A woman from Kensington plots on the outskirts of Bulawayo, who thought she was pregnant because of her stomach which started swelling five months ago, was shocked when it was revealed to her by a prophet that her enormous bump was a result of witchcraft.
The truth was much worse when the woman, Anesu Tswangira (20), who mistook the bulge for pregnancy, was prophesied on by Madzibaba Emmanuel Mutumwa of the Johanne Masowe weChishanu sect, who revealed that the swelling of her belly was caused by black magic.
Madzibaba Mutumwa sensationally revealed that one of her husband, Mthokozisi Tshabalala’s female relatives who didn’t want her to become intimate with her husband, stole her two panties and allegedly “fixed” them with juju.
He revealed this on Saturday during a donation of mealie-meal to villagers, mostly the elderly, in Sihlengeni under Chief Sigola’s area, Matabeleland South province.
Tswangira was among the people who thronged Madzibaba Mutumwa’s new shrine in Sihlengeni where he donated about 100 bags of mealie-meal.
Things came to a halt when Madzibaba Mutumwa, who apparently sensed that something was wrong with Tswangira’s “pregnancy”, went into a trance-like state and summoned her to the front and prophesied over her.
“What you’re carrying is not a baby, but you are suffering from a mysterious condition that led to uncontrollable swelling of your stomach which makes you think you are pregnant. You were cursed by one of your husband’s female relatives who didn’t want you to be intimate with him (husband).
It was after she stole your two panties which she fixed with juju. She stole the panties when she visited you and she hid them under a big rock behind your house,” revealed Madzibaba Mutumwa before he ordered four women to accompany Tswangira to her house to fetch the underwear so that he can burn them.
A deathly silence engulfed the shrine a few minutes later when the women later brought the cursed underwear which the prophet ordered to be burnt as a way of removing the curse.
In an interview with B-Metro a terrified and emotionally disturbed Tswangira said when the “pregnancy” first appeared she was excited and hoped to give birth to a baby within nine months.
“When I noticed I was gaining weight around August last year I thought I was pregnant since I had stopped menstruating. I was also shocked when I recently visited the hospital for prenatal care and nurses told me that I was not pregnant. I was confused until today when Madzibaba Mutumwa told me that I was bewitched. It’s true that the condition started the same month my two panties went missing and the suspect is one of my husband’s relatives,” explained a teary Tswangira.
She insisted that before “healing” by Madzibaba Mutumwa hers was a “pregnancy” that kept bulging and was very uncomfortable, adding that the stomach left people offering her seats on public transport and asking about her due date. -B Metro
A girl (11) from Mweve Village, Simangani ward in Hwange lost her leg while her three friends escaped with minor injuries when a suspected landmine exploded at their homestead as they were playing.
Police confirmed that Samantha Mudimba was playing with three other minor girls aged eight years and below when the incident occurred on Tuesday.
Samantha has since been transferred from a hospital near her home and is now admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital.
“Children were injured as a result of an explosion in Sibakwazi, Mwebe Village under Chief Hwange on February 16.
Circumstances are that at around 0900hrs, four children were playing at Siphilisiwe Mathema’s homestead when there was an explosion. One child was seriously injured, losing her right leg,” said Matabeleland North police spokesperson, Inspector Glory Banda.
He said two children were rushed to Simangani Clinic before being transferred to St Patrick’s Hospital.
The one who lost her leg was then transferred to Mpilo Central Hospital.
Insp Banda warned villagers living in the area and near border areas not to pick suspicious objects.
“Our appeal to the public is that adults and children should treat every piece of metal not common in the area with suspicion especially in areas along the borders where landmines were planted during the armed struggle,” he said.
Ms Mathema whose three-year-old daughter was among the injured told Chronicle that she was startled by an explosion behind her kitchen hut as she was attending to her chores.
“The children were playing a crawling game behind my kitchen hut when all of a sudden I heard a loud explosion and children screaming. I rushed to the scene and found my younger sister, Samantha lying on the ground moaning in pain while the other children were also crying. That’s when I noticed that flesh on her leg was in shreds.
My daughter was also injured as she sustained cuts on her head and left side of the body. We raised alarm and some villagers managed to mobilise transport to the clinic before an ambulance was called to ferry them to Hwange. I’m still in shock over the whole incident as everything happened in a flash,” she narrated.
Another villager, Mr Osino Mumpande who attended the scene said he was jolted into action by a loud explosion as he worked in his field.
“I was one of the first people to arrive at the scene and assisted in mobilising transport to ferry the injured girls.
What I saw was not a good sight. One of the girls’ leg was completely shattered by the explosion while the other children suffered cuts all over their bodies. It’s a miracle that they survived especially Samantha whose injuries were serious compared to the others,” he said.
Mr Mumpande appealed to Government to ensure that landmines in the area are removed, adding that they were also killing and maiming both people and livestock.
“There was a programme that was launched sometime in 2006 by Government to demine these areas. It appears it was suspended. We appeal to Government to intervene as these are a danger to people’s lives and our livestock. Just yesterday a landmine was discovered in Msuna by our neighbours luckily no one was hurt as soldiers detonated it,” he said.- Chronicle
A man died after he was stoned by a gang of Amakorokoza who were accusing him of smashing the windscreen of their car.
A source said two men identified as Methuseli Nyoni and Freedom Tshuma told police that Omakorokoza stopped their Honda Fit after seeing Mlungisi Ncube (42) standing near Luveve Road.
“They were travelling in a Honda Fit. They stopped after seeing him and accused him of having smashed the windscreen of their car while in the company of his friends who are also illegal miners,” said Janet Ncube, sister to the deceased.
While he was trying to explain to them that he was not the one, three men jumped out of the car and manhandled him. They took turns to hit him.
Ncube tried to run away and that’s when more trouble came upon him, said a source close to investigations.
“As he was trying to flee one of the guys hit him on the head with a stone causing him to fall on the ground. Then another guy hit him again on the head with a stone and on the body causing him to bleed. They drove off leaving him writhing on the ground,” said the source.
A passerby found him lying on the ground, struggling to breath and rushed him to hospital where he was treated and discharged.
Janet said after a week he complained of a throbbing headache and memory loss.
“He was taken to Mpilo Central Hospital and died after two days,” said the source.
“The post-mortem results showed that the cause of death was raised intra cranial pressure, recent head injuries and post assault,” said Janet.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident.
“We are investigating a murder case where a 42-year-old man who was assaulted by Omakorokoza at intersection of Siyepambili Drive and Luveve Road later died in hospital. We are also appealing for information that may lead to the arrest of unknown men who allegedly severely assaulted the late.
Those with information can contact any nearest police station or send a tip -off to 078 7928015,” said Insp Ncube.- B-Metro
A MAN from Waterford suburb in Bulawayo could not handle the pressure of mounting debts decided to commit suicide and left a suicide note apologising to his family.
A source, who was close to the deceased (Collin Jere, 42), a sales representative at a furniture shop, said Jere owed a lot of people money and also failed to pay his rent at his rented house in Waterford suburb.
The quagmire he found himself in forced him to cut his life short and leave behind his wife Geraldine Masawi (39) and children.
A family insider said last week on Thursday while Jere was watching a movie with his wife, he went outside and never returned.
“He went outside to get a bit of fresh air as he was saying he was feeling hot. After about 30 minutes his wife got worried after realising that he had not returned. Masawi looked for him outside the house, but could not find him and the gate was wide open,” said the insider.
Police searched for him but could not find him.
The following day a neighbour, Douglas Muyeche, came across Jere’s body hanging from a tree a few metres from his home.
“He informed his wife (Masawi) who then made a police report. Police came and took the body to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for post- mortem,” said the family insider.
Upon searching the deceased’s pockets police discovered a suicide note explaining why he committed suicide.
“I regret doing this, but l am overwhelmed with debts which are beyond me. I have caused unexplainable pain to my wife, kids and relatives. I have sunk beyond retrieval. For everyone going to be affected by this my sincere sorry. I am too weak to handle pressure, l have caused too much pain to my landlord. I am out C. JERE (sic)”.
Bulawayo deputy police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the incident and advised members of the public to seek counselling from either pastors or elders in the community than to commit suicide.- B- Metro
A traditional healer from Pelandaba suburb in Bulawayo tried without success to resurrect the lifeless body of a boy who drowned in a pool last week.
B-Metro caught up with Sithembinkosi Mafika (63), who is the late Paul Sibanda’s grandmother.
She said after she was informed that her grandson had drowned in Emagodini pool in Pelandaba West she informed her neighbour Sibonile Mhlanga (46) who is a traditional healer.
“We went to the pool and retrieved the body. He assured me that my grandson had not died, but he was just lying unconscious,” she said.
A close family member who requested not to be named said: “Mhlanga convinced the granny that her grandson could be resuscitated. Mhlanga and the granny took the body to a bush, Mhlanga prepared fire and burnt herbs while calling her grandson to life. But his bid to resurrect him failed.”
Seeing that his magical powers had failed, Mhlanga told the granny that the boy’s ancestors were not responding.
“He told me that the deceased’s ancestors were reluctant to resurrect the boy and that there was nothing that he could do to resuscitate him,” said the heart- broken Mafika.
After that Mafika reported the matter at Pumula Police Station. The body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for post mortem.
Bulawayo deputy police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed: “We are investigating a case where a Grade Seven pupil drowned in a four-metre deep pool in Pelandaba suburb while he was swimming.
“We would like to urge parents to always monitor their children and warn them never to play near any water body or at a water pool because they would be putting their lives at risk.”
The granny said her grandson was doing Grade Seven at Ngubo Primary School in Old Lobengula. -B Metro
MDC Alliance secretary-general Chalton Hwende has responded to MDC-T chairperson Morgen Komichi after the latter bragged of being in control of the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (MRT) House, formerly Harvest House, the original MDC’s national headquarters.
In a post on Facebook this Thursday, Hwende said at the right time, the MDC Alliance will repossess what rightfully belongs to the people.
Hwende slammed the MDC-T for using violence to take control of MRT House from the MDC Alliance last year.
The former Kuwadzana MP also hit out at Komichi for his remarks to the effect that the MDC-T has commenced a process to stop the Nelson Chamisa-led party from using the MDC Alliance name. Said Hwende:
In the fullness of time, everything that belongs to the People will be returned to the People. Thousands died fighting for democratic Change, MRT House is the revolutionary house and symbol for our resilience.
It was taken by brute force by a criminal syndicate masquerading as a political party. President Tsvangirai was a People’s President he did not own the People or MRT House.
He was selected by the People as the symbol of our Struggle he is resting in peace now and the new Symbol of Our Struggle is President Chamisa.
Zvana Komichi zvekuchemera Zita and the People is a sideshow let’s not get distracted a name is nothing we are defined and identified by our unwavering commitment to the struggle for the emancipation of our people.
While giving a speech on the third anniversary of the late MDC founding father Morgan Tsvangirai’s death on Sunday, Komichi said:
The name MDC Alliance is ours. We are going to stop those who are using the name.
We have a legal position which says MDC Alliance is our name. Anyone who is using it is misguided.
We have started the process to stop them from using the name and I cannot tell you our strategies. They must come up with a name of their own.- Pindula News
A man from Emthunzini suburb in Bulawayo sexually assaulted his stepdaughter to spite his wife, who was allegedly having a sexual affair with a man in the same suburb.
The man cannot be named so as to protect the identity of the 15-year-old minor. Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident.
“We arrested a man who raped his 15-year-old stepdaughter at a bushy area near Emthunzini suburb.
“The man told the minor that he had to rape her because her mother was involved in an extra marital affair with a man in the suburb,” said Insp Ncube.
Insp Ncube advised rape victims to seek medical attention within 72 hours after the ordeal so as to get post exposure prophylaxis.
“Post exposure prophylaxis will help in preventing one from contracting HIV and they will also get medication to prevent unwanted pregnancy,” he said.
A source said last week on Friday at around 6am, the pair went to Inyanda Farm to work in the fields in return for payment.
While they were working in the farm, the stepdad told his step child that they had to take a recess and they sat under a tree.
After a few minutes the dad said they had to look for firewood in the bushy area and the unsuspecting child agreed.
“While they were in the bush looking for firewood he said they had to rest under a tree. He then started to caress the minor and raped her.
“After the ordeal he told the minor that he raped her because he was fixing her mother who was cheating on him with a man in the suburb,” said a source close to the family.
After the act the pair went home and upon arrival the minor told her aunt that her stepfather had raped her.
Her aunt advised her to report the matter to the police and accompanied her to Nkulumane Police Station where a report was made leading to the arrest of the man.
The minor was referred to Mpilo Central Hospital for medical examination. The man is set to appear in court. -B Metro
A cornered suspect surrendered to police on Tuesday in connection with a robbery which occurred in Harare sometime in September last year when he teamed up with his accomplices, manned a fake roadblock and stole US$130 000 from a motorist.
Desire Tsaurai Kupara (33) yesterday appeared at Harare Magistrate Courts charged with robbery. Kupara, who was being represented by lawyer Mr Musindo Hungwe was not asked to plead when he appeared before magistrate Mr Sheunesu Matova.
The State led by Mrs Shambadzeni Fungura opposed bail saying he was likely going to team up with his accomplices who are still at large. Mrs Fungura asked Detective Constable Takudzwa Mutemachani to testify on why Kupara was not a suitable candidate for bail.
Det Const Mutemachani said Kupara was likely to continue terrorising communities and hinder their investigations as they were yet to conduct searches at his residence.
He also said Kupara had been communicating with some of his accomplices, which might allow him to interfere with investigations. -Herald
Tinashe Sambiri|A Zanu PF activist based in Gutu West Constituency has threatened to deal with Serima High School Teacher, Batsiranai Ngugama, for exposing rampant looting of Pfumvudza inputs.
The Zanu PF activist, Patrick Marimazhira, is reportedly involved massive looting of Pfumvudza inputs. He is also denying perceived Zanu PF opponents access to the inputs.
Ngugama, who has media background, wrote an article exposing the looting of inputs by Marimazhira and senior Zanu PF officials.
Incensed by the article, Marimazhira then threatened to deal with Ngugama. Ngugama has since report the matter to Chatsworth police.
