By A Correspondent- Zimdance-hall musician, Guspy Warrior, said their music genre which was also performed by the late Soul Jah Love, continues to be the choice for the young, especially ghetto youths who have been given a form of expression and hope for a better future.
The music genre is most popular and synonymous with the youngsters in the country’s high-density suburbs now calling themselves Ghetto Youths and carries messages which challenge the status quo and at the same time speaking truth to power.
One of the musicians who perform the same genre, Guspy Warrior said they will continue to follow the music which also empowers them economically.
“This is a form of employment for us and all we have acquired in life is through dancehall music. We put food on our tables through music,” he said. Zimdance-hall commands a huge following as evidenced by the historic send-off for the late Soul Jah Love at his burial.
By A Correspondent- Police in Dete, Matabeleland North province have arrested two men who were masquerading as police officers enforcing lockdown regulations.
The two David Ndlovu (29) and Posent Nyathi (32) allegedly went to Lupote Business Centre clad in police gear claiming to be enforcing lockdown regulations.
The duo then demanded bribes from shop owners in exchange for permission to trade during the lockdown.
Their luck ran out when an alert shop owner who is well versed with the police dress code noticed an anomaly in their dressing and confronted them leading to their arrest.
During investigations, the police recovered property allegedly stolen by the duo.
Police confirmed the incident on their official Twitter handle. They urged members of the public to report suspicious people who claim to be police officers as they tarnish the image of the police force.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has announced that they are taking the Zinasu leadership to the courts today.
“ Our lawyers are preparing to accompany several of their clients who include Zinasuleaders and members who are set to appear for initial remand at Harare Magistrates Court after they were arrested Friday,” ZLHR spokesperson Kumbirai Mafunda posted on his Facebook page this morning.
The Zinasu leaders & members were accused of staging unsanctioned protests on Thursday demanding the release of pro-democracy campaigner Makomborero Haruzivishe, who was arrested last week for allegedly locking up Impala Car Rental employees in their offices in 2020.
By A Correspondent- A Mutare magistrate has been assaulted by a woman who accused her of dating her husband.
The magistrate, Tamara Chibindi, was this week attacked with a hammer on the head at her home in Murambi low-density suburb and sustained serious wounds.
The woman who assaulted the magistrate, one Thelmor Mudhefi (31) has since been arrested in connection with the attack.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luxson Chananda confirmed the case this Friday.
“Chibindi was attacked with a hammer by Mudhefi who was accusing her of having an affair with her husband. She sustained injuries on the head and hand,” he said.
It is said that Mudhefi went to Chibindi`s residence and asked a domestic worker who was working in the garden to call her boss.
Mudhefi is also reported to have taken up the matter with the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC), the employers of Chibindi.
By A Correspondent- The Bulawayo 2021 Arts Awards are in limbo following non-commitment from the event’s main sponsor to resource the prestigious annual event.
The awards which are held in the second capital every August, have been sponsored by United Refineries since 2018.
The cooking oil manufacturing company’s chief executive officer Busisa Moyo, told the state media that they wanted other companies to partner with them in organising and hosting the event.
“I think that we should reach out to other companies in the city. Okay, they aren’t doing so well with Covid-19 and all but even individuals and our diasporans who listen to artistes from home and so on can come to the party. Let’s think beyond us (United Refineries), let’s be a bigger collective and do things as a group as opposed to one entity, I’d encourage that,” Moyo said.
He said his company’s role in taking the arts awards to a high level will be worth it if it attracts other players.
“This is what I have been asking for during the past two years so that we have other big corporate sponsors involved,” said Moyo. He said the more companies involved in the hosting of the awards, the better for the artistes.
For now, Moyo said they have not committed to sponsoring this year’s awards.
“We haven’t met with the partners to find out what they are thinking. We normally announce (the date of the awards) once we have a meeting with them. I can’t say that (we’re committing to sponsoring the awards), at this stage. We are very committed to the arts and we will always be involved in any shape or form,” said Moyo.
By A Correspondent-About 62 health workers in Kwekwe have contracted covid-19 at a time the country has rolled out a vaccine programme against the global pandemic.
This was revealed by Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Dr John Mangwiro while officially launching the Midlands vaccination programme in Kwekwe on Tuesday. Dr Mangwiro said of the 62, 42 have since recovered and 20 were still self-isolating and not well.
He encouraged the health workers to take the vaccinated as it protects them against the dreaded pandemic.
Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister, Larry Mavima was the first to receive the jab followed by several health workers, journalists and members of the Civil Protection Unit.
“The vaccination programme is targeting frontline workers and I encourage all of you to take the vaccine to protect yourselves. Frontlines are the main target for the first phase as they are the ones exposed to the virus,” said Dr Mangwiro.
After touring several isolations centres in Kwekwe and Redcliff, Dr Mangwiro expressed dismay over the non-availability of oxygen at most of the facilities.
“I have noted with concern that most of these ICU units do not have oxygen for severe cases. The oxygen should be made available as soon as possible in all institution,” he said. Dr Mangwiro however expressed satisfaction over the time taken to renovate the isolation centres.
“I am told Kwekwe has been operating without an isolation centre but the pace that was taken to address the anomaly is amazing. That is why I said I should come to inspect them myself and most of them are satisfactory. If the oxygen gas is made available, they will be complete,’ he said.
Dr Mangwiro toured Bale medical facility in Redcliff which has a capacity for 35 patients as well as Torwood Hospital which also carries about 65 patients.
He also toured a ward at Kwekwe General Hospital which was recently renovated and reserved for covid-19 cases.
He said the gas that the government intends to acquire from Redcliff based company, Steelmakers, should benefit the locals first.
“We are in the process of negotiating a deal with Steelmakers for the provision of medical gas and this should be able to benefit the locals first before it is taken to other parts of the country. I, therefore, will check with my staff after all the processes have been completed to ensure that the oxygen has been connected,” he said.
Kwekwe has been operating without an isolation centre after the only centre, Mbizo 16 Clinic was condemned the district CPU then identified Bale Medical Centre and Torwood which were lying idle and renovated them into isolation centres.
Kwekwe City Council is also in the process of converting Garandichauya Beerhall into an infectious disease hospital.
An Odzi elderly couple is at loggerheads over conjugal rights, with Gogo Ena Makandiona (60) accusing her hubby Sekuru Hamufari Mazwieguta (65) of sexually starving her for 11 years.
Makandiona accuses Mazwieguta of manufacturing lies about his manhood being locked.
Business was brought to a halt at Odzi Police Station last week on Saturday as skeletons tumbled out of the couple’s marital cupboard.
The couple has been married for 43 years and is blessed with 12 children.
While the couple had approached the police over a misunderstanding over their cattle, things got out of hand as Sekuru Mazwieguta said he has been deliberately sexually starving his wife.
Out of spite, Sekuru Mazwieguta told Gogo Makandiona that his ‘batteries’ are fully charged and that for the past 11 years, he was being intimate with his second wife, Gogo Patricia Chakapunza every night.
Gogo Chakapunza, married to Sekuru Mazwieguta for the past six years, confirmed her husband’s claims, saying they have been enjoying full marital bliss all these years, much to the shock of Gogo Makandiona who had been made to believe that her husband was impotent.
Speaking to The Weekender, Gogo Makandiona said she might be forced to approach the civil courts as she didn’t get much help from the police.
“The police could not offer us much help as this is a civil matter. They just encouraged us to find a lasting solution to our problem.
“If this persists and we fail to reach an agreement, our next port of call will be the civil courts. I was silent all these years because I thought that he was really locked.
“I was shocked, but thank God the truth finally came out through his anger.
“I am heartbroken because I stayed with him all these years thinking that my husband is impotent.
“I am really angry at him. I am his wife, not his sister. If I wanted a relationship without intimacy I would have stayed with my brother. I am his wife and should be treated as such in the bedroom.”
She added: “He rarely steps in my bedroom. He does not even touch me, claiming that he was locked.”
The family’s neighbour, Catherine Mavhima, said the trio is always fighting, with Gogo Makandiona accusing Gogo Chakapudza of locking their husband’s manhood.
Mazwieguta’s phone was unreachable when The Weekender tried to contact him for comment.
Heavy rains that pounded the Headlands area last night swept away the Mwarazi Bridge linking Headlands and Makoni North Constituencies, with two cars and a motor cycle plunging into the sinkhole.
One of the vehicles was a Ford Ranger Double Cab belonging to MDC-T Makoni Central MP David Tekeshe while the other one a Honda Fit belonging to Grandcore, a tobacco contracting company. The whereabouts of the motor cycle is still to be ascertained.
The road is the most trafficable route to key service centres such as GMB depots in Chiendambuya and Chinyudze, Mayo Police Station, Chiendambuya Growth point and several clinics.
Makoni North Member legislator James Munetsi bemoaned the destruction of the bridge saying it has cut off his constituency with the rest of Makoni District and appealed to the government to quickly intervene.
By Josiah Mucharowana in Pretoria| International diplomacy is a sacred space where countries put their best foot forward to lure and broker deals in favour of their nations.
Therein, the hierarchy begins with the President’ s office populated with VPs and cabinet ministers amongst other cherry-picked government envoys who literally can wear national colours with pride and who are without blemish at all fora when the situation demands.
When it comes to Zimbabwe, Vice President Kembo Mohadi occupies a strategic post as second- in-command shared together with VP Chiwenga. Notwithstanding his colonial war record as a stalwart, he has become an albatross around the neck for the Harare government having trashed the country’ s image to pieces like pottery by engaging in shamefully riverting sexual escapedes with married aide- de-camps assigned to his office.
To even think he can negotiate anything on behalf of Zimbabwe now is preposterous. His morals are corrupt. He is an inveterate failure when it comes to personal bedroom issues. Without regurgitation, the escapedes out there make shameful reading.
What’s worse, he showed a very condescending language when it comes to women. The way he asked for cosy moments with the outed women is so outrageously coarse befitting hookers in the red light districts of Luxembourg.
Apart from being ample proof that he is a veteran of the underground game, he had little regard for consequences of trampling on other people’s marriages.
Despite the morality of it all, it showed his dictatorial tendencies only expecting to get his way with the women possibly because of the power he wields and the money that comes along with it.
In all of it, the final straw is in the rendezvous for the sexual tryists. Munhumutapa building is perceived as the citadel of government power and unbeknown to the nation, he had other uses of the revered place.
To imagine all the seemingly important men in suits, trained soldiers with intimidatingly dark faces, military fatigues brandishing Kalashikovs are only keeping a facade. They guard sex pests engaged in adulterous liasons which is not the real business that is supposed to happen behind those corridors.
Now, it would not be far-fetched to assume that every man who has a spouse of partner in high echelons of government is recalibrating and putting under the scale how business is going during office hours. It is not business as usual with Zanu-PF hawks in town.
While other nations have bigger fish to fry busy rolling out crucial vaccines to fight off the coronavirus pandemic, Zimbabwe has been transfixed, unable to talk about anything besides the free drama emanating from VPs Munhumutapa offices and his Glenlorne home.
In just one week, Mohadi has singlehandedly brought shame upon the Zim government and how his peers respond to these allegations will be a benchmark on how the family of nations will reagard us on anything.
Of course, he is a being with a sexual appetite. Yes, most normal men are attracted to women for various reasons. However it is how we behave around women and our conduct between ourselves as adults that determine how society judges us.
In all earnestness, Mohadi, because of his stature in government crossed the Rubicorn by dabbling with married women. He desecrated and defaecated on the perceived aura of Munhumutapa government offices.
It’s going to take eternity to clean up the image of a brothel that has become Munhumutapa which is now etched in people’s minds.
To add salt to the bleeding wound, government spin doctor Mangwana came out guns blazing defending Mohadi saying there was nothing wrong when two adults consent to have sex disregarding where, how and the public titles they hold.
It is such unashamed defences the universe will judge us with. We cannot go to town in celebration defending Mohadi. As a nation, we have a history of insovency on debts. We have a history of disrespecting property rights. We have a history of policy inconsistency- we have a leaders who announce sweeping changes to policy at ghostly hours of the night. And now we even have top hawks philandering with a string of married subordinates and we see nothing wrong with it. Alright, we might see nothing amiss but surely the world will.
As a government that likes to pride itself as a ‘new dispensation’, we have spend millions of bucks hiring PR companies in the west trying to spruce the country’s image as an investment centre. Yet, we would like to allow an old and senile Mohadi to run wild with his shotgun taking advantage of women. It should not be. Silence is complicity.It only shows shows there is more that happens in higher offices of government.
The late Mugabe married his secretary Grace. The President Munangagwa married CIO agent Auxilia. It’s not wrong to love, it’s wrong to double time, use power and influence one subordinates and use government offices for sex.
Mohadi erred and as a nation, that should be emotionally draining. We have a sexual pervert in leadership so unbridled and daring enough to prey on youngsters who had received his skewed benevolence in the form of college fees.
He has yet again squandered a good chance to give a public apology to the nation for disrespecting public offices. How he will compensate or apologises to the estranged partners of the said women whose marriages he wrecked is another story.
Above all he should fully convince the nation why he should remain in office as VP amidst the allegations. To most, judging from word out there and me too, a resignation is long overdue. He should be gone as yesterday. Or at least he should step aside to deal with the mess.
At 71 surely he should not think he is a cowboy on a high horse riding across town with reckless abandon. Yet, allegedly he risks overdosing with sex- enhancing concoctions to please his desires. When a man is so careless with his own life, what could he do for millions of lives he purpot to lead? The nation must get him off the high horse soonest.
Mohadi cost us big time on the diplomatic front. We now need true leaders who can shoot from the hip and tell him off. Of course those are rare as hen’ s teeth in Zanu PF because they all have smaller- nyana- skeletons in the bottom drawers.
However, the VPs office is a couldron of hope- a potpourri of dreams for the nation where they are nartured and enabled. He has failed and as fellow humans by default, willy- nilly wife-snatching by officials cannot be condoned. What will become of the husband emotionally? How about the kids sired therof? Mohadi’s behavior is inconsistent. We need a new name.
Actually, he should thank his ancestry for saving his life. Imagine if the CIO husband had gone crazy upon realising his wife cheating on him with the VP. Are these agents not responsible for his daily security? These men have armouries to their disposal. These people have all-access security clearance to him.
Remember the story of Laurent Kabila of the Banyamulenge rebels and how he died? Seven bullets to the chest from a trusted aide.
Mohadi is a man with a sprawling business empire including hundreds of cattle in Matebeleland. His animal instincts might as well help him grow more in animal husbandry and sod off from national life.
The nation appreciates what he has done thus far. We have heard of his wartime exploits and now indubitably, the nation is awestruck with his below the belt manouvres. It’s time to pass on the baton of power to someone else.
The nation should brace for more intrigue as he is poised to drag the scandal into the courts. We await to see who he takes first kicking and screaming to the dock.
His allegations that his phone was cloned put the entire Presidency in jeopardy. Do we have moles up there? Who wants him gone? Can he prove the underhand shenanigans to that effect? What of the vanquished women themselves, can someone not sing like a canary? The situation has gone to another level folks.
It’s interesting to note how media outfit Zimlive is standing by the story. Surely it cannot be a case of thin dogs barking loudly. It is going to be a sopie series fellow countrymen. Mr Vice President, as you wish just remember the entire citizenry will wait for you from the court gallery as you clear your name.
Josiah Mucharowana writes in his personal capacity. Feedback: [email protected]
The ANC’s top leadership will engage with corruption-accused former president Jacob Zuma, and the message will be clear and straightforward: “Let us all abide by our Constitution, respect our institutions, particularly the judiciary,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa fielded questions from the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) on Friday afternoon, with the first question asked being his predecessor’s defiance of the Constitutional Court and accompanying allegations that judges received money from the CR17-campaign.
On Thursday, The Witness reported that a proposed meeting between the ANC top six and Zuma had been shelved as Zuma refuses to be engaged on the matter.
Ramaphosa said there are, “… quite a number of engagements”, with Zuma.
“And one of those is an engagement that he is going to have with the top leadership of the ANC, which should be happening any day soon,” he said.
“He’s agreed to it, we’ve all agreed to it, that we are going to engage with him. He is a member, and a disciplined member of the African National Congress, and we will be able to have an engagement with him.
“And the message will be fairly simple and straightforward: Let us all abide by our Constitution, respect our institutions, particularly the judiciary.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa, during a Q&A session with the South Africa National Editors Forum defended Police Minister Bheki Cele’s visit to Nkandla.
Ramaphosa said for him the important thing is to insist that everyone abide by the rule of law and the Constitution.
“So there is no backing down as far as that is concerned.”
He said if there is any evidence against a judge, it must be put before the relevant bodies, like the Judicial Service Commission.
“Those who just throw accusations at judges, demean our Constitution, our democracy, and indeed, our nation.
“Judges are not above the law, no one is above the law. All of us as South Africans, from the president to any citizen of our country, must abide by the law, by the Constitution. Because if we don’t, then there is lawlessness in our country.”
2/5 The assaulted police details called for reinforcement and a batallion of anti riot police officers came to their rescue. pic.twitter.com/AFlueIlotJ
3/5 Anti riot police details conducted a door to door search breaking down doors and windows and beating up mostly the men in the area. Those who had locked themselves up were not spared either.
4/5 There was pandemonium when the police details threw teargas inside the mapostori shrine/ their church and those who were hiding inside the building ran for dear life.
It could not be immediately established what triggered the violence against the police details and if there were any arrests made during the raid/ beatings @PoliceZimbabwe . Click on our page https://t.co/oeM12lmY54 for more on this story pic.twitter.com/9BJ9aaLudO
Kembo Mohadi in file picture with his pastors TB Joshua (middle)
Vice President Kembo Mohadi who 2 days ago denied reports showing he has been bedding married women and approaching secondary school girls for sex, has been truly been dating a teenage girl, and one of his girlfriends is his own cousin’s daughter, his own ex wife, Tambudzani, alleges in a series of tweets since 2018. Earlier this week, ZimEye did an undercover expose’ showing how Mohadi impregnated an A Level student. In one of the tweets below, another learner is said to also have been bedded by the Vice President. These investigations have been done in the public interestto protect current and future victims.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has assured the public that the introduction of ZW$50 bank note will not trigger inflation but rather augment the current stock of bills in circulation.
Governor John Mangudya in his Monetary Policy Statement presented new fiscal measure that are aimed at stabilising price and financial system.
Mangudya said as part of measures to enable the public to access and make cash payments, the central bank will soon inject the ZW$50 bank note into circulation.
“The Bank reiterates that banknotes, new or old, do not cause inflation in an economy since they do not increase money supply. Cash payments are an alternative to other methods of transacting and do not constitute money creation,” said Mangudya.
He added that price dynamics were influenced by the level of money supply in an economy as opposed to its composition hence the bank’s firm commitment to keep the level of money supply growth under control through its conservative or hawkish monetary targeting framework.
Under the new fiscal measures, for the banking public, cash withdrawal limits have been increased to ZW$2 000 for individuals while the current limits on the mobile banking were left unchanged at $5 000 per transaction and an aggregate limit of $35 000 per week.
The RBZ aims to maintain and sustain the auction system through the 40% export surrender requirement, 20% domestic foreign exchange sales proceeds surrender requirement and 15% foreign exchange contribution from the fiscus.
