By A Correspondent- A Guruve man was jailed 10 months yesterday for stealing seven bags of fertilizer.
Ngonidzashe Mhaka (23) of Zhakata village pleaded guilty to the charge before magistrate Geraldine Mutsotso.
Prosecutor Albert Charewa told the court that on January 20 the Mhaka broke into Patience Chipoya’s room while she was away at night and stole seven bags of uria fertilizer.
Chipoya was advised of the break in and theft by her brother Gift Chipoya (54) before coming back to Guruve the following day.
Upon her arrival in Guruve she made her own investigations in the village and discovered that Zhakata was selling the looted fertilizers.
Chipoya confronted the thief who admitted to breaking and stealing the fertilizers.
By A Correspondent- Mutora Mission Clinic, one of the biggest health facilities in Gokwe North, does not have a single operational toilet, staff and local residents say.
The institution used to be the biggest health facility in Gokwe North before the commissioning of the Chinese-built Gokwe North district hospital in 2012.
Reports suggest that there are no functional public toilets at this Roman catholic institute as they are all either full to capacity or are in a bad state to be used.
Mutora Mission Clinic is used as maternity waiting shelter for the district and expecting mothers are seen during the day urinating in public every day.
One expecting mother said:
We only use these toilets when we want to pass stool only because they are full to capacity.
Meanwhile, the sole toilet for staff members is also in bad shape. The restroom that was built after a protest by one worker has since developed some cracks. A nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity said:
We do not have a toilet at all here, the ones we have at our homes are all full or dilapidated.
Patients who spoke to this publication said they use council toilets at the bus terminus to relieve themselves. The council toilets are away from Mutora Mission Clinic. One patient only identified as Tendai said:
We are forced to use council’s public toilets since there are no toilets at the clinic. We leave the clinic and walk about 20 minutes to access these toilets.
The state of the restrooms has triggered outrage from nurses at this facility. They have since called for the Catholic authorities to address the issue. An anonymous staff member said:
We are not living comfortably here,they should renovate their houses as promised and build us some toilets. How can we educate patients on the importance of toilets when we do not have them here.
Some have turned guns at the manager of the institution, a primary care nurse called sister Juliana Ndabambi, saying she lacks the requisite qualifications and skills to run the clinic.
Mutora Mission Clinic has more than 24 workers and houses more than 150 waiting mothers at peak.
Authorities are said to have pledged to renovate the 13 dilapidated houses but no action has been taken so far.
By A Correspondent- Mutora Mission Clinic, one of the biggest health facilities in Gokwe North, does not have a single operational toilet, staff and local residents say.
The institution used to be the biggest health facility in Gokwe North before the commissioning of the Chinese-built Gokwe North district hospital in 2012.
Reports suggest that there are no functional public toilets at this Roman catholic institute as they are all either full to capacity or are in a bad state to be used.
Mutora Mission Clinic is used as maternity waiting shelter for the district and expecting mothers are seen during the day urinating in public every day.
One expecting mother said:
We only use these toilets when we want to pass stool only because they are full to capacity.
Meanwhile, the sole toilet for staff members is also in bad shape. The restroom that was built after a protest by one worker has since developed some cracks. A nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity said:
We do not have a toilet at all here, the ones we have at our homes are all full or dilapidated.
Patients who spoke to this publication said they use council toilets at the bus terminus to relieve themselves. The council toilets are away from Mutora Mission Clinic. One patient only identified as Tendai said:
We are forced to use council’s public toilets since there are no toilets at the clinic. We leave the clinic and walk about 20 minutes to access these toilets.
The state of the restrooms has triggered outrage from nurses at this facility. They have since called for the Catholic authorities to address the issue. An anonymous staff member said:
We are not living comfortably here,they should renovate their houses as promised and build us some toilets. How can we educate patients on the importance of toilets when we do not have them here.
Some have turned guns at the manager of the institution, a primary care nurse called sister Juliana Ndabambi, saying she lacks the requisite qualifications and skills to run the clinic.
Mutora Mission Clinic has more than 24 workers and houses more than 150 waiting mothers at peak.
Authorities are said to have pledged to renovate the 13 dilapidated houses but no action has been taken so far.
So if someone like Lilian (Timveous) comes through, she will go straight for Amos Chibaya’s Mukoba constituency. She will be the MP for Mukoba with immediate effect.
So you need to move with speed and guess what, Hwende of all people went to negotiate with Mwonzora to say, “yes you took my seat, please make sure I do not lose my car.”
Lily let me tell you, people are so cunning I am telling you. So the issue of the car you should know that there are some hard cores who will pretend like they are staying with Nelson Chamisa, but negotiate with Mwonzora in silence. We will make an exception with these to say one two three four people have come back to MDC T, so on the issue of their cars you should let them off, so the lawyers should out everything on hold, the issue of harassing people concerning cars so it is something that you don’t have to worry. so you should now take effort to come and negotiate but as it stands I tell you already that they will not be an election at all.
Do you think that if we get 2023 even MDC T, is ready for an election? There is nothing like that, so, the situation is terrible my bhururu-friend. So we had a fruitful meeting. I think things are taking shape you just need to take a decision at the end of the day, to take a bold decision like: this is what I’m going to do, it’s about me and my family because every other person is looking out for themselves, because they are selfish people and they are negotiating behind-the-scenes you are left behind the scenes, so make a move my sister.
Listen well Lily, don’t relent at all, don’t fail to talk to Douglas Mwonzora because he said the most important thing people should not worry about positions in the party because we shall go to the ordinary Congress for now what we need to do is to secure a position in Parliament or in the Senate or in the government.
Once you have secured a position you will have even funds to enable you to campaign for the next stage of posts. But where we want to take the party forward is, we want loads of positions that people can scamble for to win, rather than going to an election because we know if one person of such and such a faction, if they win the whole slate, isn’t it you know what happens at congress? The whole slate of that person is the one that enters. So sometimes it is not worth it so the most important thing is to secure your slate first and then you will fight for your position later. Which position? The one at the party level, but as of now, we are looking at national interests. Do you see now? Politics at the national level rather than at a party level so that is where we are. | FULL STORY ON WWW.ZIMEYE.COM
By A Correspondent| Mutare Provincial Magistrate Lazarus Murendo has ordered City of Mutare (CoM) to pay more than RTGS$9 000 to a nurse, who sustained injuries in 2018 after she was assaulted by the local authority’s municipal police officer.
Magistrate Murendo ordered Phineas Munyika, who is employed as a municipal police officer by CoM, and the local authority to pay damages amounting to RTGS$9 727 to Kumbirai Furusa, a nurse.
Munyika roughed up and assaulted Furusa on 6 July 2018 when he was carrying out a joint operation dubbed “Operation Restore Sanity” together with some Zimbabwe National Army members and Zimbabwe Republic Police officers to rid Mutare City of unregistered taxi operators and some vehicles parked at undesignated places.
Furusa was assaulted while she was seated on the front passenger seat of a taxi, which she had boarded on her way to Greenside suburb in the eastern border city.
During trial at Mutare Magistrates Court, Furusa, who was represented by Peggy Tavagadza of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to sue Munyika and CoM, told Magistrate Murendo that the municipal police officer dragged the nurse outside the taxi leading her to fall down and sustaining injuries on her knees.
Two witnesses namely Jonathan Takudzwa Makanya, a soldier and George Mufunda, a municipal police officer testified during the trial of Munyika as they were part of law enforcement officers enforcing the joint operation dubbed “Operation Restore Sanity”.
Furusa suffered some bruised on her knees and a plaster which she already had on her wrist and which was supposed to be removed on 9 July 2018, had to be replaced as a result of the fall from the taxi.
Her new plaster was only removed after six weeks although she continued to experience pain on her wrist.
Because of the injuries which she sustained, Furusa said she could not cook for her family and endured a lot of pain.
In his ruling, Magistrate Murendo held Munyika accountable for causing Furusa to sustain injuries and ruled that it was highly unlikely that the nurse would just fall out of a vehicle in which she was seated in properly on the passenger seat.
Magistrate Murendo ruled that Munyika had a duty of care towards Furusa yet he recklessly and out of overzealousness tried to execute his duties without regard to the safety of the nurse.
The Magistrate ruled that Munyika threw caution to the wind and decided to embark on a dangerous and suicidal conduct without regard to the safety of the nurse and indeed himself.
Out of the RTGS$9 727, Magistrate Murendo ruled that RTGS$9 500 is payment for damages for pain and suffering while RTGS$227 is for special damages. Furusa had initially claimed RTGS$10 000
By A Correspondent- A 45 year old Mberengwa woman was found dead near her homestead with her tongue missing.
The killing, which the police suspect could be ritually motivated, occurred last Sunday night in Butete Village under Chief Mahlebadza. Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident.
He said Beatrice Dube retired to bed around 8:30 pm on Sunday and her body was found lying some metres outside her homestead the following morning.
“Police in Mberengwa are investigating a murder case in which a body of a female adult, Beatrice Dube was found about 500m from her homestead.
“Circumstances are that the night before her body was found, she bade farewell to other family members saying she was retiring for bed.
“About some 20 minutes later, her 13-year-old daughter then followed her intending to give her a mobile phone she had forgotten but she could not find her in her bedroom hut,” said Insp Mahoko.
He said Dube’s body was found by a village boy the following morning.
Insp Mahoko said the deceased was bleeding from the mouth where her tongue was missing. He said police investigations were underway.
“We are appealing to members of the public who might have information helpful to the police investigations to approach any nearest police station,” said Insp Mahoko.-online
So if someone like Lilian (Timveous) comes through, she will go straight for Amos Chibaya’s Mukoba constituency. She will be the MP for Mukoba with immediate effect.
So you need to move with speed and guess what, Hwende of all people went to negotiate with Mwonzora to say, “yes you took my seat, please make sure I do not lose my car.”
Lily let me tell you, people are so cunning I am telling you. So the issue of the car you should know that they are some hard cores who will pretend like they are staying with Nelson Chamisa, but negotiate with Mwonzora in silence. we will make an exception with these to say one two three four people have come back to MDC T, so on the issue of their cars you should let them off, so the lawyers should out everything on hold, the issue of harassing people concerning cars so it is something that you don’t have to worry. so you should now take effort to come and negotiate but as it stands I tell you already that they will not be an election at all.
Do you think that if we get 2023 even MDC T, is ready for an election? There is nothing like that, so, the situation is terrible my bhururu-friend. So we had a fruitful meeting. I think things are taking shape you just need to take a decision at the end of the day, to take a bold decision like: this is what I’m going to do, it’s about me and my family because every other person is looking out for themselves, because they are selfish people and the are negotiating behind-the-scenes you are left behind the scenes, so make a move my sister.
Listen well Lily, don’t relent at all, don’t fail to talk to Douglas Mwonzora because he said the most important thing people should not worry about positions in the party because we shall go to the ordinary Congress for now what we need to do is to secure a position in Parliament or in the Senate or in the government.
Once you have secured a position you will have even funds to enable you to campaign for the next stage of posts. But where we want to take the party forward is we want loads of positions that people can scamble for to win, rather than going to an election because we know if one person of such and such a faction, if they win the whole slate, isn’t it you know what happens at congress? The whole slate of that person is the one that enters. So sometimes it is not worth it so the most important thing is to secure your slate first and then you will fight for your position later. Which position? The one at the party level, but as of now, we are looking at national interests. Do you see now? Politics at the national level rather than at a party level so that is where we are. | FULL STORY ON WWW.ZIMEYE.COM
By A Correspondent- A Bulawayo cop has been arrested and charged for stealing his vehicle that had been impounded by police for violating the lockdown regulations.
Nkosilathi Nyathi of Nkulumane Surburb whose rank is a chief inspector allegedly stole his Kombi Toyota Hiace at Ross Camp Station in Bulawayo on Saturday after he had failed to secure its realise.
According to an internal police memo seen by this publication, the vehicle was impounded at Mabutho suburb, by police details and Bulawayo City Council security officers, after a chase but the driver managed to evade the arrest after he made good his escape, leaving the vehicle stuck in the mud.
It is said, the driver, Nkosilathi Nyathi later turned up at Ross Camp to claim his vehicle and was told that there were fines to be made as well as clearance from Drill Hall by ZRP.
Nyathi reportedly went to Bulawayo City Council and came with payment receipts but was told clearance was to be done at Drill Hall. However, the accused would have none of that as he forcibly drove away without permission. He was swiftly arrested, detained and charged with vehicle theft and would appear in court soon.
Cases of vehicles violating lockdown rules are ripe in the country as most kombis pay their way in town.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police has arrested six suspected armed robbers, including a woman for committing a spate of crimes in Chiweshe while armed with a machete and a pistol.
The six were arrested in Bulawayo in connection with several cases under investigations. CID spokesperson Detective Inspector Portia Chinho confirmed the arrests.
The suspects are Life Hahlani of Newton West, Bulawayo; Mqondisi Akim Sibanda of Nketa 9, Bulawayo; Adonia Mashonga of Mpopoma, Bulawayo; Vusumuzi Reynolds Dube of Nketa 9, Bulawayo and Joice Loswita Ndarova of Kuwadzana in Harare.
“They were arrested in Bulawayo for armed robbery which they committed in Chiweshe area,” said Det Insp Chinho.
“Upon their arrest they were linked to several other cases which occurred around the country.”
It is alleged that the suspects then ordered the complainant to surrender US$25 000. When he refused, they assaulted and struck him with a machete.
The complainant succumbed to pressure and surrendered a safe containing US$89 000. They took three cell phones and car keys of a Honda Fit and drove off. Investigations led to the arrest of the accused and recovery of some of the stolen property.
“Further investigations led to the arrest of Joice Loswita Ndarova in Kuwadzana as well of the arrest of her splinter gang she operated with in Harare,” said Det Insp Chinho.
Det Insp Chinho said Ndarova and her other accomplices who are Tinashe Masodza Nyereyemhuka (20), Atipaishe Sibanda (21), Justin Dodzo, Pasirose Chihungwa and another one only identified as Tafadzwa are also facing another two counts of armed robbery cases.
By A Correspondent| National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) leader, Professor Lovemore Madhuku has described the pathetic pass-rate recorded in the 2020 Grade 7 examinations as a national disaster which calls for every citizen to play a part in restoring the once flourishing education sector.