See chats below:
[2/17, 08:30] Batsie Ngugama: iwe ndiwe wakanaka stealing? [2/17, 08:34] Batsie Ngugama: Saka ungade kuva mutungamiri weuwori here? Kana muchiita hanti munenge muri magamba here? Vanhu vakaona vakatiudza hatiregi kunyora. Izvi zvazvatononoka because if party knows this and ndosaka pakaitwa measures amakaudzwa. Hierarchy yose knows game ramakaita. [2/17, 20:22] Patrick Marimazhira: Ndoda umboo hwacho ,kwandiri haisi nyaya .Uye pandakaisa mbeu yacho yandakaba. [2/17, 21:10] Patrick Marimazhira: Ini hangu ,handina kudzidza ,asi tongozoona. [2/18, 02:26] Batsie Ngugama: sources are our blood we protect them. [2/18, 02:28] Batsie Ngugama: pamutemo check this word ‘tongozoona’. kkkkkk i know a lot kana usingazivi zvako. [2/18, 06:16] Patrick Marimazhira: Eeee,makasvibisa Zita rangu nokuda kwekunzwa handei mberi.Ndiri murume kwete karume [2/18, 06:19] Patrick Marimazhira: Kungonditi mbavha kwamakaita ndokwandoda kuona ikoko.Ndoda kuona kuti akadzidza neasina ndiyani mukuru handiyi mberi. [2/18, 06:24] Patrick Marimazhira: Wadenha Mangwiro wotogwinya,tangawabvunza munhu kuti urikuitei kana dziri politics handei choo [2/18, 08:06] Batsie Ngugama: Remember haisi 2008. Zvamakaita tozviziva. [2/18, 08:17] Batsie Ngugama: The government is saying NO TO CORRUPTION saka you can’t threaten me. Moda kusvibisa zita reZanu PF nehuori!
Tinashe Sambiri|A Zanu PF activist based in Gutu West Constituency has threatened to deal with Serima High School Teacher, Batsiranai Ngugama, for exposing rampant looting of Pfumvudza inputs.
The Zanu PF activist, Patrick Marimazhira, is reportedly involved massive looting of Pfumvudza inputs. He is also denying perceived Zanu PF opponents access to the inputs.
Ngugama, who has media background, wrote an article exposing the looting of inputs by Marimazhira and senior Zanu PF officials.
Incensed by the article, Marimazhira then threatened to deal with Ngugama. Ngugama has since report the matter to Chatsworth police.
See chats below:
[2/17, 08:30] Batsie Ngugama: iwe ndiwe wakanaka stealing? [2/17, 08:34] Batsie Ngugama: Saka ungade kuva mutungamiri weuwori here? Kana muchiita hanti munenge muri magamba here? Vanhu vakaona vakatiudza hatiregi kunyora. Izvi zvazvatononoka because if party knows this and ndosaka pakaitwa measures amakaudzwa. Hierarchy yose knows game ramakaita. [2/17, 20:22] Patrick Marimazhira: Ndoda umboo hwacho ,kwandiri haisi nyaya .Uye pandakaisa mbeu yacho yandakaba. [2/17, 21:10] Patrick Marimazhira: Ini hangu ,handina kudzidza ,asi tongozoona. [2/18, 02:26] Batsie Ngugama: sources are our blood we protect them. [2/18, 02:28] Batsie Ngugama: pamutemo check this word ‘tongozoona’. kkkkkk i know a lot kana usingazivi zvako. [2/18, 06:16] Patrick Marimazhira: Eeee,makasvibisa Zita rangu nokuda kwekunzwa handei mberi.Ndiri murume kwete karume [2/18, 06:19] Patrick Marimazhira: Kungonditi mbavha kwamakaita ndokwandoda kuona ikoko.Ndoda kuona kuti akadzidza neasina ndiyani mukuru handiyi mberi. [2/18, 06:24] Patrick Marimazhira: Wadenha Mangwiro wotogwinya,tangawabvunza munhu kuti urikuitei kana dziri politics handei choo [2/18, 08:06] Batsie Ngugama: Remember haisi 2008. Zvamakaita tozviziva. [2/18, 08:17] Batsie Ngugama: The government is saying NO TO CORRUPTION saka you can’t threaten me. Moda kusvibisa zita reZanu PF nehuori!
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Harare Mayor Councillor Ben Manyenyeni has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa should focus on reviving the country’s economy instead of concentrating on removing MDC Alliance led local authorities.
On Wednesday Mr Mnangagwa urged Zanu PF members to work tirelessly to regain control of Urban councils.
Said Manyenyeni in a statement: Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa is a consistent guy.
He is an intensely partisan political figure.
That his current job is Head of State will not change that.
That urban local authorities are under his government means nothing to him.
That there are serious interventions needed to fix our municipalities is not his priority
That his 41-year old government is responsible for where this country finds itself in escapes him.
Instead of leading the national cohesion, recovery and the restoration of functional local government systems he is focused on removing MDC A from councils in 2023.
He conveniently ignores the reality that it is not just urban councils which are in bad shape but it is ZIMBABWE as a whole that must recover from 41 years of MISRULE.
Government is a ghost, parastatals are a disaster. It’s because of MDC A – I presume?
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC MDC Alliance Youth Assembly vice chairperson, Cecilia Chimbiri has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to release human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe.
Makomborero was arrested in the capital on Wednesday.
See Cecilia Chimbiri’s statement below:
Free our Commander
Makomborero Haruzivishe is not a criminal…
He is a young man fighting for Zimbabwe to be free from economic woes and political instability.
What do you have against the young ? What do you have against voices ? Why were you firing shots @ him is he Chidhumo or Masendeke Is he a murderer ? Is he a human rights violator .
Will arresting him ease all the problems we have in this country ? You have crossed the rubicon
Enough is enough Free Mako in good health He is not a criminal that’s why he is not a flight risk freeourcommander enoughisenough
Mako is a young man driven by passion His only ambition is a double aspiration: firstly to be able to speak in a simple language, with evident and clear words, on behalf of Zimbabweans secondly to manage to also be the voice of the many disinherited people of Zimbabwe
Mako is intelligent, streetwise ,seasoned &politician that can create significant movement. Mako has the ability to zoom in on the essence of what the majority of Zimbabweans need and connect with them. He also has the capacity to understand the bigger picture of our complex and dynamic political landscape. He is courageous, which some might view as something else . He speaks truth to power. He challenges the status quo wherever he goes,He is a change agent, He has guts – He has strong views and is not afraid to noise it out . He promotes a cause with passion and vigour! Meanwhile he is secretary for Labor in the MDC Alliance Youth Assembly he also allows his organization and team to lead him.
Will he be more than a strong influencer and change agent? Ultimately it lies in our hands. Are we willing to take the risk? But one thing is certain, you as a leader must watch him, understand him. He is part of your big picture! Mako is Commander that’s why this explanation of his person is penned down . We need to fight for Mako he is not a criminal.
Let’s not let Mako down freeCommanderMako FreeMako freeourcommander
Own Correspondent| Nissan has launched the third generation of the all-new Qashqai Digital Premiere.
14 years after creating the crossover segment, Qashqai is back with a completely renewed design inside and out, innovative technologies and electrified powertrains.
In the clip below vice president Product Planning Europe, Marco Fioravanti speaks on the the all-new Nissan Qashqai digital premiere’s splendid functions:
A 13-year-old boy from Nkululeko in Silobela, Midlands was electrocuted when he leaned against a ZESA powerline pole inside Nkululeko High Schoolyard.
Midlands provincial spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the tragic incident which occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Mahoko said the boy, Luckmore Ngwenya, was herding cattle in the schoolyard together with his 17-year-old brother when the tragedy struck. Mahoko said:
The scene has since been attended by the police and the body was taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital awating postmortem. Officials from the ZETDC also attended to the scene and investigations are still underway.
The incident comes after another boy, Colleen Chinyemba, 15, who was doing Form 3 at Nkululeko High was last year electrocuted while doing laundry in a tub at the school hostel.
Then an 11-year-old boy was last year September electrocuted in a Bushy area near Nguboyenja flyover Bulawayo as he was searching for some wild fruits with his friends.
In the same month, a woman tragically lost her life after she was electrocuted as she was relieving herself in a ZESA substation in Bulawayo.
Then another 15-year-old girl from Nlumumani, Bulawayo was found unconscious in their family residence’s bathroom in a suspected case of electrocution in February last year.
These cases have been on the rise recently and authorities blame faulty lines.- The Herald
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sent his condolences to the family of the late Deputy Commissioner (retired) of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Moses Griffiths Mpofu.
In a statement, President Mnangagwa said:
The death last week of Retired Deputy Commissioner of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Cde Moses Griffiths Mpofu, has robbed our Nation of yet another gallant son of the soil, a former freedom fighter and a strong revolutionary cadre.
While we knew that Deputy Commissioner Mpofu had not been well for sometime, to the extent that he had to be hospitalized, our prayerful expectations were for his speedy recovery.
Therefore, his untimely death came as a great shock to those of us who had lived, fought, and worked alongside him both before and after our country’s Independence.
His passing on has left a deep wound in our hearts that will be difficult to heal. We shall remember him for his strong virtues of courage, fortitude, patriotism, and integrity which he amply demonstrated before and after Independence as a senior police officer of the Zimbabwe Republic Police. The life he lived shall continue to inspire our nation.
On behalf of ZANU PF, Government, my family, and indeed on my behalf. I wish to express my deepest condolences to the Mpofu family. especially to his wife Sibonile and the children who have lost a dear husband, father and counsellor. May they be comforted from the knowledge that we are together during this hour of their deep grief.
By A Correspondent- The country has started assembling at least 50 000 units of local Information Technology Communication (ICTs) devices including laptops and I-pads annually with 800 units already assembled. Some are in the market.
Treasury has since availed funding for a second batch of 1 500 units earmarked for various Government departments.
The ICT’s a brainchild of the Office of the President and Cabinet are being assembled in Msasa, Harare by a newly registered local firm, Zimbabwe Technology Company (ZiTCO) a joint venture of Government, TelOne and Inspur.
This was revealed during Vice President Kembo Mohadi’s tour at the National Data Centre and ICT assembly plant in Msasa today while accompanied by Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere and other Government officials.-statemedia
By Farirai Madhumbe Norton MP Temba Mliswa’s ex girlfriend, | Susan Mutami claims she has been held “hostage” together with her 4-year-old son by some state agents at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe airport where she wants to take a flight to Dubai.
Mutami crashed social media in the past few days, excitedly gushing out tonnes of detail about her doomed love relationship with Temba Mliswa and the Norton legislator’s business and political secrets.
She has inadvertently invited interest from the country’s secret agency.
said Mutami:
They are saying I’m a state witness and I need to co-operate and they wanted to call Owen Mudha Ncube first at their office for approval @UN@AusEmbZim @usembassyharare and am with my 4year old son Tendai Hemish Jr Moyo
By James Gwati-The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has recorded a high number of human rights violations perpetrated by the Zimbabwe National Army and the Zimbabwe Republic Police since the bigining of this year.
This sad development is happening when the Army and the Police constitutionally mandated to protect citizens.
In its January 2021 report published, Thursday, ZPP said the Police accounted for 45.05 per cent of the 271 human rights violations in January, up from 22.61 in December, while the Army contributed to 26.07 per cent of human rights violations, compared to 7.9 per cent in December.
“The police and the army are on the frontline of enforcing the lockdown and while doing that, they have harassed, assaulted and illegally detained citizens,” said ZPP.
“ZPP documented 101 cases of harassment, 44 cases of assault, and 19 unlawful arrests, most of which are attributable to the enforcement of the lockdown regulations. It is on this basis that January was a false start to 2021, a year that was hoped to provide a break from the turmoil of 2020,” ZPP said.
All these violations by the Army and the Police, ZPP said were perpetrated in the name of enforcing the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
At roadblocks, the police are demanding cash ranging from US$1 to US$5 from passengers and drivers whom they could have found travelling without government-issued exemption letters.
In high-density suburbs, the law enforcement agents are rounding up citizens gathering at local shops, arrest them and demand money for them to be freed.
“ ZPP recorded countrywide incidents where the state security agents demanded bribes in exchange for the freedom to those they would have arrested. For example, on January 5, police at Murombedzi Growth Point in Zvimba West arrested and assaulted villagers who were at the rural shopping centre before demanding bribes. The victims were accused of not properly wearing face masks and the villagers were only released after paying between US$2.00 and US$3.00 each,” ZPP reported.
bBy A Correspondent- Vatican City has told employees that they may risk losing their jobs if they refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccination without legitimate health reasons.
Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, effectively the governor of Vatican City decreed that getting a vaccine was “the responsible choice” because of the risk of harming other people.
Vatican City, a city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy, which is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, has several thousand employees, most of whom live in Italy.
Its vaccination programme began last month and Pope Francis, 84, was among the first to get the jab.
The seven-page decree says that those who cannot get vaccinated for health reasons may be given another position, presumably where they would have contact with fewer people, but will receive the same pay even if the new post is a demotion.
But the decree said those who refuse to get a vaccination without sufficient reason would be subject to a specific provision in a 2011 law on employee rights and duties which says employees who refuse “preventive measures” could be subjected to “varying degrees of consequences that could lead to dismissal”.
The decree was signed on Feb. 8 and later posted on the website of the governor’s department.
The Vatican has also made a COVID-19 vaccination obligatory for journalists accompanying Pope Francis on his trip to Iraq next month.
Bertello, who signed the decree, tested positive for coronavirus in December and went into self-isolation.
There have been fewer than 30 cases of coronavirus in the Vatican City, most of them among the Swiss Guard, who live in communal barracks.
This comes amid fears that COVID-19 vaccination could become the new passport or visa for travelling from one country to another.-reuters
By A Correspondent- A 22 year old Mwenezi man paid a heavy price for violating lockdown rules and joining other villagers to drink mukumbi traditional brew after he was fatally stabbed with a home-made knife by his cousin.
Lloyd Makura of Village 3, Darlington Farm in Maranda yesterday died after he was allegedly stabbed twice on his back with a knife by Shakemore Zunga (27) from the same village.
A gathering over mukumbi at an octogenarian’s homestead in the village ended prematurely after Makura started bleeding profusely from the stab wounds until he collapsed and died.
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa said it was still unclear why Zunga stabbed Makura.
“The suspect appeared from the blindside armed with a home-made knife and without a word, stabbed the deceased twice on the back prompting the latter to flee.”
“After a few minutes the deceased returned at the gathering bleeding heavily before he collapsed and died,”said Inspector Dhewa.
Zunga vanished from the scene and is still on the run with a police hunt underway.
Makura’s corpse was taken to Neshuro Hospital for a postmortem.
“We still appeal to members of the public whether in urban or rural areas that the nation is still under lockdown and gatherings over beer are still outlawed,”added Inspector Dhewa warning police would descend heavily on those who violate lockdown rules.
Mukumbi is a traditional brew common in arid parts of the Lowveld that is made from amarula fruit and is notorious for being highly intoxicating.
By A Correspondent – Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) and an independent lawyer, have dragged the Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, and Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe, for illegally hiking COVID-19 violation fines.
ZIMRIGHTS and human rights lawyer, Sheila Jarvis, on Wednesday filed an urgent chamber application at Harare High Court seeking an order to stop the government from implementing or enforcing the outrageous new deposit fines which the three ministers recently purported to have authorised.
