By A Correspondent- The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has started reclaiming the city’s “pits of death” following an outcry from residents and human rights activists.
This was after two people drowned in disused pits in Pelandaba West suburb last week.
The incident occurred just five days after a teenager drowned in a pool of death.
The pits, which have claimed many lives, are a creation of illegal sand poachers.
The local authority over the weekend deployed its equipment on site to fill up the pools.
“This pit had become a serious threat to life in this area. As council, we had deliberations with different stakeholders and we agreed to fill it up,” ward 17 councillor Sikhululekile Moyo said.
Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) recently petitioned the Environmental Management Agency (Ema) to force council to address the issue.
MIHR described the open pits as a health hazard.
The MIHR argued that section 73 of the Constitution, read together with sections 44, 194, 276 and section 4 of the Environmental Management Act stipulated that any dangerous pits must be covered.
“As it is, the equipment has been deployed on the ground and work has already started. However, we are hoping that from here we move out to other sites so that we can save lives,” Moyo added while calling for stiffer penalties against sand poachers.
In a petition to Ema, MIHR argued it is “the right of the residents to live in a clean and safe environment”.
MIHR added: “We implore Ema to compel BCC to close these pits. Stone boulders and heaps of sand are already in the vicinity of these pits and can be used to execute the task. BCC is aware of the existence of these pits and the danger they pose to the residents.-newsday
By A Correspondent- One of the two stray hippopotami in Lushongwe Village in Gwanda district, Matabeleland South province has been killed.
The hippo was killed on Sunday night by rangers from Zimparks who have been hunting down the pair for days.
Last week, Nicholas Ndlovu (37) from Lushongwe Village died after he was attacked by a hippo around 10pm while on his way to work.
Contacted for comment, Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo confirmed that one of the a stray hippopotami had been killed .
However, he said he was yet to get an update on the search for the remaining hippo.
Mr Farawo also confirmed that one of the hippopotami had killed a Gwanda man.
“As of today, I am yet to receive an update on what has transpired,” said Mr Farawo.
In a telephone interview, Gwanda Rural District Council (GRDC) Natural Resources Officer Mr Sijabuliso Masango confirmed that a stray hippo had been shot dead.
“I can confirm that one of the hippos has been killed and it was shot dead on Sunday night. The rangers are searching for the remaining hippo,” said Mr Masango.
He urged villagers from Lushongwe and neighbouring areas to avoid unnecessary movement at night.
“As we assist the relevant authorities in searching for the other stray hippo, we urge villagers to exercise extreme caution and also avoid leaving their homes at night,” said Mr Masango.
By A Correspondent- One of the suspects allegedly linked to a series of armed robberies in Bulawayo during which they raided several homes in the city and went away with more than US$45 000 and R300 000, has been released on $20 000 bail.
Selby Nkala, an ex-convict released from a Botswana prison in 2015, allegedly ganged up with Nkosilathi Mpofu, one Simelweyinkosi, Sonto Sibanda and Thubelihle Ncube and allegedly raided five homes in Bulawayo where they went away with varying amounts of cash, laptops, plasma television sets and cellphones among other valuables at gunpoint.
The robberies occurred in October last year.
Nkala filed an application for bail pending trial at the Bulawayo High Court, citing the State as a respondent.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Nokuthula Moyo granted Nkala $20 000 bail and ordered him to report at Magwegwe Police Station twice a week until the matter is finalised.
The judge also ordered Nkala to continue residing at his given address and not interfere with State witnesses as part of the bail conditions.
In his bail statement, Nkala, a self-actor, said they was no evidence linking him to the alleged offence.
He argued that he was only implicated by Sonto Sibanda and Thubelihle Ncube.
“The refusal of bail and detention of an accused in custody shall be in the interests of justice where there is a likelihood of endangering the safety of the public. It is therefore, the respondent’s submission that I deserve bail pending trial,” argued Nkala.
The State did not oppose the application.
According to court papers, it was stated that between October 9 and 23 last year, Nkala allegedly ganged up with his four accomplices and raided homes in Bulawayo.
On October 9 at around 2AM, Nkala and his accomplices went to Ms Angela Dlamini’s house in Nketa 7 armed with a bolt cutter and a knife. They cut the burglar door and gained entry. While inside the house, they demanded cash from the complainant at knife point and she gave them R500 and $200. They ransacked the house and took two plasma television sets, a microwave, a two-plate gas stove, 5kg gas cylinder, 16 blankets, two laptops and two cellphones all valued at US$10 000.
Four days later, the gang proceeded to a plot in Willsgroove and upon arrival the attacked the complainant and demanded money. The complainant pulled his firearm, a 9mm Jericho pistol, but Nkala and his accomplices managed to wrestle with him and disarmed him before they went away with the pistol.
On October 15 at 7PM, the gang went to Ms Betty Moyo’s house in Cowdray Park where they struck her on the head once using the back of an axe and she fell down.
They searched the house and took R44 400 and two cellphones and fled from the scene.
On October 19 shortly after 3AM, the accused persons went to Mr Lewis Simbi’s house in Cowdray Park armed with a pistol, an axe and a machete. They damaged the screen gate to access the premises.
They struck the complainant once on the head with an axe as they demanded money.
They robbed him of R41 410, a power bank, a cellphone charger and house spare keys.
Four days later, Nkala and his accomplices including some who are still at large, regrouped and went to Ms Nokuthaba Dube’s house in Khumalo.
They forced opened the door to gain entry and assaulted the complainant as they demanded cash.
Ms Dube opened the safe for the accused persons and they took US$34 000, R210 000 and a 9mm Luger pistol and fled.
Investigations led to the arrest of Nkala, Nkosilathi Mpofu, Simelweyinkosi, Sonto Sibanda and Thubelihle Ncube.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- Under fire Health Ministry official Portia Manangazira reportedly facilitated the recruitment of 28 family members to be community health workers, NewsDay reports.
Manangazira who is the principal director of epidemiology and disease control was yesterday arrested after it emerged she abused her office by authorizing the procurement of goods amounting to US$280 529 without following due process.
It is the state’s case that:
Manangazira requested for funding to recruit and train voluntary community workers to assist in raising awareness on COVID-19.
An allocation of US$796 675 was availed by the Africa Centre for Disease Control through the African Field Epidemiology Network,a non-governmental organisation to fund the line items and services meant to be used at training workshops for 800 community health workers.
The health workers were paid US$600 each for a period of three months and preliminary investigations revealed that 28 of the recruits were related to Manangazira.
Furthermore, Manangazira is being accused of identifying community health workers without involving relevant authorities:
It is also alleged that between July 2020 and last month, she identified 1 000 health community workers meant to be deployed throughout the country on a COVID-19 awareness campaign, without involving provincial and district medical directors and officers.
Manangazira will appear in court for bail hearing today.-newsday
By A Correspondent- Residents, businesspeople and regional transporters at Chirundu Border Post have gone for three weeks without electricity due to a faulty transformer.
The transformer was hit by lightning three weeks ago. It feeds part of the border town, including the Chirundu local clinic.
The affected areas include the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority offices, clearing agencies, companies and the Chirundu shopping centre.
Chirundu Local Board secretary Wilson Gune said the power outage had affected the free movement of regional transport, mainly from South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“This has affected movement of regional transport that keeps the border town busy. We have suffered a lot in terms of financial generation as our customers and suppliers are not coming through since the refrigerators are not working. As a local board, we have lost potential revenue,” he said.
“Added to this challenge is that most clearing agencies have been caught unawares by this as they thought it was a minor issue that could be rectified within a few days, but it’s now more than three weeks.’
Nation Mawere, a clearing agent, said: “We are operating in darkness while this must be a onestop border post. The Zesa transformer has not been repaired. A majority of clearing agencies are now using generators to operate.”
Zesa Holdings acting spokesperson Prisca Utete confirmed the power outage.
“The power outage that has affected Chirundu border town was due to a faulty transformer that has since been replaced. Our technical team is the process of installing it in an effort to improve on service delivery to the affected customers. It has been ensured that while this transformer is being installed, all affected essential and strategic points such as the border post are functional,” she said.
“We are also exploring the possibility of establishing a fully fledged (Zesa) depot in Chirundu in the medium to long term to ensure that the turnaround period or response times to customer queries are improved.”-newsday
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s information tsar, Nick Mangwana, has been attacked on Twitter for suggesting that married women are free to have affairs outside wedlock.
In a tweet that has set the social network on fire, Mangwana made the remark while responding to a tweet by a person, who described Vice President Kembo Mohadi’s alleged sex scandals with two married women as shameful.
The information secretary said, “A lot of noise from insecure men. When married man have it off with young women, no problem. When married women have it off with powerful men all hell breaks loose! A woman is noone’s property. She can make a choice and if you are married to her and you don’t like it, tough.”
Mkhaya Tindo shot back in the Twitter thread. “This is unbelievable! You can’t be serious.”
But Mangwana stood his ground saying, “Oh I am.”
Several people joined the debate with one identified as Mzingwane noting that “a woman is noone’s property. She can make a choice and if you are married to her and you don’t like it, tough. @nickmangwana 20 Feb 2021>
An irate Sosveguru said, “I’m definitely not surprised by your response; anything 2 defend your senior’s unbecoming behaviour. What lesson are you teaching your kidz? That sexual immorality is a choice & if your husband or wife doesn’t like it, then tough luck? Those words promote promiscuity in marriages.”
Another person identified as Liveson Manguwo did not like Mangwana’s tweet. He said, “… @nickmangwana is morally bankrupt, haana hunhu, haana respect of our culture and the sacredness of marriage. I won’t be surprised if he is also a powerful man using his position to exploit subordinates. Ndokubasa nekubata kwavo ana @nickmangwana thats why he sees nothing wrong.”
Trevor Machimbidza was also unhappy with Mangwana’s remarks as he said “this is so low of you … So are you saying powerful man are exempted from their shenanigan abuse of power..Of course she is noone s’ property no women is property but she is definitley some men s’ wife …”
Mangwana did not respond to questions sent to him on WhatsApp and calls on his mobile phone.
Mohadi was also unreachable together with Abbigail Muleya and another woman only identified as Chevaughn.-VOA
By James Gwati- Vice President Kembo Mohadi has been implicated in yet another sex scandal where he is being said to be demanding sex from a young Bulawayo girl whom he offered to pay fees for at a local college.
According to an online newspaper, ZimLive.com Mohadi could invite the poor young lady to his room at the Holiday Inn in Bulawayo whenever he is in the City of Kings and Queens.
The online publication said the young lady was desperate to go to college in 2016 when a chance meeting between her brother and Mohadi, who was then the state security minister, brought some good news.
The lady met Mohadi in his office, at his request, and he agreed to pay her fees for a course in Information Communication Technology with a Bulawayo college.
MDC Alliance Namibia is cognisant of the devilish and sadist efforts by Zanu PFf and their surrogates to decimate the People’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa, our leader in the MDC Alliance.
Our message to Tinashe Jonasi is very clear. His attempt to deter and intimidate the People’s President will be resisted with equal measure.
The Zanupf surrogate party Ideal Zimbabwe obviously epitomises an attempt by the regime to hoodwink the rest of the world pretending as if there is multi-party democracy in Zimbabwe whilst these are Zanupf-sponsored parties mend to deceive the international community.
MDC Alliance Namibia is convinced that the ‘drama king’, Jonasi deserves a serious psychiatric examination so that he can sober up and regain his consciousness to comprehend the source of economic meltdown in the Motherland.
It is foolhardy to believe that MDC Alliance is perfecting sanctions which he said were brought by our late Icon of Constitutional Democracy Morgan Richard Tsvangirai may his dear soul rest in power.
This politically inept Jonasi must face the reality and confront corruption and daylight looting of state resources practised by his greedy Zanu pf enablers.
We are quite aware that Jonasi is being condomised by Zanupf terrorists to derail the freedom train led by our political dynamo.
Moreover, the greatest sanction that we have in Zimbabwe is Zanupf and their proxies. Mdc Alliance Namibia is absolutely sure that Jonasi is an agent of the Zanupf thugocratic regime send to threaten our leader so that he ignores the gross misgovernance and abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe.
As MDC Alliance Namibia, we maintain that sanctions should go with great changes in the way political , economic and social issues are dealt with in the country. He must advice his Zanu pf enablers to stop human butchery and senseless looting and corruption.
Jonasi must kill the cartels who are busy looting billions and billions of dollars from our precious minerals. Jonasi must kill Henrietta Rushwaya and her thieving racket who smuggle our minerals timeously for personal aggrandisement.
Our VP Biti’s message to the World Bank was clear to say don’t give Covid-19 to Zanupf officials because of #demloot.
He must butcher Obadiah Moyo who robbed us of our US$60 million dollars donated funds. Hands off our President and his people. We are tired of bootlickers of a clueless regime that has dismally failed to resuscitate the livelihoods of the Zimbabwean citizens.
Let him face those who are looting not our diligent President Advocate Nelson Chamisa who is committed and dedicated to revamp the sunken economy. In a nutshell, MDC Alliance Namibia demands the immediate arrest of the thugocratic Ideal Zimbabwe President who confessed his appetite to murder our President.
In a Constitutional Democracy, death threats are treasonous and unethical in the political arena. Lets the rule of law and Constitutionalism must their course.
By James Gwati- Upcoming dancehall chanter, Jah Master’s Hello Mwari’s Call was answered at the weekend when the controversial musician bagged three awards at this year’s edition of the annual PPC Zimbabwe.
The PPC Zimbabwe awards were sponsored by Zimbabwe Music Awards 2021 (Zima) and were hosted online at Harare’s Newlands Country Club.
Jah Master, real name Rodney Mashandure, scooped the Best Zimdancehall gong, Best Male and Song of the Year (Hello Mwari) award(s).
The Hello Mwari singer made headlines after he kicked a fan off stage in Chinhoyi last year.
Unfortunately, the weekend awards had no monetary reward to them.
Daring thieves last year broke into a car being driven by one of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s security aides and stole the President’s speech and a laptop from the vehicle.
Three of the four suspected thieves were arrested in Kwekwe and it was discovered they were on Masvingo CID’s most wanted list for a swathe of robberies.
The robbers reportedly broke into Mnangagwa’s unnamed aide’s car and stole various goods including the independence speech and a laptop.
They were arrested in Kwekwe after they had robbed another motorist and as they were attempting to rob yet another victim. ZRP in a memo seen by the publication said the gang tried to run over a ZRP officer who was trying to arrest them when they were caught at a service station in Kwekwe.
The three that were arrested are, Tinashe Matete Dube (27) of house number 188 Glen View 3 in Harare, Trymore Jakarasi (35) of house number 6692 Pumula North in Bulawayo, and Shepherd Madaka (29) of 4820 Budiriro 3, Harare and one gang member is said to have escaped when the trio was arrested.
On Friday, ZRP officers shot and killed 4 armed robbers who had pounced on a Harare shop owner during a shootout with the robbers.- NewsDay
Police in Bulawayo have arrested 33 youths from Pelandaba West suburb for hosting an illegal birthday party in violation of national Level Four lockdown regulations.
Under Level Four National Lockdown all social gatherings are banned as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
The 33 youths who are between 16 and 25 years of age were arrested on Saturday at about 10.30PM by police officers who were on patrol.
Thirteen of them were females and sources allege that the party to celebrate the host, Makhosini Sibanda’s birthday, was organised through WhatsApp. Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the arrests yesterday.
He said it was worrying that police continue to arrest young people for hosting illegal parties.
“This is a matter of concern as we are repeatedly arresting young people for hosting parties during the lockdown regulations. This is the third time within a short space of time that we have arrested young people including minors for holding illegal parties. These parties are hosted in homes where adults are not at home as in this case, the home owner is someone who is based in Botswana,” he said.
Insp Ncube urged parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their children as some of them were engaging in anti-social activities such as alcohol and drug abuse.
“We are arresting young people, some who are 17 years of age and it worries us as the police that people of such age groups will not be home in the middle of the night. What is worrying about the parties is that they expose the girl child to abuse and often teaches youths substance abuse that leads to serious addictions. As police we have recorded several cases where the girl child is raped during such parties,” said Insp Ncube.
Sources said cops who were on patrol discovered that there was unusual activity at the house where the youths wee merry-making.
“This was already after the curfew hours and when the police officers arrived at the house, the suspects entered the house and started making noise while inside. The police officers called for backup and when the revellers realised that they had nowhere to hide, they opened the door leading to their arrest. There were empty alcohol bottles at the scene,” said the source.
Meanwhile, the suspects yesterday briefly appeared before West Commonage Magistrate Courts facing charges of flouting Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
Two weeks, ago police arrested 10 youths aged between 18 and 19 years for holding a vuzu party in Emganwini suburb. The youths took advantage of the fact that the house owner is based in South Africa.
Three weeks ago, police also arrested 12 people, including eight minors for holding an illegal party in Pumula South suburb. The party host was a 23-year-old man who escaped as police raided his home.
He also lived alone as both his parents are late. -Chronicle
The state capture commission has asked that former president Jacob Zuma be sentenced to two years in prison for contempt of court.
This followed Zuma’s failure to turn up at the commission last week despite a summons and an order from the highest court to do so.
In an urgent application to the Constitutional Court on Monday, the commission’s secretary Itumeleng Mosala said Zuma had committed a number of contemptuous acts – failing to turn up when he was summoned to, failing to file affidavits as per the Constitutional Court’s order and “scurrilous statements” made against the Constitutional Court and the whole of the judiciary.
Mosala said this was “no ordinary case of contempt”. Referring to public statements made by Zuma after the Constitutional Court’s judgment in which Zuma had lashed out at judges, saying some betrayed their oaths of office for political expediency, Mosala said Zuma’s conduct was “calculated to undermine the integrity of this court and the judiciary in general”.
Mosala said the sentence also needed to reflect the expectation of society that a person in a leadership position “with immense influence” like Zuma “should comply with the law rather than displaying contempt of the law”.
ASTON VILLA fans sent a loud and clear message to their manager, Dean Smith, on Sunday — it’s time to ring the changes and bring in Marvelous Nakamba into the starting XI.
The Zimbabwean midfielder’s name was trending on social media as the Villa fans want through the pain of their latest defeat, a 1-2 loss to Leicester City.
Brazilian midfielder, Douglas Luiz, who has been preferred by Smith ahead of Nakamba, underperformed and was substituted in the second half, leading to many fans calling for a change in midfield ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Leeds United.
The 22-year-old has struggled for form in recent weeks, resulting in Smith pulling him out in Villa’s 3-1 defeat to West Ham, dropping him in their 1-0 win over Arsenal and substituting him against Leicester.
His midfield colleague Nakamba has made 10 appearances in all competitions this season, spending most of the campaign as an unused substitute.
He has found himself behind Luiz, John McGinn, Morgan Sanson and Jacob Ramsey in the pecking order, but Smith might turn to him in this time of need.
Against Leicester, Luiz turned over the ball only once before coming off and gave away three fouls.
With Nakamba delivering impressive performances in the last two leagues games he started, he should have earned some trust from his manager.
Aston Villa fans turned to Twitter, arguing that the “superb” Zimbabwean should be given an opportunity to start ahead of Luiz next weekend.
Alan Shearer, and former Villa striker Dion Dublin, were also left concerned by aspects of the performance against Leicester.
Former England striker Shearer and Dublin analysed the game for Match of the Day and felt Villa were guilty of giving the likes of Maddison too much space.
It’s something a player like Nakamba is a specialist in taking care of.
“The lack of protection in front of the back four was alarming,” said Shearer.
“(Ricardo Pereira could) take the ball, turn and have a shot here. You can’t give players of the quality of James Maddison this amount of time, space and freedom without putting any pressure on the ball.
“Not once with him running over the halfway line, towards the 18-yard box is there anyone within 10 to 15 yards of him. You just can’t give that much time and space to him.”
Dublin, who had a six-year spell at Villa Park between 1998 and 2004, added: “It happened time and time again. It happened all through the game.
“Barkley and McGinn can see Tielemans but allow him to run between them. You have to change positions.”
Villa lacked a creative edge without their skipper, Jack Grealish, who missed a Premier League match for the first time since November 2019.- The Herald
Daring thieves last year broke into a car being driven by one of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s security aides and stole the President’s speech and a laptop from the vehicle.
Three of the four suspected thieves were arrested in Kwekwe and it was discovered they were on Masvingo CID’s most wanted list for a swathe of robberies.
The robbers reportedly broke into Mnangagwa’s unnamed aide’s car and stole various goods including the independence speech and a laptop.
They were arrested in Kwekwe after they had robbed another motorist and as they were attempting to rob yet another victim. ZRP in a memo seen by the publication said the gang tried to run over a ZRP officer who was trying to arrest them when they were caught at a service station in Kwekwe.
The three that were arrested are, Tinashe Matete Dube (27) of house number 188 Glen View 3 in Harare, Trymore Jakarasi (35) of house number 6692 Pumula North in Bulawayo, and Shepherd Madaka (29) of 4820 Budiriro 3, Harare and one gang member is said to have escaped when the trio was arrested.
