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Top Government Officials Implicated In COVID-19 Fund Corruption Scam

By A Corespondent- The government has launched an investigation into the alleged abuse of funds that were availed as safety nets for Covid-19 affected groups after it emerged that government officials, Members of Parliament and civil servants, among them teachers were receiving the money ahead of intended beneficiaries.

Without revealing names, sources said some MPs and civil servants allegedly connived with officials from the Department of Social Welfare to register as vulnerable people in order to access the money.

To mitigate the effects of Covid-19, the government availed funds under different categories that were meant to help businesses and individuals affected by the pandemic.

As part of the programme was the $17 million fund which was meant to assist Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) and the $20 million for Sports and Arts sectors as part of the Covid-19 stimulus and recovery package, among others.

The Government has also been paying selected vulnerable families through the Department of Social Welfare $1 500 per month to cushion them from the effects of the pandemic and lockdown.

However, it has emerged that some government officials who were in charge of distributing the money registered themselves and their relatives to benefit from some facilities, drawing the attention of top Government officials.

Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo confirmed that a random check with the Department of Social Welfare revealed that senior government officials and civil servants were among beneficiaries of the monies availed by the government.

“We probed the Department of Social Welfare on where they had got names of people who were supposed to benefit from the relief funds availed by the government. Some of our own leaders, teachers and Members of Parliament were on those lists. What we felt was that the officers at the department were also taking advantage of the situation by also manipulating the system and if confronted they would finger-point these top officials who appear on the lists,” he said.

-Sunday News

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Latest On Chivhayo’s US$183 million Corruption Solar Tender

By James Gwati-Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivhayo, is yet to start the US$183 million Gwanda Solar project whose tender he got from the government five years ago.

Chivhayo’s case emerged recently when the Zesa management was summoned by parliament to explain the US$250 million Dema power plant which the power utility controversially awarded to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s business frontman, Kuda Tagwirei.

Chivayo’s Intratrek was given a US$183 million tender to start a Solar Project in Gwanda in 2013 in unclear circumstances.

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Rural Murambatsvina, Government Says No Compensation To Would-Be Victims

By James Gwati-National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe said Government will not compensate people who will be affected by another operation Murambatsvina the authorities are going to conduct in rural areas.

According to the state media, Minister Garwe said those to be affected are people whose houses were built on wetlands but affected families and will foot the expenses for the construction of the houses or will have to seek compensation from those who sold them the affected land.

“The relocation of the people that were affected by floods and those whose houses are in river banks is a matter of emergency. We are now in the process of identifying suitable land and we will come up with a plan. Once the land has been surveyed then people will be relocated to construct their own houses. The government is only providing on-site and off-site infrastructure,” he said.

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COVID-19 Vaccination Programme: MDC Alliance Calls For Transparency

Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has called for transparency in the vaccination programme.

In its weekly health update, MDC Alliance urged the Government of Zimbabwe to work together with South Africa in determining the best way forward regarding the choice of vaccines.

Read statement below:

MDC Alliance Weekly Health Alert

10th Edition

28 March 2021

Vaccination program: are we winning?

Summary:

Safety is the most important thing in any vaccination program. Efficacy is another issue that needs to be determined here in Zimbabwe.

With 95% of our virus being the South African variant, we do not know whether the Sinopharm vaccine will give us efficacy results comparable to what they reported in China and other countries.

We are now in phase 2 of our vaccination program. The aim of our weekly health alert is to inform the public and assist you in making wise decisions about prevention and treatment of this new disease. We collaborate with a wide range of scientific minds and it is our patriotic duty to help in curbing this pandemic in our borders, to hold government to account regarding national resources, to prevent corruption, looting and tender-preneurship, and to agitate for the best possible covid-19 prevention and treatment interventions for Zimbabwe.

We call upon the authorities to be transparent in the issue of vaccine choice and procurement, the issue of cost of the vaccine, and the disclosure to the public of data available from the manufacturers, the World Health Organisation, and other countries regarding safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

Choice of a vaccine should not be a purely political issue, but we should examine safety and efficacy rigorously.

Please note that we do not have all the answers related to covid-19 vaccination. In fact no one on earth does, not even the World Health Organisation. The disease is evolving daily, and so is the science to fight it.

Our recommendations are based on current knowledge and sound science, as we know it now, and on the work and advice of the World Health Organisation. When knowledge changes, we will not hesitate to advise on the new understanding. A good example is, we were told before that as much as 61% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe was the B.1.351 variant, originally identified in South Africa. More recent studies have now shown that this variant accounts for 95% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe, and the transition happened at the time of the second wave (December/January).

This is worrisome, and we feel the Government of Zimbabwe must work together with our neighbour South Africa in deciding on the best way forward with the choice of vaccines, and closely sharing data on safety and efficacy.

Another pending issue is that the World Health Organisation has not yet issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Sinopharm vaccine, though the required dossiers were submitted. WHO had promised to give their determination by early March, but this was moved to early April for reasons unknown to us. It is the WHO which looks into the issue of good manufacturing practices after inspection of facilities, and we await their advice.

However, please note that for most vaccines, countries started using the vaccines before the WHO had issued its EUA, because of the urgency of the matter before us. Good examples are the Moderna, Sinovac and Sputnik V vaccines which also still await EUA from WHO just like Sinopharm.

There are however vaccines with EUA from WHO like the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine, and these may come to us through the COVAX facility. Could government please update us on when we may expect to receive vaccine from the COVAX facility.

Our advice regarding the Sinopharm vaccine, which is the only vaccine government has procured, has not changed. We have no problem with the vaccine as far as the science behind it is concerned. It is an inactivated whole virus vaccine, and we have been using several vaccines made in the same way in Zimbabwe for the past half a century. We are also aware that Sinopharm has been used in several other countries and there are no significant adverse events that have been reported. We still urge all Zimbabweans, especially the front line workers, to get vaccinated now. If this vaccine turns out to be as efficacious as has been reported elsewhere, there will be a scramble for the vaccine and many front line workers may then fail to access it.

We note the recent arrival of Sinovac vaccine, another Chinese inactivated virus vaccine. It seems to have a good safety record where it has been used, and we recommend all who can, to get vaccinated by whichever vaccine is offered to them.

Other vaccines are in the offing. We do not know yet whether one can get vaccinated by more than one vaccine type, serially. There are studies underway to see if this would confer better protection, so we wait for results, and while we wait, we get vaccinated with the available vaccine!

We eagerly await results from the first phase of this vaccination program. When South Africa used the Astra Zeneca vaccine, they were very quick to assess its efficacy and make the necessary changes quite early in their vaccination program.

To date, over 61000 people have received their first dose and 6569 have received their second dose of Sinopharm. We want a scientific update now. The pharmaco-vigilance unit should give us either a daily or a weekly update on adverse events. The platform for that already exists.

We implore the government to be very transparent and quick to announce any suspected adverse events following immunization if any should occur, while they work hard to establish the presence or absence of a causal link, like they did in Europe with Astra Zeneca vaccine (the reported clotting disorders). That kind of quick action solidifies the people’s confidence in the vaccination program.

Lastly, we as the MDC-Alliance and President Advocate Nelson Chamisa note with pleasure the recent ten-fold increase in uptake of the vaccine. Whatever the reasons are, we think that is the right direction for Zimbabwe to take.

Many thanks to the MDC-Alliance Health Portfolio Committee for this informative article.

Dr Henry Madzorera
Secretary for Health and Childwelfare.
MDC-Alliance.

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ED Not Worried About Ramaphosa Speech In Tanzania | OPINION.

Dr Masimba Mavaza

By Dr Masimba Mavaza | The president of South Africa Mr C Ramaphosa paid tribute to the countries he said helped and fought with ANC to remove Apartheid in South Africa. Mr Ramaphosa thanked Tanzania for being the centre and the engine of revolutions in many countries. Of great concern he mentions the countries he said sacrificed for South Africa to gain its independence.

His Excellency the president of South Africa did not mention Zimbabwe in his speech. He mentions all the frontline states but deliberately left Zimbabwe out. His omission of Zimbabwe has been interpreted to mean that Zimbabwe did not help in anyway. This while not really a point to worry it has become a point to just revisit as the opposition are singing high and low saying that Mnangagwa has been humiliated. The president of Zimbabwe was not moved or upset by such an omission. The people of Zimbabwe do not need their country to be mentioned at a funeral to prove their sacrifice for South Africa. As a nation we can not be worried by such an omission. Shame on those who think that you need to be mentioned to show that you have done something good.

As a nation we take pride in the fact that we have done the best we could and we are satisfied with the results.
It should be made clear that South Africa–Zimbabwe relations have been generally cordial since the end of apartheid. South Africa has a mission in Harare. Zimbabwe has an embassy in Pretoria and a consulate general in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The Government of Zimbabwe took a particular interest in the search for independence for Namibia (South-West Africa) from South Africa. In addition, as chairman of the Frontline States in southern Africa, Zimbabwe spoke out vigorously against the policies of apartheid in South Africa and frequently called for the imposition of economic sanctions against the South African government. However, whilst supporting democratic change in South Africa, Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe did not support the idea of Zimbabwe being used as a base for anti-South African guerillas. The victory over apartheid was a collective effort. Help from other African countries was decisive in the struggle. From bases in Angola to military help in Zambia, they all played a role.
The Frontline States, as they were known, where countries close to South Africa and included its neighbours, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho as well as those further north: Angola, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. They played a vital role in supporting the African National Congress (ANC) when it was banned, as well as the many members and other political activists who were forced into exile. Many ANC activists stayed in Zimbabwe and launched their resistance from the warm borders of Zimbabwe.
Professor Padraig O’Malley wrote
“It became crucial to cultivate and maintain overseas sanctuary, support and funding,But it was equally crucial to have the co-operation of independent African states closer to home. These could provide sites for military training; they could also become launching pads from which to infiltrate South Africa and impose other pressures on the apartheid government.”


In case president Ramaphosa has forgotten that After going into exile in 1961, ANC president Oliver Tambo established anti-apartheid missions across the continent, basing the movement in Tanzania, Zambia, and other nations a move which was a critical transit point for South Africans on their way to Tanzania to be trained as Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) soldiers. They travelled on the “Freedom Ferry” from Botswana across the Zambezi River.
After Zimbabwe’s independence Zimbabwe became a very important and strategic partner against apartheid. Zimbabwe shares more than a border with South Africa: It must be remembered that we too struggled against white minority rule and in our young years we continued helping South Africa outing the whole country in a harm’s way.
In a case of parallels, the apartheid South African government supported the Rhodesian Front led by Ian Smith. “Given that racial discrimination and the denial of political rights to the black majority were common elements in South Africa and Southern Rhodesia [as the country was initially known], the ANC and Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (Zapu) had a strong sense that they were fighting a common enemy.”


Zapu helped MK recruits to cross the border to reach their camps further north, in Tanzania and Zambia. Military co-operation between Zapu and the ANC became so enmeshed, a joint High Command was formed. Still all this was Zimbabwe’s attributes to the fight against apartheid.

The truth presents a very different picture of relations between Zanu-PF and the ANC from the one projected by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his eulogies after Magufuli’s death in Tanzania.


Ramaphosa told the crowd in the Tanzania a list of countries which helped South Africa fight apartheid but did not mention Zimbabwe. Again that omission was not bother us as a nation but comments by many in the opposition corners made this response imperative.

Again during the late Mugabe’s funeral in at Mugabe’s official memorial service Ramaphosa said,, “Mugabe was a friend of the ANC, a friend of the people of South Africa, who stood by us during our darkest hour and was unwavering [in] support when our people were suffering under the yoke of apartheid.”


And at a later memorial service for Mugabe in Pietermaritzburg he said Mugabe had been prepared to sacrifice much for the freedom of South Africa.


“He was prepared to risk the fortunes and infrastructure of their own country so we in South Africa could be free. He was prepared to give free passage to Umkhonto we Sizwe soldiers to come through Zimbabwe and launch operations in South Africa knowing well he would risk reprisals from the apartheid government.


“Did he flinch or hesitate? Not Mugabe, he was prepared to support us to the end. He was an African patriot, [he] believed [in the] right of self-determination of African people.”

As a result of Zimbabwe’s support for ANC in 1987 South African apartheid soldiers infiltrated into Zimbabwe and bombed a flat they believed ANC cadres were hiding. As a result Tsitsi Marechera died in that bomb blast in Avondale. President Robert Mugabe, Ministers Enoch Skala, Maurice Nyagumbo and Emmerson Mnangagwa consoled Dambudzo Marechera at the site of the bomb blast that killed his sister Tsitsi in May 1987 at Earl’s Court, Harare.

This was not only the attacks we got from South Africa. As reported by the Herald “This morning, hours after South African commandos descended on this capital, glass and rubble littered Angwa Street in the downtown business district. All of it was from the shattered white cement building that had housed an office of the African National Congress.”


Again “Away from the heart of the capital, in the Ashdown Park suburb of Harare, a house belonging to the African National Congress had been reduced to rubble, with only part of a side wall left standing.”

The press reported the incident stating, “Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, who denounced the raids and called for mandatory economic sanctions against South Africa, visited the sites of the destruction this afternoon.


Mr. Mugabe said four suspects had been arrested in connection with the attacks and that explosives, communications equipment and vehicles had been captured from the raiders. No A.N.C. Casualties Reported”
In 1985 South Africa threatened to send its troops into Zimbabwe in pursuit of South African guerrillas. This marked a major increase in tension between the two countries. South Africa’s warning, issued followed a series of five land-mine explosions near the northern town of Messina close to the Zimbabwe border. South Africa has accused Zimbabwe of harboring guerrillas of the African National Congress and allowing them to cross the Limpopo River into South Africa, where the ANC was outlawed.


[The ANC claimed responsibility
The then Zimbabwe’s Cabinet minister for security cde Emerson Mnangagwa said that the nation will defend itself against any attack by South Africa. Zimbabwe put its liberty it’s peace online in defence of ANC.
Because of the aggression Zimbabwe arrested South African spies Kevin Woods, Michael Smith and Philip Conjwayo these were arrested in Zimbabwe in connection with the bombing that killed the driver of the car transporting the bomb and injured several ANC members. Woods, Smith and Conjwayo were sentenced to death and their sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court.  

The three were recruited by the South African intelligence service after 1980 to carry out destabilisation activities in Zimbabwe. In the 1980s Zimbabwe became an important area of operation for the ANC particularly for meetings. The South African government and its surrogates began attacking ANC houses and people in Zimbabwe.

For instance in May 1987 Tsitsi Chiliza Marechera a Zimbabwean citizen married to an ANC member was killed by a booby trapped television set intended for Jacob Zuma. The ANC office in Harare was hit by a rocket and in January 1988 a car bomb injured three ANC members in Bulawayo. On 21 April 1994 Woods, Smith and Conjwayo were granted South African citizenship by the apartheid government just before the fall of apartheid. After the fall of apartheid their release became a source of contention between the South African government and the Zimbabwean government.

Nelson Mandela failed to persuade the Zimbabwean government to release them on a state visit in 1997 and on other subsequent appeals. Thabo Mbeki who succeeded Mandela as the president of South Africa also failed to secure their release. In 2006 all three were released by the Zimbabwean government on humanitarian grounds. Smith returned to South Africa while Conjwayo chose to stay in Zimbabwe.

Again it should be mentioned that Zimbabwe delayed its land redistribution programs because it did not want to disturb the freedom of South Africa. The role Zimbabwe played in South Africa’s freedom is immeasurable and cannot be rubbed off by a none mention at a funeral.

It is petty and childish to take that comment or lack of it as a sign of ungratefulness.
Human rights advocate Archbishop Desmond Tutu recognised the collective effort it took to end apartheid. “In South Africa, we could not have achieved our freedom and just peace without the help of people around the world,” he wrote on Huffington Post, the American news site, “who through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the apartheid regime.”


The late President Robert Mugabe once said
”Zimbabwe will not be deterred from rendering assistance to the liberation movements of South Africa in the form of political, material and moral support,” he said. ”In order to guarantee peace and security in the region, the international community should take immediate steps to isolate the South African regime by imposing comprehensive, mandatory sanctions.”
Pertaining to the attack in Harare then
Security officials declined to indicate how or when the South African raiders infiltrated the Zimbabwean capital, which is 330 miles from the South African border. Mr. Mugabe said the four suspects who had been captured ”are now helping the police with the investigation.”

The relationship between ZANU PF and ANC is not questionable. The relationship between Zimbabwe and South Africa cannot be measured by a presidential omission. President Ramaphosa did not cause a diplomatic gaffe Zimbabwe understood that it was a mere omission and not a deliberate way of showing ingratitude.

Shame on those who wanted to create a stunt and a scene out of nothing. The thinking of those celebrating the nine mention of Zimbabwe is destructive and they are not patriotic.


Our President did not see anything wrong in the omission Cde Ramaphosa remains a good friend of Zimbabwe. Again our help was not with strings attached. It was our own conviction and serious revulsion to apartheid.

[email protected]

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Corruption, Looting Disrupting Fight Against COVID-19

Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has called for transparency in the vaccination programme.

In its weekly health update, MDC Alliance urged the Government of Zimbabwe to work together with South Africa in determining the best way forward regarding the choice of vaccines.

Read statement below:

MDC Alliance Weekly Health Alert

10th Edition

28 March 2021

Vaccination program: are we winning?

Summary:

Safety is the most important thing in any vaccination program.

Efficacy is another issue that needs to be determined here in Zimbabwe.

With 95% of our virus being the South African variant, we do not know whether the Sinopharm vaccine will give us efficacy results comparable to what they reported in China and other countries.

We are now in phase 2 of our vaccination program. The aim of our weekly health alert is to inform the public and assist you in making wise decisions about prevention and treatment of this new disease. We collaborate with a wide range of scientific minds and it is our patriotic duty to help in curbing this pandemic in our borders, to hold government to account regarding national resources, to prevent corruption, looting and tender-preneurship, and to agitate for the best possible covid-19 prevention and treatment interventions for Zimbabwe.

We call upon the authorities to be transparent in the issue of vaccine choice and procurement, the issue of cost of the vaccine, and the disclosure to the public of data available from the manufacturers, the World Health Organisation, and other countries regarding safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

Choice of a vaccine should not be a purely political issue, but we should examine safety and efficacy rigorously.

Please note that we do not have all the answers related to covid-19 vaccination. In fact no one on earth does, not even the World Health Organisation. The disease is evolving daily, and so is the science to fight it.

Our recommendations are based on current knowledge and sound science, as we know it now, and on the work and advice of the World Health Organisation. When knowledge changes, we will not hesitate to advise on the new understanding. A good example is, we were told before that as much as 61% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe was the B.1.351 variant, originally identified in South Africa. More recent studies have now shown that this variant accounts for 95% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe, and the transition happened at the time of the second wave (December/January).

This is worrisome, and we feel the Government of Zimbabwe must work together with our neighbour South Africa in deciding on the best way forward with the choice of vaccines, and closely sharing data on safety and efficacy.

Another pending issue is that the World Health Organisation has not yet issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Sinopharm vaccine, though the required dossiers were submitted. WHO had promised to give their determination by early March, but this was moved to early April for reasons unknown to us. It is the WHO which looks into the issue of good manufacturing practices after inspection of facilities, and we await their advice.

However, please note that for most vaccines, countries started using the vaccines before the WHO had issued its EUA, because of the urgency of the matter before us. Good examples are the Moderna, Sinovac and Sputnik V vaccines which also still await EUA from WHO just like Sinopharm.

There are however vaccines with EUA from WHO like the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine, and these may come to us through the COVAX facility. Could government please update us on when we may expect to receive vaccine from the COVAX facility.

Our advice regarding the Sinopharm vaccine, which is the only vaccine government has procured, has not changed. We have no problem with the vaccine as far as the science behind it is concerned. It is an inactivated whole virus vaccine, and we have been using several vaccines made in the same way in Zimbabwe for the past half a century. We are also aware that Sinopharm has been used in several other countries and there are no significant adverse events that have been reported. We still urge all Zimbabweans, especially the front line workers, to get vaccinated now. If this vaccine turns out to be as efficacious as has been reported elsewhere, there will be a scramble for the vaccine and many front line workers may then fail to access it.

We note the recent arrival of Sinovac vaccine, another Chinese inactivated virus vaccine. It seems to have a good safety record where it has been used, and we recommend all who can, to get vaccinated by whichever vaccine is offered to them.

Other vaccines are in the offing. We do not know yet whether one can get vaccinated by more than one vaccine type, serially. There are studies underway to see if this would confer better protection, so we wait for results, and while we wait, we get vaccinated with the available vaccine!

We eagerly await results from the first phase of this vaccination program. When South Africa used the Astra Zeneca vaccine, they were very quick to assess its efficacy and make the necessary changes quite early in their vaccination program.

To date, over 61000 people have received their first dose and 6569 have received their second dose of Sinopharm. We want a scientific update now. The pharmaco-vigilance unit should give us either a daily or a weekly update on adverse events. The platform for that already exists.

We implore the government to be very transparent and quick to announce any suspected adverse events following immunization if any should occur, while they work hard to establish the presence or absence of a causal link, like they did in Europe with Astra Zeneca vaccine (the reported clotting disorders). That kind of quick action solidifies the people’s confidence in the vaccination program.

Lastly, we as the MDC-Alliance and President Advocate Nelson Chamisa note with pleasure the recent ten-fold increase in uptake of the vaccine. Whatever the reasons are, we think that is the right direction for Zimbabwe to take.

Many thanks to the MDC-Alliance Health Portfolio Committee for this informative article.

Dr Henry Madzorera
Secretary for Health and Childwelfare.
MDC-Alliance.

Posted on

ZEC, ZESN Clash Over Suspension Of By-elections

ZESN PRESS STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ZEC’S STATEMENT ON RESUMPTION OF ELECTORAL ACTIVITIES

ZESN Welcomes Resumption of Voter Registration

25-March-2021- The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) commends ZEC for adhering to the dictates of the law as espoused in the Electoral Act on the need for continuous voter registration.

ZEC announced the resumption of electoral activities through a Press Statement, published in the mainstream media and its social media platforms on Tuesday 23 March 2021.

The Network is however irked by the continued suspension of by-elections without consulting stakeholders. ZESN calls on the ZEC to publicize and implement its COVID-19 Policy on Electoral Activities and outline how the Policy will be used to administer by- elections under COVID-19.

Accordingly, selective application of the law by allowing for “some” electoral processes to be conducted at the peril of others is unendurable given the fact that the continuous suspension of by-elections closes up what is left of the shrinking democratic space and undermines the civil and political entitlements of citizens.

ZESN notes that the umbrella ban on electoral activities issued on 2 January 2021 through promulgation of Statutory Instrument 10 0f 2021 by the Minister of Health and Child Care which moved Zimbabwe to level 4 from level 2 of the National COVID-19 lockdown affected the voter registration exercise which had resumed during the last quarter of 2020. Voter registration, being a key component of the electoral cycle, has to be conducted on a continuous basis to keep the voter’s roll up to date.