In an urgent chamber application filed by Tonderai Bhatasara of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, human rights lawyer Sheila Jarvis and ZimRights argued that government had erred by purporting to approve increases in deposit fines which police officers manning checkpoints and roadblocks have already begun to implement.
Through the three ministers and the Parliament of Zimbabwe, Government gazetted Statutory Instrument (SI) 25/2021 in an Extraordinary Gazette published on Monday 25 January 2021, which had the effect of increasing all deposit fines.
Jarvis and ZimRights said the enforcement of SI 25/2021 is a legal nullity and contravenes their right to equality and non-discrimination enshrined in section 56 of the Constitution.
The human rights lawyer and the human rights organisation said given the massive increases in the fines compared to the income levels of the general population, there is a reasonable apprehension of irreparable harm that will be caused to many offenders who would fail to pay the increased fines yet eventually SI 25/2021 would be set aside.
Jarvis and ZimRights contended that the law requires the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to get Parliament’s approval before increasing deposit fines levels.
SI 25/2021, Jarvis and ZimRights argued, is invalid in that it was not made in accordance with section 280(6) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act), which says “A statutory instrument may not be made in terms of subsection (5) unless a draft has been laid before and approved by resolution of Parliament.
The human rights lawyer and ZimRights stated that with no swipe machines or ticket-books at roadblocks plus little cash available, amid the obtaining economic challenges, there is a real risk of higher fines causing real hardship and corruption.
“ We want Ziyambi, Mthuli Ncube, Kazembe and Parliament, their subordinates and any other person acting under their control or on their behalf to be interdicted from implementing or enforcing the deposit fines purportedly authorised by SI 25 of 2021,” Jarvis and ZimRights said.
By A Correspondent- A 32 year old police officer has appeared before the courts after he was arrested for taking a bribe from an illegal beer outlet.
The cop, Charles Maruta, allegedly arrested the complainant who was operating an illegal beer outlet but upon arrival at the Police Station, he demanded a bribe in exchange for his release.
It is the state’s case that the complainant gave Maruta 30 United States dollars and was released from police custody.
The complainant, however, then filed a police report leading to Maruta’s arrest. Maruta was charged with bribery and criminal abuse of duty.
During his court appearance this Wednesday, Maruta was granted a ZW$10 000 bail and remanded to the 5th of April.
Corruption has been rampant in the country despite calls by the government for public officials and the nation at large to refrain from underhand dealings.
The incumbent case is considered petty corruption as there are reports that some senior government officials have been stealing millions of dollars at the expense of the whole nation.
Last year, then-Health Minister Dr. Obadiah Moyo was dismissed from office after he had been accused of abusing US$60 million which was set aside for the procurement of COVID-19 equipment.
It is estimated that Zimbabwe is losing about US$3 billion every year through illicit deals and the smuggling of mineral resources including gold and diamonds.-statemedia
By James Gwati- President Emerson Mnangagwa has directed his deputy, Rt Army General, Constantino Chiwenga to lead a Taskforce which would be demolishing people’s houses in Harare and other urban centres.
Mnangagwa made this announcement during his party’s politburo meeting in Harare, Wednesday when he accused the opposition-led local authorities of failing to run the affairs of towns and cities.
“A Joint Ministerial Taskforce chaired by Vice President Chiwenga is seized with the unlawful settlements, inclusive of settlements on wetlands so that we bring relief to the people as soon as possible,” Mnangagwa told his party’s highest decision-making body.
“It has become obvious to all our people that the opposition-led councils have failed to deliver services to the people. We must vote them out of these councils.
The President incited his party structures, particularly, the Women’s League, war veterans and Youth League to grab opposition-led local authorities in the name of ensuring and promoting what he called “ the development agenda”.
“I expect that the party leaders raise their political consciousness first and foremost so that they can serve the people more effectively. We must remain with the people, like fish in water, “ he said.
Zanu PF has embarked on a hatchet project where it is discrediting all opposition-run local authorities using the state media.
The ruling party is targeting, suspending and arresting senior officials of all MDC led local authorities on trumped-up charges of corruption.
By A Correspondent| Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa’s ex-girlfriend Suzan Mutami has reported state security agents have blocked her from leaving Zimbabwe on the grounds that she is a state witness.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
Posting on Twitter, Mutami said state security agents barred her from boarding her flight to Dubai as they said they wanted to call State security minister Owen Ncube for approval.
“Am being held hostage @ Harare international airport by state security agents who won’t let me board my flight to Dubai @AusEmbZim@ScottMorrisonMP@UN without no charge or anything
“They are saying I’m a state witness and I need to co-operate and they wanted to call Owen Mudha Ncube first at their office for approval @UN@AusEmbZim@usembassyharare and am with my 4year old son Tendai Hemish Jr Moyo
“They are saying the Australian embassy should contact @MoFA_ZW yet I haven’t committed any crime of being charged with any so@im not leaving the airport,” said Mutami.
By A Correspondent| Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa’s ex-girlfriend Suzan Mutami has reported state security agents have blocked her from leaving Zimbabwe on the grounds that she is a state witness.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
Posting on Twitter, Mutami said state security agents barred her from boarding her flight to Dubai as they said they wanted to call State security minister Owen Ncube for approval.
“Am being held hostage @ Harare international airport by state security agents who won’t let me board my flight to Dubai @AusEmbZim@ScottMorrisonMP@UN without no charge or anything
“They are saying I’m a state witness and I need to co-operate and they wanted to call Owen Mudha Ncube first at their office for approval @UN@AusEmbZim@usembassyharare and am with my 4year old son Tendai Hemish Jr Moyo
“They are saying the Australian embassy should contact @MoFA_ZW yet I haven’t committed any crime of being charged with any so@im not leaving the airport,” said Mutami.
By A Correspondent| Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa’s ex-girlfriend Suzan Mutami has reported state security agents have blocked her from leaving Zimbabwe on the grounds that she is a state witness.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
Posting on Twitter, Mutami said state security agents barred her from boarding her flight to Dubai as they said they wanted to call State security minister Owen Ncube for approval.
“Am being held hostage @ Harare international airport by state security agents who won’t let me board my flight to Dubai @AusEmbZim@ScottMorrisonMP@UN without no charge or anything
“They are saying I’m a state witness and I need to co-operate and they wanted to call Owen Mudha Ncube first at their office for approval @UN@AusEmbZim@usembassyharare and am with my 4year old son Tendai Hemish Jr Moyo
“They are saying the Australian embassy should contact @MoFA_ZW yet I haven’t committed any crime of being charged with any so@im not leaving the airport,” said Mutami.
By Jane Mlambo| Upcoming gospel musician and United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ) cleric Rev Fredrick Thondhlana has hailed the power of collaborations in the music industry saying his partnership with Sungura maestro Tatenda Pinjisi in 2020 was a major turning point in his short career.
In an interview with ZimEye, Rev Thodhs as he is widely known said he is already in the studio working on his second album which will also feature quite a number of established musicians.
“For 2021, I have plans which includes finishing my second album which i believe will be well received by many.
“It has 10 tracks including hymns from our Ndau hymnal. I have also lined up collaborations with artists I will not mention now.
“I have seen the power of collaborations after my song with Tatenda Pinjisi titled Ndirangarireiwo,” said Rev Thodhs.
He spoke of his eagerness to build his musical brand to the levels reached by other gospel music greats like the Charambas, Baba Mechanic Manyeruke, Blessing Shumba and many others.
“I have a mission to preach the word of God and will not rest until my message reaches every corner of the world,” added Rev Thodhs.
He acknowledged the overwhelming endorsement he got from his church which he said has given him the confidence to soldier on in the music industry which he said is difficult to breakthrough.
“I am quite satisfied about how people have received my music. People are encouraging me to do more.
“My single with Pinjisi was number 27 on 2020 Diamond FM top 50.
“The song also stayed in the top 20 for quite a period in 2020. This has shown me that the future looks bright,” said Rev Thodhs.
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Harare Mayor Councillor Ben Manyenyeni has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa should focus on reviving the country’s economy instead of concentrating on removing MDC Alliance led local authorities.
On Wednesday Mr Mnangagwa urged Zanu PF members to work tirelessly to regain control of Urban councils.
Said Manyenyeni in a statement: Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa is a consistent guy.
He is an intensely partisan political figure.
That his current job is Head of State will not change that.
That urban local authorities are under his government means nothing to him.
That there are serious interventions needed to fix our municipalities is not his priority.
That his 41-year old government is responsible for where this country finds itself in escapes him.
Instead of leading the national cohesion, recovery and the restoration of functional local government systems he is focused on removing MDC A from councils in 2023.
He conveniently ignores the reality that it is not just urban councils which are in bad shape but it is ZIMBABWE as a whole that must recover from 41 years of MISRULE.
Government is a ghost, parastatals are a disaster. It’s because of MDC A – I presume?
LEAD, Mr PRESIDENT.
Park the politicking, Sir, LEAD.
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Harare Mayor Councillor Ben Manyenyeni has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa should focus on reviving the country’s economy instead of concentrating on removing MDC Alliance led local authorities.
On Wednesday Mr Mnangagwa urged Zanu PF members to work tirelessly to regain control of Urban councils.
Said Manyenyeni in a statement: Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa is a consistent guy.
He is an intensely partisan political figure.
That his current job is Head of State will not change that.
That urban local authorities are under his government means nothing to him.
That there are serious interventions needed to fix our municipalities is not his priority.
That his 41-year old government is responsible for where this country finds itself in escapes him.
Instead of leading the national cohesion, recovery and the restoration of functional local government systems he is focused on removing MDC A from councils in 2023.
He conveniently ignores the reality that it is not just urban councils which are in bad shape but it is ZIMBABWE as a whole that must recover from 41 years of MISRULE.
Government is a ghost, parastatals are a disaster. It’s because of MDC A – I presume?
First batch of vaccines arrived and rollout will start soon. More vaccines are coming in the future months. Zimbabwe people will benefit from it. pic.twitter.com/6qbYPNZO5i
Own Correspondent| Nissan has launched the third generation of the all-new Qashqai Digital Premiere.
14 years after creating the crossover segment, Qashqai is back with a completely renewed design inside and out, innovative technologies and electrified powertrains.
In the clip below vice president Product Planning Europe, Marco Fioravanti speaks on the the all-new Nissan Qashqai digital premiere’s splendid functions:
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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The CAF Champions League encounter between Wydad Casablanca and Kaizer Chiefs will not happen on Egyptian soil after the North African country’s Football Association said they can’t host the match.
Wydad had picked Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo as the venue for the postponed match after the Moroccan government had refused to grant the South Africans an exemption from the COVID-19 travelling restrictions.
The Group A tie was supposed to be played last Saturday in Casablanca but the logistics issue saw the date and venue changed.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, the Egyptian FA are now stating they won’t be able to host the match between the two sides.
“The EFA would like to apologise about hosting the game between Wydad and Kaizer Chiefs in the CAF Champions League that has been postponed from its original date,” the statement read.
“The EFA does not see the new date [28 February] suitable to host the match and apologises to CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.”- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
By A Correspondent| Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa’s ex-girlfriend Suzan Mutami has reported state security agents have blocked her from leaving Zimbabwe on the grounds that she is a state witness.
Posting on Twitter, Mutami said state security agents barred her from boarding her flight to Dubai as they said they wanted to call State security minister Owen Ncube for approval.
“Am being held hostage @ Harare international airport by state security agents who won’t let me board my flight to Dubai @AusEmbZim@ScottMorrisonMP@UN without no charge or anything
“They are saying I’m a state witness and I need to co-operate and they wanted to call Owen Mudha Ncube first at their office for approval @UN@AusEmbZim@usembassyharare and am with my 4year old son Tendai Hemish Jr Moyo
“They are saying the Australian embassy should contact @MoFA_ZW yet I haven’t committed any crime of being charged with any so@im not leaving the airport,” said Mutami.
Former Dynamos and CAPS United midfielder Dominic Mukandi has pleaded with the authorities to enable the resumption of the local league, saying lack of income on the part of players can result in them making regrettable decisions.
Football in the country was brought to a halt in March due to government’s quest to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19 and hasn’t returned since, with blame game between ZIFA and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) the order of the day.
Mukandi, who is not attached to any club at the moment, pleaded with the authorities to usher-in the resumption of the local top-flight, as it is a source of income for many bread winners.
“Even if I train after that I need food to replenish my body. At the same time the family is looking up to me to put food on the table. I do not want to lie, my morale is very low. I’m just training because this is work, but things are not well. We are getting to a stage where some of us may end up stealing due to lack of income,” he said in video posted by the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe(FUZ)-Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
FC Platinum arrived in Senegal last night for their second leg encounter of the CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage play-offs against ASC Jaraaf.
The game will be played on Sunday at Stade Lat Dior in Thiès. Kick-off time is at 6 pm CAT.
The Platinum Boys are trailing 1-0 in the tie after succumbing to a defeat in the first leg played in Harare last weekend.
They require to win the next match with a two-goal margin or settle for a scoreline that would see them qualify to the Group stages by away goal rule.
What Coach Norman Mapeza Said About The Second Leg:
Norman Mapeza said they are far from throwing in the towel and will try to overturn the deficit on Sunday.
He told reporters on Monday: “Look, this is football in the first place, anything is possible, we can turn things around, nothing stops us. We watched their games where they have lost at home.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Tinashe Sambiri|A Zanu PF activist based in Gutu West Constituency has threatened to deal with Serima High School Teacher, Batsiranai Ngugama, for exposing rampant looting of Pfumvudza inputs.
The Zanu PF activist, Patrick Marimazhira, is reportedly involved massive looting of Pfumvudza inputs. He is also denying perceived Zanu PF opponents access to the inputs.
Ngugama, who has media background, wrote an article exposing the looting of inputs by Marimazhira and senior Zanu PF officials.
Incensed by the article, Marimazhira then threatened to deal with Ngugama. Ngugama has since report the matter to Chatsworth police.