Madhuku who is also a constitutional law expert said the 38 percent passrate recorded causes him pains as he himself is a beneficiary of a solid primary education which has now been eroded by governance.
“The less than 38% pass rate for the 2020 Grade 7 results causes me pain. It is a national disaster. I am what I am because of a solid primary school education. The results are a call to national duty: I will find a way of contributing to the improvement of our education system,” said Madhuku.
Further probed by Twitter users, Madhuku hit directly at the government saying it had failed the nation.
“It is a political problem: the Government has failed us here,” added the University of Zimbabwe law professor.
Madhuku said he will use his presence in the Political Actors Dialogue to push for a solution so as to stop the further damage to the country’s education system.
By A Correspondent- Genius Ginimbi Kadungure’s former business manager, Shaleen Manhire-Nullens better known as Ms Shally, has announced the death of her father who was 71-years-old.
This comes barely months after she had lost her boss, Ginimbi, who died in a road accident after his Rolls Royce was involved in a head-on collision with a Honda Fit before veering off the road, catching fire and exploding.
Without revealing the cause of death, Ginimbi’s Manager posted on Facebook and said:
I lost someone extremely precious to me, My dad was a part of me he was my everything. 71 years old its classified as young when it comes to losing someone you loved unconditionally and with all your being.
He made me who I am, started to train me when I was 14 so that I could face the world but I never wanted to face it without you Dad. I keep asking God questions why add pain upon pain, this life is slowly becoming unbearable.
By Mari Matutu | Some time last year 2020, I met Professor Lovemore Maduku at Port Elizabeth International Airport. He wanted a lift to Grahams Town which is some 140km away from Port Elizabeth.
He got into my car. Then we started to chat. That is when he told me he was attending his nephew’s graduation at Rhodes University.
I asked a simple question in Shona. “ Munonzwa sei kana imi muchiwinza vana venyu kuzvikoro zvekuno isu vedu vachidzidza kuzvikoro zveZimbabwe?” . He got very angry. Immediately he said “drop me!” He said he was not safe with me.
I had no gun and did not insult him. To me he was a teacher at our institute of Higher learning. He would be the first to trust Zimbabwe’s institute of learning. I still want to hear why he felt unsafe to go with me after I asked that simple question.
Two days ago he comes out on twitter showing concerned about results of grade 7. In his words he says “The less than 38% pass rate for the 2020 Grade 7 results causes me pain. It is a national disaster. I am what I am because of a solid primary school education. The results are a call to national duty: I will find a way of contributing to the improvement of our education system.”
If memory serves us all Madhuku and zanu pf locked the whole nation in doors while they strip of Chamisa’s power.
They abused the SC ruling on a moot case for 9months until Mwonzora was elected as president of MDC T.
He forgot grade 7 wanted to attend classes
Imagine if Madhuku as a Professor of law had chose to stand for the people and use his education for benefit of country and openly stated this
1) In Western Cape Department and Another v George, the court held that the practical effect need not be restricted to the position between the parties but can also include a practical effect on a matter of public interest or to resolve conflicting High Court judgments.
It is clear to us all that High Court order 4 was flawed. It did not address a lot of questions on how an Extra Ordinary Congress should be convened should a president die and 12 months lapse without any EOC being held. SC by principle of mootness had to give a determination that is of practical use in future case but the present case has been rendered moot. Who can miss this? He chose to mislead nation and close school to advance interest of a moot determination. Crime
2) The Constitutional Court of South Africa has held That its discretion must be exercised according to what the interests of justice require. In the case of the Independent Electoral Commission v Langeberg Municipality this Court held the following: “A prerequisite for the exercise of discretion is that any order which this court may make will have some practical effect either on the parties or on others.”
Who is blind that the court gave the determination because it had some practical effect on other members of the party but could not have practical effect of electing a replacement of Tsvangirai. The practical effect of electing a replacement of Tsvangirai was already declared moot by the same court. How could Madhuku advise Khupe to practically implement that which the court has declared moot? He chose to close schools in order to fix Chamisa in order to advance a moot determination as if it is live.
3) The same Court held further that relevant factors in utilising its discretion may include the practical effect an order may have, the importance of the issue, its complexity and the fullness or otherwise of the argument advanced.
It was clearly stated by Justice Patel that one day MDC may rule the country all he was doing was to build a bridge. As for the matter before him it water under bridge.
I pity such Professors who have information that should help the nation but choose to abuse the ignorance of the nation and close every sector in order to execute a crime.
I pity such Professors who fail to realise how the integrity of courts is to a democracy. Imagine a judgement by respected judges being labelled dubious or corona judgement. All thanks to a great teacher of law who cheat the nation and try to practically implement a moot determination.
When he ask how grade 7 children have failed exams, I wonder where his mind was all these 9 months?
How did he expect them to pass when he closed everyone in doors and allow his plan to strip off Chamisa’s “clothes” to work.
Think about other results beside grade 7 which need attention. The hospitals, tourism, transport, industry , parliament, councils all have some results you miss because of your action.
As for grade 7 result, do not worry. Wait and see if you get enough 15 points to make up your own class.
Musapisa sango muchitevera shindi imwe yapinda mumusingwi Va Madhuku.
I still have the same question to you, “ how do you feel when you send your own kids to school outside Zimbabwe.
I remind the arrest you initiated against Adv Fulcrum. You thought he was working on a case to bring this on.
For your own information I am fully aware that you have captured most legal firms and your ears have been on the ground to abuse any lawyer who work on this challenge.
I respect you Justice Patel, Justice Garwe and Justice Guvava. Your judgement was High above board. You correctly interpreted principle of mootness. The Judgement correctly state other cases that also gave determinations on moot case.
You clearly stated the present matter was moot and notwithstanding of that political mootness it was imperative that you give an authoritative determination of the appeal for interest of justice.
Madhuku soiled your integrity before the ignorant citizen. He committed crimes under your name.
I feel someone must stand up to defend you.
As he now see the decay in education system, it is time he also see the decay he is bringing to judiciary.
I still wait to see if the HC judge writing a judgement on MPs recalled from parliament based on this moot case will defy your own judgement and allow it to go again before you.
I also thank you for correctly extending the time frame of holding of an EOC not because it was practically possible for Khupe to hold the EOC but because in future it is practically possible for someone to come and seek extension of holding the EOC. For that simple reason you were correct in applying the principle.
As we mourn the decay of our education system , thanks to the Madhukus, my heart feel we need to see all the decay these Madhukus have directly and indirectly caused.
Grade 7 results was a result that opened a fool’s eyes.
By A Correspondent| Harare West legislator, Joana Mamombe and MDC Alliance activist Cecelia Chimbiri’s bail hearing at the High Court has been postponed to Tuesday.
The duo will appear before Judge Justice Webster Chinamora.
Mamombe and Chimbiri were arrested last week and charged with undermining the authority of the police.
They were already out on bail in a matter in which they are being accused of faking their abduction by alleged state security agents last May and violating lockdown regulations.
In Courtroom A at High Court our lawyers @bamujm & @PaidaSaurombe are making submissions seeking to have Hon. @JoanaMamombe & @ceechimbiri2 released on bail. The lawyers are appealing against Magistrate Mambanje's decision denying them bail last week.
As we draw near 2023 elections, there are going to be many surprises and the one surprise would be the walloping of Mr Douglas Mwonzora and signing off his political carreer.
By Leonard Koni- You can’t be called a drinker if you are still drinking using a straw. No one will take you seriously.
Douglas Mwonzora has been hogging the limelight for wrong reasons where he first used the police to capture Morgan Tsvangirayi House, recalling MDC-Alliance members of parliament using captured courts and lastly using Rainbow Towers a well known Zanu PF ceremonial house for holding the MDC- T extra ordinary congress.
He cannot cheat people by pretending to be a leader of the opposition whilst carrying the Zanu PF tag.
So far Douglas Mwonzora and his MDC-T are still ranked at zero because they have not yet been tested in any meaningful election since their December 2020 Elective Congress. Why is there a rush to push for a dialogue when the party has never scored anything and the score board still reads zero?
He destroyed a meaningful partnership of allied forces and then dismantled it by recalling member of parliament with the aim of weakening the MDC-Alliance.
Douglas Mwonzora got all that support he is enjoying from the ruling party which has a mission of creating its own weak opposition political party in the mould of MDC-T where it can control and manipulate to suit its narrative but unfortunately the goats have bolted already.
Mr Mwonzora single handedly engineered the destruction of a united front opposition which was carrying the hopes and aspirations of most suffering Zimbabweans across the globe who want to see change.
His insatiable appetite for power has pushed him to plant a seed of political discord in the opposition and must not be trusted with any kind of leadership.
How can one man be allowed to destroy an arrangement of many political parties who have joined their hands together to fight for the common cause. There is a Shona idiom which goes _Chara chimwe hachitsvanyi inda_ literally meaning – one finger can’t crush a lice.
That was the contigent plan hatched by the opposition to unite and come up with that Alliance.
The truth of the matter is that Mr Mwonzora and his team are not in sync with the current dynamics and political heartbeat which the real opposition radicals are experiencing on the ground. Only time shall tell.
MDC- T and its leadership are still quarantined in political abyss and think that the lock down is going to be a permanent feature in Zimbabwe.
As the talk of vaccines gathers momentum, this should be a warning that all #Covid19 Supreme Court judgements and recalls shall be history and elections shall be the antidote of the problem.
He must be reminded that the best court in this global world is the court of public opinion. Surprisingly Mwonzora and the crew have not condemned the arbitrary arrests and incarceration of political leaders such as Fadzayi Mahere, Jacob Ngarivhume, Job Sikhala, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, Allan Moyo, and the trio just to mention a few.
This shows the type of leadership which purports to represent the majority of suffering Zimbabweans who have endured the total abuse and weaponisation of the law in the country.
One cannot pretend to be a leader of the opposition and on the other hand failing to stand for the voices of reasons who are fighting the for the betterment of the country.
By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance vice-chairman Job Sikhala wants Harare magistrate Ngoni Nduna removed from the bench, alleging that he was unfit to hold the position and was bringing shame on the Judiciary.
Sikhala, who spent over 20 days in detention after being denied bail by Nduna, told NewsDay that he has already instructed his lawyers to write to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) so that they begin the process of assessing Nduna’s suitability for the bench.
“I am going to write a letter to the JSC in terms of the provisions of the Constitution and the regulations and rules that relate to the conduct of judicial officers during the dispensing of their business.
“I want to seek inquiry with the JSC over whether a Judiciary officer can manufacture his own evidence and facts and act upon them to deny an accused person his liberty on evidence that was not available to court. I want them to determine whether such an officer is fit and proper for him to continue to remain a judicial officer,” Sikhala said.
The Zengeza West MP said his assertions were supported by a recent ruling by the High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi on his bail appeal hearing, who accused Nduna of creating his own evidence and acting on it to deny him bail.
“I was denied bail based on evidence which the magistrate manufactured himself because it’s not there. I will send the entire record of the court and find the reasons why he denied me bail – whether they are supported by the evidence adduced in court,” he said.
Nduna recently got another slamming when he was pulled off the case of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. His efforts to pull out rights lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa from Chin’ono’s legal team were also quashed.
Sikhala said he was also going to sue Nduna in his individual capacity because his actions were not in line with the Constitution.
“You can only sue a judicial officer if he has made a judicial malafide that is not in good faith. It is very clear in my case after having studied the evidence that was led in court and also the ruling of the magistrate that the ruling was malafide. It was not based on logic, it was not based on law, it was based on his manufactured evidence,” Sikhala said.
The MP faces a charge of publishing and communicating falsehoods for allegedly posting on social media allegations which the police deemed to be false, with the intention of soiling their name.
He spent 26 days at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison after being denied bail by Nduna.-Newsday
By A Correspondent- RwandAir has suspended flights to Zimbabwe with effect from today (Monday, 8 February 2021) due to fears of COVID-19 variants. In a statement, the airline said:
In view of the global concerns on covid variants prevalent throughout southern Africa, RwandAir announces the suspension of its flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka and Harare, effective 8 February 2021. Scheduled flights will resume as soon as there is more clarity on the situation.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Affected customers can rebook and fly at a later date at no additional cost – or request a refund.
For further information, please visit www.rwandair.com for the latest updates and information.
The airline had, on 2 December 2020, reintroduced its flights and services operating between Harare and Cape Town.
Zimbabweans. Liberty and freedom can not be manufactured. So is power. It requires citizens coalescing around common issues that affect all of us as a people. Only the people are ultimate owners of power. Power is not owned by individuals or a coterie around the thrown of power.
A 45-year-old Mberengwa woman was found dead near her homestead with her tongue missing.
The killing, which the police suspect could be ritually motivated, occurred last Sunday night in Butete Village under Chief Mahlebadza.
Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident.
He said Beatrice Dube retired to bed around 8:30 pm on Sunday and her body was found lying some metres outside her homestead the following morning.
“Police in Mberengwa are investigating a murder case in which a body of a female adult, Beatrice Dube was found about 500m from her homestead.
“Circumstances are that the night before her body was found, she bade farewell to other family members saying she was retiring for bed.
“About some 20 minutes later, her 13-year-old daughter then followed her intending to give her a mobile phone she had forgotten but she could not find her in her bedroom hut,” said Insp Mahoko.
He said Dube’s body was found by a village boy the following morning.
Insp Mahoko said the deceased was bleeding from the mouth where her tongue was missing.
He said police investigations were underway.
“We are appealing to members of the public who might have information helpful to the police investigations to approach any nearest police station,” said Insp Mahoko.
By Leonard Koni| As we draw near 2023 elections, there are going to be many surprises and the one surprise would be the walloping of Mr Douglas Mwonzora and signing off his political carreer.
You can’t be called a drinker if you are still drinking using a straw. No one will take you seriously.
Douglas Mwonzora has been hogging the limelight for wrong reasons where he first used the police to capture Morgan Tsvangirayi House, recalling MDC-Alliance members of parliament using captured courts and lastly using Rainbow Towers a well known Zanu PF ceremonial house for holding the MDC- T extra ordinary congress.
He cannot cheat people by pretending to be a leader of the opposition whilst carrying the Zanu PF tag.