The RBZ also hiked its policy rate to 40% from 35% as part of efforts to curb further inflation upwards.
“Maintaining the foreign exchange auction system remains paramount in anchoring inflation and maintaining price and financial system stability. The Bank shall continue refining the foreign exchange auction system taking into account market fundamentals as well as closely monitoring the utilisation of funds from the foreign exchange auction system and the economy at large,” said Mangudya.
The central bank chief said they were putting in place a definitive programme for accounting and expunging of foreign exchange obligations under the blocked funds and foreign exchange legacy-debt framework.
This framework will be designed to ensure that it is not inflationary and takes into account local and international audit requirements.
“Applications for qualification under this framework have been closed and the Bank and Government are at the stage of implementing resolution.”
The new measure will also aim at maintaining the status quo on the minimum capital requirements for banks and microfinance institutions.
“The Bank is encouraged by the capital preservation measures that the banking sector has put in place towards compliance with the minimum capital requirements effective 31 December 2021. The banking sector capital raising plans are based on organic growth, mergers, consolidations and fresh capital injections.”
There will also be strict monitoring that banking institutions comply with the Banking Regulations as stipulated in Statutory Instrument 65A of 2020.
The fiscal pronouncements also bring assurance that authorised dealers, banks and foreign exchange auction system participants comply with rules and regulations to curb abuse of the foreign exchange auction and safeguard it from being abused as a breeding ground for arbitrage opportunities.
Former Zimbabwean ambassador to the United Nations Frederick Shava has replaced his predecessor and ex-Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Sibusiso Moyo as Senator for Midlands Province.
Former Zimbabwean ambassador to the United Nations Fraderick Shava has been appointed to the Senate representing the Midlands Province, replacing ex-Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo who died in January this year.
The appointment was announced by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba in General Notice 225 of 2021 of the Electoral Act on Friday.
President Mnangagwa appointed Shava as Foreign Affairs minister on February 8 following Moyo’s death due to COVID-19 complications.
“The public is hereby notified, in terms of section 39(6) of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13], that the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) party has nominated Frederick Makamure Shava, a registered voter in Ward 2 of Gweru Municipality, of Plot No. 4, Umsungwe Road, Harben Park, Gweru and Dorothy Mabika a registered voter in Ward 8 of Chipinge Central of 34, Main Street, Chipinge Town Council, to fill the vacancies in the Senate that occurred following the death of the incumbent Members of the Senate Subusiso Busi Moyo and Ellen Gwaradzimba, respectively.
“Any voter wishing to object to the nomination of Frederick Makamure Shava and Dorothy Mabika may lodge them, in writing, with the Chief Elections Officer, at Mahachi Quantum Building, corner Kaguvi Street and Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare, or post them to Private Bag 7782, Causeway, within a period of 14 days from the date of publication of this notice, setting forth the reasons for the objections.”
President Mnangagwa replaced Gwaradzimba with Chimanimani West Nokuthula Matsikenyeri as the Resident Minister for Manicaland Province.
ZEC chief elections officer, Utloile Silaigwana had also posted a General Notice 224 of 2021 under the Electoral Act notice of vacancies in the Upper House.
These followed the death of Gwaradzimba on January 15 and Moyo on January 20 and both Zanu-PF members were declared national heroes and interred at the National Heroes Acre.
MDC Alliance Senator Christine Rambanepasi from Manicaland also died on January 3 this year although her party has not nominated a replacement.
By A Correspondent- Former Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo was on Friday granted bail by Harare regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
Chombo was ordered to continue following bail conditions imposed on his other previous corruption-related charges.
Mambanje said Chombo will be required to report once a fortnight to police and surrender title deeds to his Marlborough property.
Chombo, who was appointed Finance Minister by the late former president Robert Mugabe a few weeks before the November 2017 military coup, is charged with fraud and five counts of criminal abuse of office.
The allegations date back to the time he was Local Government Minister between 2000 and 2015.
During Chombo’s court appearance on Wednesday, prosecutors Charles Muchemwa and Ephraim Zinyandu opposed bail stating that the charges he was facing would likely influence him to flee from trial.
The investigating officer of the case, Detective Maxwell Gudo, told that court that Chombo would likely interfere with witnesses if he were freed on bail.
However, in his ruling, Mambanje said Chombo has proved that he will not abscond trial as he has travelled to South Africa nine times and returned.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC MDC Alliance Secretary General, Hon Charlton Hwende has described Senator Lilian Timveos’ treachery as shocking.
Senator Timveos and Hon Blessing Chebundo shocked all and sundry when they joined Zanu PF.
Timveos wrote a piece attacking Hon Hwende, in a desperate attempt to defend her decision to join Zanu PF.
See Hon Hwende’s statement below:
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
ZANU PF has continued with its protracted war of attrition against the MDC Alliance and its leadership.
The regime is using our erstwhile colleagues who have left us and joined their moribund regime to attack and destabilize the MDC Alliance through peddling malicious falsehoods and scurrilous allegations especially against my person. The intention is to weaken the MDC Alliance leadership and destabilize the party. It is not surprising as most regimes bone out of a coup entrench themselves through cooptation of opposition elements and systematic targeting of their legitimate opponents.
We are a natural target since our President won the 2018 election whose victory the regime stole from us.
While it is not in the ordinary for me to respond to ZANU PF allegations on our internal issues, I would like to address some of the concerns considering that they are intended to damage both my personal integrity and most importantly the repute of the party. First, allegations were levelled that party funds have been misappropriated.
In addition to our audit (of the party finances in the period after 2019 congress) which was successful I must state that we have tried and tested systems of deploying financial resources in the organisation which leave no room for misappropriation by any single individual.
While human beings are fallible, systems are fail-safe. I take pride in the systems we have put in place which cannot be manipulated in the manner suggested.
Second, the allegation that I have tormented people in meetings to the point of tears and even drove a few to the absurd, deplorable and treacherous act of joining ZANU P.F. is laughable. Constitutional meetings of organs of the party have continued uninterrupted since congress in the physical and virtually in instances where we are unable to meet physically due to lockdown restrictions. The organ that was singled out by ZANU PF speaking through the renegades, the Standing Committee, is chaired by the party President. In all our Standing Committee meetings, our President has ensured that meeting etiquette is observed in line with our democratic principles of tolerance, diversity of thought and freedom of speech. Should it be the case that a member feels they have been treated unfairly by another, the party has competent mechanisms to address grievances as a way of ensuring that our platforms remain safe spaces. I state here that if any member feels aggrieved by my conduct, I am personally available and willing to subject myself before organs of the party to answer to such allegations. I presented myself before congress in Gweru and had I not been elected, I was ready and willing to work with the one elected; such is my faith and confidence in the competency of our internal democracy. In the same spirit, I am open to criticism and correction. Be this as it may, I know that the current spurt of attacks is orchestrated by ZANU PF to put a wedge between the SG and the office of the President. These efforts will continue to fail dismally as I am not mistaken in the execution of my mandate to serve the institution and to give unquestionable support to our President Adv Nelson Chamisa.
For the record those who have left the MDC Alliance have done so voluntarily without any undue pressure from any quarter. No one was pushed out of the MDC Alliance.
It must astonish any right thinking citizen that those who claim to be running away from being insulted in private in the MDC Alliance are joining ZANU PF, a party which has not only insulted them publicly in the past but has maimed and killed thousands of MDC Alliance supporters. That kind of duplicity and treachery is shocking.
We all know that those who have left the MDC Alliance and joined ZANU PF have done so to benefit from ZANU PF patronage and corruption. Others have done so after failing to recover from their loss in the popularity contest during our elective congress in 2019. We will work better to give the necessary psychological support to sore “losers” as well as ideological orientation to members that in a democratic organisation like the MDC Alliance we are all winners when the best is deployed and congress must never be the basis of terminal acrimony.
Those who have decided to join the gravy train are free to do so but they should never justify their treacherous behaviour by peddling falsehoods and mudslinging those who have chosen to keep fighting and speaking for the people. Despite the odds, the people’s movement has persevered with the unwavering support of the jobless graduate, the starving pensioner, the vending mother in the dusty streets of Harare right to the support of the farmer in the last hut in Umguza. I personally will never betray the people’s cause. We are up against a ruthless enemy but we will prevail. The final call is unchanged. The journey is like a pendulum swing; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left but the final call remains unchanged, victory is certain.
By A Correspondent- A family from Lobengula West suburb was left speechless after they were given a wrong body by a funeral parlour and had to travel all the way to Plumtree to exhume the body of their loved one for reburial in Bulawayo.
A family insider, who requested anonymity, said a misunderstanding broke out after the late Mthokozisi Ndlovu’s family members were handed a wrong body by Falakhe Funeral Services officials.
“On Tuesday at around 8am, we left for Falakhe funeral parlour to take the body of our late relative Mthokozisi Ndlovu (34), who had died last week at Thorngrove hospital, for burial at Luveve Cemetery.
“But we were surprised to see the funeral parlour officials seeming to be too busy and dashing about. After about 20 minutes of waiting, one of our relatives approached the official, who told him to wait for some minutes,” said the insider.
A family member, who only identified herself as MaMpo, said an official approached them and explained that they had given their dearly departed’s body to the wrong family.
“The official told us that one of their drivers collected the deceased’s body and it happened that he went off duty for two days, resulting in another driver giving the Brunapeg family Mthokozisi’s body,” she said.
The insider said they had to report the matter to the police and took the body of the family in Plumtree.
“We had to go and engage the family with the help of Falakhe Parlour and they agreed to exhume Mthokozisi’s body so that we bury it here in Bulawayo,” said the source.
The source added: “We buried Mthokozisi at Luveve Cemetery yesterday (Thursday).”
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the body mix-up saga.
“I confirm we received a case where a body was swapped with another body resulting in one family burying a wrong body. The Bulawayo-based family had to travel to Plumtree to exhume the body for burial at Luveve Cemetery. It is important to do body viewing, at least one relative who knows the deceased.”
In more than one article we told over ambitious Kembo Mohadi that he will never be the President of Zimbabwe given his Matabele background. We told him not to fly to high because his wings were fake, made of wax and feathers, but out of ignorance and hubris he flew too high and too close to the sun. When the wax melted the fall was spectacular.
No matter how huge the amount of bread crumbs that fall from your master’s tables in Harare, do not turn against your own people (Matabele). The 2nd Vice President and the most junior in the Zimbabwe presidium, Kembo Mohadi, should have known. But when he was still the darling of the Shona supremacist government, he fell into the same trap that caught Enos Nkala, he turned against his own Matabele people.
He is on record saying that Matabele people must forget about the 1980- 1987 Matabele genocide and further justified it (the genocide) saying it was necessary for nation building. These were the most treacherous and traitorous words to come from a leader let alone Matabele person.
Like Enos Nkala, he forgot that a Ndebele in Zanupf is like a goat amongst jackals and that Matabeleland is his constituency which, no matter how appetising the bread crumbs that fall from the tables in Harare, he must never, never insult.
Unfortunately that is the costly blunder that he made, actually it is a mistake that most Matabele leaders who find themselves holding some sort of high position in Harare always make. Impressing the masters at the expense of the people of Matabeleland seems irresistible to them.
The office of the president in Zimbabwe has been used as a love nest since 1980. First to defile it was the first President of Zimbabwe, late Robert Mugabe. Beside being married to late ,Sally Mugabe, he was having a promiscuous affair with his aide, Grace Mugabe nee Marufu.
The immoral relationship that started in 1987 produced two children, Bona and Robert Junior, out of wedlock and this happened when Grace was still married to Air Force Pilot, Stanley Goreraza.
Just because Mugabe was Shona, he respected and worked for his Shona constituents, no one called for his resignation, instead he was congratulated and his wedding with his former side chick, Grace Marufu in 1996 was the most attended event in Mashonaland.
Enter Mnangagwa and his so called second Republic. He was caught pants down by his wife Auxillia Mnangagwa in the maize field entertaining a young Midlands State University student at their Kwekwe farm. The incident was not short of drama as Auxillia chased him through the maize field and he ran like terrified teenager.
According to Prof Jonathan Moyo, Mnangagwa has 41 children with different mothers both young and old. Here is another Zimbabwean leader soiling the office of the president. Did the people of Mashonaland call for his resignation? Not at all because Mashonaland forms his political base. Instead, he was praised for outfoxing and outrunning his wife in the maize field.
VP Chiwenga’s first wife Jocelyn Jacobsen (née Mauchaza) was snatched from a white man while the second wife, Marry Mubaiwa, was taken from popular soccer star Shingi Kaondera. In 2011 Chiwenga married Marry Chiwenga while he was married to Jocelyne. Divorce papers to break Merry’s relationship with Kaondera were forged.
Beside Chiwenga being a marriage wrecker of note, no one has demanded that he resigns. His supporters in Mashonaland protect him.
In the church, the Archbishop of Harare Patrick Chakaipa despite being sworn to celibacy, he left 7 Children when he died. But for having an affair with one woman, Pious Ncube from Matabeleland was forced to resign based on tribal grounds.
MLO does not condone immorality and promiscuity that has been happening in the Presidium since Zimbabwe independence. But we condemn in the strongest terms, Matabele leaders who are into politics of the stomach. They lead the innocent Matabele people to the slaughter house (Zimbabwe) yet we know that they do not have political stamina to even save themselves when they are under attack by Shona supremacists and their multitudes of supporters.
Look at disgraced Kembo Mohadi, just have a look at him! His career hangs in the balance. He is not crying out to Matabele people to save him because they do not support him and his Zimbabwe project as punishment for insulting them. He is desperately asking for help from Mnangagwa and indeed his political fate will be decided by him who was chased by his wife through the maize fields when he was caught with a young university student in a compromising position. Him who has 41 children with different women will “fire” him. What a shame!
Is Emmerson Mnangagwa not the President of Zimbabwe? Is Constantino Chiwenga not the 1st Vice President of Zimbabwe? Is Kembo Mohadi not the 2nd Vice President of Zimbabwe and the most Junior in the Presidium? If the answer is yes then why is Zimbabwe calling for the most junior in the office to resign for committing the same “offence” that his seniors have committed? Is it alright for the two, Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, to defile the office of the president because they are Shona, but a dismissible offence for Kembo Mohadi to do the same because he is a Matabele, an unwanted refugee, extra or dviziti?
It is our prayer and wish that all Matabele people understand the meaning of the message above as clear as it is. The message that you are not a Zimbabwean, you must not hold any meaningful position and that, you and your other generations to come have no place nor future in Zimbabwe.
However, there is a new hope in the new Republic of Matabeleland for all Matabele people. We make a clarion call to all able bodied young men and women to join MLO in the fight for the restoration of the statehood of Matabeleland, to restore our lost independence and sovereignty, to restore our lost culture, our identity, our dignity, our humanity and pride.
Izenzo kungemazwi!
Israel Dube MLO Secretary for Information and Public Affairs
POLICE in Lower Gweru have arrested a 38-year-old woman for allegedly fatally assaulting her eight-year-old daughter with a sjambok after she went to play with her friends at a neighbours homestead.
The incident happened in Matshaya Village, Chief Sogwala in Lower Gweru, on Wednesday afternoon.
Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident.
He said Maria Ruhwizhi fatally assaulted her daughter Nozithelo Nsingo accusing her of leaving their homestead to play with other minors at another homestead.
“Police are investigating a murder case in which an eight-year-old girl died after being assaulted by her mother. The now deceased girl, Nozithelo Nsingo, was assaulted by her mother Maria Ruhwizhi who used a black leather sjambok on her all over her body,” said Insp Mahoko.
He said Ruhwizhi is assisting police with investigations.
Meanwhile, a Grade 4 pupil at Peakmine Primary School in Shurugwi was electrocuted on Monday evening when he opened a cage to feed some chicks kept by his parents.
Insp Mahoko confirmed the death of Kupakwashe Chakanyuka, from Shurugwi.
“It was around 9pm and the minor had the duty to feed chicks kept by the family. He was electrocuted when he tried to open the cage. Electricity was connected to give light to the chicks,” he said.
Insp Mahoko said a young sibling who tried to help him suffered electrical shock but managed to run away and told their parents.
“Police attended the scene and no foul play is suspected. Nsingo and Chakanyuka’s bodies were taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital en route to a Bulawayo hospital for postmortem,” he said.
Insp Mahoko urged members of the community to desist from using too much force when disciplining their children as this leads to unnecessary loss of life.
He also discouraged the members of the community from illegally connecting electricity in their homes.- Chronicle
By A Correspondent- The temperatures outside Zanu PF seem to be going below zero degrees for former Masvingo provincial political commissar Jeppy Jaboon who is said to be in the process of tracing his footsteps back to the ruling party.
Jaboon was caught up in the winds of change that swept across Zanu PF at the height of political tension between rival factions G40 and Lacoste.
The highly effusive former political commissar found himself in the jaws of the crocodile when he openly declared war on then Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, discrediting his competence to succeed the late former president Robert Mugabe.
After the 2017 military coup, the G40 faction was send packing with the majority of its top protagonists skipping the country for safe haven while the remaining few, including Jaboon, joined the opposition outfit National Patriotic Front (NPF).
Zanu PF Masvingo provincial chairperson Ezra Chadzamira confirmed to TellZim News that Jaboon had reached out to return to Zanu PF.
“Jaboon reached out and said he wanted to return to Zanu PF. We have no problem with people coming back home because Zanu PF has a big tent approach.
“We told Jaboon that he should make an application through his district (Bikita) who will then forward it to the province for deliberation,” said Chadzamira.
Jaboon could not be drawn into comment as his mobile went unanswered but sources close to him said the process for his return to Zanu PF has been set in motion.
“Jaboon is an asset and comrades in Zanu PF know that. He is a workhorse and delivers results. When he was provincial political commissar, he carried Masvingo on his back and the party structures were in safe hands.
“Things happened and that is the way politics is. This does not mean people become enemies. Jaboon has made up his mind and is going back to Zanu PF.
“Zanu PF has always been his home and at the end of the day we all return home. He is trying to reach out to some of his friends who are still in the system so that they could help facilitate his return,” said the source.
Zanu PF has recently fished from the Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance with senior officials Lilian Timveos and Blessing Chebundo defecting.-TellZim
VILLAGERS in Ndapfunya Village under Chief Makoni’s have come out guns blazing as they demand justice for a physically challenged teenager who was allegedly raped and impregnated by a 51-year-old villager last year in September.
The police have said the net is closing on the culprit, Shingirai Rundoro.
A neighbour, Tiriwashe Ndapfunya, said Rundoro needs to be convicted.
“My heart is bleeding because I am a parent who also have children to care for. The teenager who was raped is being looked after by her visually impaired father and poor mother. She is only 18-years-old.
“Rundoro took advantage of her disability and raped her. If he loved her like he wants people to believe, why did he disappear after committing the offence?” said Ndapfunya.
Another villager, Chido Bverekwa, called on organisations that advocates for the rights of the girl child and people living with disabilities to intervene and assist the teen and her family.
“This girl’s family is in dire need of assistance,” she said.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Luxson Chananda, confirmed the incident, saying Rundoro vanished soon after committing the crime last year.
“We have heard of the case and investigations are in progress. Sometime in September last year, the accused lifted the teenager from her wheelchair and raped her twice on different occasions during the same month, taking advantage of her vulnerability. Her mother had left her unattended when she was abused. It seems the accused knew that the teenager was alone and pounced on her,” he said.