See chats below:
[2/17, 08:30] Batsie Ngugama: iwe ndiwe wakanaka stealing? [2/17, 08:34] Batsie Ngugama: Saka ungade kuva mutungamiri weuwori here? Kana muchiita hanti munenge muri magamba here? Vanhu vakaona vakatiudza hatiregi kunyora. Izvi zvazvatononoka because if party knows this and ndosaka pakaitwa measures amakaudzwa. Hierarchy yose knows game ramakaita. [2/17, 20:22] Patrick Marimazhira: Ndoda umboo hwacho ,kwandiri haisi nyaya .Uye pandakaisa mbeu yacho yandakaba. [2/17, 21:10] Patrick Marimazhira: Ini hangu ,handina kudzidza ,asi tongozoona. [2/18, 02:26] Batsie Ngugama: sources are our blood we protect them. [2/18, 02:28] Batsie Ngugama: pamutemo check this word ‘tongozoona’. kkkkkk i know a lot kana usingazivi zvako. [2/18, 06:16] Patrick Marimazhira: Eeee,makasvibisa Zita rangu nokuda kwekunzwa handei mberi.Ndiri murume kwete karume [2/18, 06:19] Patrick Marimazhira: Kungonditi mbavha kwamakaita ndokwandoda kuona ikoko.Ndoda kuona kuti akadzidza neasina ndiyani mukuru handiyi mberi. [2/18, 06:24] Patrick Marimazhira: Wadenha Mangwiro wotogwinya,tangawabvunza munhu kuti urikuitei kana dziri politics handei choo [2/18, 08:06] Batsie Ngugama: Remember haisi 2008. Zvamakaita tozviziva. [2/18, 08:17] Batsie Ngugama: The government is saying NO TO CORRUPTION saka you can’t threaten me. Moda kusvibisa zita reZanu PF nehuori!
Warriors team manager Wellington Mpandare has given an update on the situation regarding Marvelous Nakamba and Tendayi Darikwa after the British government introduced new laws which might result in the duo failing to turn up for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers against Botswana and Zambia.
Nakamba and Darikwa, who are on the ranks of Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic respectively, are key members of the Warriors fold and will be named in provisional squad for the decisive Group H qualifiers slated for next month.
Their availability has been cast into doubt following UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson’s announcement that residents who will be returning from high-risk Covid-19 affected countries, such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana, will be forced into a mandatory ten-day quarantine.
That situation might be inconvenient for clubs, prompting the possibility of them not releasing the players for international duty in the first place.
Asked to comment on the issue, Mpandare said: “Yes we are aware of that and FIFA gave powers to clubs faced with such predicament. We are however waiting for responses from the clubs in England.”
The former Gunners official also revealed that the provisional Warriors squad for the two games, might be named today.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Own Correspondent| Nissan has launched the third generation of the all-new Qashqai Digital Premiere.
14 years after creating the crossover segment, Qashqai is back with a completely renewed design inside and out, innovative technologies and electrified powertrains.
In the clip below vice president Product Planning Europe, Marco Fioravanti speaks on the the all-new Nissan Qashqai digital premiere’s splendid functions:
By A Correspondent- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has announced that it will soon be introducing a ZW$50 banknote.
The central bank also said withdrawal limits will be raised from $2 000 to $5 000. In a Monetary Policy Statement issued this Thursday, RBZ said:
As previously advised, the Bank shall soon be introducing a ZW$50 banknote to augment the current stock of banknotes in circulation. The Bank reiterates that banknotes, new or old, do not cause inflation in an economy since they do not increase money supply.
Cash payments are an alternative to other methods of transacting and do not constitute money creation. Price dynamics are influenced by the level of money supply in an economy as opposed to its composition (electronic money, transfers, cash, etc.), hence the Bank’s firm commitment to keeping the level of money supply growth under control through its conservative or hawkish monetary targeting framework.
RBZ announced recently announced that it was working on the introduction of a ZW$50 banknote into the market for the convenience of the public.
The bank also dismissed reports that it was planning to introduce ZW$100 and ZW$200 banknotes saying there were no such plans for now.
This is happening amid the rejection of ZW$5 notes by informal traders who want larger denominations.
The rejection has been attributed to the recent surge in the prices of goods and services in the country.
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Harare Mayor Councillor Ben Manyenyeni has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa should focus on reviving the country’s economy instead of concentrating on removing MDC Alliance led local authorities.
On Wednesday Mr Mnangagwa urged Zanu PF members to work tirelessly to regain control of Urban councils.
Said Manyenyeni in a statement: Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa is a consistent guy.
He is an intensely partisan political figure.
That his current job is Head of State will not change that.
That urban local authorities are under his government means nothing to him.
That there are serious interventions needed to fix our municipalities is not his priority.
That his 41-year old government is responsible for where this country finds itself in escapes him.
Instead of leading the national cohesion, recovery and the restoration of functional local government systems he is focused on removing MDC A from councils in 2023.
He conveniently ignores the reality that it is not just urban councils which are in bad shape but it is ZIMBABWE as a whole that must recover from 41 years of MISRULE.
Government is a ghost, parastatals are a disaster. It’s because of MDC A – I presume?
By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has commended his deputy, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga for volunteering to be the first to take a jab of the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine, Sinopharm saying he showed Zimbabwe that the vaccine is safe.
Chiwenga who doubles as the minister of Health and Child Care was the first person to be vaccinated at Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare where the inaugural vaccination session took place.
Health caregivers were expected to take the shots next as they are listed among groups of people prioritised to be vaccinated.
Reacting to Chiwenga’s gesture, President Mnangagwa posted on Twitter expressing his gratitude.
He Tweeted:
Zimbabwe’s first COVID-19 vaccination
Thank you to Vice President and Health Minister Constantino Chiwenga for showing Zimbabwe that this vaccine is safe for all our people. This is a historic moment in our country’s fight against this virus.
Some Zimbabweans were afraid to take the vaccine saying lab tests have been inadequate therefore it could have major side effects.
Some even proposed that political elites be the first to receive the vaccine to boost confidence and to prove that the vaccine was safe.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s president and Health Minister, in that order, Cyril Ramaphosa and Zweli Mkhize Wednesday took the COVID-19 vaccine, a move that many also said was to assure the nation that the vaccine was safe.
There have been conspiracy theories that suggested that the vaccines were a weapon by “white people” to depopulate Africa.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC MDC Alliance Youth Assembly vice chairperson, Cecilia Chimbiri has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to release human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe.
Makomborero was arrested in the capital on Wednesday.
See Cecilia Chimbiri’s statement below:
Free our Commander
Makomborero Haruzivishe is not a criminal…
He is a young man fighting for Zimbabwe to be free from economic woes and political instability.
What do you have against the young ? What do you have against voices ? Why were you firing shots @ him is he Chidhumo or Masendeke Is he a murderer ? Is he a human rights violator .
Will arresting him ease all the problems we have in this country ? You have crossed the rubicon
Enough is enough Free Mako in good health He is not a criminal that’s why he is not a flight risk freeourcommander enoughisenough
Mako is a young man driven by passion His only ambition is a double aspiration: firstly to be able to speak in a simple language, with evident and clear words, on behalf of Zimbabweans secondly to manage to also be the voice of the many disinherited people of Zimbabwe
Mako is intelligent, streetwise ,seasoned &politician that can create significant movement. Mako has the ability to zoom in on the essence of what the majority of Zimbabweans need and connect with them. He also has the capacity to understand the bigger picture of our complex and dynamic political landscape. He is courageous, which some might view as something else . He speaks truth to power. He challenges the status quo wherever he goes,He is a change agent, He has guts – He has strong views and is not afraid to noise it out . He promotes a cause with passion and vigour! Meanwhile he is secretary for Labor in the MDC Alliance Youth Assembly he also allows his organization and team to lead him.
Will he be more than a strong influencer and change agent? Ultimately it lies in our hands. Are we willing to take the risk? But one thing is certain, you as a leader must watch him, understand him. He is part of your big picture! Mako is Commander that’s why this explanation of his person is penned down . We need to fight for Mako he is not a criminal.
Let’s not let Mako down freeCommanderMako FreeMako freeourcommander
Hon Mbondiah: The question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. Are there any measures being taken to ensure that the vaccine has no side effects and if so what compensatory plans are there? Also is the vaccine effective against the newly discovered covid-19 variant.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Any medicine or drug for that matter if it is given to a human being, might have side effects, but from the studies that have been done so far by the people who produce the vaccine, there seems to be very minimal reaction. Like I said at the beginning, people might react. We are ready to manage the side effects which can be just anaphylaxis reactions or localised reactions we can manage that one and it is very possible that it will not be very severe, it is something that we can take control of.
He also asked about the newly discovered South African variant. I want to repeat that viruses mutate or they change their state for their own survival every time but there is no way a vaccine can be manufactured against each variant everyday because if you see the South African variant is only about two or three months old but in a few weeks more it will be changed.
So what we normally do is these vaccines are manufactured for the generality of the virus but there is no way we can catch up to say everyday it mutates we make another one so the vaccine should be able to cover generally. However, next time this variant- if people are supposed to make vaccine against it, it will take us another eight months to a year because vaccines are not made overnight. So right now this South African variant is something that is there, we are aware of it and we are sure that people will be covered.
I am going to start again and say that people with cancer, HIV, diabetes mellitus and hypertension have weakened immunities. We have no policy to say that they are not going to be vaccinated – actually, these people need the vaccine much more because they need to be protected. These are the people we are saying, those with underlying conditions and the elderly – we are targeting people who we know have weak immunities. The elderly have weakness in their immunity due to age – their marrow, reaction and production of antibodies is much slower now.
So those people with those underlying conditions must get the vaccine so that they can fight the disease/virus better when they get it because their antibodies will have been enhanced from the vaccine. We cannot discriminate and it is not correct to say that they are not going to be vaccinated. It is clear that it is not correct – those must be just the ordinary rumours that always go round the mill. In short, we are vaccinating them because they need the vaccine much more than those people whose immunities are okay.
HON. T. MOYO: My question is directed to the Hon. Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. In his absence, I will direct the question to the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. My question is that in view of the decline in the pass rate of Grade 7 district examinations for 2020 which saw a decline from 46.9% in 2019 to 27.1% in 2020, what is Government policy towards the students and schools that performed dismally in the Grade 7 examinations? Should they proceed to Form 1 or should they be given a chance to rewrite the examinations and what happens to the schools that performed 0% during the Grade 7 examinations? Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to sincerely thank the Hon. Member for such a pertinent question.
Yes, indeed, the pass rate that we witnessed this time around is very worrisome in any language. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is seized with the matter. They are actually investigating to find out exactly what transpired and a decision will be made – it is indeed worrisome Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank you.
Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, as I mentioned earlier that Government is equally worried and disturbed – investigations are on going to establish the reasons why this happened and that will then inform decisions going forward. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
Tinashe Sambiri|Fearless MDC Alliance Youth Assembly Official, Hon Joana Mamombe has declared that after being tormented by the Zanu PF regime, she is determined to fight for freedom…
Hon Mamombe said having experienced untold suffering for over a year, she is no longer afraid of the regime.
“They do not know what they are creating by arresting us… I will leave this quote here :
“The years of imprisonment hardened me, I no longer have the emotion of fear! There is no longer anything I can fear. There is nothing this government has not done to me. There isn’t any pain I haven’t known.”
#WinnieMandela 1987 Long live the fighting spirit of #Madikizela Long live!
We will fight to the end injure one injure all… FreeMako FreeAlanMoyo,” Hon Mamombe wrote on Facebook.
Zanu PF has declared the late Zimdancehall star Soul Jah Love a provincial hero.
In a letter to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, Zanu PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu said President Emmerson Mnangagwa had conferred a Liberation Hero status to the late Zimdancehall star.
“His Excellency, the President and First Secretary of Zanu PF, Cde E. D Mnangagwa has conferred a Liberation Hero status to the late Cde Soul Muzavazi Musaka who passed away on 16th February 2021 at Mbuya Dorcas Hospital,” said Mpofu.
“I shall be most grateful if you would make the usual arrangements for his burial and payment of benefits to his family,” added Mpofu.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC MDC Alliance Youth Assembly vice chairperson, Cecilia Chimbiri has challenged Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to release human rights activist, Makomborero Haruvizishe.
Makomborero was arrested in the capital on Wednesday.
See Cecilia Chimbiri’s statement below:
Free our Commander
Makomborero Haruzivishe is not a criminal…
He is a young man fighting for Zimbabwe to be free from economic woes and political instability.
What do you have against the young ? What do you have against voices ? Why were you firing shots @ him is he Chidhumo or Masendeke Is he a murderer ? Is he a human rights violator .
Will arresting him ease all the problems we have in this country ? You have crossed the rubicon
Enough is enough Free Mako in good health He is not a criminal that’s why he is not a flight risk freeourcommander enoughisenough
Mako is a young man driven by passion His only ambition is a double aspiration: firstly to be able to speak in a simple language, with evident and clear words, on behalf of Zimbabweans secondly to manage to also be the voice of the many disinherited people of Zimbabwe
Mako is intelligent, streetwise ,seasoned &politician that can create significant movement. Mako has the ability to zoom in on the essence of what the majority of Zimbabweans need and connect with them. He also has the capacity to understand the bigger picture of our complex and dynamic political landscape. He is courageous, which some might view as something else . He speaks truth to power. He challenges the status quo wherever he goes,He is a change agent, He has guts – He has strong views and is not afraid to noise it out . He promotes a cause with passion and vigour! Meanwhile he is secretary for Labor in the MDC Alliance Youth Assembly he also allows his organization and team to lead him.
Will he be more than a strong influencer and change agent? Ultimately it lies in our hands. Are we willing to take the risk? But one thing is certain, you as a leader must watch him, understand him. He is part of your big picture! Mako is Commander that’s why this explanation of his person is penned down . We need to fight for Mako he is not a criminal.
Let’s not let Mako down freeCommanderMako FreeMako freeourcommander
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Harare Mayor Councillor Ben Manyenyeni has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa should focus on reviving the country’s economy instead of concentrating on removing MDC Alliance led local authorities.
On Wednesday Mr Mnangagwa urged Zanu PF members to work tirelessly to regain control of Urban councils.
Said Manyenyeni in a statement: Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa is a consistent guy.
He is an intensely partisan political figure.
That his current job is Head of State will not change that.
That urban local authorities are under his government means nothing to him.
That there are serious interventions needed to fix our municipalities is not his priority
That his 41-year old government is responsible for where this country finds itself in escapes him.
Instead of leading the national cohesion, recovery and the restoration of functional local government systems he is focused on removing MDC A from councils in 2023.
He conveniently ignores the reality that it is not just urban councils which are in bad shape but it is ZIMBABWE as a whole that must recover from 41 years of MISRULE.
Government is a ghost, parastatals are a disaster. It’s because of MDC A – I presume?
Tinashe Sambiri|A Zanu PF activist based in Gutu West Constituency has threatened to deal with Serima High School Teacher, Batsiranai Ngugama, for exposing rampant looting of Pfumvudza inputs.
The Zanu PF activist, Patrick Marimazhira, is reportedly involved massive looting of Pfumvudza inputs. He is also denying perceived Zanu PF opponents access to the inputs.
Ngugama, who has media background, wrote an article exposing the looting of inputs by Marimazhira and senior Zanu PF officials.
Incensed by the article, Marimazhira then threatened to deal with Ngugama. Ngugama has since report the matter to Chatsworth police.