On Friday, ZRP officers shot and killed 4 armed robbers who had pounced on a Harare shop owner during a shootout with the robbers.- NewsDay
A Gwanda family is reportedly living in fear after an invisible creature attacked them with stones.
Miss Portia Zhou narrated her ordeal to ZBC News and said her family is gripped by fear as the attacks sometimes become rampant and violent. She said:
It has been happening for a while now, stones are thrown on the roof. At first, we thought it was thieves or someone making fun of us until now when the stones have become rampant that we even get these attacks during the day.
We called our neighbors and they searched where the stones were coming from, they did not see anyone but stones kept coming, we are worried.
Neighbours confirmed to have also received their fair share of attacks for providing the tormented family with refuge.
When our neighbor came to tell us, we thought it’s a joke until a huge pebble missed my leg. I am in a state of shock. I am leaving the house to sleep at my sister-in-law’s place.
Another resident also claimed to have seen the stones and is convinced it is the work of dark and invisible forces. Said the resident:
I came to look for whoever was attacking them, but I and my other guys we just saw stones being thrown, but we didn’t see the person throwing them. These are goblins I tell you.
Last year, the Gwanda community roped in a popular prophet in a bid to address the issue of an invisible creature that was reportedly killing men at Mtshabezi River.
Nevertheless, stories of mysterious creatures tormenting families have throughout history been dismissed as mere superstition.
By Valerie Karimakwenda Organising Sec Youth Assembly
There is no peace in Zimbabwe, but an intense crisis of paralyzing fear of a ruthless uncaring regime It never ceases to thoroughly perplex me, if not downright shocking, whenever those in the Zimbabwe ruling elite engage in their usual self-congratulatory delusions of how they have managed to maintain peace throughout the country – particularly, with the aid of the country’s security forces – as nothing can be further from the truth.
Such a distasteful claim can only be made by someone who is either a chronic liar, or suffering from serious schizophrenic detachment from reality.
The prevailing situation in Zimbabwe can only be best described by one of the most emotionally charged and touching music videos to ever grace the country’s television screens – ‘Tozesa Baba’ by internationally acclaimed icon, legend and hero, Oliver Mtukudzi.
Who can disregard the spouse, lavishly trembling and sweating with indefinable fear, like a reed in a fast-flowing stream, the minute she listens her returning husband’s strides – as he enters the house in a inebriated daze, holding a bottle of lager in one hand, and in the event that I am not mixed up, an hatchet within the other?
As expected, the ‘man of the house’ appears to bark out some threats, as the son shrinks even further under the table, which can hardly fit two small boys – as his father forcefully grabs his mother’s hand, and drags her into the bedroom…with the obvious connotations of marital rape.
In fact, as distant as the mutilated and aggravated Zimbabwe elitist artful administering clique would be concerned, there was peace and tranquility in that house – considering that there were no occurrences in that music video clip of any normal physical viciousness – as no one was battered to a mash, the man did not crush his lager bottle on his wife’s head, and no chairs and tables sent flying in all headings.
However, that’s precisely how the administration regards the circumstance within the country, as they wax lyrically approximately how there’s peace within the nation, and no emergency to conversation around.
“What peace, whose peace? What justice, whose justice?”, another popular Zimbabwean dub poet Albert Nyathi once chanted, in his renowned 1994 tribute to slain South African anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani.
Could anyone seriously claim that there was peace in that Mtukudzi music video home? As much as there was no physical war, but the wife was certainly not at peace, neither was their son (who had to hide from his own father under a kitchen.
As Baruch Spinoza once aptly put it, “Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice”.
Then, popular genius Albert Einstein, rounded it off by saying, “Peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of justice, of law, of order —in short, of government”.
I further ask, “Was there justice for the wife and her son in that household, even though that particular clip never showed any graphic acts of physical violence?” – taking into consideration that Mtukudzi actually penned that piece as an anti-domestic violence awareness song, thus the title, “Tozesa Baba”, which means, “We fear our father (or husband).
I go on Subsequently, as much as the pretentious and clearly shrewd Harare organization may endeavor to betray the world – and, within the handle, itself – into accepting that there’s no emergency in Zimbabwe, since there are no dead bodies, of individuals shot by security powers, scattered all over the nation, the status quo is most certainly no place close peaceful. Considering that the country is living in consistent fear, generally due to the stressing increment in reports of state supported restraint, brutality, snatchings, torment, sexual manhandle, and self-assertive captures of conventional citizens, writers, attorneys, as well as human rights, labor and restriction activist…going as distant as unbridled insuperable, tribalistic inclines, and hidden dangers focused on at clergymen. to ask, “Was there no crisis in that household?”
As the saying goes, “The past always defines the future” – the cold-blooded gunning down by security forces of scores of unarmed and defenseless protesting civilians in August 2018, and January 2019, is still vivid in the minds of Zimbabweans – further evoked by the ceaseless vitriolic, obscene, and shameless threats regularly spewed by the regime, compounded by the constant eerie omnipresence of armed military officers, ostensibly to enforce COVID-19 lockdowns and curfew, but have been accused of wantonly trampling on citizens’ rights.
Can anybody say there’s peace in Zimbabwe, when the ‘father’ gorges himself with the fineries and extravagance of life, while the ‘wife and children’ have nothing to eat, go to bed hungry, have nothing to wear, and the children not aiming to school? Let us never disregard that there a a few angles of mishandle – counting, physical, passionate, financial, and sexual – at least one of which each Zimbabwean has deplorably experienced, as a standard instead of an exception.
Therefore, as much as there may not be bloodshed and corpses strewn on the streets of Zimbabwe, there is definitely no peace in the country – as the dark cloud of crude corruption, cold-hearted hatred, vile vindictiveness threateningly hanging over every citizen’s head is morbid enough.
Tinashe Sambiri|A return to legitimacy is the only solution to the deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, President Nelson Chamisa has said.
According to President Chamisa, voters and elections can change the direction of the nation.
“VOTERS & ELECTIONS can change the direction of a nation..
This week alone, the US pivoted sharply away from Trump’s go-it-alone foreign policy posture, officially re-joining the Paris Climate Accords & signaling desire to resume discussions about returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. We need a people’s government and a return to legitimacy.
We need jobs, Smart policies, spaghetti roads and Bullet trains. Zimbabwe must be born again,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
Tinashe Sambiri|A return to legitimacy is the only solution to the deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, President Nelson Chamisa has said.
According to President Chamisa, voters and elections can change the direction of the nation.
“VOTERS & ELECTIONS can change the direction of a nation..
This week alone, the US pivoted sharply away from Trump’s go-it-alone foreign policy posture, officially re-joining the Paris Climate Accords & signaling desire to resume discussions about returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. We need a people’s government and a return to legitimacy.
We need jobs, Smart policies, spaghetti roads and Bullet trains. Zimbabwe must be born again,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Harare city Mayor, Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni has accused Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa of using cheap political gambits to thwart meaningful development in the capital city.
Mnangagwa is obsessed with removing MDC Alliance mayors and leaders from local authorities, according to Manyenyeni.
See Manyenyeni’s presentation below:
By Ben Manyenyeni
(I do have a visible hangover from my past station in a high profile civic office – no apology – I am possibly still noisier than a few serving mayors!)
That public station itself remains so badly understood, heavily politicised and its ingredients unknown.
In the past 5 days I have posted two Facebook notes in response to a barrage of unhelpful attacks on the MDCA-held urban local authorities by the Head of State – simultaneously with murderous onslaught from the State TV station.
I am a card-carrying member of the MDCA but all the views shared on public platforms are entirely my own – with neither consultation nor approval from my political masters.
My first post bemoaned the President’s intense personal fixation with toxic partisan politics – to an extent he fails to realise that local government is part of his very own government.
The pressure on Mr Mnangagwa to be a LEADER FIRST – a politician later – continues to mount.
It is not difficult to do and has amazing results.
As an example, in my own 5 years at “Trauma Centre” (trading as Town House, Harare), President Mnangagwa must be shocked to know that in that entire stretch I did not have ONE fight with the 10 or so ZanuPF councillors in the house of 46.
This was despite me having bitter fights with (their) Ministers of Local Government at the same time.
I also led the 32 mayors and chairpersons of urban councils in the country part of my 5 years.
I only had just ONE confrontation with ZanuPF mayors – only because the then Minister of Roads and Infrastructure had broken the law in the appointment of the ZINARA Board of Directors – (the parastatals that has looted Harare’s 6000km of roads – since 2009!).
As we speak our cohort of the 2013 to 2018 Mayors remains in one intact fraternity – one big happy family – still chatting DAILY on our chat group, totems yes, parties NO!!!
So I can proudly boast of coming from a credible background of how it can easily be done.
A copy of my mayoral acceptance speech on 16th September 2013 may also be a free resource for Cde@Zim One.
My follow-on post two days ago dealt with sharing insights of who effectively controls Harare City Council and also who destroyed Harare.
This is my third post directed at the State President’s assault on MDCA municipalities.
All this one does is share, publicly, with the man at State House the need for him to be a unifying brand not a partisan political figure. It doesn’t hurt, Sir.
In another couple of days I will post the last of this simple effort of mine.
It will be regarding what needs to be done to vaccinate the City Council.
Harare is a mini-government.
It is as big as 10 to 15 small government ministries combined.
Do you know that Harare has, historically, had a budget and population equal to or greater than some SADC states?
Yes, Harare is a mini-government.
It is as big as 10 to 15 small government ministries combined.
I am not looking for a job (I don’t NEED one) nor am I seeking continued relevance in matters municipal.
But I would love to give the President, maybe in one hour, the recipe – the Salisbury Solution.
Those close to Shumba whisper this – if you may.
See you in a couple of days with my final FB proposals.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly members embarked on a social responsibility programme meant to curb the spread of malaria.
On Sunday members of the MDC Alliance Youth Assembly in Mkoba participated in a clean up exercise as part of efforts to maintain a safe environment.
See statement below:
MDC Alliance Mkoba Youths In Clean Up Campaign
22-02-2021
MDC Alliance Mkoba Youth Assembly members yesterday took part in a clean up campaign cutting tall grass in the neighbourhood.
Mkoba Constituency Coordinating Committee (CCC) Chairman, John Kuka who led the campaign said the grass cutting initiative is meant to curb the spread of malaria in this rain season as mosquitoes usually breed in tall grasses.
The program is part of Mkoba Youth Assembly’s long list of social responsibility programs.
The youth leadership of the constituency also heaped praise on Mkoba Member of Parliament, Hon Amos Chibaya for supporting the clean up campaign initiative.
This weekly publication is meant to inform fellow citizens on various matters concerning the deadly covid-19 pandemic, and to facilitate informed decisions by every single one of us. Today we continue to examine the issue of the covid-19 vaccine to see if we could do better as a nation than what we have done so far.
Now that 200 000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine are here, have we arrived? Are we going to continue to procure more Sinopharm vaccines? How should Zimbabwe proceed to maximize benefit from the availability of vaccines against Covid-19 from various manufacturers and diverse technologies? What is the way forward? These are some of the questions that urgently beg an answer.
The arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine is only but the beginning. Whether we started well or not, and whether or not the processes leading to the arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine were correct, can no longer be undone. We now need to focus on the way forward, and this is what we are going to dwell on today.
Moving forward, there is need for government to carry the people with it. Transparency is key in all processes for the vaccination program to work. The government cannot just say, “If you don’t want to take the vaccine, you are free to opt out”, NO! Hear the people out and address their fears and concerns, and address all the conspiracy theories scientifically, as best we know how to. Zimbabweans deserve better, and information is key. In this process, we must immunize against corruption, wrong executive decisions propelled by greed and avarice, and the devaluation of the lives of the people of Zimbabwe through intransigence and autocracy.
Let me lay out upfront the concerns of the people of Zimbabwe before we move on. Firstly, the government in Harare is notorious for corruption, ranking 157 out of 180 countries in a recent Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report. We are in the top of the league. We therefore demand transparency from government on how they chose the vaccine, and how much they are paying for it. This irregular vaccine procurement can be used for looting the already moribund treasury. Our comment has nothing to do with the vaccine being Chinese per se, but we are just demanding accountability from the government, which is our due.
History tends to repeat itself. A considerable portion of the public health community in Zimbabwe is worried that government is not paying attention to the recommendations of the “National Immunization Technical Advisory Group” (ZimNITAG). Sadly this confirms that our decisions are not science driven and do not have the nation at heart.
Next, we demand information. How are the field trials going to be conducted? What information is going to be collected? When do we expect results of the field trials, which will inform us as individuals on whether to take the vaccine or not. We need transparency on why government is collecting samples as they vaccinate. What are we studying?
We need transparency on what other vaccines are coming, when and how much? We need transparency on the cost of all the vaccines. We need to raise awareness and educate the people about these vaccines. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is still assessing data submitted by Sinopharm and has not yet issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for this vaccine. It looks like such approval may only come in March at the earliest as it remains unclear why we rushed to get a vaccine that WHO has not yet okayed. We are however aware that countries like the UAE have done their own Phase 3 trials on this vaccine and have issued their own EUA. We must likewise be diligent to do our own field trials and keep the nation adequately informed as it is important to examine all options on the market.
What role is Parliament playing in terms of oversight in all these corruption prone processes, including choice of vaccine, procurement, logistics and distribution? Does the government not perceive a need to do extensive stakeholder consultations to distil the wisdom of the population and to get buy-in?
Now let us look at what government should be looking for as they choose vaccines to use in Zimbabwe. If we are going to spend money, let us spend it on something that works for our people.
1.SAFETY: The golden rule here is, first do no harm. We continue to emphasise the importance of properly conducted clinical trials in the field, to detect adverse events. Thereafter continued post-marketing surveillance is important to detect rare adverse events. A thorough risk-benefit analysis must be done for every vaccine candidate.
2.EFFICACY: This is a measure of the ability of the vaccine to prevent disease in the target population. The gold standard for measuring this is Randomized Controlled Trials in healthy populations. With the South African variant firmly established in Zimbabwe, it is important to document the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine before we spend any more money on it, and this applies to any other vaccine that we may consider to bring in. We aver that the 200 000 doses donation is adequate to conduct conclusive trials on the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine before we buy anymore.
3.EFFECTIVENESS: This is a measure of the total protection that we get through programmatic implementation, and depends not only on the efficacy of the vaccine, but on other parameters like the actual vaccine storage (do Zimbabwe fridges work?), transportation, preparation and administration of the vaccine, fairness of the roll out plan, and completeness of coverage. Indirect effects like herd immunity will amplify effectiveness of the vaccine to protect even those who have not been vaccinated. We are generally worried about the state of our cold chain infrastructure and equipment, staff morale and training, and vehicles & staff for mobile outreach services. The reported statement by the Zimbabwe Nurses Association does not inspire confidence, and government should take the requests of health workers seriously. This will negatively affect the effectiveness of our vaccination program.
4.VACCINE PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS: Storage and transportation requirements differ among vaccines. In Zimbabwe, we are better off taking only those vaccines that are stored and transported at normal refrigerator temperatures (2oC – 8oC). Pfizer seems to be reviewing the low temperature requirement for their vaccine, and it seems this was done out of an abundance of caution. We need to keep our ears to the ground, as this is a developing story.
Having to reconstitute a vaccine before administration increases the workload for health workers and vaccines that come in solution are easier and quicker to administer. There are many other vaccine characteristics to consider (e.g. wastage rate, demand for syringes and needles, presentation and packaging, etc) and these are well explained on the WHO website. The Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) mentioned earlier is the one best placed to advise government on vaccine choice, and government must pay attention. Of note is the number of doses required to fully immunize an individual. The Johnson and Johnson (J & J) vaccine requires only one dose for full immunization, and this is a great advantage when we look at the issue of completing an immunization schedule. South Africa has started rolling out the J & J single dose vaccine and there could be something for us to emulate right there. Remember 61% of our virus is the South African variant.
5.COST: This is extremely important. Information we have is that the Sinopharm vaccine is more expensive than most other vaccines on the market, including the single dose of the J & J vaccine mentioned earlier. One BBC report said “It’s not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 Yuan ($60; £45)”
this be true, then we would like to know why Zimbabwe government chose this one, compared to the Astra-Zeneca @ $4 per dose, or Johnson and Johnson at $10 per dose. Furthermore, there is the COVAX and the African Union facilities for pooled procurement, which will make vaccines a lot cheaper and more available. It boggles the mind why our government was dithering on the issue of subscribing to these facilities when the benefits are clear. That brings the suspicion of intent to defraud the people by forming cartels, which no one can audit.
6. Finally, AVAILABILITY of the vaccine is critical and self-explanatory. In conclusion, we want to thank The People’s Republic of China for their generous donation. We further want to implore the government to do the due diligent studies on the Sinopharm vaccine safety and efficacy before purchasing any, and to consider other suitable alternatives like the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine. This we mention specifically because it is already in use in RSA, we have the same viral strains (61%), and we are really one people on one land mass. We need to coordinate our efforts because inefficacy in RSA means inefficacy in Zimbabwe, since our people travel a lot. We further implore the executive to take advice from the ZimNITAG, and submit to the oversight function of parliament particularly in procurement decisions. Government must engage us the people and give feedback continuously. With covid-19, no one is safe until we are all safe.
Dr Henry Madzorera Secretary for Heath and Child Welfare MDC Alliance
By James Gwati-Two journalists at the state-controlled Zimbabwean mass media company, Zimpapers have been fired for failing to edit a comment on the late Zimdancehall musician, Soul Jah Love’s story in one of the Zimpapers’ daily hard copies which wished the death of an undisclosed Zanu PF big wig.
Chief sub-editor Washington Rungano Gwanzura and his junior Tinashe Chuma got the marching orders at the weekend for breaching the company’s Code of Conduct and Grievance Procedure.
Gwanzura was accused of breaching the said act by “clearing a copy for printing with an unacceptable statement in the feedback column”, while Chuma was alleged to have extracted an ‘unacceptable’ article from Twitter and filed it for publication.
“In the meantime please be advised that you are barred from setting foot at Herald House until investigations are completed,”read part of the letter signed by Rosental Mutakati, the company’s Production Editor.
A reader had written a condolence message in memory of the late Soul Jah Love which ‘prayed’ for the death of an undisclosed member of the Zanu PF presidium.
The two gatekeepers failed to notice the comment which was published in the H-Metro edition of February 19 2021 on the Feedback Column.
By A Correspondent- A total of eight people are said to have drowned while trying to cross flooded rivers in Chiredzi District, Masvingo.
The number was confirmed by Chiredzi District Development Coordinator, Mr. Lovemore Chisema who warned members of the public against attempting at flooded rivers.
Chisema who is also the chairperson of the District’s Civil Protection Department said more than 20 houses have been destroyed due to floods.
He said:
We are imploring citizens to be cautious and exercise patience by avoiding crossing flooded rivers.
Many of our rivers are currently flooded and the most affected area is Chiredzi South where all economic activities have been cut down as they cannot cross Runde River to access Chiredzi town.
At the same time, here we are having challenges to ensure service delivery because the area is not accessible.
The number of people who have drowned countrywide this rain season has worryingly continued to rise.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police recently indicated that drowning cases countrywide were at 483 cases in 2020 compared to 411 cases in 2019.
The police added that of the 483 cases recorded in the year 2020, 26 cases were recorded in Harare, 7 in Bulawayo, 54 in Midlands, 55 in Manicaland, 55 in Masvingo, 30 in Mat North, 31 in Mat South, 58 in Mash East, 70 in Mash Central and 97 in Mash West.-statemedia
By James Gwati-Dancehall chanter Seh Calaz has castigated some prominent musicians who were not seen at the funeral of the late Soul Jah Love.
Without mentioning any name, Calaz on his Facebook page said that artistes should be united.
Several artistes showed up for the late musician’s funeral with some snubbing the late Chanters funeral. Some artistes opted to use social media to send condolences over visiting Jah Love’s place to pay their last respects.
Below is what Calaz posted:
“Kamwe kapride kane vamwe venyu kutadza kuuya kuzochemawo nevamwe kutokundwa nemayuts auya kuzochema nesu. Iwe munhu mukuru siya pride newe uchafa nzira ndeyedu haisi yaSouljah Love chete. Iwewe neni inzira yedu futi so chinja maititi wangu musazoti totaurisa but chinenge chiri chokwadi. So ndoda kutenda 4 Ninjas waratidza rudo kuchema nesu..
By A Correspondent-The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) said it has learnt with deep sadness the tragic news of the passing on of the Daily News Assistant editor, Maxwell Sibanda.
The veteran journalist passed on at a local hospital in Harare on Sunday.