“We are investigating the matter and the accused is still on the run. We are appealing to members of the public with information leading to the arrest of the accused to contact their nearest police station,” said Inspector Chananda.- Manica Post
By A Correspondent|Opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and his deputy Tendai Biti have rallied behind the incarcerated activist Makomborero Haruzivishe saying he is vital cog in the struggle for freedom and justice in Zimbabwe.
Posting on Twitter, Chamisa described Mako as the true definition of courage whose fight should not be criminalised.
“Nations are shaped defined and determined by the agency and electricity of their young people. Vibrant Youth leadership is the oxygen that determines the destiny of nations. The young @MakomboreroH defines courage.The fight for a just society must never be criminal,” said Chamisa.
Biti also hailed Mako as a national treasure whose intelligence and articulation of issues has resulted in countless brushes with law enforcement agents.
“Makomborero Haruzivishe is a national treasure.A quite humble intelligent articulate& brave compatriot.He has been brutalized by the regime throughout his life including multiple expulsions from University.He is not a criminal. Please do the right thing&let him go home,” said Biti.
Mako was arrested last week and charged with kidnapping employees of Impala Car Rental which is sucked in the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa by suspected state security agents.
AT least 25 children in Acacia, Penhalonga, were reportedly initiated into a Satanic cult by a 22-year-old local woman.
The woman allegedly befriends the unsuspecting minors before luring them into the occult world. Last week, Acacia residents had sleepless nights after a 12-year-old girl fell into a trance and declared that she and 25 other children in the area had been initiated into Satanism by her neighbour (name withheld).
However, the young woman has vehemently denied the allegations, highlighting that she also experienced spiritual attacks at some point in her life.
As she was manifesting, the 12-year-old wriggled like a snake.
This came minutes after the minor had physically attacked her father who sought to restrain her from visiting their neighbour’s residence. The child’s father, (name withheld to protect the identity of the minor), confirmed his daughter’s weird behaviour.
“My child went to play at our neighbour’s house and when she came back, she was behaving weirdly. She was putting on different clothes from the ones she had gone wearing. When I asked our neighbour to return my daughter’s clothes, she refused to surrender them. I even visited our neighbour to collect the clothes, but I was told that she had soaked them. I demanded to be given the wet clothes,” said the troubled father.
“That night my daughter was making strange sounds. She was also telling us hard to believe stories of how she was now part of our neighbour’s Satanic cult. She claimed that our neighbour is the queen of the cult, while 25 other minors from our neighbourhood are the maids.
“She says during one of their meetings, our neighbour instructed her to kill me or one of her brothers,” said the father.
Meanwhile in the same neighbourhood, another spirit has also been manifesting on another minor and accusing the same lady of recruiting her into the cult. A third girl also manifested and killed a snake that had been seen in Acacia. However, the family could not allow The Manica Post to interview the minor, saying they feared recurrence of her manifestations if she is constantly reminded of the incident.
A traditional healer whose four children claim to have been initiated into the cult said she has been witnessing mysterious occurrences at her home.
“Just yesterday, a cat entered my child’s room. When we went to check on her, my daughter’s eyes were blazing like fire. I will never forget that image. I could not even lift her as she was so heavy.
“I was so scared and ran outside. My sister had to come in to assist,” she said, adding that her children have been cleansed by a local prophet.
A neighbour, Emilio Magaso, said the alleged Satanist is not new to controversy as her parents were constantly summoned to attend to her during her high school days at a nearby mission school.
“We long suspected that something fishy was happening in her life. She has a mermaid spirit,” said Magaso.
But in an interview with The Manica Post, the alleged Satanist denied ever initiating the minors into any cult.
“Honestly, look at me, I am 22 years old and I have a child. Why would I be friends with people who are 10 years younger than me? Most of these kids are not even teenagers and I do not even know them that much,” she said.- Manica Post
MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson Clifford Hlatywayo says the party remains unyielding to attempts by the ruling Zanu PF to decimate the movement and create a one party state.
In a statement following after the surprise departure of senior party members Lilian Timveos and Blessing Chebundo who crossed the floor to join the ruling Zanu PF, Hlatywayo said the party values freedom of expression and association.
“There has arisen debate on the move by former MDC Alliance members to Zanu PF. Whilst it is not a big event, as non-cowards and patriots, we don’t hesitate to take the plunge. Firstly, the MDC Alliance is a political party ideologically rooted on social democratic values. Amongst these values is freedom of expression and association.
“That right, among many are sacrosanct. We are therefore not in any way taken aback by the decision to exercise their democratic and constitutional guaranteed rights. We know however that at this point in time Zanu pf is doing all it can to take Zimbabwe back to 1983- creation of a one party state by dismantling alternative ideas; vanquishing, jailing, detaining and scaring both the popular party and civil society leaders” said Hlatywayo
He said the continuous arrest and detention of party members and activists is part of a plot to dismantle and stifle opposing forces.
“On the same, the vampire state co-opts some leaders from the opposition as a deceptive show of mighty. The agenda is not just to incapacitate the opposition but stifle dissent from within Zanu PF. ZANU PF will not succeed in its one party pursuit. It has been exposed! MDC Alliance is a people’s party. That party is hidden in people’s hearts. No violence, detentions, co-option or propaganda will weaken that treasure.
“MDC Alliance is a transparent organisation, which recently published its audited accounts. The first of its kind. Peddling falsehoods and an attack on the leadership of the party by ZANU PF is a nonevent. We are accountable to the masses of Zimbabwe, which was done satisfactorily. The people of Zimbabwe remain clear on the march for a democratic developmental state. Happiness and prosperity are what the people want. The creation of rebels by ZANU PF in the name of MDC T cannot distract the people’s train.” he said.
By Noel Mavura -The United Nations predicts that by 2050 ,seventy percent of the population in Africa will be living in urban areas hence there will be many challenges ,risks as well as opportunities which comes with the urbanization.
All of a sudden the rentals in urban areas particularly in Harare have become a nightmare.
Landlords/landladies should charge affordable rentals as this will result in the positive development for economic growth and stability.
The Estate Agents Council of Zimbabwe should play a fundamental obligation to protect the citizens from unscrupulous landlords and bogus agents who are robbing people daily.
We need to come up with realistic valuation of rentals while contemplating on the vitally important factors.A systematic approach must be implemented especially in Harare whereby the government and the relevant stakeholders ought to set rental benchmarks.
The rentals prices are increasing every month due to the greediness by landlords and lack of principles to be adhered.
Be that as it may, this exponentially rise in rentals is not triggered by the shortage of the houses in Harare since many people are building their own houses.
Most people are in dire situation because their disposable income is being heavily eroded by the rentals and the cost of living is escalating on monthly basis.
Lets have a collective engagement and consider the Rent Act in Zimbabwe.
Thousands and thousands of people are losing their hard earned income through the illegal agents who are charging exorbitant prices of 50usd before viewing a property and you will surely have the shock of your life to discover a fowl run instead of an habitable house.Eventually the search will end in vain and agony.
In some of the areas around Harare, the agents are teaming up with the landlords and develop a strong rapport to an extent of obtaining a kickback without the knowledge of the tenant for instance a full house in Southerton might costs an average price of 300usd,the agent top up another 100usd and equates at 400usd per month.
This unregistered agent will get 100usd per month without the sweaty equity.
The registered estates agents have been cornered by the unlicensed agents and the market is now congested.
Innovative young entrepreneurs need to think outside the box and bring up a sophisticated and disruptive system proposition which tracks illegal real estate agents to protect the local property rental market.Uncounted real estate frauds cases are being reported every day at police across Harare and other cities.
I am just a microphone of the innocent people who are wailing and grieving without consolation.It is my utmost request for the relevant stakeholders to take some steps towards the addressing of these problems.
This article was prepared by Noel Mavura.
He is the founder of an Investment firm called Africa Investors Hub which funds innovative entrepreneurs.He can be contacted on:
A Harare police officer appeared in court today on allegations of soliciting US$45 bribe from a motorist he had arrested.
Broadway Jongwe was facing bribery charges when he appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti Guwuriro.
The State led by Mr Moses Mapanga opposed bail on the grounds that Jongwe was likely to abscond since he had previous convictions.
He told the court that Jongwe was also likely to interfere with State witnesses. Mrs Guwuriro defferred the matter to Monday for continuation of bail application.https://a60a31f6a7b7c0d30a267eb9407e88b6.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
The court heard that on February 18 at Cnr Bishop Gaul and Rotten Row streets, Jongwe, being an employee of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, solicited for US$30 from Albert Muzhande who was driving a Mazda B1800 without a driver’s license and a Covid-19 exemption letter.
Further facts revealed that Jongwe unlawfully took possession of Muzhande’s national identity card and two cellphones worth US$45 in total as surety for the gift or consideration for the solicited bribe.
It is the State’s case that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission set a trap and arrested Jongwe while receiving money from Muzhande for the return of his identity card and cellphone
Fidelis Munyoro| Some lawyers have urged High Court judge Justice Thompson Mabhikwa to resign to preserve the dignity of the bench following allegations of an intimate affair with a member of support staff, although the Judicial Service Commission is still investigating whether a relationship with such a work colleague breaches the judicial code of ethics.
Investigations into the judge’s alleged intimate affair with a member of the support staff in Bulawayo, Ms Oratile Nare, are underway after nude pictures and raunchy WhatsApp messages, allegedly from the judge’s phone, recently circulated on social media. The judge is a widower.
Some lawyers who spoke to The Herald said the Judicial Service Commission was right to move in swiftly to “deal with a clear reputational risk” and to see if two sections of the judicial code of ethics that all judges must follow had been breached.
“The judge owes it to the profession and to the people, on whose behalf he exercises judicial authority to resign,” said a veteran Harare lawyer speaking on condition of anonymity, querying how the judge can face the lawyers and members of the public in court.
Another lawyer based in Bulawayo said the alleged actions of Justice Mabhikwa were in clear breach of section 7 of the Judicial Code of Ethics. He described the judge’s liaisons with a subordinate as manifestly improper.
“The fact that he has been taking and keeping such images which have now been circulated makes a bad situation worse,” he said on condition of anonymity.
“Judges are justifiably held to a higher standard than ordinary citizens. It does not help matters that this scandal has blown out with such fury only two months after the judge lost his wife. Could the judge not have waited? What example is he setting?”
Section 7 (1) of the judicial code of ethics demands that a judicial officer “shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of improper behaviour in all his or her activities, in and outside court, and shall avoid any conduct that may result in bringing the judiciary into disrepute”.
Subsection (2) says, “As a subject of constant public scrutiny, a judicial officer must accept personal restrictions that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizens. In particular, a judicial officer must conduct himself or herself in a way that is consistent with the dignity of the judicial office.”
On Tuesday, the JSC issued a statement advising that investigations into the matter were underway and the public would be advised of the outcome in due course.
Allegations are that Justice Mabhikwa and Ms Nare, an assistant of fellow Bulawayo judge Justice Maxwell Takuva, have been in an intimate relationship and that Ms Nare, jealous over what she allegedly believes is another lover of the judge, reportedly forwarded what are described as the judge’s exchanges with the other woman to almost all his contacts, including a judges’ group.
Ms Nare had reportedly went through Justice Mabhikwa’s phone sometime during the night and discovered that the judge had sent pictures of his body to another woman only identified as Petty or Patie. The offensive package included the judge’s raunchy messages exchanged with Patie or Petty, who also sent the judge pictures of her body.
Meanwhile, a lady with almost the same name and similar surname as the one involved with Justice Mabhikwa, is furious after an online publication used her picture on the judge’s story.
“I Uratile Nare would like to strongly refute and categorically deny the allegations made by ZimLive Editor Mduduzi Mathuthu in an article published on the 24th of February 2021. The article carried my picture implying that I was the ‘irate lover’,” said Miss Nare.
“This is purely fake news. This misleading and completely distorted information was published on various social media pages and newspapers including ZiMetro and zwnews. Such frivolous reporting has a direct impact on my reputation being besmirched and is causing damage to my career which I have painstakingly built with years of hard work. Not to mention the trauma, gross pain and suffering I am experiencing as a result of this article.
“I want to take the opportunity to provide some important context to clear my name. Firstly, my name is Uratile Nare and not Oratile Nare who I am not related to. Secondly, I do not work for the Judicial Service Commission as I am a 3rd year student at one of the local universities and I am currently completing my attachment in Harare, Zimbabwe. Third and finally, I have never met or interacted with Justice Thompson Mabhikwa, neither do I know of him.”
She intends to pursue the full extent of legal remedies available to clear her name.- Herald
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly official, Hon Joana Mamombe has called for the immediate release of jailed human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe.
Mako was violently arrested by government agents last week.
Addressing the media in the capital on Thursday, Hon Mamombe called for resignation of police boss Godwin Matanga – due to gross violation of human rights…
Tinashe Sambiri|Soccer fans across the country are unhappy with the donation of a replica jersey to Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa by Bulawayo giants Highlanders FC.
Mr Mnangagwa is seen in pictures circulating on social media grinning as he receives the jersey.
Mr Mnangagwa is accused of violating human rights, torturing and eliminating perceived political opponents.
Commenting on the donation, Brighton Nkompilo said: “Misplaced priorities by our useless Chairman why waste our jerseys…”
Nella mavuso commented: “For the why vele?? Nxaaaaa”
Delina Mutyambizi wrote: “I have been a supporter of Bosso for years but because of this bootlicking ED I am done with Bosso.”
Itayi Tione wrote: “Highlanders is finished. It is cursed.”
He was condemned at birth to a life of hardship after being christened Mhlupheki, which is Ndebele for “the one who struggles”.
True to his name, Mhlupheki Ngwenya (47) has suffered, living a life of struggle and holding a record that no one should be proud of — being the longest serving inmate at Khami Maximum Prison.
Dressed in white prison garb inscribed “Life” with a blue pen, Mhlupheki has been in prison for 21 years.
He was sentenced to death in 2008 for killing a man in Bulawayo’s Richmond suburb after they had an altercation on one of the darkest days in the country’s history — July 1, 1999. This is the day when Father Zimbabwe and Vice-President Joshua Nkomo breathed his last.
The day would also change Mhlupheki’s life as he would later be incarcerated for murder. “I’m here because of a murder that I committed in 1999 on 1 July. I had an argument with this man who was drunk and we started fighting. He stabbed me with a bottle on my arm,” he said, showing the news crew his scar.
“I drew a knife and stabbed him to death. That is how I ended up in prison,” explained the soft-spoken slim built inmate.
Mhlupheki said at the time he lived at Mbuyazwe Village in Umguza District and was married with a child aged three.
Sadly, the child died while he was in prison and he has no idea what happened to his ex-wife. He said in 2008 he was sentenced to death and was moved to Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare where he was expected to be hanged.
He narrated the trauma of thinking every day would be his last. The anguish of hearing a cell door opening and thinking his time had come, for nine long years.
“I was sentenced to death on 9 April 2008 at the Bulawayo High Court. After that I was transferred to Harare’s Chikurubi Maximum Prison where I stayed for nine years before I made an appeal against the death sentence. On 30 July 2017 my death sentence was commuted to life in prison. This led to my transfer back to Khami Maximum Prison, because I was initially sentenced while in here,” he said.
Mhlupheki said since his imprisonment, he has lost touch with outside reality. Even cellphone technology was minimal in Zimbabwe by the time he was jailed.
“When I was imprisoned there was not much cellphone technology in the country, so I have never held a cellphone. So, things like WhatsApp messenger that you are talking about I don’t know them. It would be a new world to me if I’m to be released from prison,” said Mhlupheki.
He said his personality has changed following his long stay at the prison.
“When I was arrested, I did not know Jesus but in prison I got saved. I’m now baptised. Right now, I’m doing my secondary education, I’m supposed to register to write Ordinary Levels this year but since schools are still closed due to Covid-19 that has been halted. But I remain studying so that when schools open, I register to write my O-levels.
That is what I’m preoccupying myself with at the moment,” he said. He said he has not lost hope that one day he would be accorded Presidential Amnesty.
“The reason why I’m studying is to have knowledge, there are a lot of technologies that have come up since my incarceration. There isn’t much I’m doing so I decided to go to school. Secondly, if I waste this period in jail and get lucky and I’m pardoned by the President, I will struggle to adjust to normal society. My only hope is to receive Presidential pardon.”
Mhlupheki said serving life in prison is more liberating than his earlier death sentence. “Being a death row inmate was a very painful thing. The conditions are too difficult. You spend 23 hours in a solitary cell and just given an hour out of the cell just to exercise. Being in that cell psychologically kills you, if you are not strong as a death row inmate, you might fall sick or die or even lose your mind. I think it’s important to give yourself to God because alone you cannot survive.
Turning to God is how I survived all that time. But prison life is very painful, it separates you from your relatives. It takes away all the little things that you would take for granted when you are outside the cells. Everything here is regulated and even the time you go to bed. At 6pm here we would be expected to be sleeping,” said Mhlupheki.
He said he has not seen any of his relatives in 11 years but was hoping to reunite with his uncle. However, Covid-19 has again stalled the reunion.
This is mainly due to the fact that Government banned members of the public from visiting inmates as part of the measures to mitigate against the spread of Covid-19. Mhlupheki said he was remorseful for taking a life.
He said he was “crushingly” disappointed that he put his own family through hell as society labelled them all sorts of names due to his actions.
“Abadala bathi icala lembula ingubo lingene, so what happened is that I committed a crime without thinking. While in prison I have tried to reach out to the relatives of the man I killed to seek forgiveness. I’m also seeking forgiveness from my family because my crime also affected them. People will forever point fingers at them saying ‘your child who is a murderer’,” said Mhlupheki. -Chronicle
Zimbabwe’s economy has in the last 12 months peaked in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS1) as evidenced by more commercial cargo now passing through Beitbridge Border Post which is the country and Sadc’s busiest inland port of entry, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube said yesterday.
Mthuli Ncube being grilled by Simba Chikanza at Chatham House – FILE
The minister said trade facilitation through Beitbridge was expected to move a gear up upon the completion of the ongoing US$300 million modernisation of the border which is being implemented by the Zimborders Consortium.
At the moment, the border handles close to 40 000 commercial trucks, 100 000 private cars, 4 000 buses, and 500 000 travellers monthly and it is envisaged that the border will carry fivefold its current capacity after two-and-half years.
In an interview after the tour of the modernisation project, Minister Ncube said the Zimbabwe revenue authority and other stakeholders had done well in addressing the congestion that was haunting the border post during the festive season.
He said Zimra had increased its revenue collection and he attributed this to a raft of measures being implemented by Government to promote ease of doing business.
“We are doing a lot to support Zimra and it is pleasing to note that business has just increased in the last 12 months. If we look at the number of commercial trucks using this border alone, they have just grown by 100 percent. We had an additional 40 percent growth in commercial cargo here due to the closure of the border between Botswana and South Africa. So, the traffic was diverted here, that’s why we had sharp build during the last few weeks, but that has been contained through a variety of strategies,” said Prof Ncube.
He said Zimra had put more staff on the ground to make the movement of cargo seamless.
Minister Ncube said the weighbridge process for the commercial trucks had been reviewed and now more efficient and the adoption of pre-clearance system had also lessened the time goods spend at the border.
The facility involves the declaration and payment of duties before the goods reach a specific port of entry/exit.
