Tinashe Sambiri|Women are the society’s backbone, President Nelson Chamisa has said.

According to President Chamisa, women’s capacity to lead is incredible:

Below is President Chamisa’s statement on International Women’s Day:

Thankful to all women who strive and fight to make a difference and make our nation great.

Women’s capacity to organize,lead and achieve is incredible.

Women are society’s backbone,nation builders who carry and sustain societies to create an equal future..#InternationalWomensDay…

Last Friday, I attended a high-level meeting on the Chilonga Irrigation Project in Chiredzi following the hue and cry on this terribly misunderstood and much maligned community irrigation project which is one of several planned by the government this year.

The Chilonga project runs contemporaneously with Bulawayo Kraal, already quietly underway; Kanyemba which is at land clearance stage; Gwaai/Shangani which is still on the drawing board as dam construction resumes for completion by year-end, and Marovanyati where land clearance continues with targeted establishment of maiden crop this coming winter.

The primary law, the Communal Lands Act, does not permit displacement of communities for purposes of establishing a crop. What it provides for is reorganisation and re-planning of communal human settlements to allow for irrigated land use. This is central to understanding what is set to happen in all the projects itemised above. And reorganisation and/or replanning is not the same as eviction or displacement which, quite apart from not being provided for under the relevant law, is not in accord with government policy.

Apart from sugar cane growing, Chiredzi does livestock mainly. The planned massive communal irrigation programme for Chiredzi, which augments the already revived and thriving Chilonga Irrigation Project, is founded on twin objectives of introducing an irrigated cropping programme which is climate-proofed; and transforming livestock farming all-round. Both objectives entail reorganisation and replanning of affected areas to ensure blocks are arranged for cropping, livestock, feedstock growing and human settlement.

Facts on the ground show very few households stand to be affected by this new thrust, huge swathes of which land fall within unutilised zones. The few households which may be affected only get so affected in the sense of being resited as already indicated, all at government expense and for improved rural housing. The lucerne project about which there has been so much noise, supports the new, expanded land use by and for those communal residents. Should the programme generate excess fodder, or decide to embark on commercial lucerne production as an outgrowers initiative, those options need not undermine title or security of tenure for our communal land citizens.

The above is the policy position which President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed. Different teams and disciplines have been directed to look at all plans and instruments – the relevant Statutory Instrument included – to determine compliance with, and fulfilment of this iron-clad policy position. Should any aspect be seen not to cohere with that strict policy position, the aspect concerned will be changed or, if of a legal nature, amended, to fall in line with both policy and primary statute.

For the avoidance of doubt, the relevant Act does not allow designation of communal land for purposes of growing a specific crop or grass. I hope this clarifies the position and allays fears, while creating sound climate for execution of this much needed programme covering at least three provinces for a start, and likely to be rolled out in all drylands including those in Mashonaland East.

Lucerne growing is a small part of the development plan of the affected area. The plan is far-reaching and involves irrigation of over 200,000 hectares under thousands of centre pivots, all for crop, fruit and beef production. Those wishing to criticise the project do so by presenting it as a one-item affair which it is not. They also predicate it on the coming in of an outsider as a fodder grower, forgetting the bulk of the plan is state-involved and funded for the development of community and country.

In the coming days, there will be complete communication from the government, both by a comprehensive statement and a refashioned Statutory Instrument. The Statutory Instrument on paper is being re-examined with all sorts of possibilities. All those with throbbing veins on Chilonga will realise it’s all much ado about nothing!

Chilonga has become such a contested terrain, with indigenes who own and must profit from it getting mobilised and paid in order to defend interests they have not known or understood. Independence in 1980 scuttled a massive masterplan involving powerful global interests who to this day feel angry that our existence as an independent and sovereign state got their multi-billion-dollar enterprise up in smoke when it was still on the drawing board. Sanctions against Zimbabwe are largely coming from upset interests active in this area. From as far back as the 1950s, the Master Plan for Chiredzi had been drawn, not as a Rhodesian-only proposition, but as a global proposition on which key global interests converged. Often, we are very, very superficial in our grasp of what we are up against.

I call it grievance shopping. Chiredzi will be transformed. We will not retreat. Never again will this land beg for food. Never!

George Charamba is the spokesman for the Zimbabwe presidency

ZimEye will be livestreaming the press conference.

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By A Correspondent- The Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) joins the world in celebrating International Women’s Day. This year’s theme, “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World” recognises women’s achievements in the political, economic, and social spheres while calling for gender equality.

Women are at the front line of the crisis as health care workers, primary caregivers in the home, community organisers, and some as leaders in organisations and institutions fighting the pandemic.

Women are playing a significant role at national and community levels in promoting equality in the field of human rights and access to justice.

The role that women are playing demonstrates their ability to lead in all sectors of the economy. However, women continue to be excluded from key leadership positions due to social norms and practices that discriminate against them.

The COVID 19 pandemic has reversed the gains made in the fight against gender inequality following the economic disruptions which have resulted in job losses with women disproportionately affected.

Reports indicate that women who constitute two-fifths of the labour force globally have suffered more than half of the total job losses.

Women have had to carry the burden of unpaid work arising from the closure of schools and daycare services.

The pandemic has also seen girls dropping out of school due to pregnancies. Dropping out of school creates a permanent loss in human capital and reduces the chances of girls improving their living standards and making it into leadership positions.

While women are making significant contributions, they are also being disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Statistics show that there has been an increase in the number of reported gender-based violence cases by women since March 2020.

Restrictions on movement arising from the lockdowns have made it harder for victims to get the much-needed help.

The LRF draws attention to the need for the government and the private sector to put in places policies and programmes that will address gender inequality which has been worsened by the COVID 19 pandemic.

Programmes should focus on addressing the loss of employment by women as well as ensuring that girls who dropped out of school are given an opportunity to enrol and further their studies.

The LRF calls for a gendered response to the pandemic by the Government of Zimbabwe as it is evident that pandemics affect women and men differently.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has said it has not resumed electoral activities despite relaxation of lockdown measures by the government.

Posting on Twitter, ZEC said they will deliberate on the appropriate time to resume the electoral activities while adding that they are busy conducting preliminary delimitation desk work.

“Contrary to some reports, the Commission has not resumed any electoral activities. As you may be aware, the current relaxed lockdown measures were announced on 01 March 2021 hence the Commission will deliberate on the appropriate time to resume the electoral activities.

“The commission is only conducting preliminary delimitation desk work. Some pilot ground work was conducted last year when lockdown measures were relaxed,” ZEC said.

ZEC has come under increasing criticism for not conducting by-elections to replace legislators and councilors recalled by a rival MDC faction led by Douglas Mwonzora.

Aspiring young Zimbabwean female politicians continue to face sexual harassment among several impediments in their quest to enter the political arena.

Zanu-PF Seke-Chikomba women’s quota Member of Parliament, Tatenda Mavetera says due to the patriarchal nature of society, men tend to exploit women before granting them political  favours.

“A big challenge (for us female politicians) is sexual harassment from the gatekeepers (men). I have heard a lot of women talk about this, this is one of the biggest challenges where you get men wanting to sleep with you and they think that is how they can give you a favour, or that they can manage you.

“Resources are also another challenge but we need women to occupy these positions so that we are not victimised,” she said.

Mavetera, one of the few young women in the National Assembly, applauded President Emmerson Mnangagwa for allocating seats to young politicians, saying the move was a positive step in ensuring participation of young people in politics.

She, however, said she hoped for a constitutional provision that allowed certain constituencies to be allocated to young women or young people to facilitate their participation in politics.

“We need to demystify the myth that politics is a dirty game or that for women to occupy certain positions it’s because they slept with someone.

“That is a very wrong myth and a very negative one which stops people from getting into politics.

“It then stops even a husband from allowing his wife to get into politics as they think their marriage will break.

“That is a very wrong perception which needs to change. I think we need more workshops, more women being encouraged, and more publicity when it comes to issues to do with women getting into politics.”

“They need to know, and get motivation that they can actually get into politics through meritocracy, you can actually go there through merit and that is what I have done.

“I never got to where I am because I slept with someone. I think as women, we need to take up these positions and not sit on the periphery and watch things happening.

“We need to be involved in these things because the moment we start participating, that is when we can economically emancipate ourselves out of poverty as women.

“As young women we can only be able to achieve this if we become focused. There is no change for us without us,” she said.

Mavetera, however, said acceptance and resources also hinder political participation of young women.

“We live in a highly patriarchal society and there are gatekeepers in politics that make sure you don’t penetrate.

“One other challenge that we have faced is acceptance, people are now used to having MPs that are a bit more mature than my age.

“For me, I have tried to occupy that space with dignity, integrity and also even making sure that people are able to respect you because of the way you carry yourself around being a female politician,” she said.