So far Douglas Mwonzora and his MDC-T are still ranked at zero because they have not yet been tested in any meaningful election since their December 2020 Elective Congress. Why is there a rush to push for a dialogue when the party has never scored anything and the score board still reads zero?
He destroyed a meaningful partnership of allied forces and then dismantled it by recalling member of parliament with the aim of weakening the MDC-Alliance.
Douglas Mwonzora got all that support he is enjoying from the ruling party which has a mission of creating its own weak opposition political party in the mould of MDC-T where it can control and manipulate to suit its narrative but unfortunately the goats have bolted already.
Mr Mwonzora single handedly engineered the destruction of a united front opposition which was carrying the hopes and aspirations of most suffering Zimbabweans across the globe who want to see change.
His insatiable appetite for power has pushed him to plant a seed of political discord in the opposition and must not be trusted with any kind of leadership.
How can one man be allowed to destroy an arrangement of many political parties who have joined their hands together to fight for the common cause. There is a Shona idiom which goes _Chara chimwe hachitsvanyi inda_ literally meaning – one finger can’t crush a lice. That was the contigent plan hatched by the opposition to unite and come up with that Alliance.
The truth of the matter is that Mr Mwonzora and his team are not in sync with the current dynamics and political heartbeat which the real opposition radicals are experiencing on the ground. Only time shall tell.
MDC- T and its leadership are still quarantined in political abyss and think that the lock down is going to be a permanent feature in Zimbabwe.
As the talk of vaccines gathers momentum, this should be a warning that all #Covid19 Supreme Court judgements and recalls shall be history and elections shall be the antidote of the problem. He must be reminded that the best court in this global world is the court of public opinion.
Surprisingly Mwonzora and the crew have not condemned the arbitrary arrests and incarceration of political leaders such as Fadzayi Mahere, Jacob Ngarivhume, Job Sikhala, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, Allan Moyo, and the trio just to mention a few.
This shows the type of leadership which purports to represent the majority of suffering Zimbabweans who have endured the total abuse and weaponisation of the law in the country.
One cannot pretend to be a leader of the opposition and on the other hand failing to stand for the voices of reasons who are fighting the for the betterment of the country.
Commercial truckers and informal cross-border transporters who arrive at the country’s land ports of entry without Covid-19 clearance certificates will, with immediate effect, be quarantined for 10 days.
Government is tightening Covid-19 screening protocols for commercial truck drivers and omalayitsha.
Of late, some of them have been arriving in the country without the required Covid-19 clearance certificates which are issued when one does a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.
At least 40 000 commercial trucks pass through Beitbridge Border Post monthly.
The country has been recording increased infections and deaths in the second wave of the global pandemic.
According to Beitbridge District Medical Officer (DMO), Dr Lenos Samhere some of the drivers were disregarding the set processes, although they would have been allocated funds to test before leaving the exporting countries.
“As per the new order we will quarantine them for at least 10 days before we do rapid antigen test. This is so because our PCR machine can process at least 90 samples at a time. In this case we can’t waste resources (consumables) on fewer numbers, since the arrivals are very minimal. We encourage them to comply with set standards and ensure they have the required certificates to avoid inconveniences,” said the DMO.
Dr Samhere said the PCR certificates for commercial truck drivers are valid for 30 days after which they should do another test.
With respect to omalayitsha, he said they should do retests after every two weeks. He said the normal returnees arriving in the country were being screened through the rapid antigens method.
“Those that test negative are dispatched to their homes while those who tested positive for the condition are immediately put into isolation.
“You will note that for commercial truck drivers and cross-border transporters, we strictly require PCR obtained results as per the current set guidelines,” said Dr Samhere.
Those being put in quarantine or isolation, are handled at the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) hotel where over 14 000 Zimbabweans have passed through between April last year and January 2021.
Beitbridge also handles returnees in transit to Malawi and Zambia.
By Israel Dube- It is shocking that while countries like South Africa have already received their first batch of Covid-19 vaccine from India, the broke and out of sorts government of Zimbabwe is sending a begging bowl to a few remaining local companies, private citizens and well wishers to mobilise funds to import Covid-19 vaccine. They are even considering charging citizens for each vaccine jab.
Surely this “begging bowl- carrying” government has no shame, its begging knows no boundaries. Many years of shameless begging has affected their thinking capacity and reasoning.
The companies and citizens of both Zimbabwe and Republic of Matabeleland are currently bearing the brunt of the dysfunctional economy due to 40 years of mismanagement, corruption and unfettered looting of state resources by the same government, and one year long lockdown. Where on earth will they get the money to donate to the thieving government?
Begging, corruption and theft is in the DNA of Shona people. The government of Zimbabwe holds a very misguided belief that the outside world owes it.
They believe that state resources are theirs to empower themselves through corruption and stealing and the donor community has a duty to fund all state functions of Zimbabwe.
This has become so serious that many countries in the world now fear a state visit by the Zimbabwe head of state.
In April 2015 the 4 day state visit to South Africa by the then Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe caused fear in South Africa.
The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper had reported that Mugabe may ask President Jacob Zuma to help fund a Southern African Development Community summit on industrialisation‚ which was due to take place in Harare on April 26 2015.
Mugabe’s Spokesman George Charamba was forced to come out and defend Mugabe, “We are a bit unhappy that we are being portrayed as coming here with a begging bowl to ask for money‚” he was quoted by The Times newspaper as saying.
The fears are justified as any august state visit by any Zimbabwean head of state can be easily turned into an embarrassing begging mission.
The Zimbabwe government make head lines around the world as the government of beggars.
Check the following headlines: i)Zimbabwe govt gets out begging bowl- The Mail and Guardian 14 January 2005
ii) Zim sends begging bowl for $1, 5 billion as drought bites- The Africa Report. com 10 February 2016
iii) Cyril Ramaphosa can expect pleas for a bail out from Zimbabwe- The Times 10 March 2019
iv) Zim to beg for poll funds- $ 192m required- News24 30 January 2013
In 2008 an easy to treat cholera claimed more than 5000 lives when the always broke government of Zimbabwe failed to curb the disease. With covid-19 vaccine, the same government has done what it knows best – sit down, calculate a total amount of US$ 200 million and send out a begging bowl to citizens, companies and well wishers to donate.
This irresponsible, greedy, selfish, corrupt, thieving and useless government is putting the lives of over 5million Matabeles and 10 million Shonas based in Zimbabwe in great danger in times of pandemics and famines.
This government of heartless tribalists, tribal oppressors, rapists and cold hearted murderers has failed to protect Matabeles and its own Shona from diseases and it will fail to defend us in times of war.
We appeal to fellow Matabeles to wake up, smell the coffee and join MLO in fighting for the restoration of Matabeleland state which shall re- emerge as the Republic of Matabeleland.
The Shona supremacist government of Zimbabwe has made us a laughing stock of the world. We know that begging, corruption and theft forms part of their DNA and culture. That is why they wipe out state coffers and carry a begging bowl wherever they go in the wold without an aota of shame.
But in our Matabele culture the above is unspeakable abomination. Why do we allow ourselves to be ruled by failures who cannot even run a tuck shop? Why do we allow ourselves to be ruled by heartless human slaughterers and rapists? Why do we let the government of thieves and shameless beggars misrepresent us around the world and tarnish our good name?
Tinashe Sambiri|Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is deliberately exposing MDC Alliance Youth Assembly leaders Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri to Coronavirus, it has emerged.
According to Netsai Marova, Joana and Cecilia are sharing cells with individuals showing COVID-19 symptoms.
Despite being persecuted by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration, Joana and Cecilia are in good spirits.
See Netsai Marova’s statement below:
Glad to have seen Hon Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe and Cde Chauya chauya Cecillia R Chimbiri in very high spirits and passing regards to all of u at Chikurubi Maximum Prison today.
They were in their complete PPE to protect themselves from Covid 19 as it is their greatest worry since they are staying with inmates with fever and cough and not sure wether it’s covid or not as there are no covid 19 tests being done in prison.
Let’s all remember them in our prayers for God’s greatest protection from this deadly pandemic and that they be set free for they did not commit any crime but are victims of the State’s ruthless acts of wanting to silence opposition voices.
In the end we need new leaders who respect human rights and the rule of law.
Tinashe Sambiri|Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is deliberately exposing MDC Alliance Youth Assembly leaders Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri to Coronavirus, it has emerged.
According to Netsai Marova, Joana and Cecilia are sharing cells with individuals showing COVID-19 symptoms.
Despite being persecuted by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration, Joana and Cecilia are in good spirits.
See Netsai Marova’s statement below:
Glad to have seen Hon Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe and Cde Chauya chauya Cecillia R Chimbiri in very high spirits and passing regards to all of u at Chikurubi Maximum Prison today.
They were in their complete PPE to protect themselves from Covid 19 as it is their greatest worry since they are staying with inmates with fever and cough and not sure wether it’s covid or not as there are no covid 19 tests being done in prison.
Let’s all remember them in our prayers for God’s greatest protection from this deadly pandemic and that they be set free for they did not commit any crime but are victims of the State’s ruthless acts of wanting to silence opposition voices.
In the end we need new leaders who respect human rights and the rule of law.
The rollout of AstraZeneca vaccine which had been scheduled to begin in South Africa soon is now on temporary hold, Health MInister Zweli Mkhize announced on Sunday.
Mkhize said the roll-out will be put on hold until a committee of scientists have decided the way forward. Instead, our roll-out will be linked to an implementation study.
Mkhize said: “In the next four weeks we will have results of AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. When new information is brought to light and viruses change and mutate, decisions need to be made. This is possibly why the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout is on hold for now. In the next few weeks South Africa will have the J&J and Pfizer vaccine.”
Wits Professor Shabir Madhi told a media briefing on Sunday that results from the trials show that the AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against mild and moderate forms of the B.1.351 coronavirus variant first identified in the country. He said it was “disappointing” and a reality check.
He explained results recently released from a vaccine trial conducted in partnership with Wits University which attempted to analyse the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the South African population. The study was conducted last year towards the end of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
It enrolled just over 2000 participants who were between the ages of 18 and 65 years. The participants did not have comorbidities and were relatively healthy.
Participants were given a placebo or the actual vaccine – this process was repeated after four weeks. The trail was only able to test whether the vaccine was at least 60% effective against mild forms of the virus and a bigger trial would be needed to demonstrate whether the virus would protect severe forms of the virus.
Madhi said the recruitment of participants started towards the end of the first wave, but while the study was underway the new variant started spreading in the country -especially in the Eastern Cape and became a dominant part of the second wave of the pandemic.
Madhi said evidence collected showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against the new variant. Before October 31, when the trial began – results showed promise and the likelihood of protecting against mild cases of the virus. Results had shown that the vaccine was 75% effective with a single dose in 14 days. These same results could not be replicated based on the new variant.
He said the question of whether the AstraZeneca vaccine would be effective against severe forms of the virus had not been answered as the study did not aim to answer that question. A larger study would be needed, Mahdi said.
He said had the virus not mutated, the results would have been promising.
Madhi said it was not all “doom and gloom” as vaccines like the one-dose vaccine offered by Johnson & Johnson offered more promising effectiveness against the SA variant and severe forms of the virus.
Professor Glenda Gray agreed that early results from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were more promising and the vaccine could be a “silver bullet”.
The single-dose vaccine was shown to be 85 percent effective in preventing severe disease and death in the 501Y.V2 variant.
“We are in advanced discussions to further evaluate the single shot Covid vaccine in South Africa in an accelerated manner,” said Gray.
South Africa received a million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India this week, with another batch of 500 000 doses set to be delivered later this month.
Mkhize told members of the health portfolio committee on Friday that the country will also get 9 million doses from Johnson & Johnson, 20 million from Pfizer and 12 million from the Covax facility.
Mkhize said healthcare workers will be vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines.
The panel confirmed that the AstraZeneca vaccine did come with an April expiry date and that talks were underway with the Serum Institute of India to possibly exchange the stock. – IOL
Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance spokesperson, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere has queried why Zanu PF is not abiding by lockdown restrictions.
Zanu PF has directed its employees to report for duty on Monday February 8.
In a circular addressed to all provincial chairpersons (Circular 2/2021), Zanu PF director-general D. Dzora said all party staff members should come to work in spite of the extension of the national lockdown by a further two weeks:
“This letter serves to inform you that all Party staff members are being required to report for duty on Monday 8th of February 2021 at 0800 hours as usual.”
Mahere urged the police to put an end to ZANU PF impunity.
Said Mahere: “Is Zanu PF an essential service?… Why is Zanu PF not bound by the lockdown regulations?… Why do you ignore their continued breaches? Are you captured?… This impunity must end.”
Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance spokesperson, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere has queried why Zanu PF is not abiding by lockdown restrictions.
Zanu PF has directed its employees to report for duty on Monday February 8.
In a circular addressed to all provincial chairpersons (Circular 2/2021), Zanu PF director-general D. Dzora said all party staff members should come to work in spite of the extension of the national lockdown by a further two weeks:
“This letter serves to inform you that all Party staff members are being required to report for duty on Monday 8th of February 2021 at 0800 hours as usual.”
Mahere urged the police to put an end to ZANU PF impunity.
Said Mahere: “Is Zanu PF an essential service?… Why is Zanu PF not bound by the lockdown regulations?… Why do you ignore their continued breaches? Are you captured?… This impunity must end.”
Late Mamelodi Sundowns defender Motjeka Madisha has been laid to rest, eight weeks after his death.
Madisha was killed in a car crash on 12 December 2020, when his vehicle crashed into a steel pole in wet conditions and burst into flames near Kempton Park, in Ekurhuleni.
His burial took place in Ga-Madisha in Limpopo this morning.
The long wait in his burial was due to the delay in issuing the DNA results as his body was burnt beyond recognition.
His death came barely a week after a former Masandawana player Anele Ngcongca also died in a car accident.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Commercial truckers and informal cross-border transporters who arrive at the country’s land ports of entry without Covid-19 clearance certificates will, with immediate effect, be quarantined for 10 days.
Government is tightening Covid-19 screening protocols for commercial truck drivers and omalayitsha.
Of late, some of them have been arriving in the country without the required Covid-19 clearance certificates which are issued when one does a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. At least 40 000 commercial trucks pass through Beitbridge Border Post monthly.
The country has been recording increased infections and deaths in the second wave of the global pandemic.