Below is the statement by MAZ:
Bla Max as the soft spoken character was affectionately called within the media circles leaves behind a rich legacy in journalism. His career in the media sector stretches over decades, having served at the Daily News at the inception of the newspaper and among the rare breed of journalists that shone the light in critical media at the turn of the millennium, boldly declaring truth to power.
Sibanda, who at the time of his demise was serving as the treasurer of the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (Zinef) was also highly respected in the arts and entertainment industry. At the time that he served as Arts and Entertainment editor, Sibanda would raise the profile of unheralded artistes, introducing them to the mainstream media and national platform.
The easily relatable character was also instrumental in advocacy for media freedom, access to information and free expression, a struggle that was close to his heart. He would dedicate space within the Daily News towards critical thinking on media law and policy reform and would ensure that advocacy interventions are amplified within and through the media. He would actively participate in mentorship and capacity building programs, where he would impart his knowledge and experience to the growing crop of young journalists.
Sibanda will be sadly missed and it is unfortunate that he has passed on at the height of the struggle for media freedom. Maintaining the momentum and defending journalistic and citizens freedom is the only way the media and all concerned stakeholders can and will sustain his legacy. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
By James Gwati-The Nelson Chamisa led opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance said President Emmerson Mnangagwa, should immediately fire his deputy, Kembo Mohadi for bedding subordinates and young women.
Last week the 71-year-old Mohadi was confronted at his Harare home by Jacob Mumpande the husband of Abbigal Mumpande after learning that he (Mohadi) was bedding his wife.
Both Jacob and Abbigal are members of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and work in Mohadi’s office.
“The official government position is to condone Mohadi’s abuse of state resources and state offices to conduct his adulterous sexcapades with multiple women. The lack of integrity and failure to respect public offices designed for the conduct of official business must be condemned by all,” the opposition said.
The vice president’s “predatory conduct borders on sexual abuse using public offices kept and maintained by taxpayer money. It’s manifestly inconsistent with the office he holds,” the party added.
By Ilene Ramsay | Mimi was just 12-years-old when her mother died of Aids and she went to live in the Chiredzi Children’s home, in the south-eastern Zimbabwean province of Masvingo.
Now aged 24, she has not only completed both her primary and secondary education with flying colors but last year graduated from university with a degree in developmental studies
“I am filled with gratitude for all that has been done for me,” she says. “I am still in care of the home but as soon as I find work, I will leave the home and start leaving independently.”
For many young women living in the region, the Chiredzi Children’s home has been a sanctuary of support and respite away from the chaos they were forced to endure in their family homes after being orphaned.
Mimi had no idea that the carefree childhood she has enjoyed as a little girl would completely disappear after her mother’s death when her dad decided to remarry.
While her little sister was taken in by her grandmother, Mimi remained at home with her father and step-mother.
“My father was a teacher and a good father,” she says. “When my mother alive, he provided for us and we lacked nothing. But when he remarried, the relationship I had with my step-mother was very difficult. It was as if she was jealous of the bond between me and my father.
“Every morning she would beat me for bed wetting and I would be given extraordinarily little to eat as punishment,” said Mimi.
The terrified youngster was also made to walk miles after school to find water.
“I had no time to play with other children of my age, after school my job was to fill up a 40-liter container at the communal borehole. I would receive a beating if I didn’t do it.”
Even though life was at times unbearable in the face of so much cruelty, Mimi loved her father and hoped that if she obeyed her step-mother, the woman would leave her alone or eventually treat her more kindly.
Tragically, just twelve months later, Mimi’s dad also died of AIDS and Mimi made up her mind that she would run away.
With no idea how she was going to fend for herself but determined that she couldn’t remain a helpless victim, Mimi set off along the dusty track in front of her house.
“It was late at night when I came across a woman who seemed shocked to see me alone and took me to the local police station. From there I was put into the care of social services and found a place at the Chiredzi Home.”
Mimi’s life-changing story is typical of many orphaned youngsters who, after losing their parents to AIDS, are lucky to be given the chance of a life filled with hope and happiness.
Sadly, poverty in Zimbabwe is now one of the biggest contributing factors to the increase in the number of orphans throughout the country.
Even though the number of AIDS deaths in the past 14 years has dropped from 54,000 in 2005 to 20,000 in 2019, more than half of Zimbabweans are currently unemployed with little hope of finding a way to earn a living.
According to the World Bank Group, the number of people living in extreme poverty in Zimbabwe reached 40 per cent in 2019 – up from 37 per cent in 2017.
Today (Sunday) is the National Youth Day, the worst of its kind in Zimbabwe as there is nothing to celebrate.
Gripped by sad losses of popular and inspiring youths through death, indeed Zimbabwean youths are like a cigarette-both sides are being hurt. It reminds me of my late homeboy Paul Matavire ” yangu nhamo ndeyemudzanga uku yakarumwa uku inotsva”.
Under the oppressive regime truly speaking the plight of the Zimbabwean youths is never to be addressed.
We mourn the passing away of inspirational youths and fighters Musician Soul Jah Love, Genius Kadungure, our own Simbarashe Mafaune, Pendence, among others.
The Nation is devided , tribes ,political and religious groups are up to each other’s throats.
The Zanu pf regime has captured all public offices and has captured the social net , unfortunately it is the one that has sowed a hatred and disunited nation.
Unity has been removed from the peace loving Zimbabweans and hatred and violence have been imposed and forced unto unexpecting innocent citizens.
Lack of employment , the most worrisome crisis that dazzles them all among youths. Youths of today havent know or enjoyed the fruits of the liberation strugyhle hence there still need for liberation from neo- colonialist zanu pf regime.
One may want to dispute the ignorance of Zanu of regime to address the plight of the youths but even scrutinizing the government top post personel the youths are sidelined yet they constitute a larger number in the total population of the country. The generational consensus of having a youthful visionary leadership that is sustainable is facing some resistance from a few old corrupt top officials who fear that their previous dirty work may haunt them under a non partisan independent judiciary system.
We have a government or a ConCourt declared President who doesn’t listen to the voice of the youths but silences the it.The case of Allan Moyo, Tawanda Mucheiwa, Makomborero Haruzivishe, Godknows Kurauone, Partson Dzamara, the trio girls among others.
The regime uses state apparatus to silence the youths whom are now instilled to effect change. If it were a political warfare of zanu of and mdc fullstop then we could have said something else. However Zanupf has declared enenimity and war against Students Youth, Youths Journalists, Youth NGO leaders , Youthful musicians the case of win3kD. It is indeed the Government against the youth or in simple form the government against the Zimbabwean Youths. Its so unfortunate that the youths command a lager number in these abused state apparatus like Army ,Police, Central Intelligence , ZPC , Ministry offices, among others. Its high time youths from these fields say enough is enough. How can they keep on being used to oppress or kill their fellow generational compatriots. It’s high time Youths unite for a cause that is the future of the country.
The charismatic people’s President Nelson Chamisa has already stood for ths youths what is needed is how best can he be allowed in to usher in his visionary building plan for Zimbabwean youths. He can do this from State House period!!.
FC Platinum are out of the CAF Confederation Cup after losing 2-0 on aggregate to ASC Jaraaf of Senegal in the Group Stage play-offs.
The Platinum Boys, who were relegated from the Champions League, failed to overturn a first leg deficit and succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in the return fixture played on Sunday in Thiès.
They went into the match without key players William Stima, Stanley Ngala and Kelvin Madzongwe who were nursing injuries and suffered an early blow when Lawrence Mhlanga was forced out with a knock just before the quarter hour mark.
The Zimbabweans had a slow start in the game and were forced to draw back in the opening minutes. They fell behind in the 12th minute when Gift Bello conceded a free-kick on the edge of the box which was converted by Elhadji Madi.
The home team almost doubled the lead a few moments later but missed the target after a great build-up.
FC Platinum, on the other end, also started to come out of their shells and managed to retain to some possession. However, they never made any threatening raids during the first half and fluffed a golden chance when an unmarked Brian Banda failed to connect a free-kick on the far post.
The second half saw few opportunities created from both ends as Jaraaf drew back to preserve their lead while the visitors failed to penetrate.
The scoreline remained unchanged and FC Platinum exited the tournament.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Football Association and the rest of the COSAFA members have endorsed South African businessman and Mamelodi Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe in the upcoming CAF presidential polls.
The decision was first confirmed at an Executive Committee meeting held on last month.
The regional football body then reaffirmed their position at an Annual General meeting on Saturday.
COSAFA president Philip Chiyangwa told delegates at the conference: “Dr Motsepe is our candidate, and we endorse him fully.
“We believe he has the right mix of business acumen and connections in the corporate world to lead CAF through what will be a difficult period in the coming years.
“The name of Dr Motsepe is synonymous with good governance and integrity, and he is the perfect candidate to meet the challenges football on our continent faces.
“FIFA President Gianni Infantino often talks of how unity is required in African football to move the game forward and we firmly believe Dr Motsepe can bring that.”
Motsepe announced his candidacy in November and could contest against fellow Southern African Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar who was reinstated as CAF president by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday.
Ahmad had been banned from all football activities by FIFA after he was found guilty of fraud but will need approval from CAF to participate.
Other participants are Augustin Senghor, 55, of Senegal and Jacques Anouma, 69, of Cote d’Ivoire.
The polls will be held at an Elective Extraordinary General Assembly on March 12, 2021, in Morocco.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Tinashe Sambiri|A return to legitimacy is the only solution to the deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, President Nelson Chamisa has said.
According to President Chamisa, voters and elections can change the direction of the nation.
“VOTERS & ELECTIONS can change the direction of a nation..
This week alone, the US pivoted sharply away from Trump’s go-it-alone foreign policy posture, officially re-joining the Paris Climate Accords & signaling desire to resume discussions about returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. We need a people’s government and a return to legitimacy.
We need jobs, Smart policies, spaghetti roads and Bullet trains. Zimbabwe must be born again,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
Figures might not reveal everything if they did, Tino Kadewere’s form in front of goal is definitely on a tail off.
The lanky striker burst onto the scene at the French Ligue side Olympique Lyon after making a historic move from Le Havre and forced his way into Rudi Garcia’s team despite it having a star-studded attack.
He has scored nine league goals this season but of late, the Warriors striker has been on what others may understandably refer to as a goal drought.
Since the French top-flight resumed after the Christmas break, Kadewere has featured for Les Gones in nine league games and scored only two goals.
In fact, the 25-year-old scored those two goals in one game, a 5-0 demolition of St Étienne in January.
Since then, he has gone for five games without a goal and on top of that, he started on the bench in a league game for Lyon, for the first time since November 8.
Kadewere was named among the substitutes when Lyon beat Brest 3-2 last Friday.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
By A Correspondent| Primary and Secondary Education Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said pupils who wrote Grade Seven public examinations last year should be allowed to re-sit for fresh examinations in June.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said as a committee they have proposed that class of 2020 Grade Seven pupils who wish to rewrite their examinations must be afforded the opportunity to do so in June.
“As a committee we have proposed to facilitate and allow students who wish to re-write their exams in June as normally done by Zimsec for O-level and A-level students who re-write in June. Zimsec should set a different paper from the 2020 one to give those who want to re-write an opportunity to do so,” she said.
Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) national secretary general Mr Goodwill Taderera said many rural schools in Zimbabwe are falling short on infrastructure and this includes classrooms and teacher accommodation. He said Covid-19 has worsened the plight of rural schools.
“The rural to urban divide has always been there in terms of our schools infrastructure, lack of books and other learning resources and the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the rural education in that schools had to close and rural students did not have much time to learn as we were coming from the teachers’ incapacitation,” said Mr Taderera.
Mr Taderera said rural pupils have challenges in connectivity, lack of gadgets and also data in accessing online lessons. Sometimes pupils walk more than 15km to and from school which compromises their academic performance. He pleaded with Government and other stakeholders to improve infrastructure in rural schools and empower rural teachers so that goals set in the new curriculum are met.
“We plead with the Government pay teachers sufficiently for them to be attracted to rural schools so as to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas in terms of education standards,” he said.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly members embarked on a social responsibility programme meant to curb the spread of malaria.
On Sunday members of the MDC Alliance Youth Assembly in Mkoba participated in a clean up exercise as part of efforts to maintain a safe environment.
See statement below:
MDC Alliance Mkoba Youths In Clean Up Campaign
22-02-2021
MDC Alliance Mkoba Youth Assembly members yesterday took part in a clean up campaign cutting tall grass in the neighbourhood.
Mkoba Constituency Coordinating Committee (CCC) Chairman, John Kuka who led the campaign said the grass cutting initiative is meant to curb the spread of malaria in this rain season as mosquitoes usually breed in tall grasses.
The program is part of Mkoba Youth Assembly’s long list of social responsibility programs.
The youth leadership of the constituency also heaped praise on Mkoba Member of Parliament, Hon Amos Chibaya for supporting the clean up campaign initiative.
Tinashe Sambiri|A return to legitimacy is the only solution to the deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, President Nelson Chamisa has said.
According to President Chamisa, voters and elections can change the direction of the nation.
“VOTERS & ELECTIONS can change the direction of a nation..
This week alone, the US pivoted sharply away from Trump’s go-it-alone foreign policy posture, officially re-joining the Paris Climate Accords & signaling desire to resume discussions about returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. We need a people’s government and a return to legitimacy.
We need jobs, Smart policies, spaghetti roads and Bullet trains. Zimbabwe must be born again,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Harare city Mayor, Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni has accused Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa of using cheap political gambits to thwart meaningful development in the capital city.
Mnangagwa is obsessed with removing MDC Alliance mayors and leaders from local authorities, according to Manyenyeni.
See Manyenyeni’s presentation below:
By Ben Manyenyeni
(I do have a visible hangover from my past station in a high profile civic office – no apology – I am possibly still noisier than a few serving mayors!)
That public station itself remains so badly understood, heavily politicised and its ingredients unknown.
In the past 5 days I have posted two Facebook notes in response to a barrage of unhelpful attacks on the MDCA-held urban local authorities by the Head of State – simultaneously with murderous onslaught from the State TV station.
I am a card-carrying member of the MDCA but all the views shared on public platforms are entirely my own – with neither consultation nor approval from my political masters.
My first post bemoaned the President’s intense personal fixation with toxic partisan politics – to an extent he fails to realise that local government is part of his very own government.
The pressure on Mr Mnangagwa to be a LEADER FIRST – a politician later – continues to mount.
It is not difficult to do and has amazing results.
As an example, in my own 5 years at “Trauma Centre” (trading as Town House, Harare), President Mnangagwa must be shocked to know that in that entire stretch I did not have ONE fight with the 10 or so ZanuPF councillors in the house of 46.
This was despite me having bitter fights with (their) Ministers of Local Government at the same time.
I also led the 32 mayors and chairpersons of urban councils in the country part of my 5 years.
I only had just ONE confrontation with ZanuPF mayors – only because the then Minister of Roads and Infrastructure had broken the law in the appointment of the ZINARA Board of Directors – (the parastatals that has looted Harare’s 6000km of roads – since 2009!).
As we speak our cohort of the 2013 to 2018 Mayors remains in one intact fraternity – one big happy family – still chatting DAILY on our chat group, totems yes, parties NO!!!
So I can proudly boast of coming from a credible background of how it can easily be done.
A copy of my mayoral acceptance speech on 16th September 2013 may also be a free resource for Cde@Zim One.
My follow-on post two days ago dealt with sharing insights of who effectively controls Harare City Council and also who destroyed Harare.
This is my third post directed at the State President’s assault on MDCA municipalities.
All this one does is share, publicly, with the man at State House the need for him to be a unifying brand not a partisan political figure. It doesn’t hurt, Sir.
In another couple of days I will post the last of this simple effort of mine.
It will be regarding what needs to be done to vaccinate the City Council.
Harare is a mini-government.
It is as big as 10 to 15 small government ministries combined.
Do you know that Harare has, historically, had a budget and population equal to or greater than some SADC states?
Yes, Harare is a mini-government.
It is as big as 10 to 15 small government ministries combined.
I am not looking for a job (I don’t NEED one) nor am I seeking continued relevance in matters municipal.
But I would love to give the President, maybe in one hour, the recipe – the Salisbury Solution.
Those close to Shumba whisper this – if you may.
See you in a couple of days with my final FB proposals.
Medically reviewed by Atli Arnarson Ph.D. — Written by Kerri-Ann Jennings, MS, RD —
High blood pressure is a dangerous condition that can damage your heart. It affects one in three people in the US and 1 billion people worldwide (1, 2).
If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.
But there’s good news. There are a number of things you can do to lower your blood pressure naturally, even without medication.
Here are 15 natural ways to combat high blood pressure.
Walk and exercise regularly Regular exercise can help lower your blood pressure. Exercise is one of the best things you can do to lower high blood pressure.
Regular exercise helps make your heart stronger and more efficient at pumping blood, which lowers the pressure in your arteries.
In fact, 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, per week, can help lower blood pressure and improve your heart health (3, 4).
What’s more, doing even more exercise than this reduces your blood pressure even further, according to the National Walkers’ Health Study (5).
Bottom line: Walking just 30 minutes a day can help lower your blood pressure. More exercise helps reduce it even further.
Reduce your sodium intake Salt intake is high around the world. In large part, this is due to processed and prepared foods.
For this reason, many public health efforts are aimed at lowering salt in the food industry (6).
Many studies have linked high salt intake with high blood pressure and heart events, including stroke (7, 8).
However, more recent research indicates that the relationship between sodium and high blood pressure is less clear (9, 10).
One reason for this may be genetic differences in how people process sodium. About half of people with high blood pressure and a quarter of people with normal levels seem to have a sensitivity to salt (11).
If you already have high blood pressure, it’s worth cutting back your sodium intake to see if it makes a difference. Swap out processed foods with fresh ones and try seasoning with herbs and spices rather than salt.
Bottom line: Most guidelines for lowering blood pressure recommend reducing sodium intake. However, that recommendation might make the most sense for people who are salt-sensitive.
Drink less alcohol Drinking alcohol can raise blood pressure. In fact, alcohol is linked to 16% of high blood pressure cases around the world (12).
While some research has suggested that low-to-moderate amounts of alcohol may protect the heart, those benefits may be offset by adverse effects (12).
In the U.S., moderate alcohol consumption is defined as no more than one drink a day for women and two for men. If you drink more than that, cut back.
Bottom line: Drinking alcohol in any quantity may raise your blood pressure. Limit your drinking in line with the recommendations.
Eat more potassium-rich foods Potassium is an important mineral.
It helps your body get rid of sodium and eases pressure on your blood vessels.
Modern diets have increased most people’s sodium intake while decreasing potassium intake (13).
To get a better balance of potassium to sodium in your diet, focus on eating fewer processed foods and more fresh, whole foods.
Foods that are particularly high in potassium include:
vegetables, especially leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes fruit, including melons, bananas, avocados, oranges, and apricots dairy, such as milk and yogurt tuna and salmon nuts and seeds beans Bottom line: Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, which are rich in potassium, can help lower blood pressure.
Cut back on caffeine If you’ve ever downed a cup of coffee before you’ve had your blood pressure taken, you’ll know that caffeine causes an instant boost.
However, there’s not a lot of evidence to suggest that drinking caffeine regularly can cause a lasting increase (14).
In fact, people who drink caffeinated coffee and tea tend to have a lower risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure, than those who don’t drink it (15, 16, 17, 18).
Caffeine may have a stronger effect on people who don’t consume it regularly (19).
If you suspect you’re caffeine-sensitive, cut back to see if it lowers your blood pressure (20).
Bottom line: Caffeine can cause a short-term spike in blood pressure, although for many people, it does not cause a lasting increase.
Learn to manage stress Listening to soothing music may help lower stress. Stress is a key driver of high blood pressure.
When you’re chronically stressed, your body is in a constant fight-or-flight mode. On a physical level, that means a faster heart rate and constricted blood vessels.
When you experience stress, you might also be more likely to engage in other behaviors, such as drinking alcohol or eating unhealthful food that can adversely affect blood pressure.
Several studies have explored how reducing stress can help lower blood pressure. Here are two evidence-based tips to try:
Listen to soothing music: Calming music can help relax your nervous system. Research has shown it’s an effective complement to other blood pressure therapies (21, 22). Work less: Working a lot, and stressful work situations, in general, are linked to high blood pressure (23, 24). Bottom line: Chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Finding ways to manage stress can help.
Eat dark chocolate or cocoa Here’s a piece of advice you can really get behind.
While eating massive amounts of dark chocolate probably won’t help your heart, small amounts may.
That’s because dark chocolate and cocoa powder are rich in flavonoids, which are plant compounds that cause blood vessels to dilate (25).
A review of studies found that flavonoid-rich cocoa improved several markers of heart health over the short term, including lowering blood pressure (25).
For the strongest effects, use non-alkalized cocoa powder, which is especially high in flavonoids and has no added sugars.
Bottom line: Dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain plant compounds that help relax blood vessels, lowering blood pressure.
Lose weight In people with overweight, losing weight can make a big difference to heart health.