The Network will continue to advocate for the institution of electoral reforms that are key in ensuring the holding of credible and fair electoral processes. Some of these reforms include; strengthening of the ZEC Independence and building trust and confidence; provision of continuous and more robust and inclusive voter education; transparency in key electoral processes delimitation; and representation of Special Groups (women, youth, and people with disabilities) among others.

More so, ZESN will continue to enhance the capacity of youths, women and People with Disabilities to advocate for electoral reforms by 2023 by facilitating sustained engagement between the ZEC and key electoral stakeholders such as political parties, Civil Society Organizations and relevant institutions supporting democracy throughout the electoral cycle. Further, in view of the COVID-19 context; ZESN will prioritize provision of Civic and Voter Education through media campaigns virtually and using radio since physical campaigns cannot be held at the moment mobilizing eligible voters, women, youth, and people with disabilities as well as marginalized groups to register to vote and if need be to transfer their registration. The move is meant to ensure enhanced and informed citizens’ participation in the voter registration exercise.

The government of Zimbabwe must not negate its obligation to adequately fund the Electoral Commission and to institute the necessary reforms to meet the constitutional benchmarks and regionally and internationally agreed standards.// ENDS

Posted on

ZESN Statement On Suspension Of By-elections

ZESN PRESS STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ZEC’S STATEMENT ON RESUMPTION OF ELECTORAL ACTIVITIES

ZESN Welcomes Resumption of Voter Registration

25-March-2021- The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) commends ZEC for adhering to the dictates of the law as espoused in the Electoral Act on the need for continuous voter registration.

ZEC announced the resumption of electoral activities through a Press Statement, published in the mainstream media and its social media platforms on Tuesday 23 March 2021.

The Network is however irked by the continued suspension of by-elections without consulting stakeholders. ZESN calls on the ZEC to publicize and implement its COVID-19 Policy on Electoral Activities and outline how the Policy will be used to administer by- elections under COVID-19.

Accordingly, selective application of the law by allowing for “some” electoral processes to be conducted at the peril of others is unendurable given the fact that the continuous suspension of by-elections closes up what is left of the shrinking democratic space and undermines the civil and political entitlements of citizens.

ZESN notes that the umbrella ban on electoral activities issued on 2 January 2021 through promulgation of Statutory Instrument 10 0f 2021 by the Minister of Health and Child Care which moved Zimbabwe to level 4 from level 2 of the National COVID-19 lockdown affected the voter registration exercise which had resumed during the last quarter of 2020. Voter registration, being a key component of the electoral cycle, has to be conducted on a continuous basis to keep the voter’s roll up to date.

The Network will continue to advocate for the institution of electoral reforms that are key in ensuring the holding of credible and fair electoral processes. Some of these reforms include; strengthening of the ZEC Independence and building trust and confidence; provision of continuous and more robust and inclusive voter education; transparency in key electoral processes delimitation; and representation of Special Groups (women, youth, and people with disabilities) among others.

More so, ZESN will continue to enhance the capacity of youths, women and People with Disabilities to advocate for electoral reforms by 2023 by facilitating sustained engagement between the ZEC and key electoral stakeholders such as political parties, Civil Society Organizations and relevant institutions supporting democracy throughout the electoral cycle. Further, in view of the COVID-19 context; ZESN will prioritize provision of Civic and Voter Education through media campaigns virtually and using radio since physical campaigns cannot be held at the moment mobilizing eligible voters, women, youth, and people with disabilities as well as marginalized groups to register to vote and if need be to transfer their registration. The move is meant to ensure enhanced and informed citizens’ participation in the voter registration exercise.

The government of Zimbabwe must not negate its obligation to adequately fund the Electoral Commission and to institute the necessary reforms to meet the constitutional benchmarks and regionally and internationally agreed standards.// ENDS

ZESN
Posted on

Someone Wanted To Kill Me- Zivhu

Tinashe Sambiri|Controversial former Zanu PF MP for Chivi South Constituency, Killer Zivhu has claimed the wheels of his cars were tampered with…

Zivhu was reportedly involved in an accident on Saturday.

Zivhu blames his political rivals for plotting to eliminate him.

“Ndaita accident can’t say much for now saved by God.

“Parked my car munhu ndokuuya ndokusunungura manatsi angu ndazongoona ndotevera vhiri apa nderemberi asi Mwari haasi womunhu mumwe,” added Zivhu.

Killer Zivhu
Posted on

Zivhu Speaks On Car Accident

Tinashe Sambiri|Controversial former Zanu PF MP for Chivi South Constituency, Killer Zivhu has claimed the wheels of his cars were tampered with…

Zivhu was reportedly involved in an accident on Saturday.

Zivhu blames his political rivals for plotting to eliminate him.

“Ndaita accident can’t say much for now saved by God.

“Parked my car munhu ndokuuya ndokusunungura manatsi angu ndazongoona ndotevera vhiri apa nderemberi asi Mwari haasi womunhu mumwe,” added Zivhu.

Killer Zivhu
Posted on

Someone Tried To Kill Me- Zivhu

Outspoken former Zanu PF legislator Killer Zivhu has said he was involved in a road accident this Saturday.

Zivhu said he was grateful to God for saving his life but did not indicate where and at what time the accident occurred. He tweeted:

Ndaita (I was involved in an) accident can’t say much for now saved by God.

In another tweet about an hour later, Zivhu said he had parked his car and an unidentified individual clandestinely tampered with one of the front wheels causing it to come off as he was driving away. He said:

Parked my car munhu ndokuuya ndokusunungura manatsi angu ndazongoona ndotevera vhiri apa nderemberi asi Mwari haasi womunhu mumwe.”- Pindula News

Killer Zivhu
Posted on

Government Introduces Catch-up Strategy For Learners

THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has introduced a Catch-up strategy for primary and secondary school pupils that will see learners who were affected by prolonged non-academic activity because of the Covid-19 pandemic last year being taught 2020 material before proceeding to this year’s classes.

Under the programme, Sunday News understands that in some instances pupils will have to redo their preceding levels syllabi in the first term before proceeding to the next level. For example, those who are in Grade Two this year will have to first complete the Grade One material.

According to the Catch-up strategy document sent to schools and District School Inspectors, which was signed by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Ambassador Cain Mathema, last week, the new learning model provides guidelines for the practical delivery of blended teaching and learning, catch-up activities to compensate for lost learning time, and a coordinated system for accelerated learning, all of which involve the use of alternative learning platforms for the benefit of pupils.

Minister Mathema said the new teaching model, which seeks to enhance the continuity of teaching and learning for all learners at all times in Zimbabwe, drew lessons from the experience of disrupted school activities due to several climatic change phenomena as well as the global Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the new model was designed following a baseline assessment by the ministry which revealed that most learners especially those from public schools, rural areas and council schools had limited access to teaching and learning after the announcement of the lockdown at the end of March last year. He said the first term’s work was covered while that of second and third term was not covered in most schools. That resulted in poor performances by the 2020 Grade Seven pupils.

“The guidelines in this strategy are intended to trigger more school-based innovative strategies for the inclusive, full coverage of syllabi to cover up lost teaching and learning time. The catch-up strategies are grouped into three categories, namely content, learner and teacher enhancement strategies.”

Content strategies include syllabus compression and concept integration, he said.

“Teacher enhancement strategies are, team teaching, Performance Lag Address Programme (PLAP), multigrade teaching and use of Learning Area Platforms (LAPs) to guide teachers to cover up for lost teaching time for the maximisation of teacher-learner contact learning. Learning enhancement strategies include Clinical Remediation, Guidance and Counselling, Child Protection Committees, School Health Services, including Menstrual Health Management, Career Guidance as well as the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme,” he said.

Minister Mathema said the blended teaching and learning approach makes use of both the traditional face-to-face classroom interaction, online learning, home and school-led community-based learning with tutorial support as well as the use of printed self-study guides, revision notes and other modules.- The Sunday News

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We Want Justice- Tapiwa Makore’s Father

The rains fittingly fell around midday just as the hearse bearing the remains of Tapiwa Makore Jnr rolled into Makore Village, Murehwa, yesterday.

And around mid-afternoon, as the brown wooden coffin eased into the brown soils of the village, it showered again.

Culturally, there is a link between the opening of the heavens and the burying of the dead.

But if the rains were meant to soothe the departed soul of the seven-year-old Tapiwa or offer a comforting mourning atmosphere for the Makore family, clouds of intrigue, uncertainty and delayed justice will linger a little bit longer for the family.

Explaining to The Sunday Mail during Friday night’s vigil why his family had rejected the DNA results which confirmed that a head found three days after the gruesome murder was not their son’s, Munyaradzi Makore, father to the murdered Tapiwa, said the skull had no human flesh, no hair and its teeth did not even match their son’s. Not even a tongue.

Even a pathology test run by Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals confirmed that the head belonged to a 13 or 14-year-old, not a seven-year-old.

What has raised suspicion is that DNA samples were only extracted from Tapiwa’s mother, and not from both parents. The father confirmed as much, saying the DNA tests were conducted through samples drawn from his wife, and not from him, or both of them.

Ms Tabitha Chikeya, a lawyer who offered legal services pro deo to the family, also confirmed that samples were drawn from the mother only and not from both parents.

“That directive came from the police who were conducting the investigations, that they needed samples only from the mother, and only the police can answer why they decided on that. Maybe it was a financial consideration,” she said.

Pressed on whether the decision could have been premised on that a mother is considered a 100 percent match, she refused to answer, preferring that only the police can answer that.

ZRP spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “The DNA tests were done with guidance from experts and since this was not a paternity test, it was only prudent to get samples from the mother.”

On why the family had refused a State-assisted funeral, Mr Makore said the assistance they wanted was justice for Tapiwa Jnr, and not coffin, food and related funeral expenses, as they could contain those.

“It is justice that we want. To us, everyone who has something to do with the murder is with the police and we are just wondering why the wheels of justice seem to be taking this long to turn,” he said.

Tapiwa Jnr was last seen around sunset on Wednesday September 16 last year when he was sent to tend the family garden. A search party that evening yielded nothing only for dogs to drag pieces of what looked like a human body piece into the village compound that Friday.

When police arrived in the village to investigate, a search was ordered into every homestead in the village. A pair of trousers covered in blood was recovered in Tafadzwa Shamba’s room, who was immediately taken in by the police as his explanation to the soiled trousers did not add up.

On interrogation Tafadzwa, a herdboy, implicated his employer, Tapiwa Makore Snr, who is cousin to Munyaradzi Makore. The herdboy readily admitted to the gruesome murder and explained in graphic detail how they had intoxicated the young boy with beer, before cutting him into pieces. Through his indications, limbs were located and dug from a pit latrine.

However, the family contends that the skull that was found on the Sunday after Tapiwa’s murder on Thursday was not only too old to be their son’s but did not have human flesh, blood or hair.

“What is surprising us is that the limbs which were retrieved about two weeks after the murder had intact flesh, save for those parts which had been removed by Tafadzwa, yet the skull which was recovered in less than three days did not have any flesh. Even the pathologists who did a post mortem at Parirenyatwa said the skull was too old to be our son’s,” explained the father.- The Sunday Mail

Tapiwa Makore
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We Are Doing Our Best To Fight Corruption, Says Mnangagwa

Key Highlights 27/03/21

ZANU PF Patriots

▫️We are meeting towards independence as we remember our fallen heroes and heroines.

▫️We have successfully rolled out the vaccination programme on Covid 19 and we must remain vigilant.

▫️We must remain vigilant and unite our party structures to be productive and grow our economy.

▫️I urge the Central Committee to support the DCC structures and they need your guidance to prosper. Discipline and loyalty must be our guiding principles and we must be always disciplined. We are a proper Party full stop.

▫️The 2023 harmonised elections must be worked towards by all organs of the Party through mobilisation. I commend the efforts being made by the youth league in the mobilisation strategies.

▫️Those who are still in the political wilderness are invited to come home and join us. Our hands are open. I encourage the spirit of Ubuntu and oneness to be with us.

▫️The successful agricultural growth plans and presidential input scheme are also taking root and a source of income. We have also launched the garlic farming programme starting with Masvingo province.

▫️Provinces and districts are encouraged to embrace farming projects and moreso the mining sector is progressing well.

▫️The fight against corruption continues in all sectors.

▫️My government has approved the rehabilitation of all road infrastructure using local resources. I urge all community radio stations to promote all government programmes.

▫️ The Second Republic is on an irreversible path of industrializing, modernizing and reviving our economy.

▫️On the ICT sector we have commissioned the ICT factory that will help in the realisation of the new digital world.

▫️The minister of finance will update the Central Committee on the state of the economy.

▫️We must all be patriotic to our country by campaigning that all our people become vaccinated against covid19.

▫️We must continue to exercise peace love and harmony as Zimbabweans.

▫️As Central Committee let us continue to serve our people wholeheartedly as we strive towards our Vision 2030

Mr Mnangagwa
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MDC Alliance Rolls Out Youths Strategic Intervention Into The Convergence Agenda

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Govt Making Effort For Teachers To Get Jabs

By A Correspondent- The government is enforcing security measures in schools to make sure Covid-19 protocols are observed as part of efforts to curb the spread of the viral disease in all learning institutions, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.

Speaking in Senate last week, Mutsvangwa said despite challenges, the government was working hard to facilitate Covid-19 tests in schools.

“It was not possible for every student to be tested, but the government has made an effort for teachers to get vaccination jabs.

“This is done to protect our children. So, the government is doing a lot at the moment,” said Mutsvangwa.

She, however, conceded that the government was facing several challenges and was not in a position to provide PCR tests for every student.

“However, other health protocols are being implemented in all schools. Learner’s temperature checks are taken daily and social distancing is observed to protect learners and teachers at once.

“We know that Covid-19 is with us and there are a lot of issues that are challenging our education sector, but the government continues to review situations by looking at the way forward.

“There are challenges like e-learning which is done on phones and computers and even on radio stations,” she said.

Mutsvangwa added that the government had utilised the funds that were mobilised to ensure that there were standard operating procedures in schools.

“These are there to see whether there are sanitation facilities that are used by students, for example washing hands, masking up and maintaining social distancing in schools.

“The biggest challenge that our government is facing is that we are supposed to be providing e-learning, online lessons and radio lessons to our children.

“The government at the moment is seized with the challenges that are found in schools.  

“We have over nine thousand schools throughout Zimbabwe.

“These schools do not have adequate power.  

“There are only a few schools that have electricity,” said the minister.

-Dailynews

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ED Reads Riot Act

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has once again read the riot act to Zanu-PF’s district co-ordinating committees (DCCs), saying they must desist from fomenting divisions and advancing personal agendas in the ruling party.

Addressing Zanu-PF’s central committee yesterday, Mnangagwa said the respect of the former liberation movement’s constitution, as well as loyalty, discipline and servant leadership should always be the party’s guiding principles.

“It is pleasing that all district co-ordinating committees (DCCs) are now fully constituted. I urge the central committee to support the relevant departments to nurture and raise political and ideological consciousness among the DCC leadership.

“The respect of the party constitution, loyalty, discipline and servant leadership must always be our guiding principles.

“We are a party that serves the people and serving does not entail having a post. There is no room for unbridled ambitions in the party,” Mnangagwa said.

“Those with tendencies of pretending as if party structures are their personal property must stand warned and stop the unbecoming practice.

“We are a people’s party. No one can ever change this deep- rooted trait of our colossal, revolutionary party. DCC posts should not be seen as stepping stones for canvassing support for parliamentary and other positions,” Mnangagwa added.

“I would like to once again emphasise that DCC structures have a co-ordination function with regards to the operational efficiency of our party.

“In this regard, the implementation of the provisions of the party constitution, policies, programmes and the realisation of the promises made in our 2018 election manifesto should be at the centre of DCC activities.

“Such was the spirit behind the re-introduction of this important structure,” Mnangagwa said further.

He also urged the party to intensify its preparations for the 2023 national elections, adding that his government was working hard to fight corruption.

“Veterans of our liberation struggle, as a strategic party structure, are challenged to display their unflinching war time vibrancy and mobilisation acumen as we prepare for the 2023 elections

“The fight against corruption continues unabated across all sectors of the economy. Government is seized with addressing issues arising from illegal settlements and poor service delivery in urban local authorities.

“Determined to overcome the challenges being faced by our urban residents, the party must seize every available opportunity to engage the urban residents.

“The ground is fertile for us to vote out the corrupt and squabbling opposition,” Mnangagwa said.

The Zanu-PF boss also alleged that an opposition leader had shunned the government’s Covid-19 vaccination programme because he had been inoculated at a Western embassy.

“On Wednesday, it was the first time we were joined by leaders of all political parties except one, but rumour has it that the other one was vaccinated at a Western embassy.

“We shall discover as we go. We can see the political environment in our country … The national thanksgiving service and national vaccination programme in Victoria Falls reinforced the culture that promotes unity of purpose, national cohesion and oneness in our country.

“As leaders in various provinces, we are exhorted to further entrench unity, peace, love and harmony among our people,” Mnangagwa said.

This comes after Zanu-PF national political commissar, Victor Matemadanda, was cut loose from the top leadership of the ruling party, as divisions continue to ravage the former liberation movement.

Well-placed sources confirmed the development to the Daily News On Sunday’s sister paper, the Daily News, at the weekend – adding that the war veterans secretary general was also set to lose his ministerial post, with Mnangagwa said to be preparing to give him a diplomatic posting.

Matemadanda, who is also deputy Defence minister, stands accused of acting unilaterally in his bid to diffuse internal party tensions triggered by the recently restored but divisive DCC.

All this also comes after Mnangagwa blew a fuse during a Zanu-PF politburo meeting in Harare on Thursday, warning his errant lieutenants that gossiping, rumour-mongering and petty jealousies would not be tolerated in the party.

Insiders told the Daily News that Mnangagwa had told Thursday’s politburo meeting that he was redeploying Matemadanda from the commissariat, with the intention of posting him abroad as an ambassador.

“Matemadanda has been chopped from the politburo. The president announced that he will become one of the country’s ambassadors abroad.

“This means that he will no longer be a member of the politburo and will stop being deputy Defence minister soon.

“The president didn’t disclose the reasons for the redeployment, but the suspicion is that he was not happy with how Matemadanda conducted the DCC elections and the continued factionalism in the party,” one of the sources said.

Speculation was also rife within Zanu-PF circles that Matemadanda would become the country’s ambassador to Mozambique – replacing the late national hero, retired army Major-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, who succumbed to Covid-19 in February this year.

Other sources told the Daily News that the decision to demote Matemadanda came after he allegedly and unilaterally wrote a circular to DCCs and Zanu-PF’s provincial chairpersons on March 15, ordering them to stop convening all unconstitutional meetings.

The DCCs – which were scrapped in 2012 at the height of Zanu-PF’s factional, tribal and succession wars, in the twilight of the late former president Robert Mugabe’s rule – stand accused of usurping the powers of other organs of the ruling party.

Party officials confirmed to the Daily News earlier this week that the DCCs had become “a major headache” within the former liberation movement – prompting Matemadanda to issue a strong warning against the abuse of the structures.

In the March 15 circular to Zanu-PF’s provincial and DCC chairpersons, Matemadanda ordered the divisive structures to stop convening all unconstitutional meetings forthwith.

“The commissariat department has noted with great concern the abuse of office by the DCCs through the exercise of power and authority that is not granted to them by the party’s constitution.

“This circular is designed and issued to correct and bring to an end all activities and decisions that DCCs mistakenly believe are within their limits of discretion and directs all members of the DCCs to note that with immediate effect no such decisions and activities shall be permitted unless as directed by the commissariat headquarters through the auspices of the provincial political commissar,” he wrote.

Matemadanda also reminded the DCCs that they did not have disciplinary powers and, therefore, “at no time should they undertake disciplinary action against members of the district councils or any lower organs”.

“DCCs have no power of co-option and as such, any co-options that were made under the direction or supervision of the DCCs remain unauthorised and invalid.

“DCCs have no power to organise and cause elections of district executive council. Any elections conducted at the instigation and supervision of the DCCs is null and void.

“Removal of district executives through a process of no confidence votes engineered by the DCCs is invalid,” Matemadanda warned.

“DCCs have no power to create own programmes without consultation with, and obtaining prior approval of the provincial political commissar.

“All purported campaigns for positions currently held by a sitting MP or local authority councillor or a rural district councillor and or shadow MP are not permitted.

“Violations of instructions issued under this circular will not be tolerated and may attract disciplinary action as appropriate,” Matemadanda thundered further.

The DCC structures elect Zanu-PF’s 10 provincial executives – where the party and Mnangagwa draw members of the central committee and the politburo from.

The party’s DCCs were disbanded in 2012 after they were deemed to be fanning factionalism during Mnangagwa and former vice president Joice Mujuru’s battles to succeed Mugabe.

The run-up to last year’s DCC polls was also marred by allegations of bribery, factionalism and tribalism – with party wars coming to a head in October when violent youths disrupted the former liberation movement’s primary elections for the upcoming Kwekwe Central Parliamentary by-election

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“Report By The Portfolio Committe On Local Govt, Public Works And National Housing Overtaken By Events”: MLISWA

By A Correspondent- Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has called on parliamentary portfolio committees to table on time their various reports if parliament is to make meaningful and timeous contributions towards the implementation of findings and recommendations.

Mliswa said this soon after the presentation of a report by the portfolio committee on local government, public works and national housing on Peace and Security on the assessment of progress made in areas affected by floods and on construction of Covid-19 treatment, quarantine and isolation facilities.

Said Mliswa:

“On a point of order Madam Speaker, I think it is a very good report but at times overtaken by events.  As you sit here you are probably saying quarantine centers this and that yet that time of quarantine centres is when those reports were coming.  

So, through your administration can these reports come in timely so that we can debate for it to make sense.  At times we are overtaken by events. Not to do away with the reports but how do I talk about COVID quarantine centers now when they are no longer there?  That is my contribution.”

We publish below the full text of the report as tabled before parliament:

REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS MADE IN AREAS AFFECTED BY FLOODS AND ON CONSTRUCTION OF COVID 19 TREATMENT, QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION FACILITTIES

HON. CHIKUKWA: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the assessment of progress made in areas affected by floods and on construction of COVID-19 treatment, quarantine and isolation facilities.

HON. MARKAHAM: I second.

HON. CHIKUKWA:

          1.0    Introduction

1.1           The Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security resolved to conduct an assessment of progress made in areas affected by floods and construction of COVID-19 Centres as part of their oversight role.  The Joint Committee was concerned that the occurrence of floods and disasters was on the rise due to the climate change phenomenon and thus opted to give it priority.  The Joint Committee also sought to assess the preparedness of the country in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

1.2           The Committee noted the importance for Zimbabwe to have a robust framework for managing floods and health disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is thus indisputable that the development of such a framework is critical to ensure that there are safe and resilient communities. Therefore, the provision of critical services by the entities tasked to provide such responsibilities is key to human and economic development. 

