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)

If it is you who wrote that Susan, upload a video of yourself today, Sunday.

— Simba Chikanza (@schikanza) March 7, 2021

• 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?

Zanu PF is still celebrating its capture of opposition MDC Alliance deputy treasurer Lillian Timveos whom they paradaded at a party meeting held in the mining town yesterday.

Sharing the picture on Twitter, Information Secretary Nick Mangwana said;

“She is causing a hubbub in Zvishavane. Her name is Lillian Timveous. She was wcomed by the President into his Party. Today she is being given a joyous welcome into the community of her Comrades in Zvishavane. She says more are on the way.”

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa will deliver the MDC Alliance 2021 Agenda on March 9.

Zimbabwe is grappling with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and relentless economic woes.

Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is under the spotlight due to rampant abuse of human rights.

“On the 9th of March 2021, President @nelsonchamisa will deliver the party’s #Agenda2021 address which will be streamed live on all our channels.

Tune in as we chart the course to win Zimbabwe for change,” MDC Alliance said in a statement.

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa will deliver the MDC Alliance 2021 Agenda on March 9.

Zimbabwe is grappling with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and relentless economic woes.

Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is under the spotlight due to rampant abuse of human rights.

“On the 9th of March 2021, President @nelsonchamisa will deliver the party’s #Agenda2021 address which will be streamed live on all our channels.

Tune in as we chart the course to win Zimbabwe for change,” MDC Alliance said in a statement.

Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has described the arrest of its three youth assembly members, Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova as a calculated ploy by Zanu PF to silence dissenting voices.

Joana and Cecilia were arrested as they were going through their routine reporting procedure in line with their bail conditions.Police then arrested Netsai as she was waiting for her colleagues.

The three were arrested for addressing a news conference in solidarity with jailed human rights activist Makomborero Haruvizishe.

In an interview with ZimEye.com on Saturday morning, MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson Clifford Hlatywayo denounced the harassment of the trio.

“The arrest of the trio is a calculated ploy by Mr Mnangagwa to silence dissenting voices. The clueless and cruel regime wants to destroy young people.

The regime is fighting the young, in actual fact the tired, old and useless Zanu PF bigwigs are fighting the future of the country.
They are fighting the means of production.

Joana, Netsai and Cecilia are true freedom fighters.They are being persecuted for denouncing Zanu PF tyranny.

Mr Mnangagwa is desperate to destroy the future of young people. The regime is afraid of the people,” said Hlatywayo.

Matabeleland Rural Schools are not ready to reopen schools, because they lack enough resources to meet the standard stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the government for schooling to resume safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Daily News reports.

This was revealed by the Rural Communities Empowerment Trust coordinator Vumani Ndlovu who said:

Quite a number of schools have inadequate classroom blocks which will make the issue of maintaining physical distancing impossible. Furthermore, most schools don’t have water and sanitation facilities which are essential for prevention against coronavirus.

Schools are under-resourced as many parents cannot afford to pay school fees and as such the majority of the rural schools in Matabeleland will not be able to provide sanitisers and face masks.

Ndlovu urged the government to do something to address the situation of Matabeleland Rural Schools and even went on to say teachers might not be able to travel to their respective centers due to incapacitation:

While we welcome the move by the government to open schools given the fact that the continued closure affects mostly the rural pupils, who have no access to online learning, radio lessons due to Internet and signals connectivity challenges, we, however, feel that the government should have at least addressed some of the fundamentals first that will militate against proper and effective learning.

We have a strong feeling that teachers may not be able to travel to schools, especially those in rural areas citing incapacitation and lack of bus fares given that transport charges are now in foreign currency, but they are paid in local currency.

The government stated that schools will open their doors first for the writing classes on 15 March 2021 then for the rest of the students on 22 March 2021. Teachers have however said they are incapacitated and they will not be reporting for duty on the said dates.

Linda Masarira the LEAD President has denied theft charges being leveled against her and said her son is the one who stole the property she is being accused of stealing.

Masarira took to Twitter to deny the charges and blamed her son who she said was battling drug addiction at the time for the missing property.

Said Masarira in a tweet:

I am wrongfully accused in this matter. The person who stole some of the things on the docket is my son during the time he was battling with drug addiction. He even advised the police likewise who refused to change the docket. No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper!