According to a 2016 study, losing 5% of your body mass could significantly lower high blood pressure (26).
In previous studies, losing 17.64 pounds (8 kilograms) was linked to lowering systolic blood pressure by 8.5 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 6.5 mm Hg (27).
To put that in perspective, a healthy reading should be less than 120/80 mm Hg (4).
The effect is even greater when weight loss is paired with exercise (27).
Losing weight can help your blood vessels do a better job of expanding and contracting, making it easier for the left ventricle of the heart to pump blood.
Bottom line: Losing weight can significantly lower high blood pressure. This effect is even more significant when you exercise.
Quit smoking Among the many reasons to quit smoking is that the habit is a strong risk factor for heart disease.
Every puff of cigarette smoke causes a slight, temporary increase in blood pressure. The chemicals in tobacco are also known to damage blood vessels.
Surprisingly, studies haven’t found a conclusive link between smoking and high blood pressure. Perhaps this is because smokers develop a tolerance over time (28).
Still, since both smoking and high blood pressure raise the risk of heart disease, quitting smoking can help lessen that risk.
Bottom line: There’s conflicting research about smoking and high blood pressure, but what is clear is that both increase the risk of heart disease.
Cut added sugar and refined carbs There’s a growing body of research showing a link between added sugar and high blood pressure (29, 30, 31).
In the Framingham Women’s Health Study, women who drank even one soda per day had higher levels than those who drank less than one soda per day (32).
Another study found that having one less sugar-sweetened beverage per day was linked to lower blood pressure (33).
And it’s not just sugar — all refined carbs, such as the kind found in white flour — convert rapidly to sugar in your bloodstream and may cause problems.
Some studies have shown that low carb diets may also help reduce blood pressure.
One study on people undergoing statin therapy found that those who went on a 6-week, carb-restricted diet saw a greater improvement in blood pressure and other heart disease markers than people who did not restrict carbs (34).
Bottom line: Refined carbs, especially sugar, may raise blood pressure. Some studies have shown that low carb diets may help reduce your levels.
Eat berries Berries are full of more than just juicy flavor.
They’re also packed with polyphenols, natural plant compounds that are good for your heart.
Polyphenols can reduce the risk of stroke, heart conditions, and diabetes, as well as improving blood pressure, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation (34).
One study assigned people with high blood pressure to a low-polyphenol diet or a high-polyphenol diet containing berries, chocolate, fruits, and vegetables (35).
Those consuming berries and polyphenol-rich foods experienced improved markers of heart disease risk.
Bottom line: Berries are rich in polyphenols, which can help lower blood pressure and the overall risk of heart disease.
Source: Medical News Today
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
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Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly members embarked on a social responsibility programme meant to curb the spread of malaria.
On Sunday members of the MDC Alliance Youth Assembly in Mkoba participated in a clean up exercise as part of efforts to maintain a safe environment.
See statement below:
MDC Alliance Mkoba Youths In Clean Up Campaign
22-02-2021
MDC Alliance Mkoba Youth Assembly members yesterday took part in a clean up campaign cutting tall grass in the neighbourhood.
Mkoba Constituency Coordinating Committee (CCC) Chairman, John Kuka who led the campaign said the grass cutting initiative is meant to curb the spread of malaria in this rain season as mosquitoes usually breed in tall grasses.
The program is part of Mkoba Youth Assembly’s long list of social responsibility programs.
The youth leadership of the constituency also heaped praise on Mkoba Member of Parliament, Hon Amos Chibaya for supporting the clean up campaign initiative.
MDC Alliance Mkoba Communications Dept.
MDC Alliance Youth Assembly members in clean up exercise
(I do have a visible hangover from my past station in a high profile civic office – no apology – I am possibly still noisier than a few serving mayors!)
That public station itself remains so badly understood, heavily politicised and its ingredients unknown.
In the past 5 days I have posted two Facebook notes in response to a barrage of unhelpful attacks on the MDCA-held urban local authorities by the Head of State – simultaneously with murderous onslaught from the State TV station.
I am a card-carrying member of the MDCA but all the views shared on public platforms are entirely my own – with neither consultation nor approval from my political masters.
My first post bemoaned the President’s intense personal fixation with toxic partisan politics – to an extent he fails to realise that local government is part of his very own government.
The pressure on Mr Mnangagwa to be a LEADER FIRST – a politician later – continues to mount.
It is not difficult to do and has amazing results.
As an example, in my own 5 years at “Trauma Centre” (trading as Town House, Harare), President Mnangagwa must be shocked to know that in that entire stretch I did not have ONE fight with the 10 or so ZanuPF councillors in the house of 46.
This was despite me having bitter fights with (their) Ministers of Local Government at the same time.
I also led the 32 mayors and chairpersons of urban councils in the country part of my 5 years.
I only had just ONE confrontation with ZanuPF mayors – only because the then Minister of Roads and Infrastructure had broken the law in the appointment of the ZINARA Board of Directors – (the parastatals that has looted Harare’s 6000km of roads – since 2009!).
As we speak our cohort of the 2013 to 2018 Mayors remains in one intact fraternity – one big happy family – still chatting DAILY on our chat group, totems yes, parties NO!!!
So I can proudly boast of coming from a credible background of how it can easily be done.
A copy of my mayoral acceptance speech on 16th September 2013 may also be a free resource for Cde@Zim One.
My follow-on post two days ago dealt with sharing insights of who effectively controls Harare City Council and also who destroyed Harare.
This is my third post directed at the State President’s assault on MDCA municipalities.
All this one does is share, publicly, with the man at State House the need for him to be a unifying brand not a partisan political figure. It doesn’t hurt, Sir.
In another couple of days I will post the last of this simple effort of mine.
It will be regarding what needs to be done to vaccinate the City Council.
Harare is a mini-government.
It is as big as 10 to 15 small government ministries combined.
Do you know that Harare has, historically, had a budget and population equal to or greater than some SADC states?
Yes, Harare is a mini-government.
It is as big as 10 to 15 small government ministries combined.
I am not looking for a job (I don’t NEED one) nor am I seeking continued relevance in matters municipal.
But I would love to give the President, maybe in one hour, the recipe – the Salisbury Solution.
Those close to Shumba whisper this – if you may.
See you in a couple of days with my final FB proposals.
Today (Sunday) is the National Youth Day, the worst of its kind in Zimbabwe as there is nothing to celebrate.
Gripped by sad losses of popular and inspiring youths through death, indeed Zimbabwean youths are like a cigarette-both sides are being hurt. It reminds me of my late homeboy Paul Matavire ” yangu nhamo ndeyemudzanga uku yakarumwa uku inotsva”.
Under the oppressive regime truly speaking the plight of the Zimbabwean youths is never to be addressed.
We mourn the passing away of inspirational youths and fighters Musician Soul Jah Love, Genius Kadungure, our own Simbarashe Mafaune, Pendence, among others.
The Nation is devided , tribes ,political and religious groups are up to each other’s throats.
The Zanu pf regime has captured all public offices and has captured the social net , unfortunately it is the one that has sowed a hatred and disunited nation.
Unity has been removed from the peace loving Zimbabweans and hatred and violence have been imposed and forced unto unexpecting innocent citizens.
Lack of employment , the most worrisome crisis that dazzles them all among youths. Youths of today havent know or enjoyed the fruits of the liberation strugyhle hence there still need for liberation from neo- colonialist zanu pf regime.
One may want to dispute the ignorance of Zanu of regime to address the plight of the youths but even scrutinizing the government top post personel the youths are sidelined yet they constitute a larger number in the total population of the country. The generational consensus of having a youthful visionary leadership that is sustainable is facing some resistance from a few old corrupt top officials who fear that their previous dirty work may haunt them under a non partisan independent judiciary system.
We have a government or a ConCourt declared President who doesn’t listen to the voice of the youths but silences the it.The case of Allan Moyo, Tawanda Mucheiwa, Makomborero Haruzivishe, Godknows Kurauone, Partson Dzamara, the trio girls among others.
The regime uses state apparatus to silence the youths whom are now instilled to effect change. If it were a political warfare of zanu of and mdc fullstop then we could have said something else. However Zanupf has declared enenimity and war against Students Youth, Youths Journalists, Youth NGO leaders , Youthful musicians the case of win3kD. It is indeed the Government against the youth or in simple form the government against the Zimbabwean Youths. Its so unfortunate that the youths command a lager number in these abused state apparatus like Army ,Police, Central Intelligence , ZPC , Ministry offices, among others. Its high time youths from these fields say enough is enough. How can they keep on being used to oppress or kill their fellow generational compatriots. It’s high time Youths unite for a cause that is the future of the country.
The charismatic people’s President Nelson Chamisa has already stood for ths youths what is needed is how best can he be allowed in to usher in his visionary building plan for Zimbabwean youths. He can do this from State House period!!.
By A Correspondent| The Covid-19 Special Board Committee has green-lighted the resumption of football in the country and their recommendations now await consent of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry.
A highly placed source told Chronicle Sport that the committee comprising the Sports and Recreation Commission board, management, epidemiologists and experts in pandemic management and containment, including sports administration, had resolved that football returns, but the final call will be made by Minister Coventry.
“The document is now with Minister Coventry, but the committee has agreed that football returns. It also put across some recommendations which have to be met by the applicant, which in this case is Zifa, but suffice to say we are good to go in as far as football return is concerned,” said the source.
SRC acting director/general Sebastian Garikai could neither confirm nor deny the development when contacted by Chronicle Sport on Monday morning.
“Look it’s a holiday today so offices are closed; all I can re-affirm is that the application by Zifa was indeed received and it followed due process. Maybe during the week we might be able to have a formal position,” said Garikai.
By A Correspondent- The Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control (EDC), Dr Portia Manangazira, has appeared in court answering to charges of alleged criminal abuse of office.
By A Correspondent-Police in Kwekwe have arrested three suspects for stealing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s laptop.
The stolen laptop and President’s speech in a car driven by one of his security aides.
According to NewsDay the thieves were on the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Masvingo’s “most wanted list” for theft from cars under case number CR17/06/2020.
The notorious gang was reported in Dzivaresekwa, Harare, under case number CR155/04/20, after breaking into a vehicle belonging to Mnangagwa’s unnamed aide last year, where they stole various goods including a laptop and the President’s prepared Independence Day speech.
The three nabbed suspects included Tinashe Matete Dube (27) of house number 188 Glen View 3 in Harare, Trymore Jakarasi (35) of house number 6692 Pumula North in Bulawayo, and Shepherd Madaka (29) of 4820 Budiriro 3, Harare.
Dube is also facing attempted murder charges after he tried to run over a police sergeant, Misheck Mubika, after they were cornered at Cooler Box Bottlestore in Kwekwe.
This was after they had broken into a vehicle belonging to Magonziwa Shadreck Tenda, of Westgate, Harare.
The gang allegedly stole Tenda’s laptop, an external hard drive, a car charger and US$60. All the stolen items were valued at US$510.
Nothing was recovered although the accused reportedly indicated that the stolen laptop was at Dube’s sister’s house.
A police internal memo gleaned by NewsDay dated February 17, 2021 stated that at around 5pm, police at Kwekwe Central received a report of theft from a car in the city centre.
They immediately rushed to the scene.
They asked management at Steers food outlet to replay the recorded CCTV footage, and in the process, they observed the complainant disembarking from his car, a silver Toyota D4D king-cab.
He entered the shop, and as he did so, four members of the gang disembarked from their unregistered getaway car, a silver Toyota Mark-X which was parked adjacent to the complainant’s vehicle.
The investigating officer got out of the shop where he noticed a car resembling the one captured on CCTV and immediately called for police back-up.
The team used a personal vehicle to trail the suspects to Trek Service Station, along ED Mnangagwa Way, before it parked at Cooler Box Bottle store in front of another Toyota D4D truck.
The police team leader identified himself to the gang. The driver immediately reversed and swung his door open in an attempt to hit Mubika, but missed him and rammed into the Toyota D4D.
Mubika pulled out his service pistol and shot the gang’s front right and rear right tyres.
The driver then drove directly towards Mubika intending to run him over, but the police officer jumped aside, at the same time firing towards the driver, hitting him on the lower backside of the shoulder.
One of the thieves managed to escape, but the other three were immediately arrested.
Dube was rushed to Kwekwe General Hospital, where he is admitted and his condition is said to be serious.
A search was conducted at the suspects’ premises, where electronic devices which enable interference with vehicle locking systems, and a home-made implement used to forcibly open locked vehicle doors were recovered.
Various other items believed to have been stolen in Harare were recovered, including a mobile phone and a vehicle AC inverter.
They are expected to appear in court tomorrow.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi last night said: “I’m not yet aware of the issue. I need to check.”
An audio message was circulated on social media Monday morning claiming that the late socialite Genius Kadungure’s coffin has been found in the open space.
We woke up to suddenly find Ginimbi’s box in the open space, a male voice was heard announcing.
The unnamed man, went further to declare that the story is verified. They even listed several names of close family members who could attest to the report.
They made reference to a picture of a coffin that does suggest Kadungure’s coffin is out of the box.
ZimEye however checked with Ginimbi’s brother Clement, who quickly dismissed the story as untrue. He said:
“Ndezvekunyepa izvo.
“Hakuna zvakadaro kunoku– there is nothing like that here.”
He added:
“that picture is not even Zimbabwean,” he told ZimEye.
Clement is widely viewed as the family spokesperson and is cited in numerous interviews since November last year.
ZimEye also checked the picture being circulated and found it to have no convincing resemblance to the late King Of Selfies’ burial site.
DO YOU BELIEVE IT’S GINIMBI’S COFFIN? GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK BELOW
By A Correspondent | The arrested MDC Alliance Leaders in Mash West have been released, the party reports
The MDC A reveals the several leaders who l treated unfairly when they were rounded at their offices have been released, thanks to the Zimbabwe Lawyers For Human Rights.
They were released on $5000 bail and their conditions are as follows: to report once a fortnight at their nearest police station; not to interfere with state witnesses; and to reside at their given addresses.
The next court date is 12 March 2021
The MashWest 12 have been released on $5000 bail.The bail conditions are as follows to report once a fortnight at their nearest police station.
By A Correspondent| The director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Portia Manangazira appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on allegations of misappropriating funds and fuel meant for training 800 community health workers who were to raise awareness on Covid-19 in the country.
Manangazira appeared before deputy chief magistrate Mrs Bianca Makwande charged with four counts of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.
The funds and fuel were part of the US$796 675 disbursed by the Health Ministry to train 800 health workers across the country, who were to raise Covid-19 awareness in various communities.
Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti and Mr Ephraim Zinyandu appeared for the State while Mr Harrison Nkomo represented Manangazira.
By A Correspondent- Police have arrested two suspects on allegations of breaking into 16 houses in and around Chitungwiza and Harare, targeting various electrical gadgets and property.
Investigations have revealed that the two suspects were being given information by their girlfriends concerning their intended targets.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) acting spokesperson Detective Assistant Inspector Rachael Muteweri yesterday confirmed the arrest of Daniel Tonderai Shonhai (36) and Mike Jameson (31), who have since appeared at Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Court and were remanded in custody to March 1 for trial.
“The duo has been arrested and is facing 16 counts of unlawful entry and theft cases. During the period extending from March 2020 to February 2021, the duo wreaked havoc and caused sleepless nights to Chitungwiza and Harare residents, resulting in a surge in unlawful entry and theft cases.
“They would break and unlawfully enter into the complainants’ houses stealing valuables ranging from plasma televisions, gas tanks, speakers and many more.”
Det Asst Insp Muteweri said detectives from CID Chitungwiza got information that the duo was behind the spate of such cases and reacted to the information.
“Investigations carried out unearthed that the duo was working in cahoots with their girlfriends,” she said.
“The girlfriends would scout and supply them with information concerning their intended targets. Armed with the information, the duo would later on pounce on the unsuspecting victims during the night.”
In one of the cases which occurred on February 6, the suspects broke into one of the complainants’ house where they stole a 32-inch Samsung television, two plate gas stove, two plate electric stove, open view decorder, Ecco DVD, invertor, 9kg gas tank and various groceries.
Using the same strategy, they broke into another complainant’s house and stole a 32-inch Ecco television, home theatre, gas tank, two DSTV decoders and other valuables. Upon arrest, the suspects led detectives to the recovery of some of the stolen property.
Said Det Asst Insp Muteweri: “The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to thank members of the public for supplying credible information that led to the arrest of the accused persons.
“We continue to encourage members of the public to embrace target hardening and target removal techniques by reinforcing all security systems and ensuring that all targets are removed from where they can be easily accessed by criminals.”-statemedia
By Wilbert Mukori- If there is one thing the ordinary Zimbabweans do NOT want right now is to be dragged into yet another meaningless election process whose outcome will be to confirm the corrupt, dysfunctional and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. And yet this is exactly what the MDC factions are hell bend on doing!
It was 2004 to 2007 USA ambassador to Zimbabwe, Chris Dell, who foretold in a leaked cable back to Washington that Morgan Tsvangirai was “a flawed and indecisive character who would be an albatross round Zimbabwe’s neck, if he ever got into power!”
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends did get into power the following year, the 2008 to 2013 GNU, and have been the country’s main opposition party ever since. And ever since the GNU, MDC leaders have been the dead-weight weighing the nation down in every sense.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends’ primary task in the GNU was to implement the raft of democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA). SADC leaders, as the guarantor of the GPA, did their best to remind MDC leaders to implement the reforms but were ignored. MDC failed to implement even one token reform in five years.
In a desperate last minute attempt to stop another rigged Zimbabwe elections, SADC leaders told Tsvangirai and company not to participate in the upcoming July 2013 elections until reforms are implemented.
“In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed – the SADC summit. I went there,” Dr Ibbo Mandaza told Journalist Violet Gonda.
“And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. They were told ‘if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done’.”
MDC leaders themselves agreed with the SADC leaders on the futility of participating in a flawed election process. They once again ignored SADC leaders’ sound advice out of greed, as David Coltart admitted in his book.
In his Book, gave details of how Zanu PF was flouting the electoral rules in the upcoming 2013 elections. It was clear the elections would not be free, fair and credible.
“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the (2013) elections,” wrote David Coltart in his book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”
David Coltart was an MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Four MDC factions did come together to form the MDC Alliance (MDC A) before the 2018 elections. As we know the Alliance did participate in that year’s election knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections.
The MDC A has once again split into two main factions, MDC A led by Nelson Chamisa and MDC T led by Douglas Mwonzora. The two factions are set on participating in the 2023 elections with no reforms in place! MDC is the albatross around Zimbabwe’s neck, giving legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF!
Alex T Magaisa, one of the proponents of participating in the 2023 elections with no reforms, does not deny that Zanu PF without implement the reforms Zanu PF will rig the elections.
“At present, the framing of “political reforms” is that they are dependent on what ZANU PF, as the ruling party, should do to improve the electoral system and environment. The idea is that such reforms would produce a fairer system that would assist in achieving legitimate electoral outcomes. However, most observers agree that ZANU PF has no incentive to implement such reforms. Therefore, the chances of achieving political reforms under the ZANU PF regime are remote,” wrote Magaisa, in Zimeye.
“It is important to take a fresh look at the nature of political reforms. I argue that as the biggest and most formidable opposition party, the MDC Alliance should within for political reforms that would make it a better and more effective force against a seemingly intractable regime.
“An effective anti-rigging strategy is having eyes and ears on the ground during the election process. This simply means there must be election agents at each polling station. You cannot prevent rigging unless you have people at each polling station.”
Of course, this is a foolish argument based on the assumption that vote rigging is limited to what happens at the polling station. It is common knowledge that Zanu PF denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the right to register and to vote in the 2018 elections.
ZEC also failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, a legal and common sense requirement. Without a verified voters’ roll one cannot trace and verified anything and there is no limit to vote rigging mischief one can get up to.
For the record, Alex Magaisa was Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC -T special advisor during the GNU. Since MDC failed to implement even one reform during the GNU and went on to participate in the July 2013 elections against the advice of SADC leaders; one can only imagine what foolish advice he gave the party.
After 41 years of rigged elections it really is insane to be participate in yet another flawed and illegal elections process on the basis of some ill-conceived “strategy to win rigged elections.”
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb, over 500 were murdered by Zanu PF during the 2008 run-off alone, to elect MDC leaders into office on the understanding the party will implement the reforms. MDC leaders have failed to implement even one reform in 20 years!
The truth is MDC leaders have sold-out on reforms and free, fair and credible elections. They have settled for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away to entice the opposition to participate in elections.
The MDC leaders’ justification for continued participation in flawed and illegal election is that they can win rigged elections if they unite and are better organised.
By participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC are giving the process credibility and the the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
SADC leaders would have refused to endorse Zanu PF’s election victory in 2013 if MDC had boycotted the elections, after all it was the region leaders who had asked MDC to boycott the election until reforms were implemented. By insisting on participating in the election with no reforms, MDC left SADC leaders with no choice but to accept the process will be flawed and illegal.
