengwi was not reachable for comment.

Zanu-PF Marondera district secretary for lands Richmond Chikore said the government was yet to approve plans for a new settlement for the evicted villagers.

“The proposed settlement and irrigation models have been submitted to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Climate Change, Water and Fisheries and Rural Settlements headquarters awaiting approval of the layouts,” Chikore said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has been evicting people that illegally occupied farms during the land reforming programme that was spearheaded by his predecessor, the late Robert Mugabe.

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe is among countries that owe international airlines millions of United States dollars from ticket sales, cargo space and other activities.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), about $963 million in airline funds are being blocked from repatriation in nearly 20 countries including Zimbabwe, which owes the airlines $142 million.

Other countries that owe substantial amounts were Bangladesh ($146.1 million), Lebanon ($175.5 million) and Nigeria ($143.8 million). Their debt alone accounts for more than 60% of the total of the total amount owed. However, there has been recent positive progress in reducing blocked funds in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, said IATA.

In Zimbabwe, the introduction of the foreign currency auction system where economic players can bid for foreign currency has also helped in making foreign payments as well as repatriate funds.

“Governments are preventing nearly $1 billion of airline revenues from being repatriated,” according to IATA director general Willie Walsh.

Walsh said failure to repatriate funds contravenes international conventions and could slow the recovery of travel and tourism in affected markets as the airline industry struggles to recover from the Covid-19 crisis.

“Airlines will not be able to provide reliable connectivity if they cannot rely on local revenues to support operations. That is why it is critical for all governments to prioritise ensuring that funds can be repatriated efficiently. Now is not the time to score an ‘own goal’ by putting vital air connectivity at risk.

“We encourage governments to work with industry to resolve the issues that are preventing airlines from repatriating funds. This will enable aviation to provide the connectivity needed to sustain jobs and energise economies as they recover from Covid-19,” said Walsh

By A Correspondent- Health caregivers at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, formerly Harare Hospital and commonly know as Gomo have been accused of being unprofessional

Veteran journalist and health rights defender Caiphas Chimhete said he witnessed unprofessional conduct at the institution during his three-week stay. He narrates:

It would appear as if the health workers in this particular ward (Ward 7) have never read the Patients’ Charter, which emphasises patients’ rights, privacy and confidentiality.

---

For most of the time during my three-week stay in the ward, they would call patients by the nature of their ailment – the most inhumane thing anyone can do to a sick person.

A very sick patient would be referred to as ‘chigulani’ or the one hospitalised for issues to do with dysfunctional reproductive organs spoken to as ‘uyo we siki anofunga Kuti anopona asingadyi [that one suffering from a sexually transmitted disease thinks he can survive without eating] and they would also talk loudly about those who had multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis who were housed temporarily but “conveniently” at the back of the ward.

As a person that works for an organisation that advocates for people’s health rights, I tried to reason with them, but I was told to mind my business or else transfer to a private hospital…

A number of patients died during the time of my admission and I believe some of the deaths could have been avoided if patients were given professional health care.

Another patient, whom I had just spoken to, called for help as he wanted to be put back on oxygen, but no one came to assist.

He was gone in less than 15 minutes and was wheeled away to the mortuary with the nurses showing no remorse whatsoever.

He added that nurses would neglect patients and spend the good part of the afternoon surfing the internet searching for nursing vacancies outside the country.

Chimhete also witnessed nurses stealing drugs from patients, presumably for resale to supplement their salaries.

He said the issue happened to him and when he complained to the doctors, a senior nurse in the ward who had been absent when the incident transpired, defended the accused nurse.

He added that patients who complained would be given little food or blood-stained and torn hospital clothes.

Chimhete said one doctor advised him to “keep it low and concentrate on getting my health restored.”

He also said there were inadequate doctors at the institution and that affects service delivery.

-standard

By A Correspondent- Zimbabweans residing in rural areas have said they feel neglected by the government in the vaccination programme despite the rise of COVID-19 infections and deaths countrywide.

Villagers in Plumtree, Matabeleland South, told The Citizen Bulletin that even information dissemination was lacking. Said Meissa Khupe:

I have never seen health workers moving around in my ward disseminating information about the vaccine.

I only get to hear about vaccination on foreign radio stations and it would be about shortages of vaccines in urban areas.

I feel we are neglected in rural areas. Maybe it’s because we are viewed as not contributing much to the economy of this country.