Womendeliver.org, in a 2018 assessment, said “over the last two decades, the rate of women’s representation in national Parliaments globally had incrementally increased from 11,8% in 1998 to 17,8% in 2008 to 23,5% in 2018.”

Zimbabwe, during the 2018 elections saw many young women taking up positions in the country’s political space.

A 2015 UNWOMEN report, detailing the 2013 elections said: “Women’s representation in the Parliament of Zimbabwe remains low at 35% following the last elections in July 2013. Female representation in the country’s 92 urban and rural councils still remains below 20% and the country’s new 26-member Cabinet has only three female ministers.”

Esteri Magaisa, a programmes officer for the Women’s Academy in Leadership Excellence said female youth participation in politics was low in Zimbabwe.

“While a high number of women in general participate as voters, the number of women in elected leadership positions continues to dwindle. In the 2013 constituency-based elections, women won 29 (13,8% of total) of the 210 directly elected seats; the figure dropped to 26 (12,3%) after the July 2018 elections.

“In the local government elections, the percentage of female councillors dropped from 16% in 2013 to 13,3% in 2018. In all this, there is no significant seat being held by a female youth,” she said.

Magaisa added: “On the other hand there is a quota system provision in the 2013 Constitution which allows for 60 free seats for women in Parliament.

“However, there is no clear provision on how to include young women in mainstream politics.

“Notable, are young women who are in leadership roles at party level, however, none of them has competed for and won political office at the national level.”

She, however, said there was need for legal reforms, which speak to the introduction of a gender equality quota at political party level with sanctions for non-compliance.

“The government should engage political players, especially political parties, to ensure that they actively involve and appoint more women in their political structures. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission could be mandated not to allow a political party which does not confirm to the quota system to register for any electoral competition.

“There is also need to legally protect women and girls active in political life against all forms of violence, abuse and sexism,” she said.

According to a UN report on Zimbabwe, “the participation of women in politics and in decision-making positions has continued to be a challenge for government.

Zimbabwe has a gender empowerment measure of 0,359 and it is ranked five out of nine selected Sadc countries according to the Sadc human development report.

Although there are no legal barriers prohibiting women from participating in public and political life, the number of women in politics and decision-making positions has continued to decline over the years.”

A gender analysis carried out by the Harare Residents’ Trust after the 2018 elections showed that out of the 86 women who contested in the 46 wards in Harare, only 12 won.

There are plenty of international conventions that are backed by domestic policies aimed at improving the representation of women in key positions to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.

These include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw), the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Gender and Development Declaration which stipulates that countries must ensure that at least 30% women are in political decision-making by 2005, and 50% by 2015, the Convention on Civil and Political Rights (Ccpr) and the Beijing Declaration on the Platform for Action (1995), to mention a few.

The political landscape in Zimbabwe is still far from achieving what these conventions call for.-Newsday

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By A Correspondent- A report by the Zimbabwe Peace Project  (ZPP) has exposed State security agents in the country as the worst violators of human rights in the month of February.

The report released on Saturday highlighted two incidents of brutality by uniformed forces and also stated that the incidents were downplayed by authorities.

One of the incidents reportedly  occurred in Chipinge where a civilian was killed by soldiers after they accused him of being a Renamo bandit from neighbouring Mozambique.

“On February 27 2021, two soldiers, who were part of the troops operating in Chipinge, near the Zimbabwean border with Mozambique, allegedly assaulted a civilian to death. The details of the killing were kept under wraps and even as the body was taken to Chako Police Station in the area, police kept a tight lid on what transpired, in what was clearly meant to protect the assailants,” the ZPP report said.

“According to the information gathered by ZPP, the now-deceased allegedly got into a misunderstanding with one of the soldiers. The soldier then teamed up with a colleague accusing the now-deceased of being a member of the Renamo movement of Mozambique, took turns to assault him until he died.”

The report said the other incident which was exposed by NewsDay, pertained to the assault of two Beitbridge-based police officers who sustained injuries after they were allegedly assaulted on February 1, by army commandos deployed in the area.

The two police officers are Detective Sergeant Albert Gonye and Detective Constable Kurai Marongere of the Criminal Investigations Department. They were assaulted by soldiers while pursuing suspects believed to be stealing from haulage trucks.

“These two incidents, although appearing to be isolated, speak to the pattern observed in February, where some soldiers deployed across the country committed various human rights abuses targeting mostly civilians,” the ZPP added.

“The incidents also show the impunity with which the abuses were carried out as the perpetrators were not held to account and in both cases, the authorities denied that the incidents happened,” it said.

The ZPP attributed the violence on citizens by members of the uniformed forces to the lengthy lockdown period where the officers harassed citizens as they solicited for bribes.

“For the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the majority of violations occurred during the enforcement of lockdown measures, which the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) extended to the end of the month.

“Since people were required to have exemption letters in order to travel, and were supposed to wear masks, police officers took advantage of the fines, which were raised to as high as $5 000 of a level one offence, to abuse citizens caught on the wrong side of the law.”

ZPP last month recorded 221 human rights violations, 83 of which were harassment and intimidation of citizens, mostly by the police deployed to enforce the lockdown.

ZPP said there were two killings, two attempted murders, one abduction, 21 cases of unlawful detention and 35 others of assault, most of which were attributed to State security agents.

-newsday

By A Correspondent- Four Murewa men have been arrested on allegations of killing a teenager who accused one of them of dating his girlfriend.

Leonard Jambwa (28), Jacob Maunde (28), Spencer Dube (21) and Adren Kugara (23) are assisting police with investigations following the death of Clever Muuduri (18), who they allegedly assaulted to death on February 28, 2021.

Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza confirmed the incident.

“People should respect the sanctity of life and when faced with disputes, they must resort to peaceful means to resolve them,” Mwanza said.

It is alleged that on February 28, at around 3pm, the deceased and his father, Nhamo Muuduri (51) were drinking beer at a homestead in Zhakata village, Chief Mangwende area in Murewa.

The four suspects were also partaking of beer at the same homestead. The now-deceased reportedly picked a quarrel with Jambwa, accusing him of having an affair with his girlfriend.

A fist-fight broke out before the two were restrained by other patrons.  Jambwa reportedly left the homestead.

The now-deceased and his father allegedly followed and caught up with him at Dube’s residence.

The fist-fight resumed and Jambwa was overpowered by the now-deceased and his father.

Jambwa called for help from his colleagues who assaulted the duo with bricks. The four fled from the scene after realising that Muuduri had fallen unconscious.

A local teacher reportedly ferried Muuduri to Murewa District Hospital together with his father who had also been seriously injured.

Muuduri was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, leading to the suspects’ arrest for murder.-newsday

By A Correspondent- Former First Lady Grace Mugabe and a group of her associates are coming under investigation from anti-corruption authorities following complaints that they grabbed residential stands worth US$10 million without paying from an upmarket development on State land in Borrowdale.

Arosume Property Development (Pvt) Limited were appointed as developers for the land on Carrick Creagh Estate allocated to Sally Mugabe Housing Cooperative in 2005 and have now lodged complaints with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the President’s Office.

They allege that the former First Lady Grace Mugabe and then Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development Minister Ignatious Chombo used their political clout to transfer stands from the development to companies they controlled without paying for that land.

Zacc spokesperson, Commissioner John Makamure said the commission would investigate all reported cases of corruption without fear or favour, including the Carrick Creagh Estate.

“We are dealing with all suspected cases of corruption that have either been reported to us, that have appeared in the media or even on social media. We are determined to allow the law to take its course,” he said. According to a letter filed with Zacc, Grace Mugabe and Dr Chombo are accused of using undue influence.

“A tripartite agreement was thus entered into between the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development, Arosume Property Development (Pvt) Ltd and the Sally Mugabe Housing Cooperative. The object of the tripartite agreement is the development of upmarket residential stands of varying sizes at Carrick Creagh Estate, Borrowdale, Harare. To this end the ministry contributed land owned by the state whilst Arosume Property Development was tasked with the development of the area,” read the papers.

The agreement came with some regulatory and policy arrangements, such as the standard 20 percent of the land to be reserved as Government commonage as required on all developments where State land is privately developed.  

The developer negotiated that 50 undeveloped stands be transferred to Arosume before work started, due the risks involved in the scheme. But the bulk of development costs and profits would come when the stands were sold. But Arosume now alleges that some with political clout unprocedurally grabbed land from original beneficiaries and transferred the properties into companies and individual names without paying for them, reads the complaint, naming former First Lady Grace Mugabe and former Minister Ignatius Chombo. It is alleged that former First Lady Grace Mugabe transferred to companies under the directorship of two of her children, Bona and Robert Mugabe Jnr, seven stands totalling just under 10,2ha.