According to Beitbridge District Medical Officer (DMO), Dr Lenos Samhere some of the drivers were disregarding the set processes, although they would have been allocated funds to test before leaving the exporting countries.
“As per the new order we will quarantine them for at least 10 days before we do rapid antigen test. This is so because our PCR machine can process at least 90 samples at a time. In this case we can’t waste resources (consumables) on fewer numbers, since the arrivals are very minimal. We encourage them to comply with set standards and ensure they have the required certificates to avoid inconveniences,” said the DMO.
Dr Samhere said the PCR certificates for commercial truck drivers are valid for 30 days after which they should do another test. With respect to omalayitsha, he said they should do retests after every two weeks.
He said the normal returnees arriving in the country were being screened through the rapid antigens method.
“Those that test negative are dispatched to their homes while those who tested positive for the condition are immediately put into isolation.
“You will note that for commercial truck drivers and cross-border transporters, we strictly require PCR obtained results as per the current set guidelines,” said Dr Samhere.
Those being put in quarantine or isolation, are handled at the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) hotel where over 14 000 Zimbabweans have passed through between April last year and January 2021.
Beitbridge also handles returnees in transit to Malawi and Zambia. -Chronicle
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has arrested six suspected armed robbers, including a woman for committing a spate of crimes in Chiweshe while armed with a machete and a pistol.
The six were arrested in Bulawayo in connection with several cases under investigations. CID spokesperson Detective Inspector Portia Chinho confirmed the arrests.
The suspects are Life Hahlani of Newton West, Bulawayo; Mqondisi Akim Sibanda of Nketa 9, Bulawayo; Adonia Mashonga of Mpopoma, Bulawayo; Vusumuzi Reynolds Dube of Nketa 9, Bulawayo and Joice Loswita Ndarova of Kuwadzana in Harare.
“They were arrested in Bulawayo for armed robbery which they committed in Chiweshe area,” said Det Insp Chinho. “Upon their arrest they were linked to several other cases which occurred around the country.”
It is alleged that the suspects then ordered the complainant to surrender US$25 000. When he refused, they assaulted and struck him with a machete. The complainant succumbed to pressure and surrendered a safe containing US$89 000. They took three cell phones and car keys of a Honda Fit and drove off. Investigations led to the arrest of the accused and recovery of some of the stolen property.
“Further investigations led to the arrest of Joice Loswita Ndarova in Kuwadzana as well of the arrest of her splinter gang she operated with in Harare,” said Det Insp Chinho.
Det Insp Chinho said Ndarova and her other accomplices who are Tinashe Masodza Nyereyemhuka (20), Atipaishe Sibanda (21), Justin Dodzo, Pasirose Chihungwa and another one only identified as Tafadzwa are also facing another two counts of armed robbery cases. -Herald
Full Text:Teachers Roast Jamwanda Over “Reckless” Grade Seven Results Remarks
GOVERNMENT CAN’T OUTSOURCE RESPONSIBILITY. ( Response to Jamwanda aka George Charamba’s Utterances)
ARTUZ notes with shock the irresponsible insinuation uttered by one Jamwanda whom we understand is George Charamba to the effect that teachers are responsible for some dismal Grade 7 results in some schools across the country.
The fact that Mr Charamba does not understand the dynamics, ins and outs, intimacies and intricacies of education does not surprise us. His consistent uneducated utterances over the years have left everyone in no doubt whatsoever that he is dead from the neck upwards. The fact that the administration chooses such an airhead for speaking for the President says all about the calibre of the same administration.
ARTUZ, as usual a patriotic and generous teacher’s union wishes therefore to educate Mr Charamba about the basic tenets of education. We are used to work for free anyway. The education of our children is a simple triangle made up of teachers, learners and parents. This triangle is brought together by a responsible government through capacitating both parties. We all know that with unemployment rate of more than 90% parents are totally incapacitated to provide a conducive home and environment for their children to study. Parents who are struggling to put a square meal on the table can not be expected to provide for basic educational needs of their children. It is Mr Charamba’s government that has presided over the demise of all forms of meaningful employment hence casting all citizens into the pit of abject poverty.
Last year was characterised by total incapacitation of teachers whom at one point were earning less than US$50. We agree that teachers play a decisive role in the advancement of education. It’s however not a secret that educators are not miracle workers. Even religious missionaries were equipped with resources for their material welfare. Teachers simply could not execute their duties because they just didn’t have the resources to do so. Maybe Mr Charamba can point to us which employer was supposed to capacitate teachers.
The Covid 19 pandemic rendered teaching and learning almost impossible last year and government effected lockdowns with learners spending considerable time at home. Artuz was on record advising and even demanding that no exams should be administered for the simple reason that learners did not learn. The government as usual defaulted to its traditional command mode and we got command education with the attendant dismal results. Suddenly it is teachers’ fault according to the all knowing Charamba!
As Artuz we have always been clear, honest and forthright with our employer. We pointed to the dangers of incapacitation of teachers, we pointed to the effects of Covid and we agitated for a better economic climate in relation to the education sector. We correctly hold the government responsible for every poor result across the country. We did everything in our power to contribute towards better education. We regret nothing and celebrate everything.
We therefore advise Mr Charamba who happens to have the President’s ears to use his proximity to the President as a platform to address pertinent issues affecting the education sector. They may start by addressing the welfare of teachers, infrastructure in schools and combating Covid 19. His uneducated rants on Twitter are not helping anyone except exposing his arrogant ignorance.
GOVERNMENT CAN’T OUTSOURCE RESPONSIBILITY. ( Response to Jamwanda aka George Charamba’s Utterances)
ARTUZ notes with shock the irresponsible insinuation uttered by one Jamwanda whom we understand is George Charamba to the effect that teachers are responsible for some dismal Grade 7 results in some schools across the country.
The fact that Mr Charamba does not understand the dynamics, ins and outs, intimacies and intricacies of education does not surprise us. His consistent uneducated utterances over the years have left everyone in no doubt whatsoever that he is dead from the neck upwards. The fact that the administration chooses such an airhead for speaking for the President says all about the calibre of the same administration.
ARTUZ, as usual a patriotic and generous teacher’s union wishes therefore to educate Mr Charamba about the basic tenets of education. We are used to work for free anyway. The education of our children is a simple triangle made up of teachers, learners and parents. This triangle is brought together by a responsible government through capacitating both parties. We all know that with unemployment rate of more than 90% parents are totally incapacitated to provide a conducive home and environment for their children to study. Parents who are struggling to put a square meal on the table can not be expected to provide for basic educational needs of their children. It is Mr Charamba’s government that has presided over the demise of all forms of meaningful employment hence casting all citizens into the pit of abject poverty.
Last year was characterised by total incapacitation of teachers whom at one point were earning less than US$50. We agree that teachers play a decisive role in the advancement of education. It’s however not a secret that educators are not miracle workers. Even religious missionaries were equipped with resources for their material welfare. Teachers simply could not execute their duties because they just didn’t have the resources to do so. Maybe Mr Charamba can point to us which employer was supposed to capacitate teachers.
The Covid 19 pandemic rendered teaching and learning almost impossible last year and government effected lockdowns with learners spending considerable time at home. Artuz was on record advising and even demanding that no exams should be administered for the simple reason that learners did not learn. The government as usual defaulted to its traditional command mode and we got command education with the attendant dismal results. Suddenly it is teachers’ fault according to the all knowing Charamba!
As Artuz we have always been clear, honest and forthright with our employer. We pointed to the dangers of incapacitation of teachers, we pointed to the effects of Covid and we agitated for a better economic climate in relation to the education sector. We correctly hold the government responsible for every poor result across the country. We did everything in our power to contribute towards better education. We regret nothing and celebrate everything.
We therefore advise Mr Charamba who happens to have the President’s ears to use his proximity to the President as a platform to address pertinent issues affecting the education sector. They may start by addressing the welfare of teachers, infrastructure in schools and combating Covid 19. His uneducated rants on Twitter are not helping anyone except exposing his arrogant ignorance.
A HEADMASTER and a driver at Mandwandwe Secondary School in Bulawayo are under investigation after 16 doors out of 32 that were replaced at classrooms by the School Development Committee reportedly went missing under unclear circumstances.
The school head, Mr Litmus Moyo, and an unnamed school driver have been implicated in the alleged scam after two of the missing doors were found installed at the driver’s house. He claimed that he was given the doors by Mr Moyo.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed that they were investigating circumstances surrounding the alleged theft of the doors but to date no arrests had been made. “Our officers are investigating that matter after a report was made but no arrests have been made so far,” said Insp Ncube.
Contacted for comment, the SDC chairperson, Mr Sign Bhebhe confirmed that they had reported the matter to the police after Mr Moyo had failed to give a substantive explanation on the whereabouts of the missing doors. “As the SDC we got a request from the school to replace the doors, we naturally approached parents who gave us a go ahead, we then went ahead to replace 32 doors at the school. However, we later got a tip off that the driver had taken some of the old doors to his house and for sure when we went there, we identified two of the old doors that had been installed at his house.
“When we asked him, he implicated the school head who initially neither denied or confirmed this assertion, we then went back to the school where we did an inventory on the old doors, where we found that only 16 were left, it is then that the school head professed ignorance on the whereabouts of the doors, which is why we had to report the issue to the police,” said Mr Bhebhe.
He said their worry was that school property could not just go missing when there were people meant to ensure its safety.
“Our thinking was that we were going to dispose of these doors and ensure that the funds raised are channeled towards the development of the school, not just for one person to benefit,” said the SDC chairperson.- The Sunday News
PARLIAMENT will reconvene on Tuesday next week after resolving to extend the adjournment of House business on account of current level four national lockdown.
The National Assembly sat for the first time this year on Tuesday following the annual festive season break, which began on December 19.
The House resolved, during the brief session, to postpone sittings until the pronouncement of a review of the current lockdown restrictions, which lapse on February 15.
The Senate also met for a brief token sitting a fortnight ago and agreed to resume business on February 16.
Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda told The Sunday Mail that both Houses will commence sitting after the announcement of revised lockdown measures expected before February 15.
He said Parliamentarians will undergo Covid-19 screening as and when necessary.
“Business of Parliament and how it will be managed will be informed by the revised lockdown arrangements as pronounced,” said Mr Chokuda.
“This will continue into the future as it allows the business of Parliament to continue while complying with Covid-19 regulations.
“Disinfection of the Parliament building, temperature screening and provision of hand sanitisation facilities are some of the measures that have been adopted to curb the spread of the virus.
“In addition, we have also adopted remote working to reduce the numbers of staff present within the building at any one time.
“Members and staff have also been provided with reusable masks and these will be replaced constantly to ensure they are protected.”
He said Parliament had adopted virtual sittings for both Houses and committees as part of mitigation measures.
Zanu-PF chief whip Pupurai Togarepi said the ruling party caucus will push for enactment of a law which prohibits citizens from conniving with hostile foreign governments to harm the nation.
Last year, Cabinet directed the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to draft a law to criminalise and impose stiff penalties for campaigning against the country through private correspondences with foreign governments and harming that national interest.- The Sunday Mail
POWER utility Zesa could be losing revenue to fraudsters working in cahoots with its employees who are illegally generating electricity tokens and then sell them to the public.
Some Zesa employees have been allegedly manipulating the system, generating and selling electricity tokens to customers without declaring the proceeds to the power utility company.
It is understood that some of the workers were manipulating the system to allow their agents to sell tokens and not remitting the money to Zesa.
Last week police arrested a Zesa employee and his agent for allegedly illegally generating electricity tokens and selling them to customers without the knowledge of the power utility company.
Police arrested Darlington Chiputura (41) a ZESA employee at the company’s headquarters in Harare together with his agent Joseph Wagusiwa (36) from Kadoma for allegedly illegally generating and selling electricity tokens.
National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest of the two suspects following a tip off.
“I can confirm that police have arrested Joseph Wagusiwa and Darlington Chiputura for fraud. Wagusiwa was arrested in Kadoma after a trap was set and a Zesa electricity token valued at ZWL$ 1 680 was recovered. The token had been sold to a potential client through a fraudulent system manipulation in the Zesa electricity data process.
Wagusiwa then implicated Chiputura who was responsible for generating the tokens at Zesa headquarters in Harare and supplied them to the first suspect for sale to the public for their own benefit,” he said.
It is alleged that some of the employees would manipulate the Zesa token system to create a parallel system that allows agents to sell electricity, illegally accessing the Zesa electricity database.- The Sunday News
They won’t even apologise on the acceptable basis that it was a slip of the tongue. Instead, they will try all manner of sophistry and casuistry. They adopt that approach because they have no respect for us but thank God, our people have their own way of hitting back. pic.twitter.com/eqwmppCNB1
By A Correspondent- The late Beitbridge Proportional Representation MP Lisa Singo (Zanu PF) who died on Thursday has been buried.
Singo (47) was buried this Sunday at the Beitbridge Heroes Acre after she was declared a liberation heroine.
She passed on at the Public Service Medical Investments Hospital in the border town where she was rushed after collapsing on Wednesday.
Singo became Beitbridge legislator after the 2018 elections when the ruling party won the two parliamentary constituencies and the senatorial seat.
It is not clear how the decision to accord her with liberation heroine status was reached as she was about 5 years old when the ceasefire was declared in 1979, 42 years ago
Statement by Justice for Children (JCT) on the arrest and imprisonment of a 16-year-old Chinhoyi girl for violating curfew regulations.
Justice for Children (JCT) has intervened in the case of a 16-year-old Chinhoyi girl who was imprisoned for violating curfew regulations.
Through making an application for free bail pending appeal, Justice for Children represented by its lawyer, Pamellah Musimwa, ensured that the child has been released into the custody of the Department of Social Welfare where she will be placed in a place of safety.
An inquiry into the life and circumstances of the child reveals that she ended up breaking curfew regulations as she could not have protection from abuse at the family level.
JCT is concerned about how children’s rights are being violated under the name of enforcing lockdown regulations by justice players.
Section 81 of the Zimbabwe constitution provides for the protection of children including adequate protections by the courts with the High Court being the upper guardian.
Further in all matters concerning children, imprisonment should be used as a last resort whilst also taking into consideration the best interests of the child.
Sentencing a juvenile to pay $15 000 fine, therefore, fails to take into cognisance both the minority and financial incapacity of a child.