It hurts to hear on the radio that vaccine doses are being delivered in Harare and other parts of the country. Why are vaccines not available at my nearest clinic?

The Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) conducted a survey and observed that in “all 20 communities of Insiza, Gwanda, Mangwe, and Matobo Districts that were sampled and surveyed,” there was no COVID-19 vaccine in local clinics for over a month now.

In some clinics, they had the second dose and not the first one.

This comes as Zimbabwe is aiming to vaccinate 60 per cent of the population to achieve herd immunity for things to return to normality.

Itai Rusike, Community Working Group on Health’s executive director said vaccine equity is very important in fighting the coronavirus.

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwean preacher, Obadiah Msindo, has said church leaders are the ones who proposed to the government to allow churches to resume services for vaccinated congregants only.

He speaks amid reports of divisions amongst churches over the directive.

The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) said the government’s position on the resumption of physical services was not well thought out as some are unvaccinated because they have had no opportunity to do so.

ZHOCD is made up of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the Union for Development of Apostolic and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe Africa.

Msindo claimed President Emmerson Mnangagwa made the decision in response to a request by some churches.

Said the Destiny for Africa Network founder:

Some of the church leaders, from different denominations about 20 of them, wrote to the president asking to be given permission to worship with only vaccinated members of their churches.

So the truth of the matter is their request was granted.

But some of the sections of churches got it wrongly; some think that it is the government now imposing vaccination on them.

This is a misrepresentation. The truth is that the churches are divided, and that is the problem we have.

The churches should sort out their differences first and not take their differences to the government or blame Mnangagwa.

I want all other denominations, whether traditional, Pentecostal or whatever, to know that it was never Mnangagwa as they want to project or portray him as the one who imposed the order.

While the ban on gatherings is still in place, the government allowed churches to conduct in-person services provided that congregants are fully vaccinated.

Some viewed the directive as a ploy to compel churchgoers to get vaccinated.

Zimbabwe is a Christian community and it could likely achieve herd immunity if all Christians were to be vaccinated.

-standard

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa has thrown back the Gukurahundi massacres discussion to the Matabeleland traditional leadership.

Mnangagwa met with the Matabeleland traditional leadership on Saturday and provided no solution to the issue.

“The process will be victim centred and will also involve key stakeholders engagement. It was reiterated that the Gukurahundi issue should not be tribalized in order to foster national building and national healing,” read part of Mnangagwa’s press statement posted on social media by the Ministry of Information after his Bulawayo meeting.

MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa has been invited to attend the inauguration of Zambia’s elect president Hakainde Hichilema scheduled for Tuesday 24 August 2021.

Hichilema defeated President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in the 12 August presidential election that was his sixth attempt at landing the top post.

Zambian Information and Broadcasting Services ministry permanent secretary, Amos Malupenga, said the inauguration ceremony would be strictly by invitation because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UNDP) has close ties with the MDC Alliance and he has met Chamisa on several occasions before.

Joseph Kalimbwe, one of the key members in Hichilema’s campaign team said MDC Alliance was the only political party in the region that supported UNDP ahead of Zambia’s August 12 elections. He added that UNDP must never forget its allies when it attains power. He said:

My support for the struggles of friends and comrades across our continent (Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania – Africa) is unwavering – it will never stop.

They chose the hard path of supporting our UNDP struggles when others refused to associate with us in the opposition.

Hichilema’s victory gave hope to other opposition parties on the continent that they can also topple the ruling parties in their respective countries.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has, however, since poured cold water on such hopes saying whoever dreams of change happening in Zimbabwe should wake up and brew beer for cleansing.

Political analysts observe that the Zimbabwean political arena is different from others on the continent mainly because power-broking institutions including the military are not abiding by the constitution.

They say political reforms including revision of the voters’ roll, demilitarising the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, and media reforms are essential for free and fair elections.- The Standard

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa has thrown back the Gukurahundi massacres discussion to the Matabeleland traditional leadership.

Mnangagwa met with the Matabeleland traditional leadership on Saturday and provided no solution to the issue.

Below is a summary of Mnangagwa’s engagement meeting press statement:

It has to be emphasised that this process will be led by Chiefs and their affected communities. The President made it clear that a one size fits all approach would be inappropriate for this program. As a way forward, Chiefs are to go back to their respective areas to consult on the issues raised. So whichever Chief is ready, the President will deploy resources to their area to support the resolution of issues in that area.