“The border modernisation which is expected to be completed in the next two- and-half years will improve the way of doing business here under the One-Stop Border Post concept. In addition, customs clearing agents have now been legally included in the essential service providers’ bracket making it possible for them to facilitate regional and international trade on 24-hour basis,” said Minister Ncube.
He said the border modernisation project will have an overspill effect on Beitbridge as the border town’s roads, water and sewer reticulation infrastructure will be upgraded as well.
Minister Ncube said Zimborders will also build 200 houses for border officials and upgrade all the necessary ancillary services.
He said Government had also allocated RTGS$2 billion to Matabeleland South province to fund infrastructure and economic development projects.
“We have exchanged notes with the Minister Responsible for Devolution in this area (Abedneco Ncube) on the importance of accelerating the implementation of the projects in line with the Government thrust.
“As a quick win solution, we have availed RTGS$154 million to Beitbridge district to buy graders to be used in maintaining and servicing roads under Beitbridge Municipality, Beitbridge East and West constituencies respectively,” said Prof Ncube. -Chronicle
No matter what’s going on in the world, maintaining a healthy, whole foods–focused diet is important for blood sugar management.
If you’ve been keeping up with federal guidance on who’s at a higher risk for complications from COVID-19, you know that people with diabetes are among the affected groups.
People older than 60, along with those who have underlying health conditions such as respiratory problems, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and cancer are also at a higher risk for serious illness from the novel coronavirus, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, non-Hispanic Black Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans, all of whom have higher rates of both diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes than white Americans, per the National Diabetes Statistics Report, are also at higher risk for serious COVID-19 disease, including complications and death, as has been widely reported.
Yet it’s still unclear whether diabetes can leave a person at an elevated risk of getting infected in the first place, notes the American Diabetes Association (ADA). This is apparently true despite research, including a review published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, showing that the immune systems of people with persistent hyperglycemia (higher than normal blood glucose, or sugar) are impaired.
Scientific Research Linking Diabetes and COVID-19 Complications People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are both three to four times more likely to develop serious COVID-19 disease and be hospitalized than those who don’t have diabetes, according to a study published online in December 2020 in Diabetes Care. A small preliminary study published in the March 2020 issue of Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews provides more insight into what’s affecting the severity. It looked at 174 people in Wuhan, China, and concluded that people with COVID-19 and diabetes but without other comorbidities were at a higher risk for severe pneumonia and the inflammation that contributes to an accelerated progression of COVID-19 and a worse prognosis.
What You Need to Know About COVID-19 if You Have Lupus From Nose to Toes, the List of COVID-19 Symptoms Keeps Growing Another study, which was published in April 2020 the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, analyzed 1,122 people at 88 hospitals in 11 U.S. states, and drew a link between diabetes and a fourfold increased risk of dying from COVID-19. Glytec, a provider of insulin software management, funded the research.
A study published online in May 2020 in Cell Metabolism supports these findings. For this cohort study, researchers analyzed the health data of 7,337 people in Wuhan with and without type 2 diabetes. They observed an association between having diabetes and an increased risk of dying from COVID-19.
Those with stable blood sugar levels had a better prognosis than those with diabetes whose blood sugar control was poor. In fact, the survival rate for those with good blood sugar control was nearly 99 percent, compared with an 11 percent death rate among those whose control was considered poor. Participants’ blood sugar levels were measured using postprandial and fasting blood glucose tests. The authors defined poor blood sugar control as tending to exceed 180 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and well-controlled blood sugar as ranging from 70 to 180 mg/dL
Diabetes Complications Can Increase Risk of Severe Illness From COVID-19 Still, having complications related to diabetes, along with increasing age, may matter more than blood sugar control, suggested a study published in April 2020 in Diabetologia, which analyzed 1,317 people admitted to 53 French hospitals during a three-week period in March 2020. Study authors concluded that 10 percent of people with diabetes admitted to a hospital died within 10 days, and that men were more likely to die than women. The main contributing factors to death were having complications including neuropathy and heart disease, having a high body mass index (BMI) —indicating obesity — and being older. Patients between ages 65 and 74 were three times more likely to die than individuals younger than 55.
People with type 2 diabetes are definitely at higher risk of COVID-19 complications and death, but those with type 1 or gestational diabetes may also be at higher risk, according to recent guidance by the CDC. In the French study, 3 percent of admitted patients had type 1 diabetes, while 89 percent had type 2 diabetes. The remainder of diabetes patients had other types of the disease.
Black people who have type 1 diabetes and COVID-19 may be especially vulnerable to worse outcomes because they are more likely to present with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a condition that causes the blood to become acidic and that can be life-threatening in its own right. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in December 2020 found that 55 percent of Black clinic patients and 33 percent of Hispanic patients presented with DKA, compared with only 13 percent of white patients. “The shared risk of COVID-19 and DKA in type 1 diabetes worsens the short-term and long-term prognosis for Black and Hispanic patients,” said the study authors, also noting that “previous studies have demonstrated an increased risk of DKA among minority populations with type 1 diabetes.”
Understanding COVID-19 and Its Symptoms
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause diseases including the common cold, but also more severe illnesses, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS); severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS); and COVID-19, which first became known at the end of 2019 during an outbreak in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province and has since developed into a global pandemic.
According to the WHO, common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Fever Tiredness Dry cough Aches and pains Nasal congestion Runny nose Sore throat Loss of taste or smell Skin rashes Pain in the muscles or joints Discolored fingers or toes Diarrhea Some infected people have no symptoms at all, but they can still spread the virus.
The CDC describes the emergency warning signs for COVID-19 in adults as:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion or inability to wake up or stay awake Bluish lips or face Inability to rouse or stay awake If you are experiencing these symptoms, call 911 or call ahead to the hospital and let them know you are seeking care for COVID-19 or may have it, the CDC advises.
If you are interested in getting a test and want to know how to proceed, contact your local or state health department. The CDC lists state and territorial departments, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials has a directory you can use to find your local department.
For most people, the disease is mild, and many don’t develop symptoms at all. A South Korean study published in August 2020 in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at young people, the vast majority of whom were healthy, and found that 30 percent of those infected with the virus causing COVID-19 never developed symptoms at all. COVID-19 symptoms are mild for most others, although 10–15 percent of infected people do become seriously ill, and 5 percent become critically ill, according to WHO. Mortality estimates vary, but a New York–based study published in October 2020 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that 7.6 percent of hospitalizations resulted in death in August, down from 25.6 percent in March, when infection began to spread in the United States.
It’s important to note that the risk of death from COVID-19 is far greater than from influenza (flu), a disease it is frequently compared with. More than 340,000 people died of COVID-19 in the United States in 2020, according to CDC data. In contrast, the nation loses between 12,000 and 61,000 people per year to influenza, reports the CDC.
Source: Everyday Health
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By Dr Masimba Mavaza | Once again Social Media was abuzz and awash with photographs of honourable Sen. Monica Mutsvangwa with a man the social media could not identify. They then made innuendos suggesting the man is a boyfriend. The evil spin doctors started sending the message around that the hon. Senator was having a boyfriend and relaxing at a beach somewhere.
Monica Mutsvangwa with brother, the late Daniel Parirenyatwa
The rumour mill went on defaming and scandalising the hon. minister without caring to the damage they are causing to her own marriage and to her good character. Those evil spreaders mistook the natural beauty of minister Mutsvangwa with being loose. It is not her fault that she is gifted in all natural ways.
Un be known to the fake news preachers Senator Mutsvangwa was posing with her brother Mr Daniel Parirenyatwa who passed on the 18th Jan 2021.
Daniel Parirenyatwa was a Zimbabwean who worked for Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in various capacities until his death on 18 January 2021.
He was senator Monica Mutsvangwa’s brother. He did his secondary education at St Augustine’s High School. He joined Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals on 20 July 1981 as a Clerical Assistant. He rose through the ranks to become a Switchboard Supervisor, a position he held up to the time of his demise. In a statement mourning his death then, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals said Daniel Parirenyatwa was “an excellent team leader who associated very well with his subordinates and workmates. He was very compassionate.”
He was buried in Gombakomba in Zimunya, Manicaland Province on 20 Jan 2021. The late Daniel Parirenyatwa did his secondary education at St Augustine’s High School and was among the black Africans that broke the white segregation of the then Andrew Fleming Hospital of Rhodesia (now Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals).
Parirenyatwa rose to become the chief technical communications officer at Parirenyatwa. He is survived by two wives and four children. So the photo which made news was indeed a photo taken from the profile picture on Senator Mutsvangwa’s phone.
When we lose important people in our lives, their photos can bring back memories of them, and help us remember everything that made them special and unique. They help us keep them alive in our minds, through stories and memories — and that’s an important part of making sure our loved ones’ legacies live on.
When we lose people who are special to us, we often tend to dwell on how they died. Sen. Mutsvangwa chose to grieve her brother by putting a photo of herself with her brother on her whatsapp profile. Photos bring our loved ones’ whole, complete lives back to us not just their passing.
Photos can remind us of the unique way they lived. Their personalities, passions and hobbies. How they impacted our lives, and why they were so important to us. The memories (and moments) we most want to remember when we think of them. The photo with Senator Mutsvangwa was a memory photo and she was in her grieving moment.
The anniversary of the death of a loved one is difficult, no matter how many years have passed.
If you don’t think photos are important, wait until they are all you have left.”
images are brought out and the joy that is encapsulated in them is rediscovered once again.
Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. Often, the pain of loss can feel overwhelming. You may experience all kinds of difficult and unexpected emotions, from shock or anger to disbelief, guilt, and profound sadness. These are normal reactions to loss—and the more significant the loss, the more intense your grief will be.
It’s only when you endure the pain of losing someone that you fully realise the importance that photographs have in times of grief.
In the immediate aftermath of a loss, pictures can serve as a wonderful comfort, they are a part of the grieving process as we sit looking at photographs of ourselves with our loved ones.
Tears are shed over the fact that they are gone, but we find solace in the images and their importance looms even larger. To be able to see a person again is a way of remembering them.
When a loved one dies, many of us collect, print, organise and share photographs – it can be a cathartic activity. Looking through them, especially as a family, sparks memories of the deceased, reignites old stories and connects you with the person you are missing.
Photographs make us stop and reflect upon those moments that we have already lived.
Each time we look at the photographs, our memories grow larger, they also give us an opportunity to analyse how our lives have changed.
Some people fear that being reminded of the past prevents a person from living in the present. Try to focus on the love that existed between you and your loved one, remember the love that was there – this can provide you with more comfort than a photograph ever can.
Pictures are more than just snapshots of the past – they can be a powerful tool for helping us grieve and reconnecting us with meaningful moments.
Senetor Mutsvangwa chose to remember her loved one in the prime of his life. The photo provided links to a loved past, it revealed a lifetime of shared memories and a treasured record of what has gone before.
It is not humane to intrude in the moment of grief and scandalise the honourable Senator. Behind that minister called Monica.
Mutsvangwa there is a loving sister who lost a brother who chose to moan her in a way she prefers. The publishing of the photo was malicious and meant to injure the dignity of the honourable Senator.
Grief manifests itself in many ways, not only sadness. Depending on the circumstances, even anger and rage may overcome us. Grief manifests itself in many ways, not only sadness. Depending on the circumstances, even anger and rage may overcome us. For children and/or other family members…like brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters. When someone dies, his or her branch on the family tree doesn’t just fall off. That person is still a part of the family and hiding reminders of them, even if you would prefer to do so, can make other family members feel like their loved one’s memory is being erased.
Photos also give future generations a chance to connect with their deceased ancestors and family history. How else would you know you have your great grandmother’s nose or see brother Daniel smile. Anyway, what was the point of taking photographs of these people if you didn’t plan on looking at them later on down the road?
It was evil to put lies against the photo. We must realise that a photo of your dearly departed can be healing,and it is helpful to look at pictures of the loved one you’ve lost – whether it’s one day, one month, or one year after he or she has died. It’s healthy to hold on to old memories — you don’t need to cast them off in a forced effort to “move on.”Spend time going through old photo albums or image files, and reflect on the happy and memorable times you had with your loved one.
Shame on those journalists who peddle such lies.
For all we want to know Monica Mutsvangwa is a family woman. She is gifted with beauty but she can not be put in the class of loose women. It is a shame to have even thought ill of the senator.
IN a rare show of bravery, a quick-thinking 14-year-old girl from Bhekani Line in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland North province, turned into Wonder Woman when she warded off her 49-year-old grandfather, who allegedly attempted to rape her, by violently grabbing his testicles and squeezing them hard.
The Form One girl gave her grandfather a painful lesson when she reportedly gripped one of his testicles with her sharp nails as he was allegedly trying to sexually assault her in her bedroom.
After being attacked, the grandfather screamed for help while begging for forgiveness.
Circumstances of the tale read as follows: On 8 February 2021 and at around 3pm the girl was in her bedroom cleaning her room. It is reported that her grandfather, who was peeping through the window, saw her and stormed into the bedroom and grabbed her.
While grabbing her, he forcibly fondled her breasts and took off her clothes and underwear. In the process the grandfather is also alleged to have unzipped his trousers and pulled out his manhood.
The girl is alleged to have wrestled with him and at the height of the struggle, she grabbed his testicles and squeezed them so hard that he wailed for help.
After thwarting her grandfather’s evil move, the girl is alleged to have escaped, leaving him lying helpless on the floor. She went to her grandmother’s bedroom where she narrated the nasty ordeal to her.
The matter was reported to the police leading to the man’s arrest.
For that offence of attempting to defile her granddaughter, the man was brought before the court and he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu.
He was not asked to plead to a charge of attempted rape and was remanded in custody to 23 April 2021.-B-Metro
2/5 The assaulted police details called for reinforcement and a batallion of anti riot police officers came to their rescue. pic.twitter.com/AFlueIlotJ
3/5 Anti riot police details conducted a door to door search breaking down doors and windows and beating up mostly the men in the area. Those who had locked themselves up were not spared either.
4/5 There was pandemonium when the police details threw teargas inside the mapostori shrine/ their church and those who were hiding inside the building ran for dear life.
It could not be immediately established what triggered the violence against the police details and if there were any arrests made during the raid/ beatings @PoliceZimbabwe . Click on our page https://t.co/oeM12lmY54 for more on this story pic.twitter.com/9BJ9aaLudO
By A Correspondent- A Woman who was early this week caught having sex with a 13-year-old boy has been charged with rape.
Precious Teya, was not asked to plead when she appeared before Harare provincial head magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro.
Teya was initially being charged for having sexual intercourse with a minor, who is 13-years-old.
She now has to seek bail at the High Court following the review and upgrading of her charge.
The court heard that on February 22, the complainant — a Form Two pupil at a renowned private school in Marondera — went on a dating site and selected Teya.
He followed the prompts and found a link to her WhatsApp number and after messaging her, she sent a list of the services she offered and the respective prices namely NURUV – US$15, FETISH – US$30, FULLHOUSE – US$40 and SEX -US$20.
The court heard that the complainant agreed and invited Teya for sex and she stated that she was coming the following morning and he asked her to bring sleeping tablets to give his siblings and she agreed.
The State further alleges that she arrived the following day at around 1pm on a taxi and asked the complainant to pay the taxi driver US$20 and he complied.
It is further reported that the complainant told Teya to go back, but she forced herself into the gate then he asked for the tablets he had asked for and gave them to his siblings so that they could sleep while they were having sex.
The two had sex and when they were done, the complainant asked Teya to leave, but she refused demanding her money and this prompted the complainant to approach their neighbour asking for money amounting to US$120 so that she could leave.
The neighbour then called the complainant’s grandmother and the matter came to light.
By James Gwati-A Zimbabwe gay couple which is now based in South Africa has challenged the President Emmerson Mnanagwa’s administration to legalise gay marriages.
The couple, Shingirai Musekiwa and Elton Chibhebhe who are now living in Langa, South Africa said Harare, should repeal of section 73 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which criminalises homosexuality.
The two have since dubbed their movement Zimbabwe LGBTQ+ Crusader and said they have had interest from about 200 people.
“We are demanding that the section of the Zimbabwean Constitution that criminalise gay people be abolished. It doesn’t allow us to be who we are and to love one another,” said the couple through their Facebook account.
The country’s constitution criminalizes gay activities, and does not recognize gay marriages.
By A Correspondent-Nicholas Zakaria, popularly known as Madzibaba said the COVID-19 induced-lockdown has forced him to decide to turn into farming.
Senior lecturer, as he is also known, told the state media that he will venture into tobacco and maize farming to supplement his earnings.
The Khiama Boys leader, who turns 65 on April 5, said he spent the past 12 months indoors owing to the Covid-19 induced lockdown the reason why hw now wanted to go farming.
To show his commitment, the revered guitarist has since started clearing his plot in Mvurwi in preparation for the new farming season. “We have been indoors for the past 12 months or so doing nothing at home due to the Covid-19 but this year I have decided to venture into farming at my plot in Mvurwi.
“My plot measures 10 hectares but now four hectares of land have been cleared. “We will start with maize and of course tobacco which I hear fetches good money on the market.
“Farming is something I grew up doing back in the day but had stopped due to music commitments but I am going back into farming and tobacco is one of the crops that are in my mind,” he said.
By A Correspondent- A Harare police officer appeared in court today on allegations of soliciting US$45 bribe from a motorist he had arrested.
Broadway Jongwe was facing bribery charges when he appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti Guwuriro.
The State led by Mr Moses Mapanga opposed bail on the grounds that Jongwe was likely to abscond since he had previous convictions.
He told the court that Jongwe was also likely to interfere with State witnesses. Mrs Guwuriro defferred the matter to Monday for continuation of bail application.
The court heard that on February 18 at Cnr Bishop Gaul and Rotten Row streets, Jongwe, being an employee of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, solicited for US$30 from Albert Muzhande who was driving a Mazda B1800 without a driver’s license and a Covid-19 exemption letter.
Further facts revealed that Jongwe unlawfully took possession of Muzhande’s national identity card and two cellphones worth US$45 in total as surety for the gift or consideration for the solicited bribe.
It is the State’s case that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission set a trap and arrested Jongwe while receiving money from Muzhande for the return of his identity card and cellphone.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- The temperatures outside Zanu PF seem to be going below zero degrees for former Masvingo provincial political commissar Jeppy Jaboon who is said to be in the process of tracing his footsteps back to the ruling party.
Jaboon was caught up in the winds of change that swept across Zanu PF at the height of political tension between rival factions G40 and Lacoste.
The highly effusive former political commissar found himself in the jaws of the crocodile when he openly declared war on then Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, discrediting his competence to succeed the late former president Robert Mugabe.
After the 2017 military coup, the G40 faction was send packing with the majority of its top protagonists skipping the country for safe haven while the remaining few, including Jaboon, joined the opposition outfit National Patriotic Front (NPF).
Zanu PF Masvingo provincial chairperson Ezra Chadzamira confirmed to TellZim News that Jaboon had reached out to return to Zanu PF.
“Jaboon reached out and said he wanted to return to Zanu PF. We have no problem with people coming back home because Zanu PF has a big tent approach.
“We told Jaboon that he should make an application through his district (Bikita) who will then forward it to the province for deliberation,” said Chadzamira.
Jaboon could not be drawn into comment as his mobile went unanswered but sources close to him said the process for his return to Zanu PF has been set in motion.