See chats below:
[2/17, 08:30] Batsie Ngugama: iwe ndiwe wakanaka stealing? [2/17, 08:34] Batsie Ngugama: Saka ungade kuva mutungamiri weuwori here? Kana muchiita hanti munenge muri magamba here? Vanhu vakaona vakatiudza hatiregi kunyora. Izvi zvazvatononoka because if party knows this and ndosaka pakaitwa measures amakaudzwa. Hierarchy yose knows game ramakaita. [2/17, 20:22] Patrick Marimazhira: Ndoda umboo hwacho ,kwandiri haisi nyaya .Uye pandakaisa mbeu yacho yandakaba. [2/17, 21:10] Patrick Marimazhira: Ini hangu ,handina kudzidza ,asi tongozoona. [2/18, 02:26] Batsie Ngugama: sources are our blood we protect them. [2/18, 02:28] Batsie Ngugama: pamutemo check this word ‘tongozoona’. kkkkkk i know a lot kana usingazivi zvako. [2/18, 06:16] Patrick Marimazhira: Eeee,makasvibisa Zita rangu nokuda kwekunzwa handei mberi.Ndiri murume kwete karume [2/18, 06:19] Patrick Marimazhira: Kungonditi mbavha kwamakaita ndokwandoda kuona ikoko.Ndoda kuona kuti akadzidza neasina ndiyani mukuru handiyi mberi. [2/18, 06:24] Patrick Marimazhira: Wadenha Mangwiro wotogwinya,tangawabvunza munhu kuti urikuitei kana dziri politics handei choo [2/18, 08:06] Batsie Ngugama: Remember haisi 2008. Zvamakaita tozviziva. [2/18, 08:17] Batsie Ngugama: The government is saying NO TO CORRUPTION saka you can’t threaten me. Moda kusvibisa zita reZanu PF nehuori!
Zanu PF has declared the late Zimdancehall star Soul Jah Love a provincial hero.
In a letter to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, Zanu PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu said President Emmerson Mnangagwa had conferred a Liberation Hero status to the late Zimdancehall star.
“His Excellency, the President and First Secretary of Zanu PF, Cde E. D Mnangagwa has conferred a Liberation Hero status to the late Cde Soul Muzavazi Musaka who passed away on 16th February 2021 at Mbuya Dorcas Hospital,” said Mpofu.
“I shall be most grateful if you would make the usual arrangements for his burial and payment of benefits to his family,” added Mpofu.
By A Correspondent| MDC-T Spokesperson, Witness Dube has said their party has exhausted its recall of MDC Alliance legislators and councilors while insisting that Nelson Chamisa’s use of the Alliance name is illegal according to constitutive documents guiding their pact.
In an interview with an online social media platform, Dube said the recalled members were caught up in political contestations that ensued the Supreme Court ruling on the party succession following the death of the founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
‘We not going to have any more recalls, the ones we had were all that needed to be done in the context of the political contestation that happened when we had the Supreme Court judgment,’ said Dube.
He also trashed POLAD saying its limitation to participants of the 2018 presidential elections meant it no longer serves purpose as the country requires a broad process.
First batch of vaccines arrived and rollout will start soon. More vaccines are coming in the future months. Zimbabwe people will benefit from it. pic.twitter.com/6qbYPNZO5i
First batch of vaccines arrived and rollout will start soon. More vaccines are coming in the future months. Zimbabwe people will benefit from it. pic.twitter.com/6qbYPNZO5i
By A Correspondent- Formers Highlanders and Caps United winger Gabriel Nyoni, who recently broke his foot while playing for his South African club, has asked for prayers from his fans, saying the pain in “unbearable”.
Nyoni was injured on Tuesday during Cape Umoya’s Glad Africa Championship match against Richards Bay.
The speedy winger, who is also battling the COVID-19, had surgery on Wednesday. He tweeted:
Having surgery today at 3 pm, broken and fractured foot and have COVID-19.
Despite the surgery being successful, Nyoni later tweeted complaining of pain and asking for prayers.
He said:
The pain is unbearable. Pray for me.
Nyoni joined the South African second-tier club, Cape Umoya in September last year from Maritzburg United, who play in the DStv Premiership.
First batch of vaccines arrived and rollout will start soon. More vaccines are coming in the future months. Zimbabwe people will benefit from it. pic.twitter.com/6qbYPNZO5i
By A Correspondent- Speaker of parliament Javob Mudenda has blasted the state broadcaster ZBC over its “sluggish” coverage of parliament and senate proceedings.
Said Mudenda Wednesday:
“Hon. Minister (Monica Mutsvangwa), today is Members day just like it is tomorrow Thursday. The message from this House and the Senate must go to the people through the media.
We are not quite happy with the sluggish manner in which ZBC in particular covers this House and the Senate. The message must go out there; policy issues from Hon. Ministers must go out there and can only do so through the media, both public and private.
This is the importance of the fourth estate in any country.”
By A Correspondent| MDC Alliance secretary-general Chalton Hwende has responded to MDC-T chairperson Morgen Komichi after the latter bragged of being in control of the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (MRT) House, formerly Harvest House, the original MDC’s national headquarters.
In a post on Facebook this Thursday, Hwende said at the right time, the MDC Alliance will repossess what rightfully belongs to the people.
Hwende slammed the MDC-T for using violence to take control of MRT House from the MDC Alliance last year.
The former Kuwadzana MP also hit out at Komichi for his remarks to the effect that the MDC-T has commenced a process to stop the Nelson Chamisa-led party from using the MDC Alliance name.
In the fullness of time, everything that belongs to the People will be returned to the People. Thousands died fighting for democratic Change, MRT House is the revolutionary house and symbol for our resilience.
It was taken by brute force by a criminal syndicate masquerading as a political party. President Tsvangirai was a People’s President he did not own the People or MRT House.
He was selected by the People as the symbol of our Struggle he is resting in peace now and the new Symbol of Our Struggle is President Chamisa.
Zvana Komichi zvekuchemera Zita and the People is a sideshow let’s not get distracted a name is nothing we are defined and identified by our unwavering commitment to the struggle for the emancipation of our people.
While giving a speech on the third anniversary of the late MDC founding father Morgan Tsvangirai’s death on Sunday, Komichi said:
The name MDC Alliance is ours. We are going to stop those who are using the name.
We have a legal position which says MDC Alliance is our name. Anyone who is using it is misguided.
We have started the process to stop them from using the name and I cannot tell you our strategies. They must come up with a name of their own.
First batch of vaccines arrived and rollout will start soon. More vaccines are coming in the future months. Zimbabwe people will benefit from it. pic.twitter.com/6qbYPNZO5i
By A Correspondent -The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has deployed a probing team at Zimplats to investigate why the wall of one of the company’s mine collapsed crushing one worker to death last Sunday, the state media has said.
It remains unclear as to what could have caused the wall to collapse while others blamed it on incessant rains.
Officials from the ministry confirmed the investigation to the state media but referred all questions to the Ministry’s chief mine engineer, Michael Munodawafa.
Zimplats’ corporate affairs manager, Busi Chindove told the delegation which was led by Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland West, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka that a team of inspectors from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development were conducting investigations.
“When there is an incident of this nature, the law says we should inform the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development inspectorate and once they are on sight, they lead the investigations. So, we are working with them and all other relevant authorities,” she said.
She said the company, which has strived to maintain a fatality-free record for long, was saddened by the loss of the worker. Speaking after visiting the accident site, Minister Mliswa-Chikoka said the accident might have been caused by heavy rains.
“From what I seeing on sight, I think it’s the heavy rains that could have contributed to the breakdown of the wall. But, there is an investigation team to ascertain the real cause of the accident, we wait for the results once investigations are done
The area around Koffman Shops, better known as Kwa Matute, and nearby places such as the infamous Matererini and Matapi Flats, were continuously bombarded with teargas on Wednesday as the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) launched a pre-emptive strike against ghetto youths itching to congregate and mourn Zim dancehall star Soul Jah Love who died on Tuesday.
Several people who run tuck-shops and other informal businesses around the area told Nhau that the kind of teargas that was used yesterday was much stronger and lasted much longer than the usual canisters police use.
“Chibhorani chaswera chiri busy ichi nhasi vanhu vachimhanya kugeza kumeso,” said a mechanic who operates near the shopping centre.
Later in the evening, police also dispersed mourners who were gathered outside Soul Jah Love’s Msasa home after complaints from neighbours.
With Covid-19 now ruled out as a cause of death – the funeral is now set to be conducted under a more relaxed and permissive atmosphere. Authorities, however, have to ensure that numbers are strictly kept at 30 in line with Covid-19 regulations.
Law enforcement is likely to have its hands full come burial day, which has been provisionally set for Friday or Saturday in Harare as thousands of Soul Jah Love’s young fans have vowed to attend the burial at all costs.
According to a family spokesperson, a decision is yet to be made on whether Sauro’s remains will be interred at Warren Hills cemetery, where his parents are buried, or Glen Forest.
As shown in the two maps, the density of human rights violations increased significantly in the month of January. Harare had the highest, followed by the three Mashonaland Provinces and Midlands.
This is a worrying trend and ZPP continues to closely monitor the situation and to urge government to take necessary measures to protect citizens from human rights violations
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals is the largest medical institution in Zimbabwe and its main hospital – a complex maze of charcoal grey buildings built before Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 – is located a few kilometres shy of Harare’s city centre, a distance that is walkable for many. Upon entering the foyer in the casualty department, the first noticeable thing is the large numbers of people.
Dozens sit on the rows of the benches to the left while many others are either milling round or sitting all over the place, while others stand on the reception area, sorting out administrative issues with the medical personnel. A nurse checks blood pressure and temperature of the incoming patients on one part of the foyer.
There is a strong sense of hopelessness, despair and the fatigue on the many faces is too much to be ignored. Today, I am here to join family members who have come to process the paperwork for the burial of my auntie who died a day after being admitted to the COVID-19 section of the hospital.
We are headed towards the police post within the hospital complex and on the way is the entrance to the mortuary. The strong, traumatising stench in that area suggests poor ventilation and improper handling of the morgue.
As we reach the police post, I notice hordes of people waiting on the outside, waiting to collect burial orders for their dead relatives. In Zimbabwe, a burial order is a document approving the burial of a deceased person, and it often has the authorization of a doctor, pathologist, the police and next of kin. Inside the police post, are two officers and a pathologist, all sitting on chairs, processing papers.
There is no doubt the three are going beyond their limits to deal with the dozens of people eagerly waiting outside. We submit my aunt’s papers and the police officer politely tells us that since she was in the COVID-19 ward, she will not get a post mortem. “But when she was admitted, she had negative results from the two tests she undertook at a private hospital and when we came here, she never got tested for COVID-19, so what leads to that conclusion?” we enquire.
The pathologist weighs in.
“All bodies that come from the COVID-19 ward do not get post mortems,” he says.
Later on, we discover that anyone who is admitted to the hospital exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19, be it a fever or breathing complications, they are bundled to the COVID-19 ward even before they are tested, and there, they are condemned with no access to any life-saving medication.
As we waited for about an hour for our papers to be processed, over five people came in to submit papers of their relatives who had died of COVID19- related complications.
When all was done, we collected our papers and all we know, without any conclusive evidence, is that our aunt died of ‘COVID-19- related complications’, and that is because she was never tested positive, neither was she tested posthumously.
In the end, my aunt becomes one of the statistics of COVID-19, and still we are never sure of the cause of her death, and she joins the many Zimbabweans whose deaths are not being fully accounted for as government continues to keep a tight lid on how it is dealing with contact tracing, testing of the deceased and their relatives, among other procedures necessary to deal with COVID-19.
The story of the death of my auntie speaks a great deal to how a lot of corners are being cut to cover up for government’s failure to deal with COVID-19.
In addition, it exposes government’s disjointed approach to the pandemic, and whereas other countries such as South Africa have already secured vaccines, the Zimbabwean government is still appealing for funding and donations.
It goes beyond COVID-19. It must be noted that while COVID-19 is the major focus right now, other healthcare needs, such as medication for chronic diseases, sexual and reproductive health services, among others, remain inaccessible to the ordinary people. Local clinics are charging a prohibitive US$5 consultation fee in some cases.
Corruption and general mis-governance at the highest level of governance naturally run down to the lower levels of society.
It is a culture, a cycle that can only be broken when the highest powers in the land gather the will to instill transparency right from the head of the rotting fish.
In the case of Zimbabwe, corruption has become a cancer, and this January, its seeds, which had been abundantly watered throughout the years by government’s ineptitude, flourished and further spread deep into the lowest level of society.
As government announced a 30- day lockdown, police and soldiers returned to roadblocks to enforce the strict travel restrictions.
In addition to harassing, intimidating and assaulting citizens, the police and the army engaged in their own form of low-level corruption.
ZPP recorded countrywide incidents where the state security agents demanded bribes in exchange for freedom to those they would have arrested.
For example, on January 5, police at Murombedzi Growth Point in Zvimba West arrested and assaulted villagers who were at the rural shopping centre before demanding bribes. The victims were accused of not properly wearing face masks and the villagers were only released after paying between US$2.00 and US$3.00 each.
Down in Mt Darwin South soldiers from 2-1 brigade reserve force housed at the former Border Gezi National Youth Service training camp have habitually carried out random patrols in the small town.
Armed with guns and whips, the soldiers assault, intimidate and harass ordinary citizens in the small town.
By A Correspondent| Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda took Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa to task over the absence of media in parliament saying house proceedings were supposed to reach the people of Zimbabwe through the media.
Parliament set stringent rules for the media to cover sittings and sessions as they now demand COVID-19 negative results.
This has affected journalists who cannot attend sittings as it means forking out US$60 twice a week to get tested inorder to cover both committees and sittings.
During the question and answer session, Mudenda asked Mutsvangwa about the absence of journalists both from public and private media.
“Honourable Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services where is your staff, the journalists,” said Mudenda.
Mutsvangwa told Mudenda she was not aware while directing the Speaker to his clerks within the National Assembly.
“The Clerks at the Table might know better,” responded Mutsvangwa.
Mudenda however reminded Mutsvangwa that media coverage is critical as it ensures citizens have access to parliament.
“Minister, today is members’ day just like it is tomorrow Thursday.
“The message from this House and the Senate must go to the people through the media. We are not quite happy with the sluggish manner in which ZBC in particular covers this House and the Senate.
“The message must go out there; policy issues from honourable ministers must go out there and can only do so through the media, both public and private.
“This is the importance of the fourth estate in any country.” said Mudenda.
Please can you help exposing the corruption at ZESA Waterfalls Depot in Harare. Since the introduction of pre paid meters, if you need a new connection at your property, consumers are now buying the cables, the meter and pay a connection fee.
There is no longer a reason for any delay because before, one would wait for 6 months to almost a year before you get electricity connected at your house because ZESA would say we dont have meters or cables.
Now we buy everything on our own and on top of that pay a connection fee that ranges between ZWL11,000.00 to 15.000.00.