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwean business tycoon Roger Boka’s son, Mathew Boka, said he is the owner of the Rolls-Royce that was said to have been imported by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son Sean.

Sean Mnangagwa was photographed in the fancy car prompting observers to say it belonged to the president’s son.

The NewsHawks was told Mathew, the Boka Tobacco Floors executive chairperson, imported the car for personal use from the United Kingdom.

Sources, however, say he later entered into an arrangement with gold dealer Pedzai Sakupwanya, commonly known as Scott Sakupwanya who was eager to buy the car, showing his commitment by paying US$140 000.

The sources say Sean, a captain in the Zimbabwe National Army, also expressed his interest in buying the car, went on to view it and then took pictures which went viral.

The sources say the pictures had compromised Sean’s interest in the car after a public outcry. However, quizzed about the car on Friday, Mathew said:

I can categorically state that it’s my car. It’s my vehicle, I imported it, but it’s in a bonded warehouse…
It’s my car. It’s not on sale. Sean came the other day to the auction floors on other business which had nothing to do with the car, but he saw the car and liked it. He asked if he could view it and take pictures, just like any person who would have seen something nice.
It’s not his and I don’t want to talk too much about this issue because I am a private person. I don’t talk much to the media and this is not even a big issue.

There has been a public outcry over the importation of fancy cars by political elites who are allegedly abusing state resources and are likely not paying duty.

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa has stammered on the issue of compensation for victims of the Gukurahundi massacres.

Mnangagwa met with the Matabeleland traditional leadership on Saturday and provided no solution to the issue.

Below is a summary of Mnangagwa’s engagement meeting press statement:

It has to be emphasised that this process will be led by Chiefs and their affected communities. The President made it clear that a one size fits all approach would be inappropriate for this program. As a way forward, Chiefs are to go back to their respective areas to consult on the issues raised. So whichever Chief is ready, the President will deploy resources to their area to support the resolution of issues in that area.

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police is investigating a case in which two bodies of newborn babes were found in Harare’s First Street.

Posting on their Twitter handle at the weekend, ZRP said:
On 20/08/21 at about 1140 hours, two newly born babies were found wrapped in a black plastic bag at Corner First Street and Jason Moyo, Harare. The bodies were found by a recycle plastic worker in a bin. Investigations are underway.

MTHWAKAZI Republic Party (MRP) leader Mqondisi Moyo has said any government initiative towards resolving Gukurahundi will not work as they dismissed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s meeting with traditional leaders in Bulawayo today as meaningless.

Mnangagwa met members of the National Chiefs Council (NCC) at the State House in the country’s second city where it was resolved to allow a victim-centred process and case by case exhumations and reburials.

The meeting came after chiefs conducted a two-week consultative process with unnamed Matabeleland civic society organisations and the clergy on issues affecting Matabeleland, particularly the unresolved 1980’s massacres.

However, in reaction, the MRP said there will never be any closure on Gukurahundi without a truth-telling commission and Mnangagwa stepping aside.

“Let me reiterate that as MRP and Mthwakazi in general, meaningful Gukurahundi related talks should begin with the establishment of a truth-telling commission that will operate independent of Zanu-PF and government,” Moyo said.

“It is the people of Mthwakazi who should truly lead the process, not Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF, not Mnangagwa aligned chiefs but chiefs who are known for integrity and serving with distinction.

“Mnangagwa led negotiations are unacceptable. How can the perpetrator be a referee? It has been said that other people have been invited to the planned meeting.”

Mnangagwa has been mentioned as having been one of the key players in Gukurahundi as he was a State Security minister at the time of the massacres.

According to the Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice (CCJP) over 20 000 people were killed in Matabeleland and Midlands when the late Robert Mugabe sent a North Korean trained force to ostensibly silence dissent and any attempts aimed at toppling his government.

This followed the discovery of arms caches at Zapu properties.- cite.org.zw

Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing national institutions to advance political interests.

President Chamisa also dismissed Mr Mnangagwa’s ‘Muka Ubike Doro Mantra.’

See President Chamisa’s brief statement below:

THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN…

In our own traditional wisdom, there is an idiom that says “Ubukhosi ngamazolo” or “Ushe madzoro hunotambidzaniwa” literally meaning that leadership is best that occurs in turns.

The era of “strong men” or “vana HANDIENDE” who abuse state institutions is OVER. No abuse of electoral bodies,police,military and intelligence services shall be accepted or tolerated.