“Jaboon is an asset and comrades in Zanu PF know that. He is a workhorse and delivers results. When he was provincial political commissar, he carried Masvingo on his back and the party structures were in safe hands.
“Things happened and that is the way politics is. This does not mean people become enemies. Jaboon has made up his mind and is going back to Zanu PF.
“Zanu PF has always been his home and at the end of the day we all return home. He is trying to reach out to some of his friends who are still in the system so that they could help facilitate his return,” said the source.
Zanu PF has recently fished from the Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance with senior officials Lilian Timveos and Blessing Chebundo defecting.-TellZim
By A Correspondent- Bulawayo residents have expressed concern over an increase in robbery cases by Honda Fit gangs who go around suburbs snatching mobile phones and handbags from hapless women.
The method has been used on several occasions in recent weeks, the latest being on Saturday last week when this reporter witnessed a gang robbing a woman of her bag near North End Shopping Centre.
In a movie-like style, the gang that was driving a silver Honda Fit without registration numbers, drove up to the woman and one of them grabbed her bag.
The woman was dragged for close to 100 metres as she wrestled for her bag. She had to let go after she was violently pushed, she fell on the tarmac and sustained serious body injuries. The robbers then sped off.
On Sunday afternoon another woman from North End was also robbed of her phone by a four-member gang comprising two men and two women. The gang was driving a silver Honda Fit with registration number AFA 0617.
Investigations by B-Metro established that a number of robberies of the same nature had also been reported in the city centre and surrounding suburbs.
Langton Siziba from North End suburb said he recently saw a pedestrian being robbed of her phone near Baines Junior School in the morning.
“We are disturbed by the rate of phone and handbag snatching by criminals who are driving around the suburb in Honda Fits. What happened on the day is that the woman, was using her phone when a silver Honda Fit stopped near her and one of the occupants jumped out and snatched the woman’s phone. The drama just happened in less than a minute,” said Siziba.
He said people are not just having their cellphones and handbags taken — they are also being assaulted by the robbers.
Another resident, Ellen Sibanda from Sauerstown, said her younger sister’s handbag and phones were snatched at a bus stop near Athlone Cemetery on Valentine’s Day.
“After they snatched her handbag and phones, a motorist who heard her shouting, tried to chase the Honda Fit, but they didn’t succeed in pursuing it after it disappeared along Victoria Falls road,” said Sibanda.
They were reportedly driving a silver-grey Honda Fit and Ngwenya would on several occasions pounce on unsuspecting residents after impersonating a police officer. She would identify herself as Constable Ngwenya stationed at Bulawayo Central Police Station.
A cellphone dealer, who requested anonymity, said the robbers were working in cahoots with some unscrupulous cellphone dealers in the city centre.
“Smartphones are hot commodities as they are generating a quick income. For example, a stolen smartphone equates to cash for thieves. These robbers are working with some phone dealers who organised those getaway vehicles to steal from unsuspecting victims. Once stolen they work quickly to crack the phone and blacklisting the handset doesn’t seem to deter these criminals,” the cellphone dealer said.
A police source confirmed that in the past two weeks they had recorded a number of robbery cases where residents lost money, cellphones and other valuables to robbers adding that while the crime spree had left residents feeling uneasy, fortunately, most were left unhurt.
Police are on record warning motorists to secure their cars and pedestrians to keep their phones safely secured inside a bag or in pockets. They are also urging residents to avoid boarding Honda Fit vehicles among other unregistered taxis as this exposes them to criminals.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- The death of Zimdance-hall King, Soul Jah Love, last week forced promoters of Sulumani Chimbetu and Andy Muridzo to postpone the two’s virtual gig.
Gateway Stream Music, said they had to postpone tonight the joint online performance as they wanted to give music fans time to mourn the late Chibaba.
“We postponed last week’s show because we wanted to respect the funeral of Soul Jah Love as most fans were mourning. It is now all systems go and we are happy how artistes are appreciating the PPV platform,” said Gateway Stream Music.
“This is our third (PPV) virtual show under the theme ‘The Fast Lane’ and will run for two hours. The show was originally slated for last Friday.”
The promoter said instead, they hosted a free commemoration compilation of the late artiste’s songs and interviews dubbed “Soul Jah Love Tribute Medley”.
Sulumani said fans should expect a well-polished act.
“I am ready and fans can expect one or two songs from my latest album,” he said. “Currently, we are concentrating on pushing the new album and working on more videos. We will disclose more when the time is right.”
Andy Muridzo said nothing had changed on performing virtually and besides, it was not the first time he has squared off with Sulu.
“Tonight’s show aims to highlight the importance of the arts and entertainment sector in Zimbabwe, regardless of the current Covid-19 restrictions. Fans should expect the usual energetic performances.” Asked how he has been surviving the lockdown, the “Dherira” hitmaker said it has not been an easy road, but was trying to survive through performing on virtual platforms.“Since last year when the Covid-19 pandemic started, as musicians, it has been a difficult for us as most of us used to rely on gate takings and shows,” said Muridzo. “Now, with the new norm, performing with no audience and at the same time via a virtual platform, we have managed to adapt and appreciate the new system. “It is also a good opportunity for us to venture into other line of duty while waiting for things to be normal, but music is my life, I will not quit. -Herald
By A Correspondent- Former Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo was on Friday granted bail by Harare regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
Chombo was ordered to continue following bail conditions imposed on his other previous corruption-related charges.
Mambanje said Chombo will be required to report once a fortnight to police and surrender title deeds to his Marlborough property.
Chombo, who was appointed Finance Minister by the late former president Robert Mugabe a few weeks before the November 2017 military coup, is charged with fraud and five counts of criminal abuse of office.
The allegations date back to the time he was Local Government Minister between 2000 and 2015.
During Chombo’s court appearance on Wednesday, prosecutors Charles Muchemwa and Ephraim Zinyandu opposed bail stating that the charges he was facing would likely influence him to flee from trial.
The investigating officer of the case, Detective Maxwell Gudo, told that court that Chombo would likely interfere with witnesses if he were freed on bail.
However, in his ruling, Mambanje said Chombo has proved that he will not abscond trial as he has travelled to South Africa nine times and returned.
By A Correspondent-Dendera musician, Sulumani Chimbetu and Andy Muridzo are tonight hosting their first 2021 joint online perform, courtesy of Gateway Stream Music.
According to the state media, the two’s joint gig is on the Pay Per View platform, and fans will pay $1 to access and enjoy the show.
The gig, dubbed “The Fast Lane”, will be streamed live by Gateway Stream Music (GSM), with each musician expected to play hits from their respective collections.
GSM’s corporate communication and innovations manager, Pride Khumbula, said they were prepared for the gig.
By A Correspondent- Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe has defended the police who are charging spot fines and cash payment from motorists for road traffic offences.
The police officers manning roadblocks and checkpoints are taking advantage of the laws of the country which allow them to demand spot fines and cash payments which they are now using to extort motorists. Kazembe defended the police on Wednesday during the question-and-answer session in Parliament after being grilled by MPs over traffic police’s insistence on cash payments.
“We are seized with this issue and we are trying to find out how best our citizens can find it easy to pay,” Kazembe said.
“We believe all the possible methods of payments should be made available at every point. By that, I mean people should be able to swipe, (pay using) EcoCash or pay in cash.”
Asked why the government was not adopting a system where motorists are given an opportunity to pay later, Kazembe said: “It is not something we have been thinking about at the moment, but it is a very valid proposal which we will discuss.”
Recently, lawyers challenged Statutory Instrument (SI) 25 of 2021 which approved increases in deposit fines which police officers at roadblocks have already begun to implement. SI 25 of 2021, gazetted on January 25, published the fine increases.
However, High Court judge Justice Webster Chinamhora dismissed the application, saying it was not urgent. Harare North legislator Allan Markham (MDC Alliance) told Kazembe that motorists should be allowed to pay in whatever form, including United States dollars or electronically. Kazembe said the government was taking the direction of computerisation. “It is premature for me to discuss it now, but I will probably just share some of the things because it has not gone through the processes,” Kazembe said. “We are planning to eventually get rid of these challenges. We are planning to integrate all these systems by computerising them. “This will assist in the event of someone being found guilty at the roadblock because everything is integrated; all the information is available at the National Data Centre, which was commissioned Wednesday by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.” MDC Alliance vice-president Tendai Biti said: “EcoCash has had serious restrictions since the reserve bank implemented the measures it took in July 2020. “Therefore, as citizens, we are finding ourselves in an invidious position because we cannot pay. We do not have the cash, why not follow the law and allow the issuance of tickets so that we can pay after seven days or present ourselves to court?” But Kazembe said: “We are going to look at the form which will enable people to pay later. We have not considered it at the moment, but I have admitted that it is a very good input which we will look at and see whether it is something that we can run with.” -NewsDay
STATE MEDIA- At least 25 children in Acacia, Penhalonga, were reportedly initiated into a Satanic cult by a 22-year-old local woman.
The woman allegedly befriends the unsuspecting minors before luring them into the occult world. Last week, Acacia residents had sleepless nights after a 12-year-old girl fell into a trance and declared that she and 25 other children in the area had been initiated into Satanism by her neighbour (name withheld).
However, the young woman has vehemently denied the allegations, highlighting that she also experienced spiritual attacks at some point in her life.
As she was manifesting, the 12-year-old wriggled like a snake.
This came minutes after the minor had physically attacked her father who sought to restrain her from visiting their neighbour’s residence. The child’s father, (name withheld to protect the identity of the minor), confirmed his daughter’s weird behaviour.
“My child went to play at our neighbour’s house and when she came back, she was behaving weirdly. She was putting on different clothes from the ones she had gone wearing. When I asked our neighbour to return my daughter’s clothes, she refused to surrender them. I even visited our neighbour to collect the clothes, but I was told that she had soaked them. I demanded to be given the wet clothes,” said the troubled father.
“That night my daughter was making strange sounds. She was also telling us hard to believe stories of how she was now part of our neighbour’s Satanic cult. She claimed that our neighbour is the queen of the cult, while 25 other minors from our neighbourhood are the maids.
“She says during one of their meetings, our neighbour instructed her to kill me or one of her brothers,” said the father.
Meanwhile in the same neighbourhood, another spirit has also been manifesting on another minor and accusing the same lady of recruiting her into the cult. A third girl also manifested and killed a snake that had been seen in Acacia. However, the family could not allow The Manica Post to interview the minor, saying they feared recurrence of her manifestations if she is constantly reminded of the incident.
A traditional healer whose four children claim to have been initiated into the cult said she has been witnessing mysterious occurrences at her home.
“Just yesterday, a cat entered my child’s room. When we went to check on her, my daughter’s eyes were blazing like fire. I will never forget that image. I could not even lift her as she was so heavy.
“I was so scared and ran outside. My sister had to come in to assist,” she said, adding that her children have been cleansed by a local prophet.
A neighbour, Emilio Magaso, said the alleged Satanist is not new to controversy as her parents were constantly summoned to attend to her during her high school days at a nearby mission school.
“We long suspected that something fishy was happening in her life. She has a mermaid spirit,” said Magaso.
But in an interview with The Manica Post, the alleged Satanist denied ever initiating the minors into any cult.
“Honestly, look at me, I am 22 years old and I have a child. Why would I be friends with people who are 10 years younger than me? Most of these kids are not even teenagers and I do not even know them that much,” she said.
She, however, said she has been seeking prayers from a white garment prophet.
“I am actually coming from the prophet’s shrine. He told me that those spiritual attacks are not a result of Satanism, those attacks are from the children’s jealousy families. The attacks have nothing to do with me” she said.
“During my high school days, my family’s spirits also haunted me but a local madzibaba delivered me and I am now a devoted Christian. They need to take their children to the prophet for deliverance instead of blaming me,” she said. Zimbabwe National Healers’ Association (Zinatha) president, Mr George Kandiero, said the information at hand shows that the children were initiated into witchcraft. He said the word satanism is a ‘glorified’ term for witchcraft, adding that there is urgent need for the children’s exorcism.
“The snakes and manifestations suggest that the children are already witches and wizards. The fact that some of the children’s mothers are also witnessing a change in behaviour is proof to this.
“They need urgent cleansing through either traditional or Christian means. In addition, there is need for proper witch hunting so that there are no further initiations in the area,” said Mr Kandiero.
Prophet Cloud Chiremba of Mount Sinai said the minors are being tormented by territorial spirits. He said he used ‘back to sender’ prayers to deliver some of the children.
“The person behind this believes that the area is her territory. Parents in this area need to be prayerful as the evil spirits are out to tack more children,” he said.
ZANU PF has continued with its protracted war of attrition against the MDC Alliance and its leadership. The regime is using our erstwhile colleagues who have left us and joined their moribund regime to attack and destabilize the MDC Alliance through peddling malicious falsehoods and scurrilous allegations especially against my person. The intention is to weaken the MDC Alliance leadership and destabilize the party. It is not surprising as most regimes bone out of a coup entrench themselves through cooptation of opposition elements and systematic targeting of their legitimate opponents. We are a natural target since our President won the 2018 election whose victory the regime stole from us.
While it is not in the ordinary for me to respond to ZANU PF allegations on our internal issues, I would like to address some of the concerns considering that they are intended to damage both my personal integrity and most importantly the repute of the party. First, allegations were levelled that party funds have been misappropriated. In addition to our audit (of the party finances in the period after 2019 congress) which was successful I must state that we have tried and tested systems of deploying financial resources in the organisation which leave no room for misappropriation by any single individual. While human beings are fallible, systems are fail-safe. I take pride in the systems we have put in place which cannot be manipulated in the manner suggested.
Second, the allegation that I have tormented people in meetings to the point of tears and even drove a few to the absurd, deplorable and treacherous act of joining ZANU P.F. is laughable. Constitutional meetings of organs of the party have continued uninterrupted since congress in the physical and virtually in instances where we are unable to meet physically due to lockdown restrictions. The organ that was singled out by ZANU PF speaking through the renegades, the Standing Committee, is chaired by the party President. In all our Standing Committee meetings, our President has ensured that meeting etiquette is observed in line with our democratic principles of tolerance, diversity of thought and freedom of speech. Should it be the case that a member feels they have been treated unfairly by another, the party has competent mechanisms to address grievances as a way of ensuring that our platforms remain safe spaces. I state here that if any member feels aggrieved by my conduct, I am personally available and willing to subject myself before organs of the party to answer to such allegations. I presented myself before congress in Gweru and had I not been elected, I was ready and willing to work with the one elected; such is my faith and confidence in the competency of our internal democracy. In the same spirit, I am open to criticism and correction. Be this as it may, I know that the current spurt of attacks is orchestrated by ZANU PF to put a wedge between the SG and the office of the President. These efforts will continue to fail dismally as I am not mistaken in the execution of my mandate to serve the institution and to give unquestionable support to our President Adv Nelson Chamisa.
For the record those who have left the MDC Alliance have done so voluntarily without any undue pressure from any quarter. No one was pushed out of the MDC Alliance.
It must astonish any right thinking citizen that those who claim to be running away from being insulted in private in the MDC Alliance are joining ZANU PF, a party which has not only insulted them publicly in the past but has maimed and killed thousands of MDC Alliance supporters. That kind of duplicity and treachery is shocking. We all know that those who have left the MDC Alliance and joined ZANU PF have done so to benefit from ZANU PF patronage and corruption. Others have done so after failing to recover from their loss in the popularity contest during our elective congress in 2019. We will work better to give the necessary psychological support to sore “losers” as well as ideological orientation to members that in a democratic organisation like the MDC Alliance we are all winners when the best is deployed and congress must never be the basis of terminal acrimony.
Those who have decided to join the gravy train are free to do so but they should never justify their treacherous behaviour by peddling falsehoods and mudslinging those who have chosen to keep fighting and speaking for the people. Despite the odds, the people’s movement has persevered with the unwavering support of the jobless graduate, the starving pensioner, the vending mother in the dusty streets of Harare right to the support of the farmer in the last hut in Umguza. I personally will never betray the people’s cause. We are up against a ruthless enemy but we will prevail. The final call is unchanged. The journey is like a pendulum swing; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left but the final call remains unchanged, victory is certain.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly official, Hon Joana Mamombe has called for the immediate release of jailed human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe.
Mako was violently arrested by government agents last week.
Addressing the media in the capital on Thursday, Hon Mamombe called for resignation of police boss Godwin Matanga – due to gross violation of human rights…
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly official, Hon Joana Mamombe has called for the immediate release of jailed human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe.
Mako was violently arrested by government agents last week.
Addressing the media in the capital on Thursday, Hon Mamombe called for resignation of police boss Godwin Matanga – due to gross violation of human rights…
“Hie Twimbos thank you all for your support. I haven’t been refunded my money yet for missing my flights,my Covid tests etc,” announced Temba Mliswa’s ex girlfriend Susan Mutami.
She continued saying: ” Hope you are all well and no amount of intimidation will stop me from spilling the beans. Stay tuned and stay safe,” she said in Wednesday.
Where is she now, in Australia, or still in Zimbabwe?
What beans is she releasing, real beans or her private concoctions?
Hon Polite Kambamura with Susan Mutami (2020)
By A Correspondent | This is not UK, Sweden or some other foreign nation, this is her country of birth -Susan Mutami’s whereabouts have been a hot internet search code since last week Friday.
The development comes after Mutami went underground after being blocked from flying back to Australia.
The Aussie citizen was last week 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 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.”
Also commenting on the development, 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 in Harare.
It seemed convincing Mutami is playing an the aussie whistleblower, Julian Assange, hiding technique, 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.
While it could not be established at the time of writing where she is, Mutami herself had by last Saturday afternoon told ZimEye, she has now submitted her witness statement to the police and is now working towards getting a ticket.
South Africa national team forward Keagan Dolly could leave France and return to home, according to The Citizen.
Dolly has been at Ligue 1 side Montpelier since 2017 and his contract is coming to an end in June.
The 28-year old has struggled for game time at the club and there has been no talks of a contract renewal. He is now reportedly considering coming back home if no other overseas team makes an offer and his former side, Mamelodi Sundowns, is a possible destination.
An unnamed source told the publication: “He (Dolly) hasn’t been playing and his situation doesn’t look like it will change and his deal ends in June. He is worried and wants to return to Bafana Bafana and might come back to Sundowns to ensure that he has a fair chance of getting game time.”
The Citizen also claims Dolly could end up reuniting with his former coach Pitso Mosimane at Al Ahly in Egypt.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
The office of the Vice President demands highest levels of integrity and moral probity. If the allegations of abuse of office, power, sexual harassment and misconduct against VP Kembo Mohadi are true, then he must do the honourable thing and STEP DOWN!
Kembo Mohadi
The office of the presidency cannot be reduced to a love nest for self satisfaction and pleasure. Zimbabwe deserves a leadership that is responsible and respectful of women as required by national, regional and international laws & statutes that protect women & girls from abuse.
The office of the Vice President demands highest levels of integrity and moral probity. If the allegations of abuse of office, power, sexual harassment and misconduct against VP Kembo Mohadi are true, then he must do the honourable thing and STEP DOWN! pic.twitter.com/0vuDu3TVNQ
By A Correspondent- A teenage boy from Dick Village in Hwange summoned the strength of Biblical heroic strong man, Samson and fought off a crocodile that had attacked him while he was fishing at Kalope Dam.
