Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance vice chairperson Hon Job Sikhala has blasted the Zanu PF regime for being insensitive to the plight of suffering citizens.
An irate Hon Sikhala had no kind words to describe the regime:
I am hearing that ZBC is announcing that ZANU PF is going to carry out a clean up campaign in Mbare tomorrow and that they have hired many front loaders to do the same thing @NgarivhumeJacob was doing.
You arrested Jacob and you are doing what he wanted to do. You are Satanists…
The pathetic dictatorship of ED has arrested, kept @NgarivhumeJacob for hours at Matapi Police Station and released him without charge but a strong warning NEVER to pick litter again anywhere in Zimbabwe.
Chinyika chedu chonyadzisa,” wrote Hon Sikhala on Twitter.
By A Correspondent- A Shamva-based police officer Privilege Chiworeso (31) was allegedly bashed by her husband Smart Mbonga (36) who accused her of cheating.
The matter came to light at Bindura magistrates courts yesterday where Mbonga appeared before magistrate Ruramai Chitumbura.
The state led by Carson Kundiona alleged on February 10, Chiworeso was with her friend Grace Mhandu when her husband started accusing her of having an extra marital affair.
He became violent and pushed Mhandu aside and attacked his wife with a pocket knife.
After the attack the accused left his wife in pain with her friend and went away.
She reported the matter leading to the arrest of accused.
As part of their bail conditions, the MDC Alliance youth leaders were told not to address crowds exceeding 50 people in line with #Covid-19 regulations pic.twitter.com/HVlKN4oega
By A Correspondent- Bulawayo’s Ekusileni Medical Centre is yet to admit COVID-19 patients a year after it was declared a coronavirus treatment centre, amid calls for strengthening of the health sector to effectively deal with new strains of the deadly disease.
Last year, several promises to open Ekusileni hit a snag. Dates were announced for the groundbreaking ceremony, but authorities continued to postpone the opening of the institution.
Ekusileni chief executive officer Absalom Dube on Monday said the medical centre would be opening very soon as the renovations were 95% complete.
“From October, there was lack of funding, shortage of the required equipment, delays in delivery of equipment and delays by contractors,” he said.
“The donations received from Dairibord Zimbabwe are not enough as some patients use more than five blankets and these blankets need to be changed depending on the situation obtaining at that particular time. For now, the equipment is inadequate,” he said.
Dube’s remarks came after Dairibord Zimbabwe donated 170 blankets, 152 bed sheets and 76 pillowcases to the centre. He appealed to the National Social Security Authority to intervene and contractors to deliver all needed equipment soon.
Bulawayo Metropolitan Affairs minister Judith Ncube said work at Ekusileni was about to be completed.
“Ekusileni Medical Centre is opening any time from now as there are a few touch-ups to be completed.
“The lockdown period delayed the programme and we are looking for equipment somewhere else.
“We received donations from Dairibord and we wish to get such donations from other institutions and we appreciate people’s patience as the donations are still coming,” she said.
Ncube urged the stakeholders to work hard in order to improve the quality of health services in the city.
“We also have a kitchen in Thorngrove that needs new stoves and the machines there are old.
“We appeal to Bulawayo investors and the people from the diaspora to intervene,” Ncube said.-Newsday
By A Correspondent- Two of the three daring thieves, who allegedly stole a copy of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 2020 Independence Day speech and a laptop have skipped bail after they were remanded to April 22 by Kwekwe magistrate Cheryl Tembo.
Trymore Jakarasi (35) of Pumula North in Bulawayo, and Shepherd Madaka (29) of Budiriro 3, Harare, were granted $5 000 bail each when they initially appeared before the courts.
Their alleged accomplice, Tinashe Matete Dube (27), of Glen View 3 in Harare, who is currently admitted at Gweru General Hospital after he was moved from Kwekwe General Hospital, was remanded in custody.
Dube is facing an attempted murder charge after he tried to run over police sergeant Misheck Mubika after they were cornered at Cooler Box Bottlestore in Kwekwe.
The three were part of a four-member gang which was on the police “wanted list” for stealing a laptop and Mnangagwa’s speech from one of his security aides.
The same gang was on the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Masvingo “most wanted list” for theft from cars under case number CR17/06/2020.
The notorious gang was reported at Dzivarasekwa Police Station, Harare, under case number CR155/04/20.
Meanwhile, Kwekwe police last week arrested Ranganai Devine Sibanda (23) of Torwood in Redcliff in connection with attempted murder after he attacked his ex-girlfriend Nomatter Ncube (27) of Mapfungautsi in Gokwe with a machete for refusing to reconcile with him.
Ncube was struck several times on September 9, 2020 after Sibanda confronted her over the move to terminate their relationship.
Sibanda is yet to appear in court facing attempted murder.-newsday
By A Correspondent| Controversial land baron and Pokugara Properties owner Kenneth Raydon Sharpe is on the run and evading justice after lying under oath and maliciously destroying property belonging to a Harare developer George Katsimberis.
Sharpe is accused of conniving with staff from his office and City of Harare officials to destroy a show house built by Katsimberis as part of a joint venture agreement they entered into for the development of cluster houses in Borrowdale.
He is also charged with perjury after falsifying information on an affidavit submitted to court as part of his response to the malicious damage to property case.
Kenneth Raydon Sharpe, the man at the centre of the controversial land transfer
In court papers in the hands of ZimEye, Sharpe who is jointly charged with six others including suspended City of Harare Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango, Engineer Isaiah Zvenyika Chawatama, Samuel Nyabezi, Lasten Taonezvi Michael John Van Blerk, Simbarashe Kadye and Mandla Marlone Ndebele allegedly destroyed a show house built by Katsimberis at the corner of Teviotdale and Whitwell Road in Borrowdale.
“In that on the date to the prosecutor unknown but during the period extending from July 2018 to October 2018 and at Plot 9 of 21 on consolidated stand number 19559 of 19828 Harare Township Corner Teviotdale and Whitwell road, Borrrowdale, Pokugara Properties (Private) Limited, Michael John Van Blerk, Mandla Marlone Ndebele, City of Harare, Hosiah Chisango, Isaiah Zvenyika Chawatama, Samuel Nyabezi, Lasten Taonezvi and Kenneth Raydon Sharpe who is still at large, one or more of them knowing that Georgios Katsimberis is entitled to own, possess or control any property or realizing that there was a real risk or possibility that another person may so be entitled, damaged or destroyed the property intending to cause damage or destruction…” reads part of the summons written by the police.
Meanwhile, Katsimberis’ lawyer Tendai Biti told Harare magistrate Sandra Mupindu that Sharpe was a fugitive of justice.
“My lady the accused is a land developer, sometime in 2016 he formed a joint venture company with the complainant who is a fugitive from justice, at large and land baron, Kenneth Raydon Sharpe, Pokugara Properties managing director John Michael Van Blerk and have brought up charges to my client who is also the chief witness hence there are similar cases for them before the Courts,” said Biti.
Multi-award winning gospel music sensation, Fungisai Zvakavapano Mashavave has ventured into beverages business following the launch of her new health drink called Organic Boabab Juice.
In a video circulating on her social media platforms, the gospel diva is seen displaying several bottles of the baobab juice.
“We are now manufacturing a health drink called Organic Baobab Juice. The feedback about the product is overwhelming and I am very happy,” she said.
In 2015, Fungisai opened a boutique and is also running other businesses to augment her income from music.
The juice is made from Baobab fruits which are found in the dry regions of Zimbabwe including Chipinge, Chimanimani and Chiredzi among other lowveld areas.
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members on Tuesday 4 May 2021 arrested and detained Jacob Ngarivhume, the leader of opposition Transform Zimbabwe political party and the Convenor of #31JulyMovement, for allegedly conducting a clean-up campaign in Harare’s Mbare suburb without first seeking police clearance.
Ngarivhume was arrested together with Thabani Ncube, also of #31JulyMovement and two unidentified drivers and detained at Matapi Police Station for close to two hours. They were arrested while on a widely publicised clean-up exercise conducted in Mbare, one of Harare’s oldest high-density suburb.
The drivers were assisting in the collection of garbage which is littered in Mbare and has not been collected by the local authority for a long time thereby posing a health hazard.
A refuse dump truck was also seized by ZRP and later released. Ngarivhume, Ncube and the two drivers were released without any charges preferred against them as Tinomuda Shoko, Paidamoyo Saurombe and Harrison Nkomo of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights had been deployed to represent them.
By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF has announced plans to draft a new party constitution which will have a clause compelling all members to be on the voters’ roll and vote for party candidates, failing which they will face disciplinary action.
This was revealed at the weekend by Zanu-PF secretary for legal affairs Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana.
Mangwana told delegates at the Mashonaland East provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Marondera that the current party constitution had a lot of loopholes which required overhaul.
“You say you are a party member? What help do you bring to the party if you can’t vote for it? Your value to Zanu-PF is your capacity to vote for Zanu-PF. If you are a Zanu-PF member, knowing that you are not in the voter’s roll, just resign.
“Currently it is not a disciplinary offence to belong to Zanu-PF and be unable to vote for it. We included that, we are in the process of drafting a new constitution for the party. In that constitution, it is now a disciplinary offence to hold a position in Zanu-PF and be unable to vote for it. Why do you waste our time and party regalia when you are not part of us?” Mangwana asked rhetorically.
The ruling party is currently engaged in cell restructuring and verification exercises ahead of the 2023 elections.
In 2018, Zanu-PF got a rude awakening after its MPs got higher votes than President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was nearly pummelled by opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa.
“We now need to know how many party members we have per village or cell, the same applies at branch level. This time let us be clinical. The late former President Robert Mugabe made us go to school, why do we fail simple mathematics? If we have 50 members in a cell, then how many are going to vote for Zanu-PF?” Mangwana asked.
By A Correspondent- Opposition MDC Alliance legislator Joanah Mamombe (Harare West) and party activist Cecilia Chimbiri will know their fate today after Harare High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi failed to make a ruling yesterday due to ill health.
Mamombe and Chimbiri were arrested two months ago on allegations of breaching COVID-19 safety regulations after they held a Press conference outside the Harare Magistrates’ Courts calling for the release of fellow party member Makomborero Haruziviishe.
“I want to believe the postponement is unavoidable. The judge says he is sick and it’s something beyond his control and so we can only wait for tomorrow (today),” the duo’s lawyer Alec Muchadehama said.
Industry and Commerce, Dr Sekai Nzenza, last week met a delegation from India but they did not practise social distancing neither were they wearing face masks. Should she be arrested?
The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has turned the tables against its member Benjamin Rukanda and reported him to law enforcement agents for fraud and perjury after he unilaterally recalled six MDC Alliance legislators, including party vice-president Tendai Biti, from Parliament without the party’s consent.
Rukanda allegedly masqueraded as the party’s secretary-general and wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda to have the six legislators — Biti (Harare East), Willias Madzimure (Kambuzuma), Settlement Chikwinya (Mbizo), Kucaca Phulu (Nkulumane), Sichelesile Mahlangu (Pumula) and Regai Tsunga (Mutasa South) — recalled.
PDP youth secretary for mobilisation Lloyd Madzimure last week reported Rukanda at the Harare Central Police Station under case number IR 041348.
“I only got to know Rukanda in connection with this matter, and in the United PDP, he was in lower structures in Masvingo,” Madzimure said.
In his statement to the police, Madzimure said Rukanda misrepresented to Mudenda that he was the secretary-general of the party when it was actually Chikwinya who held the position.
“On March 17, 2021, the accused authored a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda, claiming to be PDP secretary-general while, as a matter of fact, the secretary-general was Settlement Chikwinya,” Madzimure said.
“The accused person had no legal right to call for the recalling of the above MPs, and in doing so he greatly misdirected the Speaker (Mudenda) to make lame decisions against them.”
Contacted for comment, Rukanda said he was busy.
“In the meantime, I am busy,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from PDP leader Lucia Matibenga were in vain as her mobile phone was not being answered.
Biti and his colleagues recently had their recall set aside by the High Court and are now set to resume their parliamentary duties.
The World Health Organisation Africa will tomorrow (Thursday) host a press conference which is set to be addressed by the WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti.
Managing Director, Country Programmes, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Thabani Maphosa will also be available as one of the panelists.
Said the WHO :
Please join the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Media briefing. The virtual press conference is on-the-record and it is an opportunity for you to ask questions on the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, as well as other health issues. The media briefing is facilitated by APO Group.
Panelists:
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa
Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director, Country Programmes, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
Interpretation will be provided in French. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to access the event.
You can send questions in advance in English or French. Please email Collins Boakye-Agyemang: [email protected] and Danielle Siemeni: [email protected]with your full name, your country and your media organization and indicate if you would like to ask your questions live. Anonymous questions will not be accepted.
You can also ask questions live during the briefing using the Q&A function in Zoom.
Please specify your full name, your country and the media organization you work for.
A Mzilikazi man has been fined RTGS$5 000 after being found guilty of assaulting his wife for not singing at a funeral.
Lucas Mhlanga (39) of Mzilikazi suburb in Bulawayo who appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Mrs Nomagugu Maphosa on Monday blamed alcohol for his violent behavior.
Appearing for the State, Owen Mugari said Mhlanga, a barber and his wife Sikhulekile Moyo (40) were coming from a funeral in the same suburb on Sunday evening when he asked her why she was not singing at the funeral.
Mhlanga then assaulted his wife as punishment for not singing.
It was not stated who had died.
Moyo who did not suffer any injuries reported the matter to the police resulting in Mhlanga’s arrest.
The woman brought an affidavit to court intending to withdraw the matter saying she had forgiven him as Mhlanga had promised not to assault her again.
“I have forgiven my husband because he promised not to do it again and because he is the father of my only child who is a minor,” said Moyo.
Mhlanga pleaded for the court to be lenient and promised not to assault her again as he now knows it is a serious offence.