Zimbabweans should have joined SADC leaders in demanding that MDC leaders did not to participate in the 2013 elections until the reforms were implemented. We did not and have paid dearly for making that mistake.
Zimbabweans must be first off the mark in demanding the full implementation of the democratic reform to ensure free, fair and credible elections. We must reject the nonsensical argument that the opposition can come up with strategies to win rigged elections.
We do not want rigged elections. We want free, fair and credible elections. Period!
In the 2023 elections go ahead with no reforms in place then the plebiscite must and will be declared null and void. If Zanu PF cannot implement the reforms the nation will find others who will!
By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance has handed 60-day suspensions on two of its Mutare councillors suspected to have rebelled against the party by voting for a rival MDC-T member to the post of deputy mayor.
The post became vacant after deputy mayor Kudakwashe Chisango (Ward 18) was recalled by the Douglas Mwonzora led MDC-T.
MDC Alliance candidate Simon Chabuka lost to MDC-T`s Farai Bhiza who polled seven votes against the former’s five.
MDC Alliance Manicaland spokesperson David Panganai confirmed the suspensions, saying the councillors Tsitsi Ziweya (Ward 2) and Elizabeth Tsoro (Ward 3) violated the party`s constitution.
“I can confirm the two were suspended to pave way for investigations and disciplinary actions if the need be,” said Panganayi.
He said the findings will be made public when due processes have been completed.
In letters of suspension dated January 31 and signed by party provincial chair Prosper Mutseyami, the two are accused of misconduct.
“This letter serves to inform you that you are suspended forthwith from the MDC Alliance party for the next 60 days, pending a thorough investigation into the serious allegation (Annexure C) arising from your alleged failure to toe the MDC Alliance party position (refer to the MDC party constitution, Article 5.6,” reads the letter.-statemedia
In 2019 when I called for VP Mohadi to resign because of the way he was treating Tambudzani Mohadi you were all quiet Tambudzani faced GBV where were all of you who now want to be prefects of my opinion I maintain that the VP &his concubines are both wronghttps://t.co/GNE9hqluQ5
Viz sex scandals, Where do we draw the line? What is in the public interest, What isn't? The VP may be fair game, What about his victims/partners? When Pius Ncube's "nudes" were shown on national TV, Many were horrified! Zanupf has no shame we said! Slippery slope.#ZanupfMustGo
An audio message was circulated on social media Monday morning claiming that the late socialite Genius Kadungure’s coffin has been found in the open space.
We woke up to suddenly find Ginimbi’s box in the open space, a male voice was heard announcing.
The unnamed man, went further to declare that the story is verified. They even listed several names of close family members who could attest to the report.
They made reference to a picture of a coffin that does suggest Kadungure’s coffin is out of the box.
ZimEye however checked with Ginimbi’s brother Clement, who quickly dismissed the story as untrue. He said:
“Ndezvekunyepa izvo.
“Hakuna zvakadaro kunoku– there is nothing like that here.”
He added:
“that picture is not even Zimbabwean,” he told ZimEye.
Clement is widely viewed as the family spokesperson and is cited in numerous interviews since November last year.
ZimEye also checked the picture being circulated and found it to have no convincing resemblance to the late King Of Selfies’ burial site.
DO YOU BELIEVE IT’S GINIMBI’S COFFIN? GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK BELOW
By A Correspondent-People of Beitbridge have blamed Vice President Kembo Mohadi who is these days busy bonking several married women for neglecting his home town which is now in floods.
Mohadi hails from Beitbridge and residents, there said the Vice President should not spend his time bonking subordinates but invest in maintaining the border town’s road and drainage infrastructure.
The severe flooding is being experienced in Dulivhadzimu suburb were they have left most roads inaccessible.
The floods have been caused by heavy rains and poor drainage system.
The town’s oldest suburb (Dulivhadzimu), which is in a low lying area has now become a common flooding zone.
Beitbridge Mayor Munyaradzi Chitsunge told state media that the rains have also destroyed the poor roads while sand has also blocked the aged sewer pipes.
“The bus rank area has been flooded although not as bad as the last time. “Flowing rainwater has washed away the soil. You will note that our soil is loose so each time we have rains, more and more soil is washed away creating those ditches which the motorists unexpectedly fall into,” said the Mayor.
He said as a long term solution to flash flooding, they will procure more earth moving equipment to attend to roads and the drainage system. He said they were also considering moving people from the old hostels which have become a perennial area of flooding.
“We need an investor who is willing to put up some sort of apartments where the ground floor is meant strictly for parking with good drainage as part of our urban renewal.
“The WaMlala River needs a properly designed wall to accommodate the water flow during heavy rains,” said Mayor Chitsunge.
By A Correspondent| National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) President and Constitutional lawyer Lovemore Madhuku has blamed the constitution for failing to deal with the conduct of public officers.
Commenting on Vice President Kembo Mohadi’s topical bed-hopping scandals that have dominated headlines, Madhuku said the country’s statutes do not address the issue of moral values of senior government figures.
“I am aware that some people might regard what he has done to be immoral or something that is unacceptable but unfortunately under our law moral values do not in themselves constitute any law
“There is no law and no standard that can be used to judge whether a vice president or a minister can have 20 or 50 affairs or even sleep with people in the offices,” said Madhuku.
By A Correspondent- Rural schools are poorly resourced compared to those in urban areas, a gap often reflected in public examination results. Shortage of information and communication technologies (ICT) tools and the Covid-19- induced lockdown is extending this gap.
Following the outbreak of Covid-19, online lessons have become the cornerstone of ensuring learners keep up with their education. The traditional face-to-face/physical learning model has been minimised to prevent the spread of the virus which thrives in crowds.
However, for rural schools, challenges of network availability and resources have hindered students from learning. Primary and Secondary Education Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said pupils who wrote Grade Seven public examinations last year had been disadvantaged.
She said pupils in urban areas had access to online learning and extra lessons for those whose parents and guardians can afford.
Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga said education is now being accessed by the rich who can afford extra lessons and online lesson resources. Rural pupils are mostly drawn from low-income families and their guardians or parents are often self-employed as smallholder farmers or artisans.
Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga said as a committee they have proposed that class of 2020 Grade Seven pupils who wish to rewrite their examinations must be afforded the opportunity to do so in June.
“As a committee we have proposed to facilitate and allow students who wish to re-write their exams in June as normally done by Zimsec for O-level and A-level students who re-write in June. Zimsec should set a different paper from the 2020 one to give those who want to re-write an opportunity to do so,” she said.
Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) national secretary general Mr Goodwill Taderera said many rural schools in Zimbabwe are falling short on infrastructure and this includes classrooms and teacher accommodation. He said Covid-19 has worsened the plight of rural schools.
“The rural to urban divide has always been there in terms of our schools infrastructure, lack of books and other learning resources and the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the rural education in that schools had to close and rural students did not have much time to learn as we were coming from the teachers’ incapacitation,” said Mr Taderera.
Lack of infrastructure is a worrying situation that has made education, particularly in rural areas, fall short in producing pupils with capacity to fight poverty and progress academically.
Most of the schools in the rural areas do not have electricity, laboratories and facilities needed for teach subjects like computer science, the re-packaged science subjects as well as the performing and visual arts in the new curriculum.
Mr Taderera said rural pupils have challenges in connectivity, lack of gadgets and also data in accessing online lessons. Sometimes pupils walk more than 15km to and from school which compromises their academic performance. He pleaded with Government and other stakeholders to improve infrastructure in rural schools and empower rural teachers so that goals set in the new curriculum are met.
“We plead with the Government pay teachers sufficiently for them to be attracted to rural schools so as to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas in terms of education standards,” he said.-Statemedia
By A Correspondent- Ex-cabinet minister Petronella Kagonye has been fingered in a Bromley farm invasion where she is reportedly barring an indigenous farmer from utilising it and influencing invaders to resist eviction.
The piece of land, Subdivision H of Whiteside Farm, is legally owned by Samson Chauruka, who has been failing to occupy it for more than a decade after purchasing it.
The farm measures to 40ha.
According to a letter dated August 1,2019 and addressed to the late Lands and Agriculture minister Perrence Shiri in possession of this publication, Chauruka said Kagonye has been using her political muscle to influence the former farm workers to resist eviction promising to reward them with residential stands from the same piece of land.
“Former MP Ms Petronella Kagonye and her cartel, actively manipulated the former farm workers with offers of stands and generally politicised the matter through misinformation and misrepresentation abusing the Zanu PF party and extreme violence to induce and flight by land owners,” read the letter.
Chauruka added that three attempts to occupy the farm were thwarted by Kagonye’s militia.
“At least three attempts to regain possession of our property were resisted through choreographed violence and political machinations by the then MP and deputy minister Kagonye.
Nine of her thugs were convicted for public and sentenced to five years each after an orgy of violence destroyed cars and property, police assaulted and my workers severely assaulted and injured, when we tried to take possession of the property,” wrote Chauruka.
Kagonye,a former labour minister, was recently remanded out of custody facing six charges of fraud involving illegally parcelling out of stands in Goromonzi as well as abusing NSSA funds among other allegations.
In 2018, she lost Goromonzi South constituency to Nelson Chamisa’s MDC Alliance thereby falling out of favour from Zanu PF party members in Goromonzi District.
The late Shiri, in a letter dated October 22, 2019, confirmed that Chauruka was the legal owner of the farm.
“From the findings given below, it is very clear that the piece of land belongs to Mr Chauruka. That being the case, Mashonaland East Province should relocate the settlers (Illegal) to allow Mr Chauruka to take occupation of his property,” wrote Shiri.
In another letter dated December 2019 addressed to Chauruka, and signed by a Lands Ministry official one M. Dzinoreva, government confirmed that Chauruka was the legal owner of the farm.
“The ministry instated an investigation following a dispute between yourself and families who occupied the above mentioned property. We have since established that the farm was indeed purchased by yourself and is privately owned. Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Mashonaland East Province has been accordingly advised to relocate the occupiers,” read the letter.
Chauruka said he is yet to occupy his farm saying the property is now a haven of crime among them selling of dangerous drugs and smuggled goods.
By A Correspondent- Zanu PF has said the recently departed musician Soul Jah Love was an active member of their party and he came from a strong political family with his father and mother both being members of the ruling party, The Herald reports.
This was said by Zanu PF acting secretary for youth Tendai Chirau who volunteered the information as he was speaking to the publication and said:
Soul Jah Love was a strong member of Zanu PF as he played an active role. He was born from a political family and was also active in the party. He, together with his friend, Changara, supported the party.
His father was a ZIPRA member of the intelligence, while the mother was active in the Women’s League national executive in 1984, which was headed by the late Sally Mugabe.
Chirau was speaking after reports of the ruling party hijacking the late musician’s funeral in Harare at Warren Hills Cemetary circulated on social media which did not sit well with some of his followers who dislike the ruling party.
By A Correspondent- A 32 year old Lupane man has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to rape a 78-year-old woman in a bush.
Bright Bhukanana Moyo (32) of Gudubhu village allegedly pounced on the elderly woman last Thursday as she walked through a bush. He allegedly pinned her to the ground in an attempt to rape her but when she screamed a neighbour rushed to the scene and he fled.
The woman whose identity cannot be mentioned for ethical reasons was reportedly walking along a path in a bush near Gudubhu village when the incident occurred.
Both women managed to identify Moyo and reported the matter to the police leading to his arrest last Friday.
Moyo was not asked to plead to attempted rape when he appeared before Lupane resident magistrate Mr Ndumo Masuku. He was remanded in custody to Thursday for plea recording.
Prosecuting, Mr Derick Nkosilathi Ndlovu said Moyo wrestled the woman to the ground.
“On 18 February, the accused met the complainant in a bushy area in Gudubhu. He grabbed her by the body and wrestled her to the ground,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said Moyo pinned the elderly woman down as he attempted to rape her.
The complainant screamed and a neighbour whose name has also been concealed, rushed to the scene.
Moyo fled from the scene when he saw her approaching.
The two women reported the matter to the police leading to Moyo’s arrest.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- Daring thieves last year broke into a car being driven by one of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s security aides and stole the President’s speech and a laptop from the vehicle.
The publication said 3 of the 4 suspected thieves were arrested in Kwekwe and it was discovered they were on Masvingo CID’s most wanted list for a swathe of robberies.
The robbers reportedly broke into President Mnangagwa’s unnamed aid’s car and stole various goods including the President’s independence speech and a laptop.
They were arrested in Kwekwe after they had robbed another motorist and as they were attempting to rob yet another victim. ZRP in a memo seen by the publication said the gang tried to run over a ZRP officer who was trying to arrest them when they were caught at a service station in Kwekwe.
The three that were arrested are, Tinashe Matete Dube (27) of house number 188 Glen View 3 in Harare, Trymore Jakarasi (35) of house number 6692 Pumula North in Bulawayo, and Shepherd Madaka (29) of 4820 Budiriro 3, Harare and one gang member is said to have escaped when the trio was arrested.
By A Correspondent- The infamous affair between Vice President Kembo Mohadi and his alleged married lover Chervaughn Choeni has reportedly ended her marriage, ZimLive reports.
According to the publication, Choeni’s husband Martin Chabuka ended his marriage after the scandal broke.
Chabuka had reportedly proposed to Choeni in November 2020 reportedly refused to comment on the issue and changed his Facebook status to divorced.
The video below shows Chabuka proposing to his would-be wife a day he will day never forget before all hell broke loose.
2/2 @IgnatiusChombo's charges are: one count of fraud and 5 counts criminal abuse of duty as public officer. All charges arise from the Uchena Land Commission report. pic.twitter.com/pD0bfSjwvP
By A Correspondent-Beitbridge’s Dulivhadzimu suburb has been hit by floods which have left most roads inaccessible.
The floods have been caused by heavy rains which have been pounding the district since last night.The town’s oldest suburb (Dulivhadzimu), which is in a low lying area has become a common flooding zone.
Beitbridge Mayor Munyaradzi Chitsunge told state media that the rains have destroyed roads while sand has also blocked sewer pipes.
“The bus rank area has been flooded although not as bad as the last time. “Flowing rainwater has washed away the soil. You will note that our soil is loose so each time we have rains, more and more soil is washed away creating those ditches which the motorists unexpectedly fall into,” said the Mayor.
He said as a long term solution to flash flooding, they will procure more earth moving equipment to attend to roads and the drainage system.
He said they were also considering moving people from the old hostels which have become a perennial area of flooding.
“We need an investor who is willing to put up some sort of apartments where the ground floor is meant strictly for parking with good drainage as part of our urban renewal. “The WaMlala River needs a properly designed wall to accommodate the water flow during heavy rains,” said Mayor Chitsunge. -Herald
By A Correspondent| Police in Kwekwe last Wednesday arrested three of a four-member daring gang which was on the “wanted list” for stealing a laptop, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s speech from a car driven by one of his security aides.
The same gang was on the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Masvingo’s “most wanted list” for theft from cars under case number CR17/06/2020.
The notorious gang was reported in Dzivaresekwa, Harare, under case number CR155/04/20, after breaking into a vehicle belonging to Mnangagwa’s unnamed aide last year, where they stole various goods including a laptop and the President’s prepared Independence Day speech.
The three nabbed suspects included Tinashe Matete Dube (27) of house number 188 Glen View 3 in Harare, Trymore Jakarasi (35) of house number 6692 Pumula North in Bulawayo, and Shepherd Madaka (29) of 4820 Budiriro 3, Harare.
Dube is also facing attempted murder charges after he tried to run over a police sergeant, Misheck Mubika, after they were cornered at Cooler Box Bottlestore in Kwekwe.
This was after they had broken into a vehicle belonging to Magonziwa Shadreck Tenda, of Westgate, Harare.
The gang allegedly stole Tenda’s laptop, an external hard drive, a car charger and US$60. All the stolen items were valued at US$510.
Nothing was recovered although the accused reportedly indicated that the stolen laptop was at Dube’s sister’s house.
A police internal memo dated February 17, 2021 stated that at around 5pm, police at Kwekwe Central received a report of theft from a car in the city centre.
They immediately rushed to the scene.
They asked management at Steers food outlet to replay the recorded CCTV footage, and in the process, they observed the complainant disembarking from his car, a silver Toyota D4D king-cab.
He entered the shop, and as he did so, four members of the gang disembarked from their unregistered getaway car, a silver Toyota Mark-X which was parked adjacent to the complainant’s vehicle.
The investigating officer got out of the shop where he noticed a car resembling the one captured on CCTV and immediately called for police back-up.
The team used a personal vehicle to trail the suspects to Trek Service Station, along ED Mnangagwa Way, before it parked at Cooler Box Bottlestore in front of another Toyota D4D truck.
The police team leader identified himself to the gang. The driver immediately reversed and swung his door open in an attempt to hit Mubika, but missed him and rammed into the Toyota D4D.
Mubika pulled out his service pistol and shot the gang’s front right and rear right tyres.
The driver then drove directly towards Mubika intending to run him over, but the police officer jumped aside, at the same time firing towards the driver, hitting him on the lower back side of the shoulder.
One of the thieves managed to escape, but the other three were immediately arrested.
Dube was rushed to Kwekwe General Hospital, where he is admitted and his condition is said to be serious.
A search was conducted at the suspects’ premises, where electronic devices which enable interference with vehicle locking systems, and a home-made implement used to forcibly open locked vehicle doors were recovered.
Various other items believed to have been stolen in Harare were recovered, including a mobile phone and a vehicle AC inverter.
By A Correspondent| Leader of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) Takudzwa Ngadziore has issued fresh threats against Impala Car Hire following the arrest of Makomborero Haruzivishe who is being charged with kidnapping employees of the controversial tourism company.
Posting on Twitter, Ngadziore gave Impala Car Hire 48 hours to withdraw charges against Haruzivishe failure of which he will issue what he termed an action plan.
“Dear: Impala Car Rental
@MakomboreroH is in Prison, charged with Kidnapping your employees.
We are giving you EXACTLY 48hrs to withdraw the charge from NOW. Failure to which we shall issue an Action Plan. You enabled the abduction of @TeeMuchehiwa & that’s ENOUGH,” said the combative Ngadziore.
Haruzivishe is being accused of kidnapping Impala Car rental employees after he locked them inside their work premises demanding justice for a Midlands State University student Tawanda Muchehiwa who was abducted by suspected state security agents last year.
Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has pointed out that the MDC Alliance will not be pushed by anyone to change its name.
Responding to questions from Tinashe Matende on Twitter, President said: “I will never POLAD the base…”
“We are MDC Alliance- hatiitiswe. In our decision making matrix we always do what makes our opposition go mad.”
President Chamisa described human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe, who was violently arrested by security details last week, as a courageous change agent.
“Courage is the currency in the family!!! Powerful and inspiring words there from @MakomboreroH ‘s grandmother on what’s broken about Zim politics & it’s governance system.Mako is a courageous freedom fighter & change agent.The fight for a New Zimbabwe is a just fight!! #FreeMako,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
THE Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected Beitbridge Municipality’s capacity to collect more revenue from ratepayers and businesses who are also finding the going tough under the obtaining economic environment.
The state of affairs has seen the local authority failing to implement major capital projects that are part of its transformation agenda from being a town into a medium city.
In an interview, town clerk, Mr Loud Ramakgapola said so far council was only collecting less than 20 percent of its targeted monthly revenue.
This year the municipality adopted an RTGS$935 million annual budget and ZW$78 million was expected to have been collected in January alone.
However, as of January 31, they had only managed to collect ZW$13, 3 million.
According to Mr Ramakgapola, the situation has seen them failing to construct a new landfill as planned this year.
“We are collecting less than we had planned for and this is seriously affecting our capacity to implement major capital projects to modernise our town,” he said.
“You will note that our town has been gradually developing and hence we need to match that with other critical services. So, we are working on a number of initiatives to improve our capacity to deal with issues of solid waste management”.
Mr Ramakgapola said they had planned to raise ZW$583, 200 to construct a modern landfill, which will be located after Makhakavhule Cemetery.
The current landfill, located west of Dulivhadzimu Long Distance bus terminus was built in the 1970s and does not match the town’s transformation status.
“We have identified a site and would want more resources to start on the excavations and the major civil works. Our hope is that when our revenue base gradually improves, we may fully implement this project,” said Mr Ramakgapola.
He said they were collecting around 700 tonnes of solid waste monthly although they believed that the 80 000 population was producing an excess of over 1000 tonnes of solid waste.
The town clerk said the town’s population was growing rapidly and hence the need to be ahead in terms of setting proper service delivery standards.
By A Correspondent| Trailblazing Epworth teenager who us using Taekwondo to fight the scourge of child marriages, Natsiraishe Maritsa has begun another community saving project where she will serve food to all the young women who attend her educational sessions.
Posting on Twitter, Maritsa said she realised the effect of hunger on child marriages which she was the reason behind her decision to introduce a feeding scheme for the girls in her association.