Outspoken Norton legislator Temba Mliswa told Masarira to allow the court to determine her innocence and told her not be deterred:

Don’t be deterred, you’ve a good defence. Allow the court to determine as your facts are pretty clear. We’re politicians and people will always look for us one way or another, you’ve got to understand that. The struggle continues.

Linda Masarira last year reported her son to the police after he reportedly stole her cellphone, her son was arrested and charged and convicted which resulted in him spending a few months in jail for the crime.

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has despatched a team to investigate the corrupt distribution of sugarcane plots by senior government officials in Chiredzi

The minister of state for Masvingo, Ezra Chadzamira, reportedly disbanded the Chiredzi district lands committee last year in January. As a result, land distribution in the lowveld district continued without the input of locals who later raised a red flag, accusing the minister and provincial lands officials of collecting bribes from land beneficiaries.

The team arrived in Chiredzi on Friday and held several interviews with members of the district lands committee, war veterans and government officials to establish if procedure was being followed in the distribution of land for the past three years.

Zacc spokesperson John Makamure told The NewsHawks that he is not aware that there is currently a team from the corruption watchdog in Chiredzi. He said he is aware of a team in Gweru but will check if there are investigations taking place in Chiredzi.

“I am not aware of any team from the commission which is currently in Chiredzi. I will however check with all our officers if there is anyone in Chiredzi,” said Makamure.

Chiredzi district development coordinator Lovemore Chisema, who chairs the district lands committee, confirmed the presence of Zacc officials in Chiredzi. He said he was not aware of their itinerary since he was in Harare where he will separately meet the investigators.

“Currently l am in Harare but I can confirm that l received a call from a Zacc official early this week informing me about their presence in Chiredzi. I told them that l was in Harare and they said they will meet me in Harare for interviews. I am yet to know their mission but from what l heard they had interviews with quite a number of people in Chiredzi district,” said Chisema.

Chiredzi district lands officer Honest Mapfumo told The NewsHawks he was interviewed by Zacc investigators on Monday regarding land distribution in Chiredzi. However, he said he was not priviledged to divulge more details about the investigations.

“I can only tell you that a team from Zacc interviewed me on Monday. They first came on Friday but l was not around but they informed me to appear before them on Monday, which l did. The issue is about land but unfortunately l am not priviledged to give you more details about the interview,” said Mapfumo.

A government official who was also interviewed by Zacc investigators said it seems the investigations are targeting individuals, especially Chadzamira and provincial lands officer Tendai Mumera. He said the investigators wanted to know if procedure was followed in allocating land to different individuals within the district. He said they also wanted to know about the disregarding of local input in relation to the disbandment of the lands committee.

The secret distribution of land, mainly sugarcane plots in Chiredzi, created a conflict between local Zanu-PF structures particularly war veterans and youths and the provincial government leadership.

Locals occupied Lot 10 of Triangle popularly know as Chihungume in a bid to stop Chadzamira and his team from subdividing into plots the more than 10 000 hectares of land.

The occupation of the disputed land by the locals is still ongoing. Eyebrows were also recently raised when over 30 people were allocated 70-hectare plots of dry land at an area extending from Chitsanga Hill to Chiredzi River where only a few local businessmen who allegedly paid bribes benefitted, with the rest being outsiders.

Investigations revealed that other beneficiaries are Mangena C, Bonface N, Mavhusa MK, Nature E, Matuke V, believed to be related to Gutu senator Lovemore Matuke, Moyo OM, Tinago I and others.

The NewsHawks is also informed that since the appointment of Chadzamira as minister of state after the 2018 elections, more than 30 sugarcane plots in Hippo Valley and Triangle Estates which were left vacant after some beneficiaries of a scheme spearheaded by the late minister of state for Masvingo, Shuvai Mahofa, failed to take up their offers due to various reasons were allocated to new people without the input of the local leadership.

Chivi Rural District Council chairperson Godfrey Mukungunugwa, who is responsible in handing out offer letters to beneficiaries, would neither confirm nor deny the ongoing allegations when The NewsHawks called him for a comment. He said discussing the issue could tarnish his image and pleaded for mercy.

“I am not in a position to answer your question. l am out of words, can you leave that issue since it can tarnish my image and remember we are brothers,” said Mukungunugwa.