Companies and individuals associated with the First family that benefited include Farai Olivia Mushonganyika who obtained land worth US$364 000 without paying, Junior Gumbochuma for land worth US$544 000 (1,2ha), Penking Investment for land of US$812 000 and Montshow Investments for land of US$1,9 million.

One of the names appearing on the list is former MDC legislator Timothy Mubhawu, who is alleged to have received land worth US$432 000. Former Cabinet minister Chombo is alleged to have grabbed land worth almost US$1 million with three stands totalling 2,2ha allocated to three firms including Comverol Enterprises and Cavford Trading.-statemedia

By A Correspondent- Rural female teachers under the Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) and two other civic society organisations have launched a platform to pressure President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to guarantee them freedom of association and assembly.

This comes amid reports of an increase in government clampdown on female teachers after some of them were arrested and abused over illegal gatherings.

Last year, a female teacher from Masvingo, Sheila Chisirimunhu was arrested and brought to court for participating in a peaceful demonstration demanding a living wage.

Karen Mukwasi, director of Pada Platform, an organisation partnering Artuz and the Economic Justice for Women Project in the campaign, told NewsDay that their initiative would coincide with the International Women’s Day that is being commemorated today.

“We are commemorating International Women’s Day under the theme #ChooseToChallenge. It is impossible for women to challenge repressive systems if they are not free to associate and assemble. Women require safe spaces where they can advocate for their causes and fully participate in all democratic processes,” she said.

Mukwasi bemoaned the recent arrest of Harare West MP Joanah Mamombe and MDC Alliance activists Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova, saying such arrests formed the basis of their demand for their rights to be respected.

“If women’s rights of association and assembly were to be guaranteed, Zimbabwe would have a better democratic space and improvement of social services as well as gender equality,” Mukwasi said.

Artuz vice-president Gaudencia Mandiwopera said female teachers were being victimised for associating with her organisation.

“Attempts to fight for labour justice, including the right to fully paid maternity leave and a decent wage are met with brutal repression from the State. Our intention is to open the democratic space so that female teachers can freely associate and assemble in pursuit of labour justice,” Mandiwopera said.

-newsday

By A Correspondent- Former MDC Alliance deputy treasurer-general Lillian Timveos, who recently defected to Zanu-PF, has confirmed long-held fears that the ruling party was plotting to decimate the opposition party ahead of the 2023 elections after she claimed at the weekend that President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who she described as “my father”, had given her a “special task”.

The former MDC Alliance top executive was unveiled together with former MDC-T secretary for local government, Blessing Chebundo at State House in Harare recently.

“I saw it fit to come to Zanu-PF. It doesn’t make sense that the President (Mnangagwa) is from here (Zvishavane) and yet he has never won in this area,” said Timveos, a former member of the late MDC founder Morgan Tsvangirai’s infamous “kitchen Cabinet”.

“That must change in 2023. Don’t be afraid that I am here for positions. My father, the President, gave me a task to do, so don’t be afraid that I am here for positions. I am here to work for the party, don’t worry,” she told Zanu-PF supporters in Zvishavane on Saturday.

Timveos, however, could not disclose the nature of the task given to her, but Zanu-PF sources said she had been tasked to divulge opposition party secrets and lure more top MDC Alliance officials to the ruling party ahead of the 2023 elections.

The former MDC Alliance Zvishavane senator, who until recently was part of Nelson Chamisa’s inner circle, added: “I say he (Mnangagwa) is the people’s President because of the way I was welcomed in Zanu-PF. You all know me and I am one of the people who thought Zanu-PF was bad and I was very afraid, but it only took phone call, phone call after phone call for me to be where I am today. I can’t say much, but there are people I came with from the MDC Alliance.”

Her remarks came shortly after former MDC Alliance Masvingo Central MP Jeffreyson Chitando last week claimed that Zanu-PF was planning to launch Operation Armageddon that would see it taking over service delivery tasks in all urban areas from the MDC Alliance councils as part of efforts to lure votes.

Zanu-PF national commissar Victor Matemadanda last week disclosed that they were targeting over five million votes for Mnangagwa in 2023.

This, he said, would be achieved by fishing from the MDC Alliance pond, whose leader Chamisa got over 2,1 million votes against the Zanu-PF leader’s 2,4 million in the 2018 presidential poll.

Matemadanda said they were expecting more defections from MDC Alliance in the coming few days.

“At that rate, we will reach 2023 with only five people or no one from the MDC Alliance. We are mobilising people even from MDC Alliance and all their formations, Mthwakazi and other parties,” Matemadanda told NewsDay.

Zanu-PF’s Operation Armageddon, according to Chitando, would see line ministries superintend over key services such as waste collection and water distribution in urban centres to portray the opposition as failures.

“Zanu-PF is in panic mode as the urban voter population is rapidly increasing, while the rural population is drastically decreasing,” Chitando told NewsDay.

“Operation Armageddon will see Zanu-PF taking over the service delivery of urban areas from the MDC Alliance councillors. The President (Mnangagwa) has instructed every ministry to identify areas of intervention in line with their ministries’ line of operation.

“Roads, housing, sewage, refuse collections, education and health will be taken from city councils and placed under line ministries,” he said.

Chitando further alleged that to ensure that the operation succeeded, the Zanu-PF plan was that Mnangagwa and various high-ranking officials would literally camp in urban areas where they would officially commission various projects in a bid to lure urban voters.

“Zanu-PF is coming to cities armed with Zinara (Zimbabwe National Road Administration)’s millions of dollars to repair roads and then they will blame MDC Alliance councillors for failing to maintain the roads,” Chitando said.

But Zanu-PF provincial political commissar for Masvingo Jevas Masosota rubbished Chitando’s assertions saying: “He is just hallucinating. It’s not Zanu-PF that neglected service delivery for decades.  Since the MDC took over councils in 2000 they proved that they were only good in talking.  They only got into councils for self-aggrandisement – nothing else,” Masosota said.

MDC Alliance officials said they were aware of the ruling party’s machinations to destabilise the opposition party through blackmail and “sponsored defections”.

“Zanu-PF is desperate and is using all sorts of tactics to derail the people’s project, but this will not work. They have tried everything they can to destroy us, but our power rests in the people not in those renegades they are parading as defectors. Zanu-PF has nothing to offer the people, hence they are engaging in these archaic tactics,” MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson Clifford Hlatywayo said.-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Baboons are terrorising businesses, residents and villagers in Victoria Falls by breaking into shops to steal foodstuffs and ambushing people and snatching food from them as well as “cleaning” maize fields.

A few days ago a baboon caused a commotion when it entered OK Supermarket and stole a packet of chips.

Despite frantic efforts to scare it away, the baboon tried to go in through the front door and later returned to enter through the roof and jumped into the shop through the ceiling.

The animals’ belligerent attitude has been attributed to hunger as they cannot find fast-food leftovers in rubbish bins.

Trash cans are always empty because of a lack of tourism activity and restricted operation of restaurants due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Speaking to Chronicle on condition of anonymity, some residents said the baboons had turned Victoria Falls into a “war zone”. An employee at one of the shops said:

We clean baboon poo in the office almost every day. I think they had mastered the lockdown business hours and would enter the shops once people knock off.

Lately, they have been breaking into shops even in the presence of people. They broke two window panes into our shop and have been sneaking inside and mess around before entering the ceiling.

Sometimes we see them peeping inside wanting to come in.

The Chronicle reported a source saying it is now risky to move around carrying food as the baboons can differentiate plastic bags from food outlets from those from other shops. Said the source:

Some now camp in front of Chicken Inn or OK shops and snatch whatever they see people carrying. One baboon recently caused a stir when it entered the OK shop, went on top of a butchery fridge before jumping onto a nearby shelf where it snatched a packet of chips and fled.

On another day they charged at a man who had just bought two pies and he threw them down as he fled.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has been urged to deal with the baboon menace as there are fears that the primates will disrupt tourism in the city.

Chief Whange said some villagers in Kasibo are staring hunger after their maize crops were eaten by marauding baboons.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- 76 Gweru’s Mtapa suburb residents who were arrested on Saturday during the funeral of an alleged victim of police brutality have been released after the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum offered them legal assistance.

The mourners were part of a group that was teargassed by police after dumping Tatenda Pasinyore’s corpse near the Monomutapa Police Station entrance where he was detained before being taken to a local hospital where he died. The Forum said in a statement:

The Forum offered legal assistance to the 76 mourners arrested during the burial of Tatenda Pasinyore who died after an alleged assault by police on 28 February.

The mourners were charged with breaking COVID-19 lockdown regulations and participating in an illegal gathering.