2.0           Objectives of the visits

2.1    To determine the extent of damage caused by the floods in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matebeleland North Provinces;

2.2   To assess the progress made in reconstruction works in areas affected by Cyclone Idai;

2.3    To assess the construction works for COVID-19 Centres; and

2.4    To appreciate the challenges faced during floods and other disaster management.

          3.0    Methodology

3.1    The Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing received oral evidence from the Minister of Local Government and Public Works on the state of preparedness of local authorities to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the Joint Committee visited Tsholotsho in Matebeleland North, Beitbridge and Plumtree in Matebeleland South Province, Bulawayo, Kopa, Ngangu and Chipinge in Manicaland Province, Masvingo and Bikita in Masvingo Province.  The Committee held meetings with District Development Coordinators (DDC), Local Authorities Officials and health personnel in the areas visited.  The Committee also conducted tours of some areas that were affected and rehabilitated following flood disasters and the health facilities that were under construction in response to the pandemic. 

4.0           Committee’s Findings

4.1    Oral Evidence from the Minister of Local Government and Public Works on Management of COVID-19 pandemic by the Ministry

4.1.1 The Portfolio Committee received oral evidence from the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing on the state of preparedness by local authorities to deal with COVID-19 pandemic on 27 May 2020.  This inquiry laid the foundation for the subsequent verification visits. The Minister mentioned that Government had taken a multi-sectoral approach in managing the pandemic by engaging many stakeholders across all sectors. The Ministry had also capacitated all local authorities to be able to manage the pandemic. This included training of staff and upgrading local clinics and hospitals that fall under the Ministry’s purview. The Minister informed the Committee that provincial and infectious diseases hospitals such as Wilkins which were normally under the management of local authorities had been transferred to the Ministry of Health and Child Care in a bid to ensure coordination in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

4.1.2 The Committee also gathered from the presentation that the Ministry activated all local government structures in a bid to widen the coverage of information dissemination to communities. The Traditional Leaders received diesel and fuel from His Excellency, the President to assist them in disseminating information on COVID-19. Moreover, local authorities were urged to ensure that there was adequate and continuous water supply as this was critical in the fight against the pandemic. The local authorities were also urged to use the lockdown period to clean up areas under their jurisdictions which included bus termini and vending stalls. The Minister informed the Committee that ZWL$1 billion was disbursed to local authorities to assist in the management of the pandemic.

4.2    Flood and Flood Disaster Management

4.2.1 In Chipinge and Chimanimani, the Committee was appalled to learn that most of the survivors of Cyclone Idai were still living in tents, despite the commitment from Government to provide proper housing facilities.  At the time of the Committee’s visit, no houses had been constructed for the survivors of the Cyclone.  The Committee learnt from the survivors in Chimanimani that the local authority had sited land for housing development in the Westend, Greenmount, Bumba and Nhedziwa areas. In Nhedziwa, the local authority had gone a step further by drilling two boreholes and subsequently pegged and allocated stands. However, as gathered from the District Development Coordinator (DDC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chimanimani Rural District Council (RDC), the local authority received telephone communication purported to be from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to the effect that development of that area should be stopped. Consequently, over 12 months later, even those with the capacity to construct their own accommodation facilities were still living in the tents most of which were tattered.

   4.2.2 The Committee was informed during its first fact finding visit to Chimanimani District in July 2019 that Econet Wireless had pledged to build houses for the survivors of the Cyclone Idai. Upon enquiry on the progress made in that regard, the Committee was notified that there was a disagreement between Econet and Government pertaining to the ownership of the land. The DDC informed the Committee that Econet Wireless wanted title to the land on which the houses would be built but Government was against the idea.  Giving title of the land to Econet Wireless implied that Government was ceding ownership and control of the land as well as the project to Econet Wireless. Resultantly, due to that impasse the project had stalled.

4.2.3  The Committee noted that the people who were still living in the camps did not have adequate WASH facilities, lighting and enough food for their families. These were the same sentiments raised over a year ago when the Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing visited the area. The Committee gathered from representatives from the Social Welfare Department in Chimanimani that development partners such as World Vision had wrapped up their nine month lean season programmes and this had affected food security in the region. The Committee gathered from the survivors that indeed they were living in conditions of severe food insecurity and this situation was exacerbated by the alleged rampant corruption in the selection of beneficiaries and the distribution of food aid. In Kopa, the Committee learnt from the survivors that in their camp, there were two child-headed families that were constantly left out of any food aid programmes. Upon further enquiry from the representatives of the Social Welfare Department in Chimanimani, the Committee gathered that the Department was not aware of this situation and was going to urgently rectify it.

4.2.4 The Committee also visited Bikita Rural District Council to assess the state of damage and rehabilitation in the area following the Cyclone Idai. The DDC of Bikita expressed gratitude for the assistance they received from the Government as well as the civil society. However, of concern to the DDC was the location of Mandara School which is at the foot of a mountain and facing the risk of rock falls. The DDC suggested that the school should be relocated to a safer place.  The Committee was informed that a team of Engineers from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works suggested that instead of relocating the school, there was need to build a retaining wall which was said to be adequate to stop the impending rock falls.  However, the DDC indicated that the team of Public Works engineers who went to assess the state of the District after the Cyclone did not give feedback to the Public Works department of Bikita RDC pertaining to their findings.  Resultantly, the Council did not have enough information on the possible courses of action to take to address the damages caused by the Cyclone.

4.2.5 In Chipinge, Chimanimani and Bikita areas, the Committee was informed by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) representatives that the Unit was severely incapacitated to deal with flood disasters. This severe incapacitation had also impacted negatively against the Unit’s ability to respond efficiently and effectively to disasters. The CPU highlighted to the Committee that it was in urgent need of recapitalisation before the onset of the 2020-2021 rainy season which was expected to have above average rainfalls.

4.2.6 Tsholotsho District was affected by floods that destroyed housing and social infrastructure in 2017 and the Government responded by constructing houses for the survivors of the disaster.  A total of 303 people were affected by Cyclone Dineo in 2017 in Ward 5 and 6 resulting in the creation of settlement sites in Tshino and Saudweni. Each family was ideally supposed to be handed over a three-bedroom house, one blair toilet and a kitchen detached from the main house. At Tshino site 143 houses were established. Of these, 11 had their roofs blown off by wind and 8 houses were yet to be roofed.  A total of 61 more houses needed to be constructed, with about 20 families in dire need of accommodation as they were still housed in tattered tents.   A total of 143 toilets were constructed and 130 were not yet roofed. At Saudweni Resettlement Site, 122 out of the expected 176 houses were constructed. At this site, more than 50 people were still living in tents.  At both sites, no kitchen has been constructed.  Discussions with those who had new homes revealed that most of the homes were too small for the families because they have big families and practice polygamy. These sentiments were also echoed in Chimanimani by those who were still living in tents.  Below is a picture of the tents housing victims of floods in Chimanimani at Ngangu camp.          

Tents for victims of Cyclone Idai

4.2.7 Rehabilitation works in the area damaged by flash floods in Tsholotsho, were yet to commence.  Some of those houses constructed had started cracking pointing to the poor workmanship. The resettled people in Tsholotsho complained that the area of 5250m2 tract of land they were allocated was not adequate for other activities such as cultivation and livestock rearing. The Committees were informed that the area provided was meant for residential purposes only. For agricultural purposes, the victims were expected to utilise the land which they previously occupied. The Committee inquired on whether those who lost their homes and cattle in the floods were going to be compensated. The Provincial Development Coordinator (PDC) submitted that there were no plans to compensate the victims as far as infrastructure was concerned. It was, however, explained that discussions with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Extension (AREX) were underway for compensation of livestock subject to availability of funds.

4.2.8 During the tour in Tsholotsho, the Committee observed that most of the toilets were not roofed. The Public Works Department explained that the toilets were being built in stages and the builders were yet to receive roofing materials.  The Department informed the Committee that those with their own funds could proceed with the roofing.  The new homes had no detached kitchens as per the traditional and rural setup. The Department of Works explained that detached kitchens were part of the scheme but the challenge was that no funds were yet availed for the kitchens.

4.3    COVID-19 Quarantine, Isolation and Treatment Facilities

4.3.1 The issue raised in all local authorities and health facilities visited was that the centralisation of COVID-19 testing was affecting their ability to swiftly respond to possible cases of the virus. They bemoaned the inefficiency of the setup where they had to send blood samples to Harare or Bulawayo for testing due to lack of capacity to test. During the Committee’s visit to Masvingo, the District Medical Officer explained that they were yet to receive results of the samples many days after they were sent to Harare for testing. Yet, in instances where they have the testing kits and Gene Expert cartridges, they usually get results within two days of getting the samples.

4.3.2 The same concern was raised in Bikita, Matebeleland South and Beitbridge. Further, the Committee learnt that there were extensive construction works underway in all the local authorities visited. The refurbished and new buildings would be used as wards or quarantine centres for returnees or those infected by the virus. In most of the areas visited, construction works were at an advanced level. However, presentations from the Provincial/District Development Coordinators bemoaned the lack of adequate funding and manpower to expedite the construction processes.

4.3.3 At United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH), the Acting CEO gave a brief on the status of the progress made on the quarantine and isolation centres at UBH. The CEO informed the Committee that trainings in COVID-19 were conducted to all levels of health workers and the trainings was still ongoing. As of 6 July 2020, 806 health workers had been trained. The hospital resolved to have a standalone building detached from the rest of the hospital as an isolation centre. Hence, they converted what was formerly the old people’s home which had a carrying capacity of 100 beds. The elderly people were transferred to Ekuphumuleni. Of these, 14 would be designated for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 18 for High Dependency Unit (HDU). For treatment purposes, the hospital was using first line medication or earlier versions of COVID-19 drugs since the more recent versions were not yet in the country.

4.3.4 The Acting CEO submitted that stakeholders chipped in with donations, for example, Higher Life Foundation donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Stanbic Bank donated a miniature ventilator. Red Cross had pledged to supply two ventilators for the hospital. Due to the nature of the disease, which is highly contagious, UBH aimed at having staff entirely dedicated to the COVID-19 centre. Some of its staff was seconded to other hospitals dealing with COVID-19 especially Mpilo Hospital. The Committee was informed that the construction works were relatively lagging behind as compared to centres in Harare because comprehensive feasibility studies had to be conducted first. To curb the issue of escapees from quarantine centres, the hospital recruited 72 guards and had a Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Base Station at the hospital.

4.3.5 The construction works that began in early May 2020 were expected to be completed by mid-August 2020. The Medical gas reticulation system was now being installed. The theatre was being modified to fit infection control mechanisms. He further submitted that tubing for oxygen supply was still underway. Upon completion, the facility would be assessed by Ministry of Health and Child Care as well as World Health Organisation (WHO) to check compliance with the standards set for COVID-19 facilities. As per WHO standards, the technicians were using steel for door frames and sinks. Bathroom cubicles will be put in the wards to avoid patients moving in and out of their rooms. Bells would be put in the wards for the convenience of the patients and closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system would also be installed to ensure security. The Committee was informed that Treasury had released ZWL$42 million for the construction works.

4.3.6   In Tsholotsho, The DDC submitted that on the onset of the pandemic, all Quarantine Centres in the province were in Victoria Falls since it was considered the COVID-19 hotspot. The Quarantine Centres were later decentralised to district levels.

4.3.7   Tsholotsho District identified DDF Training Centre as a Quarantine Centre, however, it was in need of massive rehabilitation. The centre had an estimated carrying capacity of 40 people. Officials from Public Works came up with a bill of quantities amounting to ZWL$2 million which was submitted for funding through the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works but no works had commenced. Tsholotsho District Hospital converted the Female Ward into an Isolation Centre. The Department of Public Works had started refurbishment of the Isolation Centre which had a holding capacity of 40 people once properly completed. The hospital was in need of 10 mattresses to add to the 30 which it already had. No Intensive Care Unit was established due to lack of equipment.  For ICU facilities in the district, there were efforts to refurbish St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane.  The hospital had one ambulance set aside for COVID-19 cases. The ambulance was functional, albeit in need of maintenance. The Council further submitted that it was in urgent need of a booster pump to increase water pressure to the isolation centre and an alternative power source.

4.3.8 In Plumtree, the Committee was informed by the Provincial Development Coordinator that Plumtree has two districts namely Mangwe and Bulilima. On 1 April 2020 Mangwe district had received 110 returnees from Botswana. The district taskforce identified Plumtree High School as a Quarantine Centre with a capacity to hold 350 people though at one point the centre held more than 500 returnees.  As the number of returnees ballooned at the Quarantine Centres, the district identified Redfern School as a Quarantine Centre. As another way to decongest Plumtree High School, the district transferred some male inmates to Bulawayo Polytechnic and female inmates to United College Education. Later on, a decision was made to further transfer people to their respective provinces after profiling.  In Plumtree, there was no quarantine centre considering that it was a border town which received a huge number of returnees.  An official from the Public Works department took the Committee on a tour of a ‘Quarantine Centre’ and the Committee was shown a tract of land with no building in sight. The official, belaboured to explain why construction works had not commenced, a situation which left more questions than answers.

4.3.9 Mangwe lies on the Zimbabwean border with Botswana, a border which is highly porous. The Committee was informed that the district remained alert and continuously monitored and sensitised communities to report illegal entries as a way of curbing a spike in cases of COVID-19. The district identified the Plumtree District Hospital Old TB ward with a capacity of 30 beds as an Isolation Centre. However, due to partitioning of the ward, the carrying capacity was reduced to 21.  The district also identified Brunapeg Hospital which is 120 km from Plumtree, as another Isolation Centre. This Isolation Centre had a capacity of 15 beds. While the district had instituted seemingly robust measures to increase vigilance in communities, the Security brief outlined that the porosity of the borders posed a colossal impediment in the fight against COVID-19 and illegal immigrants.

4.3.10  Similarly, the Security brief in Beitbridge also revealed the glaring discrepancies in the manning of our borders. The Committee gathered that in Beitbridge, the police force had one vehicle to monitor over 200 kilometres of the border area. Furthermore, the human capital base was heavily depleted and the few that were there were unmotivated.  The Committee learnt that most of them had last received their transport and subsistence allowances in 2005, a situation which could compromise the security of the country and the integrity of the Police force.

4.3.11The Committee was informed that after the Cabinet decision on 9 June 2020 to decommission schools as Quarantine Centres, the district was left with no Quarantine Centre.  The District Taskforce identified Avoca Training Centre which is 30 kilometres away from Plumtree Town as an alternative Quarantine Centre.  Assessment visits and bills of quantities were done but the construction works requires a huge capital outlay.    The Taskforce also identified the Plumtree Reception and Support Centre as an alternative stopover centre for registration and profiling of returnees before proceeding to their respective Provincial Quarantine Centres…

HON. CHIKUKWA: I was on 4.3.12.

4.3.12 In Beitbridge the Committee learnt that Beitbridge had a huge responsibility of receiving returnees from South Africa considering a sizeable number of Zimbabweans domiciled in South Africa who were returning back home as many menial jobs were affected by lockdown.  Apart from that, they received people of Malawian and Zambian origins who had to pass through Zimbabwe. The Committee was informed that the Rainbow Hotel owned by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) Hotel was used as a Quarantine Centre in the area. The Hotel has a capacity to hold 280 inmates. The Department of Social Welfare and Ministry of Health and Child Care were taking a lead in managing the Hotel. Social Welfare was responsible for the welfare of inmates and provision of transport for returnees to their respective Provincial Centres. As at 9 July 2020, 4941 people were transported to their various provinces, 12 people were in the quarantine centre and 27 people were in the isolation centre.

4.3.13 The Committees were informed that the NSSA Hotel quarantine centre was in need of two mobile toilets. There was also need of a drain cleaner and a laundry machine. Apart from that, cold rooms, industrial pots and bins were needed.  Furthermore, there was also need for a bus based at Beitbridge for expeditious transportation of returnees. Apart from NSSA Hotel, the Beitbridge Council identified a female Ward at Beitbridge Hospital which had a carrying capacity of 40 as an isolation centre.  The Committee was informed that the female ward had been converted into an isolation centre. The District also identified another quarantine centre which needed renovations at Dulibadzimu.  The District Medical Officer opined that they were required to do PCR tests before they transport inmates to their respective quarantine centres.  They had managed to mobilise two more PCR testing machines.  Econet Wireless Company had pledged to help with two more machines.  One of the machines would be stationed at the border with a capacity to process 20 samples simultaneously. The Committee was made aware of the acute shortage of manpower in the health, public works and security sectors. In the District, for example, the Public Works department in Beitbridge had a staff complement of 10 against the required 22 people. This had affected the departments’ efficiency in carrying out their mandates especially in the face of the pandemic.

5.0    Committee’s Observations

5.1            The Committee made the following observations:

5.1.1   The people who were affected by the Cyclone Idai floods were still living in tents and education and health facilities were yet to be fully rehabilitated.  The situation was pathetic because most of the tents were tattered and not fit for human habitation.

5.1.2   There was lack of adequate monitoring of reconstructions of houses of victims of floods and damaged infrastructure, resulting in most of the projects not completed and some projects not implemented at all.

5.1.3   The Civil Protection Unit need to have adequate human and financial resources for it to be able to effectively and efficiently respond to disasters.  The Civil Protection Unit also needed requis

5.1.4   The Committee noted the need for the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to provide adequate food and other basic needs in the camps and quarantine centres.

5.1.5   The Committee noted with dismay the delay in reconstruction of damaged infrastructure by Cyclone as witnessed by some bridges in Chipinge district which were yet to be reconstructed thus presenting challenges in moving around the areas.

5.1.6.The delay in the supply and delivery of materials necessary for construction and rehabilitation of houses and social infrastructure delayed the completion of the housing programmes in the affected areas.

5.1.7.The COVID-19 treatment, quarantine and isolation facilities in some areas were sub-standard and needed to be rehabilitated.

5.1.8   Most of the quarantine/isolation centres visited needed improvement in terms of security to curb the chances of inmates escaping from the centres.

5.1.9   Most departments involved in handling the COVID-19 cases were facing operational challenges in terms of inadequate funding, shortages of vehicles and inadequate accommodation in the centres created, resulting in failure to respond efficiently to the pandemic.

5.1.10                      At the time of the Committee’s visit, the screening, profiling and registration of returnees and inmates was being done manually and as a result was taking long. The Committee felt that the manual process increases the risk of infection to both the staff manning the centres and those who are being screened for COVID-19.

5.1.11                      There was lack of decentralisation of functions especially for COVID-19 testing and this militated against a timeous response to the pandemic.

5.1.12                      The Committee noted that there was lack of essential Personal Protective Equipment for both health and construction workers thus, exposing both the workers and patients to the virus and the injuries.

6.0    Recommendations

6.1    The Committee, therefore, recommends the following:

6.1.1   Government should increase the emergency funding towards the rehabilitation of health, education, transport facilities and infrastructure in the flood affected regions by 30 June 2021.

6.1.2   Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should speed up construction of houses for the victims of Cyclone Idai and handover the houses by 30 June 2021.

6.1.3   Treasury should provide some budgetary allocation in the 2021 National Budget for the expeditious rehabilitation of COVID-19 treatment and isolation facilities particularly in the grassroots. Priority should be given to the construction of a Quarantine Centre in Plumtree by 30 June 2021.

6.1.4   The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should ensure that the Civil Protection Unit has an adequate human capital resource compliment to deal with all kinds of disaster by 30 June 2021.

6.1.5   There is need for the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to ensure the procurement of essential equipment for long-range weather forecasting and Disaster Management in Zimbabwe by 30 December 2021.

6.1.6   The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities should provide houses to those affected by floods before the start of 2021/2022 rain season.

6.1.7   The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should ensure that the victims of Cyclone Idai continue to get adequate monthly food supplies and ongoing psycho-social support.

6.1.8   The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should develop a framework outlining the minimum norms and standards for coordinating humanitarian aid in times of disaster by 30 June 2021.

6.1.9   Government should second appropriately trained and skilled provincial staff to the district levels to assist in carrying out all required services whenever there is a natural disaster. 

6.1.10    The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage should ensure that border areas are adequately capacitated with both human and financial resources to adequately monitor and manage the porous border areas, corruption and resource leakages by 31 June 2021.

7.0    Conclusion

7.1    It is of great importance for Zimbabwe to be very alert to possible incidents of natural disasters and respond promptly to such disasters. Natural disasters if not managed properly can lead to loss of lives and infrastructure.  The visits conducted to areas affected shows that as a country we are not yet fully prepared to manage disasters.  Government is urged to make disaster prevention and management a priority.  Failure to do so, Government will always fork out more resources to mitigate against the impact of disasters. I thank you

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Pilot Who Perished In “Hell Commander” Car Crash Identified

Eddy @blacklistedd_ the Pilot one of hell commander’s friend who was also in that Lamborghini

By A Correspondent- The pilot who died when Hell Commander’s Lamborghini was involved in a fiery crash o Saturday night has been identified as Edward Mudekunye.

Hell Commander, real name Trevor Mbizvo, is known for being Shaleen Manhire-Nullens’ (Ms Shally) boyfriend.

Ms Shally, who is the late Genius Ginimbi Kadungure’s former manager, confirmed the accident using her now deactivated Instagram page.

She said in a post:

My Love @hell_commander (Trevor Mbizvo) had a terrible accident last night while driving a Lamborghini hurricane. One precious life was lost and the Hell Commander is in Hospital suffering from a few injuries.

According to AfriBlocks, the now deceased was a full-time student in South Africa, studying to become a commercial pilot when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.

Mudekunye reportedly used the pandemic to his advantage by completing some digital marketing courses.

Using the newly acquired skills, Mudekunye later found himself contracting freelance social media marketing gigs via AfriBlocks.

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Another Zimbabwean Stabbed In South Africa

Trevor Dereck Nzira Maponga

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwean man who hails from Unit N in Seke Chitungwiza was stabbed in Johannesburg South Africa.

Trevor Derek Nzira Maponga died on Sunday from stab wounds sustained in the attack by yet to be identified assailants.

Posted Brenda Muchemwa:

“Guys unit N we have been robbed, a young brother is gone, he passed away succumbed to stabbing wounds today, I’m in pain, and shaken to see a once vibrant and full of life guy being put in a van lifeless.”

More details follow……

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MSD Weather Report As At Sunday 28 March 2021

ZIMBABWE EVENING WEATHER REPORT AND FORECAST ISSUED AT 1600 HRS ON SUNDAY 28 MARCH 2021 VALID UNTIL TUESDAY 30 MARCH 2021.

PREAMBLE

Isolated thundershowers occurred yesterday along and to the north of the main watershed with notable rainfall figures of 18mm and 26mm recorded at Kadoma and Karoi respectively.

Meanwhile, rising pressure along the southeast coast of South Africa is steering a cool and moist south-easterly airflow into the country.

FORECAST

TOMORROW MONDAY 29 MARCH 2021: It should be cloudy, windy and cold over Matabeleland South, Bulawayo Metropolitan, southern parts of Midlands, Masvingo and Manicaland province with a chance of morning drizzle in places.

Elsewhere (Matabeleland North, Harare Metropolitan, northern parts of Midlands and all Mashonaland provinces) are expected to be mostly sunny. Cool in the morning becoming warm by the afternoon.