Further, Section 19 of the Constitution also provides that the State must adopt reasonable policies and measures to ensure that children are protected from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse thus when all has failed to offer protection to a child including the family the government should come in and offer protection.
In this instance, the Courts have proved to have failed to protect the child and her interests. JCT continues to be concerned about the levels of child rights violations that children are being exposed to starting from families, communities and duty bearers.
The organization continue to reiterate that being in conflict with the law does not make one an adult but rather it’s an indication that a child is in need of care.
Further as an organization, JCT calls upon all child protection stakeholders particularly our courts to fully take cognisance and provide a child justice friendly system.
Therefore wherever one comes in contact with a child in conflict with the law it should become a duty to ensure that our actions contribute and promote to the rehabilitation and reintegration of such a child in line with the best interest of the child principle.
I call upon all Africans to transform Africa into One Country if we are to develop economically otherwise the West would continue to exploit us. Mamur Gaddafi had a great VISION!!!!!
By A Correspondent- While some health experts have recommended that the Government must consider easing tight lockdown restrictions, Mpilo hospital acting chief executive officer Professor Solwayo Ngwenya argued that it would be difficult for the country to do that at this point in time.
Prof Ngwenya said relaxing the coronavirus-induced lockdown could be catastrophic as it will most likely result in an upsurge in new infections.
He said countries that have relaxed lockdowns have been forced to go back to full-scale lockdown, and Zimbabwe will not be an exception. Said Prof Ngwenya:
Lockdowns and coronavirus are now a contentious subject because on one hand lockdowns cause a lot of economic disruptions.
On the other hand, from a health perspective, a full lockdown is necessary as it helps us contain this pandemic and avoid mass infections that might lead to the crippling of the health sector subsequently leading to mass deaths.
As a country, it is difficult for me to comment whether we are ready or not to relax the lockdown but from where I am, the community I work from, I believe if we downgrade it might be catastrophic because there is a lot of infections in the community and a lot of people that are not being tested.
The countries that are downgrading will actually soon go back to full-scale lockdowns, it’s a vicious cycle, you relax, infections surge and you go back to full-scale lockdown, but that is one thing which we have to accept because there is also the need for the economy to function.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) president Dr Francis Chirowa said there is a need for Government to loosen up but not completely take away the lockdown.
Statement by Justice for Children (JCT) on the arrest and imprisonment of a 16-year-old Chinhoyi girl for violating curfew regulations.
Justice for Children (JCT) has intervened in the case of a 16-year-old Chinhoyi girl who was imprisoned for violating curfew regulations.
Through making an application for free bail pending appeal, Justice for Children represented by its lawyer, Pamellah Musimwa, ensured that the child has been released into the custody of the Department of Social Welfare where she will be placed in a place of safety.
An inquiry into the life and circumstances of the child reveals that she ended up breaking curfew regulations as she could not have protection from abuse at the family level.
JCT is concerned about how children’s rights are being violated under the name of enforcing lockdown regulations by justice players.
Section 81 of the Zimbabwe constitution provides for the protection of children including adequate protections by the courts with the High Court being the upper guardian.
Further in all matters concerning children, imprisonment should be used as a last resort whilst also taking into consideration the best interests of the child.
Sentencing a juvenile to pay $15 000 fine, therefore, fails to take into cognisance both the minority and financial incapacity of a child.
Further, Section 19 of the Constitution also provides that the State must adopt reasonable policies and measures to ensure that children are protected from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse thus when all has failed to offer protection to a child including the family the government should come in and offer protection.
In this instance, the Courts have proved to have failed to protect the child and her interests. JCT continues to be concerned about the levels of child rights violations that children are being exposed to starting from families, communities and duty bearers.
The organization continue to reiterate that being in conflict with the law does not make one an adult but rather it’s an indication that a child is in need of care.
Further as an organization, JCT calls upon all child protection stakeholders particularly our courts to fully take cognisance and provide a child justice friendly system.
Therefore wherever one comes in contact with a child in conflict with the law it should become a duty to ensure that our actions contribute and promote to the rehabilitation and reintegration of such a child in line with the best interest of the child principle.
By A Correspondent|Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is deliberately exposing MDC Alliance Youth Assembly leaders Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri to Coronavirus, it has emerged.
According to Netsai Marova, Joana and Cecilia are sharing cells with individuals showing COVID-19 symptoms.
Despite being persecuted by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration, Joana and Cecilia are in good spirits.
See Netsai Marova’s statement below:
Glad to have seen Hon Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe and Cde Chauya chauya Cecillia R Chimbiri in very high spirits and passing regards to all of u at Chikurubi Maximum Prison today.
They were in their complete PPE to protect themselves from Covid 19 as it is their greatest worry since they are staying with inmates with fever and cough and not sure wether it’s covid or not as there are no covid 19 tests being done in prison.
Let’s all remember them in our prayers for God’s greatest protection from this deadly pandemic and that they be set free for they did not commit any crime but are victims of the State’s ruthless acts of wanting to silence opposition voices.
In the end we need new leaders who respect human rights and the rule of law.
Full Text:Teachers Roast Jamwanda Over “Reckless” Grade Seven Results Remarks
GOVERNMENT CAN’T OUTSOURCE RESPONSIBILITY. ( Response to Jamwanda aka George Charamba’s Utterances)
ARTUZ notes with shock the irresponsible insinuation uttered by one Jamwanda whom we understand is George Charamba to the effect that teachers are responsible for some dismal Grade 7 results in some schools across the country.
The fact that Mr Charamba does not understand the dynamics, ins and outs, intimacies and intricacies of education does not surprise us. His consistent uneducated utterances over the years have left everyone in no doubt whatsoever that he is dead from the neck upwards. The fact that the administration chooses such an airhead for speaking for the President says all about the calibre of the same administration.
ARTUZ, as usual a patriotic and generous teacher’s union wishes therefore to educate Mr Charamba about the basic tenets of education. We are used to work for free anyway. The education of our children is a simple triangle made up of teachers, learners and parents. This triangle is brought together by a responsible government through capacitating both parties. We all know that with unemployment rate of more than 90% parents are totally incapacitated to provide a conducive home and environment for their children to study. Parents who are struggling to put a square meal on the table can not be expected to provide for basic educational needs of their children. It is Mr Charamba’s government that has presided over the demise of all forms of meaningful employment hence casting all citizens into the pit of abject poverty.
Last year was characterised by total incapacitation of teachers whom at one point were earning less than US$50. We agree that teachers play a decisive role in the advancement of education. It’s however not a secret that educators are not miracle workers. Even religious missionaries were equipped with resources for their material welfare. Teachers simply could not execute their duties because they just didn’t have the resources to do so. Maybe Mr Charamba can point to us which employer was supposed to capacitate teachers.
The Covid 19 pandemic rendered teaching and learning almost impossible last year and government effected lockdowns with learners spending considerable time at home. Artuz was on record advising and even demanding that no exams should be administered for the simple reason that learners did not learn. The government as usual defaulted to its traditional command mode and we got command education with the attendant dismal results. Suddenly it is teachers’ fault according to the all knowing Charamba!
As Artuz we have always been clear, honest and forthright with our employer. We pointed to the dangers of incapacitation of teachers, we pointed to the effects of Covid and we agitated for a better economic climate in relation to the education sector. We correctly hold the government responsible for every poor result across the country. We did everything in our power to contribute towards better education. We regret nothing and celebrate everything.
We therefore advise Mr Charamba who happens to have the President’s ears to use his proximity to the President as a platform to address pertinent issues affecting the education sector. They may start by addressing the welfare of teachers, infrastructure in schools and combating Covid 19. His uneducated rants on Twitter are not helping anyone except exposing his arrogant ignorance.
By A Correspondent- A 45 year old man, Elton Mapinge, said he was tested for coronavirus three times and results came out negative even though he was exhibiting symptoms of the viral disease.
Mapinge, a family man, farmer and politician, was tested for the fourth time and it was only then that results came out positive.
As a COVID-19 survivor, Mapinge said the only way to break the stigma around the virus is to talk about it and share personal experiences.
He said:
I am one of those who contracted the virus without thinking it would happen. I think I got the virus when I travelled in a car with friends and we closed windows and used the air-con. Little did we know that despite having masks on closing windows as we did was dangerous for us.
After some days I started feeling weak and my condition got worse I couldn’t breathe properly and was taken to the hospital.
I first went to a private hospital but it became expensive for me and decided to go to the provincial hospital where I was put on oxygen and given medication to help me with the pain I felt.
I was tested three times but my results came out negative. I had other tests run but the fourth time my results came out positive.
Then I was sent home for isolation. I stayed with family but had my own room and they sanitised the toilet and bathroom whenever I used them. It was made easy because my family was supportive.
As of 06 February 2021, Zimbabwe had 34 487 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 28 383 recoveries and 1 316 deaths.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- Thanks to the teachers. Three clear points for consideration in order to move forward in education,
1 Teachers’ welfare is of paramount importance and therefore should be given the attention it deserves by its employer;
2. Infrastructure, topping the list, classrooms and Education Information Communication Technology; and
3. Making the school environment congenial for learning under COVID-19 , How?
3.1.Ensuring fast internet connectivity from Ministry of Education Head Office to each School to facilitate virtual learning;
3.2 Ensuring treatment for COVID-19 is availed to all needing it.
4.0 An Appeal on the Way Forward
4.1 Books could be written on those naturally seen as responsible for the children’s learning. Resources for such activities could be availed overnight.However that wont bring the Zimbabwen education system and economy on the right path.
4.2 We will all be happy if those brains are used to give teachers, learners and parents hope if the next conversation is on the plan and implementation schedule of the three areas teachers have indicated. Without doubt, the citizenry from all over will descend and make contributions to the plan and implementation schedule to ensure the children of Zimbabwe and their resilient and hard- working teachers are back to work with or without COVID-19
4.3 UNITED IN THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN WE STAND, DIVIDED Zimbabwean Children, Families, Communities, Society and Economy FALL. It is important to remember teachers are staying behind in the face of invitation by other countries valuing their hard earned education.
By Elizabeth Marunda | Thanks to the teachers. Three clear points for consideration in order to move forward in education,
1 Teachers’ welfare is of paramount importance and therefore should be given the attention it deserves by its employer;
2. Infrastructure, topping the list, classrooms and Education Information Communication Technology; and
3. Making the school environment congenial for learning under COVID-19 , How?
3.1.Ensuring fast internet connectivity from Ministry of Education Head Office to each School to facilitate virtual learning;
3.2 Ensuring treatment for COVID-19 is availed to all needing it.
4.0 An Appeal on the Way Forward
4.1 Books could be written on those naturally seen as responsible for the children’s learning. Resources for such activities could be availed overnight.However that wont bring the Zimbabwen education system and economy on the right path.
4.2 We will all be happy if those brains are used to give teachers, learners and parents hope if the next conversation is on the plan and implementation schedule of the three areas teachers have indicated. Without doubt, the citizenry from all over will descend and make contributions to the plan and implementation schedule to ensure the children of Zimbabwe and their resilient and hard- working teachers are back to work with or without COVID-19
4.3 UNITED IN THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN WE STAND, DIVIDED Zimbabwean Children, Families, Communities, Society and Economy FALL. It is important to remember teachers are staying behind in the face of invitation by other countries valuing their hard earned education.
Loveworld’s Global Day of Prayer featured potentiallyharmful and inaccurate statements about the Coronavirus pandemic and adequate protection was not provided to viewers. In breach of Rules 2.1 and 5.1.
Introduction
Loveworld Television Network (“Loveworld”) is a religious channel broadcast on satellite in the UK. The licence for Loveworld is held by Loveworld Limited (“LL” or “the Licensee”).
The Global Day of Prayer was a lengthy religious programme running from 17:00 on 1 December 2020 to 22:15 on 2 December 2020 featuring sermons and reports from Pastors around the world, as well as scripture readings, worship and hymns. The programme included both live and pre-recorded content, and included sermons from Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (“Pastor Chris”)[1].
Ofcom received one complaint that this programme included potentially harmful statements that linked the Coronavirus pandemic to 5G technology. When assessing the programme, Ofcom identified additional material across the 29 hours and 15 minutes of the programme that raised further potential issues.
Ofcom[2] is prioritising cases related to the Coronavirus pandemic which could cause harm to audiences.
This could include:
health claims related to the virus which may be harmful;
medical advice which may be harmful; and,
accuracy or materially misleadingness in programmes in relation to the virus or public policy regarding it.
We therefore informed the Licensee that it was necessary for us to depart from our normal published procedures and expedite this investigation.
The Content
On 1 December 2020, The Global Day of Prayer began with a short trailer for the programme which included various Loveworld presenters who made the following statements:
“It’s the most anticipated Global Day of Prayer with the man of God Pastor Chris. As the days draw closer, we urge you to spread the word. Let’s tell everyone to join the man of God Pastor Chris. Now it’s that time when we make tremendous power available and we are more than excited about it. Together we will bring to bear the will of the father in the earth. Remember the next few years of this world depends so much on our prayers. Set your reminders and clear your shadow. Call your loved ones. Compel them. Leave no one out. For the Lord is sure to do wonders in our midst. Are you ready? Set? Let’s go!”
A pre-recorded report was shown, which discussed events which had taken place during 2020 and included contributions from different Pastors from around the world. This included a voiceover that said:
“Like wildfire, chaos blew out, spreading swiftly across borders. The script was the same. The voices of confusion, way too many. The streets were locked down. Cities closed up. Amidst the pandemonium, gross fear and confusion, a voice arose, a voice that couldn’t be stopped. In a world of so many voices”.
The presenter followed this with:
“When the news of the pandemic broke out earlier this year, the whole world was in confusion and fear. The schools were affected. The church buildings weren’t left out. Confining people to their homes and making them prisoners in their own countries. The narratives kept changing, all in a bid to control the world, but who really owns this world? And who has the right to control it? This is a question we already have the answer to. Well, we have listened to only one voice, the voice of our man of God, Pastor Chris as led by the spirit of God. And so he made a call for unceasing prayers by the Church. Persistent in nature such that the wicked plans of the evil one couldn’t thrive in our world…”.