The Forum lawyers, on instruction from the arrested, engaged police officials and the charge was lessened to violating COVID-19 lockdown regulation. All the mourners were released after paying a $500 fine each.

Pasinyore passed away at Gweru’s Mutapa Police Station after he was brutally assaulted by police who had arrested him for violating COVID-19 regulations.

The family is receiving legal assistance from the Forum and is awaiting the results of a post mortem carried out on 4 March 2021.

Police arrested the mourners who had gathered outside the police station which is located along Gweru-Matobo Road.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police were forced to intervene as residents were violating COVID-19 lockdown regulations. He said:

According to the COVID-19 regulations, funeral gatherings are limited to 30 people. So we discovered that the people who had gathered for the funeral were exceeding 30 and police had to disperse people.

On the other hand, we realised that there were some civil organisations and purported human rights activists who had taken advantage of the situation so, police had to maintain law and order.

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Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance Namibia has said Zanu PF is abusing the term patriotism in a bid to muzzle alternative voices.

Patriotism cannot be imposed on citizens, according to the MDC Alliance.

Read full statement below:

MDC ALLIANCE NAMIBIA LAMBASTS THE ZANUPF PROPONENTS OF THE SENSELESS AND UNDEMOCRATIC PATRIOTIC BILL.

06 MARCH 2021

Mdc Alliance Namibia is absolutely amazed that the Parliament of Zimbabwe has the time to debate on the useless patriotic bill that seeks to muzzle the citizenry’s democratic rights to express their political opinions about how Zimbabwe is being governed.

Instead of priotising fixing the devastating economic meltdown, Zanupf Mberengwa South legislator Alum Mpofu said, “I move the motion in my name that: Cognisant that Zimbabwe’s image and national reputation are critical factors in attracting foreign investment…have enacted laws that bar citizens from engaging in unpatriotic activities and communication intended to denigrate the integrity of their homeland”.

This is incontrovertible evidence proving Mnangagwa’s futile attempt to put Zimbabweans on mute and make sure they don’t castigate the cartels and their enablers who are running national affairs like their tuckshops.

Mpofu’s utterances unearthed Zanupf’s deliberate diversion from serious national issues like the gross abuse of human freedoms manifesting in unprecedented levels of human butchery of opposition activists and journalists. Zanupf legislator went on to open up attacking his own rotten system in the process of moving the motion. He said,”…the overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans are focused on building the positive image of the country as reforming , open , peaceful and democratic country that is attractive to investment”. This is a clear testimony that even politically inept Zanupf morons also subscribe to social democracy but due to fear of persecution by the Harare monocratic regime, they continue to support looting and corruption.

Moreover,Mdc Alliance Namibia would like to make it clear that they reject to be stifled by greedy politicians who intend to silence voices of dissent in the motherland and the diaspora.

We shall continue to speak condemning autocratic Zanupf government for failing to revamp our economy. We shall continue to amplify our revolutionary voices against the arbitrary arrests and detention of our people for speaking against the selective application of the law. Zanupf must know that patriotism can’t be imposed on the citizens.

Love is a natural drive! This attempt to compel citizens to love a country governed by greedy stomach politicians who eat on behalf of the citizens who continue to wallow in abject poverty as Zanupf accelerates belly politics of plunder and self-enrichment.

We concur with Hon Molokele Daniel who postulated that the talk of patriotism should not be allowed in Parliament when the motherland has political prisoners in the names of Cde Makomborero Haruzivishe, Takudzwa Ngadziore, Chiriga, Hon Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, Tungamirai Madzokere, Last Maengahama only to mention but a few. Mdc Alliance Namibia demands the unconditional release of its organic and pragmatic leadership.

The Parliament of Zimbabwe must be people driven. We can’t have a Parliament that decides on behalf of the people against their will as well the Supreme Law of the country. Demonstrations and protests are allowed by the 2013 constitution, Joana and other revolutionaries should be allowed to express their political opinions without fear of persecution by prosecution. These are the issues that should be brought to the August House for debating.

Furthermore, we have got civil society activists who have been denied bail in the motherland for standing up for the truth or being true patriots.

How then do you expect such citizens to say anything positive about a satanic thugocratic government that is tormenting its citizens for sharing a different plate of political opinion? Civil servants and all in the private sector are struggling to join pieces together including paying school fees for their helpless children. In the recent months , we saw Amalgamated Rural Teachers’Union of Zimbabwe’s Gender Secretary for Masvingo Province (Artuz) sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for demanding a living wage against slave wages paid to teachers in the motherland. These are the issues that must be brought to Parliament to give trade unionists their powers to protest against unsalted peanuts (meagre salaries).

To wind it up, Mdc Alliance Namibia urges Mpofu to preach the ideology of social democracy to his cronies before moving foolish and helpless motions in the sacred House of Legislators. As a district , we shall continue speaking against gross abuse of power by Zanupf terrorists. We are not deterred by empty bills that are meant to rob us of our democratic rights to speak out our minds regarding governance issues. We are Zimbabweans! We are not scared of the patriotic bill since we are going to employ all our organs to resist an attempt to establish a One-party state.

FreeCdeMako
FreeCecilia
FreeHonJoana
FreeChiriga
FreeTakudzwa
FreeLast
FreeTunga
ZanupfMustGo
CartelsMustFall
OurLandIsOurProsperity
OurLand
ChilongaSolidarity

Mdc Alliance Namibia
Rundu Branch Spokesperson
Robson Ruhanya

Tinashe Sambiri|Pressure groups and church organizations are deeply concerned about the victimization of Shangaan people by the Zanu PF administration.

In a postion paper released last week, MACRAD Trust challenged the eviction of Chilonga villagers by Zanu PF.

The MDC Alliance Youth Assembly( Masvingo Province) has implored churches and Non Governmental Organizations to fight for the rights of Chilonga villagers.

See statement below:

People Of Masvingo People Are United In Defending Their Cultural Heritage and Natural Resources

04 March 2021

As Masvingo MDC A Youth Assembly ,we are the residents of the province and our brothers,sisters and parents are the genuine occupants of Chilonga area.

We therefore stand firm with the people of Chilonga-we one and the same. We condemn the violation of the villagers’ right to dignity,their livelihoods ,cultural practices, land rights and indigenous knowledge systems.

Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime should be sensitive to the needs of the poor and implement policies that put the people first.

We note with concern oppression of minority groups in the country.

The Zanu pf regime has ignored the plight of the people of Chiredzi North and South.

Not sparing the zero developmental policies in areas like Mwenezi where the Shangaan and the Pfumbi minority groups hail from. In its effort to achieve their exploitative policies the Zanu pf regime has always resorted to politicization of the Traditional leadership.

We applaud the Local Traditional leaders for standing firm and protecting their traditional and cultural values and natural treasures in their local land.

Whose agenda and for whose benefit do they want to sacrifice shifting such a large number of villagers from their land?

In the MDCA policy blueprint the respect and uplifting of minority groups is clear and the respect for a bottom up approach to implementation of policies is critical.

Zanu pf regime has no clue or plan to address the problems of these groups.

As MDCA under the caring hands of Advocate Nelson Chamisa ,we are willing to join hands with all groups Civic Society, Churches, traditional leaders and cultural pressure groups in speaking with one voice against this victimization of the Chilonga people.

Timoth Muswere
MDCA Masvingo Youth Assembly Spokesperson

By A Correspondent- The Tyson Wabantu movement has blamed its failure to register any meaningful growth since 2019 on Covid-19 and associated lockdown measures aimed at stemming the spread of the disease.

Former Zanu-PF members, particularly from the G40 faction, unveiled the “Tyson Wabantu” movement in Bulawayo during roadshows held in the city’s high-density suburbs in 2019.

Self exiled former cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere was reported to be behind the movement, a claim he did not publicly deny.

However, the movement has evidently not registered any meaningful growth with Andifasi Banda, the Bulawayo Tyson WaBantu interim provincial mobilisation and recruitment secretary, blaming the failure on Covid-19.

“We had lined up quite a number of grassroots mobilisation programmes before the lockdowns were announced in March 2020. All the plans we had were, however, put on ice as a result,” Banda said.

“We had to shelve all our programmes and postpone every meeting we had lined up as a movement.

“We are, however, using social media platforms and having house meetings in our districts to keep in touch with our members.”

In January last year, Banda was arrested and taken to court facing charges of distributing the movement’s fliers in the city without police clearance.

According to the state’s case, Banda, who had applied for police clearance on behalf of the movement to hold the roadshow, “failed to comply with the direction or condition under which the procession or public demonstration is authorised.

“Unlawfully failed to do so and went on to organise the procession of persons and vehicles where fliers written #Tyson Wabantu for My Hope, My Choice, My Voice were distributed in pursuit of a common purpose of demonstrating support for a political organisation namely National Patriotic Front (NPF).”