Our liberation struggle was about ‘one man one vote’ and “We the People”…meaning “Power to the People”or “Amandla Ebantwini” or “Masimba Kuvanhu”..We are next.

We are the new leaders! #GodIsInIt #thenewiscoming #JoinTheNew #RegisterToVoteZW

By A Correspondent- A fresh storm is brewing in the MDC Alliance after senior leaders are reported to have recommended the expulsion of Gift Ostallos Siziba, the Secretary-General of the MDC Youth Assembly.

This was revealed by political analyst and ZDI founder Pedzisai Ruhanya.

It is not clear which bigwigs attended the meeting.

“A whole group of useless senior MDC Alliance leaders sit down to discuss rubbish and destabilisation nonsense and feel threatened by this young man to THE extent that they demand he be expelled. I am sorry @nelsonchamisa, u are surrounded by huge idiots, useless empty wannabes.”

A whole group of useless senior MDC Alliance leaders sit down to discuss rubbish and destabilisation nonsense and feel threatened by this young man to THE extent that they demand he be expelled. I am sorry @nelsonchamisa, u are surrounded by huge idiots, useless empty wannabes pic.twitter.com/Zx5zpUkDBR

— Pedzisai Ruhanya (@PedzisaiRuhanya) August 21, 2021

There are senior MDC Alliance leaders who on a daily basis fight their colleagues internally without retreat, without contrition even at a time when most Zimbabweans say lets pull together, learn from Zambia and do better in 2023. This shallowness is shocking

— Pedzisai Ruhanya (@PedzisaiRuhanya) August 21, 2021

By A Correspondent- President Nelson Chamisa has said besides being a leader and father to many, the late MDC founding father Dr Morgan Tsvangirai was a great companion and confidante.

Said Chamisa:

“This great man was just more than a leader and father to many. To me, Dr MT was a great companion and confidant. I miss his naughty smile and our happy moments.. WANGU go and register to vote! Happy Saturday.”

This great man was just more than a leader and father to many. To me, Dr MT was a great companion and confidant. I miss his naughty smile and our happy moments.. WANGU go and register to vote! Happy Saturday. pic.twitter.com/1ah2QT8PJR

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) August 21, 2021

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday held a private meeting in which the election of Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema as the country’s new leader among other issues became topical.

The two presidents, who both lead revolutionary parties, held a meeting on the sidelines of the Southern African Development Community 41st summit of heads of state and government in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The meeting, sources said, was attended by Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs minister Frederick Shava, Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and officials from the South African government.

The election of Hichilema, according to diplomatic sources who spoke to The NewsHawks, surprised Mnangagwa and Ramaphosa who both had cordial relations with Zambia’s outgoing president Edgar Lungu. Last week’s election was Hichilema’s sixth attempt at winning the presidency.

“The President-elect has strong connections with both Zimbabwe’s and South Africa’s main opposition parties and discussions on how revolutionary parties like the ANC and Zanu-PF can consolidate their positions were discussed. This election showed that political winds of change were ushered in by young people who are often accused of being reluctant to vote,” a source familiar with the discussions said.

“The leaders also discussed Sadc’s role in the Mozambican conflict. If you may recall last month, South Africa’s then Defence minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, expressed her displeasure on why Rwandan troops had been deployed ahead of the regional bloc. In light of this, charting the way forward thus became paramount for the two leaders.”

In July, Rwanda announced that it would put boots on the ground to help stem a conflict which has claimed thousands of lives following weeks of dithering by the regional bloc.

The conflict has also resulted in Total, a French-headquartered energy group, suspending its multi-billion-dollar energy project in the region.

Zimbabwe’s presidential spokesperson George Charamba could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.

Hichilema, who won a landslide over incumbent Lungu, has close links to Mmusi Maimane, the leader of the opposition One South Africa Movement.

The President-elect is also an associate of MDC-Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa. Mnangagwa, who had a wafer-thin lead on Chamisa in the controversial 2018 general elections, is expected to face his nemesis in the 2023 polls.

In his acceptance speech, President-elect Hichilema extended an olive branch to his predecessor who in the past had tormented him. After the 2016 election, he was charged with treason for allegedly failing to give way to the presidential motorcade.

He spent four months in a maximum-security jail before the charges were dropped.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be OK, you won’t face retribution or get teargassed,” Hichilema, who was often attacked in what he said were attempts to silence and intimidate him as an opposition leader, said.