“I am sorry to my wife and to the Honourable court. I acted under the influence of alcohol and I did not know that punishing my wife is an offence. Now that I know, I shall never do it again,” said Mhlanga.
The magistrate Maphosa said the court considers the fact that the complainant had rendered an affidavit intending to withdraw the case and that she was the accused person’s wife and the couple has a child who is a minor.
The magistrate said sending Mhlanga to jail would disturb the child whose upkeep is based on the accused person’s earnings as he was the breadwinner.
Maphosa ordered Mhlanga to pay $5 000 by May 30 or spend 60 days in prison.
REF: RESIGNATION FROM THE ORGANISATION WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT
My name is Noris Nyathi, a party member based in Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North, I write this letter to inform you that I am no longer a member of this party.
My resignation is inspired by numerous factors, i.e failure to protect the citizens of Zimbabwe, I consider it gross misconduct by our MPs, Senators including the presidium to give ZANU PF the needed two third majority in order to pass the repressive Amendment Bill 2, this is a direct provocation to the electorate who are the custodians of the constitution which you have amended without going through a consultative process.
Your soft tone to the injustices perpetrated against the people of this nation leaves a lot to be desired. Secretary General, as I indicated that I am from Matabeleland North, I also feel the party has nothing to do with this region as reflected in your list of the Standing Committee members.
Your composition of top leadership does not reflect inclusiveness or nationalism, you continue to sideline the people of Matabeleland from powerful positions like any other party headquartered in Harare.
I want to also speak to the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment, it is a fact that part of the 27th December congress delegates were not the proper structures as at February 2018, this whole process was carried out to consolidate power and control of Morgan House.
In the spirit of democracy and integrity the party was supposed to bring together all party members who were in the structures before the death of President Morgan Tsvangirai (MHSRIP) including those you regarded as your enemies.
Your exclusion of other members was illegal, undemocratic and selfish.
I thank you for affording me an opportunity to grow my political career under your flagship since the formation of the movement unti now.
I know what is right and what is wrong because I was trained and mentored here.
By Wilbert Mukori- The British government has once again restated its commitment to human rights and good governance in Zimbabwe.
“We remain seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It is one of the UK’s 30 human rights priority countries globally,” said Lord Tariq Mahmood Ahmad, UK Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“On February 1, 2021, the UK announced new sanctions against four Zimbabwean security sector chiefs for serious human rights violations. We are concerned at the high rates of gender-based violence which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 response, including reports of harassment by police officers enforcing COVID-19 lockdown laws. In an effort to safeguard women’s rights, we spent £3 470 000 in 2020/21 to support the work of civil society organisations working to tackle gender-based violence.”
This is welcome news to every thinking Zimbabwean out there.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s seemingly never ending economic and political crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The country is gearing up for the 2023 elections and there is an opportunity to break the cycle of rigged election, bad governance, political oppression and grinding economic poverty and despair. The country will never accomplish of substance until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections.
Zimbabwe had it best opportunity ever to implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, MDC leaders, the GNU partner the task of implementing the reforms fell, failed to get even one reform implemented.
The SADC leaders, who were the guarantor of the political agreement that gave birth to the GNU, advised Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to have the 2013 elections postponed until reforms were implemented. Sadly, MDC leaders once again paid no heed.
Boycotting and/or postponing the elections rather than participating only to give legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF was sound advice back in June 2013 and it is still sound advice today. There really is no point in participating in an election process so flawed and illegal the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll.
Free, fair and credible elections is not just a basic human right, it is the essence of good governance and our ticket to ending the curse of bad governance, economic meltdown and the political oppression.
Whilst there is no chance of getting any democratic reforms implemented now, just over two years to the July 2023 election or of getting MDC and the rest in the opposition camp to boycott the 2023. Still, the British and the rest of the international community can bear pressure to bear on both Zanu PF and MDC leaders to end this cycle of flawed, illegal and meaningless elections by:
· reminding Zimbabwe’s errant politicians of the need to implement democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
· Stop funding, directly or indirectly, all 2023 elections activities until meaningful democratic reforms have been implemented
· Making it clear that if the 2023 elections go ahead with no meaningful reforms in place then the process will be condemn for failing “to meet international standards”, as stated in EU (2018) Election Observer Mission report. The process will be considered null and void and the vote rigging regime illegitimate.
After 41 years of rigged elections what the people of Zimbabwe want above all else is an end to the curse of rigged elections. Surely, that is not too much to ask!
A traffic police officer is battling for life at Gweru Provincial Hospital after he was run over by a commuter omnibus while manning a roadblock in the mining town of Kwekwe.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the kombi driver, Morris Mukwendi (27), who was driving an unregistered commuter omnibus after he escaped from the scene.
Assistant Inspector Dumisani Pondo was manning a roadblock along the City-Amaveni Road when the incident occurred.
Police confirmed the incident and said Mukwendi fled from the scene.
“The police are appealing for information which may lead to the location and arrest of a suspect, Morris Mukwendi of Kwekwe for attempted murder. The suspect ran over a member of the ZRP at the 2,5km peg along Amaveni Road near Gokwe turn-off on 30 April 2021 at around 1130am. The member is currently battling for life at Gweru Provincial Hospital,” said police national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi.
Asst Insp Pondo sustained injuries to the backbone and a deep cut on the head.
Circumstances are that on last Friday at around 1130 hours, Asst Insp Pondo was manning a roadblock at Gokwe turn-off along Amaveni Road in the company of three other police officers.
Upon approaching the roadblock, Mukwendi, who was driving a white Nissan Caravan, was instructed to stop by police officers.
By A Correspondent- The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has turned the tables against its member Benjamin Rukanda and reported him to law enforcement agents for fraud and perjury after he unilaterally recalled six MDC Alliance legislators, including party vice-president Tendai Biti, from Parliament without the party’s consent.
Rukanda allegedly masqueraded as the party’s secretary-general and wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda to have the six legislators – Biti (Harare East), Willias Madzimure (Kambuzuma), Settlement Chikwinya (Mbizo), Kucaca Phulu (Nkulumane), Sichelesile Mahlangu (Pumula) and Regai Tsunga (Mutasa South) – recalled.
PDP youth secretary for mobilisation Lloyd Madzimure last week reported Rukanda at the Harare Central Police Station under case number IR 041348.
“I only got to know Rukanda in connection with this matter, and in the United PDP, he was in lower structures in Masvingo,” Madzimure said.
In his statement to the police, Madzimure said Rukanda misrepresented to Mudenda that he was the secretary-general of the party when it was actually Chikwinya who held the position.
“On March 17, 2021, the accused authored a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda, claiming to be PDP secretary-general while, as a matter of fact, the secretary-general was Settlement Chikwinya,” Madzimure said.
“The accused person had no legal right to call for the recalling of the above MPs, and in doing so he greatly misdirected the Speaker (Mudenda) to make lame decisions against them.”
Contacted for comment, Rukanda said he was busy.
“In the meantime, I am busy,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from PDP leader Lucia Matibenga were in vain as her mobile phone was not being answered.
Biti and his colleagues recently had their recall set aside by the High Court and are now set to resume their parliamentary duties.
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has reviewed prices of fuel.
Diesel has maintained the previous month selling price of US$1.32 while petrol has marginally dropped price by 1 cent and is now US$1.33.
In terms of RTGS prices, both diesel and petrol dropped by 34 cents and is now selling for RTGS$111.43 and RTGS$112.62 down from RTGS$111.77 and RTGS$112.96 respectively.
The mother of the 14 year old girl who allegedly assaulted Lufuno Mavhunga hours before the pupil took her own life, says her daughter is filled with regret over the incident.
In an interview televised on Sunday night with Newzroom Afrika, the woman said while her child will receive counselling, Lufuno’s death is something that will remain with her forever.
“I don’t think she is proud [of the incident]. I remember her saying, ‘I wish I didn’t beat this child’,” said the mother.
“Even if we take her for counselling, she must be able to counsel herself and say this is the situation and this is how far my guilt is in the situation. I know she is not a cold soul that takes [the situation] for granted or ignores it,” she added.
The mother is not being named to protect the identity of her child, who is still a minor.
News of Mavhunga’s suicide shocked the nation several weeks ago and put the spotlight on school bullying.
The 15-year-old victim took her own life after a video, showing her being repeatedly slapped by her schoolmate, went viral on social media. She overdosed on pills.
Officials from the Mbilwi High School in Sibasa outside Thohoyandou, where the girls were pupils, opened a case of assault as the incident happened at school.
The pained mother said she was shocked and outraged seeing the video of her daughter attacking Lufuno. She asked her daughter about the incident and learnt there had been a R5 bet put forward by other children that her daughter would assault Lufuno — after an exchange on social media between the two girls.
“I told her that she broke my heart. I told her that she is in trouble and now that it has escalated to this level, as a family we are in trouble,” the woman added.
Her daughter spent several weeks in a place of safety and was eventually granted bail and released into her parent’s care last week.
Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzangi said bail was granted on condition the accused did not interfere with witnesses or travel outside Limpopo without the knowledge of the investigating officer.
“The case is remanded to May 27 for further investigations. The pupil is facing assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm charges,” said Malabi-Dzangi.
In the TV interview, the mother apologised to Lufuno’s family.
She said South Africans should know her daughter’s actions do not make her an animal and hoped her punishment would be equivalent to the crime.
Speaking to SowetanLIVE’s sister publication TimesLIVE on Monday afternoon, Lufuno’s elder brother Dakalo said her family had not yet seen the television interview.
My father tells me that [my mom] cries a lot and struggles to sleep
Dakalo Mavhunga, Lufuno’s brother
He said the family of the girl who assaulted his sister had not yet made contact.
“We haven’t resisted meeting with them as long as things are done in a proper manner. We would like to hear from them but it has to be away from the eyes of the media,” said Dakalo.
He said they were still struggling to comprehend what had happened but were taking things one day at a time.
“It is more difficult for my mom who is on medication. It is harder now because everyone has left after the funeral and it is quiet. I am not at home either but my father tells me that she cries a lot and struggles to sleep,” Dakalo added.
Asked how the family felt about the girl being granted bail, Dakalo said perhaps she should not have been granted bail.
“We were not expecting it because a lot of people, even those who are not related to us are angry. If anything were to happen to her out here, our family would be the first suspects, so for her own safety, we expected her to be kept there until the case is concluded,” he said.
Asked if his family was ready to forgive, Dakalo said only time would tell.-TimesLive
By Veritas | Senate Passes Constitution Amendment (No. 2) Bill
Yesterday the Senate of the Parliament of Zimbabwe passed the constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill, as amended by the National Assembly.
The final reading was approved by 65 affirmative votes to 10 negative votes – sufficient to achieve the two-thirds majority of the membership of the Senate required by section 328(5) of the Constitution.
The Bill as amended by the National Assembly has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
South African based gospel musician Letty Chawira is ecstatic about her music journey which she said has been rewarding and growing since she burst onto the scene a few years ago.
Since the release of her first single Matestimony featuring Rev Togarirepi Chivaviro, Chawira has since bagged different awards across Africa.
“This can only be God. I am happy that our last songs did well and Heal Our Land was well received by fans. We also got several awards,” she said.
Chawira said she was grateful because people were showing a lot of support.
“Had it not been Covid-19 we could have planned a regional tour mainly focusing on East Africa because most of the radio stations are playing my music. If all clears them we resume with shows,” she added.
She believe the shows will be her breaking point.
“Live perfoamances are very useful to musicians they do not only bring revenue but they also give us time to interact with our fans,” she said.
Already Chawira has embraced the new normal of maketing music online.
“Due to COVID-19 we have been marketing music online. The response is good and we are grateful,” she said.
By Veritas | Senate Passes Constitution Amendment (No. 2) Bill with the assistance of the Douglas Mwonzora led MDC-T.
Yesterday the Senate of the Parliament of Zimbabwe passed the constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill, as amended by the National Assembly.
The final reading was approved by 65 affirmative votes to 10 negative votes – sufficient to achieve the two-thirds majority of the membership of the Senate required by section 328(5) of the Constitution.
The Bill as amended by the National Assembly has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
Dear Editor. You seen to have missed covering this story – The cop who was arrested for calling Emmerson Mnangagwa a used condom, Shungudzemoyo Kache, was found dead hanging on the 13th Jan at the grounds of Tomlison Depot. I thought you should be aware. – ZRP Source pic.twitter.com/S2MH0bSOoE
By Veritas | Senate Passes Constitution Amendment (No. 2) Bill
Yesterday the Senate of the Parliament of Zimbabwe passed the constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill, as amended by the National Assembly.
The final reading was approved by 65 affirmative votes to 10 negative votes – sufficient to achieve the two-thirds majority of the membership of the Senate required by section 328(5) of the Constitution.
The Bill as amended by the National Assembly has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
By A Correspondent- Zanu PF youths in Headlands have embarked on another violent land reform, but this time eyeing farms allocated to party bigwigs in the constituency, among them former Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and former Agriculture minister Joseph Made, which they claim are oversized.
Last Friday, Headlands MP Christopher Chingosho (Zanu PF) invited the constituency’s commercial farmers and A2 farmers for an emergency meeting over the issue.
NewsDay is in possession of the invitation letter whose main agenda was downsizing of farms and the formation of the Headlands development committee.
“All the A2 and commercial farm owners in Headlands constituency are required to attend the meeting in person and on time,” the letter read.
However, sources in Headlands told NewsDay that Chingosho was targeting Chinamasa’s farm as there were reports that the former Finance minister had plans to become MP for the area in 2023.
Chingosho is reportedly unleashing youths on those he believes to be his competitors in the constituency.
“The meeting took place, but Chingosho did not mention Chinamasa and Made by name. The issue is about underutilised farms owned by the big bosses, which are more than 400 hectares, and youths want some of the land that Made and Chinamasa are failing to utilise,” a source said.
“Both Chinamasa and Made definitely have oversized farms and youths want that land. Chinamasa’s farm in Headlands is called Tsukumai Farm and it is almost 3 000 hectares, while Made’s farm is almost 1 500 hectares (Tara Farm),” the source said.