IMPACTS

  • Lightning can still strike from a distant cloud when the skies above you are mostly blue and cloudless (This is commonly called a “bolt from the blue”).
  • Isolated trees and shed have a high potential of being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm.

ACTIONS TO TAKE

  • Remember when you are close enough to hear thunder less than 30 seconds after you see lightning then you are close enough to get struck. It is safer to seek shelter in a closed building when this occurs.
  • When thunder roars, go indoors. Do not hide under a tree or in an isolated shed.
  • Keep physically distant from livestock and other people once a storm begins till it ends.
  • Do not ride at the back of a pick-up truck or a tractor during thunderstorms.

OUTLOOK

FORECAST FOR TUESDAY 30 MARCH 2021 Manicaland, Masvingo and eastern parts of Matabeleland South provinces should start off cloudy, windy and cold in the morning followed by episodic sunny breaks in the afternoon leading to warmer conditions.

The remainder of the provinces should be partly cloudy and warm, though an odd shower remains probable in places.

MSD Statement
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“How Will You Counter This?”: Mliswa Asks Zanu Pf

https://twitter.com/TembaMliswa/status/1376196634992869379?s=20
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Shocking Murder In Emganwini

By A Correspondent- An unidentified man, who appeared to have been brutally assaulted was found dead in front of a house in Emganwini suburb in Bulawayo yesterday morning, ratcheting up distress in a community that says it is now living in fear due to an escalation of muggings and break-ins.

The man, who witnesses estimated was in his early 30s, was found at around 6am by a resident who said he was alerted by an early visitor that there was a corpse outside his gate. The assault on the victim seemed to have started elsewhere, as he had left a trail of blood that stretched a distance away from where he appeared to have finally passed away.

Bulawayo police spokesman Inspector Abednico Ncube was not reachable but when Sunday News visited the scene yesterday, residents described what they believe to have been a particularly violent death as a “slaughter”. There was a pool of blood where the man appeared to have finally collapsed, while two stones with which his head seemed to have been smashed with still having a few strands of his hair.

The owner of the house in front of which the body was found, Mr Bakhile Ncube, said they did not hear any sounds or movements that indicated that someone was being assaulted.

“We heard nothing. For us it was just another normal night. I was surprised when a friend that had come to collect a trailer at my place told me that there was a body in front of my yard,” he said.

The chairperson for the residents association in the area, Mr Dickson Munkuli, said the victim did not appear to be a resident in the neighbourhood.

“So far no one has come forward to claim him. What made it particularly hard to identify him is that he did not have any identity documents on him. Perhaps the police will find something when they search further. We sent a message to community WhatsApp groups telling people that if they have a relative who is a young male and did not make it home last night, they should notify us but so far we have not received any feedback,” he said.

According to Mr Munkuli, even the guard at Senzangakhona Primary School, a stone’s throw away from where the incident seems to have taken place, said he did not witness anything out of the ordinary throughout the night.

“This is what is puzzling because the school has a guard and the incident happened very near the school gate. If someone is being assaulted you expect either the residents or the guard to have heard at least something,” he said.

Mr Munkuli said robberies, muggings and break-ins were now a common occurrence in the suburb.

“I got a message about this incident when I was attending the issue of a pastor who was a victim of a break-in during the night. We had a few separate robberies and muggings today only and I have been told someone was axed and is in a very critical condition. We would like to see a situation to what we had in the 1990s where the ZRP Support Unit patrolled the area which at least could put some fear in these criminals,” he said.-statemedia

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Dear Mr Matemadanda- I Tried To Connect The Dots…

Dear Mr Matemadanda,

Hope this letter find you in good health wherever you are and I believe you are enjoying every minute of your heartbeat.

I really know that you are a real war veteran, son of the soil, a distinguished decorated retired soldier with many gongs, accolades and honours which you obtained during the liberation struggle.

I know in comradeship you fought side by side with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice President Chiwenga and proved that you were such a very powerful cadre, hence they chose you to be the Deputy Minister of Defence in their government. I know it was done out of merit and not patronage or clansmaship. You are a very competent somebody.

I hear a lot of naysers and mafikizolos calling you all sorts of names like foul mouthed Victor Matemadanda who was always at loggerheads with the opposition has been thrown under the bus by the very person whom he rallied behind and helped in the removal of Robert Mugabe in the November 2017 coup.

I tried to connect the dots on the reason why the Hounourable President relieved you of your very important duties in the revolutionary party and the reason was not satisfying at all. I was left shell shocked to hear that the President said you were very incompetent. Why did he assign an incompetent leader like you? I also doubt his competency as well.

I pray for you, our beloved ZANU PF national political commissar and deputy Minister of Defense Cde Victor Matemadanda as you take on your new ambassadorial post in Mozambique. Yours is a promotion not a demotion as you come at par in pecks with the likes of James Maridadi

I vividly remember that other day when you were poisoned and later survived. These people hate you and they do not want to see your success and therefore you must always watch your back.

I have been in Cabo Delgado Province Pemba Nanyimbi in Mozambique. It is such a good country which is bubbling with peace serve for these disturbances in the province. Their politics is different from ours which is full of hate. You are going to learn a lot from them.

My piece of advice is that go and hold yourself than being a political rabble rouser and motormouth which you were exhibiting here in Zimbabwe. Don’t ever try to interfere with their domestic politics.

Before you go make sure that you go through some etiquettes on how to hold such a post so that you won’t be found wanting again. I trust with your nostalgic intelligentsia you are going to make it.

During the time of the old dispensation Robert Mugabe also fired you and when you see two different coaches firing you, that means you must self introspect and correct the mistakes. Zimbabwe does not belong to the war veterans only or either to the revolutionary party.

I will remember you with your previous presser where you were all over Nelson Chamisa accusing him of being a tyranny and advising members of the opposition to vote for Douglas Mwonzora as their leader was something unheard of in politics.

Yours son of the soil

Leonard

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Billiat Dismisses Reports Of Daughter’s Death

Warriors star Khama Billiat has rubbished reports suggesting that his daughter Kimberly had been shot dead in South Africa.

Social media went into overdrive this morning after renowned Ghanaian journalist Nuhu Adams tweeted saying Kimberly (10) had been shot and killed at a mall in South Africa.

In a statement released by Billiat through his agent Godfrey ‘Vokal’ Bakasa, the Kaizer Chiefs winger regreted lack of responsibility in the post.

“Bad journalism got people writing unverified and fake news! All in the name on click-baiting! Utterly disappointed with people who write and circulate fake stories especially about a kid’s life. As grown ups, we can do better. Kimberly Billiat is alive, the only harm that can come her way is the rubbish some adults post for hype,” reads the statement.

Adams has since made a public apology to the Warriors star over the fiasco.

“Very sorry to everyone here for the news I tweeted about Khama Billiat and his daughter. I got the news from a very reliable source but there is no iota of truth. My apologies to Khama Billiat and his family and everybody who was affected and all South Africans. Lessons learned<” he tweeted.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe

Khama Billiat
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Goalkeeper Martin Mapisa Set To Make Warriors Debut

Warriors coach Zdravko Logarušić will most likely make some changes to the team which beat Botswana, in tomorrow’s clash against Zambia.

Zimbabwe take on Zambia in the last AFCON qualifier but the contest is a dead rubber as the Warriors have already booked a place at the continental showpiece, after beating the Zebras while Chipolopolo drew with the Desert Foxes of Algeria.

During the Botswana clash, which was settled by a solitary Perfect Chikwende first half header, captain Knowledge Musona picked up a knock late on and had to be replaced.

Apart from the fitness issues, Musona, just like Teenage Hadebe and Jimmy Dzingai picked up yellow cards and if they are booked again tomorrow night, they will miss the first game at AFCON.

Against this background, Logarušić will make some changes.

In goal, Spain based Martin Mapisa is set for his Warriors debut, the same goes for Victor Kamhuka.

The towering defender will most likely partner Alec Mudimu in the heart of the Warriors defence.

In midfield there might be a place for AmaZulu’s Butho Ncube , the same applies for Zambia-based Tanaka Chinyahara, while Last Jersey will likely have some minutes too.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe

Warriors fans
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COVID-19 Vaccination Programme: MDC Alliance Calls For Transparency

Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has called for transparency in the vaccination programme.

In its weekly health update, MDC Alliance urged the Government of Zimbabwe to work together with South Africa in determining the best way forward regarding the choice of vaccines.

Read statement below:

MDC Alliance Weekly Health Alert

10th Edition

28 March 2021

Vaccination program: are we winning?

Summary:

Safety is the most important thing in any vaccination program. Efficacy is another issue that needs to be determined here in Zimbabwe.

With 95% of our virus being the South African variant, we do not know whether the Sinopharm vaccine will give us efficacy results comparable to what they reported in China and other countries.

We are now in phase 2 of our vaccination program. The aim of our weekly health alert is to inform the public and assist you in making wise decisions about prevention and treatment of this new disease. We collaborate with a wide range of scientific minds and it is our patriotic duty to help in curbing this pandemic in our borders, to hold government to account regarding national resources, to prevent corruption, looting and tender-preneurship, and to agitate for the best possible covid-19 prevention and treatment interventions for Zimbabwe.

We call upon the authorities to be transparent in the issue of vaccine choice and procurement, the issue of cost of the vaccine, and the disclosure to the public of data available from the manufacturers, the World Health Organisation, and other countries regarding safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

Choice of a vaccine should not be a purely political issue, but we should examine safety and efficacy rigorously.

Please note that we do not have all the answers related to covid-19 vaccination. In fact no one on earth does, not even the World Health Organisation. The disease is evolving daily, and so is the science to fight it.

Our recommendations are based on current knowledge and sound science, as we know it now, and on the work and advice of the World Health Organisation. When knowledge changes, we will not hesitate to advise on the new understanding. A good example is, we were told before that as much as 61% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe was the B.1.351 variant, originally identified in South Africa. More recent studies have now shown that this variant accounts for 95% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe, and the transition happened at the time of the second wave (December/January).

This is worrisome, and we feel the Government of Zimbabwe must work together with our neighbour South Africa in deciding on the best way forward with the choice of vaccines, and closely sharing data on safety and efficacy.

Another pending issue is that the World Health Organisation has not yet issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Sinopharm vaccine, though the required dossiers were submitted. WHO had promised to give their determination by early March, but this was moved to early April for reasons unknown to us. It is the WHO which looks into the issue of good manufacturing practices after inspection of facilities, and we await their advice.

However, please note that for most vaccines, countries started using the vaccines before the WHO had issued its EUA, because of the urgency of the matter before us. Good examples are the Moderna, Sinovac and Sputnik V vaccines which also still await EUA from WHO just like Sinopharm.

There are however vaccines with EUA from WHO like the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine, and these may come to us through the COVAX facility. Could government please update us on when we may expect to receive vaccine from the COVAX facility.

Our advice regarding the Sinopharm vaccine, which is the only vaccine government has procured, has not changed. We have no problem with the vaccine as far as the science behind it is concerned. It is an inactivated whole virus vaccine, and we have been using several vaccines made in the same way in Zimbabwe for the past half a century. We are also aware that Sinopharm has been used in several other countries and there are no significant adverse events that have been reported. We still urge all Zimbabweans, especially the front line workers, to get vaccinated now. If this vaccine turns out to be as efficacious as has been reported elsewhere, there will be a scramble for the vaccine and many front line workers may then fail to access it.

We note the recent arrival of Sinovac vaccine, another Chinese inactivated virus vaccine. It seems to have a good safety record where it has been used, and we recommend all who can, to get vaccinated by whichever vaccine is offered to them.

Other vaccines are in the offing. We do not know yet whether one can get vaccinated by more than one vaccine type, serially. There are studies underway to see if this would confer better protection, so we wait for results, and while we wait, we get vaccinated with the available vaccine!

We eagerly await results from the first phase of this vaccination program. When South Africa used the Astra Zeneca vaccine, they were very quick to assess its efficacy and make the necessary changes quite early in their vaccination program.

To date, over 61000 people have received their first dose and 6569 have received their second dose of Sinopharm. We want a scientific update now. The pharmaco-vigilance unit should give us either a daily or a weekly update on adverse events. The platform for that already exists.

We implore the government to be very transparent and quick to announce any suspected adverse events following immunization if any should occur, while they work hard to establish the presence or absence of a causal link, like they did in Europe with Astra Zeneca vaccine (the reported clotting disorders). That kind of quick action solidifies the people’s confidence in the vaccination program.

Lastly, we as the MDC-Alliance and President Advocate Nelson Chamisa note with pleasure the recent ten-fold increase in uptake of the vaccine. Whatever the reasons are, we think that is the right direction for Zimbabwe to take.

Many thanks to the MDC-Alliance Health Portfolio Committee for this informative article.

Dr Henry Madzorera
Secretary for Health and Childwelfare.
MDC-Alliance.

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Rampant Looting Disrupting Fight Against COVID-19

Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has called for transparency in the vaccination programme.

In its weekly health update, MDC Alliance urged the Government of Zimbabwe to work together with South Africa in determining the best way forward regarding the choice of vaccines.

Read statement below:

MDC Alliance Weekly Health Alert

10th Edition

28 March 2021

Vaccination program: are we winning?

Summary:

Safety is the most important thing in any vaccination program.

Efficacy is another issue that needs to be determined here in Zimbabwe.

With 95% of our virus being the South African variant, we do not know whether the Sinopharm vaccine will give us efficacy results comparable to what they reported in China and other countries.

We are now in phase 2 of our vaccination program. The aim of our weekly health alert is to inform the public and assist you in making wise decisions about prevention and treatment of this new disease. We collaborate with a wide range of scientific minds and it is our patriotic duty to help in curbing this pandemic in our borders, to hold government to account regarding national resources, to prevent corruption, looting and tender-preneurship, and to agitate for the best possible covid-19 prevention and treatment interventions for Zimbabwe.

We call upon the authorities to be transparent in the issue of vaccine choice and procurement, the issue of cost of the vaccine, and the disclosure to the public of data available from the manufacturers, the World Health Organisation, and other countries regarding safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

Choice of a vaccine should not be a purely political issue, but we should examine safety and efficacy rigorously.

Please note that we do not have all the answers related to covid-19 vaccination. In fact no one on earth does, not even the World Health Organisation. The disease is evolving daily, and so is the science to fight it.

Our recommendations are based on current knowledge and sound science, as we know it now, and on the work and advice of the World Health Organisation. When knowledge changes, we will not hesitate to advise on the new understanding. A good example is, we were told before that as much as 61% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe was the B.1.351 variant, originally identified in South Africa. More recent studies have now shown that this variant accounts for 95% of the virus circulating in Zimbabwe, and the transition happened at the time of the second wave (December/January).

This is worrisome, and we feel the Government of Zimbabwe must work together with our neighbour South Africa in deciding on the best way forward with the choice of vaccines, and closely sharing data on safety and efficacy.

Another pending issue is that the World Health Organisation has not yet issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Sinopharm vaccine, though the required dossiers were submitted. WHO had promised to give their determination by early March, but this was moved to early April for reasons unknown to us. It is the WHO which looks into the issue of good manufacturing practices after inspection of facilities, and we await their advice.

However, please note that for most vaccines, countries started using the vaccines before the WHO had issued its EUA, because of the urgency of the matter before us. Good examples are the Moderna, Sinovac and Sputnik V vaccines which also still await EUA from WHO just like Sinopharm.

There are however vaccines with EUA from WHO like the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine, and these may come to us through the COVAX facility. Could government please update us on when we may expect to receive vaccine from the COVAX facility.

Our advice regarding the Sinopharm vaccine, which is the only vaccine government has procured, has not changed. We have no problem with the vaccine as far as the science behind it is concerned. It is an inactivated whole virus vaccine, and we have been using several vaccines made in the same way in Zimbabwe for the past half a century. We are also aware that Sinopharm has been used in several other countries and there are no significant adverse events that have been reported. We still urge all Zimbabweans, especially the front line workers, to get vaccinated now. If this vaccine turns out to be as efficacious as has been reported elsewhere, there will be a scramble for the vaccine and many front line workers may then fail to access it.

We note the recent arrival of Sinovac vaccine, another Chinese inactivated virus vaccine. It seems to have a good safety record where it has been used, and we recommend all who can, to get vaccinated by whichever vaccine is offered to them.

Other vaccines are in the offing. We do not know yet whether one can get vaccinated by more than one vaccine type, serially. There are studies underway to see if this would confer better protection, so we wait for results, and while we wait, we get vaccinated with the available vaccine!

We eagerly await results from the first phase of this vaccination program. When South Africa used the Astra Zeneca vaccine, they were very quick to assess its efficacy and make the necessary changes quite early in their vaccination program.

To date, over 61000 people have received their first dose and 6569 have received their second dose of Sinopharm. We want a scientific update now. The pharmaco-vigilance unit should give us either a daily or a weekly update on adverse events. The platform for that already exists.

We implore the government to be very transparent and quick to announce any suspected adverse events following immunization if any should occur, while they work hard to establish the presence or absence of a causal link, like they did in Europe with Astra Zeneca vaccine (the reported clotting disorders). That kind of quick action solidifies the people’s confidence in the vaccination program.

Lastly, we as the MDC-Alliance and President Advocate Nelson Chamisa note with pleasure the recent ten-fold increase in uptake of the vaccine. Whatever the reasons are, we think that is the right direction for Zimbabwe to take.

Many thanks to the MDC-Alliance Health Portfolio Committee for this informative article.

Dr Henry Madzorera
Secretary for Health and Childwelfare.
MDC-Alliance.

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Health Tips :Brush Your Teeth Regularly But Not Aggressively

By Dr Ellane Simon
Zimbabwe Online Health Centre

Best practices that keep teeth and gum healthy:

  1. Brush regularly but not aggressively. Brush teeth at least twice a day in small circular motions for about 2 to 3minutes. Prevent back and fourth motions. Use soft bristles toothbrush and change your toothbrush every 3months or whenever ends look frayed whichever comes first.
  2. Use fluoride.Its a mineral found in toothpaste that prevents cavities. Lack of fluoride causes tooth decay.
  3. Floss once a day. Flossing removes plaque and bacteria from between the teeth where the toothbrush is unable to reach. It can also prevent bad breathe.
  4. See a dentist regularly. One should visit the dentist at least twice a year (every 6months) or if there are any changes in the mouth. A dental visit might also depend on health history, age and overall dental health.
  5. Do not smoke. Smoking harm the body’s immune system making it difficult for the body to heal tissues. Smoking itself is a risk factor for gum disease and also cause bad breathe and yellowish teeth.
  6. Consider a mouthwash. Get advise from a dentist on which mouthwash to use. However chlorhexidine containing mouthwash are advised as it has antibacterial effects.
  7. Limit sugary foods and starches. These promote bacterial growth causing cavities. Fibre rich fruits and vegetables are advised.
  8. Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Like sugary food they also promote bacterial growth that causes cavities.

Tips for kids

  1. Babies and toddlers should not go to bed with bottles and sippy cups.
  2. Brush baby teeth as soon as they come out with soft baby toothbrush and tiny amounts of fluoride.
  • Baby teeth (primary teeth) are important as permanent teeth. Tooth decay disrupt space in the mouth of babies and toddlers making it difficult for the adult teeth to develop correctly. Zimbabwe Online Health Centre

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Health
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Zimbabwe Election Support Network Challenges Suspension Of By-elections

ZESN PRESS STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ZEC’S STATEMENT ON RESUMPTION OF ELECTORAL ACTIVITIES

ZESN Welcomes Resumption of Voter Registration

25-March-2021- The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) commends ZEC for adhering to the dictates of the law as espoused in the Electoral Act on the need for continuous voter registration.

ZEC announced the resumption of electoral activities through a Press Statement, published in the mainstream media and its social media platforms on Tuesday 23 March 2021.

The Network is however irked by the continued suspension of by-elections without consulting stakeholders. ZESN calls on the ZEC to publicize and implement its COVID-19 Policy on Electoral Activities and outline how the Policy will be used to administer by- elections under COVID-19.

Accordingly, selective application of the law by allowing for “some” electoral processes to be conducted at the peril of others is unendurable given the fact that the continuous suspension of by-elections closes up what is left of the shrinking democratic space and undermines the civil and political entitlements of citizens.

ZESN notes that the umbrella ban on electoral activities issued on 2 January 2021 through promulgation of Statutory Instrument 10 0f 2021 by the Minister of Health and Child Care which moved Zimbabwe to level 4 from level 2 of the National COVID-19 lockdown affected the voter registration exercise which had resumed during the last quarter of 2020. Voter registration, being a key component of the electoral cycle, has to be conducted on a continuous basis to keep the voter’s roll up to date.

The Network will continue to advocate for the institution of electoral reforms that are key in ensuring the holding of credible and fair electoral processes. Some of these reforms include; strengthening of the ZEC Independence and building trust and confidence; provision of continuous and more robust and inclusive voter education; transparency in key electoral processes delimitation; and representation of Special Groups (women, youth, and people with disabilities) among others.

More so, ZESN will continue to enhance the capacity of youths, women and People with Disabilities to advocate for electoral reforms by 2023 by facilitating sustained engagement between the ZEC and key electoral stakeholders such as political parties, Civil Society Organizations and relevant institutions supporting democracy throughout the electoral cycle. Further, in view of the COVID-19 context; ZESN will prioritize provision of Civic and Voter Education through media campaigns virtually and using radio since physical campaigns cannot be held at the moment mobilizing eligible voters, women, youth, and people with disabilities as well as marginalized groups to register to vote and if need be to transfer their registration. The move is meant to ensure enhanced and informed citizens’ participation in the voter registration exercise.

The government of Zimbabwe must not negate its obligation to adequately fund the Electoral Commission and to institute the necessary reforms to meet the constitutional benchmarks and regionally and internationally agreed standards.// ENDS

ZESN
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Zivhu On Car Accident: Someone Wanted To Kill Me

Tinashe Sambiri|Controversial former Zanu PF MP for Chivi South Constituency, Killer Zivhu has claimed the wheels of his cars were tampered with…

Zivhu was reportedly involved in an accident on Saturday.

Zivhu blames his political rivals for plotting to eliminate him.

“Ndaita accident can’t say much for now saved by God.

“Parked my car munhu ndokuuya ndokusunungura manatsi angu ndazongoona ndotevera vhiri apa nderemberi asi Mwari haasi womunhu mumwe,” added Zivhu.

Killer Zivhu
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Name Change For MDC Alliance?

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has hinted that his party could change its name as vultures circle on the country’s main opposition party ahead of crucial by-elections that might change Zimbabwe’s political landscape.

A sustained onslaught against the MDC Alliance by the Douglas Mwonzora led-MDC has created 48 vacancies in Parliament and over 80 in local authorities.

By-elections remain suspended under controversial regulations to slow down the spread of Covid-19, but the constitution says the polls must be held 90 days after a vacancy is declared.

MDC-T last week added to the political intrigue when it said it will contest the by-elections under the MDC Alliance barrier once they are called, a move some described as a potential killer punch for Chamisa’s party.