Craighton Dube said while he was fishing, a crocodile pounced on him, but he did not let fright freeze him as he summoned the courage to fight back by squeezing hard the fearsome reptile’s nose.
He said: “It was around 4.30 pm when we went fishing at a dam with my friend. We had put traps. I got into the dam assuming the trap had caught a fish, but instead there was a crocodile close to the fish. I cannot explain how it swiftly moved to me. I only saw it attacking me on my left leg.”
The teenager said he wrestled with the crocodile until he managed to grab it by its nostrils.
“To tell you the truth it was a matter of life and death but somehow I plucked courage and squeezed its nostrils until it retreated and I have to thank the Almighty God for giving me such courage because it was a miracle for me to do that. I escaped with injuries on my left leg and minor injuries on the hands,” said Craighton.
He added:
“I struggled to swim to the bank while the crocodile was following me slowly, angling to attack me once again. I got out of the dam.”
Although the boy managed to survive, sadly the leg that was bitten has been amputated.
By A Correspondent- Police in Bulawayo seized an illegal drug primarily used for recreational purposes and arrested two people during a raid at a suspected drug house in Nketa suburb.
The raid, which nabbed two alleged drug pushers, Enock Tambalika and Caroline Bhunu, both aged 29, was carried out after neighbours tipped police.
Circumstances are that on 17 February 2021 and at around 10am, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics Section in Bulawayo, received a tip-off that house number 5239 in Nketa 9 had been turned into a drug haven.
Acting on the tip-off, detectives went to the house in question where they found Bhunu, who resides at the house and Tambalika.
A search was carried out and police reportedly recovered eight sachets of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) stashed in a padded blanket hidden in a wardrobe in the bedroom.
MDMA, commonly known as crystal meth, is an illicit drug, usually considered a recreational or party drug among young people.
It acts as both a stimulant and a hallucinogen. The desired effects include altered sensations, increased energy, empathy, as well as pleasure.
Bhunu is alleged to have implicated her friend Tambalika as the owner of the dangerous drug and they were both arrested.
The recovered crystal meth was taken to Bulawayo Main Post Office where it was weighed in the presence of the two alleged drug peddlers and recorded a mass of 0,002 kilogrammes with a street value of $3 320.
Tambalika and Bhunu have since appeared in court before Bulawayo magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu charged with a crime of contravening section 157 (1) (a) of the criminal law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 as read with section 14 (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 15:02 “unlawful possession of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (crystal meth).
They were, however, not asked to plead and were remanded out of custody to 12 April 2021 on free bail.
Meanwhile, police are always encouraging the public to be on the lookout for activities that may indicate involvement in drug activity.
Signs of possible drug activity include an excessive number of visitors at a home or area for short periods of time; people continuously loitering or gathering inside the house; increased amount of graffiti at or around a home; paranoid behaviour; or obvious use, possession, distribution or talk of distribution of drugs.
Warriors defender Tendayi Darikwa says he is always looking forward to playing for the national team and is hoping the side will seal a qualification at the 2022 Afcon tournament to be held in Cameroon.
Zimbabwe face Botswana away in Gaborone on March 25 and host Zambia in Harare four days later in their final two rounds of the qualifiers.
Darikwa is part of the provisional squad for both encounters and if he makes it into the final selection, the right-back will miss Wigan Athletic’s League One game against Ipswich Town on the 27th.
According to a British tabloid, The Wigan Post, the 29-year old admitted he was hoping to represent Zimbabwe on the biggest stage of all.
“The international stuff is always in the back of my mind, and it’s always a massive buzz to play for my country,” he said.
“First and foremost I’ve got games to win here for Wigan, and I need to make sure I’m playing well for my club before I even think about anything else.
“But I also know some big games are coming up in March, where we can push on to qualify for another major tournament, and I want to be part of that.”- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
By A Correspondent- A woman from Lupane Business Centre was battered by her angry husband after he stumbled on a ‘‘stray’’ love message on her phone.
Caroline Moyo (23), who is a nurse aide, had to dash to a police station to report physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband Musa Moyo (38).
The matter was then referred to court.
She told the court: “We were relaxing at home then I received a stray love message on my WhatsApp from an unknown man. My husband, who was just sitting next to me, saw the love message which read: ‘I love you and I cannot wait to meet up with you’. After that he started to accuse me of cheating on him and labelled me a prostitute who sleeps with her colleagues.”
Caroline described her husband as an abusive monster who is in the habit of bashing her whenever a misunderstanding arises between them.
“My husband is very abusive, whenever we have a misunderstanding, he gets angry quickly and hurls insults at me, at times he bashes me while accusing me of being a stubborn woman of loose morals,” she told the court.
Musa shot down his wife’s defence:
“I strongly believe the love message was from her lover because when I tried to wrestle her phone from her so that I could send the message to my phone to use it as an exhibit she quickly deleted it and that cemented my suspicion that she was cheating on me.”
Magistrate Ndumo Masuku found Musa guilty and ordered him to pay a $10 000 fine. If he fails to pay, he will have to spend three months in prison.
By A Correspondent- A family from Lobengula West suburb was left speechless after they were given a wrong body by a funeral parlour and had to travel all the way to Plumtree to exhume the body of their loved one for reburial in Bulawayo.
A family insider, who requested anonymity, said a misunderstanding broke out after the late Mthokozisi Ndlovu’s family members were handed a wrong body by Falakhe Funeral Services officials.
“On Tuesday at around 8am, we left for Falakhe funeral parlour to take the body of our late relative Mthokozisi Ndlovu (34), who had died last week at Thorngrove hospital, for burial at Luveve Cemetery.
“But we were surprised to see the funeral parlour officials seeming to be too busy and dashing about. After about 20 minutes of waiting, one of our relatives approached the official, who told him to wait for some minutes,” said the insider.
A family member, who only identified herself as MaMpo, said an official approached them and explained that they had given their dearly departed’s body to the wrong family.
“The official told us that one of their drivers collected the deceased’s body and it happened that he went off duty for two days, resulting in another driver giving the Brunapeg family Mthokozisi’s body,” she said.
The insider said they had to report the matter to the police and took the body of the family in Plumtree.
“We had to go and engage the family with the help of Falakhe Parlour and they agreed to exhume Mthokozisi’s body so that we bury it here in Bulawayo,” said the source.
The source added: “We buried Mthokozisi at Luveve Cemetery yesterday (Thursday).”
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the body mix-up saga.
“I confirm we received a case where a body was swapped with another body resulting in one family burying a wrong body. The Bulawayo-based family had to travel to Plumtree to exhume the body for burial at Luveve Cemetery. It is important to do body viewing, at least one relative who knows the deceased.”
By A Correspondent- In a rare show of bravery, a quick-thinking 14 year old girl from Bhekani Line in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland North province, turned into Wonder Woman when she warded off her 49-year-old grandfather, who allegedly attempted to rape her, by violently grabbing his testicles and squeezing them hard.
The Form One girl gave her grandfather a painful lesson when she reportedly gripped one of his testicles with her sharp nails as he was allegedly trying to sexually assault her in her bedroom.
After being attacked, the grandfather screamed for help while begging for forgiveness.
Circumstances of the tale read as follows:
On 8 February 2021 and at around 3pm the girl was in her bedroom cleaning her room. It is reported that her grandfather, who was peeping through the window, saw her and stormed into the bedroom and grabbed her.
While grabbing her, he forcibly fondled her breasts and took off her clothes and underwear. In the process the grandfather is also alleged to have unzipped his trousers and pulled out his manhood.
The girl is alleged to have wrestled with him and at the height of the struggle, she grabbed his testicles and squeezed them so hard that he wailed for help.
After thwarting her grandfather’s evil move, the girl is alleged to have escaped, leaving him lying helpless on the floor. She went to her grandmother’s bedroom where she narrated the nasty ordeal to her.
The matter was reported to the police leading to the man’s arrest.
For that offence of attempting to defile her granddaughter, the man was brought before the court and he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu.
He was not asked to plead to a charge of attempted rape and was remanded in custody to 23 April 2021.
The selection of Elvis Chipezeze to keep goal for the Warriors has always been an unpopular choice among football fans since June 2019.
The 29-year-old Baroka shot-stopper made high school blunders which cost the Warriors in a decisive last group game against DRC at AFCON, a display which many have not forgiven him for.
He would keep his place in goal regardedless, as after the continent spectacle, Joey Antipas, who had replaced Sunday ‘Mhofu’ Chidzambwa in the Warriors dugout, preferred him ahead of George Chigova and Edmore Sibanda.
The current Warriors technical team, led by firebrand Croat Zdravko Logarusic, also named him in the starting eleven in the crunch tie against Algeria in Algiers last November.
Insiders close to the the Logarusic-led technical team however indicated that they named Chipezeze not out of preference, but simply because Tatenda Mkuruva, whose exploits are hugely-admired by the Croat, failed to travel from the United States, where he is on the ranks of Michigan Stars, due to Covid-19 related travelling complications.
Chipezeze was, objectively-speaking, to blame for the first goal the Warriors conceded, after he punched the ball back into play, for a glad Baghdad Bounedjah to fire home the rebound.
He (Chipezeze) would later on in the game be replaced by big Talbert Shumba, owing to a knee injury, a setback which ruled him out of the return fixture at the National Sports Stadium four days later.
When the provisional Warriors squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers against Botswana and Zambia was announced yesterday, perhaps one of, if not the biggest surprise, was the ommission of Chipezeze.
In fact, Logarusic named Spain-based Martin Mapisa and Mkuruva, despite there being no guarantee the duo will make it due to traveling complications.
The Warriors coach, with that in mind, still left out Chipezeze.
He hasn’t featured regularly for Baroka of late either. He was in goal for the Limpopo-based only once in the last five matches, making Loga’s decision somewhat justifiable.
At 29, and turning 30 next month, while competing with younger goalkeepers like Mapisa and Mkuruva, can this be regarded as the end of Chipezeze in the Warriors fold?- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Kaizer Chiefs are reportedly now considering selling Khama Billiat whose contract is up for renewal in the coming months.
Billiat arrived at Amakhosi in 2018 as a free agent after his deal with Mamelodi Sundowns was not renewed. He signed a three-year contract with an option of extending it with another season.
According to Soccer Laduma, Chiefs want to exercise that one-year option and sell him.
The Soweto giants are now open to offers because they have accepted that they are not getting a return from their investment.
The 30-year old has only managed 15 goals in 79 games at Kaizer Chiefs, a lower scoring rate than what he achieved at Mamelodi Sundowns.
Asked about an update on contract talks, Billiat’s representative, Godfrey Bakasa said:
“There are no talks yet (with Chiefs), they are just concentrating on him recovering. The team needs him fit and playing again, that is the situation at the moment.”
Billiat was recently linked with Al Ahly and Pyramids in the Egyptian Premier League, but it’s understood he is not keen on leaving South Africa.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
By A Correspondent: Some Econet Wireless customers have taken to social media to express their disappointment over the mobile network operator’s provision of “poor services.”
Many who wrote to Econet complained about the poor network which they said made them unable to use the data bundles they had purchased.
One customer wrote on Twitter:
Dear @econetzimbabwe, with all due respect I would like to express my disappointment in your below par service that you are providing these days. Please know that these bundles are being bought by people’s sweat to expire without being used. Just address the problem, thank you.
The above sentiments were echoed by Tatenda Chipepwe who tweeted claiming to be a loyal customer.
@econet_support econet we really trust and support your services but, I really get disappointed at times when we buy our bundles and that is where your network starts behaving in a manner that is not friendly unto us “CUSTOMERS”PLEASE HELP US WE ARE PROUDLY BUDDIE USERS.
Responding to some of the complaints, Econet Customer Care @econet_support, urged the grieved to message them their issues.
Read one of the responses:
Hi @ChipepweTatenda, thank you for supporting Econet Wireless. If you are still facing network challenges, kindly DM your number, address, let us know how long you have had the challenge and if you have electricity during the time. ^GFK
Some customers however claimed that even when they report their issues as instructed, they were not getting the assistance they expected.
One customer said:
So you just advise me to DM the details and then ignore. I desperately need to use my number pliz. Econet would “sincerely apologise for the delayed response” and urge customers to “please visit your nearest Econet shop in possession of your identity card so that a complete registration can be completed on the sim card.”
Econet Wireless is the biggest Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in the country and at one point, other network providers begrudged the telecoms company for its stable and strong internet.
Sadly, the MNO has of late been a shadow of its former self as it has constantly struggled to ensure a stable and dependable network
By A Correspondent- Freelance journalist Kumbirai Mafunda was on Friday arrested by police while conducting his lawful duties at the Harare Magistrates Court.
Mafunda, who is the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) Communications Officer, was later freed without aa charge after the intervention of lawyers Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Jeremiah Bamu.
Posting on Twitter, ZLHR Executive Director Roselyn Hanzi said the wanton detention, arbitrary arrest or harassment of journalists must be condemned.
She wrote:
Very disturbed and appalled that [police] have arrested our [Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights] Communications Officer who is a registered free-lance journalist [Kumbirai Mafunda]. He was at Rottenrow court covering our cases.
Our Comms Focal [Mafunda] has since been released without charge after the intervention of [ZLHR] Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Jeremiah Bamu.
The wanton detention, arbitrary arrest or harassment of journalists must be strongly condemned by everyone.
This is not the first time journalists have been harassed while conducting their duties during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
In April last year, freelance journalist Terence Sipuma was reportedly assaulted by members of the police and the army in Harare while conducting his duties.
Sipuma was stopped by the security officers at the Kuwadzana roundabout in Harare while on his way to Chegutu to report on Zimbabwe’s 21-day COVID-19 lockdown.
By A Correspondent- Kwekwe Polytechnic College has dismissed as fake a letter purporting to be an order for staff and students at the institution to take the Chinese-developed Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine.
According to ZimFact, the college’s Principal, Evans Musara said letter is fake and was manufactured by “people who are surviving on peddling falsehoods.”
The letter, which is dated 25 February 2021 and signed and stamped by one T. Dube (Dean of Students) orders all staff and students at the institution to be vaccinated before the March/April 2021 Higher Education Examination Council (HEXCO) examinations.
The letter reads: Due to the risk of COVID-19 pandemic Kwekwe Polytechnic received the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine The Ministry of Health and Child Care is taking the following steps:
Effective immediately vaccination programme at Kwekwe Polytechnic on the 27th of February to the 1st of March 2021, all Staff and Students enrolled at Kwekwe Polytechnic are to be vaccinated with only the following exception: All candidates of the upcoming HEXCO examinations and all Polytechnic staff.
We recognize that there are staff and students that have strong views on both sides of this issue specifically on the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine.
However, this is not an area where we can accommodate any deviation from this new protocol.
Your cooperation is anticipated and appreciated and we thank you for your continued partnership.
By A Correspondent- The Jairos Jiri Association Rusape Centre is appealing for financial donations to enable it to pay its bill to the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a subsidiary of power utility ZESA Holdings.
Jairos Jiri Association Mukuwapasi Children’s Centre Manageress, H. Kuture said the institution had accumulated ZWL$100 000.00 as of January 2021 in unpaid bills to ZETDC. Said Kuture:
Most recently the Centre had a pre-paid metre installed on 28 January 2021. We were left with only 200 units of electricity to use.
We are anticipating that the schools will be opened soon and without electricity, the centre will be in a difficult situation to cater for the children.
The staff is currently contributing ZWL$500-00 monthly per individual that makes it ZWL$7 500-00 in total to buy ZETDC tokens which is not much considering that ZETDC is recovering 80% of the bill from every purchase made.
We are therefore kindly requesting your hand in any form to enable us to settle or reduce ZETDC debt so that we can be able to purchase the ZETDC tokens normally
The centre caters for an average of 55 children yearly from different backgrounds which includes physically challenged, hard of hearing and visually impaired, mostly from disadvantaged or less privileged families.
It provides accommodation that is tailor-made to suit the children’s special conditions as they are enrolled by St Faith’s schools both primary and secondary.
Tinashe Sambiri|Soccer fans across the country are unhappy with the donation of a replica jersey to Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa by Bulawayo giants Highlanders FC.
Mr Mnangagwa is seen in pictures circulating on social media grinning as he receives the jersey.
Mr Mnangagwa is accused of violating human rights, torturing and eliminating perceived political opponents.
Commenting on the donation, Brighton Nkompilo said: “Misplaced priorities by our useless Chairman why waste our jerseys…”
Nella mavuso commented: “For the why vele?? Nxaaaaa”
Delina Mutyambizi wrote: “I have been a supporter of Bosso for years but because of this bootlicking ED I am done with Bosso.”
Itayi Tione wrote: “Highlanders is finished. It is cursed.”
Mr Mnangagwa receives replica jersey from Highlanders FC
The below picture which circulated during the week of Infor Minister Monica Mutsvangwa was said to be that of a boyfriend at a river side.
Initial checks on the photo indicated that the man is not at all a boyfriend but her own brother, Daniel Parirenyatwa. Mutsvangwa is a Parirenyatwa from Mutare.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC MDC Alliance Secretary General, Hon Charlton Hwende has described Senator Lilian Timveos’ treachery as shocking.
Senator Timveos and Hon Blessing Chebundo shocked all and sundry when they joined Zanu PF.
Timveos wrote a piece attacking Hon Hwende, in a desperate attempt to defend her decision to join Zanu PF.
See Hon Hwende’s statement below:
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
ZANU PF has continued with its protracted war of attrition against the MDC Alliance and its leadership.
The regime is using our erstwhile colleagues who have left us and joined their moribund regime to attack and destabilize the MDC Alliance through peddling malicious falsehoods and scurrilous allegations especially against my person. The intention is to weaken the MDC Alliance leadership and destabilize the party. It is not surprising as most regimes bone out of a coup entrench themselves through cooptation of opposition elements and systematic targeting of their legitimate opponents.
We are a natural target since our President won the 2018 election whose victory the regime stole from us.
While it is not in the ordinary for me to respond to ZANU PF allegations on our internal issues, I would like to address some of the concerns considering that they are intended to damage both my personal integrity and most importantly the repute of the party. First, allegations were levelled that party funds have been misappropriated.
In addition to our audit (of the party finances in the period after 2019 congress) which was successful I must state that we have tried and tested systems of deploying financial resources in the organisation which leave no room for misappropriation by any single individual.
While human beings are fallible, systems are fail-safe. I take pride in the systems we have put in place which cannot be manipulated in the manner suggested.
Second, the allegation that I have tormented people in meetings to the point of tears and even drove a few to the absurd, deplorable and treacherous act of joining ZANU P.F. is laughable. Constitutional meetings of organs of the party have continued uninterrupted since congress in the physical and virtually in instances where we are unable to meet physically due to lockdown restrictions. The organ that was singled out by ZANU PF speaking through the renegades, the Standing Committee, is chaired by the party President. In all our Standing Committee meetings, our President has ensured that meeting etiquette is observed in line with our democratic principles of tolerance, diversity of thought and freedom of speech. Should it be the case that a member feels they have been treated unfairly by another, the party has competent mechanisms to address grievances as a way of ensuring that our platforms remain safe spaces. I state here that if any member feels aggrieved by my conduct, I am personally available and willing to subject myself before organs of the party to answer to such allegations. I presented myself before congress in Gweru and had I not been elected, I was ready and willing to work with the one elected; such is my faith and confidence in the competency of our internal democracy. In the same spirit, I am open to criticism and correction. Be this as it may, I know that the current spurt of attacks is orchestrated by ZANU PF to put a wedge between the SG and the office of the President. These efforts will continue to fail dismally as I am not mistaken in the execution of my mandate to serve the institution and to give unquestionable support to our President Adv Nelson Chamisa.