I bought my meter, USD100.00, bought the needed cable, USD30.00 and paid ZWL 11,000.00 on 15 December 2020.
Up to today, the area manage for Waterfalls is telling me stories:
First he said, we are approching Christmas nothing can be done now despite the fact that there was eight days before Christmas day. They resumed work on the 27th December, i was told we will come before New Year. They never did.
After NewYyear, I was told we are doing stock taking and they never came. After stock taking, we went into lockdown.
ZESA is under essential services and they have not closed. But the area manager said he only has people attending to faults. According to him, new connections are not a priority.
BUT, two people from the same depot are willing to do the connection upon payment of USD150.00 bribe.
They have a backlog going back to October of new connections. I am on the list of those who are not prepared to pay a bribe that is why I am not getting connected.
To get an inspector to come and inspect wiring, I had to pay the inspector USD15.00 bribe. To get what they call a pin number that enabled me to get an account number to pay connection fee and buy a meter, I had to pay USD20.00 bribe. Now they want me to pay another bribe for connection.
I don’t have the money anymore.
Please help me to expose ZESA Waterfalls Area Manager, that is the only way we can get electricity connected to our new houses. Obviously he gets a cut.
Can he explain why he has a backlog back dating October when ZESA is no longer supplying consumebles for connections. It takes less than 2 hours to connect a cable from the main pole to the meter box.
By Jane Mlambo| Vice President Constantino Chiwenga will be among the first people to be vaccinated for COVID-19 together with frontline workers at Wilkins hospital today.
Government announced that health workers at the City of Harare run Wilkins hospital will be vaccinated today before the rollout is extended to other centres across the country.
According to information coming from Wilkins, Chiwenga will be among the first people to be vaccinated.
The vaccination of Chiwenga is expected to boost the confidence of citizens who were skeptical of the vaccine amid conflicting information on the Chinese produced jabs.
The powerful vice President who is also the minister of health and child care has since arrived at Wilkins hospital to officiate the function.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and his health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize were publicly vaccinated yesterday at an event covered by their local media.
It is not clear when President Emmerson Mnangagwa will be vaccinated.
There were no social distancing precautions at Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s Vaccination Roll out on Thursday morning.
People in the crowd gathering at Wilkins Hospital, were squeezed into each other as the Vice President commenced the session. .
The development comes a day after Chiwenga was grilled over the vaccine with Harare East MP Tendai Biti (MDC Alliance) saying he must explain why the government was choosing Sinopharm, which was not even the preferred remedy to deal with the virus in China.
Pics: Openparly/263chat
Zimbabwe on Monday received over 200 000 doses of Sinopharm from China.
“Why have you registered for Sinopharm? The Sinopharm drug itself has not yet been peer-reviewed and has not been approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” Biti asked.
“In China itself, Sinopharm is not the dominant drug. The dominant drug is actually Sinovac. So why are you accepting from China a drug that Chinese themselves are not using?”
Biti questioned the government silence on the Covax facility, which had become a contentious issue between the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe with senior government officials accusing the UK of wanting to armtwist Harare to sign for it.
He also said the budgeted US$6 million for vaccines was inadequate.
“In your statement, you were referring to a budget of US$6m. Even to buy a herd of cattle in Matabeleland South, US$6m is not enough. What is the budget for COVID-19 vaccines that will be sufficient to vaccinate the people of Zimbabwe?”
Makoni South MP Misheck Mataranyika (Zanu PF) questioned why MPs were not placed on the priority list as frontline workers while also advocating for teachers to be prioritised if schools are to reopen soon.
Kadoma Central MP Muchineripi Chinyanganya (MDC Alliance) questioned whether the vaccines were effective against the new South African variant that has hit Zimbabwe.
MDC-T MP Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga asked the logic behind using over 15 vaccines.
“Are there choices to the vaccine that you are having because you cannot have a mixture of the Russian vaccine and have the Indian vaccine tomorrow, particularly in circumstances where you are dealing with pregnant women? Are pregnant women going to be vaccinated also? Are there serious problems associated with getting vaccines for pregnant women?” she asked.
There have been reports that the Sinopharm vaccine is not suitable for pregnant women and those with suppressed immune systems.
Chiwenga had to summon a team of “scientists and experts” to help him respond on issues he was not familiar with.
“Government has come up with a budget of $100m and the private sector has also come up with their budget to contribute towards vaccines. An account has been opened where the corporates are putting their money and all this is under the Finance ministry. The corporate sector is co-operating,” Chiwenga said.
He added: “As I said earlier, life cannot be bought. We want to make sure that every life in Zimbabwe is saved, no matter the person is rich or poor. We want that life to be saved.”
The VP said the government would try to get vaccines that suit every condition.
On the efficacy of Sinopharm, Chiwenga said: “The Sinopharm was approved by WHO and it was attenuated and that is why we chose it. My deputy (John Mangwiro) is the one who went to get the delivery and we are also taking Sinovac because it was approved by WHO.”
He said government had already signed for the Covax facility, adding that it was doing all it can to facilitate the vaccination of Zimbabweans.
On the effectiveness of the vaccines against the South African variant, Mangwiro said: “These viruses mutate on a daily or weekly basis. There is no country that will say everyday they make a vaccine against each mutant. The vaccines we are getting now — for a vaccine to be on the market, it would have been looked at for at least not less than six to eight months. The vaccines we are getting now, the studies started last year using a particular virus that they saw that time.
“People will start making vaccines according to the variants and we will be following the virus from behind. There is no way we can say the UK has this variant, now make the vaccine. It is impossible. You need a year. By the time you finish making it for the variant that is there now, next year you will have 100 more variants,” he said.
Other questions included whether or not Zimbabwe was gambling with people’s lives by testing the vaccine in just 48 hours.
“Is it practical to test the vaccine by our scientists in just 48 hours? Is this not dangerous trial and error with people’s lives? This one I want to correct the question. What I understand is that he thinks that the vaccine has to be tested there and then. This thing when it comes here, it is already tested like I said, in those phases, and then it has already been proved to be effective and safe,” Mangwiro said.
Others questioned reports that those with HIV and on chemotherapy would not take the vaccine.
In response, Mangwiro said: “I am not sure where the writer got that message from because immunosuppression does not mean HIV only. Diabetes is a chronic inflammatory disease and it is an immunosuppressive disease. That is not a correct supposition that people with HIV cannot take the vaccine. People with diabetes or hypertension and cancer can take the vaccine. People with cancer have massive immunosuppression because of the cancer — it is an immunosuppressive disease, they can take the vaccine.” Newsday/additional reporting
By A Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) is yet to pay teachers who marked the 2020 Grade Seven examinations.
Marking of the examinations started soon after Christmas and ended in mid-January and the results were released early this month.
Speaking to a local publication on condition of anonymity, one of the markers said they were promised ZWL$10 for Paper One and ZWL$15 for Paper Two per script.
“Before we commenced the marking of the examinations, we were promised that payment will be deposited in our accounts on the day of completion of the marking exercise,” said the source.
The teachers added that ZIMSEC has failed to give them satisfactory explanations on the delays.
They bemoaned the fact that they had to borrow money to travel to marking centres with the hope that payments would be sorted soon after completion of the marking process.
“Some of us borrowed money to travel to marking centres, hoping that our payment will be released on time,” said the teacher.
The artiste popularly known as Chibaba, was pronounced dead on Tuesday evening upon arrival at Mbuya Dorcas Hospital. During his career that spanned over a decade, Soul Jah Love (real name Soul Musaka) captivated many people on the Zimdancehall scene and made some fall in love with the genre. However, during his time on God’s green earth, Soul Jah Love was followed by controversy.
Soul Jah Love
He was said to have been a heavy drug user, a drunkard and hard to work with as he would pull no shows at venues where he was booked to perform. People like Mutare businessman, Esau Mupfumi went as far as getting him arrested for not pitching up for a show yet he had been paid a deposit. In Bulawayo, in June, 2015 the artiste disappeared from the stage and after an hour, the venue – Palace Hotel’s Gardens degenerated into a war zone.
https://youtu.be/q6FYB0D9n9k
Fans armed with stones, chairs, empty alcohol bottles and the like pelted the stage. When they were done damaging the inside, they went outside, baying for Soul Jah Love’s blood where they pelted the windows of the hotel and cars that were parked there.
The promoter of this show, Assan Mandizvidza Mugumbate reflecting on his interactions with the late artiste said: “Soul Jah Love was a very understanding person who’d have his bouts of being wayward, but generally, he was a great person to work with. “However, he was a person who when you’d book him, as a promoter, you had to pin him down and follow up with him always because if you didn’t do that, you’d have problems.”
Interestingly, two months before pulling his usual stunts at Palace, another promoter, DJ Phat Joe had hosted him at the same venue and everything went well.
Detailing how he managed to pull the show off, the DJ said he had to travel to Harare to get Soul Jah Love in order to ensure he travelled to Bulawayo. He said during their interaction, Soul Jah Love did not come across as the crass, druggie, bad boy that was being peddled out there as he met a jovial and easy going man who loved his art. “We went to Harare to get him because we’d been told that he doesn’t pitch up for shows.
We met him at his home in Msasa Park and he welcomed us. We paid him his performance fees which at that time was US$2 500. We didn’t have any problems with him,” said DJ Phat Joe. Interestingly, he said the reason why Soul Jah Love did not pitch up at some shows was because of money. “During our journey to Bulawayo, he told us that most of the time that he does these things (not appear at shows) was because promoters would not have paid him or the money that he’d have been given would be little.
“I also realised that there was a challenge with some of his managers that he had as they would be paid his booking fees and not tell him. So when the day came for him to perform, he would boycott then people would start blaming him. We then discovered that it was better to deal directly with him,” said DJ Phat Joe.
The promoter said when they wanted to book Soul Jah Love into a hotel, he refused and told them he would instead stay with them. The whole point for this according to DJ Phat Joe was for Soul Jah Love to prove to him that he was not a problematic person like what people had been portraying. What many did not know was the business side of Soul Jah Love because besides music, he owned a fleet of kombis, something that his manager for six months, Benjamin Nyandoro shared.
“One day when I went to see him at his place, he asked me to manage his affairs. I thought he was joking and after some thinking, I agreed. People may not know that Soul Jah Love had a fleet of kombis that plied the Mbare-Highfield route.
“This is a life that people didn’t know about Soul Jah Love. He was very business-oriented and this gave me the drive to expose him to more opportunities,” said Nyandoro. He said the bad boy image was likely because people could not separate his on and off-stage character.
“He would come out and say this and that or smoking this and that, but that wasn’t the guy he was. Soul Jah Love was a person managing his diabetic condition. When we say he was on drugs, he was on insulin, that was his drug,” said Nyandoro. The battle with diabetes, Nyandoro said was a tough one for the late artiste as he would travel with his insulin kit which had to be administered at certain times.
“While it wasn’t easy for him as an artiste to entertain the masses while battling diabetes, he would make sure that this didn’t overshadow the show. It was all about entertaining people.
“He would deliver, but under very trying conditions,” explained Nyandoro. He went on to describe Soul Jah Love as an extremely intelligent and complex individual.
Meanwhile, a family spokesperson of the late artiste, Solomon Musaka yesterday said the burial is provisionally set for Friday or Saturday in Harare as they are awaiting Covid-19 test results. -Chronicle
By James Gwati- President Emerson Mnangagwa has declared war on the Nelson Chamisa’s opposition MDC-Alliance councils which he is accusing of failing to deliver services to urban dwellers.
The President on Wednesday said all Chamisa’s local councils officials must be booted out of office.
Addressing the Politburo meeting at his Zanu PF party head offices in Harare, the Mnangagwa said his government had already taken decisive steps to intervene in urban councils to curb “a myriad of malfeasance”.
“It has become obvious to all our people that the opposition-led councils have failed to deliver services to the people. We must vote them out of these councils. Our people have suffered long enough and we must deliver a better quality of services. Government has made bold and decisive decisions. In this regard, a Joint Ministerial Taskforce chaired by Vice President Chiwenga is seized with the unlawful settlements, inclusive of settlements on wetlands, so that we bring relief to the people as soon as possible,” he said.
Contrary to Mnangagwa’s allegations, his government is the one which controls all the local authorities through his top ally, July Moyo’s Ministry of Local Government.
All the local authorities report to July Moyo, who then makes policies and conclusive decisions on their operations.
City of Harare has blamed poor service delivery on the residents, business and government’s failure to pay rates which now exceeds ZWL$5 Billion in debt.
CoH shared a breakdown of amounts of money it is owed with domestic rates accounting for the biggest share of the debt followed by business and industrial.
Government also owes City of Harare ZWL$179 Million.
Below is the breakdown of the ZWL$5,531,766,775.58….
is owed over ZWL5 billion by its various customers. Failure to pay the debts has compromised service delivery. In this thread we give the breakdown by category and by suburb.
By A Correspondent- The ruling Zanu-PF party is likely to face a litmus test in the looming Murewa South by-election if Noah Mangondo, who was an independent candidate in the 2018 general elections, decides to contest.
The seat fell vacant following the death of Joel Biggie Matiza last month.
Matiza, who was also the Transport minister succumbed to COVID-19 and was buried at the National Heroes Acre.
In the 2018 election, both Matiza and Mangondo polled more than 10 000 votes with the former winning by a small margin.Mangondo challenged the result, but lost the case.
A top Zanu-PF official in the constituency, who refused to be named, said Mangondo was likely to take over from Matiza. The official urged the party to readmit the former central committee member into its structures to avoid a humiliating defeat.
“As the party seeks to find a new legislator for the constituency, it will be good not to ignore Mangondo in the whole matrix,” the official said.
“Matiza almost lost to him and the fact that an independent candidate gave him a torrid time speaks volumes of the kind of person he (Mangondo) is. It is high time for the revolutionary party to readmit him for the benefit of both the party and electorate.”
In a bid to retain the seat, popularly known as Macheke, the late Matiza, who was also the Zanu-PF Mashonaland East provincial chairperson, reportedly ensured that Mangondo’s CV was missing ahead of the party’s primaries.
Chaos erupted afterwards as Zanu-PF supporters protested against the missing CV. Mangondo then decided to go solo, a move that rattled the party as the former ambassador attracted better crowds than Matiza.
Yesterday, Mangondo refused to comment on his candidature.
“I have no comment,” he said.
But residents say Mangondo has been a defacto MP and had done several developmental projects in the area. A number of candidates were reportedly positioning themselves to succeed Matiza, among them Michael Chifamba, youthful politician Josphat Tanga and provincial women’s league boss Lyn Gororo.
Matiza has been Murewa South legislator for close to two decades.-Newsday
By A Correspondent- Three Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers from Machipisa police station allegedly arrested a pregnant woman in Highfield for not wearing a mask and detained her for 48 hours after she failed to pay US$10 last Friday.