“Having realise the extent to which #Hunger contributes to #ChildMarriges we have introduced an initiative where we feed all the girls in our Association,” said Maritsa.
The girls who are part of Natsiraishe Maritsa’s Taekwondo classes prepare food in Epworth
Angry authorities vowed yesterday that they would hammer perpetrators of violent crime in the country, while also dealing ruthlessly with rogue police officers caught participating in criminal activities. In addition, police also warned ordinary citizens against undermining and acting violently towards law enforcement agents going about their duties. This comes after police gunned down four armed robbers in Harare on Friday, including a serving cop who was part of the gang that had robbed a businessman of US$10 000.
Speaking to the Daily News On Sunday yesterday, national police spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, said law enforcement agents would henceforth descend even more heavily on all perpetrators of violent crime and other miscreants.
“To those engaging in violent crime, don’t say you have not been warned. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) will hammer those who shoot at its officers. “The ZRP will also not tolerate any form of violence by criminals robbing people using firearms and other weapons. “Decisive action will be taken and we would like to assure the public and also encourage them to report such cases so that the police can act on them, as was the case with these latest robbers,” a clearly fed-up Nyathi told the Daily News On Sunday.
“We are concerned about cases of violent crimes and also wondering how criminals often get to know that people will be having money at their business premises or homes. “We are also concerned about the proliferation of firearms … There are unmarked weapons which are being used for criminal activities. We urge people to report anyone moving around with firearms,” Nyathi further told the Daily News.
“The ZRP does not also tolerate criminality among its members and let those who want to engage in such practices be warned that they will be dealt with ruthlessly. “Working with criminals in robbing innocent citizens is not tolerated. Such members will be dealt with and put in the same bracket as criminals,” Nyathi added.
This comes as authorities have launched a crackdown against the twin-evil of machete-wilding gangs and armed robbers that have been terrorising communities around the country. It also comes as the government is preparing to introduce tough laws that include the establishment of special courts to fast-track all cases of barbaric magnitude. On Friday, four suspected armed robbers — including a policeman, were shot dead after exchanging gunfire with detectives who had swooped on them moments after robbing a businessman at his premises in Harare.
Among the deceased robbers was Kudzai Kanjera, a cop based at Hatfield Police Station, who was in the company of his other accomplices — Admire Nheketwa, Brian Chibaya and Tatenda Chari — who were also shot dead during the encounter. Nyathi confirmed the shoot-out yesterday, which occurred along Mbuya neHanda Street — saying they got a tip-off that the robbers intended to pounce on businessman Chris Chibueze Agu.
By James Gwati-Maxwell Sibanda, the Assistant Editor of the Daily News, has died.
He was 52.
Sibanda died on his way to Parirenyatwa hospital Sunday night.
Sibanda’s close relatives said the veteran scribe had not been well for some time.
“ He was complaining of ulcers and was getting medical treatment at Suburban clinic in Warren Park until yesterday evening when we thought of transferring him to Parirenyatwa private wards for better medical attention,” they said.
By Wilbert Mukori | If there is one thing the ordinary Zimbabweans do NOT want right now is to be dragged into yet another meaningless election process whose outcome will be to confirm the corrupt, dysfunctional and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. And yet this is exactly what the MDC factions are hell bend on doing!
It was 2004 to 2007 USA ambassador to Zimbabwe, Chris Dell, who foretold in a leaked cable back to Washington that Morgan Tsvangirai was “a flawed and indecisive character who would be an albatross round Zimbabwe’s neck, if he ever got into power!”
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends did get into power the following year, the 2008 to 2013 GNU, and have been the country’s main opposition party ever since. And ever since the GNU, MDC leaders have been the dead-weight weighing the nation down in every sense.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends’ primary task in the GNU was to implement the raft of democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA). SADC leaders, as the guarantor of the GPA, did their best to remind MDC leaders to implement the reforms but were ignored. MDC failed to implement even one token reform in five years.
In a desperate last minute attempt to stop another rigged Zimbabwe elections, SADC leaders told Tsvangirai and company not to participate in the upcoming July 2013 elections until reforms are implemented.
“In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed – the SADC summit. I went there,” Dr Ibbo Mandaza told Journalist Violet Gonda.
“And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. They were told ‘if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done’.”
MDC leaders themselves agreed with the SADC leaders on the futility of participating in a flawed election process. They once again ignored SADC leaders’ sound advice out of greed, as David Coltart admitted in his book.
In his Book, gave details of how Zanu PF was flouting the electoral rules in the upcoming 2013 elections. It was clear the elections would not be free, fair and credible.
“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the (2013) elections,” wrote David Coltart in his book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”
David Coltart was an MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Four MDC factions did come together to form the MDC Alliance (MDC A) before the 2018 elections. As we know the Alliance did participate in that year’s election knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections.
The MDC A has once again split into two main factions, MDC A led by Nelson Chamisa and MDC T led by Douglas Mwonzora. The two factions are set on participating in the 2023 elections with no reforms in place! MDC is the albatross around Zimbabwe’s neck, giving legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF!
Alex T Magaisa, one of the proponents of participating in the 2023 elections with no reforms, does not deny that Zanu PF without implement the reforms Zanu PF will rig the elections.
“At present, the framing of “political reforms” is that they are dependent on what ZANU PF, as the ruling party, should do to improve the electoral system and environment. The idea is that such reforms would produce a fairer system that would assist in achieving legitimate electoral outcomes. However, most observers agree that ZANU PF has no incentive to implement such reforms. Therefore, the chances of achieving political reforms under the ZANU PF regime are remote,” wrote Magaisa, in Zimeye.
“It is important to take a fresh look at the nature of political reforms. I argue that as the biggest and most formidable opposition party, the MDC Alliance should within for political reforms that would make it a better and more effective force against a seemingly intractable regime.
“An effective anti-rigging strategy is having eyes and ears on the ground during the election process. This simply means there must be election agents at each polling station. You cannot prevent rigging unless you have people at each polling station.”
Of course, this is a foolish argument based on the assumption that vote rigging is limited to what happens at the polling station. It is common knowledge that Zanu PF denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the right to register and to vote in the 2018 elections.
ZEC also failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, a legal and common sense requirement. Without a verified voters’ roll one cannot trace and verified anything and there is no limit to vote rigging mischief one can get up to.
For the record, Alex Magaisa was Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC -T special advisor during the GNU. Since MDC failed to implement even one reform during the GNU and went on to participate in the July 2013 elections against the advice of SADC leaders; one can only imagine what foolish advice he gave the party.
After 41 years of rigged elections it really is insane to be participate in yet another flawed and illegal elections process on the basis of some ill-conceived “strategy to win rigged elections.”
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb, over 500 were murdered by Zanu PF during the 2008 run-off alone, to elect MDC leaders into office on the understanding the party will implement the reforms. MDC leaders have failed to implement even one reform in 20 years!
The truth is MDC leaders have sold-out on reforms and free, fair and credible elections. They have settled for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away to entice the opposition to participate in elections.
The MDC leaders’ justification for continued participation in flawed and illegal election is that they can win rigged elections if they unite and are better organised.
By participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC are giving the process credibility and the the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
SADC leaders would have refused to endorse Zanu PF’s election victory in 2013 if MDC had boycotted the elections, after all it was the region leaders who had asked MDC to boycott the election until reforms were implemented. By insisting on participating in the election with no reforms, MDC left SADC leaders with no choice but to accept the process will be flawed and illegal.
Zimbabweans should have joined SADC leaders in demanding that MDC leaders did not to participate in the 2013 elections until the reforms were implemented. We did not and have paid dearly for making that mistake.
Zimbabweans must be first off the mark in demanding the full implementation of the democratic reform to ensure free, fair and credible elections. We must reject the nonsensical argument that the opposition can come up with strategies to win rigged elections.
We do not want rigged elections. We want free, fair and credible elections. Period!
In the 2023 elections go ahead with no reforms in place then the plebiscite must and will be declared null and void. If Zanu PF cannot implement the reforms the nation will find others who will! – SOURCE: zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has pointed out that the MDC Alliance will not be pushed by anyone to change its name.
Responding to questions from Tinashe Matende on Twitter, President said: “I will never POLAD the base…”
“We are MDC Alliance- hatiitiswe. In our decision making matrix we always do what makes our opposition go mad.”
President Chamisa described human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe, who was violently arrested by security details last week, as a courageous change agent.
“Courage is the currency in the family!!! Powerful and inspiring words there from @MakomboreroH ‘s grandmother on what’s broken about Zim politics & it’s governance system.Mako is a courageous freedom fighter & change agent.The fight for a New Zimbabwe is a just fight!! #FreeMako,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has pointed out that the MDC Alliance will not be pushed by anyone to change its name.
Responding to questions from Tinashe Matende on Twitter, President said: “I will never POLAD the base…”
“We are MDC Alliance- hatiitiswe. In our decision making matrix we always do what makes our opposition go mad.”
President Chamisa described human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe, who was violently arrested by security details last week, as a courageous change agent.
“Courage is the currency in the family!!! Powerful and inspiring words there from @MakomboreroH ‘s grandmother on what’s broken about Zim politics & it’s governance system.Mako is a courageous freedom fighter & change agent.The fight for a New Zimbabwe is a just fight!! #FreeMako,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance is ready for by-elections in four wards in Masvingo Urban Constituency.
Douglas Mwonzora recalled four MDC Alliance councillors- Tarusenga Vhembo( ward 3), Godfrey Kurauone (ward 4), Daniel Mberikunashe (ward 5) and Richard Musekiwa( ward 4).
Below is a statement written by MDC Alliance (Masvingo Province) deputy spokesperson Lee Mahachi:
By-elections are around the corner and we are 100% sure that we are going to retain all the wards in Masvingo Urban that were stolen from the people by Douglas Togaraseyi Mwonzora.
We have 4 wards which are vacant -namely ward 3 ,4 5 and 7 respectively and we are definitely going to win resoundingly.
Masvingo Urban is known to be a stronghold of the MDC ALLIANCE led by President Nelson Chamisa.
We are not worried about the so called Pfubvunza programme. Zanu PF people know that the elections were stolen by Chigumba and Emmerson Mnangagwa. Simba revanhu vachariona in the coming by-elections.
MDC Alliance Masvingo Province Deputy spokesperson Lee ”Grenade”Mahachi
By Dr Masimba Mavaza. | One American writer by the name Samantha Rose Hill once said” we can shout truth to power and it will never be heard, because truth and politics don’t stand on common ground.”
Vice President Kembo Mohadi
So how vulnerable is the whole texture of facts in which we spend our daily life; it is always in danger of being perforated by single lies or torn to shreds by the organized lying of groups, nations, or classes. Let us consider Vice President’s escapades for a while. Were they fact or fiction? In fact, how does this reflect on our security around our leaders? Truth or fiction.
Vice President Mohadi’s Bedroom Bazooka Misfired Or He Was Trapped?
It has been said that truth and politics have never been on good terms with one another, and that the lie has always been a justified tool in political dealings.
Fake news is nothing new in politics. For a long time in politics people have been tarnished dragged into thick mud and some soaked in the waters of shame and left hung out to dry. Lies spread by our political have become so abundant that we almost always expect them. Lies have become part of the fabric of daily life in politics.
What stays in people’s minds is that we’ve never really been able to expect truth from politicians.
Coming closer to home we became almost drowned by the Vice President Mohadi’s scandal. We will discuss the scandal in detail however the first thing is to look at the case on the round. The Zimbabwean public was entertained by leaked audio messages which were very romantically graphic between the Vice President and four married lovers, one after the other.
The fact that there were four married lovers is obviously unsettling. The amazement is not on how a 71 year old man satisfies young hungry 4 ladies. This was answered partially. The women provided the libido so the VP got the full package.
Of the disturbing concern is the way our Vice Presidents’ security is pathetic and seriously exposed. We have the very top left open and indeed such security lapses are fatal. Put the sexual scandal aside. Let’s concentrate on the security surrounding our Vice Presidents. “Zviri safe here izvi?”
Firstly an aggrieved man who is in the president’s office goes to the Vice president’s house and starts to dress the second in command down in the VP’s own safe haven. This interrogation of the president took over an hour.
What manner of security is around VP Mohadi? To make things worse, the whole visit and interrogation including the VP’s apologies are captured in the private media and become news for weeks. This is clear that the VP is not safe he is really exposed and the fact that this happened in his house and ends up being shared on social media means that the VP is at risk and the whole security system around him needs to be revamped.
There is no doubt that the behaviour of the VP was disgusting, atrocious and can not be defended. The behaviour was pervasive vulgar and totally horrible, but there is more to the VP’s shenanigans.
Almost every one of his communications via text or voice call was recorded. This means that the VP’s phone has been cloned or it’s bugged. Why do we think of this? The women involved have their conversations recorded. They can never all agree to expose the VP in the process exposing themselves. They are all married and thus could not risk their marriages. So this points to only to one thing that the VP’s phone was bugged.
The question now is who could have done this. Obviously the VP has a lot of political enemies in the former ZAPU cadres. He was appointed VP ahead of so many senior officers and cadres in the ZIPRA pool. Could there be a mole aligned to the camp which has bitterly complained about the VP’s appointment?
To make this a little bit credible there must be a person planted in the VPs security detail. Remember there is a detailed news report which states that an operative came with his wife to the VP’s residence. He produced his ID card at the gate. The officer at the gate phoned the VP and he allowed him to come in. On entering the house they found the VP with another different girlfriend. The girlfriend then assaulted the VP on the forehead with a shoe. Let’s stop there for a while. Who was there to give such a correct sequence of events? Clearly the VP’s security is highly compromised. Remember when this officer and his wife left the VP’s house the VP then rushes to hospital with a bleeding forehead.
You might not see the reality of the threat to security here but indeed it is there.
Listen, it is Mohadi today who is will be next, tomorrow. Talking about these things is not insubordination. It helps those powers that maybe to do something. What is exposed here is not Mohadi’s appetite but a serious embarrassment to our security. So we must take all those questioning Mohadi’s use of his weapon of mass destruction indiscriminately as a risk to national security
Is it Wrong to Question Leaders?
Many societies are guided by biblical teachings and that stretches to leadership lessons drawn from the holy book.
Religion falls into the fundamentalist theoretical frame for ethics. The cardinal reference in that regard is what the bible says about a given phenomenon. Leaders are accountable and should be criticised if they do not uphold certain values. We see that criticism in many biblical contexts.
Many detractors of criticism would like to counter it as disrespectful to criticise leaders. They would suggest leaders come from God, but they would not accept the ungodly acts that attract criticism. For humanity to prosper and to stand up to poor leadership we should embrace criticism as progressive, not antagonistic or disrespectful. That is being responsible for the common good for society.
Lorin Woolfe examined lessons on leadership from the bible and provided a comprehensive list which should help any leader worth their call. The list of lessons includes Honesty and integrity, Purpose, Kindness and compassion, Humility, Communication, Performance management, Team development, Courage, Justice and fairness and Leadership development.
We have seen in the last forty-to-fifty years many female leaders rising. At the same time levels of corruption and manipulation through sex and sexual abuses by leaders have been on the rise. It appears for many leaders, both male and female being a leader is a licence to sexual abuse, a currency for unlimited access to success. Certainly adultery, especially with married people is both immoral and a sin in biblical terms. So is asking questions about sexual immorality wrong? Surely to any principle-centred person that must be seen as honourable.
If Mohadi is not questioned the security failures will go uncorrected.
Leaders are Expected to Act with Dignity!h They must be accountable. A leader is a guide to those who follow in any given context. Terms like umbrella or torch bearer are often used with reference to a leader’s role. Put succinctly, a leader’s role is centred on providing the light through which the followers walk. It is a call to desist the dark path in the respective context for leadership. History is littered with multitudes of many leaders who dropped their heads in shame, threw in the towel and walked away in shame for failing the role of leadership. However, there are also many people whose thinking is that being a leader is tantamount to being untouchable. They are defiant while immersed in shame and are insensitive to the voice of logic, no matter how loud the call to account they remain adamant. The hard-hearted who find themselves in positions of leadership are a curse to the community they lead. By virtue of their positions, often leaders are held in high esteem, hence their standing is expected to guide society as centres of influence.
Actually John Maxwell the leadership expert would assert that leadership is about influence. As much as leadership demands a high moral ground, at all times as long as mankind has existed there has always been many leaders who hit below the belt and acted in demeaning ways setting a terrible example to society and thereby leading to a discredited situation. Now one may ask as to where the problem might be anchored on for bad leadership. Who is to blame? Well, the point is we more often than not have the leadership we deserve, by design or by default.
We still ask ourselves: was Mohadi set up or his actions made it easy for his enemies to set him up?
There is no correct answer to this but gauging from the easy way it was to clone the vice president’s phone it shows us that there are more forces at play against Mohadi.
Truth-tellers exist outside the realm of politics. They are outsiders, pariahs, and like Socrates subject to exile and death. The lie has always been instrumental to gaining political advantage and favor.
Why now then, all of a sudden, do we decry the emergence of fake news? Why are fact-checkers and fact-checking streams such a common feature of political debates? Why do we care about truth so much in this particular moment?
It isn’t because lying in politics has suddenly become a source of moral outrage – it has always been that. We care about truth because we’ve lost everything else. We’ve lost the ability to speak with ease; we’ve lost the ability to take opinions for granted; we’ve lost faith in science and experts; we’ve lost faith in our political institutions; we’ve lost faith in the Zimbabwean dream; and we’ve lost faith in our democracy itself.
And the sad reality is, truth can’t save us. We can shout truth to power all day long and it will never be heard, because truth and politics have never stood on common ground. They do not speak the same language, but that doesn’t mean the two aren’t related.
Truth is always expressed in terms of proximity, distance and nearness; we approach and depart from truth; ‘come close to it’ or say that ‘nothing is further away from it.’
Truth-telling is related to our understanding of the common realm of human existence, our ability to appear in the world and share our experiences with one another. The modern age has taught us that rational truth is produced by the human mind; that we should be skeptical, cynical, and suspicious, and not trust our senses – so much so that we can no longer rely on our own ability to make meaning from our experiences. The cost has been the common fabric of reality, the sense from which we take our bearings in the world.
Facts and events are the outcome of living and acting together, and the record of facts and events is woven into collective memory and history. These are the stories we tell and the traditions we challenge or uphold which give us a sense of durability in the world. We need this kind of truth in order to have a common ground to stand on, so that each individual can share their experiences and make meaning from them.
“Facts and events at Mohadi’s official residence “are infinitely more fragile things than axioms, discoveries, theories, which are produced by the human mind.”
Facts can change because we live in the ever changing world of human affairs. People can be written out of history books.
This is the point of lying in politics – the political lie has always been used to make it difficult for people to trust themselves or make informed opinions based on fact. In weakening our ability to rely on our own mental faculties we are forced to rely on the judgments of others.
Lying in politics also has the effect of destabilizing political institutions by destroying the ability of citizens to trust politicians and hold them accountable.
We need factual truth in order to safeguard the security of our leaders.
But today uncertainty is fueled by self-doubt and fear of self-contradiction. When we can no longer trust ourselves we lose our common sense – our sixth sense – which is what allows us to co-exist.
Truth isn’t political. If anything, it is anti-political, since historically it has often been positioned against politics. So despite the misfiring of Mohadi’s weapon can someone tell us about the mole and who is sponsoring that mole. Remember tomorrow it will be you. – [email protected]
This weekly publication is meant to inform fellow citizens on various matters concerning the deadly covid-19 pandemic, and to facilitate informed decisions by every single one of us. Today we continue to examine the issue of the covid-19 vaccine to see if we could do better as a nation than what we have done so far.
Now that 200 000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine are here, have we arrived? Are we going to continue to procure more Sinopharm vaccines? How should Zimbabwe proceed to maximize benefit from the availability of vaccines against Covid-19 from various manufacturers and diverse technologies? What is the way forward? These are some of the questions that urgently beg an answer.
The arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine is only but the beginning. Whether we started well or not, and whether or not the processes leading to the arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine were correct, can no longer be undone. We now need to focus on the way forward, and this is what we are going to dwell on today.
Moving forward, there is need for government to carry the people with it. Transparency is key in all processes for the vaccination program to work. The government cannot just say, “If you don’t want to take the vaccine, you are free to opt out”, NO! Hear the people out and address their fears and concerns, and address all the conspiracy theories scientifically, as best we know how to. Zimbabweans deserve better, and information is key. In this process, we must immunize against corruption, wrong executive decisions propelled by greed and avarice, and the devaluation of the lives of the people of Zimbabwe through intransigence and autocracy.
Let me lay out upfront the concerns of the people of Zimbabwe before we move on. Firstly, the government in Harare is notorious for corruption, ranking 157 out of 180 countries in a recent Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report. We are in the top of the league. We therefore demand transparency from government on how they chose the vaccine, and how much they are paying for it. This irregular vaccine procurement can be used for looting the already moribund treasury. Our comment has nothing to do with the vaccine being Chinese per se, but we are just demanding accountability from the government, which is our due.