For the record those who have left the MDC Alliance have done so voluntarily without any undue pressure from any quarter. No one was pushed out of the MDC Alliance.
It must astonish any right thinking citizen that those who claim to be running away from being insulted in private in the MDC Alliance are joining ZANU PF, a party which has not only insulted them publicly in the past but has maimed and killed thousands of MDC Alliance supporters. That kind of duplicity and treachery is shocking.
We all know that those who have left the MDC Alliance and joined ZANU PF have done so to benefit from ZANU PF patronage and corruption. Others have done so after failing to recover from their loss in the popularity contest during our elective congress in 2019. We will work better to give the necessary psychological support to sore “losers” as well as ideological orientation to members that in a democratic organisation like the MDC Alliance we are all winners when the best is deployed and congress must never be the basis of terminal acrimony.
Those who have decided to join the gravy train are free to do so but they should never justify their treacherous behaviour by peddling falsehoods and mudslinging those who have chosen to keep fighting and speaking for the people. Despite the odds, the people’s movement has persevered with the unwavering support of the jobless graduate, the starving pensioner, the vending mother in the dusty streets of Harare right to the support of the farmer in the last hut in Umguza. I personally will never betray the people’s cause. We are up against a ruthless enemy but we will prevail. The final call is unchanged. The journey is like a pendulum swing; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left but the final call remains unchanged, victory is certain.
“Hie Twimbos thank you all for your support. I haven’t been refunded my money yet for missing my flights,my Covid tests etc,” announced Temba Mliswa’s ex girlfriend Susan Mutami.
She continued saying: ” Hope you are all well and no amount of intimidation will stop me from spilling the beans. Stay tuned and stay safe,” she said in Wednesday.
Where is she now, in Australia, or still in Zimbabwe?
What beans is she releasing, real beans or her private concoctions?
Hon Polite Kambamura with Susan Mutami (2020)
By A Correspondent | This is not UK, Sweden or some other foreign nation, this is her country of birth -Susan Mutami’s whereabouts have been a hot internet search code since last week Friday.
The development comes after Mutami went underground after being blocked from flying back to Australia.
The Aussie citizen was last week 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 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.”
Also commenting on the development, 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 in Harare.
It seemed convincing Mutami is playing an the aussie whistleblower, Julian Assange, hiding technique, 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.
While it could not be established at the time of writing where she is, Mutami herself had by last Saturday afternoon told ZimEye, she has now submitted her witness statement to the police and is now working towards getting a ticket.
Police are right now plotting to arrest Cecilia, Joana and Netsai. They are demanding the 6 arrested ZINASU leaders to disclose the whereabouts of the 3.
No matter what’s going on in the world, maintaining a healthy, whole foods–focused diet is important for blood sugar management.
If you’ve been keeping up with federal guidance on who’s at a higher risk for complications from COVID-19, you know that people with diabetes are among the affected groups.
People older than 60, along with those who have underlying health conditions such as respiratory problems, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and cancer are also at a higher risk for serious illness from the novel coronavirus, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, non-Hispanic Black Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans, all of whom have higher rates of both diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes than white Americans, per the National Diabetes Statistics Report, are also at higher risk for serious COVID-19 disease, including complications and death, as has been widely reported.
Yet it’s still unclear whether diabetes can leave a person at an elevated risk of getting infected in the first place, notes the American Diabetes Association (ADA). This is apparently true despite research, including a review published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, showing that the immune systems of people with persistent hyperglycemia (higher than normal blood glucose, or sugar) are impaired.
Scientific Research Linking Diabetes and COVID-19 Complications People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are both three to four times more likely to develop serious COVID-19 disease and be hospitalized than those who don’t have diabetes, according to a study published online in December 2020 in Diabetes Care. A small preliminary study published in the March 2020 issue of Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews provides more insight into what’s affecting the severity. It looked at 174 people in Wuhan, China, and concluded that people with COVID-19 and diabetes but without other comorbidities were at a higher risk for severe pneumonia and the inflammation that contributes to an accelerated progression of COVID-19 and a worse prognosis.
What You Need to Know About COVID-19 if You Have Lupus From Nose to Toes, the List of COVID-19 Symptoms Keeps Growing Another study, which was published in April 2020 the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, analyzed 1,122 people at 88 hospitals in 11 U.S. states, and drew a link between diabetes and a fourfold increased risk of dying from COVID-19. Glytec, a provider of insulin software management, funded the research.
A study published online in May 2020 in Cell Metabolism supports these findings. For this cohort study, researchers analyzed the health data of 7,337 people in Wuhan with and without type 2 diabetes. They observed an association between having diabetes and an increased risk of dying from COVID-19.
Those with stable blood sugar levels had a better prognosis than those with diabetes whose blood sugar control was poor. In fact, the survival rate for those with good blood sugar control was nearly 99 percent, compared with an 11 percent death rate among those whose control was considered poor. Participants’ blood sugar levels were measured using postprandial and fasting blood glucose tests. The authors defined poor blood sugar control as tending to exceed 180 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and well-controlled blood sugar as ranging from 70 to 180 mg/dL
Diabetes Complications Can Increase Risk of Severe Illness From COVID-19 Still, having complications related to diabetes, along with increasing age, may matter more than blood sugar control, suggested a study published in April 2020 in Diabetologia, which analyzed 1,317 people admitted to 53 French hospitals during a three-week period in March 2020. Study authors concluded that 10 percent of people with diabetes admitted to a hospital died within 10 days, and that men were more likely to die than women. The main contributing factors to death were having complications including neuropathy and heart disease, having a high body mass index (BMI) —indicating obesity — and being older. Patients between ages 65 and 74 were three times more likely to die than individuals younger than 55.
People with type 2 diabetes are definitely at higher risk of COVID-19 complications and death, but those with type 1 or gestational diabetes may also be at higher risk, according to recent guidance by the CDC. In the French study, 3 percent of admitted patients had type 1 diabetes, while 89 percent had type 2 diabetes. The remainder of diabetes patients had other types of the disease.
Black people who have type 1 diabetes and COVID-19 may be especially vulnerable to worse outcomes because they are more likely to present with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a condition that causes the blood to become acidic and that can be life-threatening in its own right. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in December 2020 found that 55 percent of Black clinic patients and 33 percent of Hispanic patients presented with DKA, compared with only 13 percent of white patients. “The shared risk of COVID-19 and DKA in type 1 diabetes worsens the short-term and long-term prognosis for Black and Hispanic patients,” said the study authors, also noting that “previous studies have demonstrated an increased risk of DKA among minority populations with type 1 diabetes.”
RELATED: How Obesity May Increase the Risk of COVID-19 Complications
Understanding COVID-19 and Its Symptoms According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause diseases including the common cold, but also more severe illnesses, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS); severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS); and COVID-19, which first became known at the end of 2019 during an outbreak in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province and has since developed into a global pandemic.
According to the WHO, common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Fever Tiredness Dry cough Aches and pains Nasal congestion Runny nose Sore throat Loss of taste or smell Skin rashes Pain in the muscles or joints Discolored fingers or toes Diarrhea Some infected people have no symptoms at all, but they can still spread the virus.
The CDC describes the emergency warning signs for COVID-19 in adults as:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion or inability to wake up or stay awake Bluish lips or face Inability to rouse or stay awake If you are experiencing these symptoms, call 911 or call ahead to the hospital and let them know you are seeking care for COVID-19 or may have it, the CDC advises.
If you are interested in getting a test and want to know how to proceed, contact your local or state health department. The CDC lists state and territorial departments, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials has a directory you can use to find your local department.
For most people, the disease is mild, and many don’t develop symptoms at all. A South Korean study published in August 2020 in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at young people, the vast majority of whom were healthy, and found that 30 percent of those infected with the virus causing COVID-19 never developed symptoms at all. COVID-19 symptoms are mild for most others, although 10–15 percent of infected people do become seriously ill, and 5 percent become critically ill, according to WHO. Mortality estimates vary, but a New York–based study published in October 2020 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that 7.6 percent of hospitalizations resulted in death in August, down from 25.6 percent in March, when infection began to spread in the United States.
It’s important to note that the risk of death from COVID-19 is far greater than from influenza (flu), a disease it is frequently compared with. More than 340,000 people died of COVID-19 in the United States in 2020, according to CDC data. In contrast, the nation loses between 12,000 and 61,000 people per year to influenza, reports the CDC.
Source: Everyday Health
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
ZANU PF has continued with its protracted war of attrition against the MDC Alliance and its leadership. The regime is using our erstwhile colleagues who have left us and joined their moribund regime to attack and destabilize the MDC Alliance through peddling malicious falsehoods and scurrilous allegations especially against my person. The intention is to weaken the MDC Alliance leadership and destabilize the party. It is not surprising as most regimes bone out of a coup entrench themselves through cooptation of opposition elements and systematic targeting of their legitimate opponents. We are a natural target since our President won the 2018 election whose victory the regime stole from us.
While it is not in the ordinary for me to respond to ZANU PF allegations on our internal issues, I would like to address some of the concerns considering that they are intended to damage both my personal integrity and most importantly the repute of the party. First, allegations were levelled that party funds have been misappropriated. In addition to our audit (of the party finances in the period after 2019 congress) which was successful I must state that we have tried and tested systems of deploying financial resources in the organisation which leave no room for misappropriation by any single individual. While human beings are fallible, systems are fail-safe. I take pride in the systems we have put in place which cannot be manipulated in the manner suggested.
Second, the allegation that I have tormented people in meetings to the point of tears and even drove a few to the absurd, deplorable and treacherous act of joining ZANU P.F. is laughable. Constitutional meetings of organs of the party have continued uninterrupted since congress in the physical and virtually in instances where we are unable to meet physically due to lockdown restrictions. The organ that was singled out by ZANU PF speaking through the renegades, the Standing Committee, is chaired by the party President. In all our Standing Committee meetings, our President has ensured that meeting etiquette is observed in line with our democratic principles of tolerance, diversity of thought and freedom of speech. Should it be the case that a member feels they have been treated unfairly by another, the party has competent mechanisms to address grievances as a way of ensuring that our platforms remain safe spaces. I state here that if any member feels aggrieved by my conduct, I am personally available and willing to subject myself before organs of the party to answer to such allegations. I presented myself before congress in Gweru and had I not been elected, I was ready and willing to work with the one elected; such is my faith and confidence in the competency of our internal democracy. In the same spirit, I am open to criticism and correction. Be this as it may, I know that the current spurt of attacks is orchestrated by ZANU PF to put a wedge between the SG and the office of the President. These efforts will continue to fail dismally as I am not mistaken in the execution of my mandate to serve the institution and to give unquestionable support to our President Adv Nelson Chamisa.
For the record those who have left the MDC Alliance have done so voluntarily without any undue pressure from any quarter. No one was pushed out of the MDC Alliance.
It must astonish any right thinking citizen that those who claim to be running away from being insulted in private in the MDC Alliance are joining ZANU PF, a party which has not only insulted them publicly in the past but has maimed and killed thousands of MDC Alliance supporters. That kind of duplicity and treachery is shocking. We all know that those who have left the MDC Alliance and joined ZANU PF have done so to benefit from ZANU PF patronage and corruption. Others have done so after failing to recover from their loss in the popularity contest during our elective congress in 2019. We will work better to give the necessary psychological support to sore “losers” as well as ideological orientation to members that in a democratic organisation like the MDC Alliance we are all winners when the best is deployed and congress must never be the basis of terminal acrimony.
Those who have decided to join the gravy train are free to do so but they should never justify their treacherous behaviour by peddling falsehoods and mudslinging those who have chosen to keep fighting and speaking for the people. Despite the odds, the people’s movement has persevered with the unwavering support of the jobless graduate, the starving pensioner, the vending mother in the dusty streets of Harare right to the support of the farmer in the last hut in Umguza. I personally will never betray the people’s cause. We are up against a ruthless enemy but we will prevail. The final call is unchanged. The journey is like a pendulum swing; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left but the final call remains unchanged, victory is certain.
RE: Our Client Felistas (Mai TT) Murata v Yourself – Harm to Reputation of Our Client We write to you at the instance of client, on the matter above, kindly note our interest herein Our client informs us that you posted a string of videos on the social network platform, Facebook, in which you went all out to attack the character, personae and reputation of our client. We have had sight of the said videos posted on the 2151o f February 2021, 21′ of December 2020 and on the 27″ of December 2020. These videos were posted on the Facebook Account named ‘Evidence team chihera online tv’ and they are presently appearing on the said Facebook Account. The said page has about 50 000 followers who are all over the globe, and many of the followers have to date have the opportunity to view the said offending videos.
The content and substance of your videos were devastatingly defaming of our is character, personae and reputation. You branded and labelled our client e and a slut who was a bed-hopper You proceeded to use derogatory and ”..lraging words against our client on the said Facebook live post You eat to assault our client and continued to insult her using crassly vulgar ossly obscene words. You were shameful in your acts and conduct, yours blatant abuse of the social networking platform and a violation of the upon which Facebook, Inc stands tc’otir conduct and behaviour was without a doubt utterly defamatory to our l.:nt Our instructions are to demand for an apology from you to our client and for the retraction of those defamatory video posts, as specified above, by your pulling them down from the said page within 24 hours of your receipt of this letter. Our client demands U514200 000.00 (Two hundred Thousand United S1.tes Dollars) from you as the damages for the defamation and we shall be serving you with Summons to that effect in due course. Yours Faithfully
Chambers CC; Clent Facebook, Inc. Customer Service (Via email)
There has arisen debate on the move by former MDC Alliance members to Zanu PF. Whilst it is not a big event, as non cowards and patriots, we don’t hesitate to take the plunge.
Firstly, the MDC Alliance is a political party ideologically rooted on social democratic values. Amongst these values is freedom of expression and association.
That right, among many are sacrosanct. We are therefore not in any way taken aback by the decision to exercise their democractic and constitutional guaranteed rights.
We know however that at this point in time Zanu pf is doing all it can to take Zimbabwe back to 1983- creation of a one party state by dismantling alternative ideas; vanquishing, jailing, detaining and scaring both the popular party and civil society leaders.
The constant arrest and detentions of professionals and activists including Makomborero Haruzivishe, Hon Joana Mamombe, Netsai Marova, Cecilia Chimbiri, Takudzwa Ngadziore, Allan Moyo, Hopewell Chin’ono, Hon Job Sikhala, Jacob Ngarivhume, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, Hon Biti, Gladys Hlatywayo, VP Karenye Kore, Hon Amos Chibaya, SG Charlton Hwende, Lovemore Chinoputsa, Ostalos Siziba, Ralph Magunje Cllr Jacob Mafume, Obey Sithole, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Mrs Tome, David Chimhini, Prince Gora, Hither Mpambwa, Denford Ngadziore, Godfrey Kurauone, Terrence Manjengwa and many others is part of that plot.
On the same, the vampire state co-opts some leaders from the opposition as a deceptive show of mighty.
The agenda is not just to incapacitate the opposition but stiffle dissent from within Zanu PF.
ZANU pf will not succeed in its one party pursuit. It has been exposed!
MDC Alliance is a people’s party. That party is hidden in people’s hearts. No violence, detentions, co-option or propaganda will weaken that treasure.
MDC Alliance is a transparent organisation, which recently published its audited accounts. The first of its kind. Peddling falsehoods and an attack on the leadership of the party by ZANU pf is a non event. We are accountable to the masses of Zimbabwe, which was done satisfactorily.
The people of Zimbabwe remain clear on the march for a democratic developmental state. Happiness and prosperity are what the people want.
The creation of rebels by ZANU pf in the name of MDC T can not distract the people’s train.
In fact, the national socio- economic and political instability caused by Zanu PF is a bigger national threat than their MDC T project.
The balooning illegal bad debt by Mthuli Ncube is a threat to Zimbabwe. All because of Zanu PF’s predatory and looting nature.
The capture of state institutions including other media houses is another threat to Zimbabwe. The judiciary is not safe. Parliament was rigged and silenced through illegal recalls.
Taxation is too high and yet Zim average wages are below the regional average of $300USD/month. This is inspite of Zimbabwe’s vast wealth.
Zimbabweans must know that every child born in Zimbabwe assumes a debt of $923USD upon birth. Its a scandal of huge proportions.
Zanu PF borrows without parliamentary oversight and spends without parliamentaty oversight.
They loot everything, gold, diamonds, fuel, fertilisers for farmers, mines, urban land, pangolins and lions.
Parastatals like Zinara, Zupco, National Railways, Zesa, Air Zimbabwe are on their knees because of executive looting.
Zimbabwe is in a serious crisis. A crisis of legitimacy.
The justice system is very selective and captured. They arrest and detain selectively. Cllr Madzokere and Last Maengahama are wrongly serving 20 years just to show force. But those that pocketed millions of money and gold walk scot free.
The looters are all known but protected by the vampire sysyem.
Zimbabweans deserve better. The good thing is that even some in Zanu PF have begun to see the light.
The one party state agenda will collapse within Zanu PF itself. Zanu pf’s perceived or real use of ethnicity as a carrot will soon explode.
We see only one answer at the moment.
A People’s Government born out of a free expression of the people through free and fair elections is the antidote.
Justice on past transgressions like Gukurahundi, Operations hakudzokwi, wavhoteta papi and August 1 2018 among others remains necessary to build a desirable, stable and progressive Zimbabwe.
The SADC region and the international community must continue to reign on the Harare leadership. Peace and stability can not and must not be traded for ego and power in Zimbabwe.
President Nelson Chamisa and MDC Alliance is ready to lead Zimbabwe to be great again.
Zimbabwe has great potential given the abundant resources at its disposal including its soils, minerals, human capital just to mention but a few.
Together we will win Zimbabwe for change. From Zambezi to Limpopo- Zimbabweans are clear: that Zanu PF must go.
Clifford Hlatywayo Deputy National Spokesperson MDC Alliance
Tinashe Sambiri|Soccer fans across the country are unhappy with the donation of a replica jersey to Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa by Bulawayo giants Highlanders FC.
Mr Mnangagwa is seen in pictures circulating on social media grinning as he receives the jersey.
Mr Mnangagwa is accused of violating human rights, torturing and eliminating perceived political opponents.
Commenting on the donation, Brighton Nkompilo said: “Misplaced priorities by our useless Chairman why waste our jerseys…”
Nella mavuso commented: “For the why vele?? Nxaaaaa”
Delina Mutyambizi wrote: “I have been a supporter of Bosso for years but because of this bootlicking ED I am done with Bosso.”
Itayi Tione wrote: “Highlanders is finished. It is cursed.”
Emmerson Mnangagwa after receiving replica jersey from Highlanders FC
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly official, Hon Joana Mamombe has called for the immediate release of jailed human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe.
Mako was violently arrested by government agents last week.
Addressing the media in the capital on Thursday, Hon Mamombe called for resignation of police boss Godwin Matanga – due to gross violation of human rights…
By A Correspondent| Riot police have sealed off Harare Magistrates Court with journalists also being turned away from covering court sessions.