Banda is also the national commander of the Zimbabwe National Service Graduates Association (Zinasga), an association representing graduates of the controversial National Youth Service (NYS).

Zinasga consists of mainly disgruntled or expelled Zanu-PF members, particularly those linked to the G40 faction.  It is an affiliate of the NPF.

Inbox

Message from the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls

8 March 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a dim light on the progress made in achieving gender equality by 2030 in Zimbabwe as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A little over one year since the pandemic struck, a myriad of studies and surveys have reported exacerbation of gender inequalities as women and girls continue to bear the brunt of unpaid labour, while being disproportionately at risk of violence compared to their male counterparts.

The pandemic is indeed not only a health crisis but also a social one. The COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to curb the spread of the disease, such as national
lockdowns have resulted in what is now dubbed “The Shadow Pandemic” as emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. 1 Teenage pregnancies are also on the rise as a result of the lockdowns.

The world has come to understand that violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive violations of human rights. Such a recognition illustrates that gender-based violence is not as a result of women and girls’ innate vulnerability, but a deeply-rooted structural discrimination against women and girls that perpetuates gender inequality.

Gender inequality lies at the very root of gender-based violence, and unless the issue is addressed, a future where women and girls live free from violence and discrimination is futile.

Thus, while the COVID- 19 pandemic continues and efforts to curb its spread intensify, now is the time to equally buckle up and work hard to achieve gender equality in spite of the challenges the pandemic has revealed.

This is a matter of urgency as women are at the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic as healthcare and frontline workers both at institutional level and at home. The Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls is so critical now more than ever in the fight against gender-based violence in Zimbabwe.

The European Union (EU) has committed USD21m for phase 1 of implementation of the Spotlight Initiative and is leading the fight for gender equality from the front. The Spotlight Initiative takes the EU political commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly SDG 5, to the next level.

1 “The Shadow Pandemic: Violence against women during COVID-19”: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in- focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response/violence-against-women-during-covid-19

With the generous funding of the EU, the four-year Spotlight Initiative programme aims to:
Ensure that Zimbabwe adopts and implements legislation that strengthens the Constitutional provisions on gender equality, which leads to effective prevention and response to all forms of GBV and strengthens institutions to be more gender-responsive in their overall mandates,
 Design programmes that advance prevention of violence,
 Provide essential services to survivors, and
 Foster a strong social movement against violence and harmful practices at the national and sub- national levels.
Achieving gender equality and ending violence against women and girls can only be realized through a whole-society approach. For Zimbabwe to protect and ensure the rights of women and reap the benefit from engaging more than half of the population to recover better from COVID-19, a deliberate policy and strategic focus should include:
First, ensuring equal access to education. Gender inequality in education leads to higher fertility, higher child mortality, higher malnutrition, and lower education investments with the effects often being quite large. Policies designed to boost enrolment would particularly help poor women and thus contributing to poverty reduction in income and non-income dimensions.

In addition, the educational attainment and future financial status of children is much likely to reflect those of the mother than those of the father. Considering that human capital is the most important prerequisite for growth, education and enhanced economic status for women are critical to meeting long-term development objectives.

Second, women must be drawn into the economic mainstream. The consequence of decline in women’s relative or absolute economic status has both an ethical and long-term economic implication.

Any process of growth that fails to improve the welfare of the people experiencing the greatest hardship, broadly recognized to be women, has failed to accomplish one of the principal goals of development. In the long run, the low status of women would translate into slow economic growth.

Third, regulating and legalizing informal-sector employment where the majority of the female labour force (about 90 % according to some estimates) is employed would improve the economic status of women through facilitating access to credit and other services.

Fourth, increased participation of women in governance and political decision making at all levels. Women’s empowerment either through affirmative action or other avenues is associated with improved governance and reduced corruption.

Gender equality is a critical economic issue for Zimbabwe, directly linked to growth and poverty reduction outcomes, and not a marginal social or women’s issue concerned with equity, and thus should be prioritized as a matter of urgency for the country to progress.

The Spotlight Initiative, led by the UN Resident Coordinator, is being implemented by six UN Agencies (UN Women, ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA and UNICEF) in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe, Parliament, Independent Commissions, Civil Society, Academic Institutions, the Private Sector, and the Media and directly and indirectly targets 11 million beneficiaries, particularly rural women and girls, women and girls with disabilities and those living with HIV.

By A Correspondent- Harare City Council has been effectively crippled after the police and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (Sacu) yesterday arrested chamber secretary Charles Kandemiri and launched a manhunt for finance director Stanley Ndemera, who is allegedly on the run over a litany of illicit deals.

The arrests took the number of those already in the dock to at least eight, including town clerk Hosea Chisango, who are all implicated in several cases of fraud involving land deals.HARARE City Council has been effectively crippled after the police and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (Sacu) yesterday arrested chamber secretary Charles Kandemiri and launched a manhunt for finance director Stanley Ndemera, who is allegedly on the run over a litany of illicit deals.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the latest arrest and that Ndemera was on the run.

“The ZRP confirms that the Police Special Investigations Unit and Special Anti-Corruption Unit are looking for Harare City Council’s acting finance director Stanley Ndemera in connection with criminal inquiries relating to land allocation and sales in the city,” Nyathi said.

“Acting chamber secretary for Harare City Council, Charles Kandemiri, has been arrested by the team.”

Head of the Special Anti-Corruption Unit Tabani Mpofu also confirmed the arrest of Kandemiri and that Ndemera was on the run for alleged criminal abuse of office.

Ndemera and Kandemiri join several other heads within the local authority that include Chisango, housing director Admore Nhekairo, human resources boss Cainos Chingombe, acting human resources director Matthew Marara and security chief Collen Tongoona, among others.

Works director Zvenyika Tongoona is allegedly still on the run.

Two of Harare’s former mayors, Herbert Gomba and Jacob Mafume, are also in the dock on allegations of criminal abuse of office together with former acting mayor Luckson Mukunguma.

Acting mayor Stewart Mutizwa said the arrests were negatively affecting service delivery and had brought uncertainty at town house.

“It is affecting us big time,” Mutizwa said.

“There is no certainty and whoever is acting doesn’t know their fate tomorrow.

“The arrests are also haphazard and you don’t know where it is going or coming from. That is the dilemma we have.”

Mabhena Moyo is the acting town clerk and also acting water director.

How would you picture the life of a former international cricketer? Probably nurturing the next generation of cricketers, commentating, working for a cricket board as an administrator or simply enjoying retirement away from the hassle of formal employment?

Well, the life of former Zimbabwe cricket team fast bowler player Waddington Mwayenga is a far cry from all this.

Mwayenga, who played one Test and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in a brief international career between 2002 and 2006, is pursuing a new career path as a bus driver in Melbourne, Australia.

The 36-year-old Zimbabwean is one of the three former international cricketers currently employed by the Melbourne-based bus company known as Transdev together with former Sri Lanka players Suraj Randiv and Chinthaka Jayasinghe.

The three cricketers play for local cricket clubs in Australia, but have had to take to other careers to survive Down Under.

Mwayenga is a father of two children: a three-year-old son and daughter born in 2019. After having his first child in 2017, he was attracted to a career at Transdev because he wanted a flexible job to help his wife raise the family.

“I love it, it’s very flexible and you meet some amazing people,” Mwayenga said recently in an interview with the Australian TV station Channel 9 News.

Transdev Melbourne managing director Ian Craig told the company’s official website transdevmelbourne.com.au, Mwayenga is part of a team of over 1 200 bus drivers from diverse ethnic and career backgrounds who are part of their crew.

“We have a huge diversity of professional backgrounds, among our [more] than 1 200 bus drivers,” Craig explained.

“Next time you get on the bus you may be driven by a former cricketer, a former pastry chef, or a former social worker just to name a few examples.

“Despite the diversity of backgrounds, our drivers share a united passion for customer service and ensuring we continue to provide Victorians with a safe, reliable and comfortable journey,” he said.

Mwayenga and Randiv, who was a part of Sri Lanka’s playing 11 in the 2011 World Cup final, were recruited via Transdev’s Journey Maker Academy, an initiative developed to help people from outside the transport industry to become bus drivers, the company explains.

The programme is particularly targeted at people with car licences and strong customer service backgrounds, who are supported in gaining a heavy vehicle licence required to drive a bus, it adds.

Since 2018, Transdev Melbourne has recruited 200 bus drivers via its Journey Maker Academy programme; it also offers dedicated recruitment programmes for experienced bus and truck drivers, it says.