“The reason Chingosho is also going after Chinamasa is that Chinamasa can’t win Rusape Urban (Makoni Central), so he is also looking for rural Headlands constituency in the next election in order to protect his interests.” NewsDay
A MAN from Mzilikazi suburb has been fined $5 000 for assaulting his wife for not singing at a funeral.
Lucas Mhlanga (39) of Mzilikazi suburb pleaded guilty to assault charges when he appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Mrs Nomagugu Maphosa on Monday.
Appearing for the State, Mr Owen Mugari said Mhlanga, a barber and his wife Ms Sikhulekile Moyo (40) were coming from a funeral in the same suburb on Sunday evening when he asked her why she was not singing at the funeral.
Mhlanga then assaulted his wife as punishment for not singing.
It was not stated who had died.
Ms Moyo who did not suffer any injuries reported the matter to the police resulting in Mhlanga’s arrest.
The woman brought an affidavit to court intending to withdraw the matter saying she had forgiven him as Mhlanga had promised not to assault her again.
“I have forgiven my husband because he promised not to do it again and because he is the father of my only child who is a minor,” said Ms Moyo.
Mhlanga who blamed alcohol for his actions pleaded for the court to be lenient and promised not to assault her again as he now knows it is a serious offence.
“I am sorry to my wife and to the Honourable court. I acted under the influence of alcohol and I did not know that punishing my wife is an offence. Now that I know, I shall never do it again,” said Mhlanga.
The magistrate Mrs Maphosa said the court considers the fact that the complainant had rendered an affidavit intending to withdraw the case and that she was the accused person’s wife and the couple has a child who is a minor.
The magistrate said sending Mhlanga to jail would disturb the child whose upkeep is based on the accused person’s earnings as he was the breadwinner.
Mrs Maphosa ordered Mhlanga to pay $5 000 by May 30 or spend 60 days in prison. — Chronicle
As Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume was arrested yesterday, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, ZBC quickly tucked in its corporate name into his refuse collection program claiming it is their invention.
An accelerated refuse collection programme has been launched in Harare following a public outcry over poor waste management by the local authority after the expose which ZBC News moved in to claim its the one that triggered it all.
The state media report continued stating:
The issue of uncollected garbage has become a serious concern in Harare amid fears of a health hazard with uncollected refuse piling up near the popular Mbare Musika vegetable market.
“This garbage has been there for months if not year now and we are happy it is now being collected,” said a Mbare resident.
Government is adamant waste management should be a priority for all stakeholders.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government And Public Works, Honourable Marian Chombo said, “As a ministry, we have engaged council and they were citing their challenges. So, we said devolution funds allocated to the local authority should be used for such kind of service.”
The development came as Ngarivhume was briefly arrested while in the very act of collecting garbage and later in the day released without charge.
With illegal dumping sites having become an eyesore in most parts of the capital city, it is hoped that the accelerated refuse collection programme, which builds on the National Clean-Up Day, will only breed a culture of environmental stewardship.
Two people are said to have died early Sunday morning after the vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and uprooted this tree along Robert Mugabe Way in Bulawayo
Judge Jarachara, Chronicle Reporter TWO people died on the spot in a horrific accident that occurred in Bulawayo’s city centre after their car veered off the road, hit and uprooted a tree that crushed the vehicle, causing extensive damages.
Another person they were travelling with was injured and is said to be in a serious condition in hospital.
The deceased, both males, the driver and a passenger who was in the front seat suffered serious head injuries in the accident that occurred on Sunday at around 2AM.
Police said the two are from Gweru but have not yet been identified as they did not have any identity particulars on them.
Police did not find the driver’s licence.
Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the accident and added that investigations are underway.
The driver of the BMW vehicle was driving along Robert Mugabe Way between 10th and 11th avenues when he lost control of the car.
It veered off the road and hit a tree which fell on top of the car and crushed it leading to the death of the driver and another passenger who was on the front passenger seat.
The other passenger, a woman sustained serious injuries and was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals for treatment. It is not known if the woman is from Gweru or is a Bulawayo resident.
Inspector Ncube said the driver was carrying two passengers when he was involved in the accident.
“The sole party, a male adult aged approximately 33, was driving a black BMW along Robert Mugabe Way due south with two passengers on board. The vehicle veered off the road, hit and uprooted a tree. The tree then landed on top of the vehicle resulting in the vehicle being crushed.
“The driver and a passenger who was seated on the front passenger’s seat both sustained head injuries and died on the spot,” said Insp Ncube.
He said the second passenger was injured and became unconscious.
“The other passenger sustained a laceration on the left ankle and lost consciousness after the accident. She was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals by a Bulawayo City Council ambulance where she was attended to at the casualty department and her condition was serious,” the police spokesperson said.
“The vehicle sustained extensive damages and the Bulawayo fire brigade was summoned to retrieve the deceased who was trapped in the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to Bulawayo central traffic awaiting inspection by VID Bulawayo whereas the bodies of the deceased were conveyed to United Bulawayo Hospitals Mortuary for postmortem.”
Insp Ncube appealed to the members of the public to religiously follow road rules.- Chronicle
A MAN from Mzilikazi suburb has been fined $5 000 for assaulting his wife for not singing at a funeral.
Lucas Mhlanga (39) of Mzilikazi suburb pleaded guilty to assault charges when he appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Mrs Nomagugu Maphosa on Monday.
Appearing for the State, Mr Owen Mugari said Mhlanga, a barber and his wife Ms Sikhulekile Moyo (40) were coming from a funeral in the same suburb on Sunday evening when he asked her why she was not singing at the funeral.
Mhlanga then assaulted his wife as punishment for not singing.
It was not stated who had died.
Ms Moyo who did not suffer any injuries reported the matter to the police resulting in Mhlanga’s arrest.
The woman brought an affidavit to court intending to withdraw the matter saying she had forgiven him as Mhlanga had promised not to assault her again.
“I have forgiven my husband because he promised not to do it again and because he is the father of my only child who is a minor,” said Ms Moyo.
Mhlanga who blamed alcohol for his actions pleaded for the court to be lenient and promised not to assault her again as he now knows it is a serious offence.
“I am sorry to my wife and to the Honourable court. I acted under the influence of alcohol and I did not know that punishing my wife is an offence. Now that I know, I shall never do it again,” said Mhlanga.
The magistrate Mrs Maphosa said the court considers the fact that the complainant had rendered an affidavit intending to withdraw the case and that she was the accused person’s wife and the couple has a child who is a minor.
The magistrate said sending Mhlanga to jail would disturb the child whose upkeep is based on the accused person’s earnings as he was the breadwinner.
Mrs Maphosa ordered Mhlanga to pay $5 000 by May 30 or spend 60 days in prison. — Chronicle
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance donated tick grease to villagers in Jichidza area, Zaka North at the weekend.
According to MDC Alliance Masvingo Youth Assembly provincial secretary, Gilbert Mutubuki, 100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle.
Mutubuki was accompanied by MDC Alliance Masvingo Provincial Youth Assembly vice chairperson Lovemore Mapuranga and secretary for welfare James Mukaro during the distribution process.
“We were in Zaka North, Jichidza and we distributed tick grease for cattle.
100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle. We also played soccer at Chitende Primary School as part of mobilization efforts,” said Mutubuki.
The Zanu PF administration is failing to supply chemicals required at diptanks in the area.
By Wilbert Mukori | The British government has once again restated its commitment to human rights and good governance in Zimbabwe.
indepth…Wilbert Mukori
“We remain seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It is one of the UK’s 30 human rights priority countries globally,” said Lord Tariq Mahmood Ahmad, UK Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“On February 1, 2021, the UK announced new sanctions against four Zimbabwean security sector chiefs for serious human rights violations. We are concerned at the high rates of gender-based violence which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 response, including reports of harassment by police officers enforcing COVID-19 lockdown laws. In an effort to safeguard women’s rights, we spent £3 470 000 in 2020/21 to support the work of civil society organisations working to tackle gender-based violence.”
This is welcome news to every thinking Zimbabwean out there.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s seemingly never ending economic and political crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The country is gearing up for the 2023 elections and there is an opportunity to break the cycle of rigged election, bad governance, political oppression and grinding economic poverty and despair. The country will never accomplish of substance until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections.
Zimbabwe had it best opportunity ever to implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, MDC leaders, the GNU partner the task of implementing the reforms fell, failed to get even one reform implemented.
The SADC leaders, who were the guarantor of the political agreement that gave birth to the GNU, advised Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to have the 2013 elections postponed until reforms were implemented. Sadly, MDC leaders once again paid no heed.
Boycotting and/or postponing the elections rather than participating only to give legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF was sound advice back in June 2013 and it is still sound advice today. There really is no point in participating in an election process so flawed and illegal the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll.
Free, fair and credible elections is not just a basic human right, it is the essence of good governance and our ticket to ending the curse of bad governance, economic meltdown and the political oppression.
Whilst there is no chance of getting any democratic reforms implemented now, just over two years to the July 2023 election or of getting MDC and the rest in the opposition camp to boycott the 2023. Still, the British and the rest of the international community can bear pressure to bear on both Zanu PF and MDC leaders to end this cycle of flawed, illegal and meaningless elections by:
· reminding Zimbabwe’s errant politicians of the need to implement democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
· Stop funding, directly or indirectly, all 2023 elections activities until meaningful democratic reforms have been implemented
· Making it clear that if the 2023 elections go ahead with no meaningful reforms in place then the process will be condemn for failing “to meet international standards”, as stated in EU (2018) Election Observer Mission report. The process will be considered null and void and the vote rigging regime illegitimate.
After 41 years of rigged elections what the people of Zimbabwe want above all else is an end to the curse of rigged elections. Surely, that is not too much to ask! – SOURCE: zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance donated tick grease to villagers in Jichidza area, Zaka North at the weekend.
According to MDC Alliance Masvingo Youth Assembly provincial secretary, Gilbert Mutubuki, 100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle.
Mutubuki was accompanied by MDC Alliance Masvingo Provincial Youth Assembly vice chairperson Lovemore Mapuranga and secretary for welfare James Mukaro during the distribution process.
“We were in Zaka North, Jichidza and we distributed tick grease for cattle.
100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle. We also played soccer at Chitende Primary School as part of mobilization efforts,” said Mutubuki.
The Zanu PF administration is failing to supply chemicals required at dip tanks in the area.
A traffic police officer is battling for life at Gweru Provincial Hospital after he was run over by a commuter omnibus while manning a roadblock in the mining town of Kwekwe.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the kombi driver, Morris Mukwendi (27), who was driving an unregistered commuter omnibus after he escaped from the scene.
Assistant Inspector Dumisani Pondo was manning a roadblock along the City-Amaveni Road when the incident occurred. Police confirmed the incident and said Mukwendi fled from the scene.
“The police are appealing for information which may lead to the location and arrest of a suspect, Morris Mukwendi of Kwekwe for attempted murder. The suspect ran over a member of the ZRP at the 2,5km peg along Amaveni Road near Gokwe turn-off on 30 April 2021 at around 1130am. The member is currently battling for life at Gweru Provincial Hospital,” said police national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi.
Asst Insp Pondo sustained injuries to the backbone and a deep cut on the head. Circumstances are that on last Friday at around 1130 hours, Asst Insp Pondo was manning a roadblock at Gokwe turn-off along Amaveni Road in the company of three other police officers.
Upon approaching the roadblock, Mukwendi, who was driving a white Nissan Caravan, was instructed to stop by police officers. Asst Insp Pondo asked Mukwendi to produce his driver’s license and vehicle registration which he failed to do.
He then instructed one of the police officers to arrest Mukwendi for failure to produce the necessary documents.
Mukwendi sped off intending to run over Asst Insp Pondo who was standing in front of the vehicle but the police officer jumped and clung onto the bumper of the speeding vehicle.
Mukwendi drove at a high speed towards the city centre before he turned left while Asst Insp Pondo was still hanging precariously onto the bumper. Upon reaching Jacaranda Road, Mukwendi applied emergency brakes and the police officer fell onto the tar mark.
Mukwendi allegedly ran over the police officer and injured him in the process. After committing the crime, Mukwendi jumped off the vehicle and escaped leaving the seriously injured police officer on the ground.
The cop was rushed to Kwekwe General Hospital where he was then transferred to Gweru Provincial Hospital where he was said to be battling for life. Herald
The trial of a ZANU PF member, Goodman Tamuona Musariri on charges of undermining or insulting the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa was expected to commence at the Bindura Magistrates Court this Monday.
According to his lawyers, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Musariri was arrested in 2020 in connection with his posts on social media.
He is accused of circulating messages on three WhatsApp groups endorsing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to take over leadership of the ZANU PF party as President Mnangagwa lacks authority and drive to lead the ruling party and Zimbabwe.
Musariri allegedly posted messages on three WhatsApp groups namely “People’s General Xi-wenga” “Zanu PF Mash Central Build Up” and “Legacy of our struggle” of which he is the administrator.
He is being represented by lawyers Tinomuda Shoko and Mutape Paidamoyo Saurombe of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.-Pindula News
Bulawayo’s Dr Ndubiwa died yesterday afternoon at Mater Dei Hospital where he had gone for his routine dialysis session.
His son, Horace, confirmed the sad news to the state media.
Dr Ndubiwa
Dr Ndubiwa became deputy town clerk of Bulawayo in 1979, and by 1984 was the first black town clerk in independent Zimbabwe when the last white town clerk Ian Edmeades left, serving until 1999 when he retired.- Chronicle
“...Having said that, we say this is a vote and the majority prevailed and to that extent, we accept the result…”- said Sen. Douglas Mwonzora as he celebrated giving Emmerson Mnangagwa superpowers.
Douglas Mwonzora
State Media – The second amendment to the Constitution sailed through Senate yesterday, easily making the two-thirds majority with a 65-10 vote and with a group of MDC-T senators joining the Zanu-PF senators and the traditional leaders.