No explanation was given to journalists on why they were not allowed inside the court premises.
Freelance journalist and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) Communications Officer, Kumbirai Mafunda was arrested together with three members of the Zimbabwe national Students Union (ZINASU) who had turned at the court to offer solidarity to incarcerated political activist, Makomborero Haruzivishe who was arrested last week and charged with kidnapping.
Posting on Twitter Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Director Roseline Hanzi her organization was disturbed by the arrest of their officer despite being an accredited journalist.
“Very disturbed and appalled that @PoliceZimbabwe have arrested our @ZLHRLawyers Communications Officer who is a registered free-lance journalist @KumbiraiMafunda. He was at Rotten Row court covering our cases,” said Hanzi.
Meanwhile, Three ZINASU students who had been arrested and detained with Mafunda who are Richard Paradzayi, Paidamoyo Masaraure and Leam Kanengoni have been taken to Law and Order section in company of their lawyers.
By A Correspondent|Opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and his deputy Tendai Biti have rallied behind the incarcerated activist Makomborero Haruzivishe saying he is vital cog in the struggle for freedom and justice in Zimbabwe.
Posting on Twitter, Chamisa described Mako as the true definition of courage whose fight should not be criminalised.
“Nations are shaped defined and determined by the agency and electricity of their young people. Vibrant Youth leadership is the oxygen that determines the destiny of nations. The young @MakomboreroH defines courage.The fight for a just society must never be criminal,” said Chamisa.
Biti also hailed Mako as a national treasure whose intelligence and articulation of issues has resulted in countless brushes with law enforcement agents.
“Makomborero Haruzivishe is a national treasure.A quite humble intelligent articulate& brave compatriot.He has been brutalized by the regime throughout his life including multiple expulsions from University.He is not a criminal. Please do the right thing&let him go home,” said Biti.
Mako was arrested last week and charged with kidnapping employees of Impala Car Rental which is sucked in the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa by suspected state security agents.
Felix Munyaradzi, who was in remand prison for illegally parcelling out land is alleged to have been clandestinely allowed to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral in Zvimba, without being granted bail by a court.
The complaint has since been forwarded to the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (SACU) and the Police Anti-Corruption Unit (PACU) for further investigations.
ZRP inspector Mutonhodze riding a cow- file picture
Munyaradzi was arrested last year on allegations of duping people who wanted to buy stands at Sandton near Westgate in Harare before he was later freed on $55 000 bail and other stringent conditions set after spending some days in prison.
However, in new twist of events, a Harare man, Collen Mavhundutse (38) made a report to the police to investigate allegations that Munyaradzi allegedly connived with two Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) officers to allow him to attend the funeral.
According to the report made, after attending the funeral, it is further alleged that Munyaradzi then went to sleep at his house in Borrowdale before returning to prison the following day.
He is also alleged to have slaughtered two beasts for the two officers before giving them about 200 chickens.
The Herald is in possession of a copy of a sworn affidavit made by Mavhundutse to the police on Tuesday.
“I wish to state that I know Felix Munyaradzi for more than 20 years. I also know him as the director of Delatfin Investment (Pvt) Ltd.
“I recall sometime on the 14th of August 2020 when I was in Zvimba, Chirau area, when Felix Munyaradzi lost his father-in-law, I was surprised to see him attending the funeral since I knew he was in custody at Harare Remand Prison.
“He was in the presence of two prison officers dressed in civilian clothes. I believe this is not proper.
“After the burial, Munyaradzi went to sleep to his Borrowdale home and then returned back to prison the following day,” read part of the statement.
“I also established that Felix Munyaradzi slaughtered two beasts for the prison officers and gave them 200 slaughtered chickens which were destined for Harare Remand Prison.
“I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing all above facts as correct.”
Circumstances leading to Munyaradzi’s arrest are that during 2015, his firm Delatfin Investments, entered into a swap deal with Mr Delish Nguwaya for the sale of stands in exchange for a Toyota Prado.
Delatfin Investments sold three residential stands – 1572, 1516 and 1471 – in Sandton Park in Mt Hampden, worth US$50 000 and Mr Nguwaya surrendered the Prado and an agreement of sale was signed on February 2, 2018.
It is alleged that Munyaradzi went on to sell the stands to other people, and when Mr Nguwaya complained, he agreed to compensate him with eight smaller stands in Sandton Park.
But then Munyaradzi allegedly went on to sell one of the stands to Tawanda Mashumba for US$30 000.
It is the State’s case that Mr Nguwaya was aware that the stand in question had already been sold, and he lost US$15 000 in the process.
On April 20, 2015, Delatfin Investments was offered 120 hectares of State land by the Ministry of Local Government to develop residential stands. The land was previously used by the police for breeding horses.
In 2016, Munyaradzi through his firm, allegedly sold a stand fraudulently to Mrs Gabaza for US$18 000, a stand in Sandton Phase 3 to Mr Dondo for US$22 000, and another stand in the same neighbourhood to Mr Makodza for US$40 000.
Mr Makodza is said to have later discovered his stand had allegedly been sold for a second time to Mrs Nyongo by Munyaradzi, forcing him to lodge a complaint with the police.- Herald
By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance trio, Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova were among more than 50 activists who staged a protest in Harare demanding the release of their colleague, Haruzivishe Makomborero.
The picketers who were holding placards branded “Free Mako Now” and “Stop Judicial Capture,” staged a flash protest outside the Harare High Court on Thursday.
Makomborero, a pro-democracy campaigner, is being charged with kidnapping, participating in a gathering with intent to commit public violence, and breaching peace or bigotry.
Addressing protesters after Makomborero had been denied bail Thursday, Mamombe said:
We are worried that this weaponization of law by the police and growing persecution of activists has a pernicious and gnawing effect on our ‘nascent’ democracy.
Today we send a clear and unequivocal message to this regime. We are not afraid! We will not be neutral in the face of brutality and weaponization of the law. We will not stand aside while our country is turned into a banana republic. Our resolve is unshakeable and our faith in a new Zimbabwe unbreakable.
Makomborero’s lawyers claim the former Zimbabwe National Students Union secretary-general was arrested last week at gunpoint and were probably intending to torture him.
They also claim that the security agents who took Makomborero were forced to drop him off at Harare Central police station after he screamed hysterically.
The state alleges that Makomborero, together with others, forced his way into Impala Motor Spares and detained employees whom they accused of causing the arrest of their colleague Takudzwa Ngadziore last year.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi who 2 days ago denied reports showing he has been bedding married women and approaching secondary school girls for sex, has been truly been dating a teenage girl, and one of his girlfriends is his own cousin’s daughter, his own ex wife, Tambudzani, alleges in a series of tweets since 2018.
Kembo Mohadi
Earlier this week, ZimEye did an undercover expose’ showing how Mohadi impregnated an A Level student. In one of the tweets below, another learner is said to also have been bedded by the Vice President. These investigations have been done in the public interestto protect current and future victims.
State House sources say Vice President Kembo Mohadi has been ordered-off cellphone access following his string of audios confirming love-affairs with up to 5 mostly married women, the latest who's a young woman he impregnated when she was an A Level pupil.
Government has suspended the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) from participating in Covid-19 programmes, in an unprecedented move that may have farreaching consequences in fighting the pandemic.
The Zimbabwe Independent gathered that Health and Child Care permanent secretary Jasper Chimedza, on Tuesday, ordered the international health partners to stop, forthwith, Covid-19 activities for the next three weeks.
A senior government official last night said Covid-19 vaccination was a sole responsibility of the government and cannot be outsourced to “private operators or NGOs (non-governmental organisations)”.
Chimedza dropped the bombshell on the UN agencies when the teams were preparing to monitor the ongoing vaccination of health workers by government using Chinese-donated Sinopharm vaccines.
The Health and Child Care permanent secretary and the deputy minister, John Mangwiro could not comment yesterday, as they were said to be busy.
“I am in a meeting; much tied up. Can you get in touch with me in about three or four hours,” Mangwiro said. He did not answer subsequent phone calls.
It is understood that some programmes such as the WHO Covax vaccination plans will go ahead as planned since the government has already signed the memorandum of understanding.
The European Union office in Harare confirmed this in a tweet on Wednesday: “Fabulous to see that the #Covax rollout has begun in Africa! #Zimbabwe will also very soon get 1,152 million doses under the Covax scheme, to which #TeamEurope is the biggest contributor”.
The reasons for the suspension were not yet clear as the government is said to have failed to properly communicate its message to its long-time health partners.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services minister Monica Mutsvangwa said: “We are working very closely with all our partners”.
However, high-level officials said the government was “on its own” after dumping WHO and Unicef.
“All international partners in the health sector were suspended from participating in Covid-19-related programmes. They have not been doing anything since Tuesday,” an official, who cannot be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said.
“What happened is that teams from WHO, Unicef, Crown Agents, John Snow Inc (JSI) and others had gathered at WHO offices in Harare on Tuesday morning waiting to go for an assessment of the vaccination programme, but the government ordered the organisations to suspend such Covid-19 activities.”
Another official added: “According to what was communicated to us, these organisations can continue with other programmes, but are not supposed to be involved in anything to do with Covid-19. This means we are as of now unable to train healthcare workers, support visits to health institutions, and PPE provision.
“We were told to continue doing other programmes which have nothing to do with Covid-19. We await government directive on the way forward.”
Unicef spokesperson James Maiden said the organisation will continue to play its role in partnering the government in sourcing for vaccines.
He said: “Unicef continues to play a key role in the rollout of vaccinations in Zimbabwe in partnership with the government and many other development partners.
“Unicef is central to the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine globally through the Covax facility and in Zimbabwe is working with the government and other partners in preparing the country to receive and distribute vaccines.
“This role includes preparation and technical support, procurement of the Covax vaccines and behavioural change communications,” he added.
Maiden went on to say: “Unicef is pivotal in supporting many areas of the overall Covid-19 national response pillars including coordination, risk communication and community engagement, infection prevention and control, case management, education, supply and logistics.”
WHO country representative for Zimbabwe Alex Gasasira said they would also continue partnering with the government in the fight against Covid-19.
“WHO continues to work with the government of Zimbabwe and all its institutions, including the Ministry of Health and Child Care in the national Covid-19 response effort,” he said.
Unicef is facilitating supply of free Covid-19 vaccines in partnership with the European Union, Geneva-based organisation Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, which is a public-private global health partnership, whose main aim is to enable access to immunisation in poor countries, the Global Fund for Health and other donors.
According to sources in the health sector, these initiatives could actually see Zimbabwe vaccinate its entire population for free before the end of the year.
Other affected organisations, which have been working closely with the government since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in March last year include the Crown Agents Ltd, a nonprofit international development corporation headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and has subsidiaries in the US and Japan.
As stated on its website, the organisation works in partnership with governments, institutions, donors, foundations, philanthropists and the private sector to tackle complex challenges, ranging from procuring and delivering PPEs and vaccines.
JSI is a US-based organisation, which has been helping the government in conducting public health research, technical and managerial assistance to public health programmes under WHO.
The exit of Senator Lilian Timvious & Blessing Chebundo from the MDC Alliance party is welcome here in Mashonaland West, as ours is a party which respects the rights to freedoms.
As women, we are the torchbearers of our struggle and we guard it jealously as we have many women who were raped, beaten, tortured, houses burnt, husbands & children were killed. Many women were left disabled because of brutal violence from the ZanuPF regime. We are pained daily as women lose new born babies due to a health delivery system that has been razed down to ashes by the regime. Our hearts break for our graduate children who cannot get jobs because there is no industry and even though they have the entrepreneurial edge, the business environment is hostile.
Therefore women in Mash West are focused on the continued fight for:
A people’s government , reforms & legitimacy
Better livelihoods
An end to corruption
People’s rights & the rule of law.
A return to the Constitution & Constitutionalism
Under the able able leadership of President Nelson Chamisa, we will usher a new Zimbabwe with a transformed life.
As such we see the attacks on our party’s Secretary General as sour grapes of people who can’t bring down our president. We know that the authors of that statement are bitter people who are finding our Secretary General a stumbling block for them to abuse our President and the party. The attack on our President is an attack on the people. At the Gweru congress in 2019 we put a Secretary General who has the eye of an African hammerhead, who can see & can sniff traitors, and they know it. As such he is frustrating them because he sees their game and blocks it way ahead of them. Women know the enemy. Women know the enemy’s tricks – Divide, Divert & Destroy. We are ready. We stand firm in support of our party’s Secretary General, Hon Chalton Hwende.
The women of Mashonaland West remain focused & continue to organise, energize, inspire the grassroots & grow the party. With President Nelson Chamisa, together we will win Zimbabwe for change. Until Victory: ZANU PF MUST GO.
M Murombedzi
MDC Alliance Mashonaland West Assembly of Women Spokesperson
MDC Alliance Secretary General, Charlton Hwende has denied claims by former deputy treasurer Lillian Timveous that he harassed and conspired against party members during standing committee meetings.
In a statement titled, Setting the record straight, Hwende accused Zanu PF of using opposition colleagues to destabilise the MDC Alliance.
Below is the full statement:
MDC ALLIANCE SECRETARY GENERAL
PRESS STATEMENT
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
ZANU PF has continued with its protracted war of attrition against the MDC Alliance and its leadership.
The regime is using our erstwhile colleagues who have left us and joined their moribund regime to attack and destabilize the MDC Alliance through peddling malicious falsehoods and scurrilous allegations especially against my person. The intention is to weaken the MDC Alliance leadership and destabilize the party.
It is not surprising as most regimes bone out of a coup entrench themselves through cooptation of opposition elements and systematic targeting of their legitimate opponents. We are a natural target since our President won the 2018 election whose victory the regime stole from us.
While it is not in the ordinary for me to respond to ZANU PF allegations on our internal issues, I would like to address some of the concerns considering that they are intended to damage both my personal integrity and most importantly the repute of the party. First, allegations were levelled that party funds have been misappropriated. In addition to our audit (of the party finances in the period after 2019 congress) which was successful I must state that we have tried and tested systems of deploying financial resources in the organisation which leave no room for misappropriation by any single individual. While human beings are fallible, systems are fail-safe. I take pride in the systems we have put in place which cannot be manipulated in the manner suggested.
Second, the allegation that I have tormented people in meetings to the point of tears and even drove a few to the absurd, deplorable and treacherous act of joining ZANU P.F. is laughable. Constitutional meetings of organs of the party have continued uninterrupted since congress in the physical and virtually in instances where we are unable to meet physically due to lockdown restrictions. The organ that was singled out by ZANU PF speaking through the renegades, the Standing Committee, is chaired by the party President. In all our Standing Committee meetings, our President has ensured that meeting etiquette is observed in line with our democratic principles of tolerance, diversity of thought and freedom of speech. Should it be the case that a member feels they have been treated unfairly by another, the party has competent mechanisms to address grievances as a way of ensuring that our platforms remain safe spaces.
I state here that if any member feels aggrieved by my conduct, I am personally available and willing to subject myself before organs of the party to answer to such allegations. I presented myself before congress in Gweru and had I not been elected, I was ready and willing to work with the one elected; such is my faith and confidence in the competency of our internal democracy. In the same spirit, I am open to criticism and correction. Be this as it may, I know that the current spurt of attacks is orchestrated by ZANU PF to put a wedge between the SG and the office of the President. These efforts will continue to fail dismally as I am not mistaken in the execution of my mandate to serve the institution and to give unquestionable support to our President Adv Nelson Chamisa.
For the record those who have left the MDC Alliance have done so voluntarily without any undue pressure from any quarter. No one was pushed out of the MDC Alliance.
It must astonish any right thinking citizen that those who claim to be running away from being insulted in private in the MDC Alliance are joining ZANU PF, a party which has not only insulted them publicly in the past but has maimed and killed thousands of MDC Alliance supporters. That kind of duplicity and treachery is shocking. We all know that those who have left the MDC Alliance and joined ZANU PF have done so to benefit from ZANU PF patronage and corruption. Others have done so after failing to recover from their loss in the popularity contest during our elective congress in 2019. We will work better to give the necessary psychological support to sore “losers” as well as ideological orientation to members that in a democratic organisation like the MDC Alliance we are all winners when the best is deployed and congress must never be the basis of terminal acrimony.
Those who have decided to join the gravy train are free to do so but they should never justify their treacherous behaviour by peddling falsehoods and mudslinging those who have chosen to keep fighting and speaking for the people. Despite the odds, the people’s movement has persevered with the unwavering support of the jobless graduate, the starving pensioner, the vending mother in the dusty streets of Harare right to the support of the farmer in the last hut in Umguza. I personally will never betray the people’s cause. We are up against a ruthless enemy but we will prevail. The final call is unchanged. The journey is like a pendulum swing; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left but the final call remains unchanged, victory is certain.
I have come across a number of statements purported to have been written by the former Deputy Treasurer whom in all intents and purpose had ceased to hold that position having resigned a couple of weeks ago.
I have read some of her sentiments which I find hard to believe she is the one who penned them especially given her track record in the non-meaning of her both writings and non-writings.
It is alien for me to respond to foolish statements but on this occasion I have seen it fit to set the record straight lest the nation risks being misled, I am responding so that this woman can be exposed of her foolishness.
In justifying her betrayal of the Zimbabwean masses by joining the chief architects of all forms of human suffering, she weaves some lies in a desperate attempt to make meaning out her move.
Madam Lilian, you suggest that you chose to join ZANUPF because you were being bullied, assuming it is true, does it then make it better for you to leave boardroom bullies and moving on to join bedroom bullies in the mold of Kembo?
You wrote about violence in our party as yet another reason for your departure, again assuming it is true, have you forgotten that it is the same ZANUPF that orchestrated the short and long sleeve?
Is it not the same ZANUPF that butchered Morgan Tsvangirai whom you claimed to so love dearly during his life? Is it not the same ZANUPF that has killed thousands of youths and has abducted many to date?
As I write today, a brilliant young leader, Makomborero Haruzivishe is in court facing trumped up charges for simply having chosen to courageous enough to stand for the truth unlike you who has chosen cowardice over courage.
Young women such as Joanah et al are in court day in and day out at the hands of the same ZANUPF regime that you miraculously purport to be so peaceful.
Foolishness doesn’t discriminate with age, even those born in 1973 can be foolish too and Madam Lilian has stood out to be the most recent testimony.
For the record, we are not worried about your sentiments neither are we moved, we remain focused with our eyes on the ball until we deal decisively with the incumbent regime which has for a long time bred untold suffering and violence to the people of Zimbabwe.
“Wakurumidza kumedza, kutsenga uchada.” This was one of my favorite proverbs during my time as an A’ Level student at Nemakonde. Since ChiShona was one of the subjects I was studying, I fell in love with many of these proverbial lines.
True to the meaning of this proverb, fast forward to the present day, I find it meaningful for use in response to the lies made by the former Deputy Treasurer.
We all know that even selling out comes with a cost and we understand that you’re trying you best to fit in the house of looters and murderers but please don’t buy your seat with lies.
Sell your soul peacefully, leave silently and leave us alone; speak more about your new home stop masquerading as our Spokesperson.
Of all what you have said and done, there is a definition to it, it is BETRAYAL.
Betrayal of those who have been tortured, arrested and killed.
Obey Sithole National Youth Chairperson MDC Alliance.