Jayasinghe, who played five T20Is for Sri Lanka between 2009 and 2010, was recruited through the Bus-to-Bus programme, which helps experienced bus drivers transition into a new role via a tailored training programme – including driving evaluation and tailored training in customer service, Transdev states.

In 2020, Transdev recruited a number of experienced drivers from the tourism industry due to the impact of Covid-19, it explains.

While playing cricket and driving a bus may seem worlds apart, the drivers say they draw on traits such as patience, teamwork and discipline developed during their professional sporting careers in their current bus driving roles as they help Victorians get to where they need to go.

Mwayenga, who has been with Transdev for more than a year, is based at the Thomastown depot in Melbourne, Victoria.

The former Zimbabwe international cricketer, who became an Australian citizen in 2014, worked for Cricket Australia for 10 years as multicultural programmes officer, promoting and developing cricket in newly-arrived immigrant communities.

Additionally, Mwayenga also plays for Youlden Parkville Cricket Club in Victoria, where he has starred as a player and coach since 2008, winning several individual and team accolades along the way.

Harare-born Mwayenga was a promising right-arm pace bowler whose potential was recognised at a young age, but never fully managed to fulfil the early promise in his international career.

His father was a groundsman at St John’s College in Harare, and it was while hanging around there with his older brother Allan (a left-arm seamer) that the legendary development coach Bill Flower, father of Andy and Grant, discovered his potential and arranged for a cricket scholarship for both boys to Vainona High School, and later St John’s itself.

He represented Zimbabwe at age group levels and in the Under-19 World Cup of 2002, where he took five for 21 in the match against Kenya.

He had a traumatic ODI debut against a strong Pakistan team and struggled against India on his Test debut almost three years later.

As a 20-year-old, Mwayenga also played against his now adopted country Australia in an ODI at Harare Sports Club in 2004.

He took a catch to remove the legendary wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist and claimed the prized wicket of the Aussie skipper Ricky Pointing off his own bowling, although the tourists comfortably won the match by 139 runs.

“A baptism of fire I guess, just being a 20-year-old playing against people of Michael Clarke’s calibre,” he said of the experience.”-standard

Thirty-nine-year-old retrenchee Thembelani Masuku ditched the bustling life of Bulawayo in May 2020 for his rural home in Matshetsheni village in Gwanda North, about 100 kilometres away.

It was not by choice, he said.

Rural life offered the only option to escape the city as the Covid-19 pandemic had made life unbearable – he had no ready income after losing his job.

“I had to make a tough decision to leave the city in May. I lost my job at a Chinese-run factory. My landlord wouldn’t lower the rent despite the crisis,” said Masuku, a welder and father of three.

Masuku was paying US$45 in monthly rentals for three rooms in Lobengula West.

Relocating was the only fallback plan.

A December 2020 Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (Zimstats) report says the Covid-19 lockdown had significantly impacted migration trends revealing that about 12% of the country’s urbanites relocated to rural areas.

The findings are from a survey conducted between August 24 and September 23, 2020 by Zimstats, World Bank and Unicef.

The report highlights the findings: “Only 12% migrated from urban areas to rural areas while no household moved from rural to urban areas.”

Twenty-six percent moved from one rural area to another rural area, it adds.

Gwanda North ward one councillor Stanford Nkala said a steady flow of people to his ward had been standard since April.

“Sixteen people retrenched due to the Covid-19 economic impact returned to the village last year,” Nkala said.

“Whether they relocated permanently or not, I am not sure.”

Alex Nxumalo of Masholomoshe village is one of the many who joined the great trek from Bulawayo to the rural district rich in gold deposits.

Nxumalo moved in July with his family. His temporary stay has somewhat become permanent.

“There is increased urban-to-rural migration right now. Many people in towns are suffering due to the virus,” he said.

“Here, the rent is free. It’s a much better situation. Some people are unsure they will ever go back to towns.”

Throughout the crisis, rural areas have offered a haven from the virus, motivating some urbanites to seek shelter in the countryside.

However, the flipside is that the highly contagious virus has also started spreading to rural areas.

This could increase pressures on public health services designed for lower numbers of inhabitants, Nxumalo said.

“It is important for the government to expand the pool of trained doctors accessible to the rural population and roll out mass testing,” he added.

Zimbabwe is currently in the throes of the pandemic with deaths having surged above the 1400 mark.

According to Zimstat, the Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) for Zimbabwe stood at $4,670.04 per person in December 2020. The poverty datum lines vary from one province to the other.

In that same month, for Matabeleland South, individually Masuku and Nxumalo needed about $4 000 to survive, and yet in Bulawayo, they would each need an extra $1 000.

-Citizens Bulletin

An open response to George Charamba,

You know we know each other very well, you’re aware I used to frequently visit late RGM. During my 9 month tenure as MashWestChair, I had the opportunity to meet RGM about 12 times for not less than 2hrs each visit

He’d personally call for the meetings much to the chagrin of other Govt Ministers who often had to wait outside for the audience. But for you to go to such great lengths to explain, certainly there’s an issue. You’re one professional person I respect, let’s take corrective action

You’re one person who’s pro-black, who’s pro-land reform, let’s protect and defend the founding principles of the struggle. Until Grace attacked you, you kept calm but I knew that was the end of the, then President’s tenure because you defended him and you’ve been loyal.

Though other people misunderstand you, I know you to be someone who’s loyal. There was an S.I. issued by the Minister, Kanyemba had no S.I. neither did other projects. If I missed them, kindly show them to me.

Unfortunately, @edmnangagwa is ill-advised, this is one such thing he was ill-advised about as has been the case on many issues. You know I’ve always supported the President, stood by him & garnered more votes for him than many @ZANUPF_Official MPs in their constituencies.

However national interest is critical & in the national interest, one must be able to raise facts. You know that when I have raised an issue, I try to be well detailed and speak from an informed position. I may not be as educated as some, but I’ve tried to master the Constitution.

I understand the S.I.&tried to ask questions&issues raised in Parly. I’ll not attest to being the best Parliamentarian but I think I’ve national interest at heart. Part of national interest & leadership is to concede when there’s misinformation; there’s nothing wrong in doing so.

This is what this 2nd Republic must do; concede. The problem is the prevalence and extent of corruption; it’s gone too far. Already the very same Coetzee family has been given a monopoly to supply water pumps. They’ve begun in Gweru & Warren Park and are slowly moving nationwide.

Even if they have the capacity it’s not a problem, but why give them a monopoly over our own with equal capacity? Ultimately we are black and we are one. Even members of the opposition are black and their interest is to see this country progress more than the minority do.

We fought the minority in the struggle and won. The democracy we enjoy today is a result of fighting in the struggle. But let’s find a way of uniting blacks who are part of this country. Tradition, culture & heritage must be respected by all. Let’s respect our people.

Even if the people are poor, they’re rich in culture, heritage and tradition. I’ve never had such an exchange with you, but with all due respect, advise them properly. The problem with the 2nd Republic is that it doesn’t know it’s enemies and allies.

Unfortunately, you’re not an MP, so you can’t answer some of these questions in Parly. I’d dread the day you were in Parly as I know you’d be capable of answering these questions. However for now you’re not there, those guys would be skinned alive.

Corrective measures must be taken for national interest and to preserve our culture and national heritage.

I’m out on this for today…..

Icho! Charira! Kupi? KuChilonga, Chiredzi…..

Female participation in politics has remained a contentious issue with various women organisations and pressure groups pushing for adherence to the Zimbabwean constitution that stipulates equal representation of men and women in politics.

While Zimbabwe is a signatory to various regional and international human rights protocols on gender equality, women participation in politics remains a challenge. One such declaration is the Sadc Gender and Development Declaration which aimed for at least 30% women in political decision-making by 2005 and 50% by 2015.

The Parliament of Zimbabwe still has males dominating their female counterparts while the presidium, has remained male-dominated following the departure of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru in 2014. With the recent resignation of former Vice-President Kembo Mohadi from office over allegations of abuse of office, various organisations and ordinary citizens have added their voice to the call for a female vice-president.

Padare Enkundleni Men’s Forum on Gender, an organisation which seeks to challenge the status quo in gender relations of power and to promote a gender-just society, has added its voice to the call for a female replacement for the vice-president.

National director of Padare Walter Vengesai said a female vice-president would not only give hope to the fight for emancipation of women, but demonstrate political will on the part of the second republic to respect the rights of women and accord them a platform to contribute to national development.

“Women have for a long time borne the brunt of political exclusion owing to a largely patriarchal society that takes women participation in politics as retrogressive. It has been very difficult for women in politics to express themselves let alone contribute meaningfully to national development.

“Dating back to the days of Margaret Dongo, women in politics have not had it easy with serious backlashes to their desire to self-determine. The rise of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru was a ray of hope for Zimbabwe with some hoping she would over time rise to the top office in the land. As gender rights practitioners, we would want to state our desire for a female vice-president given the new void in the presidium,” he said.