The former ICT minister, however, yesterday insisted they were “10 steps ahead” of the rivals and for the first time hinted the MDC Alliance could be undergoing massive rebranding.

Chamisa yesterday tweeted: “We are building a great new home for all who are honest, capable, principled, patriotic, incorruptible and selfless.

“We are availing two vitals, a fresh, strong team and a fantastic great dream. A great Zimbabwe.”

The tweet sparked debate with his followers urging the MDC Alliance to move with speed in rebranding.

Chamisa did not give away much in an interview with The Standard, saying the party will talk about the by-elections once they are called.

“It may be a building, it may be a party, new values or anything,” he said.

“A home may be a value or anything.

“We will talk about the by-election at some stage, for now, we are talking about bringing people who are not tainted by greed and benefitting from public service.

“We want people, who are moved by the desire to serve and transform the country.”

He added:

“Those are the qualifications for you to be part of the team, not greed.

“Public service is enhanced in integrity and people moved by their hearts for others, not just their stomachs.”

Chamisa said Zimbabwe was being consumed by politics of hate.

He laughed off claims by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week that he had allegedly received a Covid-19 vaccine from a western embassy in Harare.

“They just think that I have this incredible capacity to be mischievous. They always think I am always scheming and
plotting,” Chamisa said.

“I actually plan, I don’t scheme, I actually plan, and not plot

“There is too much hate in our politics. “There must be no hate.

“People must unite and we need a proper change of heart and mind in people with access to public offices so that we don’t exhibit cruelty, violence, harm or anything like that.

“What advances societies is not the cannibalisation of the genuine and well-meaning, but their emulation.

“Instead of appreciating better ideas, they want to destroy that better idea.

“You will not get better by destroying those better than you.”

Mnangagwa has been accused of trying to create a one party state by using state institutions to dismantle the MDC Alliance.

MDC Alliance deputy president Tendai Biti and six other legislators became the latest victim of recalls after speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda allowed the People’s Democratic Party to withdraw the MPs under controversial circumstances.-Standard

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Tongogara Appointed Executive Secretary Of ZACC

The Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in accordance with the Constitution and the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act [Chapter 10:19] is pleased to announce the following appointment in the Secretariat:

Ms Sukai Tongogara is now the Executive Secretary to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. She is a registered legal practitioner and a holder of a Master of Science Degree in International Law from the University of Zimbabwe.

Ms Tongogara has been employed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission since 2006. She has held several senior posts in the Commission in the areas of Investigations, Prevention, Corporate Governance, Public Education, External Relations and International Conventions.

She played a major role in the establishment of the Investigations, Legal Services and External Relations Departments within the Commission.

Ms Tongogara is Zimbabwe’s Focal Person for the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and is responsible for ensuring Zimbabwe’s compliance to the provisions of the Convention. She successfully coordinated Zimbabwe’s two reviews under UNCAC in 2011 and 2017.

Together with a team of Government Experts, Ms Tongogara conducted reviews on the Republics of Zambia, Benin and the Russian Federation on their implementation of UNCAC. As a former Law Officer and Provincial Magistrate, she has an impeccable record of hard work and discipline.

The Chairperson, Commissioners and Secretariat at ZACC would like to extend their congratulations to Ms. Tongogara, and wish her the best in her new role with the Commission.

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“Wire Strategies Feeble Excuses By MDC Alliance”

MDC Alliance is gearing up for the upcoming 2023 national elections although it is clear not even one democratic reform would have been implemented since the last elections. The party’s leader, Nelson Chamisa was not concerned about that!

“We will not discuss and disclose our strategies on social media platforms. We are serious about our next steps,” Chamisa reportedly answered when he was asked about going into yet another election with no reforms.

“If you want to understanding our value just check how our opponents are panicking and misbehaving.”

Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess with 50% of the country’s population now living in abject poverty and the education and health care services have all but completely collapsed after decades of being starved of funds. And as long as the country remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical thugs who have rigged elections to stay in power.

After 41 years being stuck in this hell-hole the country desperately needs a clearly, workable, fool-proof, tried and tested plan A, with backup plans B and C, mapping out how the nation is finally going to ending this curse of rigged elections and the pariah state. The last thing this nation should accept is yet another unconventional solution of which we, the people at the coal face of it all, are not permitted to know but expected to blindly follow and hope for the best!

MDC leaders have had 21 years, 5 of which in the GNU, to bring about the democratic changes the nation has been dying for. They had their best opportunity to do so during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, they sold-out and failed to implement even one reform in the five years.

Ever since the failed GNU, MDC leaders have participated in flawed and illegal elections on the basis the party had devised Winning In Rigged Elections (WIRE) strategies. The party has always refused to disclose what these strategies were but, most notably, none of the strategies have ever worked because Zanu PF was always won the elections.

It has become as clear as daylight, that the WIRE strategies are feeble excuses why MDC leaders keep participating in these flawed and illegal elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging and they were helpless to stop the rigging.

What the nation wants to know is what is being done to end this curse of rigged elections and bad governance! After 41 years of rigged elections we what free, fair and credible elections; that is not too much to ask!

The reason why MDC A and the rest in the opposition camp have participated in the flawed elections is because Zanu PF has been giving away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate. It is these bait seats the opposition are after.

By participating in these flawed elections, the opposition gave the process credibility and gave the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.

So, both Zanu PF and the MDC leaders have gained something from these flawed elections. It is the ordinary Zimbabweans who have lost everything since they have been left stuck with Zanu PF in power and the consequences of Zimbabwe being a pariah state!

The way out of this economic and political mess has been staring us in the face all along – implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. Just because Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friend took their eyes off the ball and failed to implement even one reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU does not meaning no one else can implement the reforms much less that the reforms are no longer required.

Of course, there is no chance of Zanu PF implementing any reforms before the 2023 elections or ever. Why would Mnangagwa and company reform themselves out of office, especially when they know they are guaranteed to get legitimacy from the guaranteed participation of the opposition in the flawed elections.

The party failed to explain why it has, unilaterally, abandoned the universally acknowledged strategy of implementing the reforms in favour of the downright idiotic tactic out-rigging Zanu PF, given the latter’s a well-oiled vote rigging juggernaut! The nation is not interested in these WIRE strategies because everyone is sick and tired of rigged elections; they just want this problem sorted and not kicked down the road!

The people have watched with a sense of foreboding and despair the events that has torn MDC A apart; the people can see the root causes of the implosion are self-inflicted blunders.

There is no denying MDC A has lost a lot of political credibility; as has MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora and other opposition parties!

There is no doubt that Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies will be going into the 2023 elections with not even one token reform in place. No doubt MDC A and the usual opposition suspects will participate in the flawed elections, fighting over the few gravy train seats on offer. The political question that must be nagging President Mnangagwa is Can Zanu PF get away with another rigged elections given MDC A and company have lost political credibility?

“MDC A will not disclose its WIRE strategies!” So, the nation is having yet another 2023 elections, rigged, just to test MDC A’s revised WIRE strategies! How foolish is that!

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Uncertainty Haunts Chilonga Communities

By A Correspondent- After toiling in South Africa for four years without amassing any wealth, Richard (not real name) decided to come back to his rural home in Chilonga to venture into farming.

During the 2019/2020 farming season, Richard grew sorghum and when he sold the crop, he was able to buy a cart and three donkeys.

He says to complement revenue he gets from farming; he digs wells for other members of the community.

“I dig wells and I am very good at it. I was digging wells for members of the community and being paid, until the dark day, February 26, 2021 when government introduced statutory Instrument 50 and 51 of 2021,” he said.

Through SI 50/2021, government set aside 12 940 hectares of the Chilonga land for purported production of lucerne grass and ordered eviction of all people in occupation of any part of that land.

SI 51/2021 declared that the land above ceased to be part of Chiredzi communal land.

While SI 50 was repealed by SI72A/2021, and removed the threat of immediate eviction, the Chilonga people are now on land that has already been taken by the state through SI51

Richard says despite the threat of being unable to farm, “I am losing income even from my well-digging business.

“No one is now prepared to invest in digging a well when they do not know what the future holds,” he lamented

“Government should just leave us on our land,” said another villager who spoke on condition of anonymity as the villagers have been threatened for speaking to the media and civic society organisations.

“We have relied on this land for centuries. We do not get enough rain, but we have become used to our environment and know how to make use of it and eke out a living.

“We do not get any government support even when other areas get relief aid, we do not get anything, but we have been contend with it.

“We have learnt to work with the little we have and make the most of it and it has worked for years. Why does government want to disrupt our lives,” questioned the villager.

Zimbabwe Human rights Association Masvingo provincial person, Joel Hita urged government to listen to the Chilonga community.

“While the repealing of SI 50 provides relief to the affected villagers, it does not extinguish the threat of displacements for the Shangaan community because the land is no longer communal land,” Hita said.

“If government and the investor are genuine on the development mantra, they should listen to the community and make them grow the lucerne.”

In a statement released last Thursday, the Civil Society Working Group against Displacements, noted that the Chilonga evictions were not divorced from the broader trends of the displacements that have been experienced.

The group called on the government to “immediately and permanently” withdraw SI51/2021 and start a process of reviewing the communal land holding laws.

The Chilonga land has been earmarked for a lucerne grass farming project by Dendairy, a private milk producer.

newsday

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Poptain Used “Hell Commander’s” Lamborghini Before Accident Singing “Handikendenge!”

By Showbiz reporter | The popular singer, Poptain used the Hell Commander’s orange lamborghini for his latest music video just before today’s accident that killed one person, it has emerged.

Poptain’s new song which he recorded the video with the car, is titled, “handikendenge- I just don’t care!” (Video below).

While it could not be established at the time of writing, how far or near Poptain was to the accident, the man had uploaded the music video by end of day yesterday with the car that would explode into flames hours later. Video below

The Hell Commander’s Lamborghini which burst into flames last night

ORIGINAL STORY BELOW….

By A Correspondent | Balls of fire were the scenes when the late socialite, Ginimbi’s former manager Shaleen Nullens, Ms Shally’s boyfriend was involved in an accident last night.

Ms. Shally confirmed that her boyfriend, the businessman Trevor ‘Hell Commander’ Mbizvo was involved in “a terrible accident” last night while driving a Lamborghini Huracan.

One person was reported dead at the scene. Mbizvo’s friend  Eddy whose handle is @blacklistedd_ the Pilot had been in the Lamborghini traveling with the man.

Ms Shally who recently received a Range Rover from Mbizvo as an apology after he cheated on her, posted on her portal saying, “It’s been a walk filled with challenges, the news is true my love @the_hell_commander had a terrible accident last night when he was driving the Lamborghini hurricane, one very precious life was lost and the hell commander is in hospital suffering from a few injuries.”

She also added saying: “A lot has been happening lately but we would appreciate your support and also allow us to mourn our close friend we lost.

“Please keep us in your prayers.”

Ms Shally has been living in South Africa since her client, Ginimbi’s death at the end of 2020. It was at that time speculated that she had been kicked out of the Domboshava mansion by Ginimbi’s ex-wife Zodwa Mkandla.

Shally’s response was:

“I was living with Genius not because I was homeless. When Genius was buried, I flew back to South Africa the next day because I can’t live in that house without him, every corner of that house holds precious memories.”

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“Why Matemadanda Was Demoted”

Former Zanu PF National Political Commissar, Victor Matemadanda has threatened Zanu PF provincial and DCC chairpersons accusing them of taking unconstitutional and unprocedural actions and decisions.

It is reported that Matemadanda was officially told that he was no longer party commissar and deputy defence minister by President Emmerson Mnangagwa during a politburo meeting on Thursday.

Midlands ZANU-PF followers interpreted the decision as a good move by Mnangagwa to clip the wings of Matemadanda who was now being over-hasty.
Matemadanda was recently quoted telling party structures that Zanu PF was behind the decimation of the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa.

In his address to party structures in Marondera last week, Matemadanda said: “As we speak, the MDC Alliance is going.” Among the other co-signatories to the circular is Zanu PF National Chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu. This is because the likes of Chamisa unscrupulously rose to power.

“The party is melting like a burning candle. We are not yet through (with them); very soon we will be announcing what we call big names. They are coming back home.”

Nelson Chamisa and the Americans are crying foul accusing President Mnangagwa of being behind  the oppositions demise.

“Do you think that we liberated this country to surrender it? If that is the case, then we need to be examined by psychiatrists,” Matemadanda was further quoted.

He also said, “Do you think that we missed a greater part of our youth days liberating this country to donate it? Are we donors? We will defend ourselves.”

The Gokwe Central MP is now set to be reassigned to head a diplomatic mission. Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said:

“Matemadanda was not fired, but he has been reassigned for a higher responsibility out of the country. A number of our embassies have no representatives, hence there is a need to fill in those vacant posts.”

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Over 11k People Vaccinated In Victoria Falls In 4 Days

By A Correspondent- More than 11 000 people were vaccinated during the first four days of the mass vaccination roll-out in Victoria Falls, health officials have said.

The number constitutes just over a quarter of the entire Victoria Falls population which is estimated to be about 40 000, up from 33 000 reported during the 2012 census.

The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme was launched in the city last Monday, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa receiving his first dose of the Sinovac vaccine.

Hwange District Medical Officer Dr Fungai Mvura said 11 915 people (6 594 males and 5 321 females) had been vaccinated with the first dose by Thursday.

Said Dr Mvura:

So far the turn-out is promising as queues keep growing each day. The programme will continue at static sites and those who still want to be vaccinated will be attended there.

Static vaccination centres have been opened at Victoria Falls Hospital, Chinotimba Clinic, Zimbabwe Aids Project Clinic and ZRP Clinic while several mobile sites were established at hotels, companies, and street corners as the government move to achieve a 60 per cent herd immunity of the population.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said a total of 65 466 people had received their first jab while 7 965 had been given their second shot nationally against COVID-19 as of Saturday, 27 March 2020.

-statemedia

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“Pothole Accident Claims Granny

By A Correspondent- An 84 year old grandmother from Mount Darwin reportedly died after the vehicle she was travelling in hit a pothole yesterday.

After hitting the pothole, the driver failed to control the car which fell into a ditch by the roadside.

Eyewitnesses told Bulawayo 24 that the car was being driven by a minor when the accident occurred.

There were 5 passengers in the car when tragedy struck.

The incident was reportedly confirmed by Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe who reportedly said:

I can confirm a fatal road accident along Glendale Centenary highway where Sangras Maswi died on the spot.

Maswi reportedly died on the spot and another passenger was reportedly seriously injured in the accident.

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Prophet Goes Insane After Leading Prayer Session On Sacred Mountain

A self-styled Bindura Johanne Masowe WeChishanu prophet and leader Madzibaba Rakeni Gumbira of Chiwaridzo has gone insane after leading 7 congregants in a three-day prayer session on top of the sacred Jeta mountain.

The matter came to light at Chief Masembura’s traditional court on Wednesday where Rekani was fined a bovine and two goats from his followers for him to be mentally stable.

Madzibaba Rakeni’s insanity was clear for all to see when he appeared at Chief Masembura’s traditional court.

During the trial Tafadzwa Gura who is a younger brother to Madzibaba Gura said his brother’s wife also began hallucinating the moment he arrived at his home and was still behaving oddly at the chief’s kraal.

The man of cloth started hallucinating and continuously slamming himself against the ground during the appearance while his wife appeared to be in a trance.

His accomplices told the court that they ascended the mountain on Tuesday last week where they held prayer sessions until Thursday.

They said their leader started showing signs of madness on Thursday as they descended the mountain.

In another shocking revelation, one of his followers, Madzibaba Wishmore Chivende narrated that during the course of their prayers they came across baboons and cattle on top of the mountain.

He stated that in one of the incidences that left them shocked, one of the cows they saw on top of the mountain managed to come to a fire place where they were seated and ate the ash before leaving without causing any incident.

“I also want two goats from each of you for accompanying him and trespassing into our sacred place without permission from its custodians,” Chief Masembura said to the other five members of the sect who accompanied Rakeni to the sacred mountain.

The sacred mountain is located in Nyakudya village in Masembura communal lands.-Byo24

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Khupe Reports Mwonzora To The Police

By A Correspondent- Immediately after last week’s meeting between Douglas Mwonzora and Thokozani Khupe, Khupe reportedly went on to report Mwonzora for fraud at the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Commercial Crimes Unit (CCU), The Standard reports.

Khupe in December when she lost the election to Mwonzora recanted her previous statement that had exonerated Mwonzora from any fraud and accused him of defrauding the party of $6.3 million.

This was revealed by a senior MDC T official that said that reports that there were discussing a cordial working relationship are obviously not true:

Although we are not aware of what the two discussed, Khupe left the meeting and advised other party leaders that she had been summoned by the police to give her statement about the missing $6,3 million and she went and gave the statement.

Other witnesses in the alleged embezzlement of the party funds also gave their statements, with Khupe confirming that party funds indeed went missing.

So what’s being  said about that meeting, that the two have a cordial working relationship, is not true. There’s still a disput

When contacted for comment Mwonzora’s spokesperson Lloyd Damba denied the reports and said they were not aware of the reports:

We are not aware of that, It hasn’t come to our attention. We can only comment when it becomes official. Khupe is our vice-president and a long-serving deputy president after Gibson Sibanda.

As you are aware, she was unwell just after the extraordinary congress and was on leave.

However, Khupe’s office reportedly confirmed the development and said a report was indeed made to the police:

Madam Khupe was indeed summoned to the police to give her statement in the case where it’s alleged that senator Douglas Mwonzora embezzled party funds ahead of the extraordinary congress in December last year

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PICTURE: The ‘Hell Commander’ Mbizvo’s Lamborghini Which Burst Into Flames Last Night.

The Hell Commander’s Lamborghini which burst into flames last night

By A Correspondent | Balls of fire were the scenes when the late socialite, Ginimbi’s former manager Shaleen Nullens, Ms Shally’s boyfriend was involved in an accident Sunday morning.

Ms. Shally confirmed that her boyfriend, the businessman Trevor ‘Hell Commander’ Mbizvo was involved in “a terrible accident” last night while driving a Lamborghini Huracan.

One person was reported dead at the scene. Mbizvo’s friend  Eddy whose handle is @blacklistedd_ the Pilot had been in the Lamborghini traveling with the man.

Ms Shally who recently received a Range Rover from Mbizvo as an apology after he cheated on her, posted on her portal saying, “It’s been a walk filled with challenges, the news is true my love @the_hell_commander had a terrible accident last night when he was driving the Lamborghini hurricane, one very precious life was lost and the hell commander is in hospital suffering from a few injuries.”

She also added saying: “A lot has been happening lately but we would appreciate your support and also allow us to mourn our close friend we lost.

“Please keep us in your prayers.”

Ms Shally has been living in South Africa since her client, Ginimbi’s death at the end of 2020. It was at that time speculated that she had been kicked out of the Domboshava mansion by Ginimbi’s ex-wife Zodwa Mkandla.

Shally’s response was:

“I was living with Genius not because I was homeless. When Genius was buried, I flew back to South Africa the next day because I can’t live in that house without him, every corner of that house holds precious memories.”

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Covid-19 Passport Imminent

By A Correspondent- The government of Zimbabwe will soon introduce a  Covid-19 certificate that will be linked to an individual’s passport and National Identify Document and a COVID-19 vaccination passport, The Sunday News reports.

This is reportedly meant to curb fake COVID-19 certificates that are sometimes used by people for various reasons. This was revealed by The director of Health Informatics and Data Analytics in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Simukai Zizhou who also revealed the government has completed vaccination certificates that can be used for the same purpose too.

Said Dr Zizhou:

This new card will have security features which can then be easily scanned and verified. The ministry has all the records of people that have been vaccinated thus it will be simple for authorities to verify this, further it will be linked to the individual’s passports and identity documents which were captured during the exercise. The card will have a QR code which is now the international best practice in terms of verification of information. Further, this card will close the loophole of the fake certificates that were now in the market.

The new passport will reportedly be available from next week according to the publication:

This new card will be available as from next (this) week as we are just addressing a few pending issues. However, for those that have already got their second dose and will require to travel to countries that require one to be vaccinated they can come to the ministry where they will then be issued with these new cards

This comes after the President launched the second phase of the vaccination programme in Victoria Falls last week which saw the number of vaccinated people soar by close to 80% from around 36 000 to over 65000 in a few days.

There has been a global outcry over the introduction of COVID-19 passports as people say they will promote discrimination among other reasons. Zimbabwe has so far received 600 000 doses of Sinopharm and Sinovac both vaccines were developed in China.-statemedia

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Granny Dies In “Pothole” Accident

By A Correspondent- An 84 year old grandmother from Mount Darwin reportedly died after the vehicle she was travelling in hit a pothole yesterday.

After hitting the pothole, the driver failed to control the car which fell into a ditch by the roadside.

Eyewitnesses told Bulawayo 24 that the car was being driven by a minor when the accident occurred.

There were 5 passengers in the car when tragedy struck.

The incident was reportedly confirmed by Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe who reportedly said:

I can confirm a fatal road accident along Glendale Centenary highway where Sangras Maswi died on the spot.

Maswi reportedly died on the spot and another passenger was reportedly seriously injured in the accident.

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Soul Jah Love’s “Missing” Songs Suddenly Released On Youtube

A New YouTube account yesterday titled Soul Jah Love released 9 songs that were released by the musician before his unfortunate demise last month.

The new YouTube account released the following songs that were sang by Soul Jah Love:

  1. Ndiri Mhondoro
  2. Ndomira semurume
  3. Saka Vaudze
  4. Ndobuda Ndichipinda
  5. Ndasakura ndazunza
  6. Totenda dzanwa
  7. Nhau
  8. Ndinotenda
  9. Under pressure.

It is still not clear if this is just a YouTuber trying to monetise the musician’s music, or they are just sharing them for fun or they obtained consent from his family and his estate executor to share the musician’s songs.

Last month it emerged that someone had stolen Soul Jah Love’s laptop and flash drive that had a lot of his unreleased songs.

It is still not clear at this point if the new YouTube account might be the person who reportedly took the missing items.

-youtube

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Chiwenga Introduces COVID Passports

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s office has introduced covid-19 ‘passports’.

Zimbabwe will now be among the first countries in the world to issue out Covid-19 certificates that will be linked to the person’s passport and National Identify Document.
The certificate will also be used when people are travelling in and out of the country and help in curbing the proliferation of fake Covid-19 certificates that were being used by some prospective travellers. Global debate has already started over the issue of Covid-19 vaccination certificates being used as “passports” and international airlines and stakeholders in the travel industry have thrown their support behind vaccine “passports”.

The director of Health Informatics and Data Analytics in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Simukai Zizhou, told Sunday News yesterday that the ministry has already completed the new vaccination certificate which will come in the form of a card with security features and a Quick Response bar code (QR code) which can be scanned for verification.

He said the ministry has developed the card to also curb the proliferation of fake vaccination certificates which were being produced by unscrupulous individuals. The certificates will start being issued this week.