He pledged to be the president of all Zambians, whether they voted for him or not.

In its final tally, the electoral commission said Hichilema had won 2 810 777 votes to Lungu’s 1 814 201 in last Thursday’s election. There were seven million registered voters.

-Newshawks

By A Correspondent- Local media house Alpha Media Holdings, which publishes Newsday, Standard and Zimbabwe Independent has given an ultimatum to its staffers that they should be vaccinated or risk losing their jobs.

The papers, who have been against the country`s vaccine drive in their papers, have surprisingly asked staffers to produce proof of vaccination or risk not being allowed onto their Graniteside work site.

In a circular, seen by Tateguru Tv, AMH through their Human Resources Manager Levy Tswatswa said the impact Covid-19 has had on business has necessitated its stance.

“As a group, we believe that our best form of defence against the virus is vaccination. To date, 52% of staff hasreceived either the first dose or full dose.

We need to get to over 60 percent to 90 percent to achieve herd immunity. To this end, the organisation has made arrangements to ensure those who want to be vaccinated are done so speedily.

Whilst the organisation acknowledges that vaccination is a matter of choice, however, in the interest of our clients fellow workmates, and the country at large management requires that all employees who come to our premises been vaccinated or hold proof of being free of the virus,” the circular read.

From Monday, the company sent all unvaccinated on force leave, giving them a time to seek inoculation or reflect on their future with the organisation.

“Thereafter those who are not vaccinated for reasons best known to them (personal, religious, or medical) are now required to produce a negative PCR test certificate acquired within 48 hours from an approved testing centre to get onto our company cars and offices with effect from 16 August

2021. May you therefore submit your vaccination cards to Human Resources, please note that all vaccination cards will be scanned and verified with the National database for authenticity,” the circular further states.

The company`s owner Trevor Ncube, suffered a major personal loss when several family members died in quick succession from Covid-19.

He recently announced on his In Conversation With Trevor YouTube page that he will be taking a break from productions to seek closure.

By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF has gone for broke to attract the elusive youth vote ahead of the crunch 2023 election, including recruiting pastors, socialites and artists in a desperate bid to garner 2.5 million ballots for President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Zanu-PF acting secretary for youth Tendai Chirau Youth confirmed to The NewsHawks that a recruiting spree was in motion ahead of the polls to boost Mnangagwa’s popularity, which has continued to wane since the military coup that toppled the late former President Robert Mugabe in 2017.

Mnangagwa, who narrowly won the 2018 disputed election against MDC-Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, has over the years struggled to charm the youth.

Young people are bearing the brunt of massive unemployment, with the future looking bleak as Zanu-PF has not fulfilled its economic promises.

Garnering the youth vote has been a toll order for Zanu-PF as most young people are disgruntled over economic hardships.

As part of its voter mobilisation strategy, the ruling party has enlisted the services of social media luminaries like Madam Boss, Mai TT and controversial clergyman Passion Java.

The party is also believed to have bankrolled a collaboration between musician Roki, Congolese rhumba star Koffi Olomide and Tanzanian singer Rayvanny on the song Patati Patata.

In the song, the Congolese musician chants Mnangagwa’s name. This sparked outrage on social media from opposition supporters while Mnangagwa loyalists lapped it all up, joining a dance trend on Tik Tok.

The Roki-Olomide collaboration was a Zanu-PF project, commentators say.

“It was clear when Koffi arrived that Zanu-PF was running the show. Deputy minister of Youth, Tinomudaishe Machakaire, was at the forefront of logistics, Passion was just part of the welcome party. If it was his project, he would have been in the forefront,” a source said.

The song, which garnered five million of views within days of release, has divided opinion in the political arena, with opposition supporters condemning Roki’s participation in the collaboration.

Recruiting comediennes Mai TT and Madam Boss, who have a large following on social media, is seen as an attempt to influence the youth, hence a critical tool ahead of 2023.

Chirau said: “We are a mass party and can recruit anyone. We are recruiting anyone from pastors to artistes. There has been a Damascene moment for some who have seen that Zanu-PF is an able party under ED Mnangagwa.”
Without stating names, Chirau said the party was working with well-known clergy and artists, adding that social media would be the party’s new hunting ground.

“In politics when people see something good, they want to follow. We have a recruitment exercise on social media. It is meant to promote and raise awareness on the situation. Our approach is pro-empowerment,” Chirau said.