During the Committee Stage last week 19 senators, all from the MDC-T, voted against a single clause that would allow High Court and Supreme Court judges to be promoted without having to go through a second public hearing.
The 19 approved all the other measures. It appears that nine of this group then decided that their support for the raft of other measures outweighed their dislike of one clause, and so having registered their dislike in the Committee Stage on that one item voted for the package of amendments as a whole in the Third Reading.
MDC-T leader Sen Douglas Mwonzora was more precise. He said the women senators from his party liked the extension of the process for extra women MPs more than they disliked the judge clause.
The provision of these extra seats reserved for women and elected on party lists for the life of two more Parliaments, was due to expire before the next election. It was put in place as a temporary measure to cover the period until cultural shifts would produce gender balance.
Most MPs and senators now believe another decade of the measure is required before any change can be contemplated.
Gender equality is achieved in the Senate, outside the block of traditional chiefs, by insisting that parties on their party lists alternate candidates by gender.
After Senate Deputy President Mike Nyambuya announced the results saying they satisfied the two-thirds Constitutional requirement, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi described the passage of the Bill as historic while Sen Mwonzora said he would accept the result.
Besides extending the life of the extra women’s seats in the National Assembly and removing the need for judges to compete in public when seeking promotion, the amendment Bill adds 10 specially elected youth MPs and retains the present system of a President appointing the vice-presidents rather than allow a clause that would have come active at the next election whereby the President and two vice-presidents would stand together on a single ticket at the election.
The Bill extends tenure of medically fit judges to 75 years and gives impetus to Government’s devolution agenda by separating MPs and senators from the provincial councils.
Addressing Senate soon after the passage of the Bill, Minister Ziyambi said: “I want to thank Honourable Senators for this historic occasion in the sense that we debated together, historic in that we did a good job.”
He said the amendments were as a result of the realisation that the 2013 Constitution had some errors that needed to be attended to.
“I am also elated that we can now plan for the 2023 elections both as political parties and as Government.
“We can now pursue the devolution agenda as enunciated by His Excellency President Mnangagwa,” said Minister Ziyambi.
In an interview, Sen Mwonzora said his party accepted the result but would push for negotiations.
“When you look at the vote that has happened, the majority of the women including those from the MDC-T voted for the Bill. It is clear that they were voting for the women’s quota.
“It is not a typical Bill that a leader of a political party would whip people because doing so would be like whipping them against their gender.
“Having said that, we say this is a vote and the majority prevailed and to that extent, we accept the result with our disappointment,” he said.
He said while they agreed with several issues in the Bill such as the women and youth quotas, they were not happy with the removal of the running mates clause and the extension of judges’ tenure. –Herald
Tinashe Sambiri|Unruly Zanu PF elements bashed MDC Alliance Mashonaland East Youth Assembly member, George Madziva for inserting President Chamisa’s picture as his mobile phone wallpaper.
The rowdy Zanu PF mob led by a DCC youth chairperson, confronted Madziva in Murehwa and severely bashed him.
Police are reluctant to bring the culpritsto book…
Read full report below:
MDC Alliance Mash East Youth Leader Attacked By ZANU PF Thugs Over President Chamisa Wallpaper
Mashonaland East MDC Alliance Youth Assembly member, George Madziva was attacked by a mob of ZANU PF thugs led by their youth District Coordinating Committee (DCC) Chairman on Saturday in Murehwa.
Madziva who is Mashonaland East Youth Secretary for Local Government said he was attacked at the instigation of a ZANU PF DCC Youth Chair who confronted him for putting President Nelson Chamisa’s picture as his phone wallpaper.
The notorious ZANU PF DCC Chairman then called his gang who ambushed Madziva on his way home.
Madziva sustained a badly fractured arm and bruises all his body from the vicious attack.
Among the thugs that attacked Madziva, there was one Masendeke, a known ZPCS Warden stationed at Murehwa Centre.
Madziva has since made a report at ZRP Murehwa and it is our sincere hope that the police will genuinely pursue the case.
Since the turn of the millennium, Murehwa has become one of the epicenters of politically motivated violence targeting opposition members.
In the post 2008 elections violence many lost limps, lives and property at the hands of a ZANU PF militia group, the Green Bombers.
It is for that reason as MDC Alliance Youth Assembly we are totally opposed to the re-establishment of a partisan National Youth Service recently approved by Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet.
It is time we deploy our own Peace Officers to protect our parents in rural areas as we head towards the 2023 watershed elections.
DefyOrDie
People’sAgenda2021
CitizensConvergenceForChange
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
What leads to medication-overuse headache, and how can you reduce your risk?
Becky Upham By Becky Upham Medically Reviewed by Jason Paul Chua, MD, PhD April 28, 2021 Medically Reviewed
a variety of pills colorful Too-frequent use of acute migraine drugs can lead to chronic daily headache.
Do you have headache days — in addition to migraine attacks — more often than you have pain-free days? If so, you may have medication-overuse headache (MOH).
Also called chronic daily headache or rebound headache, MOH most commonly occurs in people with a primary headache disorder such as migraine, cluster headache, or tension-type headache, according to the American Migraine Foundation. It’s caused by too-frequent use of acute medications, although exactly what “too frequent” means can depend on the drug being taken.
Medication-overuse headache isn’t only troublesome because you have near-constant head pain: MOH can also cause headaches that are resistant to preventive migraine medications, making acute therapies less effective as well.
Stewart Tepper, MD, professor of neurology at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire, spoke about medication-overuse headaches in his talk “Medications That Make Migraine Worse,” as part of the Sixth Annual Migraine World Summit, held March 17 to 25, 2021.
In addition to explaining how medication-overuse headache develops and how to reduce your risk, Dr. Tepper observed that the newest type of acute migraine treatment — a drug class called CGRP receptor antagonists, sometimes referred to as “gepants” (pronounced gee-pants) — does not carry the risk of medication-overuse headache.
Here’s what to know about medication-overuse headache.
Medication-Overuse Headache Has a Precise Definition The International Headache Society defines medication-overuse headache as a headache occurring on 15 or more days per month in a person with a preexisting primary headache disorder and developing as a consequence of regular overuse of acute or symptomatic headache medication for more than three months.
Different medications have different guidelines as to what constitutes overuse. The use of triptans, ergot alkaloids, combination analgesics (pain relievers), or opioids for 10 or more days of the month is considered overuse, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
MOST HELPFUL Is It a Migraine Attack or a Cluster Headache? Expert Advice on Managing Chronic Migraine How Long Will My Migraine Attack Last? Taking simple analgesics, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) — a drug class that includes aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve) — on 15 or more days a month also constitutes overuse.
Usually medication-overuse headaches resolve after the overuse is stopped, although people may undergo a period when their headaches get worse before they get better.
Quantity Matters in Medication-Overuse Headache, Not Quality Medication-overuse headache can feel different in different people, according to Tepper.
“What I tell people is that it doesn’t really matter if it’s front or back, right or left, up or down, mild, moderate, or severe. It’s not the quality of the headache, it’s the quantity of the headache,” he says.
The distinguishing feature of MOH is how often occurs, he says.
Any Day With Any Type of Headache Counts as a ‘Headache Day’ If you aren’t sure if what you’re experiencing is MOH, try keeping a calendar and counting the number of headache days you have. Don’t just count the days when you have symptoms of a migraine attack but rather all days with any type of headache, says Tepper.
Alternatively, he suggests counting the number of completely headache-free days you have. “How many days are crystal clear from the moment you open your eyes until the minute you go to bed at night, without a twinge of headache? The crystal-clear days should be at least 15 days per month in order to not be in chronic migraine,” he says.
Taking Certain Medications Just Once a Week Can Make Migraine Worse The two pain medications that are most likely to make migraine worse are butalbital, which is a barbiturate that is mixed with other pain medicines and is included in the medications Fioricet and Fiorinal, and opioids of any sort, says Tepper.
These types of medications can be used for emergency relief for a migraine attack but should be used with caution because of their risk for rebound headache, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
Opioids, also called narcotics, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, can cause headaches to worsen or become more frequent by using them just once a week. Butalbital is linked with overuse when used four times a month or more, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
These medications alter the pain regulatory systems of the brain in a bad way, and they not only worsen migraine attacks in terms of frequency, severity, and duration but also often make them untreatable, says Tepper.
Pain Medications Taken for Any Reason Can Lead to MOH Taking analgesics for reasons besides your migraine can still cause medication-overuse headache, according to StatPearls.
“Say you’re taking it for low back pain, the brain does not know the difference,” says Tepper, adding that the frequency of use and the type of medication are associated with the transformation to MOH.
The More Headache Days You Have, the Higher Your Risk for Chronic Daily Headache “The more headache days a person has, the more likely they are to transform to chronic migraine,” says Tepper. Studies conducted both in the general population and in clinics show that people who have 10 to 14 headache days per month are 20 times more likely to develop daily headache than people who have fewer than five headache days per month, he says.
“The frequency of the headache days is actually a big risk for transforming, and the frequency of headaches is linked to how many times somebody reaches for an acute medication to treat,” says Tepper, adding that although these are separate risks, they feed each other.
“It’s why we try so hard to reduce the total number of headache days per month, as well as the number of acute medication days per month,” says Tepper.
Caffeine Can Contribute to Medication-Overuse Headache Caffeine at 100 to 200 milligrams (mg) per day is probably enough to contribute to medication-overuse headache, says Tepper.
For reference, 8 ounces of coffee has between 80 and 100 mg of caffeine, and 12 ounces of a caffeinated soft drink has between 30 and 40 mg, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The headache medication Excedrin has 65 mg of caffeine per tablet.
However, many people are fond of their caffeine-containing beverages.
“I tend to try to work around the caffeine, as long as it’s not high-dose caffeine, to see if we can help them without taking away one of their pleasures,” says Tepper…
Credit: Everyday Health
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
India recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic yet with 3,689 deaths in the last 24 hours and one more state going into lockdown as the nation’s creaky healthcare system is unable to cope with the massive caseload.
Sunday was the fourth straight day India recorded more than 3,000 deaths as the second wave of the pandemic carries on unabated and keeps setting grim new records. Altogether 215,542 people have died from COVID-19 in the country.
The number of cases surged to 19.5 million with 392,488 new infections, government data showed. India became the first country to cross 400,000 daily cases on Saturday.
Healthcare systems are overwhelmed and a shortage of medical oxygen has emerged as the most serious challenge.
Thirty-four patients died because of oxygen shortages in hospitals in the capital New Delhi and the states of Andhra Pradesh and Haryana on Saturday, the Times of India reported.
Thirty-one more with COVID-19-like symptoms and “breathing difficulties” died in a hospital in Uttar Pradesh state, the report cited authorities as saying.
Nearly 10 Indian states and union territories have imposed some form of restrictions, even as the federal government remains reluctant to impose a national lockdown.
The eastern state of Odisha became the latest to announce a two-week lockdown, joining Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have either imposed night curfews or weekend lockdowns. –ALJAZEERA
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) is struggling to defend the low “O” pass rate for the 2020 Ordinary Level results which is lower than that of 2019.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, Zimsec chairperson, Professor Eddie Mwenje said the overall pass rate was pegged at 24,8 percent, a slight decrease from 31,6 percent for 2019.
The statistics show that the 2020 pass rate decreased by 6,8 percent from that of 2019.
Prof Mwenje said despite the decrease, the pass rate was still in range based on historical analysis.
He said in analysing the pass rate, members of the public should also consider the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prof Mwenje said it is also important to note that some countries that went into national lockdowns due to the pandemic also experienced a decrease in pass rates.
By Mari Matutu | Today, Wednesday, is 5 May 2021. It’s 10 days remaining for Malaba to go. As explained in deployment to operation Deception Check letter L= Remainder 10.
I see the regime is still hoping something will come by in 10 days. They have taken bill number 2 to the senate. Their surrogates have gone into deception mode.
Do not be fooled. It is a sign of withdrawal. Operation bombardment must proceed. We are there. There cannot legally change anything. With or without the bills Malaba must go. They never saw it coming, that once the Chief Justice office is vacant without a qualified person from Judiciary, to occupy the office of CJ, then the Judiciary arm of state has collapsed. It cannot be reinstated by politicians or politics.
The actions of Parliament in these last few days is a visible hand trying a set up of Judiciary. It all crushes because of s328 as explained by Alex Magaisa. They cannot do anything about it.
What need to be done is to think of how to turn this opportunity to victory.
As it stands judicial authority can only come from people of Zimbabwe. The two Zimbabwe birds on the disc ID, according to them, represent the history of Zimbabwe. North East of the country there are ruins of a defeated ruler. He used charms as his powers. Mutokoma was defeated. Read for yourself from there.
South East of Zimbabwe is an unknown ruins cluster, much bigger than Mutoko ruins, with a big cave. It shall be refugee of the people because the Lord did not let it be defiled by a corrupt regime.
They tried to build statues of a goddess Nehanda, but they could not shape her, because the time of God has come. He crushed the kingdoms and other powers. He is now crushing Judges so that the Judiciary will fear God Almighty.
No government ever has stood without a Judiciary. It will start in Zimbabwe. This automatically means the regime is gone. Every citizen of Zimbabwe must now be rejoicing and blowing the trumpet as the walls of Jericho have fallen.
It is in the remaining 10 days that we must all concentrate on section 162, section 163, section 164 and section 165.
Let every citizen know that it is us the people of Zimbabwe who give the Judiciary authority and no one else.
It is time we know that the judicial authority is vested in a Court and not in a Judge or group of Judges. A court is a properly constituted panel of Judges as defined by a founding provision. As it stands, the Constitutional Court collapsed on 22 May 2020. Nothing legal can be done today to bring it back.
As Malaba is retiring on 15 May, the Supreme Court and the High Court as constituted by section 168 and 170 collapse. They cease to be courts. Even if Judges may be there but their authority is exercised through court and not office.