Pastor Anna Teagle, from Canada, said:
“It has been tremendous, and I know that we’ve caused amazing changes in the world through our prayers. The Covid-19 fiasco has indeed been a fiasco. It’s been a disaster. In the month of March 2020, our year of perfection. The government started putting fear in the citizens of our nation Canada by talking about this new virus. Nobody knew what was going to happen”.
The presenter said:
“Did we know that in 2020 our year of perfection that the world would be subjected to unprecedented satanic deception. But while this world submerged with a deafening scream of fear, we the Church rose up together with one voice under the guidance of our man of God, Pastor Chris, to continue in prevailing prayer”.
Pastor Leaf Amosa, from Hawaii, said:
“Pastor was now teaching us about all this fake news that was there all along, now is being revealed. And one of the things that Pastor told us during the Loveworld Special he was revealing that the devil was trying to jump ahead of his appointed time. And that’s what happened during the Loveworld Special and during our prayer time with our man of God…”.
This introduction was followed bya live sermon delivered by Pastor Chris, in which he said the following:
“I told you at the beginning of the pandemic, which is now popularly known as the ‘plandemic’ because I told you before: it was all planned. Most people have found out eventually. Some didn’t quite agree at the beginning that what I said was right, but most have found out. Thousands of medical doctors, scientists, virologists. They’ve all confirmed what I’ve been telling you. So, I told you it was, it had nothing, what was going on, had nothing to do with the virus. I told you. It had nothing to do with the virus. And you’ve since found out. And then I told you along with this virus scare, one of the major things they plan to do. Somebody says, who are these people that planned? That means you’ve not been listening. If you’ve been listening, I’ve been telling you who have planned, because they’re not hiding it. They don’t hide it. They’re not hiding it. Event 201 who did that?[3] You can write it down. Agenda
21[4] what’s that? What are they doing with that? And then you got the most creepy and dangerous organisation and a whole lot of people don’t understand. They think it’s so wonderful. But that’s because you’re not reading between the lines. The World Economic Forum: it’s one of the most dangerous organisations on Earth. If you want to understand it better then read Klaus Schwab ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’. Because if you don’t understand it, it looks wonderful because all of these leaders speak nicely. They have good language; they are well educated. So, they understand exactly how to do what to do. But we’re dealing with the same people because they’re calling for a reset. Reset what? Reset the system that they created? The system that they complain about was created by them”.
Later in the programme, at 19:20, Pastor Chris gave a live sermon as follows:
“Right now, the word tells us to pray, that the Gospel may have free cause and be glorified. There will be no free cause with the lockdown of cities. No free cause of the Gospel. With churches locked down. All the evil wearing of masks. Or the requirement of the fraudulent tests. The fraudulent Covid-19 tests. All these are hampering the spread of the Gospel…”.
Pastor Chris continued and said:
“I told you. I told you about their plans and I told you about the concentration camps that they’ve been denying for long, until this happened. When they were calling them ‘isolation camps’, they were isolating people who were supposedly infected with Covid-19. They were isolating them, and I raised my voice and I asked ‘why are you isolating them? What do you want to do to them? You said there’s no cure, why do you put them there?’ You put them there for certain death and then they tried to deny it. So, what are they doing then? You said you had no cure – doesn’t that mean that these isolation camps are extermination camps? And they had difficulty answering what I said. Thank God as we prayed, those isolation camps began to get emptied. And I think all over the world now there are hardly any isolation camps. But let me tell you something, and that’s why I began to tell you. Make no mistakes about it. They’re not very happy we got them on that one. The camps are still there, and they are building some. And what do they really want to do? I told you it wasn’t about Covid-19. I reminded you of Nazi Germany. And
I said, who were those in the concentration camps? The Jews, but not
only the Jews. Find out more. They picked those they felt where a stain to the society. They pick them from the streets. They were calling it cleaning out of the streets. What’s that? Eugenics. And you read about those who are the perpetrators. Of Covid-19 and it’s lockdown and masks and tests. You find eugenists or eugenicists. Call them one of those two names, or both. They are the same. They’re the ones behind this”.
Pastor Chris then introduced and played a clip of the Premier responding to a question from an elected representative in Ontario, Canada, discussing the use of facilities for quarantine of travellers on entering the country. After playing the clip a second time, Pastor Chris continued:
“You just heard it. In the document, the isolation camps were not limited to people with Covid. I told you before that those camps were not being built for isolation of infected people. They’ re being built for those who don’t agree with their plans. Understand it. That’s what it was in Nazi Germany. That’s what they’re planning to do. And I also read a document to you. In fact, I displayed it on the screen for you to see. A document. A government document that emphasised what I just told you. Very clearly. What these plans are? The seizure of personal property. Why? Because Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum and their ilk have planned that humans should not have personal property. So, the idea is a world where only them, by the way, because they’re gonna play by two different sets of rules; one for them and one for everybody else. So, people you will not have a car of your own. It’ll all be a service of government. You have no clothes of your own. You have nothing. This is the plan. This is the plan for the fourth Industrial
Revolution. Where everybody is nothing but owned by the government. You become a property of the government. Now, I read a document to you, a government document that stated what I just told you. It includes the seizure of property. And when they were asked: what happens if you don’t agree? Now when you take the vaccine… the plan is you take the vaccine, then you have a right to the free world, the New World. So, the vaccine is the entrance into their New World order. If you reject it then you will not participate in the world economy. Secondly, that’s the reason for the camps that they’re building. They’ll seize your property and move you to the camp. I am not telling you, you see when we talk like this, they say oh this conspiracy theory, no, it’s not a theory. It’s written. These are government documents. And I already provided you one. I put it on the screen. And now I just showed you. A video in a parliament. You can’t make this up. By the way, all of these things will eventually happen…So that’s what they’re planning. A world where you can be controlled. And so, through the vaccine you get the nanochips and by the way, apart from probably one of the companies or so, all of the companies have already boasted that their vaccines are ready. I told you, I told you. I told you they’re gonna tell you that it will take two years or more to come up with a real vaccine. They’re going to pretend, like oh it will take a long time. Then I said to you, after a while, suddenly two, three months, they’re going to come back to you and say it was a miracle. It just happened. They had to work hard. I told you what would happen. Now they have come out with the vaccines. Just as I said they would. I told you they’ll pretend. I said the vaccines were ready. They already had them. They already have them. They already knew what they wanted. Otherwise, why would these vaccines include nanochips? If they were not already tested and proven. Already scientists are checking and reporting that several of these vaccines include the nanochips that I told you about. So, this is what’s going on…I’ll tell what they’re going to do. They will not let your children go to school without the vaccine. Then they would say if you were already in school, you will not get a result without the vaccine. Then you will not get a job without the vaccine. These are all the things they are planning. You cannot travel without proof that you have taken the vaccine. All this nonsense”.
At 22:17, Pastor Siji Dara gave a sermon in which he said:
“Pastor unveiled to us the plan of the anti-Christ. Pastor unveiled to us the fake test kits being used for Covid. Pastor unveiled to us the mask that’s being used around the world, how it has a lot of health hazards. Pastor has unveiled to us so much. I thank god so much for Pastor”.
On 2 December at 00:00, “Global Watch News” discussed Australia’s handling of the pandemic. The presenter said:
“You’re watching Global Watch News. I am Zoe Okafor and we bring you the latest news in Australia. Stay with us. The state of South Australia implemented a circuit breaker lockdown in an attempt to stop the Covid19 outbreak that grew in the state capital Adelaide. Now the strict measures closed schools, universities, bars and cafes. The restrictions allowed for only one person from each household to leave home each day. Now, despite counter studies from several scientists showing that the lockdowns, face masks, quarantine, and social distancing are ineffective, the Government of Australia has imposed the second lock down in the bid of controlling a second wave of the Coronavirus resurgence. Residents in Melbourne City could no longer move around freely, as police officers patrolled the streets enforcing the stay home order. Medical personnel have been dispatched to carry out door-todoor testing”.
An Australian news clip was then played, in which a newsreader said:
“Australia has been extremely serious about its lockdowns. When the second wave hit in the summer, authorities didn’t pause. Nearly every business in Melbourne was forced to close. There are limits on how many people can return to the country and when they do, mandatory quarantine hotels guarded by soldiers. Police checkpoints to ensure no one was ever more than 25 kilometres from home and $1,300 fines readily handed out to the rule breakers”.
The presenter then said:
“Pastor Chris, through the prophetic word had declared that the testing, lockdowns were all a fraud and nations are being forced to comply to a global script, which has only brought poverty and degradation to many nations”.
This was followed by a clip of Pastor Chris, who said:
“The testing it’s one of the biggest frauds. The testing for Covid-19 testing is one of the biggest frauds”.
On 2 December at 05:00, “Global Watch News” discussed Brazil’s handling of the pandemic. The presenter began and said:
“This is Global Watch News. I am Elizabeth Williams bringing you the latest news on Brazil. Stay with us. After struggling for months to get its Covid-19 death toll under control, Brazil is now threatened by the nightmare scenario that has already shaken the United States and Europe. A second wave”.
This introduction was followed by an Aljazeera news clip of a member of the public and then a clip of Pastor Chris who said “we know from different countries we have seen, and I’ve received different complaints about these results. The test results. The fraudulent test result”.
The presenter then said, “President Jair Bolsonaro, who has treated the pandemic since the onset as fraudulent, dismissed talk of a second wave”. This was followed by a clip from an external news provider, Reuters, which said “Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro said he will not take a coronavirus vaccine calling it his quote, ‘right’. He made statements live on social media Thursday, adding that Congress was not likely to require Brazilians to take a vaccine”. The presenter then finished the segment and said the following:
“Scientists argue that the economic impacts of the lockdown would be worse than the virus itself. The Brazilian health experts have suspended a clinical trial involving a Chinese Coronavirus vaccine test, citing serious adverse effects. Meanwhile, the Federal Health Ministry took down a website that had been showing daily, weekly, and monthly figures on infections and deaths in Brazil. Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes tweeted Saturday that manipulated statistics is a manoeuvre of totalitarian regimes. We can see that not every nation has fallen for the fraud and deception perpetrated by the deep state. We pray. We must pray for the leaders of our nations that they receive boldness to stand for the cause of justice, equity and righteousness in their nations and territories. Join the Global Day of Prayer and Saints from all over the world, as we effect changes in governments, nations, cities and circumstances around the world, bringing God’s will to fusion in every nation. Pray with us now”.
On 2 December at 06:04, clips were played of several Pastors of the church speaking about their involvement in Pastor Chris’ prayer and fasting programmes. Pastor Akhilesh Das said:
“After the lockdown the prayer session that started on different titles. The teaching given there I came to know the actual reality behind end times; 5G; Covid-19; and the human chip also”.
Immediately after Pastor Akhilesh Das spoke, footage of Pastor Chris delivering a sermon was shown in which he said:
“Then you get the image everywhere. In the image He is connected by 5G. And through the microchip, because that’s the only way you can function in the earth at that time. You cannot buy, you cannot sell. We will get to it in a moment. You’re completely eliminated from the economic system of the world if you don’t have the microchip”.
This was followed by Pastor Sabrina Maria Evans, who said:
“The church received detailed guidance from the Holy Spirit through our man of God, Pastor Chris, on how to pray which is necessary to know at a time such as this”.
On 2 December 2020 at 08:32, “Global Watch News” discussed China’s handling of the pandemic. The presenter said:
“Hello and thanks for joining us. This is ‘Global Watch News’ and I am
Henry Williams bringing you the latest news on China. Stay tuned. The Coronavirus pandemic, first begun in China in the late 2019, and it spread to various countries and regions before it was curbed. China, which is the largest populated country in the world with 1.393 billion people, still has the lowest Coronavirus figures. Over the past months it has only small, sporadic local outbreaks. The total number of confirmed cases in China stands at over 92,000 since the beginning of the pandemic. With the death toll of over 4700, according to John Hopkins University Research”.
The report then showed footage of Pastor Chris speaking: “You see the right questions have not been asked by the right people”. The caption read: “The Lockdowns are a Fraud. The Testings are a Deception”. Further footage showed Pastor Chris speaking, as follows:
“That’s why I’m telling you that this fraud of the test needs to stop. It’s a deception and it needs to stop. We know from different countries we have seen and have received different complaints about these results. The test results. The fraudulent test results”.
The report moved back to the presenter:
“Top respiratory expert Zhong NanShan said that China will unlikely have a second wave of Coronavirus because of the comprehensive and strict prevention and control measures. The immediate lockdowns and mass testings, even at the first signs of infection have been used in controlling the spread of Covid-19, allowing its economy to quickly recover from the crisis, according to experts. However, experts also advised that the most effective measures for general public is to keep social distance and wear masks”.
The report then moved back to the presenter, who said:
“There are ploys of the Deep State to keep the nation under the control of the one world government. We see the same strategy being played out across several nations as our man of God, Pastor Chris foretold”.
Further footage shown of Pastor Chris speaking with a caption which read: “Several Nations set the same script to implement the lockdowns”. Pastor Chris said:
“I’m saying. Those people who were sending you all the scripts in which to shut down your country, lockdown everything. Don’t contact them again. They’re not going to contact you. Leave them alone. They’re gone. So, don’t contact them. Do now the wisdom what God has given you for your country. Do it right. That’s what you should do”.
The presenter said:
“Through our prayers we are reclaiming our cities, countries and regions. We are establishing the will of the Father in every nation under heaven as we make power available. Dynamic in its working. If you’re just tuned in, you are watching the Global Day of Prayer with Pastor Chris and we are praying for all the nations of the world. Join now”.
On 2 December 2020 at 12.46 “Global Watch News” reported on events happening in India in relation to the Coronavirus. The presenter began “this is Global Watch News and I am James Cordwell. We’re bringing you the latest news on India so stay with us”. A second presenter continued “India has become the latest and largest country to introduce a nationwide lockdown in the fight against the Coronavirus. Its population of 1.3 billion has been told to stay at home”.
There was an on-screen caption reading: “India imposes world’s biggest coronavirus lockdown”. A political correspondent said “with Covid-19 infections on the rise again after showing a considerable slump. Fields of these second wave of the pandemic are growing”. Then the presenter said:
“India is the second most populous country in the world with more than 1.3 billion people. How can a nation with such a massive population survive the harsh realities of a second lockdown?”