History tends to repeat itself. A considerable portion of the public health community in Zimbabwe is worried that government is not paying attention to the recommendations of the “National Immunization Technical Advisory Group” (ZimNITAG). Sadly this confirms that our decisions are not science driven and do not have the nation at heart.
Next, we demand information. How are the field trials going to be conducted? What information is going to be collected? When do we expect results of the field trials, which will inform us as individuals on whether to take the vaccine or not. We need transparency on why government is collecting samples as they vaccinate. What are we studying?
We need transparency on what other vaccines are coming, when and how much? We need transparency on the cost of all the vaccines. We need to raise awareness and educate the people about these vaccines. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is still assessing data submitted by Sinopharm and has not yet issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for this vaccine. It looks like such approval may only come in March at the earliest as it remains unclear why we rushed to get a vaccine that WHO has not yet okayed. We are however aware that countries like the UAE have done their own Phase 3 trials on this vaccine and have issued their own EUA. We must likewise be diligent to do our own field trials and keep the nation adequately informed as it is important to examine all options on the market.
What role is Parliament playing in terms of oversight in all these corruption prone processes, including choice of vaccine, procurement, logistics and distribution? Does the government not perceive a need to do extensive stakeholder consultations to distil the wisdom of the population and to get buy-in?
Now let us look at what government should be looking for as they choose vaccines to use in Zimbabwe. If we are going to spend money, let us spend it on something that works for our people.
1.SAFETY: The golden rule here is, first do no harm. We continue to emphasise the importance of properly conducted clinical trials in the field, to detect adverse events. Thereafter continued post-marketing surveillance is important to detect rare adverse events. A thorough risk-benefit analysis must be done for every vaccine candidate.
2.EFFICACY: This is a measure of the ability of the vaccine to prevent disease in the target population. The gold standard for measuring this is Randomized Controlled Trials in healthy populations. With the South African variant firmly established in Zimbabwe, it is important to document the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine before we spend any more money on it, and this applies to any other vaccine that we may consider to bring in. We aver that the 200 000 doses donation is adequate to conduct conclusive trials on the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine before we buy anymore.
3.EFFECTIVENESS: This is a measure of the total protection that we get through programmatic implementation, and depends not only on the efficacy of the vaccine, but on other parameters like the actual vaccine storage (do Zimbabwe fridges work?), transportation, preparation and administration of the vaccine, fairness of the roll out plan, and completeness of coverage. Indirect effects like herd immunity will amplify effectiveness of the vaccine to protect even those who have not been vaccinated. We are generally worried about the state of our cold chain infrastructure and equipment, staff morale and training, and vehicles & staff for mobile outreach services. The reported statement by the Zimbabwe Nurses Association does not inspire confidence, and government should take the requests of health workers seriously. This will negatively affect the effectiveness of our vaccination program.
4.VACCINE PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS: Storage and transportation requirements differ among vaccines. In Zimbabwe, we are better off taking only those vaccines that are stored and transported at normal refrigerator temperatures (2oC – 8oC). Pfizer seems to be reviewing the low temperature requirement for their vaccine, and it seems this was done out of an abundance of caution. We need to keep our ears to the ground, as this is a developing story.
Having to reconstitute a vaccine before administration increases the workload for health workers and vaccines that come in solution are easier and quicker to administer. There are many other vaccine characteristics to consider (e.g. wastage rate, demand for syringes and needles, presentation and packaging, etc) and these are well explained on the WHO website. The Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) mentioned earlier is the one best placed to advise government on vaccine choice, and government must pay attention. Of note is the number of doses required to fully immunize an individual. The Johnson and Johnson (J & J) vaccine requires only one dose for full immunization, and this is a great advantage when we look at the issue of completing an immunization schedule. South Africa has started rolling out the J & J single dose vaccine and there could be something for us to emulate right there. Remember 61% of our virus is the South African variant.
5.COST: This is extremely important. Information we have is that the Sinopharm vaccine is more expensive than most other vaccines on the market, including the single dose of the J & J vaccine mentioned earlier. One BBC report said “It’s not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 Yuan ($60; £45)”
this be true, then we would like to know why Zimbabwe government chose this one, compared to the Astra-Zeneca @ $4 per dose, or Johnson and Johnson at $10 per dose. Furthermore, there is the COVAX and the African Union facilities for pooled procurement, which will make vaccines a lot cheaper and more available. It boggles the mind why our government was dithering on the issue of subscribing to these facilities when the benefits are clear. That brings the suspicion of intent to defraud the people by forming cartels, which no one can audit.
6. Finally, AVAILABILITY of the vaccine is critical and self-explanatory. In conclusion, we want to thank The People’s Republic of China for their generous donation. We further want to implore the government to do the due diligent studies on the Sinopharm vaccine safety and efficacy before purchasing any, and to consider other suitable alternatives like the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine. This we mention specifically because it is already in use in RSA, we have the same viral strains (61%), and we are really one people on one land mass. We need to coordinate our efforts because inefficacy in RSA means inefficacy in Zimbabwe, since our people travel a lot. We further implore the executive to take advice from the ZimNITAG, and submit to the oversight function of parliament particularly in procurement decisions. Government must engage us the people and give feedback continuously. With covid-19, no one is safe until we are all safe.
Dr Henry Madzorera Secretary for Heath and Child Welfare MDC Alliance
The late musician and liberation hero Soul Jah Love (Soul Musaka), was granted his wish after being buried next to his father, Mr Ephraim Ticharwa Musaka, at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare on Saturday.
Mr Musaka died on February 18, 2005. He was a liberation war veteran who served as a ZIPRA intelligence member.
Soul Jah Love’s mother, Stembeni, was in the Zanu PF Women’s League national executive, which was headed by the late heroine Sally Mugabe in the early 1980s.
Zanu PF acting secretary for youth Tendai Chirau confirmed the late musician’s family political history, saying Soul Jah Love was also an active member of the ruling party.
“Soul Jah Love was a strong member of Zanu PF as he played an active role. He was born from a political family and was also active in the party. He, together with his friend, Changara, supported the party.
“His father was a ZIPRA member of the intelligence, while the mother was active in the Women’s League national executive in 1984, which was headed by the late Sally Mugabe.”
Soul Jah Love’s burial was marked by pomp and fanfare as people from all walks of life thronged the cemetery, giving police a torrid time in enforcing the Covid-19 social distancing regulations.
The late musician took his controversy to the graveyard after his multitude of followers defied the law which allows 30 people to attend a funeral and tracked his hearse to the cemetery.
Even at his Msasa Park home where his body laid in state on Friday, hundreds of mourners turned up to pay their last respects.
Some were turned away by police who were enforcing the Covid-19 regulations, with two checkpoints mounted, although some managed to sneak through.
On Saturday, traffic and business along the way to the Warren Hills came to a standstill as people jostled to have a glimpse of the cortège, with some taking selfies and videos of the convoy.Herald
“Soul Jah Love was our artiste” said one fan, who walked from Waterfalls to Warren Park. “We grew up with him in Mbare and Waterfalls. It was wrong to hold the funeral wake in Msasa Park, that is not his home area.”
Fans would be heard singing some of the fallen hero’s music, while bikers honoured him with burnouts.
The police had a torrid time controlling the crowd at the cemetery and it took close to an hour for the burial proceedings to commence.
Some climbed on trees to get a better view of the proceedings, while others perched on tombstones.
Many tombstones were destroyed in the melee, while flowers and some small trees were damaged.
Addressing the mourners, Harare Provincial Minister of State and Devolution Senator Oliver Chidawu said Soul Jah Love proved that he was a great man.
He said: “Kuti haasi chinhu, zvinhu”, amid cheers from the crowd which responded to part of the lyrics on one of Soul Jah Love’s songs.
Minister Chidawu commended the musician for being a unifier “who tore political party lines.
This was reflected at the funeral proceedings as politicians from both the ruling party and the opposition were in attendance.
The “Ndini Uyauya” hitmaker received a 21-gun salute, which was cheered by fans who later showered soldiers who fired the shots with praises.
One woman identified as Geraldine Baye took to social media to claim that she was in a love relationship with Soul Jah Love.
She posted her eulogy with supporting pictures, dividing fans who queried why she decided to come out after his death. -Herald
This weekly publication is meant to inform fellow citizens on various matters concerning the deadly covid-19 pandemic, and to facilitate informed decisions by every single one of us. Today we continue to examine the issue of the covid-19 vaccine to see if we could do better as a nation than what we have done so far.
Now that 200 000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine are here, have we arrived? Are we going to continue to procure more Sinopharm vaccines? How should Zimbabwe proceed to maximize benefit from the availability of vaccines against Covid-19 from various manufacturers and diverse technologies? What is the way forward? These are some of the questions that urgently beg an answer.
The arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine is only but the beginning. Whether we started well or not, and whether or not the processes leading to the arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine were correct, can no longer be undone. We now need to focus on the way forward, and this is what we are going to dwell on today.
Moving forward, there is need for government to carry the people with it. Transparency is key in all processes for the vaccination program to work. The government cannot just say, “If you don’t want to take the vaccine, you are free to opt out”, NO! Hear the people out and address their fears and concerns, and address all the conspiracy theories scientifically, as best we know how to. Zimbabweans deserve better, and information is key. In this process, we must immunize against corruption, wrong executive decisions propelled by greed and avarice, and the devaluation of the lives of the people of Zimbabwe through intransigence and autocracy.
Let me lay out upfront the concerns of the people of Zimbabwe before we move on. Firstly, the government in Harare is notorious for corruption, ranking 157 out of 180 countries in a recent Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report. We are in the top of the league. We therefore demand transparency from government on how they chose the vaccine, and how much they are paying for it. This irregular vaccine procurement can be used for looting the already moribund treasury. Our comment has nothing to do with the vaccine being Chinese per se, but we are just demanding accountability from the government, which is our due.
History tends to repeat itself. A considerable portion of the public health community in Zimbabwe is worried that government is not paying attention to the recommendations of the “National Immunization Technical Advisory Group” (ZimNITAG). Sadly this confirms that our decisions are not science driven and do not have the nation at heart.
Next, we demand information. How are the field trials going to be conducted? What information is going to be collected? When do we expect results of the field trials, which will inform us as individuals on whether to take the vaccine or not. We need transparency on why government is collecting samples as they vaccinate. What are we studying?
We need transparency on what other vaccines are coming, when and how much? We need transparency on the cost of all the vaccines. We need to raise awareness and educate the people about these vaccines. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is still assessing data submitted by Sinopharm and has not yet issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for this vaccine. It looks like such approval may only come in March at the earliest as it remains unclear why we rushed to get a vaccine that WHO has not yet okayed. We are however aware that countries like the UAE have done their own Phase 3 trials on this vaccine and have issued their own EUA. We must likewise be diligent to do our own field trials and keep the nation adequately informed as it is important to examine all options on the market.
What role is Parliament playing in terms of oversight in all these corruption prone processes, including choice of vaccine, procurement, logistics and distribution? Does the government not perceive a need to do extensive stakeholder consultations to distil the wisdom of the population and to get buy-in?
Now let us look at what government should be looking for as they choose vaccines to use in Zimbabwe. If we are going to spend money, let us spend it on something that works for our people.
1.SAFETY: The golden rule here is, first do no harm. We continue to emphasise the importance of properly conducted clinical trials in the field, to detect adverse events. Thereafter continued post-marketing surveillance is important to detect rare adverse events. A thorough risk-benefit analysis must be done for every vaccine candidate.
2.EFFICACY: This is a measure of the ability of the vaccine to prevent disease in the target population. The gold standard for measuring this is Randomized Controlled Trials in healthy populations. With the South African variant firmly established in Zimbabwe, it is important to document the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine before we spend any more money on it, and this applies to any other vaccine that we may consider to bring in. We aver that the 200 000 doses donation is adequate to conduct conclusive trials on the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine before we buy anymore.
3.EFFECTIVENESS: This is a measure of the total protection that we get through programmatic implementation, and depends not only on the efficacy of the vaccine, but on other parameters like the actual vaccine storage (do Zimbabwe fridges work?), transportation, preparation and administration of the vaccine, fairness of the roll out plan, and completeness of coverage. Indirect effects like herd immunity will amplify effectiveness of the vaccine to protect even those who have not been vaccinated. We are generally worried about the state of our cold chain infrastructure and equipment, staff morale and training, and vehicles & staff for mobile outreach services. The reported statement by the Zimbabwe Nurses Association does not inspire confidence, and government should take the requests of health workers seriously. This will negatively affect the effectiveness of our vaccination program.
4.VACCINE PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS: Storage and transportation requirements differ among vaccines. In Zimbabwe, we are better off taking only those vaccines that are stored and transported at normal refrigerator temperatures (2oC – 8oC). Pfizer seems to be reviewing the low temperature requirement for their vaccine, and it seems this was done out of an abundance of caution. We need to keep our ears to the ground, as this is a developing story.
Having to reconstitute a vaccine before administration increases the workload for health workers and vaccines that come in solution are easier and quicker to administer. There are many other vaccine characteristics to consider (e.g. wastage rate, demand for syringes and needles, presentation and packaging, etc) and these are well explained on the WHO website. The Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) mentioned earlier is the one best placed to advise government on vaccine choice, and government must pay attention. Of note is the number of doses required to fully immunize an individual. The Johnson and Johnson (J & J) vaccine requires only one dose for full immunization, and this is a great advantage when we look at the issue of completing an immunization schedule. South Africa has started rolling out the J & J single dose vaccine and there could be something for us to emulate right there. Remember 61% of our virus is the South African variant.
5.COST: This is extremely important. Information we have is that the Sinopharm vaccine is more expensive than most other vaccines on the market, including the single dose of the J & J vaccine mentioned earlier. One BBC report said “It’s not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 Yuan ($60; £45)”
this be true, then we would like to know why Zimbabwe government chose this one, compared to the Astra-Zeneca @ $4 per dose, or Johnson and Johnson at $10 per dose. Furthermore, there is the COVAX and the African Union facilities for pooled procurement, which will make vaccines a lot cheaper and more available. It boggles the mind why our government was dithering on the issue of subscribing to these facilities when the benefits are clear. That brings the suspicion of intent to defraud the people by forming cartels, which no one can audit.
6. Finally, AVAILABILITY of the vaccine is critical and self-explanatory. In conclusion, we want to thank The People’s Republic of China for their generous donation. We further want to implore the government to do the due diligent studies on the Sinopharm vaccine safety and efficacy before purchasing any, and to consider other suitable alternatives like the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine. This we mention specifically because it is already in use in RSA, we have the same viral strains (61%), and we are really one people on one land mass. We need to coordinate our efforts because inefficacy in RSA means inefficacy in Zimbabwe, since our people travel a lot. We further implore the executive to take advice from the ZimNITAG, and submit to the oversight function of parliament particularly in procurement decisions. Government must engage us the people and give feedback continuously. With covid-19, no one is safe until we are all safe.
Dr Henry Madzorera Secretary for Heath and Child Welfare MDC Alliance
Rural schools are poorly resourced compared to those in urban areas, a gap often reflected in public examination results.
Shortage of information and communication technologies (ICT) tools and the Covid-19- induced lockdown is extending this gap.
Following the outbreak of Covid-19, online lessons have become the cornerstone of ensuring learners keep up with their education.
The traditional face-to-face/physical learning model has been minimised to prevent the spread of the virus which thrives in crowds.
However, for rural schools, challenges of network availability and resources have hindered students from learning.
Primary and Secondary Education Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said pupils who wrote Grade Seven public examinations last year had been disadvantaged.
She said pupils in urban areas had access to online learning and extra lessons for those whose parents and guardians can afford.
Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga said education is now being accessed by the rich who can afford extra lessons and online lesson resources.
Rural pupils are mostly drawn from low-income families and their guardians or parents are often self-employed as smallholder farmers or artisans.
Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga said as a committee they have proposed that class of 2020 Grade Seven pupils who wish to rewrite their examinations must be afforded the opportunity to do so in June.
“As a committee we have proposed to facilitate and allow students who wish to re-write their exams in June as normally done by Zimsec for O-level and A-level students who re-write in June. Zimsec should set a different paper from the 2020 one to give those who want to re-write an opportunity to do so,’’ she said.
Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) national secretary general Mr Goodwill Taderera said many rural schools in Zimbabwe are falling short on infrastructure and this includes classrooms and teacher accommodation.
He said Covid-19 has worsened the plight of rural schools. “The rural to urban divide has always been there in terms of our schools infrastructure, lack of books and other learning resources and the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the rural education in that schools had to close and rural students did not have much time to learn as we were coming from the teachers’ incapacitation,” said Mr Taderera.
Lack of infrastructure is a worrying situation that has made education, particularly in rural areas, fall short in producing pupils with capacity to fight poverty and progress academically.
Most of the schools in the rural areas do not have electricity, laboratories and facilities needed for teach subjects like computer science, the re-packaged science subjects as well as the performing and visual arts in the new curriculum.
Mr Taderera said rural pupils have challenges in connectivity, lack of gadgets and also data in accessing online lessons. Sometimes pupils walk more than 15km to and from school which compromises their academic performance.
He pleaded with Government and other stakeholders to improve infrastructure in rural schools and empower rural teachers so that goals set in the new curriculum are met.
“We plead with the Government pay teachers sufficiently for them to be attracted to rural schools so as to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas in terms of education standards,” he said. -Chronicle
A 32-year-old Lupane man has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to rape a 78-year-old woman in a bush.
Bright Bhukanana Moyo (32) of Gudubhu village allegedly pounced on the elderly woman last Thursday as she walked through a bush.
He allegedly pinned her to the ground in an attempt to rape her but when she screamed a neighbour rushed to the scene and he fled.
The woman whose identity cannot be mentioned for ethical reasons was reportedly walking along a path in a bush near Gudubhu village when the incident occurred. Both women managed to identify Moyo and reported the matter to the police leading to his arrest last Friday.
Moyo was not asked to plead to attempted rape when he appeared before Lupane resident magistrate Mr Ndumo Masuku.
He was remanded in custody to Thursday for plea recording.Prosecuting, Mr Derick Nkosilathi Ndlovu said Moyo wrestled the woman to the ground.
“On 18 February, the accused met the complainant in a bushy area in Gudubhu. He grabbed her by the body and wrestled her to the ground,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said Moyo pinned the elderly woman down as he attempted to rape her. The complainant screamed and a neighbour whose name has also been concealed, rushed to the scene. Moyo fled from the scene when he saw her approaching.
The two women reported the matter to the police leading to Moyo’s arrest. -Chronicle
MDC Alliance Youth Assembly Condemns Senseless Arrest Of Our Mash West Leadership
20-02-2020
MDC Alliance Youth Assembly strongly condemns the senseless and barbarian manner in which our Mashonaland West leadership were ‘arrested’ by gun totting soldiers in company of the police.
It is shocking that the unrepentant regime of Emmerson Mnangagwa which is hiding under the veil of Covid-19 regulations continue to weaponize the pandemic against opposition members.
This time the police preferred a shameful charge that the Mashonaland West PAC leadership were having “an illegal gathering”.
It is mind boggling how 10 people observing social distance and wearing masks in a meeting at their own party offices could be said to be having an illegal gathering.
Ironically just over a week ago, ZANU PF held its own internal party elections to replace the late Ellen Gwaradzimba with over 30 delegates attending Manicaland held event.
Clearly there is selective application of the law bend on suffocating the opposition from having their own processes.
The arrest of Mash West PAC leadership comes hotly after the arrest of Youth Assembly National Executive Committee member, Makomborero Haruzivishe who was today denied bail by a Harare Magistrate.
It is clear that the junta has upped their repression gear and the only normal response is for us to up our resistance gear.
Our choices in face of incessant attacks on our liberties are very much limited.
Either we defy or die!
DefyOrDie
FreeOurLeaders
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma_ MDC Alliance Youth MDC Alliance Youth Assembly Condemns Senseless Arrest Of Our Mash West Leadership
20-02-2020
MDC Alliance Youth Assembly strongly condemns the senseless and barbarian manner in which our Mashonaland West leadership were ‘arrested’ by gun totting soldiers in company of the police.
It is shocking that the unrepentant regime of Emmerson Mnangagwa which is hiding under the veil of Covid-19 regulations continue to weaponize the pandemic against opposition members.
This time the police preferred a shameful charge that the Mashonaland West PAC leadership were having “an illegal gathering”.
It is mind boggling how 10 people observing social distance and wearing masks in a meeting at their own party offices could be said to be having an illegal gathering.
Ironically just over a week ago, ZANU PF held its own internal party elections to replace the late Ellen Gwaradzimba with over 30 delegates attending the Manicaland held event.
Clearly there is selective application of the law bend on suffocating the opposition from having their own processes.