Once the Superior Courts collapse the judiciary has collapsed because it is no longer constituted as prescribed by s163.
So do not be distracted by decoys. Focus. The people must decide whom they will vest with the Judicial authority, especially the bills the regime is busy creating. Those are the catalyst of its own departure.
By A Correspondent-Zanu PF youths in Manicaland’s Headlands are reportedly eyeing farms that are owned by the party’s bigwigs claiming that they are oversized.
Targeted Zanu PF bigwigs are the former Agriculture minister Joseph Made, and former Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa
Last Friday, Headlands MP Christopher Chingosho (Zanu PF) invited the constituency’s commercial farmers and A2 farmers for an emergency meeting over the issue.
NewsDay is in possession of the invitation letter whose main agenda was downsizing of farms and the formation of the Headlands development committee.
“All the A2 and commercial farm owners in Headlands constituency are required to attend the meeting in person and on time,” the letter read.
However, sources in Headlands told NewsDay that Chingosho was targeting Chinamasa’s farm as there were reports that the former Finance minister had plans to become MP for the area in 2023.
Chingosho is reportedly unleashing youths on those he believes to be his competitors in the constituency.
“The meeting took place, but Chingosho did not mention Chinamasa and Made by name. The issue is about underutilised farms owned by the big bosses, which are more than 400 hectares, and youths want some of the land that Made and Chinamasa are failing to utilise,” a source said.
“Both Chinamasa and Made definitely have oversized farms and youths want that land. Chinamasa’s farm in Headlands is called Tsukumai Farm and it is almost 3 000 hectares, while Made’s farm is almost 1 500 hectares (Tara Farm),” the source said.
“The reason Chingosho is also going after Chinamasa is that Chinamasa can’t win Rusape Urban (Makoni Central), so he is also looking for rural Headlands constituency in the next election in order to protect his interests.”
In the 2018 elections, Chinamasa lost the Makoni Central seat to David Tekeshe, now MDC-T.
However, a youth in Headlands told NewsDay on condition of anonymity, that they were actually eyeing large tracts of underutilised land in the hands of some party bigwigs.
“We as youths are suffering. We don’t have land, yet some of our big bosses have land which they are failing to fully utilise,” the youth said.
Chingosho confirmed the meeting, adding that in their recommendations, there was the issue of giving land to the youths.
“We had a meeting on Friday and we recommended giving our youths land and other groups of people after the downsizing of the farms, which was another recommendation we did. The issue of downsizing is a government policy and the issue has been addressed in Parliament,” he said.
“But here in Headlands, I believe the youths are the most affected when it comes to getting land.”
Chingosho, however, refuted the allegations that the downsizing of farms was targeting Chinamasa and Made.
“No, they are not being targeted. We are just following what the government said we should do,” he said.
Zanu PF provincial youth chairperson Tawanda Mukodza was not reachable for comment.
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has said company and school-owned buses are allowed passage at police roadblocks as long as they have the requisite documents, proof of ownership and all relevant registration processes.
This comes after Bulawayo Provincial Police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube last week Thursday said all private buses not contracted to the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO), even staff and school buses, are barred from the road.
Inspector Ncube made the remarks at a press conference at Ross Camp after scores of pupils were left stranded at roadsides as police impounded vehicles that were pirating in defiance of COVID-19 regulations in the city.
But in a statement this Tuesday, National Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi invalidated the remarks that were made by Inspector Ncube. The statement by Assistant Commissioner Nyathi says:The Zimbabwe Republic Police wishes to set the record straight on the use of company and school-owned buses to carry staff and pupils throughout the country.
This clarity will also assist to correct the statement being attributed to ZRP Bulawayo Provincial Spokesperson which recently went viral on social media.
In enforcing the Government’s COVID-19 regulations on transporters, the Zimbabwe Republic Police will ensure that company and school-owned buses which have the requisite documents, proof of ownership and all relevant registration processes are allowed passage at roadblocks and checkpoints.
The police will only impound public service vehicles such as kombis or buses which are carrying passengers whilst they are not registered under the ZUPCO franchise. Police officers are fully aware of this position.
Private taxis and mushikashika vehicles will be impounded by the Police and there is no going back on this stance for public safety.
Companies and schools which intend to hire kombis or buses which are not under the ZUPCO franchise to transport workers should first seek clearance from the relevant Ministry and ZUPCO. This will assist law enforcement officers in the maintenance of law and order on the roads.
Meanwhile, the Police reports that since January 2021 to date a total of 167 062 people have been arrested for not wearing face masks. We urge the public to promote health safety and compliance with the Government’s COVID-19 regulations.
(NYATHI. P) Assistant Commissioner Senior Staff Officer [Press, Public and International Relations] To the Commissioner-General of Police Police General Headquarters
By A Correspondent-After being embarrassed by barbaric acts by some of its members in Bulawayo who reportedly impounded school buses and company vehicle which were carrying school children, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has been forced to speak against the insensitive incident.
Speaking to the state media Tuesday, Police national police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner, Paul Nyathi, said company and school-owned buses are allowed to operate freely across the country.
“In enforcing the Government’s Covid-19 regulations on transporters, the police will ensure that company and school-owned buses, which have the requisite documents, proof of ownership and all relevant registration processes are allowed passage at roadblocks and checkpoints,” he said.
“The police will only impound public service vehicles such as kombis or buses, which are carrying passengers whilst they are not registered under the ZUPCO franchise.”
Father Fidelis Mukonori with the author, Dr Masimba Mavaza
By Dr Masimba Mavaza | Father Fidellis Mukonori has struck half a century in the priesthood. Father Fidelis Mukonori is a Zimbabwean religious leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He is also the Executive Director of Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa. Father Mukonori is remembered as a peace maker who brought the former President Robert Mugabe and the Army to a peace table during the restore legacy period. He is known mostly for his proximity to political figures and for facilitating political events such as the burial of politicians accorded hero status.
As a mediator between President Mugabe and the military generals, in negotiations that saw the ouster of Mugabe, father Mukonori showed his mediation martyring as a national peace maker.
Father Fidelis Mukonori S.J. was born on 15 July 1947.
He attended Chishawasha Mission. He holds a Masters of Theology (MTH) degree from Berkeley, California, USA (1977). He also holds a Diploma in Social Development (Canada), Diploma in Philosophy (Zimbabwe) and an Advanced Certificate in Conflict Resolution (RSA). He has attended several courses on Social Development, Philosophy and Mediation.
Father Mukonori is not only a priest but a farmer with abundance of experience in Productive Mixed Farming. He is ‘a blessed man’ as he is an accomplished Communication and Election Observer.
During his time in the Priesthood father Mukonori has been a member of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace since 1974.
In his service for the lord, Father Mukonori worked with Silveira House for 26 years from 1975 as Youth Coordinator, Youth Director, Leadership and Civics Trainer and Internal Auditor. In 1979 he assisted in the Lancaster House Conference from the background. He was a member of the African Development Committee (ADC/CAD), which was linked to and sponsored by the European Community (1980-1990). He was one of the Constitutional Commissioners who drafted Zimbabwe’s new Constitution. Father Fidelis Mukonori served as a Provincial of the Jesuits in Zimbabwe for 11 years.
Father Mukonori has written several books and is currently serving at Makumbe Mission.
Father Fidellis Mukonori has held several positions in both religious, social and political circles. Father Fidelis Mukonori is the chairman of the School board of governors at St George’s College.
In 2001 Father Mukonori was appointed as the provincial superior of Jesuits in Zimbabwe.
As he served his God he faced some challenges like any other mortal being. In 2001 Father Mukonori was kidnapped by a gang of men who went on to rob him of his $300 000 vehicle and personal belongings. The gang dumped him near Mabvuku turn off and sped off.
His car was found in Victoria Falls a month later.
Father Mukonori is a true Zimbabwean at heart. His fight for peace dates back to the liberation struggle times. In 2003 Father Fidelis Mukonori met with Morgan Tsvangirai. It was reported that the purpose of the meeting was for Mukonori to hear the MDC’s position and demands so that prior talks that had collapsed in 2002 would resume. The talks were centred on ending Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis.
Father Mukonori weighed in the land issue. With Father Mukonori’s mediation War veterans and Commercial farmers agreed to a peace deal that would see the end of violence that was happening on farms occupied by war veterans.
Despite having been robbed before and almost killed by robbers, Father Fidelis Mukonori baptised the notorious jailbreaker, serial killer and Sserial rapist, Steven Chidhumo before he was executed after being condemned to death for his crimes that shook Zimbabwe in the late 90s. Chidhumo changed his name from Steven to Fidelis after he was baptised at Parirenyatwa Hospital were he was receiving treatment for gunshot wounds.
On the social grounds, Father Mukonori is assisting scores of children with school fees and food. He personally engages in fundraising for the orphans and those who cannot afford school fees.
Today Fidellis Mukonori celebrates his fifty years in the service of the Lord.
FBC Bank (LTD) is in the eye of a bribery storm, following revelations that the bank attempted to give an inducement to a High Court judge to influence the ruling of a matter in which they were facing a lawsuit from a client.
ZimMorningpPost reports that the bank appeared in court on March 30 2021, and an emissary tried to bribe Justice Esther Muremba with a gift bag whose contents could not be immediately ascertained.
A source to the publication said:_Apparently FBC sent the judge a gift back on March 29, a day before she was set to hand down judgement on the matter in which FBC was dragged in._
_She said she was prepared to hand down judgment in Motion Court before she then received the gift bag._
_She walked in court and asked Mr Muchada who represented FBC to explain this ‘gesture.’_
_Muchada sought instructions from his client (FBC) and was told that it was an annual gift they give to all judges as Christmas gifts, Muremba fumed and asked them to take their gift back immediately and she also questioned the logic of receiving a Christmas gift in March._
ZimMorningPost further reports that enquiries at the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) established that Muremba was the only judge out of 30 High Court judges that received the Christmas ‘gift’ in March.
Reports suggest that a Harare lawyer Nigel Sithole filed an urgent chamber application to have his three digital platforms (Mobile Moola, USSD *220# and Noku) with FBC suspended after a stranger manipulated one of the platforms using his name and went on to dupe people in a rent to buy car scheme.
Sithole confirmed the FBC Bank bribery incident and praised Justice Muremba for upholding ethics and transparency.
He added:
_I was quite perturbed by the conduct of the bank and wonder what it is exactly was meant to be achieved by handing over this gift. Institutionally, this raises a lot of questions about the types of decisions made at the management level of FBC._
FBC Holdings group chief executive John Mushayavanhu said he was not competent to comment on matters dealt with at court adding that the matter was concluded.
In 2017, there were allegations that FBC Holdings (FBCH) was also sucked in another fraud storm involving a disputed US$3.4 million.
By A Correspondent- the Zimbabwe Republic Police has intensified its blitz on Kombis which are not operating under the Zupco banner.
The Police were last week instructed by the government to impound any kombi, company vehicle or private car which they could have seen pirating.
Last week the police in Bulawayo impounded kombis that were carrying school children.
“In enforcing the Government’s Covid-19 regulations on transporters, the police will ensure that company and school-owned buses, which have the requisite documents, proof of ownership and all relevant registration processes are allowed passage at roadblocks and checkpoints,” said national police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner, Paul Nyathi, told state media.
“The police will only impound public service vehicles such as kombis or buses, which are carrying passengers whilst they are not registered under the ZUPCO franchise.”
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) is struggling to defend the low “O” level pass rate for the 2020 examinations which is lower than that of 2019.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, Zimsec chairperson, Professor Eddie Mwenje said the overall pass rate was pegged at 24,8 percent, a slight decrease from 31,6 percent for 2019.
The statistics show that the 2020 pass rate decreased by 6,8 percent from that of 2019.
Prof Mwenje said despite the decrease, the pass rate was still in range based on historical analysis.
He said in analysing the pass rate, members of the public should also consider the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prof Mwenje said it is also important to note that some countries that went into national lockdowns due to the pandemic also experienced a decrease in pass rates.
By A Correspondent- Five unidentified robbers stormed Thorncroft Primary School in Ruwa, blasted a safe and went away with US$30 000 cash.
The robbers who were armed with pistols first captured the security guard manning the premises before stealing the cash, including a Samsung TV and a Nokia Cellphone.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.
“On May 1 2021, five unidentified men stormed a School in Ruwa and captured the guard before they blasted a safe and stole over US$30 000, Nokia cellphone, HP laptop and a Samsung TV.
“The ZRP reiterates that members of the public must not keep large sums of money in homes or business premises without corresponding security measures. Anyone with information to contact any nearest Police Station or call Complaints Desk on 0242 703631 or WhatsApp 0712800197.”
By A Correspondent- War Veterans have rejected a loan facility proposal which the government through the Finance minister Mthuli Ncube did table before them.
Mthuli recently announced a no pay increase for the war veterans and said the government, instead of going to give them being loans for income-generating projects.
The issue arose during a public hearing on the 2021 budget last week by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance with Hurungwe residents.
Hurungwe district war veteran Ben Chipanda said war veterans were now too old to embark on income-generating projects, adding that they, instead, wanted their stipends to be increased.
“War veterans are too old to take on chicken-rearing projects. Personally, as a war veteran, I am not happy over the move to allocate a fund for war veterans. I am speaking on behalf of many war veterans who failed to come here today at the meeting which was also not advertised well on time for planning purposes,” he said.
“The money allocated for us to venture into chicken rearing is like a joke to us. At our age (the majority of us are above 60 years) we cannot be keeping chickens as an income-generating project. We want cash. We are too old for chicken rearing. We must get cash so that we plan for our families.”
Chakari MP Andrew Nkani (Zanu PF), who chaired the meeting, said $37,5 million had been allocated to war veterans so that they could embark on projects to sustain themselves.
Nkani said last year, there was a recommendation for the 2021 budget to consider coming up with a revolving fund for women, youths and war veterans.