Footage was then shown from India which appeared to be from another news provider. The footage included a Sky News logo with the words “Sky News Explainer” and the presenter said “her Government faced a Herculean task of locking down such massive populations spread across 2,000 miles from East to West of the nation”. Then footage was shown of people living in India with the caption: “we have problems. We have a small child and we don’t have anything to eat”. A voiceover said:
“Minister Narendra Modi has invoked the National Disaster
Management Act which applies to the whole nation. It means only those who are involved in essential services are allowed to go out to their workplaces. Everybody else needs to stay at home and only go out to buy food and medicines. Police forces have used a combination of methods of punishment. Beating, legal threatened jail term, cajoling and reprimanding, and also seizing vehicles of those who have violated these restrictions. But even before the Prime Minister’s decision, most states had already brought in complete or partial closures and restrictions covering almost 85% of the population”.
The presenter said:
“The National Disaster Management Act was activated by the Prime Minister, which only allowed those who are on essential services to go outside their homes. Everybody else was instructed to stay at home and only to go out to buy food and medicine where necessary”.
Footage was shown of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in Hindi with English subtitles which read:
“From midnight today, please listen carefully. From midnight today, the entire country will go under a complete lockdown”.
The presenter said:
“The use of force to ensure that citizens adhered to the rules was carried out by police officers on citizens who were struggling for food and to make ends meet amid the harsh lockdowns. Here’s another nation, subjected to untold hardships as millions of people who normally would work daily to get food, can no longer go out or provide for themselves”.
Footage was shown of a BBC Reporter reporting from India, saying:
“122 million workers have lost their jobs since March”.
Footage was shown of people living in India, speaking in Hindi, with English subtitles shown on screen:
“If things don’t improve, we will have to kill ourselves”.
“The children stay hungry and so do we”.
“If we get one meal in a day we eat it, otherwise we sleep hungry”.
The presenter said:
“The fraud of skyrocketing figures of increasing cases of the Coronavirus is spread through the media, creating fear and uncertainty. It’s our responsibility as the Church of God, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to change this situation”.
A caption read:
“The church has the responsibility to effect changes”.
There was then a clip of Pastor Chris speaking:
“Where things have been orchestrated to frustrate the churches of Christ. Listen, the churches of God. God’s pillar of truth. They’re God’s lights administered to the nations. We are the executers of the redemption of Christ. I just told you we are the ones to execute the redemption. The price has been paid and those of us who have received the life and nature of God and have the name of Jesus Christ are the ones that have the authority to execute the judgment. Remember we’ve been praying. We’ve affected changes. Changes and several nations have reversed those evil, wicked and atrocious decrees that were called emergency decrees”.
The presenter said:
“God has given us the nations we will make decrees in the realms of the spirit that will cause the leaders in the cities and the nations to see the truth and apply laws that will favour the growth and the wellbeing of its citizens. Join the Global Day of Prayer and Saints from all over the world. As we affect changes in governments, nations, cities and circumstances around the world, bringing God’s righteousness to bear in every nation. Join us now”.
On 2 December 2020 at 10:38 Pastor Lanre Alabi delivered a live sermon during which he stated:
“We are going to pray against the commonly devised laws, crafted in an attempt to subvert church activities in nations of the world. Many of the happenings around the world: the Plandemic, the Covid fiasco, Pastor told us already from the start, that it had nothing to do with the virus. It was not a health situation. The church was the focus. They wanted to stop the church. Through commonly devised policies and steps and plans, and so, that’s one of the reasons we’re praying. We’re going to pray because some of those policies have been dismantled and more would need to be dismantled. So, we’re going to pray. We’re going to come against those commonly devised laws, crafted in an attempt to subvert church activities in nations. We’re going to declare that such laws come to naught. And the voices on the powers behind them, as stifled and they lose their influence in the nation. Praise God. We’re going to declare that the Church remains victorious over all the detractors. And as the scriptures say the church will continue to march forward…”.
On 2 December 2020 at 19:20 Pastor Chris delivered a live sermon, as follows:
“I could tell you what was happening to you, what was happening in the nations of the world even when the perpetrators, collaborators and enablers were lying. I told you about what happens to your currency and why nations become poor. I said it’s not because there’s anything wrong with your currency but because there are a certain few people in the world, who have been running the financial system of the world and all they’ve been doing is manipulating the system. And just so you can understand….Ok, I’m convinced, I have here a Professor of Economics of the United States, Paul Krugman. In 1999, he made a statement, an interesting statement, and that statement was actually directed to a certain individual who he would code his names…it was obvious who he was talking about…I’m just going to give you a little part of it here”.
Pastor Chris then appeared to quote from Paul Krugman’s book, as follows:
“Nobody who has read a business magazine in the last few years can be unaware that these days there really are investors who not only move money in anticipation of a currency crisis but actively do their best to trigger that crisis for fun and profit. These new actors on the scene do not have a standard name. My proposed term is Soroi”.
Pastor Chris then continued:
“Hear what I said. He said they do their best to trigger a currency crisis.
Through such things they’ve manipulated countries, so your country is
never able to get by. The harder you work, the more they raise the bar…the harder you work, the less they get and the more they get…the manipulators and perpetrators of poverty. Why are they crying – oh we want to end poverty – they are not ending poverty, they are perpetrating it…”.
***
“Look. This scare in the word about Covid-19 had nothing to do with the virus. I told you. I told you it was only deception. The virus was used as a scam, a scheme to deceive. And it is scam. It is only deception. And guess what? The deception continues. Look at this. They told you how many people were going to die. They told you. They scared so many with the news that millions were going to die. Let me tell you, they were not playing, they meant it. Had we not prayed, millions would have died, just as they said. But we leaked out their secret. We prayed and leaked out the secret. We cast out demons, brought down the Prince of Assyria. Got off his influence. And they didn’t know what to do. That’s the reason not many died. It wasn’t the virus that was going to kill them. They had a plan. They already announced to you and nations, governments around the world were told to go get burial grounds because they’re going to be burying people like mad. That’s what they were told, and the Heads of nations, presidents and prime ministers were scared to death. They got lands prepared for burials. Because those who perpetrated this evil meant it. But I told you what they were going to use. I told you what the plan, I told you. But some didn’t quite agree with me then. I don’t even know they didn’t agree ’cause I wasn’t following what they’re doing. I heard later. I don’t listen, you know, to what people say like that. I heard later. Somebody tried to draw my attention to it. Because I told them that 5G was what they were using. For the killing of people. And not many, quite agreed. But the weeks and months have come and gone, and many scientists, biologists. A lot of them have woken up to the reality of what I said. And they’re telling the whole world. The same thing. What I told you back then”.
***
“And they’re telling the whole world the same thing what I told you back then. I told you that where it started in China in Wuhan, where they was showing videos of people falling down in the streets and dying and then it showed you some places in Europe where people were just dying, dying by the numbers. I told you it was not the virus. I told you, it was the 5G. And they didn’t want to hear it. But that was what was planned. That was the killing machine that was arranged. That’s why they were so sure people were going to die. Now, when I raised my voice against the 5G, and called for moratorium on the 5G, and we got to praying all over the world, and slowed down the installation and roll out of 5G, where were the deaths? The deaths were gone. But the virus? How come the virus – they said the virus was still there – why did the virus not kill as many people anymore? Because it was never the virus. It was the 5G. I was right all the time”.
At approximately 19:37, Pastor Chris introduced a video featuring someone he described as having worked at the United Nations “for years”. A video was then shown in which the speaker, identified in the caption as Claire Edwards, said she was going to read out from her paper which was entitled “the Covid-19 genocide of 2020”. She said:
“Covid-19 was long pre-planned in documents and simulation exercises emanating from the eugenicist Bill Gates and the Rockefeller
Foundation. A platform with 200 detailed levels is provided by the World Economic Forum, led by Klaus Schwab, a technocrat and promoter of transhumanism, in order to provide detailed instructions on how the Covid-19 pandemic is to be used to implement a global monetary, research and digital currency technocracy and totalitarian government worldwide under the guise of socialism and environmentalism with China as the model, and enslave humanity through a sinister vaccine conspiracy. Earlier attempts were made to engineer pandemics, but none succeeded. This time, the World Health Organisation changed its pandemic criteria in advance so that it could declare a pandemic on spurious grounds. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a terrorist and accused genocide-ist, was appointed head of the World Health Organisation in order to orchestrate the pandemic and facilitate the totalitarian takeover. Wireless technology suppresses the immune system. 5G is implicated in Covid-19 through correlations between the locations of the 5G rollout and morbidity, morbidity and mortality as well as the prior administration of flu vaccinations in Wuhan and Milan. The symptoms of Covid are virtually identical to the symptoms of exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Extensive military research over many decades was kept secret and regulatory agencies were co-opted in order to prevent the public learning about the extreme dangers of electromagnetic radiation. Doctors receive no training on the risks to health of exposure to electromagnetic radiation and therefore misdiagnose electromagnetic radiation exposure symptoms. Hospitals are extensively equipped with 5G, putting patients’ lives at risk. 5G serves many purposes. It is a depopulation and military weapon and facilitates the introduction of technocracy and totalitarian control by enabling surveillance, facial recognition, 24/7 monitoring of individuals mind and body control, and in combination with vaccines and chemtrails containing nanoparticles, the torture or murder of targeted individuals.
Electromagnetic radiation can be used to simulate pathogens and overwhelm the immune system and cell phones may be being used to simulate Covid-19 contagion among co-workers or family members”. Following the video of Claire Edwards, Pastor Chris said:
“Now I’m sure if you followed us, especially in the earlier weeks of the broadcast, everything this woman just said, I had stated all of them. Everything she said. I told you all about the electromagnetic radiation (the EMR). I told you how it works. I told you how it attacks the human immune system. I told you all those things. Now she’s telling you this whole truth”.
We considered that the content raised potential issues under the following Code rules:
Rule 2.1:
“Generally accepted standards must be applied to the content of television and radio services…so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from the inclusion in such services of harmful and/or offensive material.”
Rule 5.1:
“News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality.”
Ofcom requested comments from the Licensee about how the content complied with these rules.
Response
LL apologised for “this slip” and said it had expected this to be a programme specifically focused on prayer, “hence the oversight”.
Referring to an earlier breach decision, the Licensee said that it was “aware there have been concerns raised in the past regarding comments relating to Coronavirus and 5G that were deemed to have been contentious and labelled potentially harmful”.[5] It added that in response to those concerns it had closely monitored its programmes and when these issues had been raised and it had acted swiftly “to either cut the program or our presenters have provided the view as advised by you”.
LL said it had made significant progress in safeguarding the public by putting appropriate systems and protocols in place, and had continued training with their presenters “to avoid and mitigate against such scenarios”.
With regards to this specific programme, LL explained that, during sections of prayer, some of the ministers featured in the programme “made various passing comments which [Ofcom had] raised concerns about in relation to Coronavirus and 5G”. The Licensee said these statements were “quite
brief and, in most instances, unexpected leaving very little time for us to respond by terminating the transmission as we have done previously in order to comply with [Ofcom’s] guidelines”.
LL also said:
there have been no further complaints recently in relation to the above issues and it has fully complied its content;
it was expecting this programme to be strictly a prayer programme and that is why it had missed cutting off the broadcast;
it has put measures in place to ensure it does not happen again;
most of the content was live content from different parts of the world by ministers who joined and moderated various prayer segments during the programme; and
it was aware of Ofcom regulations and always sought to comply with them.
Finally, the Licensee said that it had reviewed all of the content about which Ofcom had raised concerns and said “the only way we feel these could have been averted was to not have transmitted the program[me] at all in its entirety but as seeing this was a live program[me] for which we had been informed would be all about prayer, some of the controversial comments and contents raised could not have been predetermined or foreseen”.
Having considered the Licensee’s initial comments, Ofcom provided LL with its Preliminary View that the Rule 2.1 and 5.1 had been breached and requested its comments. In response, the Licensee reiterated that the programme was “originally intended to be prayer centric” and “was intended for good, rather than malevolent reasons”. LL said, “the current global crisis warrants the need for prayers” adding that “while numerous viewers have sought solace in such program[mes], we regret that this particular one fell below Ofcom compliance”.
LL explained it “did not envisage what each speaker would say prior to commencing their prayer segment. Furthermore, with various moderators from different parts of the world, it became rather difficult to regulate their utterances, given that it was a live transmission”.
LL said it had since been monitoring the station “even more closely” to prevent any reoccurrence in subsequent broadcasts and added it was “currently exploring tighter mitigative measures to avert any such occurrences in the future”.
The Licensee also explained “[t]he short News segments which were intended to be News Analysis segments, were actually aimed at enlightening viewers on global events/situations…to help them channel their prayers more specifically”. LL said the presenters were experienced and knowledgeable and therefore “we didn’t envisage they will anchor any segment during the Global Day of Prayer with information containing potentially harmful material as explained in your Preliminary View. Also, in our view, the speakers did not seem to make any utterances found to be inappropriate.”
Finally, LL added that while it understood “seriousness of this matter”, the broadcast “was never intended to be malicious”. It apologised “for any shortcomings” and requested “that leniency be applied”.
Decision
Reflecting our duties under the Communications Act 2003, Section Two of the Code provides protection for members of the public from the inclusion of harmful and/or offensive material. Section Five of the Code reflects the impartiality requirements of sections 319 and 320 of the Act and requires that news must be reported with due accuracy and due impartiality.
Ofcom takes into account a broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression and the audience’s right to receive information and ideas as set out in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”). Where applicable, we also have regard to Article 9 of the ECHR which states that everyone “has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”.
Rule 2.1
The Code enables broadcasters to include challenging or contentious viewpoints in programmes. However, they must ensure they provide adequate protection for the audience from the inclusion of potentially harmful material. It is for the broadcaster to decide how to secure such protection where necessary.[6]
When considering a programme’s compliance with Rule 2.1, Ofcom must assess the nature of the content and whether there is a reasonable likelihood of it causing members of the public actual or potential harm. Context is important and the extent of any protection required will depend on all the relevant circumstances, including the service on which the material is broadcast, the degree of harm likely to be caused and the likely expectation of the audience.