Zanu-PF has also been using economic empowerment projects in incubation centres dotted across the country. “The youth vote is very crucial in every election, and we are looking towards 2.5 million youths,” he said.

The youth vote remains critical for the main political parties, with a bruising battle playing out on social media.

The MDC Alliance initiative dubbed #RegisterToVoteZW has been trending online, as the opposition urges the youth to register ahead of the 2023 polls. The mobilisation campaign is also meant to convince first-time voters to register.

Youthful Chamisa also sees the youth vote as one of his trump cards after garnering more than two million ballots in 2018.

“The MDC Alliance has embarked on a number of initiatives to encourage the youth to register to vote. But beyond registering, we are also encouraging them to present themselves on the day of the election, to vote for change,” MDC
Alliance youth leader Obey Sithole told The NewsHawks.

“We are running a social media campaign under #RegisterToVoteZW. The whole idea is that more young people get their names on the voters’ roll. There is power in numbers.”

By ACorrespondent- The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has sued a number of companies that ordered workers to take the Covid-19 vaccines – or risk losing their jobs.

In an urgent High Court filing on Friday, the ZCTU said the actions by companies such as Zimnat Insurance, the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA), TelOne, Windmill Limited, Seed Co Zimbabwe and the Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences violated workers’ constitutional rights.

Public service minister Paul Mavhima and Attorney-General Prince Machaya are also joined in the court action. The ZCTU argues in the court application:

There is no law in Zimbabwe making vaccination compulsory. Each person, having fully considered the implications and effects of vaccination, is expected to make a personal decision on whether or not to get vaccinated and where a person decides to get vaccinated, he or she is expected to make a decision relating to the timing of the vaccination…

In the process, the aforesaid employers are infringing the fundamental rights of the affected employees protected by section 51, 52 (c), 65 (1) and 65 (4) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Thousands of workers in Zimbabwe have been affected and thousands are more likely to be affected if this court application is not heard urgently.

The ZCTU said minister Mavhima, through its lawyer Professor Lovemore Madhuku, was not taking appropriate action to protect the workers as section 17 of the Labour Act (chap 28:01) requires.”

Many companies have been ordering their workers to be vaccinated or lose their jobs while some learning institutions including the University of Zimbabwe are also reportedly threatening to block unvaccinated learners from entering their premises.

Vaccination remains voluntary but members of the public feel the conditions set by many service providers are an indirect way of making vaccination compulsory.

-Zimlive

watch the video below ……….

The MDC National Council met virtually on Sunday 15 August 2021 and made the following resolutions:

1. Council recalled the meeting held between the late President Morgan Tsvangirai, Hon. Tendai Biti and Professor Welshman Ncube on 9 June 2017 at which the three leaders agreed to take measures for the re-integration of the three formations of the original MDC.
2. Council further recalled its Mabvazuva resolution of 21 October 2017 through which Council endorsed the request of the three leaders for the unconditional integration of MDC, MDCT and PDP with a view to reconstituting the original MDC of 1999 so as to deal with the multiple crises affecting Zimbabwe which include the crisis of legitimacy, governance, economy disequilibrium, breakdown of the rule of law, corruption and massive closure of political space.
3. Council reaffirmed its unequivocal commitment to the said resolution on integration as the only vehicle that can lead to the transformation, strengthening, renewal, capacitation and rejuvenation of the democratic agenda, thus giving the people of Zimbabwe hope.
4. Council noted the progress so far made in the integration process and in particular noted the outcomes of the MDC Alliance 2019 Gweru congress including the leadership team led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa and hailing the congress thereat elected as not only an important milestone in the country’s democratic agenda but also an important signpost in the roadmap for the reunification of all democratic forces.
5. Council expressed concern with the slow pace of the integration process due to a number of factors including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, Council resolved to urge the MDC Alliance leadership to speed up the integration process so that all cadres and leadership in National Executive, Provincial, District, wards and Diaspora structures are fully integrated so as to create an effective and robust team to dislodge the ZANU PF illegitimate Government come 2023 elections;
6. Council deliberated on the shocking ‘2020 COVID-19’ Supreme Court decision which has resulted in the recall of several MDC Alliance Members of Parliament and councillors by a party which was a competitor in the 2018 general elections.
7. Council expressed disappointment by the involvement of the state in MDC politics which has seen state and security apparatus depriving the MDC Alliance of their offices and handing them over to their preferred and controlled ‘opposition’ party.
8. Council reaffirmed its unconditional and unequivocal commitment to the MDC spirit of 1999 and to the unity of all democratic forces, under the leadership of Advocate Nelson Chamisa and working for the realisation of the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.
9. Council expressed concern that a handful of our Cdes tried without the mandate of the organs of the party to illegally engage with the Supreme Court created MDCT of Douglas Mwonzora, seemingly driven by a desire to access political parties funding money stolen from the MDC Alliance.
10. Council noted the suspension and the pending disciplinary hearing against Christopher Monera, Shupikai Mandaza, Munhango Musevenzo and Gift Karupati and awaits the outcome of the Disciplinary Committees processes.