‘‘Treasury allocated $37,5 million to each sector through recapitalisation of Empower Bank, Zimbabwe Women Finance Bank, POSB, among others, that cater for small and medium businesses. This was also done for war veterans under National Venture Fund. It will empower and capacitate them to participate in the mainstream economy,’’ he said.
But war veterans said the majority of them now lived like “vagabonds” due to measly stipends they got against the continuously rising cost of living.
During the late former President Robert Mugabe’s era, war veterans got a $50 000 windfall each in 1997, but the majority of them blew it up as they could not embark on income-generating projects.
By A Correspondent- There was drama at the Harare Magistrates Court when police detectives arrested a key witness in the trial of ZIFA president Felton Kamambo who stands accused of bribing councillors to enable his ascension to the top post after he was declared a hostile witness.
A visibly infuriated Robert Matoka initially resisted arrest and shouted at the detectives asking why they wanted to summon him to the police station.
Matoka’s arrest came after he was declared a hostile witness by Harare regional magistrate Mrs Bianca Makwande following an application by prosecutor Mr Micheal Reza.
In the application, Mr Reza told the court that Matoka had departed materially from his two statements and therefore, should be declared a hostile witness.
Before leading evidence from Matoka yesterday, Mr Reza had told the court that if he testifies the truth he would be absolved from any form of prosecution but if he lies under oath that cover would be removed and he would be arrested.
Soon after Mrs Makwande’s ruling, Mr Reza told the court that Matoka had been declared a hostile witness and could now be arrested because the cover of not being prosecuted had fallen away.
By A Correspondent- Five unidentified robbers stormed Thorncroft Primary School in Ruwa, blasted a safe and went away with US$30 000 cash.
The robbers who were armed with pistols first captured the security guard manning the premises before stealing the cash, including a Samsung TV and a Nokia Cellphone.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.
“On May 1 2021, five unidentified men stormed a School in Ruwa and captured the guard before they blasted a safe and stole over US$30 000, Nokia cellphone, HP laptop and a Samsung TV.
“The ZRP reiterates that members of the public must not keep large sums of money in homes or business premises without corresponding security measures. Anyone with information to contact any nearest Police Station or call Complaints Desk on 0242 703631 or WhatsApp 0712800197.”
By A Correspondent-Zanu PF youths in Manicaland are being used to block the former Finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa from taking part in the 2023 elections.
The youths are reportedly being used by Headlands Member of Parliament, Christopher Chingosho, whose constituency Chinamasa wants to take in the next election.
The youths are being used to frustrate the recycled politician so that he quits politics before the next polls.
Chingosho is said to be inciting the youths to invade Chinamasa’s and demand its partitioning on claims that it is oversized.
Last Friday, Headlands MP Christopher Chingosho (Zanu PF) invited the constituency’s commercial farmers and A2 farmers for an emergency meeting over the issue.
NewsDay has the invitation letter whose main agenda was the downsizing of farms and the formation of the Headlands development committee.
“All the A2 and commercial farm owners in Headlands constituency are required to attend the meeting in person and on time,” the letter read.
However, sources in Headlands told NewsDay that Chingosho was targeting Chinamasa’s farm as there were reports that the former Finance minister had plans to become MP for the area in 2023.
Chingosho is reportedly unleashing youths on those he believes to be his competitors in the constituency.
“The meeting took place, but Chingosho did not mention Chinamasa and Made by name. The issue is about underutilised farms owned by the big bosses, which are more than 400 hectares, and youths want some of the land that Made and Chinamasa are failing to utilise,” a source said.
“Both Chinamasa and Made definitely have oversized farms and youths want that land. Chinamasa’s farm in Headlands is called Tsukumai Farm and it is almost 3 000 hectares, while Made’s farm is almost 1 500 hectares (Tara Farm),” the source said.
“The reason Chingosho is also going after Chinamasa is that Chinamasa can’t win Rusape Urban (Makoni Central), so he is also looking for rural Headlands constituency in the next election in order to protect his interests.”
In the 2018 elections, Chinamasa lost the Makoni Central seat to David Tekeshe, now MDC-T.
However, a youth in Headlands told NewsDay on condition of anonymity, that they were actually eyeing large tracts of underutilised land in the hands of some party bigwigs.
“We as youths are suffering. We don’t have land, yet some of our big bosses have land which they are failing to fully utilise,” the youth said.
Chingosho confirmed the meeting, adding that in their recommendations, there was the issue of giving land to the youths.
“We had a meeting on Friday and we recommended giving our youths land and other groups of people after the downsizing of the farms, which was another recommendation we did. The issue of downsizing is a government policy and the issue has been addressed in Parliament,” he said.
“But here in Headlands, I believe the youths are the most affected when it comes to getting land.”
Chingosho, however, refuted the allegations that the downsizing of farms was targeting Chinamasa and Made.
“No, they are not being targeted. We are just following what the government said we should do,” he said.
Zanu PF provincial youth chairperson Tawanda Mukodza was not reachable for comment.
By A Correspondent- The violent brewing former liberation struggle fighters in karoi are vowing the Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s head and demanding that the government paymaster should give them more cash.
Mthuli recently announced a no pay increase for the war veterans and said the government, instead of going to give them being loans for income-generating projects.
The issue arose during a public hearing on the 2021 budget last week by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance with Hurungwe residents.
Hurungwe district war veteran Ben Chipanda said war veterans were now too old to embark on income-generating projects, adding that they, instead, wanted their stipends to be increased.
“War veterans are too old to take on chicken-rearing projects. Personally, as a war veteran, I am not happy over the move to allocate a fund for war veterans. I am speaking on behalf of many war veterans who failed to come here today at the meeting which was also not advertised well on time for planning purposes,” he said.
“The money allocated for us to venture into chicken rearing is like a joke to us. At our age (the majority of us are above 60 years) we cannot be keeping chickens as an income-generating project. We want cash. We are too old for chicken rearing. We must get cash so that we plan for our families.”
Chakari MP Andrew Nkani (Zanu PF), who chaired the meeting, said $37,5 million had been allocated to war veterans so that they could embark on projects to sustain themselves.
Nkani said last year, there was a recommendation for the 2021 budget to consider coming up with a revolving fund for women, youths and war veterans.
‘‘Treasury allocated $37,5 million to each sector through recapitalisation of Empower Bank, Zimbabwe Women Finance Bank, POSB, among others, that cater for small and medium businesses. This was also done for war veterans under National Venture Fund. It will empower and capacitate them to participate in the mainstream economy,’’ he said.
But war veterans said the majority of them now lived like “vagabonds” due to measly stipends they got against the continuously rising cost of living.
During the late former President Robert Mugabe’s era, war veterans got a $50 000 windfall each in 1997, but the majority of them blew it up as they could not embark on income-generating projects.
By A Correspondent-Zanu PF youths in Manicaland’s Headlands are reportedly eyeing farms that are owned by former President Robert Mugabe’s top allies.
One of the G-40 kingpins whose farm has been targeted is the former Agriculture minister Joseph Made, which the Zanu PF militia is claiming it is oversized.
Last Friday, Headlands MP Christopher Chingosho (Zanu PF) invited the constituency’s commercial farmers and A2 farmers for an emergency meeting over the issue.
NewsDay is in possession of the invitation letter whose main agenda was downsizing of farms and the formation of the Headlands development committee.
“All the A2 and commercial farm owners in Headlands constituency are required to attend the meeting in person and on time,” the letter read.
However, sources in Headlands told NewsDay that Chingosho was targeting Chinamasa’s farm as there were reports that the former Finance minister had plans to become MP for the area in 2023.
Chingosho is reportedly unleashing youths on those he believes to be his competitors in the constituency.
“The meeting took place, but Chingosho did not mention Chinamasa and Made by name. The issue is about underutilised farms owned by the big bosses, which are more than 400 hectares, and youths want some of the land that Made and Chinamasa are failing to utilise,” a source said.
“Both Chinamasa and Made definitely have oversized farms and youths want that land. Chinamasa’s farm in Headlands is called Tsukumai Farm and it is almost 3 000 hectares, while Made’s farm is almost 1 500 hectares (Tara Farm),” the source said.
“The reason Chingosho is also going after Chinamasa is that Chinamasa can’t win Rusape Urban (Makoni Central), so he is also looking for rural Headlands constituency in the next election in order to protect his interests.”
In the 2018 elections, Chinamasa lost the Makoni Central seat to David Tekeshe, now MDC-T.
However, a youth in Headlands told NewsDay on condition of anonymity, that they were actually eyeing large tracts of underutilised land in the hands of some party bigwigs.
“We as youths are suffering. We don’t have land, yet some of our big bosses have land which they are failing to fully utilise,” the youth said.
Chingosho confirmed the meeting, adding that in their recommendations, there was the issue of giving land to the youths.
“We had a meeting on Friday and we recommended giving our youths land and other groups of people after the downsizing of the farms, which was another recommendation we did. The issue of downsizing is a government policy and the issue has been addressed in Parliament,” he said.
“But here in Headlands, I believe the youths are the most affected when it comes to getting land.”
Chingosho, however, refuted the allegations that the downsizing of farms was targeting Chinamasa and Made.
“No, they are not being targeted. We are just following what the government said we should do,” he said.
Zanu PF provincial youth chairperson Tawanda Mukodza was not reachable for comment.
Douglas Mwonzora’s senators currently hold the share of control of the senate.
By Veritas | Senate Passes Constitution Amendment (No. 2) Bill
This afternoon the Senate of the Parliament of Zimbabwe passed theConstitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill, as amended by the National Assembly.
The final reading was approved by 65 affirmative votes to 10 negative votes – sufficient to achieve the two-thirds majority of the membership of the Senate required by section 328(5) of the Constitution.
The Bill as amended by the National Assembly has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
By A Correspondent- Aspiring Zanu PF Member of Parliament for Dangamvura-Chikanga constituency, Isau Mupfumi is promising gold mining claims to locals for them to vote for him.
The constituency fell vacant after the former legislator Prosper Mutseyami was recalled by Douglas Mwonzora of the MDC-T party.
The tired, recycled politician and G-40 Manicaland frontman, is telling the constituency that he had acquired 11 gold claims at Redwing Mine and each ward in the constituency would have its gold claim.
“All things are now in place and we are expecting the project to start running end of the week.
“We managed to acquire gold claims at Redwing Mine and each ward in the constituency will have its claim. We have a consensus with the bosses at the mine on what is needed to resume operations,” said Mupfumi.
Tinashe Sambiri|The bail application hearing for MDC Alliance duo, Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri has been postponed again.
This means the duo will spend another night at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
The High Court Judge who was supposed to preside over the bail hearing indicated he was not feeling well.
The MDC Alliance has strongly condemned the political persecution of its members by the Zanu PF regime.
“One more night at the 2nd Republic’s Concentration Camp, Chikurubi Maximum Prison for Cecilia Cecillia R Chimbiri and Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe as the High Court judge did not turn up on flimsy excuse that he is unwell,” MDC Alliance Youth Assembly national spokesperson Stephen Sarkozy Chuma said in a statement.
Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair tweeted.
They first met in the 1980s when Melinda joined Bill’s Microsoft firm.
The billionaire couple have three children and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The organisation has spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children.
The Gates – along with investor Warren Buffett – are behind the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes.
Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, and is worth $124bn (£89bn).
He made his money through the firm he co-founded in the 1970s, Microsoft, the world’s biggest software company.
The pair both posted the statement announcing their divorce on Twitter.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” it read.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
How did they get together?
Melinda, now 56, joined Microsoft as a product manager in 1987, and the two sat together at a business dinner that year in New York.
They began dating, but as Bill told a Netflix documentary: “We cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married.”
Melinda said she found Bill – methodical it seems even in matters of the heart – writing a list on a whiteboard with the “pros and the cons of getting married”.
They got married in 1994 on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, reportedly hiring up all the local helicopters to stop unwanted guests flying over.
Bill, 65, stepped down from Microsoft’s board last year to focus on his philanthropic activities.
Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair tweeted.
They first met in the 1980s when Melinda joined Bill’s Microsoft firm.
The billionaire couple have three children and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The organisation has spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children.
The Gates – along with investor Warren Buffett – are behind the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes.
Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, and is worth $124bn (£89bn).
He made his money through the firm he co-founded in the 1970s, Microsoft, the world’s biggest software company.
The pair both posted the statement announcing their divorce on Twitter.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” it read.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
How did they get together?
Melinda, now 56, joined Microsoft as a product manager in 1987, and the two sat together at a business dinner that year in New York.
They began dating, but as Bill told a Netflix documentary: “We cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married.”
Melinda said she found Bill – methodical it seems even in matters of the heart – writing a list on a whiteboard with the “pros and the cons of getting married”.
They got married in 1994 on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, reportedly hiring up all the local helicopters to stop unwanted guests flying over.
Bill, 65, stepped down from Microsoft’s board last year to focus on his philanthropic activities.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved the National Sports Stadium to host upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
The road to Qatar 2022 starts next month with a blockbuster clash between the Warriors and and rivals Bafana Bafana, a clash which was originally scheduled to be staged at the National Sports Stadium but a stern warning by CAF on the state of the giant facility had put that into serious doubt.
CAF, in slapping the Felton Kamambo-led ZIFA board with a US$2000 fine, cited the uncleanliness of the stadium and lack of4 bucket seats when Zdravko Logarusic’s charges hosted Zambia there, in the last AFCON qualifier in March.
The continental governing body even warned that the Bafana Bafana clash can be played at at neutral venue outside the country should the authorities not comply.
They (CAF), based on the letter at our disposal, have however given the green light for the 60 000 seater to be the venue where the Warriors play their home games in the entire campaign.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs have revealed that Warriors star Khama Billiat has started running, a sign that his injury might not be as worse as it looked.
The 30-year-old Aces Youth Academy graduate was kicked by Sundowns’ Andile Jali during Amakhosi’s DStv Premiership clash with the Brazilians two weeks ago and needed clutches to walk out of the stadium.
Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt revealed after his side’s loss to Chippa United that the pint-sized Zimbabwean winger would be out for ‘a number of games’ as he had been kicked on the same spot which had kept him out since January.
Delivering an update on players’ injuries ahead of today’s rescheduled league game against Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila on Tuesday, Amakhosi, on their Twitter handle, said Billiat is off the clutches and has started running.
Billiat’s road to recovery will be closely-monitored by Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic. The Croat could not have the Mufakose-bred winger for the decisive Botswana and Zambia AFCON qualifiers due to injury and desperately needs him to be fit for the impending World Cup qualifier against South Africa next month.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance donated tick grease to villagers in Jichidza area, Zaka North at the weekend.
According to MDC Alliance Masvingo Youth Assembly provincial secretary, Gilbert Mutubuki, 100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle.
Mutubuki was accompanied by MDC Alliance Masvingo Provincial Youth Assembly vice chairperson Lovemore Mapuranga and secretary for welfare James Mukaro during the distribution process.
“We were in Zaka North, Jichidza and we distributed tick grease for cattle.
100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle. We also played soccer at Chitende Primary School as part of mobilization efforts,” said Mutubuki.
The Zanu PF administration is failing to supply chemicals required at diptanks in the area.
Manchester United could face sanctions after their EPL match against Liverpool was postponed on Sunday due to fan protests at Old Trafford.
Around two hundred fans broke into the stadium and invaded the pitch while more supporters demonstrated outside the venue just hours before the kick-off. The crowd was protesting against the club’s American owners, the Glazer family, following their involvement in the controversial European Super League.
United’s safety measures against Covid-19 for league matches were then breached and this forced both teams to remain at their hotels until a decision was made to call the game off.
According to UK newspaper, The Daily Mirror, Manchester United could be deducted points if the FA’s rules are put into effect.
Section 8.3.4 of the regulations states that if the Red Devils are found to have been at fault for the match not going ahead, Liverpool will be awarded three points.
It reads: “In the event of a match being abandoned due to the conduct of one Club or its members or supporters the Board has the power to order that the match is not replayed and to award either one or three points to the Club not at fault.
“It cannot levy a financial penalty due to the conduct of a Club.”
However, the publication further state that due to the fact that the police were among those to decide that the game could not commence, the Premier League would state that the decision was not up to United.
Section L.12 of the EPL regulations says: “A League Match shall not be postponed or abandoned except: (L.12.1.) when on the date fixed for it to be played either the Home Club or the Visiting Club is competing in a competition permitted by Rules L.9.1, L.9.2, and L.9.3; (L.12.2.) with the approval of or on the instructions of the officiating referee; (L.12.3.) by order of the police; (L.12.4.) by order of any other authority exercising its statutory powers to that effect; or (L.12.5.) on the instructions of or with the prior written consent of the Board.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Warriors striker David Moyo has been named in the Scottish Premier League team of the week.
The 26 year old, who is on the ranks of Hamilton Academical in the Scottish top-tier, scored the winner in his side’s 2-1 victory over St Mirren over the week.
His efforts have been rewarded by a place in the league’s best eleven.
Moyo made his Warriors debut in the Algeria AFCON qualifiers double header last November.
He could not feature in the decisive Botswana and Zambia games due to Covid-19 related travelling restrictions.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
What leads to medication-overuse headache, and how can you reduce your risk?
Becky Upham By Becky Upham Medically Reviewed by Jason Paul Chua, MD, PhD April 28, 2021 Medically Reviewed
a variety of pills colorful Too-frequent use of acute migraine drugs can lead to chronic daily headache.
Do you have headache days — in addition to migraine attacks — more often than you have pain-free days? If so, you may have medication-overuse headache (MOH).
Also called chronic daily headache or rebound headache, MOH most commonly occurs in people with a primary headache disorder such as migraine, cluster headache, or tension-type headache, according to the American Migraine Foundation. It’s caused by too-frequent use of acute medications, although exactly what “too frequent” means can depend on the drug being taken.
Medication-overuse headache isn’t only troublesome because you have near-constant head pain: MOH can also cause headaches that are resistant to preventive migraine medications, making acute therapies less effective as well.
Stewart Tepper, MD, professor of neurology at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire, spoke about medication-overuse headaches in his talk “Medications That Make Migraine Worse,” as part of the Sixth Annual Migraine World Summit, held March 17 to 25, 2021.
In addition to explaining how medication-overuse headache develops and how to reduce your risk, Dr. Tepper observed that the newest type of acute migraine treatment — a drug class called CGRP receptor antagonists, sometimes referred to as “gepants” (pronounced gee-pants) — does not carry the risk of medication-overuse headache.
Here’s what to know about medication-overuse headache.
Medication-Overuse Headache Has a Precise Definition The International Headache Society defines medication-overuse headache as a headache occurring on 15 or more days per month in a person with a preexisting primary headache disorder and developing as a consequence of regular overuse of acute or symptomatic headache medication for more than three months.
Different medications have different guidelines as to what constitutes overuse. The use of triptans, ergot alkaloids, combination analgesics (pain relievers), or opioids for 10 or more days of the month is considered overuse, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
MOST HELPFUL Is It a Migraine Attack or a Cluster Headache? Expert Advice on Managing Chronic Migraine How Long Will My Migraine Attack Last? Taking simple analgesics, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) — a drug class that includes aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve) — on 15 or more days a month also constitutes overuse.
Usually medication-overuse headaches resolve after the overuse is stopped, although people may undergo a period when their headaches get worse before they get better.
Quantity Matters in Medication-Overuse Headache, Not Quality Medication-overuse headache can feel different in different people, according to Tepper.
“What I tell people is that it doesn’t really matter if it’s front or back, right or left, up or down, mild, moderate, or severe. It’s not the quality of the headache, it’s the quantity of the headache,” he says.
The distinguishing feature of MOH is how often occurs, he says.
Any Day With Any Type of Headache Counts as a ‘Headache Day’ If you aren’t sure if what you’re experiencing is MOH, try keeping a calendar and counting the number of headache days you have. Don’t just count the days when you have symptoms of a migraine attack but rather all days with any type of headache, says Tepper.
Alternatively, he suggests counting the number of completely headache-free days you have. “How many days are crystal clear from the moment you open your eyes until the minute you go to bed at night, without a twinge of headache? The crystal-clear days should be at least 15 days per month in order to not be in chronic migraine,” he says.
Taking Certain Medications Just Once a Week Can Make Migraine Worse The two pain medications that are most likely to make migraine worse are butalbital, which is a barbiturate that is mixed with other pain medicines and is included in the medications Fioricet and Fiorinal, and opioids of any sort, says Tepper.
These types of medications can be used for emergency relief for a migraine attack but should be used with caution because of their risk for rebound headache, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
Opioids, also called narcotics, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, can cause headaches to worsen or become more frequent by using them just once a week. Butalbital is linked with overuse when used four times a month or more, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
These medications alter the pain regulatory systems of the brain in a bad way, and they not only worsen migraine attacks in terms of frequency, severity, and duration but also often make them untreatable, says Tepper.
Pain Medications Taken for Any Reason Can Lead to MOH Taking analgesics for reasons besides your migraine can still cause medication-overuse headache, according to StatPearls.
“Say you’re taking it for low back pain, the brain does not know the difference,” says Tepper, adding that the frequency of use and the type of medication are associated with the transformation to MOH.
The More Headache Days You Have, the Higher Your Risk for Chronic Daily Headache “The more headache days a person has, the more likely they are to transform to chronic migraine,” says Tepper. Studies conducted both in the general population and in clinics show that people who have 10 to 14 headache days per month are 20 times more likely to develop daily headache than people who have fewer than five headache days per month, he says.
“The frequency of the headache days is actually a big risk for transforming, and the frequency of headaches is linked to how many times somebody reaches for an acute medication to treat,” says Tepper, adding that although these are separate risks, they feed each other.
“It’s why we try so hard to reduce the total number of headache days per month, as well as the number of acute medication days per month,” says Tepper.
Caffeine Can Contribute to Medication-Overuse Headache Caffeine at 100 to 200 milligrams (mg) per day is probably enough to contribute to medication-overuse headache, says Tepper.
For reference, 8 ounces of coffee has between 80 and 100 mg of caffeine, and 12 ounces of a caffeinated soft drink has between 30 and 40 mg, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The headache medication Excedrin has 65 mg of caffeine per tablet.
However, many people are fond of their caffeine-containing beverages.
“I tend to try to work around the caffeine, as long as it’s not high-dose caffeine, to see if we can help them without taking away one of their pleasures,” says Tepper…
Credit: Everyday Health
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair tweeted.
They first met in the 1980s when Melinda joined Bill’s Microsoft firm.
The billionaire couple have three children and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The organisation has spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children.
The Gates – along with investor Warren Buffett – are behind the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes.
Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, and is worth $124bn (£89bn).
He made his money through the firm he co-founded in the 1970s, Microsoft, the world’s biggest software company.
The pair both posted the statement announcing their divorce on Twitter.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” it read.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
How did they get together?
Melinda, now 56, joined Microsoft as a product manager in 1987, and the two sat together at a business dinner that year in New York.
They began dating, but as Bill told a Netflix documentary: “We cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married.”
Melinda said she found Bill – methodical it seems even in matters of the heart – writing a list on a whiteboard with the “pros and the cons of getting married”.
They got married in 1994 on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, reportedly hiring up all the local helicopters to stop unwanted guests flying over.
Bill, 65, stepped down from Microsoft’s board last year to focus on his philanthropic activities.
Tinashe Sambiri|The bail application hearing for MDC Alliance duo, Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri has been postponed again.
This means the duo will spend another night at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
The High Court Judge who was supposed to preside over the bail hearing indicated he was not feeling well.
The MDC Alliance has strongly condemned the political persecution of its members by the Zanu PF regime.
“One more night at the 2nd Republic’s Concentration Camp, Chikurubi Maximum Prison for Cecilia Cecillia R Chimbiri and Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe as the High Court judge did not turn up on flimsy excuse that he is unwell,” MDC Alliance Youth Assembly national spokesperson Stephen Sarkozy Chuma said in a statement.
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance donated tick grease to villagers in Jichidza area, Zaka North at the weekend.
According to MDC Alliance Masvingo Youth Assembly provincial secretary, Gilbert Mutubuki, 100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle.
Mutubuki was accompanied by MDC Alliance Masvingo Provincial Youth Assembly vice chairperson Lovemore Mapuranga and secretary for welfare James Mukaro during the distribution process.
“We were in Zaka North, Jichidza and we distributed tick grease for cattle.
100 villagers received tick grease for their cattle. We also played soccer at Chitende Primary School as part of mobilization efforts,” said Mutubuki.
The Zanu PF administration is failing to supply chemicals required at dip tanks in the area.
By A Correspondent- Young female entrepreneur Julian Mutukudzi has been locked in an ownership and lease wrangle with Indian Businessman Kiran Patel.
It is alleged that Kiran Patel unlawfully broke into his tenant’ offices leased to Julian Mutukudzi the owner of Gotcha Nyama at her Newlands branch, during the lockdown period.
President ED Mnangagwa declared a national lockdown as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses were shut down and only essential services were allowed to operate.
Restaurants and restaurant owners were not spared by the national lockdown. It was during this period that Kiran Patel allegedly evicted Julian Mutukudzi and Gotcha Nyama security from the Newlands premises demanding full payment of lockdown rentals.
Barely two months later into the lockdown, Patel allegedly started conducting take away restaurant business as evidenced by a post he made on his Facebook page in May scouting for orders.
Gotcha Nyama was unlawfully evicted and Patel the landlord refused to compensate the tenants for the improvements they had made to the place and also confisticated their stock, equipment, utensils and even paperwork.
Mutukudzi has approached the courts seeking legal recourse but it is alleged that Patel is using his financial muscle to frustrate the young entrepreneur.
There are allegations of missing dockets and stagnant processes to frustrate the young Zimbabwean as she seeks justice and resolution of the Gotcha Nyama saga.
The young entrepreneur who recently gave birth was seen for months heavily pregnant making rounds at the courts.
Gotcha Nyama was featured in several news outlets as a thriving restaurant which had built a unique reputation and clientele before the lockdown.
Patel was not available for comment, while Mutukudzi refused to comment saying the matter was before the courts.
What leads to medication-overuse headache, and how can you reduce your risk?
Becky Upham By Becky Upham Medically Reviewed by Jason Paul Chua, MD, PhD April 28, 2021 Medically Reviewed
a variety of pills colorful Too-frequent use of acute migraine drugs can lead to chronic daily headache.
Do you have headache days — in addition to migraine attacks — more often than you have pain-free days? If so, you may have medication-overuse headache (MOH).
Also called chronic daily headache or rebound headache, MOH most commonly occurs in people with a primary headache disorder such as migraine, cluster headache, or tension-type headache, according to the American Migraine Foundation. It’s caused by too-frequent use of acute medications, although exactly what “too frequent” means can depend on the drug being taken.
Medication-overuse headache isn’t only troublesome because you have near-constant head pain: MOH can also cause headaches that are resistant to preventive migraine medications, making acute therapies less effective as well.
Stewart Tepper, MD, professor of neurology at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire, spoke about medication-overuse headaches in his talk “Medications That Make Migraine Worse,” as part of the Sixth Annual Migraine World Summit, held March 17 to 25, 2021.
In addition to explaining how medication-overuse headache develops and how to reduce your risk, Dr. Tepper observed that the newest type of acute migraine treatment — a drug class called CGRP receptor antagonists, sometimes referred to as “gepants” (pronounced gee-pants) — does not carry the risk of medication-overuse headache.
Here’s what to know about medication-overuse headache.
Medication-Overuse Headache Has a Precise Definition The International Headache Society defines medication-overuse headache as a headache occurring on 15 or more days per month in a person with a preexisting primary headache disorder and developing as a consequence of regular overuse of acute or symptomatic headache medication for more than three months.