Vengesai said the elevation of a female candidate to the presidium would not be a victory win for women alone, but all progressive citizens that respect the rights of all regardless of gender.

“Given that women constitute more than half the world’s population, it is imperative that they are represented in a way that is commensurate with such demographics. Women’s participation in electoral and governance processes remains far from adequate despite so much work having gone into advocating for their inclusion and participation.

“We are happy that we have seen a 50–50 representation in ministers of State for Provincial Affairs allocations with Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Manicaland and Bulawayo provinces having female ministers in office, but we will be a lot happier if the Vice- President replacement will be female. This will be a victory not just for women, but for all progressive citizens that value gender rights for all,” he said.

Educationist and ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) scholar Saymore Masaisai, who is currently doing research in Educational Management, School Leadership and Administration at Tokyo Gakugei University in Japan, said a female vice-president would be good for women empowerment.

“Having a woman as the new vice-president will not just be a celebration of the gender of being female, but a story of liberation. Women have been vulnerable species in society and for long could not sit on decision-making platforms and having them represented in the presidium will also help fight discrimination of women in politics.

“Having a female VP in Zimbabwe though not a first in the country will be a move in the right direction and will certainly give us hope as a nation. The fight for women emancipation started from as far back as the Beijing conference and it is important that as a country we move to empower them,” he said.

Masaisai’s sentiments were also echoed by musician and Padare Enkundleni Men’s Forum on Gender member Peace “Bashupi” Ndlovu, who said rights for women must be everyone’s concern and as Padare men they were advocating for the President and government to consider a female Vice-President candidate.

“As a musician and a member of Padare Enkundleni Men’s Forum on Gender, I join the call for a female Vice-President. The role of women in community and national development cannot be overemphasised and I challenge the President and our leaders in government to seriously consider a female Vice-President.

“Even more important is the fact that this call is coming at a time everyone is hoping for a change in the way we do our politics and engagements at all levels. Gender parity is a key aspect of national development,” Bashupi said.

Padare board chairman Jonah Gokova said the call for women inclusion and gender parity in politics and governance dates back to the 90s and there is no better time for the President and his government to elevate a woman to the Presidium and he is happy that Padare is pushing for this ideal after the resignation of the former Vice- President.

“The push for much greater attention on the place and role of women in public affairs came to the fore of politics and policy in the period from the early 1990s when, at about the same time as domestic pressures were mounting on authoritarian regimes for far-reaching governance reforms, a new round of global awareness on activism about women’s rights was brought into national conversations in different African countries about uplifting women’s positions in governance.

“This was in a context where an excess of obstacles, including conservative cultural beliefs and religious doctrines, combined with patriarchal practices to perpetuate the exclusion of women from the public sphere in any significant and meaningful roles. In view of all this, a female vice-president among a host of other progressive changes would do well to foster gender rights and inclusion of women in politics in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Padare programmes development and fundraising manager Thando Makubaza said the resignation of the former Vice-President presents an opportunity for the Presidium and the Executive to consider a female VP in respect of the constitution and other regional and international level protocols on gender.

“As Padare, we are making an appeal for the President and Executive to consider having women in the presidium and to demonstrate implementation of the 2013 constitution and all the other statutes at the national, regional and international level. The SADC protocol on gender demands women representation.

“The President must replace the retired vice-president with a woman candidate of virtue to push our country in the right direction. The time is now and there is no better time than now to achieve this. As Padare and the men of Zimbabwe, we are making this plea,” she said.

Makubaza’s sentiments were echoed by Padare programmes officer in charge of the Women in Politics programme Paul Vingi who said for Padare, a female vice-president was good for development and as Padare they were happy to add their voice to the call because they had always advocated for gender rights and the inclusion of women in politics

“We have clear frameworks that advocate for women inclusion including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), known as the women’s international bill of rights, the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights (ICCPR),  and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) to the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and, more recently, the  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Padare together with other women’s activist groups have spared no effort to mobilise opinion and pressure governments and other institutions of public policy to respect the international obligations on women’s rights to which most African countries voluntarily committed themselves. It is our hope that the recent resignation of the vice-president presents an opportunity for that positive shift,” he said.

Padare is a pro-gender parity organisation which has conducted  research around women’s political participation and the results show that, from the presidium women are not represented. Zimbabwe used to have a female vice-president, but has taken steps back in terms of inclusion. The same applies in cabinet, the judiciary and legislature, local government, public service, traditional leadership, private sector and political parties.-standard

The Covid-19 outbreak has piled more misery on Bulawayo residents, who are enduring sleepless nights due to the irritating mosquito menace caused by council’s failure to disinfect breeding sites, citing operational constraints.

Typically, council rolls out anti-mosquito disinfection campaigns in the city which also entails cutting grass, perfect breeding grounds for the insects known for relentless buzzing sounds.

The mosquito menace is now forcing some residents to dig deep into their pockets to buy mosquito repellents, which are costly.

A single roll of mosquito coil sells for 10 rand, or $40, while a mosquito repellant spray retails for anything upwards of $350  at major supermarkets in the city.

“The reality of the matter is that mosquitoes are now a public nuisance,” said Sikhululekile Moyo, the ward 17 councillor.

“One cannot have a peaceful sleep these days with these mosquitoes.”

The  heavy  rains have made the situation worse as seen in tall grass and flowing streams in residential areas, becoming conducive breeding grounds for the insects.

Mosquito breeding reaches a peak during the hot wet months, mainly from September to March.

“We are not seeing council teams cutting grass or embarking on anti-malaria spraying programmes as they used to in the past,” complained ward seven resident Patrick Ndlovu, adding “no wonder the mosquito menace.”

The 2020 Covid-19 lockdown measures, which disrupted economic activities and livelihoods, affected the council’s financial capacity to roll out the fight against mosquitoes, city officials argue.

“The skeletal teams that are supposed to carry out mosquito spraying programmes are swamped in that they also have to be disinfecting some public sites for Covid-19, disinfect gravesites, mortuaries, quarantine centres and so forth,” Moyo said.

Ward 24 councillor Arnold Batirai added: “We are working with a skeletal staff because of the lockdown.

“Under normal circumstances, we could have seen teams on the ground, cutting grass.”

Government departments and other private companies are also working with skeletal staff as a Covid-19 preventive measure, with the majority of employees continuing to work from home.

However, while residents complain, the council says they are part of the problem.

According to the council, the city is too broke to afford some chemicals needed in the anti-mosquito fight as residents are not paying bills.

“The major challenge is that the majority of residents are not working, the lockdown has affected the capacity of many to pay bills,” said councillor Shadreck Sibanda.

According to Bulawayo City Council, only 16% of ratepayers fully paid their bills in 2020.

Council is owed as much as $700 million in outstanding bill payments. Government departments also owe the local authority several millions of dollars in unpaid bills.

Sibanda added: “This then affects us in that the council is left with no financial resources to pay the community groups employed to cut the grass, or to purchase required chemicals to destroy the breeding sites of the insects.”

According to a recent council health and housing education report, “the section had challenges on chemicals, impacting mosquito control negatively.”

However, the report shows that the department in December continued with the clearing of streams; 2 730 metres along Bulawayo Spruit, 2 550 metres, Luveve SDA, 600 metres along the Bulawayo Spruit and 600 metres along National Foods stream.

“Spotters continued with monitoring of streams, some moderate to heavy breeding of Culicidae (a sub-family of the insects) mosquitoes were found along the streams and treated,” the report revealed.

Streams named as having heavy mosquito breeding are Matsheumhlophe, Bulawayo Spruit, Luveve SDA Woodlands and Hillside, Glengary, Mahatshula stream, Batch Street, Mkambo canal, New Lobengula, Luveve road and Emakhandeni stream.

Bulawayo deputy mayor Mlandu Ncube said Covid-19 had made it difficult for the council to hire community groups to cut grass and carry out other mosquito control programmes.

“Normally, we hire community groups through community leadership such as councillors, but the challenge now is that it is tough to gather those people due to Covid-19,” Ncube says.

“All departments were affected financially by Covid-19; we are struggling to provide some services.”

However, the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) has urged the council to look for alternative revenue streams instead of relying on ratepayers to fund service delivery operations.

“There is a need for council to come up with alternative revenue sources urgently. There is need to cut down on unnecessary expenditure and reduce overtime expenditures,” BPRA coordinator Emmanuel Ndlovu said.

-Citizen’s Bulletin

By James Gwati- The government has announced that it will be vaccinating all teachers when schools open.

Schools are opening on the 15th of March and 22nd of March respectively.