Fungai Mutsvairo told a local publication that she failed to give the cops US$10 bribe and they detained her for two days before releasing her without any charge.
“The cops at Machipisa are so corrupt three of them arrested me on Friday outside my yard where l was buying tomatoes without putting on a mask,” Mutsvairo said.
“They demanded USD $10 but l told them l did not have that kind of amount and they said they would fix me l tried to tell them that l was pregnant but they did not listen to me.”
“They locked me in their holding cells for two days and released me on Sunday ordering me to vacate without any charge,” she narrated.
On the same day, they arrested Bulawayo24.com reporter Simbarashe Sithole whom they accused of loitering when he was covering their skirmishes with money changers and subsequently changed the charge to not wearing a mask despite him having it.
Sithole said on the date in question they fined hundreds of people as they were just picking people giving them various charges.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he was in a meeting and could not respond to the questions.
“I am in a meeting is it urgent?” he said before hanging up.
By A Correspondent- The country’s Covid-19 vaccination programme begins today in Harare with frontline health workers expected to be among the first to be inoculated.
This follows the arrival on Monday of 200 000 vaccine doses from China which will be administered on 100 000 people under the initial phase of the programme.
According to an advisory from the Ministry of Health and Child Care yesterday, the first shots of the Covid-19 vaccine will be administered at Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare, to kickstart the country’s largest ever mass immunisation campaign.
“The vaccination programme will start on Thursday, February 18, 2021, starting with Harare Metropolitan Province.
“As we roll out this important vaccination exercise, I want to encourage all priority populations to take up the vaccine for their protection. Vaccination, however, remains voluntary and will be free of charge as per Government’s previous pronouncements,” said the Ministry of Health.
Health officials have already been trained to administer the jabs with preparations continuing for the continued implementation of the programme which is targeting 10 million people.
Zimbabwe’s first phase of the vaccination programme is being carried out using the Sinopharm vaccine which was donated to Zimbabwe by the People’s Republic of China.
Negotiations are ongoing to procure more vaccines at a cost US$6,7 million, while there are commitments to boost the country’s capacity from countries such as China, Russia, India as well as the World Health Organisation.
Several immunisation programmes have been done in the country to protect citizens against different ailments, especially the five major killer diseases.
Covid-19 has killed more than 1 400 Zimbabweans in less than a year, prompting a cocktail of preventative and control measures from the Government, working in tandem with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Government is working with local and international partners to boost capacity of the immunisation programme. The Health Ministry reiterated that it would, under the first phase, target those at the highest risk of being infected by the global pandemic who include the elderly andvulnerable groups.
Those targeted under the second phase encompass college and university lecturers and school teachers while the rest of the population at low risk will be catered for under the final phase.
“The first phase of the programme which we are announcing today will see the vaccination of populations at high risk of Covid-19, that is, our frontline workers (health workers, village health workers, ports of entry personnel, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Immigration and security health workers).
“The inaugural vaccination will take place at Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare at 10am, February 18, 2021.”
President Mnangagwa has said no more lives should be lost to the pandemic and vaccinating the population has been rated as the best foot forward in the country’s response to tame the disease. China and Zimbabwe continue to enjoy good bilateral ties and have been cooperating in efforts to tame the virus.
Chinese medical experts are in the country to help local health personnel to effectively administer the Covid-19 vaccine. As the highest risk groups are vaccinated, the programme will move to stage two which targets those with chronic medical conditions and the over 60s.
Monday’s batch of Sinopharm doses will be augmented by a far larger shipment from China next month.-newsday
By A Correspondent- Members of Parliament on Tuesday grilled Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga on the efficacy and possible side-effects of the Chinese-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.
Chiwenga was questioned over several grey areas, including the lack of information about the vaccine, leading MPs to accuse government of experimenting on Zimbabweans.
Harare East MP Tendai Biti (MDC Alliance) said it was not clear why the government was choosing Sinopharm, which was not even the preferred remedy to deal with the virus in China.
Zimbabwe on Monday received over 200 000 doses of Sinopharm from China.
“Why have you registered for Sinopharm? The Sinopharm drug itself has not yet been peerreviewed and has not been approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” Biti asked.
“In China itself, Sinopharm is not the dominant drug. The dominant drug is actually Sinovac. So why are you accepting from China a drug that Chinese themselves are not using?”
Biti questioned the government silence on the Covax facility, which had become a contentious issue between the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe with senior government officials accusing the UK of wanting to armtwist Harare to sign for it.
He also said the budgeted US$6 million for vaccines was inadequate.
“In your statement, you were referring to a budget of US$6m. Even to buy a herd of cattle in Matabeleland South, US$6m is not enough. What is the budget for COVID-19 vaccines that will be sufficient to vaccinate the people of Zimbabwe?”
Makoni South MP Misheck Mataranyika (Zanu-PF) questioned why MPs were not placed on the priority list as frontline workers while also advocating for teachers to be prioritised if schools are to reopen soon.
Kadoma Central MP Muchineripi Chinyanganya (MDC Alliance) questioned whether the vaccines were effective against the new South African variant that has hit Zimbabwe.
MDC-T MP Priscilla MisihairabwiMushonga asked the logic behind using over 15 vaccines.
“Are there choices to the vaccine that you are having because you cannot have a mixture of the Russian vaccine and have the Indian vaccine tomorrow, particularly in circumstances where you are dealing with pregnant women? Are pregnant women going to be vaccinated also? Are there serious problems associated with getting vaccines for pregnant women?” she asked.
There have been reports that the Sinopharm vaccine is not suitable for pregnant women and those with suppressed immune systems.
Chiwenga had to summon a team of “scientists and experts” to help him respond on issues he was not familiar with.
“Government has come up with a budget of $100m and the private sector has also come up with their budget to contribute towards vaccines. An ac count has been opened where the corporates are putting their money and all this is under the Finance ministry. The corporate sector is co-operating,” Chiwenga said.
He added: “As I said earlier, life cannot be bought. We want to make sure that every life in Zimbabwe is saved, no matter the person is rich or poor. We want that life to be saved.”
The VP said the government would try to get vaccines that suit every condition.
On the efficacy of Sinopharm, Chiwenga said: “The Sinopharm was approved by WHO and it was attenuated and that is why we chose it. My deputy (John Mangwiro) is the one who went to get the delivery and we are also taking Sinovac because it was approved by WHO.”
He said government had already signed for the Covax facility, adding that it was doing all it can to facilitate the vaccination of Zimbabweans.
On the effectiveness of the vaccines against the South African variant, Mangwiro said: “These viruses mutate on a daily or weekly basis. There is no country that will say everyday they make a vaccine against each mutant. The vaccines we are getting now — for a vaccine to be on the market, it would have been looked at for at least not less than six to eight months. The vaccines we are getting now, the studies started last year using a particular virus that they saw that time.
“People will start making vaccines according to the variants and we will be following the virus from behind. There is no way we can say the UK has this variant, now make the vaccine. It is impossible. You need a year. By the time you finish making it for the variant that is there now, next year you will have 100 more variants,” he said.
Other questions included whether or not Zimbabwe was gambling with people’s lives by testing the vaccine in just 48 hours.
“Is it practical to test the vaccine by our scientists in just 48 hours? Is this not dangerous trial and error with people’s lives? This one I want to correct the question. What I understand is that he thinks that the vaccine has to be tested there and then. This thing when it comes here, it is already tested like I said, in those phases, and then it has already been proved to be effective and safe,” Mangwiro said.
Others questioned reports that those with HIV and on chemotherapy would not take the vaccine.
In response, Mangwiro said: “I am not sure where the writer got that message from because immunosuppression does not mean HIV only. Diabetes is a chronic inflammatory disease and it is an immunosuppressive disease. That is not a correct supposition that people with HIV cannot take the vaccine. People with diabetes or hypertension and cancer can take the vaccine. People with cancer have massive immunosuppression because of the cancer — it is an immunosuppressive disease, they can take the vaccine.”
By Dorothy Moyo | The recently leaked Susan Mutami pictures were seized by police officers who visited her after her ex boyfriend, the Norton MP Temba Mliswa had lodged a complaint over why state agents are not investigating the allegations she made against Mliswa of plotting to kill the President’s son, it has emerged.
Mutami made the revelations yesterday when she tweeted saying: “Kana ndimiwo how many men have I been given now ? Handipengi ndinodanana ne nyika yese ka ini.
“I gave those pictures to officers that came to interview me surprisingly after I had been questioned abt who I had been in contact w mu gvt all my life.”
Those statements of plotting to kill ED's son, July Moyo seem to be the reason why she is under investigation, I hadn't thought about White City bombing. Please explain why it comes into play. Looks like we are camping here the whole day today.
I know Temba talks, still trying to figure out how such detail could not be picked up by the 10 plus ladies as he produced over 18 kids, and all this 'infor' captured in the space of 3 ms, and only released at the end of the affair, released by a 'thrice' pregnant woman
By James Gwati- The National Blood Services of Zimbabwe which supplies all hospitals with blood is appealing for urgent blood donations as the country’s bank runs drying owing to the high demand of the life-serving liquid from COVID-19 patients.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges that have contributed to serious blood shortages in the country.
A pint of blood in Zimbabwe costs at least US$80.
In a statement Thursday, NBSZ said blood donors should urgently visit their local NBSZ centre with the donation.
“ Donors of all blood types are urged to give blood at their nearest donor centre or mobile blood drives. As of Thursday 18 February 2021, NBSZ Clinics open from 0800 to 17:00hrs to provide more opportunity for donors to donate”, said NBSZ.
NBSZ requires 315 units of blood per day nationally.
For one to be eligible to donate blood you must be 16 years and above and weigh 50 Kgs and over.
By Masimba Mavaza| The majority of the Black Minority Ethnic Societies have got their minds set against getting a vaccine for COVID 19.
Russian experts working on a Coronavirus vaccine. – Agencies/ file
The major reason of this fear is the general mistrust caused by the long history of inequalities discrimination and segregation.
But now that effective vaccines for COVID-19 have been developed and are being distributed to members of the public, it is key for people to understand the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines and why they greatly outweigh mild potential side effects or inconvenience that may be associated. This will put to rest the rumours and unsubstantiated social media discouragement against taking the vaccine. The possibility of serious complications for anyone who gets the virus — along with the public health consequences of the pandemic’s continuing its course are strong reasons in favor of getting vaccinated.
While the latest set of interim vaccine results from Oxford University and AstraZeneca include an efficacy score of 70%, significantly lower than the results of competitors, the new vaccine bears other advantages.
These include the ability to be transported and stored at temperatures closer to room temperature, easier and more efficient production and being sold at cost throughout the duration of the pandemic.
Getting vaccinated is a safer way to help build protection against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus A COVID-19 vaccine can cause mild side effects after the first or second dose but the side effects are far less than the advantages. It is understood that some people may be concerned about getting vaccinated now that COVID-19 vaccines are available and being rolled out to the public in many countries. While more COVID-19 vaccines are being developed as quickly as possible, routine processes and procedures remain in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine that is authorized or approved for use. Safety is a top priority, and there are many reasons to get vaccinated.
Its rapid development does not mean it is less safe. Vaccine development often takes a long time but this is not the case for the Covid-19 vaccination. This is because it was not hindered by the typical issues vaccine development encounters; the first being little commercial interest for them and thus less funding, and the second being that trial participants and infections are hard to come by.
There was no shortage of money, trial participants or infections for COVID-19 vaccines, but we have also been lucky and the vaccines work. We cannot reward efficiency by snubbing the vaccine. The vaccine is for your own good.
The current COVID-19 vaccines have been tested in more patients than most previously approved vaccines thus making them effective and a must take for all. Though experience with the current COVID-19 vaccines only covers about six months, the method of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine have been found safe in clinical trials for more than ten years and mRNA vaccines such as the BioNTech/ Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for more than three years. Hence, the vaccines are as safe as they can be, having been tested in more patients than would normally be possible.
The COVID-19 vaccine will protect you and others from the virus and help us end this pandemic. While people with medical conditions may be concerned about the vaccine, Duke Health experts said that having a medical condition can increase your risk of getting very sick if you are infected. “One of the great things about these vaccines is that they can be used in a wide variety of individuals.”
The benefits of getting vaccinated most often outweigh the risks of getting sick. It is therefore plausible to die trying than to die crying. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in clinical trials and have been approved because those studies show that the vaccine significantly reduces the probability of contracting the virus.
Based on what has been proved about vaccines for other diseases, the COVID-19 vaccine may help keep you from getting seriously ill, even if you do get the virus. Getting vaccinated also may protect people around you — particularly those at greater risk for severe illness from COVID-19. The scientists developed the strategy and drug quickly,” and the resulting vaccine works at an almost unprecedented level of effectiveness. It should be stressed that None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19 so a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.
It merely protects you from COVID. The vaccines do not contain the complete virus and are not infectious, so they simply cannot cause COVID-19. In patients with immune defects or a weakened immune system, they may be less effective, but will still be safe.
Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines work with your immune system, so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.
The combination of getting vaccinated and following CDC recommendations to protect yourself and others provides the best protection from COVID-19. Ending the COVID-19 pandemic will halt the growing negative impact the virus is having on education, the economy, health care and countless other activities of a functioning society.
We must remember that the public health benefit of the vaccine is the main reason for its use. This done so that we can have a normal society again. We can enjoy daily life, family events, work and school without distancing, without masks and without fear. We will once again enjoy regular shopping trips and dining out and family vacations without constant worry about the consequences. We can have real holiday activities instead of virtual ones. This can be achieved if we all come together and be vaccinated.
“The main concern about the COVID-19 vaccines has been among people with a severe allergic reaction to polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate, “said Dr. Schmader. These ingredients are similar but not identical to components in the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC recommends that people with this allergy not get the vaccine.
Similarly, the CDC recommends that people not receive the second dose if they had a severe allergic reaction following the first dose. The incidence of this occurring is low, said Dr. Schmader, about one in six per million doses. “If someone had an anaphylactic reaction, they should not get the second dose,” he said. This does not suggest that the vaccine is most likely to cause the said side effects. These are only rare effects.
The COVID-19 vaccines are a new type known as mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines. These mRNA vaccines give instructions to our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the spike protein. The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus. COVID-19 mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where DNA (genetic material) is stored. Once the instructions are inside your muscle cells, the cells use them to make the protein piece, then the cells break down the instructions and get rid of them.