“This new card will have security features which can then be easily scanned and verified. The ministry has all the records of people that have been vaccinated thus it will be simple for authorities to verify this, further it will be linked to the individual’s passports and identity documents which were captured during the exercise. The card will have a QR code which is now the international best practice in terms of verification of information. Further, this card will close the loophole of the fake certificates that were now in the market,” said Dr Zizhou.

He said those who have already taken the second dose can approach the ministry where they will be issued with the new cards.

“This new card will be available as from next (this) week as we are just addressing a few pending issues. However, for those that have already got their second dose and will require to travel to countries that require one to be vaccinated they can come to the ministry where they will then be issued with these new cards,” said Dr Zizhou.

Commenting on the same development, Bulawayo City Council Health Director, Dr Edwin Sibanda said council has been briefed on the issue and was waiting for guidance from the Government on how this will be implemented.

“Yes, we have also been made aware of this new arrangement, we are awaiting further direction from the ministry but what we have been doing thus far is capturing all those that have been vaccinated in our system for such verification,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bulawayo is preparing for the mass vaccination in the city which is expected to start this week after the arrival of more vaccine doses in the country with an initial 110 000 residents being targeted. Victoria Falls was the first city to embark on the mass vaccination which was launched by President Mnangagwa last week in the tourism city to boost confidence in the outside world about safety and health, a low-hanging fruit in the tourism industry. Dr Sibanda said they had already put in place all systems and deployed personnel that will be doing mass vaccination in the city.

“We are waiting for more vaccine doses from the Government. It is then that we can then say when the mass vaccination programme will begin in the city but it could be this week. In the meantime, we have put in place all the necessary systems for this programme, the various points have been identified, the teams have been set and are ready to start,” said Dr Sibanda.

Meanwhile, this week the city’s vaccination team will be vaccinating teachers in the province. Bulawayo provincial education director Mrs Olicah Kaira has sent a circular to schools informing them on the points of vaccinations. She said the programme will be targeted at all Government, private early childhood development centres, independent colleges, trust and private schools.

According to the circular, the vaccination teams will be at Milton High tomorrow for those from Bulawayo Central, on Tuesday they will be at Maranatha Primary for those from Imbizo District, on Wednesday they will be at Mpopoma High for Mzilikazi District and on Thursday they will end at Makeurtan Primary for Reigate District.

According to the Minister of Health and Child Care as of last Friday the country had 61 093 people who had taken their first dose of the vaccine, with 6 569 getting their second doses. Sunday News

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Hwange Farmers Lose 19 Cattle To Lightning

By A Correspondent- Lightning has killed 19 belonging to farmers in BH27 Village under Chief Mvuthu in Hwange District.

The 19 cattle belonged to different farmers and were part of 72 cattle penned in a Boma, a community project where cattle from the whole or part of the village are housed in one big kraal. A Boma is a stockade where farmers keep livestock safe at night and away from predators like lions and hyenas. On average, one cow is sold for about US$500 in the area, which means farmers lost cattle worth about US$9 500. Area councillor Godfrey Moyo (Ward 3) said the affected farmers were distraught and will need Government support to restock.

“Yes, the 19 cattle were struck and killed by lightning last night (Friday) while housed in a Boma. We are all shocked as a community and devastated, as you know cattle are a source of income and a symbol of wealth. This is a disaster which needs State attention,” said Clr Moyo.

Clr Moyo said five communal farmers were affected by the incident with one farmer having lost five beasts.

“This will affect many livelihoods in the era. Some lost their entire herd.”

Village head Mr Tymon Sibanda said villagers woke up to the shocking reality of the incident and were still at a loss of words.

“We are still in shock over this development. Villagers are devastated after 18 adult cattle and a calf were struck by lightning last night. Not much is known as it took place at night but the situation is terrible,” he said.

Mr Sibanda said according to their tradition and cultural beliefs it is taboo to consume meat from a beast struck by lightning.

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Ramaphosa Humiliates Mnangagwa During Magufuli Funeral.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took a moment to display how Emmerson Mnangagwa betrayed South Africa’s blacks during the difficult Apartheid era.

During his prepared-speech at the funeral of the late Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli, Ramaphosa revealed the hidden thoughts of many in the African National Congress over Mnangagwa, who signed secret deals with the racist apartheid regime to sabotage the efforts of liberating blacks.

Mnangagwa is on video in 1986 advising that Zimbabwe must ‘stay away’ from assisting South Africa’s blacks during the time when he was the State Security Minister.

At a time when every other border country was assisting black South Africans militarily, a cowardly Mnangagwa would come on video to say he is afraid of the racist apartheid regime. Mnangagwa is on video saying, he is afraid because at any time the racist regime could ‘strangle us.’ Mnangagwa would soon after that reveal his advisory which was to stay away from South African affairs. (see video below)

Below is the video

Cyril Ramaphosa

……

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BREAKING: Ginimbi’s Manager Boyfriend “Hell Commander” In Horrific Car Accident.

The Hell Commander’s Lamborghini which burst into flames last night

By A Correspondent | Balls of fire were the scenes when the late socialite, Ginimbi’s former manager Shaleen Nullens, Ms Shally’s boyfriend was involved in an accident last night.

Ms. Shally confirmed that her boyfriend, the businessman Trevor ‘Hell Commander’ Mbizvo was involved in “a terrible accident” last night while driving a Lamborghini Huracan.

One person was reported dead at the scene. Mbizvo’s friend  Eddy whose handle is @blacklistedd_ the Pilot had been in the Lamborghini traveling with the man.

Ms Shally who recently received a Range Rover from Mbizvo as an apology after he cheated on her, posted on her portal saying, “It’s been a walk filled with challenges, the news is true my love @the_hell_commander had a terrible accident last night when he was driving the Lamborghini hurricane, one very precious life was lost and the hell commander is in hospital suffering from a few injuries.”

She also added saying: “A lot has been happening lately but we would appreciate your support and also allow us to mourn our close friend we lost.

“Please keep us in your prayers.”

Ms Shally has been living in South Africa since her client, Ginimbi’s death at the end of 2020. It was at that time speculated that she had been kicked out of the Domboshava mansion by Ginimbi’s ex-wife Zodwa Mkandla.

Shally’s response was:

“I was living with Genius not because I was homeless. When Genius was buried, I flew back to South Africa the next day because I can’t live in that house without him, every corner of that house holds precious memories.”

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Mnangagwa Orders War Veterans to Unleash Violence On Villagers Ahead Of The 2023 Elections

By James Gwati-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed war veterans to incite violence on citizens and force them to vote for Zanu PF in 2023.
Mnangagwa gave the directive in Harare this weekend when he was addressing his party’s central committee meeting.

The President was reported by the state media which said he challenged veterans of the liberation struggle to display their war-time vibrancy and mobilisation acumen in preparation for the 2023 elections.


War veterans have a record of terrorizing villagers whenever the country goes for elections.

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Mnangagwa Takes Murambatsvina To Rural Areas

By A Correspondent- Government has announced that it will soon be relocating people in rural areas whose homesteads were built on wetlands to concur with the impending demolition of houses.

The President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration also said it will relocate people on dysfunctional urban settlements that were developed on swamplands.

This was announced by the Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu through the state media.

In an interview with Sunday News, Minister Ndlovu said the Government through Environmental Management Agency (Ema) has completed the initial mapping exercise meant to identify wetlands in towns and cities to pave way for the relocation and subsequent demolition of houses in dysfunctional settlements. Minister Ndlovu said Ema was expected to come up with a comprehensive and scientific map that identifies all wetlands countrywide, an exercise that is expected to be completed in May.

“All houses on wetlands should be removed. We realised that even in rural areas, some of the houses were collapsing following the incessant rains because they were built on wetlands. So the wetlands mapping exercise will not be confined to urban areas but will cover the whole country including rural areas. All people whose homesteads are on wetlands in rural areas will be relocated as well,” he said.

Minister Ndlovu said Ema was working with Zimbabwe National Geo-space Agency and University of Zimbabwe (UZ) to come up with a scientific map that will be uploaded on google maps to guide prospective developers and local authorities on land utilisation.

-Sunday News

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Rights Groups Press Mnangagwa To Act On Gukurahundi

By A Corespondent-HUMAN rights groups have urged family members of surviving Gukurahundi victims to document their stories in the spirit of ensuring the right to truth in the context of grave violations and breaches of humanitarian law.

The human rights group made the call as Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims last week.

The annual observance of the day was chosen in memory of Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on March 24, 1980 in El Salvador.

Romero was actively engaged in denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable individuals in El Salvador.
The annual commemorations, however, emphasise the need to ensure relatives of victims of enforced disappearances, torture, murder and summary executions enjoy the right to the truth of what happened to their loved ones.

In Zimbabwe, the government has kept a tight lid on Gukurahundi, which remains a dark chapter in the country’s history.

Findings into the mass killings by the Chihambakwe commission of inquiry have never been made public.

Khumbulani Maphosa, the executive director of the Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR)said it was disheartening that the government was buying time with the hope that surviving Gukurahundi victims lose memory owing to old age or die through natural deaths.

“As MIHR,we are concerned that many older persons are dying without finding truth and closure; some are beginning to lose memory without getting the opportunity to tell their stories; and some are still suffering at their old age from the trauma and experiences of the time,” Maphosa said.
“All these factors strip elderly people of the right to human dignity as espoused in Section 51 of the constitution and international law.

“We, therefore, urge young people and families to assist the elderly to document their stories using new media technologies such as blogs, podcasts and vlogs.”

There have been calls for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to ensure the release of the Chihambakwe report in the spirit of promoting national healing as a sign of commitment to finding redress to the emotive issue.

Mbuso Fuzwayo, the coordinator of Ibhetshu Likazulu, a pressure group that is vocal on finding redress to Gukurahundi said: “Survivors of this genocide still search for truth; the window dressing by the perpetrator is a sign that they are not remorseful and are not willing to solve Gukurahundi.

-The Standard

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Mnangagwa Incites Violence, Orders His Party Youths To Force People To Vote For Zanu PF

By James Gwati-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed his party youths to incite violence on citizens and force them to vote for Zanu PF in 2023.

Mnangagwa gave the directive in Harare this weekend when he was addressing his party’s central committee meeting.

“In our political mobilisation matrix, our women and youth leagues must not be left behind. I commend the Youth League for their recent successful mobilisation efforts

“However, much more needs to be done by Youth League structures, at provincial, district, branch and cell and village levels to encourage their peers to join the party and register as voters.”

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Mnangagwa Vows To Take All Urban Votes In 2023

By James Gwati-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared war on the opposition MDC-Alliance President Nelson Chamisa led local authorities and said that his Zanu PF party would persuade urban voters to shun the opposition in the next election.

Addressing his party executives in Harare yesterday, Mnangagwa said his party was currently seized with addressing issues arising from illegal settlements and poor service delivery in urban local authorities.

“Determined to overcome the challenges being faced by our urban residents, the party must seize every available opportunity to engage the urban residents,” said Mnangagwa.
“The ground is fertile for us to vote out the corrupt and squabbling opposition.

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Another Diesel PaChinhoyi, As Zanu PF Celebrates A Fictitious Oil Project

By James Gwati-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF are celebrating a fictitious oil project which they are fooling themselves that it would make Zimbabwe the fifth-largest oil producer in the world.

Mnangagwa told his party senior executives this weekend that the ambitious Muzarabani, oil project was going to make the country one of the richest nations in the World.

“The Second Republic is on a permanent and irreversible path of modernising, industrialising and growing our economy,” Mnangagwa said.
“Yesterday (Friday), I witnessed the signing ceremony of a US$30 million oil and gas exploration agreement between my Government, Geo-Associates Private Limited Company and Invictus Energy, an Australian Stock Exchange-listed company. This strategic project has far-reaching positive prospects to transform the livelihoods of the people of Muzarabani District in particular and boost the (Gross Domestic Product) GDP of Mashonaland Central Province.”
He said investors are confident “they will find oil”.
“If that happens, according to estimates, Zimbabwe will be the fifth-largest oil producer, and that is a unique position.”

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Zanu PF Sponsored Recalls Will Not Shake MDC Alliance: Biti

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has said the Zanu PF orchestrated recalls will not shake the popular movement.

Hon Biti accused Zanu PF of plotting to decimate the MDC Alliance before the 2023 polls.

“Emmerson Mnangagwa is using every tricky in the political book to destroy the MDC Alliance. Recalls will not shake us,” said Hon Biti.

He also accused Zimstats of publishing fake inflation figures.

“The existence of an entrenched multiple exchange regime, a strong parallel market,multi tier pricing system makes #Zimstats official inflation figures a joke…

As long as auction exchange rate remains rigged and as long as multiple economies exist Zim official figures are fake,” argued Hon Biti.

Hon Biti
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Warriors Star Paid For His Own Ticket To Botswana After Last Minute Inclusion In Squad

SuperSport United left-back Onismor Bhasera paid for his own ticket to join the rest of the Warriors in Francistown after being drafted as a last minute addition, it has emerged.

The veteran defender was drafted into the Warriors fold as there was no natural left back in Zdravko Logarusic’s side following the withdrawal of Golden Arrows’ Divine Lunga.

A ticket from Johannesburg to Francistown according to sources in the Warriors camp, was purchased for the Mutare-bred defender but it had issues.

He then bought his own ticket, an indication of commitment praised by Logarusic.

” He had problems with the ticket that had been bought for him but he didn’t lament about that, he just took his own money and bought a new ticket. This is the commitment that I want in the players and I will reward such players,” said the firebrand Croat.

“When I called Bhasera, the players came to me and said thank you coach. He is a player with so much influence in the team and will keep him going forward,” he added.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe

Onismo Bhasera
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Gutu Shortlisted For NPRC Commission

Obert Gutu

Zimbabwe’s former deputy Minister of Justice during the GNU era, Obert Gutu might have to resign from the ruling ZANU PF which he joined recently if he is appointed a member of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

The former opposition MDC-T spokesman is one of the 29 candidates who have been shortlisted for interviews to fill in vacancies at the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission which will be held in public in Harare on the 14th of April this year.

His resignation will be in line with section 236 of the constitution which specifically states that members of commissions are to be apolitical.

It is possible though for a political party member to be appointed to the commission, but he or she must relinquish party membership within 30 days of such appointment.

The constitution also stipulates that members of the commission must be chosen for their integrity and their knowledge and understanding of, and experience in, mediation, conciliation, conflict prevention and management, post-conflict reconciliation or peace-building.

Meanwhile, exiled former cabinet Minister, Walter Mzembi says some of the Commissions are now redundant and are not serving their intended purposes.

He added:

This particular one has never been allowed to function beyond the fanfare of appointments! Kune inwe inonzi Gender Commission which can’t even tackle obvious cases in the Presidium!

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Govt Spokesperson Says Sinopharm Jab Affected Him

By James Gwati- Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana said he was affected by the Chinese made COVID-19 vaccine.

Mangwana on his Twitter account Saturday said after taking the vaccine on Friday he felt dizzy and went to sleep.

“About 6 hours after getting my second #ZimVaccinationdose, I felt woozy. I had to go to bed early. Maybe it was related to the vaccine, maybe it was not. This morning, I woke up feeling fresh and was able to follow my exercise repertoire without any after-effects”, he posted on his Twitter account this morning.

His post suggests that the Chinese jab is not safe and confirms the scepticism which Zimbabweans have on the vaccine.

There is a low uptake of the vaccination program with Zimbabweans remaining sceptical of the Chinese jab fearing that it could cause severe side effects. 

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Verbal Diarrhoea Costs Matemadanda As He Is Booted From Govt And Party Positions

By Patrick Guramatunhu- “Zanu PF has relieved Victor Matemadanda from the political commissar post over incompetence and his verbal diarrhoea remarks on the decimation of the opposition MDC Alliance,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“Speaking at the Zanu PF Mashonaland East provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Marondera on Sunday, Matemadanda took numerous jabs at MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, including saying his party is melting like a candle and they (the ruling party) are not yet done.”

Actually, everyone in Zanu PF is very pleased; none more pleased than President Mnangagwa himself; that MDC A is imploding. The last year has been bad enough for Zanu PF without having to worry about MDC A highlighting the many problems.

President Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra; launched soon after the November 2017 coup and of which he was cocksure would deliver economic recovery; died soon after the launch. The regime’s failure to keep its promise to hold free and fair elections, to stamp out corruption, etc. confirmed the country was still a pariah state and snuffed out all hope of any meaningful economic recovery.

Investors are a shrewd and savvy lot; they do not do business in a pariah state.

As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, there will be no meaningful economic recovery much less the economic miracle of Zimbabwe becoming an “upper middle income nation by 2030, Vision 2030” that President Mnangagwa and his Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, wittering about!

The corona virus pandemic has made the country’s bad economic and health situation even worse. And by handling the pandemic with the usual blundering incompetence, Zanu PF has turned a tragedy into a catastrophe. The country has managed to keep its official covid-19 cases and deaths figures very low by not testing for the virus, for example.

The price of not testing is infected people who should be in isolation continue to live in the community and thus spread the virus.  

So far, Zimbabwe has secured enough vaccines to vaccinate 500 000 and will be very lucky to reach the 10 million head-immunity by the end 2022 as we are depending on donated vaccines. SA, which is buying most of its own vaccines, is hoping to achieve its head immunity by the end of this years. The delay in reaching the head immunity will cause more economic disruption and cost more human suffering and deaths.

Zimbabwe has the money to buy the vaccines and lots beside; if only the country would act and stop the wholesale looting that has being going on for decades now!

“We don’t need anyone’s money (to finance development) as we can do it on our own. Sometimes it’s just the mindset and belief to achieve that,” Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Dr John Mangudya, told Business Times last month.

“Like what oil is to Nigeria, gold is to Zimbabwe. The precious mineral alone has the potential to turn around the country’s fortunes.”

It is estimated that Zimbabwe is losing a staggering US$1.2 billion worth of gold is smuggled out of the country every year.

On 3 March 2016 then President Mugabe admitted that the nation had lost $15 billion worth of diamonds because of the looting and plunder in Marange and Chiadzwa.

Of course, President Mnangagwa must be very, very pleased that MDC A is imploding and therefore have completely taken their eyes off the ball. Otherwise, he and his entire Zanu PF cabinet would been squealing like pigs if just one MDC A MP had forced the regime to carry out corona virus tests as WHO recommendations and thus forced the regime to reveal the true covid-19 cases and deaths figures.

However, as much as Zanu PF is very pleased that MDC A is imploding, Mnangagwa knows the importance of keeping up the pretence that MDC A is a formidable opposition. The importance of be subtle!

“Usachenjedza vanyamukuta kuzvara uchada!” (Never insult the midwife whilst you still need her expert service!) so goes the Shona adage!

Zanu PF leaders are well versed in being subtle!

“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC people have learned to enjoy the gravy train good-life and not rock the boat!) Zanu PF cronies boosted during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms. They would always follow this with a finger to their mouth!  

It was in Zanu PF’s interest to string Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends along even though they were selling out by failing to implement the reforms. Even after the GNU, Zanu PF has been very careful never to gloat about MDC leaders being corrupt, incompetent and sell outs because Zanu PF’s legitimacy is dependent on maintain the pretence that MDC leaders are a credible opposition.  

Victor Matemadanda has mockingly dismissed Chamisa, whose MDC A has all but imploded, as nothing but a Chihuahua that has lost its teeth, bark and can hardly stand. It is absurd that the marauding elephant, Mnangagwa, should even consider Chamisa a threat.

By completely discrediting the MDC A as a political force, Matemadanda has given the people of Zimbabwe the impetus to demand the implementation of democratic reforms leading to the holding of free, fair and credible elections. This is exactly what Zanu PF has fought hard to avoid! And no wonder Matemadanda has been summarily fired –  he lacked political fineness to appreciate incompetent and corrupt MDC was exactly what Zanu PF needed as the opposition!

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FULL LIST: Zimdancehall Awards 2020 Winners

BEST MALE JNR – Bazooker
Best Male Artist-Freeman HKD
BEST FEMALE ARTIST – Queen Kadijah
BEST YOUNG ARTIST- Flex T & King Libo
BEST MALE VOCALIST- Guspy Warrior
BEST FEMALE VOCALIST-Lindsay
KING OF HELMETS – Dadza D
QUEEN OF HELMETS -Bounty Lisa
BEST ZIM REGGAE ARTIST-Seh Calaz
BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST-Buffalo Soldier
BEST SONG 2020 – Hello Mwari(Jah Master)
BEST ALBUM 2020-Njema(Winky D)
BEST COLLABO 2020-Fadza Mutengi(Poptain & Allanah)
BEST PRODUCER 2020- Levels Chillspot
BEST PRODUCER OUTSIDE HARARE/ZIM-Jusa Dementor & Mankind Studios
MOST IMPROVED PRODUCER-Leekay & Gze
MOST IMPROVED ARTIST-Ndunge Yut & Master H
Most Disciplined Artist-Kinnah
BEST RIDDIM 2020-Nashnation2
BEST VIDEO 2020-International Movement
BEST VIDEO MEDLEY -Mashwede Riddim Medley &Shumba Fashions Riddim medley
BEST SOCIAL SONG-Handikwerete (Bazooker)&Ghetto(Celcius)
BEST SONG DEDICATED TO COVID19-Lindsay
BEST NEW ARTIST MALE -Vanchoga
BEST NEW ARTIST FEMALE- Anita Jackson
BEST MANAGER-Creative Culture & Khuluza BigBas
BEST DJ -Dj Iroq & Dj Simshow
BEST male – Presenter Handsome Gudo
Best Female Presenter/MC- Butterphly &Chacha
BEST MIXTAPES DJ-Afro Dynast Sound,Dj Mawaya & Dj Tynash
BEST ARTIST OUTSIDE HARARE/ZIM-Hwindi President &Quonfused
BEST FASHION SPONSOR-Shumba Fashions
BEST SPONSOR/PROMOTER- Tinashe Mutarisi & Mashwede
BEST SPONSOR/PROMOTER OUTSIDE ZIM/HRE-Passion Java & Boss D
GROUP/FOUNDATION SUPPORTED ARTISTS DURING LOCKDOWN-Mahwindo Foundation,1202 Herbal Solutions &Boss Gaga
STUDIO/BRAND SUPPORTING UPCOMING ARTIST-Chillspot, Yalanation,Big Bass Ent &Solid Records
BEST SOUND ENGINEER-DollarBill Ent
BEST LIVE BAND -Shabbach Band
BEST LOCKDOWN PERFORMANCE-Mai TT
BEST STAGE PERFORMER-Winky D & Seh Calaz
BEST BLOGGER/PUBLISHER-Plot Mhako & Praise Masvosva & Journalist Vanoyera
RADIO SUPPORTING ZIMDANCEHALL-Merciles(Power FM) & Zimdancehall Empire(ZiFM)
BEST HELMET SONG-Jahnoz(Ngungundengu) & Dashocca(Gukamacafalla)
BEST COMEDIAN-Dhafu & Bothwel Mwanandimai
BEST GROUP/DUO-Team BP & Donfamily
BEST GRAPHICS DESIGNER-Jae Media &GD & VINNZ
BEST PHOTOGRAPHER-TINPO Media
ONLINE MEDIA-NashTV Zimbabwe, Punchstar,Stewart Nyamayaro & ShemaTV
MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON-Ginimbi
ZIMDANCEHALL PIONEERS-Sniper,Templeman,Symlie,Judgement Yard ,Winky D ,King Shaddy,King Labash &Badman
BEST DANCE CREW-Sesfikile & Team Expandables
PEOPLE’S CHOICE-Souljah Love & Fantan
BEST VIDEO DIRECTOR -Drift Enerst & Blaqs
BEST LOCKDOWN PROGRAM-Nash TV & Garamumba
MUSIC DISTRIBUTOR- Dope Queen,Robert Zhuwao,Trinix WemaTrix,Maxx Nyandoro&Punchstar
HONORARY AWARDS-Mama Redrose,King Alfred,Chipaz, Bodyslam, Digital One

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Khupe Wants Mwonzora Arrested Over Theft Of Party Funds

Former MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe still wants her successor Douglas Mwonzora to be prosecuted over the alleged theft of $6,3 million belonging to the party despite claims that the two have closed ranks, it has emerged.