Different medications have different guidelines as to what constitutes overuse. The use of triptans, ergot alkaloids, combination analgesics (pain relievers), or opioids for 10 or more days of the month is considered overuse, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
MOST HELPFUL Is It a Migraine Attack or a Cluster Headache? Expert Advice on Managing Chronic Migraine How Long Will My Migraine Attack Last? Taking simple analgesics, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) — a drug class that includes aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve) — on 15 or more days a month also constitutes overuse.
Usually medication-overuse headaches resolve after the overuse is stopped, although people may undergo a period when their headaches get worse before they get better.
Quantity Matters in Medication-Overuse Headache, Not Quality Medication-overuse headache can feel different in different people, according to Tepper.
“What I tell people is that it doesn’t really matter if it’s front or back, right or left, up or down, mild, moderate, or severe. It’s not the quality of the headache, it’s the quantity of the headache,” he says.
The distinguishing feature of MOH is how often occurs, he says.
Any Day With Any Type of Headache Counts as a ‘Headache Day’ If you aren’t sure if what you’re experiencing is MOH, try keeping a calendar and counting the number of headache days you have. Don’t just count the days when you have symptoms of a migraine attack but rather all days with any type of headache, says Tepper.
Alternatively, he suggests counting the number of completely headache-free days you have. “How many days are crystal clear from the moment you open your eyes until the minute you go to bed at night, without a twinge of headache? The crystal-clear days should be at least 15 days per month in order to not be in chronic migraine,” he says.
Taking Certain Medications Just Once a Week Can Make Migraine Worse The two pain medications that are most likely to make migraine worse are butalbital, which is a barbiturate that is mixed with other pain medicines and is included in the medications Fioricet and Fiorinal, and opioids of any sort, says Tepper.
These types of medications can be used for emergency relief for a migraine attack but should be used with caution because of their risk for rebound headache, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
Opioids, also called narcotics, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, can cause headaches to worsen or become more frequent by using them just once a week. Butalbital is linked with overuse when used four times a month or more, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
These medications alter the pain regulatory systems of the brain in a bad way, and they not only worsen migraine attacks in terms of frequency, severity, and duration but also often make them untreatable, says Tepper.
Pain Medications Taken for Any Reason Can Lead to MOH Taking analgesics for reasons besides your migraine can still cause medication-overuse headache, according to StatPearls.
“Say you’re taking it for low back pain, the brain does not know the difference,” says Tepper, adding that the frequency of use and the type of medication are associated with the transformation to MOH.
The More Headache Days You Have, the Higher Your Risk for Chronic Daily Headache “The more headache days a person has, the more likely they are to transform to chronic migraine,” says Tepper. Studies conducted both in the general population and in clinics show that people who have 10 to 14 headache days per month are 20 times more likely to develop daily headache than people who have fewer than five headache days per month, he says.
“The frequency of the headache days is actually a big risk for transforming, and the frequency of headaches is linked to how many times somebody reaches for an acute medication to treat,” says Tepper, adding that although these are separate risks, they feed each other.
“It’s why we try so hard to reduce the total number of headache days per month, as well as the number of acute medication days per month,” says Tepper.
Caffeine Can Contribute to Medication-Overuse Headache Caffeine at 100 to 200 milligrams (mg) per day is probably enough to contribute to medication-overuse headache, says Tepper.
For reference, 8 ounces of coffee has between 80 and 100 mg of caffeine, and 12 ounces of a caffeinated soft drink has between 30 and 40 mg, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The headache medication Excedrin has 65 mg of caffeine per tablet.
However, many people are fond of their caffeine-containing beverages.
“I tend to try to work around the caffeine, as long as it’s not high-dose caffeine, to see if we can help them without taking away one of their pleasures,” says Tepper…
Credit: Everyday Health
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
Tinashe Sambiri|Unruly Zanu PF elements bashed MDC Alliance Mashonaland East Youth Assembly member, George Madziva for inserting President Chamisa’s picture as his mobile phone wallpaper.
The rowdy Zanu PF mob led by a DCC youth chairperson, confronted Madziva in Murehwa and severely bashed him.
Police are reluctant to bring the culpritsto book…
Read full report below:
MDC Alliance Mash East Youth Leader Attacked By ZANU PF Thugs Over President Chamisa Wallpaper
Mashonaland East MDC Alliance Youth Assembly member, George Madziva was attacked by a mob of ZANU PF thugs led by their youth District Coordinating Committee (DCC) Chairman on Saturday in Murehwa.
Madziva who is Mashonaland East Youth Secretary for Local Government said he was attacked at the instigation of a ZANU PF DCC Youth Chair who confronted him for putting President Nelson Chamisa’s picture as his phone wallpaper.
The notorious ZANU PF DCC Chairman then called his gang who ambushed Madziva on his way home.
Madziva sustained a badly fractured arm and bruises all his body from the vicious attack.
Among the thugs that attacked Madziva, there was one Masendeke, a known ZPCS Warden stationed at Murehwa Centre.
Madziva has since made a report at ZRP Murehwa and it is our sincere hope that the police will genuinely pursue the case.
Since the turn of the millennium, Murehwa has become one of the epicenters of politically motivated violence targeting opposition members.
In the post 2008 elections violence many lost limps, lives and property at the hands of a ZANU PF militia group, the Green Bombers.
It is for that reason as MDC Alliance Youth Assembly we are totally opposed to the re-establishment of a partisan National Youth Service recently approved by Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet.
It is time we deploy our own Peace Officers to protect our parents in rural areas as we head towards the 2023 watershed elections.
DefyOrDie
People’sAgenda2021
CitizensConvergenceForChange
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
Tinashe Sambiri|Unruly Zanu PF elements bashed MDC Alliance Mashonaland East Youth Assembly member, George Madziva for inserting President Chamisa’s picture as his mobile phone wallpaper.
The rowdy Zanu PF mob led by a DCC youth chairperson, confronted Madziva in Murehwa and severely bashed him.
Police are reluctant to bring the culpritsto book…
Read full report below:
MDC Alliance Mash East Youth Leader Attacked By ZANU PF Thugs Over President Chamisa Wallpaper
Mashonaland East MDC Alliance Youth Assembly member, George Madziva was attacked by a mob of ZANU PF thugs led by their youth District Coordinating Committee (DCC) Chairman on Saturday in Murehwa.
Madziva who is Mashonaland East Youth Secretary for Local Government said he was attacked at the instigation of a ZANU PF DCC Youth Chair who confronted him for putting President Nelson Chamisa’s picture as his phone wallpaper.
The notorious ZANU PF DCC Chairman then called his gang who ambushed Madziva on his way home.
Madziva sustained a badly fractured arm and bruises all his body from the vicious attack.
Among the thugs that attacked Madziva, there was one Masendeke, a known ZPCS Warden stationed at Murehwa Centre.
Madziva has since made a report at ZRP Murehwa and it is our sincere hope that the police will genuinely pursue the case.
Since the turn of the millennium, Murehwa has become one of the epicenters of politically motivated violence targeting opposition members.
In the post 2008 elections violence many lost limps, lives and property at the hands of a ZANU PF militia group, the Green Bombers.
It is for that reason as MDC Alliance Youth Assembly we are totally opposed to the re-establishment of a partisan National Youth Service recently approved by Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet.
It is time we deploy our own Peace Officers to protect our parents in rural areas as we head towards the 2023 watershed elections.
DefyOrDie
People’sAgenda2021
CitizensConvergenceForChange
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
Tinashe Sambiri|The bail application hearing for MDC Alliance duo, Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri has been postponed again.
This means the duo will spend another night at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
The High Court Judge who was supposed to preside over the bail hearing indicated he was not feeling well.
The MDC Alliance has strongly condemned the political persecution of its members by the Zanu PF regime.
“One more night at the 2nd Republic’s Concentration Camp, Chikurubi Maximum Prison for Cecilia Cecillia R Chimbiri and Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe as the High Court judge did not turn up on flimsy excuse that he is unwell,” MDC Alliance Youth Assembly national spokesperson Stephen Sarkozy Chuma said in a statement.
Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair tweeted.
They first met in the 1980s when Melinda joined Bill’s Microsoft firm.
The billionaire couple have three children and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The organisation has spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children.
The Gates – along with investor Warren Buffett – are behind the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes.
Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, and is worth $124bn (£89bn).
He made his money through the firm he co-founded in the 1970s, Microsoft, the world’s biggest software company.
The pair both posted the statement announcing their divorce on Twitter.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” it read.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
How did they get together?
Melinda, now 56, joined Microsoft as a product manager in 1987, and the two sat together at a business dinner that year in New York.
They began dating, but as Bill told a Netflix documentary: “We cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married.”
Melinda said she found Bill – methodical it seems even in matters of the heart – writing a list on a whiteboard with the “pros and the cons of getting married”.
They got married in 1994 on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, reportedly hiring up all the local helicopters to stop unwanted guests flying over.
Bill, 65, stepped down from Microsoft’s board last year to focus on his philanthropic activities.
By A Correspondent- Little known opposition Ma’at Zimbabwe leader Neferkare Nembaware says his party has all the credentials to dislodge MDC as the country’s main opposition.
He said MDC has squandered its chance to become the biggest alternative to Zanu-PF through a combination of poor strategy and recurrent infighting.
Speaking from his United Kingdom base, Nembaware said if given the chance by voters, his party was ready to provide the much-needed alternative leadership in the country.
He accused MDC in its various formations of betraying citizens as recently witnessed by one of the factions’ backing of the Zanu-PF sponsored Constitutional Amendment No 2 he said sought to create an imperial President through excessive powers to be granted to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“The lack of leadership and confusion in the MDC has become a major threat to freedom in Zimbabwe as seen by the voting patterns in this Constitutional Amendment,” Nembaware said.
He was referring to the Douglas Mwonzora led MDC-T whose MPs voted in favour of the controversial Bill.
Nembaware said MDC was mortally wounded to a point where it could nolonger be seen giving Zanu-PF any real threat in the 2023 polls.
“The MDC is mortally wounded and divided. It’s impossible to defeat Zanu-PF at the polls. Zimbabweans now need to quickly and urgently rally behind a Third Way that will take on Zanu-PF as a United front in 2023,” he said.
The politician said his party was capable of delivering the much-needed change to the country.
“If Zimbabweans don’t quickly realise the MDC has now become a liability in its divided form, then change is unlikely to come soon.
“This is actually a serious concern as officially, there is no more opposition in parliament, and this cannot be parliamentary democracy.
“There’s is a leadership crisis in the MDC. We cannot bury our heads in the sand anymore and pretend all is well. The only Third Way left now in Ma’at-Zimbabwe Party, with solid, visionary leadership. Zimbabweans have reached the crossroads – make or break decision.
“It is abysmal that the President gets all those powers to extend beyond retirement age the service of judges. This is open to manipulation. Right now, the so-called main opposition is comatose,” he said
By A Correspondent- Diaspora remittances have overtaken foreign aid, as Zimbabweans abroad sent home over US$1 billion in 2020, the highest ever contribution made to the local economy, Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube said.
The remittances surpassed the previous year’s amount of US$635.7 million, exceeding projections made by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe which had projected to receive US$940 million by year end.
“It has gone very well for us in terms of remittances from our own Diaspora abroad. Whereas you know, last year, we received something like US$1 billion, which is a record inflow,” said the finance minister while addressing journalists in Bulawayo over the weekend.
Prof Ncube cited that the increase was possibly due to use of formal channels that remained operational during the Covid-19 pandemic, which had introduced lockdowns in most countries and closed certain sectors.
“Maybe some of it has to do with the fact that, you know, the Diaspora had to use formal channels (of sending money) because of Covid-19. So, we saw maybe an increase due to that. But really, that just shows you it is a steady inflow of external resources into the economy and is targeted to families for investment. So it’s a good amount of influence,” he said.
The finance minister added that remittances were also on the rise in other African countries and importantly had overtaken foreign aid.
“In fact what is happening all over Africa is that diaspora remittances have overtaken foreign aid. In almost all countries, remittances have overtaken foreign aid as the largest inflow into the economy to support vulnerable families, because that’s what the Diaspora do, they support their families,” Prof Ncube said.
In terms of the remittances considered as a form of aid, they had become the largest form of aid into any economy, noted the finance minister.
“And Zimbabwe is such a good example, right. And that’s something that cuts across Africa at large. So that’s basically some of the highlights of our economy,” he said.
In 2019, total remittances totalled US$1.15 billion, with non-governmental organisations remittances contributing US$519.49 million.
Leader of the African Diaspora Global Network, a migrant-rights organisation based in South Africa, Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda, said these statistics indicated how much people in the Diaspora worked hard to support their families back home.
“Most of the households now have at least one sibling or relative in the Diaspora, and as a sign of Ubuntu, they have to send help back home. They have to because the Zimbabwean economy is harsh for locals, which is reason why people seek greener pastures elsewhere,” he said to CITE in an interview.
“In as much as we praise those in the Diaspora, it’s sad that Zimbabweans now have to survive on money coming form outside. This also shows how hard it is for migrants who have to work hard , some having several odd jobs to make ends meet.”
The Warriors will next month host neighbours South Africa in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on home soil after CAF cleared the National Sports Stadium to stage international matches.
There had been lingering doubts over the fitness of the facility after ZIFA had been slapped with a US$2 000 penalty by the continental football motherbody over some technical frailties, raising concerns over the stadium’s ability to host the encounter.
Already, the venue has hosted some AFCON qualifying games albeit on a temporary homologation after it had been banned from staging international matches last year.
And with several aspects of the issues raised by CAF, including the lack of bucket seats in the entire stadium still to be addressed, there were possible threats for the Warriors to play on neutral venue.
However, CAF have since released a communique with the list of approved stadiums to host the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers including the National Sports Stadium.
The Warriors will host Bafana Bafana between June 5-8 before they travel to Ethiopia four days later.
The squad will play Ghana back-to-back in the second window in September by which time the National Sports Stadium is expected to have been fully refurbished.