“As you know, teachers are part of the frontline workers and the Government has placed them under Phase Two of vaccination which is likely to begin soon,” Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education communication and advocacy director, Mr Taungana Ndoro told the state media at the weekend.

“We are not sure of the exact date when teachers will receive their jabs, but as a Ministry, we have put in place measures that ensure maximum safety for teachers and learners,” he said.

According to the World Health Organisation, although everyone should be vaccinated against COVID-19, it remains an individual’s personal choice to receive the jab.

By A Correspondent- Social media personality, Killer Zivhu says the recent high profile defections from the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa do not signify the party’s demise.

Zivhu, a former Zanu PF MP (Chivi South), said those officials dumping the MDC-A for Zanu PF are past their sell-by date and their departure will not negatively impact the party’s performance at the polls.

Zivhu posted on Twitter:

Those who think Chamisa is finished muka ubike doro (return to your senses), he can’t be finished by the defections of some old clueless and tired politicians.

Only tangible projects by the ruling party can finish him not parading of some disgruntled politicians. Those who think Chamisa is finished muka ubike doro, he can’t be finished by the defections of some old clueless and tired politicians. Only tangible projects by the ruling party can finish him not parading of some disgruntled politicians

— Hon Zivhu (@killerzivhu1) March 6, 2021

Zivhu’s comments come after losing MDC-A vice presidential candidate Lilian Timveos and Blessing Chebundo, who lost the Kwekwe Central Constituency primaries to a young female activist, joined ZANU PF last month.

Timveos lost to Lynette Kore, Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube for the MDC-A vice presidency at the 2019 congress held in Gweru while Chebundo defected to the MDC-T before joining ZANU PF.

In another tweet, Zivhu chided opposition activists for calling for members of the public to boycott Dendairy products saying those are childish antics.

Said Zivhu:

Opposition leaders telling people to boycott products of a certain company is childish, already the majority can’t afford the products. Tell the people to register to vote and express themselves in a ballot box.

Opposition leaders telling people to boycott products of a certain company is childish, already the majority can’t afford the products. Tell the people to register to vote and express themselves in a ballot box

— Hon Zivhu (@killerzivhu1) March 7, 2021

Dendairy, a dairy company owned by Neville Coetzee who has links with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has made headlines after Government granted it communal lands inhabited by the Shangaan tribe in Chilonga, Chiredzi District for its cow grass project.

Local Government Minister July Moyo recently notified the villagers that they must depart permanently from their ancestral land to pave way for Dendairy’s lucerne grass project.

By James Gwati- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said it was looking for US$10 billion for them to conduct the 2023 national elections.

The elections management body told state media that it had started mobilising $10 billion required for what they called the expansive nationwide exercise.

“In total, the exercise requires around $10,6 billion to cater for preparations, procurement of vehicles and equipment, the establishment of ICT infrastructure, training of staff and stakeholders, production of voter education material, publicity and awareness campaigns, fieldwork and production and distribution of the delimitation report among others,” ZEC chief elections officer Mr Utoile Silaigwana said.

By A Correspondent- The controversial Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has announced that is has begun drawing up new National Assembly constituency boundaries that will be used for 2023 harmonised elections.

Every time the country holds elections the Priscilla Chigumba led ZEC draws up new constituency boundaries raising questions about why they usually change the delimitations.

The controversial national electoral body said it had started undertaking what it called the first phase of the delimitation exercise, which involves updating polling stations and adding new residential areas into the voter registration database ahead of next year’s boundary mapping process.

By James Gwati- Victims of the last Friday’s Nyanga Prisons road accident have been identified.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police has identified the four ZPCS officers as Mango Chakanyuka (42), Maluvani John (38), Rima Moses (40) and Faith Nyapokoto (age not ascertained).

Two civilians — Alice Joma (42) and Ruvarashe Karairwa (20) — also lost their lives together with an inmate Anesu Muusha (48).

Two other inmates survived the fatal accident and are currently at Bonda Mission Hospital.

The ZPCS officers perished in Manicaland when their pick-up truck collided head-on with a fuel tanker at the 67km peg along the Mutare-Nyanga Road.

According to the police the driver of the fuel tanker encroached into the lane of an oncoming Nissan NP300 which had nine people on board, resulting in a head on collision.

By James Gwati-President Emmerson Mnangagwa is this week commissioning his party youths’ ED 2023 Regalia project, a direct move which would sink his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga’s Presidential ambitions.

Zanu PF youth league last week launched an anti- Chiwenga campaign through a fashion shop that sells party regalia endorsing Mnangagwa’s 2023 Presidential candidature.

Mnangagwa, according to the state media is this week commissioning the ED 2023 regalia shop.

Chiwenga runs a Zanu PF faction which has its strong support base in the military and a section of war veterans.

His faction wanted Mnangagwa to rule for one term and hand over power to the former army commander.

According to this faction, Mnangagwa was supposed to step-down at the end of his current term and allow Chiwenga to be the Party’s 2023 Presidential candidate.

By James Gwati- The Zimbabwe Republic Police has identified five victims out of the seven people who perished in a road accident along Harare- Mt Darwin road last Friday.

The five are Moline Dzihwa (18), Faith Kanakembizi (40), Cynthia Gombarashama (13), Tendai Washaya (7) and Blessmore Nhamburo whose age was yet to be confirmed.

“One of the victims has not been identified so far,” said Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi.

The accident happened after two cars racing each other mowed down 7 people to death at Goora Business Centre on the Bindura-Mt Darwin Highway.

All seven were pedestrians who had just alighted from a kombi, on their way for prayers.

The bodies of the deceased are at Mt Darwin Hospital mortuary awaiting post mortem.

Today marks 17 days from after the day Temba Mliswa’s ex girlfriend Susan Mutami was blocked form flying out of Zimbabwe.

17 days, to be precise is:

• 1,468,800 seconds
• 24,480 minutes
• 408 hours
• 17 days
• 2 weeks and 3 days

WILL THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY RESCUE HER?

(below are her latest tweets)

• ORIGINAL STORY – REPUBLISHED

By A Correspondent | This is not UK, Sweden or some other foreign nation, this is her country of birth – the Norton MP Temba Mliswa’s Ex girlfriend, Susan Mutami’s whereabouts are still a mystery two weeks after she was blocked from flying out of Zimbabwe.

The development comes after Mutami went underground after being blocked from flying back to Australia.

The Aussie citizen was two weeks ago told she cannot leave the country until she gives official state witness testimony into her allegations against her ExBoyfriend. She says Mliswa among other things has sounded out intentions to poison the ZANU PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, and Local government minister July Minister. She also said Mliswa has in his possession undisclosed top security information on the infamous White City bombing on June 2018.

Contacted for a comment Mutami’s lawyer told ZimEye that she will come out soon. She said, “she is alive, she is ok and she is safe.I can’t say much due to professional ethics; She will come back to you soon.” This was 4 days after the RGM Airport drama.

Also commenting on the development back then, state sources told ZimEye, Mutami is still in the country. They said this without disclosing her exact location. Other sources said that she is living at a local hotel.

It is only convincing Mutami is playing an the aussie whistleblower, Julian Assange, technique of hiding, having spoken out what could be the greatest secret of all time, the bombing of the then President Of Zimbabwe and his deputy in June 2018 at White City, Bulawayo, an attack that got at least two people killed.

Wll the Australian government embassy treat her differently from the way the Aussie state has treated its native citizens? The case of the Whistleblowers Julian Assange comes to mind. Assange is still trapped in the United Kingdom several years after he was charged for highly controversial sex offences, and the man got no assistance from the embassy of the country of his birth. He instead chose the Equadorian embassy, the only consulate willing to assist him from state agents and British police. Will the Aussie embassy help?

“It’s a tricky one,” commented a ZimEye reader, CT Munatswa.

He continued quoting from the embassy’s website saying, Australia is not obliged to help people who get in trouble on Zimbabwean soil”

When she was interviewed by ZimEye, at the RGM Airport Susan Mutami used the embassy as a reference point.

But responding more directly, as ZimEye reveals, the Australian embassy has said Miss Mutami’s private conduct does not fall under the embassy’s business or interest.

“Ms Mutami’s behaviour in Zimbabwe are matters for the Zimbabweans authorities as they fall under Zimbabwean law,” the Australian embassy said in a statement.

Meanwhile, while it could not be established at the time of writing when she will finally be travelling, Mutami herself two weeks ago told ZimEye, she has now submitted her witness statement to the police and is now working towards getting a ticket.

But more than 10 days later sources say she is still stuck inside Zimbabwe.

“Susan is not in control of her phone, do you really think that is Susan who is tweeting at the weekend?,” a close friend to Mliswa’s girlfriend asked ZimEye Monday morning.

WHERE DO YOU THINK SUSAN IS?