After their well-publicised meeting last Tuesday, Khupe visited the police’s commercial crimes unit where she reportedly gave a statement over the case against Mwonzora.

A former Mwonzora ally Patson Murimoga filed a case against the MDC-T leader ahead of the party’s controversial extraordinary congress last December after the money allegedly disappeared.

Khupe lost elections to choose the party’s leader, leading to a major public fallout between her and Mwonzora. She accused the senator of rigging the polls.

Last week’s events showed that the two were far from finding each other, MDC-T insiders said.

“Although we are not aware of what the two discussed, Khupe left the meeting and advised other party leaders that she had been summoned by the police to give her statement about the missing $6,3 million and she went and gave the statement,” said a top MDC-T official.

“Other witnesses in the alleged embezzlement of the party funds also gave their statements, with Khupe confirming that party funds indeed went missing.

“So what’s being  said about that meeting, that the two have a cordial working relationship, is not true. There’s still a dispute.”

Mwonzora’s spokesperson Penias Damba said they were not aware of Khupe’s visit to the police.

“We are not aware of that,” Damba said. “It hasn’t come to our attention. We can only comment when it becomes official.”

He insisted that Khupe and Mwonzora had a good working relationship.

“Khupe is our vice-president and a long-serving deputy president after Gibson Sibanda,” Damba said.

“As you are aware, she was unwell just after the extraordinary congress and was on leave.

“That’s not the first time that the two have met or the last time.

“It’s the culture of the president to meet the party’s standing committee, national council, down to the branches.

“There’s a cordial relationship between Khupe and the president.”

Khupe’s office yesterday confirmed that she gave her statement to the police over the missing funds.

“Madam Khupe was indeed summoned to the police to give her statement in the case where it’s alleged that senator Douglas Mwonzora embezzled party funds ahead of the extraordinary congress in December last year,” said an official.

Mwonzora has dismissed the theft allegations and accused his accusers of trying to tarnish his image.

– The Standard

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MDC Alliance In Massive Clean up Campaign

By A Correspondent | The MDC Alliance conducted a massive clean up campaign in Harare West on Saturday.

Speaking to ZimEye, local councilor Kudzi Kadzombe said:


“We had a clean up campaign today as part of our CCC citizens convergence for change program that was launched by President Nelson Chamisa.”

In the videos below among others is Councilor Denford Ngadziore and youth chairman for Harare West, Benard Ncube.

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Gonese Resigns From Important Parly Committee To Pave Way For Mwonzora

By Jane Mlambo| Mutare Central Member of the House of Assembly, Mr Innocent Gonese, has resigned from the Parliament’s Committee on Standing Rules and Order to pave way for MDC-T president, Senator Douglas Mwonzora, to be a member of the important Parliament management committee.

The Standing Rules and Orders Committee sets the policies and management of Parliament and has a little over 20 members drawn from both houses.

The committee comprises the Speaker of the National Assembly (chairperson), President of the Senate (deputy chairperson), Deputy Speaker, Deputy President of the Senate, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development and two other ministers appointed by the President, the Leader of Government Business, the Leader of the Opposition, chief whips of all parties represented in Parliament, the President of the National Council of Chiefs, eight members elected by Parliament — four from each House, and two members appointed by the Speaker of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate.

Some members of the party viewed the move as way of saving himself (Mr Gonese) from being recalled from the August House.

However, in a telephone interview, Mr Gonese said his resignation was only informed by the need to ‘take a break’.

“I just felt I needed to take a break and this had nothing to do with paving way for anyone. The party does not refuse anyone the right to resign from any post in Parliament if one feels they cannot serve in that capacity anymore.

“In fact, everyone in the party is very clear on those developments and it is not an issue, even in the upper echelons of the party. It is just that I felt I needed to take a break, that is all,” said Mr Gonese.

MDC Alliance’s national deputy spokesperson, Mr Clifford Hlatshayo, referred all questions to the provincial executive, ironically saying he is not privy to the matter.

The Mr Nelson Chamisa-led opposition party’s Manicaland spokesperson, Mr David Panganai, confirmed that Mr Gonese’s resignation did not go down well with their membership.

“The long and short of it all is that Mr Gonese resigned from the top parliamentary committee without the knowledge of the party. This raised a lot of eyebrows and some sections within the party are not happy and suspect that this could have been done for selfish reasons.

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ZANU PF displays 30 brand new MDC A cards to celebrate defections of 200 people to Mnangagwa | TRUTH or UTTER NONSENSE?

ZBC report: The ZANU PF Midlands province leadership has welcomed more than 200 MDC Alliance party members who joined the ruling party at its Kwekwe District office this Friday.

Welcoming the new members at the Party’s District Coordinating Committee (DCC) meeting in Kwekwe this Friday, the local leadership called for unity of purpose and challenged the new members to work towards strengthening the revolutionary party.

Former MDC Alliance legislator Blessing Chebundo revealed why he joined the revolutionary party.

“I have come to realize that ZANU PF is a solution team not a problem team hence I have decided to join the solution team and I want to be part and parcel of the team.”

New ZANU PF member Mrs Evelyn Rubvuto highlighted that the MDC Alliance lost its purpose as an opposition party and is now a movement in disarray.

In line with party procedure, the members will undergo the requisite induction through the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology to have an appreciation of the national interest, party ideology and value systems.

Today in Kwekwe About 400 MDC Alliance *card carrying members crossed the floor and joined people’s revolutionary patriotic Party ZANUPF. #Walalawasala

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Someone Tampered With My Car Wheels- Zivhu On Accident

Outspoken former Zanu PF legislator Killer Zivhu has said he was involved in a road accident this Saturday.

Zivhu said he was grateful to God for saving his life but did not indicate where and at what time the accident occurred. He tweeted:

Ndaita (I was involved in an) accident can’t say much for now saved by God.

In another tweet about an hour later, Zivhu said he had parked his car and an unidentified individual clandestinely tampered with one of the front wheels causing it to come off as he was driving away. He said:

Parked my car munhu ndokuuya ndokusunungura manatsi angu ndazongoona ndotevera vhiri apa nderemberi asi Mwari haasi womunhu mumwe.”- Pindula News

Killer Zivhu
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We Are Doing Our Best To Fight Corruption, Says Mnangagwa- Is He Telling The Truth?

Key Highlights 27/03/21

ZANU PF Patriots

▫️We are meeting towards independence as we remember our fallen heroes and heroines.

▫️We have successfully rolled out the vaccination programme on Covid 19 and we must remain vigilant.

▫️We must remain vigilant and unite our party structures to be productive and grow our economy.

▫️I urge the Central Committee to support the DCC structures and they need your guidance to prosper. Discipline and loyalty must be our guiding principles and we must be always disciplined. We are a proper Party full stop.

▫️The 2023 harmonised elections must be worked towards by all organs of the Party through mobilisation. I commend the efforts being made by the youth league in the mobilisation strategies.

▫️Those who are still in the political wilderness are invited to come home and join us. Our hands are open. I encourage the spirit of Ubuntu and oneness to be with us.

▫️The successful agricultural growth plans and presidential input scheme are also taking root and a source of income. We have also launched the garlic farming programme starting with Masvingo province.

▫️Provinces and districts are encouraged to embrace farming projects and moreso the mining sector is progressing well.

▫️The fight against corruption continues in all sectors.

▫️My government has approved the rehabilitation of all road infrastructure using local resources. I urge all community radio stations to promote all government programmes.

▫️ The Second Republic is on an irreversible path of industrializing, modernizing and reviving our economy.

▫️On the ICT sector we have commissioned the ICT factory that will help in the realisation of the new digital world.

▫️The minister of finance will update the Central Committee on the state of the economy.

▫️We must all be patriotic to our country by campaigning that all our people become vaccinated against covid19.

▫️We must continue to exercise peace love and harmony as Zimbabweans.

▫️As Central Committee let us continue to serve our people wholeheartedly as we strive towards our Vision 2030

Mr Mnangagwa
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Tapiwa Makore Finally Laid To Rest

The rains fittingly fell around midday just as the hearse bearing the remains of Tapiwa Makore Jnr rolled into Makore Village, Murehwa, yesterday.

And around mid-afternoon, as the brown wooden coffin eased into the brown soils of the village, it showered again.

Culturally, there is a link between the opening of the heavens and the burying of the dead.

But if the rains were meant to soothe the departed soul of the seven-year-old Tapiwa or offer a comforting mourning atmosphere for the Makore family, clouds of intrigue, uncertainty and delayed justice will linger a little bit longer for the family.

Explaining to The Sunday Mail during Friday night’s vigil why his family had rejected the DNA results which confirmed that a head found three days after the gruesome murder was not their son’s, Munyaradzi Makore, father to the murdered Tapiwa, said the skull had no human flesh, no hair and its teeth did not even match their son’s. Not even a tongue.

Even a pathology test run by Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals confirmed that the head belonged to a 13 or 14-year-old, not a seven-year-old.

What has raised suspicion is that DNA samples were only extracted from Tapiwa’s mother, and not from both parents. The father confirmed as much, saying the DNA tests were conducted through samples drawn from his wife, and not from him, or both of them.

Ms Tabitha Chikeya, a lawyer who offered legal services pro deo to the family, also confirmed that samples were drawn from the mother only and not from both parents.

“That directive came from the police who were conducting the investigations, that they needed samples only from the mother, and only the police can answer why they decided on that. Maybe it was a financial consideration,” she said.

Pressed on whether the decision could have been premised on that a mother is considered a 100 percent match, she refused to answer, preferring that only the police can answer that.

ZRP spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “The DNA tests were done with guidance from experts and since this was not a paternity test, it was only prudent to get samples from the mother.”

On why the family had refused a State-assisted funeral, Mr Makore said the assistance they wanted was justice for Tapiwa Jnr, and not coffin, food and related funeral expenses, as they could contain those.

“It is justice that we want. To us, everyone who has something to do with the murder is with the police and we are just wondering why the wheels of justice seem to be taking this long to turn,” he said.

Tapiwa Jnr was last seen around sunset on Wednesday September 16 last year when he was sent to tend the family garden. A search party that evening yielded nothing only for dogs to drag pieces of what looked like a human body piece into the village compound that Friday.

When police arrived in the village to investigate, a search was ordered into every homestead in the village. A pair of trousers covered in blood was recovered in Tafadzwa Shamba’s room, who was immediately taken in by the police as his explanation to the soiled trousers did not add up.

On interrogation Tafadzwa, a herdboy, implicated his employer, Tapiwa Makore Snr, who is cousin to Munyaradzi Makore. The herdboy readily admitted to the gruesome murder and explained in graphic detail how they had intoxicated the young boy with beer, before cutting him into pieces. Through his indications, limbs were located and dug from a pit latrine.

However, the family contends that the skull that was found on the Sunday after Tapiwa’s murder on Thursday was not only too old to be their son’s but did not have human flesh, blood or hair.

“What is surprising us is that the limbs which were retrieved about two weeks after the murder had intact flesh, save for those parts which had been removed by Tafadzwa, yet the skull which was recovered in less than three days did not have any flesh. Even the pathologists who did a post mortem at Parirenyatwa said the skull was too old to be our son’s,” explained the father.- The Sunday Mail

Tapiwa Makore burial
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FULL TEXT: Mnangagwa Invites Chamisa “To Come Home And Join Us”

115th ORDINARY SESSION OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Opening Remarks by Emmerson Mnangagwa

Key Highlights 27/03/21

ZANU PF Patriots

▫️We are meeting towards independence as we remember our fallen heroes and heroines.

▫️We have successfully rolled out the vaccination programme on Covid 19 and we must remain vigilant.

▫️We must remain vigilant and unite our party structures to be productive and grow our economy.

▫️I urge the Central Committee to support the DCC structures and they need your guidance to prosper. Discipline and loyalty must be our guiding principles and we must be always disciplined. We are a proper Party full stop.

▫️The 2023 harmonised elections must be worked towards by all organs of the Party through mobilisation. I commend the efforts being made by the youth league in the mobilisation strategies.

▫️Those who are still in the political wilderness are invited to come home and join us. Our hands are open. I encourage the spirit of Ubuntu and oneness to be with us.

▫️The successful agricultural growth plans and presidential input scheme are also taking root and a source of income. We have also launched the garlic farming programme starting with Masvingo province.

▫️Provinces and districts are encouraged to embrace farming projects and moreso the mining sector is progressing well.

▫️The fight against corruption continues in all sectors.

▫️My government has approved the rehabilitation of all road infrastructure using local resources. I urge all community radio stations to promote all government programmes.

▫️ The Second Republic is on an irreversible path of industrializing, modernizing and reviving our economy.

▫️On the ICT sector we have commissioned the ICT factory that will help in the realisation of the new digital world.

▫️The minister of finance will update the Central Committee on the state of the economy.

▫️We must all be patriotic to our country by campaigning that all our people become vaccinated against covid19.

▫️We must continue to exercise peace love and harmony as Zimbabweans.

▫️As Central Committee let us continue to serve our people wholeheartedly as we strive towards our Vision 2030.

?

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Government Introduces Catch-up Strategy For Learners

THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has introduced a Catch-up strategy for primary and secondary school pupils that will see learners who were affected by prolonged non-academic activity because of the Covid-19 pandemic last year being taught 2020 material before proceeding to this year’s classes.

Under the programme, Sunday News understands that in some instances pupils will have to redo their preceding levels syllabi in the first term before proceeding to the next level. For example, those who are in Grade Two this year will have to first complete the Grade One material.

According to the Catch-up strategy document sent to schools and District School Inspectors, which was signed by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Ambassador Cain Mathema, last week, the new learning model provides guidelines for the practical delivery of blended teaching and learning, catch-up activities to compensate for lost learning time, and a coordinated system for accelerated learning, all of which involve the use of alternative learning platforms for the benefit of pupils.

Minister Mathema said the new teaching model, which seeks to enhance the continuity of teaching and learning for all learners at all times in Zimbabwe, drew lessons from the experience of disrupted school activities due to several climatic change phenomena as well as the global Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the new model was designed following a baseline assessment by the ministry which revealed that most learners especially those from public schools, rural areas and council schools had limited access to teaching and learning after the announcement of the lockdown at the end of March last year. He said the first term’s work was covered while that of second and third term was not covered in most schools. That resulted in poor performances by the 2020 Grade Seven pupils.

“The guidelines in this strategy are intended to trigger more school-based innovative strategies for the inclusive, full coverage of syllabi to cover up lost teaching and learning time. The catch-up strategies are grouped into three categories, namely content, learner and teacher enhancement strategies.”

Content strategies include syllabus compression and concept integration, he said.

“Teacher enhancement strategies are, team teaching, Performance Lag Address Programme (PLAP), multigrade teaching and use of Learning Area Platforms (LAPs) to guide teachers to cover up for lost teaching time for the maximisation of teacher-learner contact learning. Learning enhancement strategies include Clinical Remediation, Guidance and Counselling, Child Protection Committees, School Health Services, including Menstrual Health Management, Career Guidance as well as the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme,” he said.

Minister Mathema said the blended teaching and learning approach makes use of both the traditional face-to-face classroom interaction, online learning, home and school-led community-based learning with tutorial support as well as the use of printed self-study guides, revision notes and other modules.- The Sunday News

Cain Mathema
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Muchinguri: I’ve Just Been Vaccinated With The Chinese Jab, After Saying Coronavirus Is God’s Sanctions Against The West And I Will Never Take The Chinese Vaccine.

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Another Herd Of 19 Cattle Struck By Lightning In Hwange

FARMERS in BH27 Village under Chief Mvuthu in Hwange District are counting their losses after a bolt of lightning killed 19 cattle during a storm that hit the area on Friday.

The 19 cattle belonged to different farmers and were part of 72 cattle penned in a Boma, a community project where cattle from the whole or part of the village are housed in one big kraal. A Boma is a stockade where farmers keep livestock safe at night and away from predators like lions and hyenas. On average, one cow is sold for about US$500 in the area, which means farmers lost cattle worth about US$9 500. Area councillor Godfrey Moyo (Ward 3) said the affected farmers were distraught and will need Government support to restock.

“Yes, the 19 cattle were struck and killed by lightning last night (Friday) while housed in a Boma. We are all shocked as a community and devastated, as you know cattle are a source of income and a symbol of wealth. This is a disaster which needs State attention,” said Clr Moyo.

Clr Moyo said five communal farmers were affected by the incident with one farmer having lost five beasts.

“This will affect many livelihoods in the era. Some lost their entire herd.”

Village head Mr Tymon Sibanda said villagers woke up to the shocking reality of the incident and were still at a loss of words.

“We are still in shock over this development. Villagers are devastated after 18 adult cattle and a calf were struck by lightning last night. Not much is known as it took place at night but the situation is terrible,” he said.

Mr Sibanda said according to their tradition and cultural beliefs it is taboo to consume meat from a beast struck by lightning.

“The carcasses are usually burnt or buried and a traditional cleansing ceremony is done. However, others conduct prayers according to their denominations. In this case both prayers and traditional cleansing were done and carcasses sold to Lion Encounter, an organisation keeping lions for tourism purposes on the outskirts of Victoria Falls City. As a helping hand Lion Encounter paid the affected farmers US$40 per beast,” he said.

The Boma project was started in 2016 in the area with the objective of trying to improve soil fertility and animal production.

Under the project farmers rotate to pen community cattle and are also assisted by Non-Governmental Organisations in looking after the animals. The NGOs provide services such as de-worming and dipping. The Boma is moved from farmer to farmer at intervals of seven days to ensure that the farmers also share manure.

The incident comes after a Chipinge farmer in February lost 25 Brahman cattle after they were also struck by lightning.

-State Media

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MPs, Teachers Loot COVID Funds

July Moyo

The Government has launched an investigation into the alleged abuse of funds that were availed as safety nets for Covid-19 affected groups after it emerged that Government officials, Members of Parliament and civil servants, among them teachers were receiving the money ahead of intended beneficiaries.
Without revealing names, sources said some MPs and civil servants allegedly connived with officials from the Department of Social Welfare to register as vulnerable people in order to access the money.

To mitigate the effects of Covid-19, the Government availed funds under different categories that were meant to help businesses and individuals affected by the pandemic.

As part of the programme was the $17 million fund which was meant to assist Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) and the $20 million for Sports and Arts sectors as part of the Covid-19 stimulus and recovery package, among others.

The Government has also been paying selected vulnerable families through the Department of Social Welfare $1 500 per month to cushion them from the effects of the pandemic and lockdown.

However, it has emerged that some Government officials who were in charge of distributing the money registered themselves and their relatives to benefit from some facilities, drawing the attention of top Government officials.

Local Government and Public Works Minister Cde July Moyo confirmed that a random check with the Department of Social Welfare revealed that senior Government officials and civil servants were among beneficiaries of the monies availed by the Government.

“We probed the Department of Social Welfare on where they had got names of people who were supposed to benefit from the relief funds availed by the Government. Some of our own leaders, teachers and Members of Parliament were on those lists. What we felt was that the officers at the department were also taking advantage of the situation by also manipulating the system and if confronted they would finger-point these top officials who appear on the lists,” he said.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said he has received complaints about the abuse of the money and an audit will be carried out.

“This is a scam, we need to access the names of beneficiaries and compare it with the actual database that is in place at the Department of Social Welfare and see where the problem is emanating from. The benefit for vulnerable members of the community started at $300 and we raised it to $600 and now we are raising it to $1 500. We want our elderly to get this fund not for them to be cheated out of their benefits,” he said.

In some areas, SMEs who applied for the relief fund failed to access the money. Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Dr Sithembiso Nyoni said she has received reports from SMEs that very few members managed to access the money.

“This cushion was introduced by the President to cushion SMEs, vendors and the elderly. We asked people to register through their associations to benefit. All names, however, went through the Department of Social Welfare.

Everywhere where I am going the real beneficiaries are saying they never received the funds. A large portion is saying they never got the funds. We do hope an investigation will get to the bottom of the matter,” she said.

Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Judith Ncube said retailers in the city were concerned that the intended beneficiaries were not seemingly the people who benefited.

“We have a big challenge with us, we need proper insight into this matter and it must be investigated. I was called by a manager at one retail shop in Bulawayo to observe what was going on, there were very long queues in their shop at two payment points that were supposed to be assisting the elderly people who receive this fund. But the manager said they were shocked to see very youthful people who come monthly to use the funds and not elderly people,” said Cde Ncube.

She said while the elderly could send other people to buy their groceries, there was a strong suspicion that many undeserving people were benefiting. -Sunday News

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Students Humiliate Auxillia Mnangagwa

Auxillia Mnangagwa

Dear Editor

Mutambudzo Chinorumba

Masvingo Polytechnic College students booed Zimbabwe First Lady for the economic hardships in the country.

Hundreds of riot police were called to flash out students from hall of residence and lecture room as government panicked.

Mai Mnangagwa had visited Masvingo to launch her traditional food cooking competitions.Masvingo Polytechnic was expelling students for none payment of schools.

” Kure uko !! Unouya kuzodzidzisa vanhu kubika mufusha ndiyaniko asi ngagone kubika mufushwa.? ” one student was heard shouting whilst thousands were booing .

“Iwe unouya kuno nemota dzese idzi kupedza mari yenyika munopenga chete !! Pasi neZanuPF!!” Another student was heard saying.

A female student shouted ” Munonakigwa nokudya mari nyika mese nomurume pasina chiri kubuda.Murume waenda kunobaiwa nhomba kuVictora Falls watadza kubairwa muHarare here? Ibva netumufushwa twako pano.”

“The programme by First Lady could have been beneficial to the nation if she had invested in research on putting value addition to mufusha and research for international market for our mufushwa.The whole programme becomes of little value if its about cooking to eat.” Said Sufsan Moyo a political analyst.

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We Are Building A Strong Team That Will Shape Country’s Future- President Chamisa

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has said the popular movement is in the process of building a great team that will shape and map the country’s future.