Ilos Nyoni
Acting Secretary General

By A Correspondent- A fake police officer was arrested after demanding an US$80 bribe from a motorist whom he had arrested for violating COVID-19 regulations.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) reported the case saying the fake cop’s accomplices escaped a citizen’s arrest. Said the police on Twitter:

The ZRP confirms the arrest of Leon Mukunga (52) for impersonation and extortion, on 18/08/21 at about 0900 hrs. The suspect, together with three other accomplices who are still at large, arrested a motorist driving a Honda Fit for allegedly breaching COVID-19 regulations.

One of the suspects took control of the vehicle and demanded a US$80 bribe from the complainant. They were given US$60 before the complainant called for help and wrestled the suspect as others escaped.

Many people have been arrested for impersonating police officers, soldiers and central intelligence officers (CIOs) to extort money from unsuspecting members of the public.

Some have been using identity cards and or uniforms of members of the security sector to commit crimes including armed robberies and rape.

Recently, a fake soldier was arrested for sexually assaulting and or robbing 19 women in Harare.

By A Correspondent- A Mutoko couple committed suicide following a misunderstanding over an extra marital affair, with the wife hanging herself first and then the husband after her body was discovered.

The two, who were at their place in Kumbure 1 Village, engaged in an ugly dispute after the husband Peter Muhamba (50) accused his wife, Nyasha Chinake (44), of dating his cousin.

Chinake then bolted out of the house and never returned, but her body was found the following day, hanging from a tree near their house.

Sources say on hearing that his wife had died, Muhamba went to their bedroom, took a rope and hanged himself.

His body was discovered later by the same neighbours who had helped him to search for his wife.

Giving details, Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Simon Chazovachii, said on Thursday last week at around 4pm, Chinake was at home with her husband who accused her of having an extra marital affair with his cousin Matambanadzo Mhuru (39).

“The wife ran out of the house, but the husband did not follow her,” he said.

“Later, the husband alerted his neighbours that he had a misunderstanding and his wife ran out of the house and never returned.

“The neighbours assisted him in a search in the neighbourhood, but they could not find her. The following day, Mandaza Muhamba (58) found the body of the wife hanging on a tree, about a kilometre from her home.”

Insp Chazovachii said together with the neighbours, Muhamba went home.

While others were planning to make a report to the police, he went into his bedroom where he hanged himself from a roof beam with a rope.

“The matter was reported by the village head at Makosa Police Station who attended the scene,” said Insp Chazovachii.

He appealed to the public to always solve their misunderstandings peacefully, and value the sanctity of life.

“Whenever they (people) have a difference in opinion, we urge them to seek counselling from police’s victim friendly unit, professional counsellors, church leaders, community leaders or trusted relatives,” said Insp Chazovachii. “This can assist.”

-Statemedia

Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance leader President Nelson Chamisa has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop abusing national institutions to advance political interests.

President Chamisa also dismissed Mr Mnangagwa’s ‘Muka Ubike Doro Mantra.’

See President Chamisa’s brief statement below:

THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN…

In our own traditional wisdom, there is an idiom that says “Ubukhosi ngamazolo” or “Ushe madzoro hunotambidzaniwa” literally meaning that leadership is best that occurs in turns.

The era of “strong men” or “vana HANDIENDE” who abuse state institutions is OVER. No abuse of electoral bodies,police,military and intelligence services shall be accepted or tolerated.

Our liberation struggle was about ‘one man one vote’ and “We the People”…meaning “Power to the People”or “Amandla Ebantwini” or “Masimba Kuvanhu”..We are next.

We are the new leaders! #GodIsInIt #thenewiscoming #JoinTheNew #RegisterToVoteZW