The arrest of Mash West PAC leadership comes hotly after the arrest of Youth Assembly National Executive Committee member, Makomborero Haruzivishe who was today denied bail by a Harare Magistrate.
It is clear that the junta has upped their repression gear and the only normal response is for us to up our resistance gear.
Our choices in face of incessant attacks on our liberties are very much limited.
Either we defy or die!
DefyOrDie
FreeOurLeaders
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
An actress from South Africa Mzansi Magic’s Isibaya television soap is expected to appear in court at the Pretoria Magistrate Court today.
Zinhle Mabena, who plays Sihle, was arrested yesterday (Tuesday) on suspicions of being involved in the attempted murder of her husband.
During the alleged attempt, which took place on 28 January, the husband’s bodyguard died. According to Gauteng SAPS Spokesperson, Captain Kay Makhubele, evidence that linked the actress to the murder and attempted murder was found.
“A 29-year old female suspect is set to make a first appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate Court on Wednesday, 17 February 2021 following her arrest on Tuesday, 16 February 2021, on suspicion of being involved in the attempted murder of her husband and the murder of the husband’s bodyguard,” read the statement.
“Following an intensive investigation into the shooting incident that happened on 28 January 2021, police found evidence that linked the woman to the attempted murder and murder case,” it continued.-Daily Sun
Big Saturday Read: Political Reforms – What the MDC Alliance can do
Alex T. Magaisa
The challenge of problem-solving
When you have spent a long time trying to solve a problem, you might reach a point where you start believing that it cannot be solved. Many of us have found ourselves at this frustrating juncture.
But then, just when you are about to give up, someone might suggest that maybe you were looking at the problem the wrong way. The change of perspective might redefine the problem, making it simpler to resolve. This BSR provokes thought in that direction through an examination of the elusive “political reforms”.
At present, the framing of “political reforms” is that they are dependent on what ZANU PF, as the ruling party, should do to improve the electoral system and environment. The idea is that such reforms would produce a fairer system that would assist in achieving legitimate electoral outcomes. However, most observers agree that ZANU PF has no incentive to implement such reforms. Therefore, the chances of achieving political reforms under the ZANU PF regime are remote.
This leaves the opposition in a bind; waiting for another election that will be contested under an unreformed and unfair electoral system and environment. This amounts to doing the same thing that has been done before, hoping for a different result – something that falls in the definition of madness. But this assumes that the opposition cannot change the way it does things; that it will do things the way it has done them before.
This is where a different approach to the problem requires examination. Political reforms are not an end in themselves. They are a means to an end. Is it not possible, therefore, without reforms, to achieve the end? It is important to take a fresh look at the nature of political reforms. I argue that as the biggest and most formidable opposition party, the MDC Alliance should within for political reforms that would make it a better and more effective force against a seemingly intractable regime.
I would therefore like to offer a broader definition of political reforms which include reforms to the opposition and its capacity to mount a more effective electoral campaign. In other words, political reforms should not only be what is expected from ZANU PF to improve the electoral field, but what is expected from the opposition to improve its chances of winning political power. This question: the reform of the opposition parties is rarely examined because the assumption is that they are good enough for the task. This BSR argues that since little can be gained from ZANU PF in terms of reforms, the MDC Alliance should focus more on building itself and learning from past errors to be a stronger, better, and more powerful electoral candidate.
Discovery of Ignorance
A few years ago, I explained the meaning of the notion of “discovery of ignorance”, also in the context of electoral politics. It is a concept I borrowed from Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. The argument is as follows: human progress is based on the admission of ignorance, because when you admit that you do not know, you invest in research to discover what you do not know, and armed with that knowledge, things are more likely to improve. If, however, you begin from the position that you know everything, you are unlikely to discover the things that you do not know and you are, therefore, less likely to improve.
After every election, the outcries over rigging are so loud that all too often, the weaknesses that may have impacted the campaign are ignored. The result is that the opposition parties go for another 5 years, demanding reforms from ZANU PF, but never attending to the weaknesses that may have affected their performance. The dominant narrative is that there was rigging. The dominant narrative obscures other narratives of the election. The problem is that any strategic errors that affected the electoral performance will be repeated in the next election.
If, however, the opposition goes through a process of discovering ignorance, it would invest resources in researching and reviewing the previous election and identifying the things that went wrong and things that went right. In that way, the wrong things might be avoided while the right things might be amplified. To start, you must take off the blinkers and say “we do not know”. That way you start the process of discovery.
Take the performance of the MDC Alliance at the presidential and parliamentary levels. A cursory glance at the figures shows that Nelson Chamisa as a presidential candidate performed better than his party, the MDC Alliance. While the presidential election was very close, ZANU PF ended up with a two-thirds majority in Parliament. If parliamentary seats had been allocated based on votes in the presidential election, representation in parliament would be nearly even and ZANU PF would certainly not have a two-thirds majority.
The opposition should be asking why its presidential candidate outperformed the party and what can be done in the future to ensure there is more alignment between performances at the presidential and parliamentary level. Perhaps one of the reasons is simply that voters liked the presidential candidate more than the party’s parliamentary candidates. Or it might be that there was more focus on the presidential race than on the parliamentary race, which affected the allocation of campaign resources. A proper review would provide better answers to this question and better strategic approaches for the next election.
Support is not Permanent
The MDC Alliance has managed to withstand the assault by ZANU PF and its surrogates over the past 12 months, but it would be foolhardy if the party sat on its laurels. The support (and sympathy) that it currently enjoys cannot be taken for granted because it is not permanent. To appreciate this point, I have classified three types of political supporters, from the hardcore to the floating supporters.
The “Vietnam/Soweto” Section
Every party has hard-core supporters. This is the “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil” type of supporter – the fanatics and they wear their badge with pride. This type supports the party through thick and thin – they are diehards. We might call this the inner core.
This is a fanatical group, and it is essential to the party because it keeps the morale high in challenging times. When everyone is down, they keep singing. A close analogy is what you might witness at a football stadium. There is a section dedicated to these fanatics. Rufaro Stadium has the “Vietnam” section for fanatical Dynamos supporters. Barbourfields Stadium has “Soweto”, for hard-core Highlanders fans. Political parties also have their versions of “Vietnam” or “Soweto”. Even on social media, political parties have their versions of “Vietnam” or “Soweto” sections.
Moderate
The second type includes those who stand with the party, but they are not as fanatical as the hard-core group. They are the moderate type – loyal, but up to a point. They might occasionally be critical of the party, but they will generally defend it against opponents. We might call this the outer core. This is very important because it is bigger than the fanatical group and its support should never be taken for granted. To use the football analogy, they come to the stadium but they are not as vocal as the Vietnam or Soweto types. They don’t want to be the Vietnam or Soweto type but they support them because they know that they are essential to the party. In the context of politics, this type will generally fulfill the duty to vote on election day.
Floaters
Finally, there is a type that is more sympathetic to the party than truly supportive. They have some doubts about the party and might be concerned by its weaknesses, but they find the alternative too repulsive to support. We might call this the floating type. The support is tenuous. The problem with this type is that because it is concerned by the weaknesses of the opposition and the repulsiveness of the ruling party, they might choose to stay away from politics altogether. To continue with the football analogy, these do not go to the stadium. Their heart is with the team but if it keeps losing matches, they might become indifferent and although they might never join a fierce rival, they might switch teams if a new one comes along.
The party needs to read these nuances of political support very carefully, especially at this time. This will prevent falling for the fallacy of over-generalization, where the inner core is confused for all layers of support. An appreciation of these nuances will help the MDC Alliance not to take its current levels of support for granted. The Vietnam/Soweto section is loud, and it has kept morale high in a very difficult year. But it is important to know that this is only one layer of support. The other layers should not be forgotten because they can be the difference between success and failure.
The MDC Alliance has its rivals to thank for doing a great job galvanizing the moderates and generating the sympathy of floaters in the wake of what has happened over the past year. The floaters are generally reasonable and they like fair play. The picture of ZANU PF and the judicially reconstructed MDC T ganging up against the MDC Alliance and stealing not only its hard-won parliamentary and council seats but also their share of political funding and headquarters has been repulsive. The blatant favouritism shown to the MDC-T by the regime and its apparatus of power has happened before their eyes. Far from helping the MDC-T, it has given a boost to the MDC Alliance, which is seen as the victim of a repressive regime. But this too is not permanent.
Party Structures
The MDC Alliance has just survived a serious attempt at disruption. While the party has remained resilient, with its support base largely intact, the impact of what has happened on party structures cannot be dismissed. It is hard due to the pandemic to get a full picture of how the party has been impacted. Even though the signs are reassuring, it is important not to take this for granted.
It’s important to ensure that party structures are in good working order across the country, especially in some rural areas where there have been weaknesses. Party structures are part of ensuring a physical presence in all parts of the country. This has been one of the party’s strengths but the impact of the pandemic and the disruption caused by ZANU PF and its surrogates should be taken into account.
The national organizer has his work cut out for him. The pandemic has made the job of organizing, mobilizing, and recruiting members more challenging. Rumours of what has been happening in Harare would not have helped. There might be a lot of confusion out there, which needs to be cleared. There will be more campaigns of disinformation, especially in remote areas. This is also why the communication channels between Harare and the provinces need to be worked on.
Eyes and Ears on the Ground
An effective anti-ragging strategy is having eyes and ears on the ground during the election process. This simply means there must be election agents at each polling station. You cannot prevent rigging unless you have people at each polling station.
One of the factors that made the 29 March 2008 elections so hard to rig was that the MDC had eyes and ears at polling stations across the country. They captured election data as it was posted outside the polling station – one of the key reforms passed just before that election. It allowed the MDC to do parallel tabulation of voting results, making it harder for the elections management body to fiddle with the results.
However, the past two elections have not been the same, and in some cases, local observers have lamented that opposition parties had virtually no representation at some polling stations. It is at such polling stations that rigging takes place because no one is watching the riggers. It’s like leaving the rats in charge of the granary. It gets worse: without polling agents, there will be no V11 forms.
One of the problems is that the deployment of polling agents is done late. The other is that polling agents are poorly resourced, which leaves them vulnerable to bribery. If there is an area that needs reforms, it is this critical issue of deploying polling agents. It cannot be a last-minute job. Going into an election without a proper deployment of polling agents is like going to fight a war without guns.
Bribery of polling agents is a problem but one has to rely on the moral and ethical qualities of agents. This is why it’s important to identify reliable cadres, preferably from the Vietnam/Soweto section. The first line of defence is those agents at the frontline at polling stations and it needs dedicated cadres who are prepared to give their all to defend the party and to protect the vote. Politicians prioritize rallies, but training programs to build election-preparedness are far more important.
To protect the vote, you have to be there when people are voting and your voters must be confident that their people are also there at the polling stations. It gives confidence to the voters but also reduces opportunities for rigging. This is probably the most important political reform that the MDC Alliance needs to work on and it does not depend on its rivals. It is well within its control. The strategic target should be very simple: there must be a V11 from each polling station at the next election. If the party cannot guarantee that, the incentive for voting is very low because ZANU PF will simply exploit the gaping holes.
Avoid imposition of candidates
One of the challenges that have split political parties towards elections is the issue of choice of candidates. If the leadership has learned anything from previous elections and recent events, hopefully, one thing that has not escaped them is that representatives should not be imposed on the electorate. The choice of the leaders is not paramount. The will of the people must be respected. In 2013, Morgan Tsvangirai took the side of Giles Mutsekwa in the Dangamvura ahead of Arnold Tsunga who was the electorate’s preferred choice. Tsunga refused to back down. Mutsekwa was duly walloped. The people had prevailed.
More recently in Glen View, the MDC Alliance chose Vincent Tsvangirai ahead of local candidates to fill in the seat left by the tragic death of Vimbai Tsvangirai. Not long afterward, Vincent Tsvangirai left with the Mwonzora-led party, leaving constituents in the lurch. The only qualification he possessed was his famous name. It’s yet another reminder to the leadership to be more careful how they choose representatives. They must always listen to the grassroots. They know their people and they can tell between genuine cadres and glory-hunters. How the party chooses candidates is a fundamental reform that is well within the control of the party. It does not depend on ZANU PF or rival parties.
Mobilizing Resources
Running a national political party is like managing a major corporation. The only difference is that those who run corporations seek to make monetary profits, which is not the primary aim of a political party. But those who run political parties also seek to make a profit of a different kind. They seek to gain the power to govern the country. In both cases – running a corporation or a political party – there is a need for significant financial investment. It is impossible to succeed in modern electoral contests without a sufficient pool of resources. This explains why ZANU PF made sure public funds due to the MDC Alliance were diverted to the MDC-T. Supporting the MDC-T is secondary, the primary purpose is to starve the MDC Alliance of resources to run the party.
It is therefore fundamental for the MDC Alliance to mobilize resources. Last year the MDC Alliance launched a membership mobilization campaign, targeting the Diaspora. It is not clear how much progress was made on this front. However, a few observations from the public may be useful. Technological glitches need to be sorted to ease the process. More significantly, however, the model can be reconfigured for mass appeal. If the membership fee is pitched at a lower level, more people are likely to join. Second, if there is a monthly subscription fee which is also low, more people are likely to subscribe. A membership fee of $10 attracting 1000 people is better than a membership fee of $80 which many people might find daunting.
By way of example, for the past decade, I have paid monthly donations to 3 charities in the UK (an average of £7) and I barely notice it. However, I am probably one of a million small donors, which makes it a minimum of £7 million in revenue each month for one charity. I would probably think twice if my donation were higher. The point is this: if the MDC Alliance wants to raise more funds from its members, it should reduce the figures because it will probably attract more subscribers. Having been deprived of its hard-earned income from its performance at the last election, it has no choice but to be creative and to rely on its members. People balk at high figures, but they will respond more favourably to lower figures.
Additionally, the party should consider more convenient modes of payment such as Venmo, CashApp, Paypal, etc. People tend to be wary of registering using their bank details because of security concerns. These apps are widely used and trusted as they provide a layer of security and they are also often cheaper to send small amounts.
Strengthen Communications
In Fadzayi Mahere, the MDC Alliance has a brilliant and effective spokesperson who has represented the party exceedingly well over the past year. An accomplished advocate in her professional line of work, the art of communication and persuasion is a natural part of her portfolio. But her skill set does not begin and end with the gift of elocution, no. It is sometimes the case that one either speaks well or they have substance without the ability to communicate it. Mahere has both.
Her appointment to that role was one of Chamisa’s finest moments which is a credit to him because a good leader identifies and deploys talent strategically. This is working in his and the party’s favour. Unsurprisingly, her effectiveness has made her a target of vitriolic and misogynistic attacks from ZANU PF trolls. While Mahere has been carrying the water well for her teammates, the job of a modern-day communicator cannot be done by one person. It needs a team. But such a team requires resources. This is why the resource mobilization shift is even more important. When you communicate well, you have done more than half the job, which is why this function requires further support and amplification.
One of the great reforms that are required is strengthening the communications function of the party. While the party has the Change Radio platform, which uses the WhatsApp platform, more of this needs to be done on a broader scale. ZANU PF knows the importance of radio as a popular and effective medium of communication, which is why it has maintained a broad monopoly of airwaves. The opposition needs to counter this propaganda. Chamisa’s recent op-ed in The Guardian newspaper was an excellent example of the kind of communication that is required to communicate with a broader audience.
Social media has offered opportunities to counter ZANU PF propaganda. Unlike traditional media platforms, ZANU PF does not have a monopoly of propaganda. Its propaganda is continuously subjected to intense scrutiny by citizens. The government’s spokesperson Ndavaningi Mangwana has had to block Fadzayi Mahere and other regime critics, a sign of frustration at his inability to compete with his peers who are constantly debunking his propaganda. The regime is used to shutting down critical voices, but since it cannot control Twitter, the next best option is to block them and create a safe zone for propaganda. But it is impossible to silence everyone.
Since ZANU PF is not going to reform and ensure that the ZBC, The Herald, and others are more open and inclusive, the MDC Alliance must carry out media reforms of its own by being innovative. The MDC Alliance must make better use of social media platforms like WhatsApp to communicate with the people. It must create content that is relevant, current, and persuasive. What stands in the way is a lack of resources. This is a most important function that requires funding. This is why one of the key reforms for the MDC is how to fund the party and its programs. This, as I have already stated, is a reform that is well within the MDC Alliance’s reach. They do not depend on ZANU PF. Being the alternative The job of the opposition is two-fold: it keeps the government in check and stands as the alternative government. Keeping the government in check means monitoring government policies and programs and holding them to account. This is done not only in the formal theatres of power such as Parliament but also in the media, which nowadays has expanded through social media. Only a few leaders of the MDC Alliance are adept at using social media, but most of the time it is to counter the propaganda from the state and ruling party handles on Twitter and Facebook. This has been effective and has frustrated ruling party propagandists which have responded with vitriol or arrests of opposition figures, such as the recent arrest of Fadzayi Mahere and Job Sikhala.
The other function, being the alternative government requires more work. While the MDC Alliance has done well to counter ZANU PF propaganda, it needs to do more to generate its content. When the BSR published details of corruption under the RBZ Farm Mechanisation Scheme, both ZANU PF and the government came out aggressively to defend themselves. When Hopewell Chin’ono pushed the matter of corruption surrounding the procurement of COVID19 goods, the ruling party and government not only responded aggressively too, but he was arrested and thrown into Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.
In both cases, something had happened to ZANU PF which it was not used to: the agenda had been set elsewhere and it had to respond. This is important because this is what the opposition as the government in waiting should be doing. It should be setting the agenda for ZANU PF, forcing it to respond. For this to happen, the opposition has to act as a Shadow Government – shadowing every move that the government makes and responding accordingly. There is a need for a dedicated team of professionals that track what the government is doing. It is these professionals who help the politicians with policy-based responses. You do not wait for the next election to write a manifesto. It is an on-going process.
Right now, there should be a robust policy-based proposition concerning the vaccination program, not as a response to the regime but as an alternative. This would demonstrate clearly to the citizens what the MDC Alliance would do differently if it were in charge. Likewise regarding the economy, agriculture, education, etc. How to oppose and how to be an alternative government is an important political reform that is well within the opposition party’s remit.
Name
Last year in May I wrote about the need to seriously invest some thought and resources into the issue of the party’s name. To that, I should also add the party’s constitution. These are important political reform issues within the MDC Alliance. There is a need for clarity. We do not want to be back here and say we told you so, because it does not help anyone. The MDC Alliance is the most credible opposition in the country and it matters because there must be checks and balances in our political system. But it is also clear that ZANU PF and its controlled opposition will not relent on their efforts to strip the MDC Alliance of everything, including its identity. It is not the name that wins elections. It is the idea and the people behind it that the people believe in.
Conclusion
Although the MDC Alliance remains the most authentic and credible challenge and alternative to the long-running ZANU PF regime whose footprint is defined by incompetence and repression, it cannot afford to rest on its laurels. It is fortified by its hard-core supporters, but this should not obscure its view of the other layers of the electorate, whose support is not guaranteed. The difference between political parties is often between the size of their inner core supporters and their ability to draw support from the unsure and wavering electorate. ZANU PF’s sheer incompetence and repressive politics make them difficult to support. But this is not good enough for the opposition. It cannot bank on ZANU PF failings. To win power, it must do more and this is where the issue of political reforms comes in.
While political reforms are often discussed in the context of what the ZANU PF regime should do to improve the electoral system and environment, I have switched the lenses to focus on internal political reforms that are required in the opposition. It starts with what I have referred to as the “discovery of ignorance”; an acknowledgment that “we do not know”, which is the foundation of research, the acquisition of knowledge, and improvement. There are things beyond rigging that have gone wrong in previous elections; things that need fixing. Those things can be fixed, but only if the opposition undertakes political reforms of its own. The advantage of these reforms is that they are entirely within the opposition’s control; they do not depend on ZANU PF doing something.
GOVERNMENT has declared tomorrow a public holiday in lieu of today’s National Youth Day that is commemorated to honour the country’s founding leader, the late former president Robert Mugabe.
February 21 was proclaimed a holiday in 2017 in recognition of Cde Mugabe’s works in championing the 21st February Movement that celebrates the contribution of young people to local political and socio-economic development.
The late national hero was born on February 21, 1924.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage advised the public that the holiday will be rolled over to tomorrow.
“In terms of the Extraordinary Government Gazette of 2 October 2020, on the Public Holidays in 2021, Sunday 21st February is the National Youth Day,” read the statement.
“Section 1 (i) of the Public Holidays and Prohibitions of the Business Act [Chapter 10:21] provides that: when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following shall be a public holiday; since the National Youth Day falls on a Sunday. It therefore follows that the public holiday will roll over to Monday 22 February 2021. Please be guided accordingly.”
Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry said National Youth Day is a window of opportunity for young people to create dialogue with Government aimed at bridging intergenerational gaps.- The Sunday Mail