-NewsHawks

Lockdown has been relaxed & its a busy day here in MashWest.The first port of call for our Provincial Admin Committee was in Chikangwe, Hurungwe where we are building a house for the family of our abducted & murdered cllr Lovender Chiwaya to assess progress on site @nelsonchamisa pic.twitter.com/gBC443zkm1

— CCC Mash West (@cccmashwest) March 6, 2021

While MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa is down and bruised after two officials defected to Zanu-PF, the ruling party has come out rubbing more salt to Chamisa’s wounds claiming that the top officials have been in the political wilderness and have returned home.

Blessing Chebundo, who got famous for trouncing President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the Kwekwe parliamentary election back in 2000, was joined by former MDC Alliance senator Lilian Timveous in defecting to Zanu-PF early this week.

The defection has send shockwaves in the rank and file of the MDC Alliance with Zanu-PF savoring the moment saying the duo has seen the light and others should follow suit.

Zanu-PF national political commissar Victor Matemadanda, after receiving his first dose of the Chinese SinoPharm Covid-19 vaccine in Masvingo yesterday (February 24), told journalists that he was excited that the duo had come back home and it was a huge boost for the ruling party ahead of the 2023 elections.

“Those were not defections. I call that people coming back home from the diaspora. Zanu-PF is the home. If someone goes to diaspora and then decides to return home, you do not ask where they were but you take comfort in the fact that they are alive and well.

“We are very excited as a party that people of the caliber of Cde Timveous (Lilian) and Cde Chebundo (Blessing) have come back home.

“For your own information, before the formation of the MDC, Cde Chebundo was a Zanu-PF district chairperson in Kwekwe and so it just like home coming so we are very happy,” said Matemadanda.

He said the move by Timveous and Chebundo will pave way for others who were still in the political wilderness to come join Zanu-PF.

“This is going to show some people that are still in the wilderness that home is home and home is best,” said Matemadanda.

He said President Mnangagwa will gunner more than the projected 5 million presidential votes in 2023 elections as more people keep coming back to join Zanu-PF.

“The writing has been put on the wall and it is very clear for everyone that we are going to surpass our target of 5 million presidential votes.

“Our message to those in opposition is that come home and home is Zanu-PF. Many people are now realizing that they can no longer stay on the outside and are flocking home,” said Matemadanda.-TellZim

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance national chairperson, Thabitha Khumalo has been hospitalized after being attacked by suspected State Security agents.

Although details are still sketchy, it is believed Zanu PF agents pounced on the MDC Alliance official on Saturday morning.

In a statement released on Saturday, MDC Alliance said :

“MDC Alliance National Chairperson, Thabitha Khumalo has been hospitalised after attack by suspected state agents in the early hours of morning.
Details to follow…”

2/3 The two suspects and the other one who is still at large hatched a plan to defraud the victim (27) of cash amounting to USD 13000 and in pursuance of their plan made counterfeit deed of transfer for a certain homestead in Tynwald and a fake plastic identity card.

— Zimbabwe Republic Police (@PoliceZimbabwe) March 6, 2021

3/3 The ZRP appeals to other home seekers who were duped in the same manner to come forward and lodge their complaints at any nearest police station. Investigations are in progress. #notocrime.

— Zimbabwe Republic Police (@PoliceZimbabwe) March 6, 2021

Why are we having 28 roadblocks from Beitbridge to Mutare during this lockdown and the cops especially in Masvingo province are taking bribes of not less that R500 from every foreign registered buses&vehicles? Police Anti-Corruption Unit are they part of the syndicate?

— Tom Noblar (@tom_noblar) March 6, 2021

Renowned Harare-based constitutional law expert, Professor Lovemore Madhuku said that Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021, gazetted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government last week, is unlawful, unconstitutional and reflect a “colonial mentality”.

The statutory instrument ordered more than 1 000 mainly Shangaan/Tsonga families in Chilonga, Chiredzi District, to “depart permanently” from the gazetted 6 000 land hectarage that would be used to farm lucerne grass for stock feed. Said Madhuku:

That statutory instrument is unconstitutional; it is based on an unconstitutional understanding of the powers of government over communal land.

The colonial mentality which is still reflected in the statute is that communal land belongs to the State, and is owned by the president.