Next, the cell places the protein piece on its surface. The immune system spots the protein and begins building an immune response and making antibodies to fight the infection. At the end of this process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection. Another doctor said “The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for people who are actively being treated for cancer,”said Dr. Saullo. “There is no reason to think the vaccine is unsafe for patients with cancer,” she said. In fact, people with cancer are more susceptible to serious COVID-19 illness. That’s why they are listed among the first groups to receive the vaccine. But those in active treatment should not be encouraged to take the vaccine. Because cancer patients in active treatment were not part of the clinical trials, the vaccine’s effectiveness in this patient population is still unknown. “Having a vaccine that is somewhat effective is better than no vaccine at all,” It’s very important that caregivers and people who surround these and other cancer patients are vaccinated so they can protect their sick loved ones. Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Experts continue to conduct more studies about the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on severity of illness from COVID-19, as well as its ability to keep people from spreading the virus. There is no chance of the vaccine to interfere with the DNA. This is because the vaccines do not interact with DNA None of the vaccines interacts with our DNA. Hence, a manipulation of DNA is technically impossible. Most side effects are caused by the desired immune response Most of the reported side effects to the vaccine in trials are caused by the immune system response. Many infectious disease symptoms are caused by the immune system, not pathogens. Most alleged side effects are probably not caused by vaccines Unfortunately, people get sick all the time, also independently of COVID-19. Given the size of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, it is inevitable that some people will develop health conditions shortly after vaccination, the causes of which have nothing to do with the vaccine. Again The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for pregnant women, a group in which the risk of severe COVID-19 is substantial, Dr. Schmader said. We encourage all pregnant people to ask questions and discuss their concerns with their providers. The risk of a bad reaction from the vaccine is low. “The benefit of getting the vaccine is high.” To date, pregnant health care workers who received the vaccine are doing well.
Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may also help keep you from getting seriously ill.
Covid vaccine is not only about you. Many in our society have conditions preventing them from developing an effective immune response to vaccination, which makes them highly vulnerable to COVID-19. We do not know the extent to which the COVID-19 vaccines will prevent individuals from being able to transmit the virus. However, since they protect individuals from disease, we can be reasonably sure they reduce the likelihood of disease transmission. Therefore, you will protect others by getting the vaccine. Vaccine is meant to make you survive and not to kill you.
Without a vaccine, eventually we all will become infected, probably more than once. No serious side-effects have been found in the tens of thousands of people that have received the COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the COVID-19 world is a safer place with a vaccine than without.
While children were not part of the clinical trials for the approved COVID-19 vaccines, studies are underway to determine if they are safe and effective for young children. Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.The combination of getting vaccinated and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19. Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. As experts learn more about how COVID-19 vaccination may help reduce spread of the disease in communities. In the meantime, and even after you are vaccinated, it’s important to continue to follow the safety precautions that have worked to limit the spread so far: Wear a mask Practice social distancing Wash your hands frequently Stay home if you are sick. The more people getting vaccinated means the greater a success it will be Vaccinations are show to have a greater effect on a population if the majority of people have undergone it. The more people don’t have the vaccine, the more flare-ups of the disease there will be over time. Most side effects are mild and should not last longer than a week, such as: a sore arm where the needle went in. feeling tired. a headache.
Vaccines will not resolve all of our COVID-19 problems, but they will enable us to progress to a new normal without the current strict restrictions in 2021.
Let’s do our duty let’s get the jab and stop discouraging others.
Tinashe Sambiri|Mrs Auxillia Mnangagwa is facilitating a cooking festival at a time the nation is grappling with the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.
The event is scheduled for February 18 at Chinhoyi University of Technology.
Although lockdown restrictions clearly stipulate that public gatherings should be restricted to 30 people, Mrs Mnangagwa’s event is likely to exceed the specified number.
See below seasoned journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s statement below:
The First Lady Mai Mnangagwa is having a cooking festival in the middle of a pandemic in Chinhoyi.
Yet we are all not allowed to have gatherings of more than 30?
What kind of leadership is this, and what message does it send to the ordinary citizens when leaders break their own rules?!
FORMER Highlanders and Caps United winger Gabriel Nyoni is expected to undergo surgery today after sustaining a nasty injury during Cape Umoya’s Glad Africa Championship match against Richards Bay on Tuesday.
It’s not yet clear what type of injury the striker suffered, but Nyoni confirmed that it required surgery.
“I hope it’s not the end. Never thought one day I will be in this condition. Lord heal me. Thank you for those who have been wishing me well. Surgery tomorrow,” the speedy winger wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Former teammate Prince Dube was among those that wished him a speedy recovery: “May the Almighty God be with you in your recovery journey,” Dube wrote.
Nyoni joined Cape Umoya in September last year from Maritzburg United, where he had signed a two-year contract, with the option of a 12-month extension, but continued injury lay-offs resulted in him being offloaded.- Chronicle
A 13-year-old boy from Nkululeko in Silobela was electrocuted after he leaned on a Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) power line pole.
The deceased was herding cattle inside Nkululeko High School yard when he then leaned on a pole supporting a power line.
Midlands provincial spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident which occurred on Tuesday afternoon. He said the boy, Luckmore Ngwenya, was herding cattle in the school yard together with his 17-yearold brother when the tragedy struck.
“The scene has since been attended by the police and the body was taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital awating postmortem. Officials from the ZETDC also attended to the scene and investigations are still underway,” he said.
Last year, a boy who was doing Form 3 at Nkululeko High, Colleen Chinyemba (15) was electrocuted while doing laundry in a tub at the school hostel. Herald
Now it’s certain, imprisonment is the price that all young people pay for standing up against any injustice in Zimbabwe.
Makomborero Haruzivishe is one selfless youth leader in Zimbabwe, who puts his own life on the line to get justice for others.
A leader who has taught me that whatever action we take, it’s key, we might not know the outcomes or end results but if we don’t act, then we won’t have any results.
They could be trying to weaken our spirits but with you, I’m sure this arrest will make you and everyone around you stronger.
Stay safe. Get justice. Its the price that we will all pay for being young and dreaming of a better Zimbabwe.
A 13-year-old boy from Nkululeko in Silobela, Midlands was electrocuted when he leaned against a ZESA powerline pole inside Nkululeko High Schoolyard.
Midlands provincial spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the tragic incident which occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Mahoko said the boy, Luckmore Ngwenya, was herding cattle in the schoolyard together with his 17-year-old brother when the tragedy struck. Mahoko said:
The scene has since been attended by the police and the body was taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital awating postmortem. Officials from the ZETDC also attended to the scene and investigations are still underway.
The incident comes after another boy, Colleen Chinyemba, 15, who was doing Form 3 at Nkululeko High was last year electrocuted while doing laundry in a tub at the school hostel.
Then an 11-year-old boy was last year September electrocuted in a Bushy area near Nguboyenja flyover Bulawayo as he was searching for some wild fruits with his friends.
In the same month, a woman tragically lost her life after she was electrocuted as she was relieving herself in a ZESA substation in Bulawayo.
Then another 15-year-old girl from Nlumumani, Bulawayo was found unconscious in their family residence’s bathroom in a suspected case of electrocution in February last year.
These cases have been on the rise recently and authorities blame faulty lines.- The Herald
The artiste popularly known as Chibaba, was pronounced dead on Tuesday evening upon arrival at Mbuya Dorcas Hospital. During his career that spanned over a decade, Soul Jah Love (real name Soul Musaka) captivated many people on the Zimdancehall scene and made some fall in love with the genre. However, during his time on God’s green earth, Soul Jah Love was followed by controversy.
He was said to have been a heavy drug user, a drunkard and hard to work with as he would pull no shows at venues where he was booked to perform. People like Mutare businessman, Esau Mupfumi went as far as getting him arrested for not pitching up for a show yet he had been paid a deposit. In Bulawayo, in June, 2015 the artiste disappeared from the stage and after an hour, the venue – Palace Hotel’s Gardens degenerated into a war zone.
https://youtu.be/q6FYB0D9n9k
Fans armed with stones, chairs, empty alcohol bottles and the like pelted the stage. When they were done damaging the inside, they went outside, baying for Soul Jah Love’s blood where they pelted the windows of the hotel and cars that were parked there.
The promoter of this show, Assan Mandizvidza Mugumbate reflecting on his interactions with the late artiste said: “Soul Jah Love was a very understanding person who’d have his bouts of being wayward, but generally, he was a great person to work with. “However, he was a person who when you’d book him, as a promoter, you had to pin him down and follow up with him always because if you didn’t do that, you’d have problems.”
Interestingly, two months before pulling his usual stunts at Palace, another promoter, DJ Phat Joe had hosted him at the same venue and everything went well.
Detailing how he managed to pull the show off, the DJ said he had to travel to Harare to get Soul Jah Love in order to ensure he travelled to Bulawayo. He said during their interaction, Soul Jah Love did not come across as the crass, druggie, bad boy that was being peddled out there as he met a jovial and easy going man who loved his art. “We went to Harare to get him because we’d been told that he doesn’t pitch up for shows.
We met him at his home in Msasa Park and he welcomed us. We paid him his performance fees which at that time was US$2 500. We didn’t have any problems with him,” said DJ Phat Joe. Interestingly, he said the reason why Soul Jah Love did not pitch up at some shows was because of money. “During our journey to Bulawayo, he told us that most of the time that he does these things (not appear at shows) was because promoters would not have paid him or the money that he’d have been given would be little.
“I also realised that there was a challenge with some of his managers that he had as they would be paid his booking fees and not tell him. So when the day came for him to perform, he would boycott then people would start blaming him. We then discovered that it was better to deal directly with him,” said DJ Phat Joe.
The promoter said when they wanted to book Soul Jah Love into a hotel, he refused and told them he would instead stay with them. The whole point for this according to DJ Phat Joe was for Soul Jah Love to prove to him that he was not a problematic person like what people had been portraying. What many did not know was the business side of Soul Jah Love because besides music, he owned a fleet of kombis, something that his manager for six months, Benjamin Nyandoro shared.
“One day when I went to see him at his place, he asked me to manage his affairs. I thought he was joking and after some thinking, I agreed. People may not know that Soul Jah Love had a fleet of kombis that plied the Mbare-Highfield route.
“This is a life that people didn’t know about Soul Jah Love. He was very business-oriented and this gave me the drive to expose him to more opportunities,” said Nyandoro. He said the bad boy image was likely because people could not separate his on and off-stage character.
“He would come out and say this and that or smoking this and that, but that wasn’t the guy he was. Soul Jah Love was a person managing his diabetic condition. When we say he was on drugs, he was on insulin, that was his drug,” said Nyandoro. The battle with diabetes, Nyandoro said was a tough one for the late artiste as he would travel with his insulin kit which had to be administered at certain times.
“While it wasn’t easy for him as an artiste to entertain the masses while battling diabetes, he would make sure that this didn’t overshadow the show. It was all about entertaining people.
“He would deliver, but under very trying conditions,” explained Nyandoro. He went on to describe Soul Jah Love as an extremely intelligent and complex individual.
Meanwhile, a family spokesperson of the late artiste, Solomon Musaka yesterday said the burial is provisionally set for Friday or Saturday in Harare as they are awaiting Covid-19 test results. -Chronicle
Tinashe Sambiri|Mrs Auxillia Mnangagwa is facilitating a cooking festival at a time the nation is grappling with the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.
The event is scheduled for February 18 at Chinhoyi University of Technology.
Although lockdown restrictions clearly stipulate that public gatherings should be restricted to 30 people, Mrs Mnangagwa’s event is likely to exceed the specified number.
See below seasoned journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s statement below:
The First Lady Mai Mnangagwa is having a cooking festival in the middle of a pandemic in Chinhoyi.
Yet we are all not allowed to have gatherings of more than 30?
What kind of leadership is this, and what message does it send to the ordinary citizens when leaders break their own rules?!
Two more suspects allegedly involved in the US$2,7 million ZB Bank cash-in-transit heist last month were granted bail by the High Court yesterday after Tatenda Gadzikwa, who is the mastermind of the heist was released last week.
Although the judge, in granting bail, said he found nothing amiss with the application, the general sentiment in police circles is that freeing the suspects will jeopardise ongoing investigations to arrest other suspects who are still on the run
Tozivepi Chirara and Terrence Matimba are two of the more than 10 people arrested in connection with the armed robbery most of whom are now on bail. The two were granted $50 000 bail.
Prosecutors Mr Washington Munyoro and Richard Chikosha had opposed bail, but Justice Webster Chinamora did not find any compelling reasons warranting the denial of bail.
The judge also considered that most of the suspects in the matter have since been granted bail with last week the same judge granting bail to Tatenda Gadzikwa suspected of being the ring leader in the staged robbery.
“I have looked at the record for Tatenda Gadzikwa, whom I granted bail on 12 February 2021” said Justice Chinamora.
“I have not seen anything that sets apart the applicant in that case to the applicants before me to justify a different and adverse treatment.
“In the circumstances, on the principle of parity of treatment, I will grant bail to the applicants on similar terms. They shall pay bail in the sum of $50 000 and report three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at CID Homicide Harare.”
Chirara and Matimba were arrested along with Gerald Rutizirira (35), Kelvin Musakwa (25), Tendai Zuze (35), Neverson Mwamuka (35), Trymore Chapfika and Charles Chirara in connection with the robbery.
Over US$456 000 has so far been recovered from the US$2,7 million that was stolen from the security company that was transporting the cash to Chinhoyi last month, along with cars that had been bought by the suspects.
Eleven suspects have been arrested in connection with the matter, and have appeared in court. The money was en-route for distribution to ZB Bank branches in Chinhoyi, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Gwanda, Zvishavane and Bulawayo. Mr Tawanda Takaendesa represented the two suspects.
Tozivepi Chirara and Terrence Matimba are two of the more than 10 people arrested in connection with the armed robbery most of whom are now on bail. The two were granted $50 000 bail.
Prosecutors Mr Washington Munyoro and Richard Chikosha had opposed bail, but Justice Webster Chinamora did not find any compelling reasons warranting the denial of bail.
The money was en-route for distribution to ZB Bank branches in Chinhoyi, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Gwanda, Zvishavane and Bulawayo. Mr Tawanda Takaendesa represented the two suspects.
In December, suspected armed robber and gang leader Musa Taj Abdul (47), who was granted bail by High Court Judge Justice Benjamin Chikowero along with three co-accused before they were rearrested after a public outcry. – Herald.
Tinashe Sambiri|The bail application hearing for Alan Moyo has been postponed to Thursday February 18.
In a statement, MDC Alliance Youth Assembly official, Hon Joana Mamombe described the postponement of Alan Moyo’s bail application as notorious.
“The bail application for Alan Moyo has been notoriously postponed to tomorrow in what has a become a sad trend – ‘the state did not file a response’. Alan has clocked an unbelievable 72 Days in Prison without trial. This amounts to clear victimisation and shameful attempts by the state to break the spirit of our dear brother.
Pretrial detention is a worrying trend now being used by the state to clamp down on dissent- violating rights to bail.
There is no legal reason why Alan remains in detention. My thoughts are with you bro, Alan. You are a fighter FreeAlanMoyo,” said Hon Mamombe in a statement.
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
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