“We’re building a GREAT NEW HOME for all who are honest,capable,principled, patriotic,incorruptible and selfless.

We’re availing 2 vitals;a FRESH STRONG TEAM and a FANTASTIC GREAT DREAM.

A GREAT ZIMBABWE VISION driven by NEW LEADERS.Together we make Our ZIMBABWE GREAT!Blessed Sabbath,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.

President Chamisa also hailed Ugandan Judge Esther Kisakye for refusing to be swayed by Yoweri Museni.

“INSPIRATION FROM UGANDA. JUSTICE IS POSSIBLE IN OUR LIFETIME!! I salute this courageous defence of the the law.”

Justice Kisakye of the Supreme Court disagreed with eight Justices in their decision on two applications arising from the presidential election petition filed by presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

Kyagulanyi petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge President Museveni’s victory in the presidential elections.

President Chamisa
President Chamisa
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President Chamisa Commends Supreme Court Judge For Refusing To Be Swayed By Museveni

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has said the popular movement is in the process of building a great team that will shape and map the country’s future.

“We’re building a GREAT NEW HOME for all who are honest,capable,principled, patriotic,incorruptible and selfless.

We’re availing 2 vitals;a FRESH STRONG TEAM and a FANTASTIC GREAT DREAM.

A GREAT ZIMBABWE VISION driven by NEW LEADERS.Together we make Our ZIMBABWE GREAT!Blessed Sabbath,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.

President Chamisa also hailed Ugandan Judge Esther Kisakye for refusing to be swayed by Yoweri Museni.

“INSPIRATION FROM UGANDA. JUSTICE IS POSSIBLE IN OUR LIFETIME!! I salute this courageous defence of the the law.”

Justice Kisakye of the Supreme Court disagreed with eight Justices in their decision on two applications arising from the presidential election petition filed by presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

Kyagulanyi petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge President Museveni’s victory in the presidential elections.

Justice Kisakye
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Stop Misleading Nation: Hon Biti Exposes Government Lies About Inflation Figures

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has said the Zanu PF orchestrated recalls will not shake the popular movement.

Hon Biti accused Zanu PF of plotting to decimate the MDC Alliance before the 2023 polls.

“Emmerson Mnangagwa is using every tricky in the political book to destroy the MDC Alliance. Recalls will not shake us,” said Hon Biti.

Hon Biti

He also accused Zimstats of publishing fake inflation figures.

“The existence of an entrenched multiple exchange regime, a strong parallel market,multi tier pricing system makes #Zimstats official inflation figures a joke…

As long as auction exchange rate remains rigged and as long as multiple economies exist Zim official figures are fake,” argued Hon Biti.

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WARNING- DISTURBING PICTURE: Lightning Strikes 19 Cattle Dead.

19 cattle horrifically struck by lightning

Farmers in BH27 Village under Chief Mvuthu in Hwange District are counting their losses after a bolt of lightning killed 19 cattle during a storm that hit the area on Friday.
The 19 cattle belonged to different farmers and were part of 72 cattle penned in a Boma, a community project where cattle from the whole or part of the village are housed in one big kraal. A Boma is a stockade where farmers keep livestock safe at night and away from predators like lions and hyenas. On average, one cow is sold for about US$500 in the area, which means farmers lost cattle worth about US$9 500. Area councillor Godfrey Moyo (Ward 3) said the affected farmers were distraught and will need Government support to restock.

“Yes, the 19 cattle were struck and killed by lightning last night (Friday) while housed in a Boma. We are all shocked as a community and devastated, as you know cattle are a source of income and a symbol of wealth. This is a disaster which needs State attention,” said Clr Moyo.

Clr Moyo said five communal farmers were affected by the incident with one farmer having lost five beasts.

“This will affect many livelihoods in the era. Some lost their entire herd.” Village head Mr Tymon Sibanda said villagers woke up to the shocking reality of the incident and were still at a loss of words.

“We are still in shock over this development. Villagers are devastated after 18 adult cattle and a calf were struck by lightning last night. Not much is known as it took place at night but the situation is terrible,” he said.

Mr Sibanda said according to their tradition and cultural beliefs it is taboo to consume meat from a beast struck by lightning.

“The carcasses are usually burnt or buried and a traditional cleansing ceremony is done. However, others conduct prayers according to their denominations. In this case both prayers and traditional cleansing were done and carcasses sold to Lion Encounter, an organisation keeping lions for tourism purposes on the outskirts of Victoria Falls City. As a helping hand Lion Encounter paid the affected farmers US$40 per beast,” he said.

The Boma project was started in 2016 in the area with the objective of trying to improve soil fertility and animal production.

Under the project farmers rotate to pen community cattle and are also assisted by Non-Governmental Organisations in looking after the animals. The NGOs provide services such as de-worming and dipping. The Boma is moved from farmer to farmer at intervals of seven days to ensure that the farmers also share manure.

The incident comes after a Chipinge farmer in February lost 25 Brahman cattle after they were also struck by lightning. Sunday News

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VP Chiwenga Introduces COVID Passports

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s office has introduced covid-19 ‘passports’.

 

Zimbabwe will now be among the first countries in the world to issue out Covid-19 certificates that will be linked to the person’s passport and National Identify Document.
The certificate will also be used when people are travelling in and out of the country and help in curbing the proliferation of fake Covid-19 certificates that were being used by some prospective travellers. Global debate has already started over the issue of Covid-19 vaccination certificates being used as “passports” and international airlines and stakeholders in the travel industry have thrown their support behind vaccine “passports”.

The director of Health Informatics and Data Analytics in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Simukai Zizhou, told Sunday News yesterday that the ministry has already completed the new vaccination certificate which will come in the form of a card with security features and a Quick Response bar code (QR code) which can be scanned for verification.

He said the ministry has developed the card to also curb the proliferation of fake vaccination certificates which were being produced by unscrupulous individuals. The certificates will start being issued this week.

“This new card will have security features which can then be easily scanned and verified. The ministry has all the records of people that have been vaccinated thus it will be simple for authorities to verify this, further it will be linked to the individual’s passports and identity documents which were captured during the exercise. The card will have a QR code which is now the international best practice in terms of verification of information. Further, this card will close the loophole of the fake certificates that were now in the market,” said Dr Zizhou.

He said those who have already taken the second dose can approach the ministry where they will be issued with the new cards.

“This new card will be available as from next (this) week as we are just addressing a few pending issues. However, for those that have already got their second dose and will require to travel to countries that require one to be vaccinated they can come to the ministry where they will then be issued with these new cards,” said Dr Zizhou.

Commenting on the same development, Bulawayo City Council Health Director, Dr Edwin Sibanda said council has been briefed on the issue and was waiting for guidance from the Government on how this will be implemented.

“Yes, we have also been made aware of this new arrangement, we are awaiting further direction from the ministry but what we have been doing thus far is capturing all those that have been vaccinated in our system for such verification,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bulawayo is preparing for the mass vaccination in the city which is expected to start this week after the arrival of more vaccine doses in the country with an initial 110 000 residents being targeted. Victoria Falls was the first city to embark on the mass vaccination which was launched by President Mnangagwa last week in the tourism city to boost confidence in the outside world about safety and health, a low-hanging fruit in the tourism industry. Dr Sibanda said they had already put in place all systems and deployed personnel that will be doing mass vaccination in the city.

“We are waiting for more vaccine doses from the Government. It is then that we can then say when the mass vaccination programme will begin in the city but it could be this week. In the meantime, we have put in place all the necessary systems for this programme, the various points have been identified, the teams have been set and are ready to start,” said Dr Sibanda.

Meanwhile, this week the city’s vaccination team will be vaccinating teachers in the province. Bulawayo provincial education director Mrs Olicah Kaira has sent a circular to schools informing them on the points of vaccinations. She said the programme will be targeted at all Government, private early childhood development centres, independent colleges, trust and private schools.

According to the circular, the vaccination teams will be at Milton High tomorrow for those from Bulawayo Central, on Tuesday they will be at Maranatha Primary for those from Imbizo District, on Wednesday they will be at Mpopoma High for Mzilikazi District and on Thursday they will end at Makeurtan Primary for Reigate District.

According to the Minister of Health and Child Care as of last Friday the country had 61 093 people who had taken their first dose of the vaccine, with 6 569 getting their second doses. Sunday News

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Government Lies About Inflation Figures Exposed

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has said the Zanu PF orchestrated recalls will not shake the popular movement.

Hon Biti accused Zanu PF of plotting to decimate the MDC Alliance before the 2023 polls.

“Emmerson Mnangagwa is using every tricky in the political book to destroy the MDC Alliance. Recalls will not shake us,” said Hon Biti.

He also accused Zimstats of publishing fake inflation figures.

“The existence of an entrenched multiple exchange regime, a strong parallel market,multi tier pricing system makes #Zimstats official inflation figures a joke…

As long as auction exchange rate remains rigged and as long as multiple economies exist Zim official figures are fake,” argued Hon Biti.

Hon Biti
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Where Did Oppah Muchinguri Put Her Latest Husband Since 2014?

Oppah Muchinguri

Oppah Muchinguri’s husband has not been seen alongside his wife, since 2014.

Male politicians in Zimbabwe are measured and judged by their love affairs. Morgan Tsvangirai was questioned on his love for women and hoping from one relationship to the next.

Robert Mugabe was questioned over his relationship with Grace Mugabe while Sally Mugabe was still alive.

Recently Kembo Mohadi had to resign from his post as Vice President due to sexual scandals.

Do we measure women politicians against the same standards we set for male politicians?

In 2015 then Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Oppah Muchinguri declared that she had found new love and paraded her husband Bishop Anthony Kashiri

Oppah Muchinguri announced that she was customarily married to a Pentecostal clergyman, Bishop Anthony Kashiri, making her “Mai Mufundisi”. The two were believed to have dated for some time, but they did all they could to keep the relationship a secret to avoid unnecessary publicity.

Cde Muchinguri flaunted her new-found love around at Mutare Polytechnic during the Provincial Co-ordinating Committee meeting at Headlands Hall where thousands of Zanu-PF supporters from Headlands Constituency had converged to petition the party leadership to expel their representative in the National Assembly, Cde Didymus Mutasa, from the party and Parliament.

That was the last that we saw or heard of Bishop Anthony Kashiri the Apple of Oppah Muchinguri’s eye. Bishop Anthony Kashiri didn’t appear at any function or event with Oppah Muchinguri since the Mutare Poly meeting.

Today Oppah Muchinguri is the Minister of Defence and is known as Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri. It begs the question are they still married, are they still together or has Oppah Muchinguri found a new love?

The absence of Bishop Kashiri has fuelled speculation that Oppah Muchinguri is single again and searching for a new love.

We need to hold all politicians to account for their morality or the lack thereof.

Society has a strong moral bias against the behaviour of male politicians yet we ignore the same standards when it comes to female politicians.

The media will write stories about General Chiwenga’s divorce, the media will pounce on Mohadi divorce stories or any other male politician. Female politicians such as Oppah Muchinguri’s marriages and divorce won’t make headlines because we measure male and female politicians using different standards.

Oppah Muchinguri needs to come out in the open and tell the people of Manicaland if she is divorced, the same way she came out in the open and announced her marriage at a ZANU PF event.

John Chibuwa
Manicaland

Source | John Chibuwa

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Warriors Star Funds Own Trip To Botswana

SuperSport United left-back Onismor Bhasera paid for his own ticket to join the rest of the Warriors in Francistown after being drafted as a last minute addition, it has emerged.

The veteran defender was drafted into the Warriors fold as there was no natural left back in Zdravko Logarusic’s side following the withdrawal of Golden Arrows’ Divine Lunga.

A ticket from Johannesburg to Francistown according to sources in the Warriors camp, was purchased for the Mutare-bred defender but it had issues.

He then bought his own ticket, an indication of commitment praised by Logarusic.

” He had problems with the ticket that had been bought for him but he didn’t lament about that, he just took his own money and bought a new ticket. This is the commitment that I want in the players and I will reward such players,” said the firebrand Croat.

“When I called Bhasera, the players came to me and said thank you coach. He is a player with so much influence in the team and will keep him going forward,” he added.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe

Onismo Bhasera
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Disputing Mnangagwa Legitimacy Is Not A Crime

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance deputy chairperson and Zengeza West MP, Hon Job Sikhala has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa is a desperate dictator.

The Zanu PF regime has announced that MDC Alliance MPs, particularly Hon Sikhala and Hon Settlement Chikwinya will be fined for disrespecting Mr Mnangagwa in Parliament.

Responding to the announcement, Hon Sikhala wrote on Twitter:

Ladies and gentlemen I have one question to all of you who participated and celebrated November 17, 2017 kuti maiva maonei muna Mnangagwa? Kurikuendeswa nyika is totally closure of any pol space. All of us are going to be banned from contesting elections using one trick or the other.

Our freedom will never be deterred by antics of a desperate dictatorship.

Yesterday Jonathan Samkange presented a Report on the Parliamentary Privileges Committee which he was chairing and found 108 MDC Alliance MPs guilty of not standing up when Emmerson Mnangagwa comes to Parliament. All MPs were fined )level 12 of the fine)

So as it stands no Member of Parliament elected on the MDC Alliance ticket in 2018, will be allowed to stand again to become one in their lifetime. When we talk of evil, this is evilness in full motion.”

MDC Alliance spokesperson, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere also dismissed the pronouncement:

“Parliament has ceased to be a legitimate voice for the people.

They want Hon
@JobSikhala1 and Hon
@chikwinya
to pay $800,000 and others to pay $400,000 as a fine for challenging Zanu PF.”

Hon Sikhala
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Pitso Mosimane Hails Warriors …

Pitso Mosimane has congratulated Zimbabwe for qualifying to the Afcon 2021 tournament to be held in Cameroon in January next year.

The Warriors booked their place with a game to spare following their 1-0 victory over Botswana on Thursday. Perfect Chikwende scored the solitary goal in the 14th minute.

They will finish the qualifying campaign as Group H runners-up, behind Algeria.

The Al Ahly coach posted his congratulatory message on Social Media.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe

Pitso Mosimane
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Revealed: Bhasera Funded Own Trip To Botswana

SuperSport United left-back Onismor Bhasera paid for his own ticket to join the rest of the Warriors in Francistown after being drafted as a last minute addition, it has emerged.

The veteran defender was drafted into the Warriors fold as there was no natural left back in Zdravko Logarusic’s side following the withdrawal of Golden Arrows’ Divine Lunga.

A ticket from Johannesburg to Francistown according to sources in the Warriors camp, was purchased for the Mutare-bred defender but it had issues.

He then bought his own ticket, an indication of commitment praised by Logarusic.

” He had problems with the ticket that had been bought for him but he didn’t lament about that, he just took his own money and bought a new ticket. This is the commitment that I want in the players and I will reward such players,” said the firebrand Croat.

“When I called Bhasera, the players came to me and said thank you coach. He is a player with so much influence in the team and will keep him going forward,” he added.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe

Onismo Bhasera
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President Chamisa Commends Ugandan Supreme Court Judge For Refusing To Be Swayed By Museveni

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has said the popular movement is in the process of building a great team that will shape and map the country’s future.

“We’re building a GREAT NEW HOME for all who are honest,capable,principled, patriotic,incorruptible and selfless.

We’re availing 2 vitals;a FRESH STRONG TEAM and a FANTASTIC GREAT DREAM.

A GREAT ZIMBABWE VISION driven by NEW LEADERS.Together we make Our ZIMBABWE GREAT!Blessed Sabbath,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.

President Chamisa also hailed Ugandan Judge Esther Kisakye for refusing to be swayed by Yoweri Museni.

“INSPIRATION FROM UGANDA. JUSTICE IS POSSIBLE IN OUR LIFETIME!! I salute this courageous defence of the the law.”

Justice Kisakye of the Supreme Court disagreed with eight Justices in their decision on two applications arising from the presidential election petition filed by presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

Kyagulanyi petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge President Museveni’s victory in the presidential elections.

Justice Kisakye
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Recalls Will Not Shake Us – Hon Biti

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has said the Zanu PF orchestrated recalls will not shake the popular movement.

Hon Biti accused Zanu PF of plotting to decimate the MDC Alliance before the 2023 polls.

“Emmerson Mnangagwa is using every tricky in the political book to destroy the MDC Alliance. Recalls will not shake us,” said Hon Biti.

He also accused Zimstats of publishing fake inflation figures.

“The existence of an entrenched multiple exchange regime, a strong parallel market,multi tier pricing system makes #Zimstats official inflation figures a joke…

As long as auction exchange rate remains rigged and as long as multiple economies exist Zim official figures are fake,” argued Hon Biti.

Hon Biti
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Health Tips For Your Kids …

By Dr Ellane Simon
Zimbabwe Online Health Centre

Best practices that keep teeth and gum healthy:

  1. Brush regularly but not aggressively. Brush teeth at least twice a day in small circular motions for about 2 to 3minutes. Prevent back and fourth motions. Use soft bristles toothbrush and change your toothbrush every 3months or whenever ends look frayed whichever comes first.
  2. Use fluoride.Its a mineral found in toothpaste that prevents cavities. Lack of fluoride causes tooth decay.
  3. Floss once a day. Flossing removes plaque and bacteria from between the teeth where the toothbrush is unable to reach. It can also prevent bad breathe.
  4. See a dentist regularly. One should visit the dentist at least twice a year (every 6months) or if there are any changes in the mouth. A dental visit might also depend on health history, age and overall dental health.
  5. Do not smoke. Smoking harm the body’s immune system making it difficult for the body to heal tissues. Smoking itself is a risk factor for gum disease and also cause bad breathe and yellowish teeth.
  6. Consider a mouthwash. Get advise from a dentist on which mouthwash to use. However chlorhexidine containing mouthwash are advised as it has antibacterial effects.
  7. Limit sugary foods and starches. These promote bacterial growth causing cavities. Fibre rich fruits and vegetables are advised.
  8. Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Like sugary food they also promote bacterial growth that causes cavities.

Tips for kids

  1. Babies and toddlers should not go to bed with bottles and sippy cups.
  2. Brush baby teeth as soon as they come out with soft baby toothbrush and tiny amounts of fluoride.
  • Baby teeth (primary teeth) are important as permanent teeth. Tooth decay disrupt space in the mouth of babies and toddlers making it difficult for the adult teeth to develop correctly. Zimbabwe Online Health Centre

For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre

email :[email protected]

Twitter :zimonlinehealthcentre

@zimonlinehealt1

YouTube: zimbabwe online health centre

Instagram: Zimonlinehealth

Website:www.zimonlinehealthcentre.co.zw

Health
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Hon Biti Exposes Government Lies About Inflation Figures

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has said the Zanu PF orchestrated recalls will not shake the popular movement.

Hon Biti accused Zanu PF of plotting to decimate the MDC Alliance before the 2023 polls.

“Emmerson Mnangagwa is using every tricky in the political book to destroy the MDC Alliance. Recalls will not shake us,” said Hon Biti.

He also accused Zimstats of publishing fake inflation figures.

“The existence of an entrenched multiple exchange regime, a strong parallel market,multi tier pricing system makes #Zimstats official inflation figures a joke…

As long as auction exchange rate remains rigged and as long as multiple economies exist Zim official figures are fake,” argued Hon Biti.

Hon Biti
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We Are In The Process Of Bulding A Great Team- President Chamisa

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has said the popular movement is in the process of building a great team that will shape and map the country’s future.

“We’re building a GREAT NEW HOME for all who are honest,capable,principled, patriotic,incorruptible and selfless.

We’re availing 2 vitals;a FRESH STRONG TEAM and a FANTASTIC GREAT DREAM.

A GREAT ZIMBABWE VISION driven by NEW LEADERS.Together we make Our ZIMBABWE GREAT!Blessed Sabbath,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.

President Chamisa also hailed Ugandan Judge Esther Kisakye for refusing to be swayed by Yoweri Museni.

“INSPIRATION FROM UGANDA. JUSTICE IS POSSIBLE IN OUR LIFETIME!! I salute this courageous defence of the the law.”

Justice Kisakye of the Supreme Court disagreed with eight Justices in their decision on two applications arising from the presidential election petition filed by presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

Kyagulanyi petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge President Museveni’s victory in the presidential elections.

President Chamisa
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Grain Producers Count Their Losses As Quelea Birds Wreck Havoc

By A Correspondent- Traditional grains producers in Gwanda have been left counting their losses after quelea birds invaded the district and destroyed the staple crop, with the late planted grains being the most affected.

Farmers in the southern parts of Gwanda normally grow traditional grains such as sorghum and finger millet which do well in the semi- arid region.

However, the invasion of the quelea birds and armoured crickets in areas such as Sukwi, Silonga, Bengo, Mlampaheli, Halusupi and Kafusi has destroyed most of the late planted traditional grains crop.

Farmers’ hopes of bumper yields from their traditional crop have since been dashed.

“We are facing a huge problem with these birds , we have tried everything including trying to scare them off but we have failed “ said one farmer.

“As you can see from this field here its pathetic . Look at the area planted compared to what has been harvested , it’s a huge loss I tell you “ said another farmer.

According to Agritex officer for Ward 18 Mr Kudakwashe Zhou, it is the late planted crop which has been affected, while good harvests were achieved by those who planted early.

“This is a perennial challenge, yes we have seen the breeding site which is at dordburn. Those who planted late are having field losses while those who planted in October managed to get good harvests,” he said.

Urgent intervention by authorities will be critical as the quelea birds could also affect the winter crop.

“On the issue of small urge farmers to plant their traditional early before they experienced bird invasions . I would also researchers or breeders to come up with varieties that are bird tolerant, like we have Tsholotsho beheaded variety which have thorny and cannot be destroyed by quelea birds while we also urge national parks to urgently intervene,” said Gwanda district Agronomist Danisa Dube.

Farmers in semi-dry regions have often been encouraged to grow traditional grains in order to ensure food self-sufficiency, with least 70 thousand hectares being put under the traditional cereal crops in Matabeleland South province this summer cropping season.

ZBC

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Gutu “Eyes” National Peace And Reconciliation Commission

Obert Gutu

Zimbabwe’s former deputy Minister of Justice during the GNU era, Obert Gutu might have to resign from the ruling ZANU PF which he joined recently if he is appointed a member of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

The former opposition MDC-T spokesman is one of the 29 candidates who have been shortlisted for interviews to fill in vacancies at the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission which will be held in public in Harare on the 14th of April this year.

His resignation will be in line with section 236 of the constitution which specifically states that members of commissions are to be apolitical.

It is possible though for a political party member to be appointed to the commission, but he or she must relinquish party membership within 30 days of such appointment.

The constitution also stipulates that members of the commission must be chosen for their integrity and their knowledge and understanding of, and experience in, mediation, conciliation, conflict prevention and management, post-conflict reconciliation or peace-building.

Meanwhile, exiled former cabinet Minister, Walter Mzembi says some of the Commissions are now redundant and are not serving their intended purposes.

He added:

This particular one has never been allowed to function beyond the fanfare of appointments! Kune inwe inonzi Gender Commission which can’t even tackle obvious cases in the Presidium!