But that right which is given to the president is not equivalent to the ordinary right of ownership, which other people use.

If you are an owner of land you can easily displace anyone or remove anyone, that is not the case.

Communal land rights are somewhat special rights, communal people cannot be displaced merely at the whims of government.

Madhuku added that the government should have approached the High Court and state its reasons and then getting an appropriate order for those people to be moved to a different place.

Dendairy, a dairy company owned by a white farmer, Neville Coetzee, who has links with President Emmerson Mnangagwa was allotted the land for its lucerne grass project.-ZimLive

Zanu PF Zvishavane has welcomed its brand new member former MDC Alliance official Lilian Timveos.

This was revealed by Nick Mangwana the Infomation Ministry Permanent Secretary who shared photos of a Zimbabwe flag scarfe clad Timveos at the welcome party.

Mangwana captioned the photos he shared of Timveos being welcomed to Zanu PF Zvishavane:

She is causing a hubbub in Zvishavane. Her name is Lillian Timveous. She was wcomed by the President into his Party. Today she is being given a joyous welcome into the community of her Comrades in Zvishavane. She says more are on the way.

The late former president, Robert Mugabe blocked his close relatives, including his daughter Bona, from involvement in government contracts and deals for self-aggrandisement.

Official records seen by The NewsHawks this week show that Mugabe barred Bona and his nephew Leo Mugabe from using their family and political connections to seized control of Zimbabwe’s third-largest mobile operator, Telecel Zimbabwe.

One document says:

Sometime in 2015/2016, Mugabe’s son-in-law and his wife, and also separately his nephew wanted to use their family and political connections to gain control of Telecel.

They approached the then Minister of Information Communication Technology (Supa Mandiwanzira) to assist them to take over Telecel. First, it was Simba and Bona, and then later it was Leo Mugabe.

Russians were disposing of their 60% stake in Telecel and about five individuals, consortiums and companies showed interest.

The document further says: When it came to Simba and Bona, Mugabe said NO. They mustn’t be on the list and the minister should not allow them to take over the company. On Leo, President Mugabe gave a BIG NO; remarking ‘he (Leo) failed to pay for his shareholding in the empowerment consortium in the first place’.

Mugabe said Leo’s cheques bounced on his initial attempt to become a key player as part of the empowerment consortium in Telecel. He then told the minister that none of his family members and relatives should be involved.

Mugabe later went on to tell his relatives that they should not be involved. Leo actually called the minister to say ‘you have sold me out’, suggesting Mugabe had talked to him to stay out of Telecel.

The government later seized control of Telecel after concluding a US$40 million deal to buy out international telecommunications giant VimpelCom, which ultimately held 60% in the local company.

-Newshawks

A Zanu PF affiliated Twitter account Zanu PF Patriots took the time to try and debunk what they called lies about the Lucerne grass project that is expected to evict people from Chiredzi.

The fact sheet shared by Zanu PF Patriots noted the following:

1. 12 000 people cannot fit on 940 hectares of land
2. The number of people to be relocated is yet to be ascertained
3. Chiredzi people were consulted on the project by government officials  including July Moyo and Constantiono Chiwenga
4. Government plans to suppliment stock feed made by maize with lucerne grass which is cheaper to grow
5. Dendairy has set aside US10 million to compensate people who will be affected by the relocation.

By James Gwati- Nelson Chamisa’s MDC Alliance is urging citizens to is calling on Zimbabweans to boycott Dendairy (Pvt) Limited products and force the company reverse its request for the eviction of 12 500 Chilonga villagers from their Chiredzi ancestral land.

Dendairy (Pvt) Limited are the owners of a grass production company that has been sanctioned by the government to displace the poor villagers.

MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson, Clifford Hlatshwayo said the biggest win for Zimbabweans would be to see their compatriots being spared from the displacements.

“This is not just a campaign, it concerns people’s life issues and we have to stand together to achieve this.
Dendairy must abandon that project in Chilonga and look for another area to grow grass. You cannot remove people and replace them with grass,” he said.
“MDC Alliance shall work with the community and all stakeholders to pursue this agenda for the people of Chilonga.
“We will employ several constitutional measures and approaches to stop these Zanu PF planned evictions. We will stop at nothing, together we will achieve it,” Hlatshwayo said.

By James Gwati-Zanu PF youths have launched an anti- Constantino Chiwenga campaign ahead of the 2023 Presidential elections which are starting to gather momentum, by endorsing Emmerson Mnangagwa for the 2023 Presidential post.

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.

To disturb Chiwenga and his wishful paction, Zanu PF youths this week launched a Mnangagwa 2023 campaign and started designing messages to that effect.

The party’s youth wing has also opened a Mnangagwa 2023 regalia shop which they are using as one of the vehicles for endorsing Mnangagwa’s 2023 Presidential candidature.

By James Gwati-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has justified his ban on Kombis and said that they were polluting the environment.

Mnangagwa on Friday directed the police to arrest all other cars and Kombis they would have seen carrying passengers.

He said only ZUPCO should carry the commuting public.

This has been denounced by the public who are saying that the ZUPCO buses are not enough to cover the whole nation.

Defending his Kombi ban, Mnangagwa said Kombis were polluting the environment.

“President Mnangagwa noted that buses were also critical in reducing air pollution as they emitted less carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides compared with smaller vehicles,” Mnangagwa was quoted in the state media as saying.

The state media said the desire to lower emissions, said President Mnangagwa, was consistent with what was outlined in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1), under the climate action

By James Gwati-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has unleashed police on private cars and kombis seen carrying passengers.

Mnangagwa who was commissioning 50 ZUPCO buses in the capital on Friday, said no any other vehicle which is not ZUPCO should carry commuters.

“In this regard, the Zimbabwe Republic Police must continue to enforce Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 with regards to urban transport service provision,” said Mnangagwa.

Clause Two of SI 83 of 2020 reads as follows: “Transport services, whether intracity or intercity, for the carriage of passengers, shall be restricted to those provided by — (a) the parastatal company is known as the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco); (b) omnibuses and other passenger service vehicles operated by or on behalf of the Public Service Association, the Police Service, the Defence Forces and the Civil Protection Authorities,”

This has given the police the powers to throw spikes on moving vehicles which they would have suspected of pirating.

By A Correspondent- President Mnangagwa has directed the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to arrest Kombis and ensure that only the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company continue to be the provider of the public transport system.

He accused the private transport operators of abusing Government’s empowerment initiatives extended to them over the years through charging unsustainably exorbitant fares and failure to provide good customer care.

“Over the years, our transport sector has been opened to private players as an empowerment initiative. This has, however, presented pertinent and unique challenges. Our commuting public has often been subjected to poor services, unsafe travel and unsustainable fare structures,” said Mnangagwa while commissioning 50 ZUPCO busses in Harare on Friday.

By James Gwati- The Zanu PF Youth League, has opened their party regalia shop at the Zanu PF headquarters, where it is forcing party officials and visitors to buy the gab.

The shop which they have named “House of Cheneso” sales President Emmerson Mnangagwa faced jumpsuits, skirts, golf t-shirts, Cuban caps and pocketed waistcoat.

The Youths are taking anyone who would have visited Shake-Shake building to the shop and ask them to “support us” through buying “anything”.

All the merchandise is sold in United States Dollars.

By James Gwati- A Harare magistrate has postponed the trial of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s wife Mary after she had said that she was very ill and under heavy medication and could not comprehend court proceedings.

Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa, allowed for the postponement of the matter to 10 May, after noting that it was not in dispute that Mary was not feeling well.

Her doctor who was set to testify in court on her health condition failed to attend her hearing and said he was not sure when he will be available to give the testimony.

Chiwenga’s wife, through her lawyer Ms Beatrice Mtetwa, wanted the doctor to testify on her health condition so the court could appreciate that she was not able to comprehend court proceedings during the trial. She faces trial on a charge of assaulting a family childminder, Delight Munyoro, outside Hellenic School in 2019.

She applied to have her doctor called to give evidence on her health condition after the State opposed her application for postponement of the trial on medical grounds.

Through Ms Mtetwa, Mary told the court that she was not ready to stand trial yesterday because of ill-health.

Mary said that she was taking heavy medication and was not mentally fit to comprehend court proceedings.

The State led by Mr Charles Muchemwa and Mrs Netsai Mushayabasa opposed the application for postponement.