We recognise that measures introduced by various governments to deal with the Coronavirus crisis have resulted in restrictions on public freedoms in the UK and across the world. This has led to considerable debate about the various strategies adopted by governments to tackle the pandemic. Reflecting the fundamental importance of freedom of expression, it is clearly legitimate for broadcasters to question public policy and the rationale behind it and to robustly hold governments to account. However, in performing that function, broadcasters should be alert to the potential for significant harm to audiences related to the Coronavirus, which could include: harmful health claims; harmful medical advice; and misleading statements about the virus or public policy on it.
overwhelmed. People were advised to wear a face covering in certain circumstances and remain socially distant from people who were not members of their immediate household. In the preceding weeks, updates regarding potential vaccine developments were widely reported[9], and on 2 December 2020, during the broadcast of this programme, it was reported that the Pfizer vaccine had been approved for use in the UK[10].
Ofcom examined the statements made in the Global Day of Prayer to assess whether they were potentially harmful to viewers. In considering the potential for harm, Ofcom takes into account a number of factors, such as: the severity of the situation; whether the material was targeted at a particularly vulnerable audience; and whether the claims were made by a speaker who is portrayed as having authority. We also take into account factors such as contextual information; whether there was a degree of challenge; and whether opposing views were included.
In our view, it was clear that topics described above were particularly sensitive given the global Coronavirus pandemic. People’s lives in the UK, and worldwide, were subject to severe restrictions, with considerable social and economic consequences. Daily reporting of Coronavirus cases and related deaths, and the statistics underlying these reports, were likely to lead people to be fearful of their own health and wellbeing, and that of others. In a developing situation, it is likely that people would be looking for reliable information on the effectiveness of measures to protect their health, and that of others, particularly given that, at the time of this particular programme, vaccinations were in the process of being made available. Within this context, we considered that viewers would have been particularly vulnerable to any misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the Coronavirus that could be potentially harmful to them.
We took into account that Loveworld is a religious television service with a global audience but also that the programme contained statements which appeared in news reports. Viewers place a high level of trust in the news to help them understand what is going on in the world. Further, the news reporters and presenters related the reports to the teachings of Pastor Chris, who was portrayed as a figure of knowledge and authority. For instance, he was repeatedly described by other Pastors as “the man of God, Pastor Chris” which showed he was held in high esteem. Ofcom’s research indicates[11] that if potentially harmful claims about health are made by a speaker who is perceived by the audience as having authority, there is more chance of the audience treating those claims as credible and making decisions based on them.
Throughout the Global Day of Prayer, we consider that a number of highly contentious, false and potentially harmful claims about the Coronavirus pandemic were made. We address each of these claims below.
The theory that the global coronavirus pandemic was “planned”
During the programme, there were repeated references to the Coronavirus being “planned” and it was frequently referred to as a “plandemic” by Pastor Chris and others. In his opening sermon on 1 December 2020 Pastor Chris said:
“I told you at the beginning of the pandemic, which is now popularly known as the ‘plandemic’ because I told you before: it was all planned”.
Pastor Chris also suggested that the Coronavirus pandemic had “nothing to do with the virus” and that the “virus was used as a scam, a scheme to deceive”. Pastor Chris implied that Event 201, a pandemic simulation exercise which involved 15 global business, government and public health leaders – and Agenda 21, a non-binding UN resolution which promotes sustainable development[12] – were in some way involved in its conception: “I’ve been telling you who have planned, because they’re not hiding it”. Pastor Chris also cast doubt on the motivations behind governments imposing lockdowns by suggesting that nations were sent “scripts” to implement lockdowns: “lockdowns were all a fraud and nations are being forced to comply to a global script…”.
Pastor Chris sought to justify his allegations by saying that: “Thousands of medical doctors, scientists, virologists. They’ve all confirmed what I’ve been telling you”. Further, Pastor Chris introduced a video of a person he described as having worked in the United Nations “for years”. In the video a caption identified the speaker as Claire Edwards, who is shown reading out from her paperwhich she entitled
“the Covid-19 genocide of 2020”. The claims made by Claire Edwards largely centred around the Coronavirus pandemic being “long pre-planned” to “implement a global monetary, research and digital currency technocracy and totalitarian government worldwide” by: governments; the World Health Organisation (“WHO”); the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates; the Rockefeller Foundation[13]; and the founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab. The claims made by Claire Edwards in this video have been widely discredited[14]. Pastor Chris, who we considered to have been portrayed on the programme as a figure of knowledge and authority, then fully endorsed Claire Edwards’ comments stating: “she’s telling you this whole truth”.
Ofcom recognises that there has been widespread legitimate debate about the various strategies used by governments to combat the threat of the Coronavirus. However, Ofcom is not aware of any evidence from a reputable source to suggest the Coronavirus was planned. In our view Pastor Chris’ theory concerning the ‘plandemic’ was presented as fact without any context or challenge. We were concerned that the claims presented by Pastor Chris were also repeated by others throughout the programme, including in the “Global Watch News” segment on China where the presenter said:
“There are ploys of the Deep State to keep the nation under the control of the one world government. We see the same strategy being played out across several nations as our man of God, Pastor Chris foretold”.
Pastor Lanre Alabi also repeated these claims while leading his own prayer segment:
“The Plandemic, the Covid fiasco. Pastor told us already from the start, that it had nothing to do with the virus. It was not a health situation. The church was the focus. They wanted to stop the church. Through commonly device policies and steps and plans, and so that’s one of the reasons we’re praying”.
We were concerned that these statements, which were provided without any scientific or other credible source, and without challenge, had the potential to undermine confidence in public health measures put in place to tackle the Coronavirus. We were concerned they could lead viewers to act against advice from public authorities intended to protect public health because they asserted not only that the measures were flawed, but that the motives of public authorities for imposing various restrictions were nefarious and without basis.
5G conspiracy theories
The programme included claims that there is a link between 5G technology and the Coronavirus. A number of attacks had been carried out on mobile phone masts in the UK since the start of the pandemic as a result of the claim that 5G technology had caused, or was in some way linked, to the Coronavirus[15]. These attacks caused serious damage to communications links, and therefore significant harm to the public at a time of national crisis.
There is no scientific evidence to corroborate the claim that there is a link between 5G technology and the Coronavirus. Conversely, such a claim is contradicted by all official advice and information, both in the UK and internationally, about the Coronavirus[16].
During the programme, there were repeated references to 5G and its alleged role in the Coronavirus pandemic. Pastor Akhilesh Das outlined that through Pastor Chris’ teachings, he “came to know the actual reality behind end times; 5G; Covid-19”. This was emphasised by footage of Pastor Chris himself, in which he unequivocally attributed the global pandemic to 5G and said:
“I told you it was not the virus. I told you, it was the 5G…when I raised my voice against the 5G, and called for moratorium on the 5G, and we got to praying all over the world, and slowed down the installation and roll out of 5G, where were the deaths? The deaths were gone. But the virus? How come the virus – they said the virus was still there – why did
the virus not kill as many people anymore? Because it was never the virus. It was the 5G”.
There was also content linking 5G to the Coronavirus in footage shown of Claire Edwards:
“Wireless technology suppresses the immune system. 5G is implicated in Covid-19 through correlations between the locations of the 5G rollout and morbidity, morbidity and mortality as well as the prior
administration of flu vaccinations in Wuhan and Milan. The symptoms of Covid are virtually identical to the symptoms of exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Extensive military research over many decades was kept secret and regulatory agencies were co-opted in order to prevent the public learning about the extreme dangers of electromagnetic radiation”.
As noted above, Pastor Chris, who was portrayed as an authoritative figure by the programme, then fully endorsed Claire Edwards’ comments adding:
“I had stated all of them. Everything she said. I told you everything about the electromagnetic radiation. I told you how it attacks the human immune system. I told you all those things. Now she’s telling you this whole truth”.
We considered the claims in this programme about 5G had the potential to cause significant harm to audiences because they attributed deaths, which public health authorities around the world had reported as being due to the Coronavirus, to 5G. The programme therefore contained unsubstantiated and false claims that the source of the risk to health was the effect of 5G rather than viral transmission of Covid-19. This, in our view, raised the risk that viewers’ trust in public health advice, such as the wearing of masks, social distancing and lockdown measures, could be undermined, with potentially serious consequences for their own and others’ health.
Concentration camps
Pastor Chris described Government quarantine facilities for travellers entering a country as “concentration camps” which he claimed were “not limited to people with Covid”. He said:
“I told you before that those camps were not being built for isolation of people with Covid. They’re being built for those who don’t agree with their plans. That’s what it was in Nazi Germany”.
Pastor Chris also said that given there is “no cure” for Coronavirus, people were being put into quarantine “for certain death” and referred to the quarantine facilities as “extermination camps”.
Ofcom understands that, at the start of the pandemic in early 2020, several countries required travellers entering the country from specific locations to quarantine in self-isolation facilities. For example, travellers returning to the UK from Wuhan – which was the epicentre of the Coronavirus[17] –
were quarantined in an isolation facility for 14 days in Milton Keynes in February 2020[18]. The purpose of the isolation facilities was to ensure that anyone potentially infected with the Coronavirus was not passing it on to others when they were not showing any symptoms. In the UK, the use of self-isolation facilities was largely replaced with a national lockdown in March and then at home self-isolation periods for travellers entering the UK[19] from certain counties. Ofcom understands that other countries around the world had similar policies in place[20].
Given that the purpose of self-isolation facilities during the early stages of the pandemic was to protect the general public, isolate potential cases of Coronavirus, and assist in slowing the spread of the virus, Ofcom was concerned with how their use was interpreted and presented in the programme. Ofcom is not aware of any credible evidence that there have been any Covid isolation facilities built in the UK, or anywhere else in the world, for purposes other than isolating potential cases of the Coronavirus in order to slow transmission rates. Ofcom considered that the assertion in the programme that such facilities are “extermination camps” intended to cause “certain death”, in the same vein as concentration camps used by the Nazi regime during the Second World War to implement ethnic cleansing to be extremely harmful and likely to undermine viewers trust in official guidance. This is because it implied that the guidance was not only flawed but designed to cause death. In Ofcom’s view, this was compounded by the potentially harmful narrative which ran throughout the programme that the Coronavirus pandemic was an event planned by a form of “deep state” for nefarious purposes and therefore, could have led to viewers disregarding official health advice at a time when the number of Coronavirus cases were growing in many parts of the UK.
Face masks
We were also concerned that, linked to the claim that the Coronavirus pandemic is a planned event and that Government measures related to it are fraudulent, Pastor Chris several times referred to the wearing of face masks as “evil”. He also referred to the “the perpetrators of Covid-19 and…masks” as “eugenicists”. Pastor Siji Daraalso described how Pastor Chris had “unveiled to us the mask that’s being used around the world, how it has a lot of health hazards”.
Ofcom acknowledges that the scientific and medical advice on the efficacy of face masks in controlling the spread of the Coronavirus has evolved during the pandemic[21] and it is legitimate for broadcasters to debate the efficacy of this and other measures. However, we were concerned that viewers would be particularly vulnerable to the unsubstantiated and contentious allegation that face masks are “evil” and pose “a lot of health hazards” at a time when Coronavirus infections were rising. In our view, these statements (none of which were subject to any challenge or context) had the potential to
encourage viewers not to follow current Government guidance, which requires the wearing of face coverings in certain settings to help reduce the transmission of the disease[22] .
Coronavirus testing
Over the course of the programme, Pastor Chris made several allegations about Coronavirus testing including that “testing is one of the biggest frauds”. During the “Global Watch News” for China segment, a clip of Pastor Chris was broadcast in which he said:
“That’s why I’m telling you that this fraud of the test needs to stop. It’s a deception and it needs to stop. We know from different countries we have seen and have received different complaints about these results. The test results. The fraudulent test results”.
During the “Global Watch News” for Australia, the presenter described how “the prophetic word” of Pastor Chris had “declared that the testing…were all a fraud and nations are being force to comply to comply to a global script, which has only brought poverty and degradation to many nations”. A clip of Pastor Chris was then shown, in which he said: “The testing, it’s one of the biggest frauds. The testing for Covid-19 testing is one of the biggest frauds”.
Ofcom recognises that there has been considerable and legitimate debate about Coronavirus testing over the course of the pandemic including concerns about the availability of tests and their reliability. Ofcom stresses that legitimate debate about issues such as these is fundamental to holding public authorities to account during a global health crisis. However, we are unaware of any evidence to suggest that testing has been used fraudulently to deceive the public about the scale of the pandemic or about the existence of the virus itself. We were concerned that these statements had the potential to undermine people’s trust in public health advice and could potentially dissuade people from getting tested if they experience Coronavirus symptoms.
Vaccinations and nanochips
There were also statements made throughout the programme relating to theories about Coronavirus vaccines. These claims suggested that a potential vaccine was part of a plan to introduce a “New World order”.
Pastor Chris said:
“Now when you take the vaccine…the plan is you take the vaccine, then you have a right to the free world, the New World. So, the vaccine is the entrance into their New World order…So that’s what the plan is. A world where you can be controlled. And so, through the vaccine you get the nanochips and by the way, apart from probably one of the companies or so, all of the companies have already boasted that their vaccines are ready. I told you, I told you. I told you they’re gonna tell you that it will take two years or more to come up with a real vaccine. They’re going to pretend, like oh it will take a long time. Then I said to you, after a while,
suddenly two, three months, they’re going to come back to you and say it was a miracle. It just happened. They had to work hard. I told you what would happen. Now they have come out with the vaccines. Just as I said they would. I told you they’ll pretend. I said the vaccines were ready. They already had them. They already have them. They already knew what they wanted. Otherwise, why would these vaccines include nanochips? If they were not already tested and proven. Already some is checking and reporting that several of these vaccines include the nanochips that I told you about. So, this is what’s going on…I’ll tell what they’re going to do. They will not let your children go to school without the vaccine. Then they would say if you were already in school, you will not get a result without the vaccine. Then you will not get a job without the vaccine. These are all the things they are planning. You cannot travel without proof that you have taken the vaccine”.
The footage of Claire Edwards also included references to a “sinister vaccine conspiracy” that would signal the: “introduction of technocracy and totalitarian control by enabling surveillance, facial recognition, 24/7 monitoring of individuals mind and body control, and in combination with vaccines and chemtrails containing nanoparticles, the torture or murder of targeted individuals”. As noted above, Pastor Chris fully endorsed the comments of Claire Edwards immediately after the video of her was shown.
As outlined above, during the broadcast of this programme it was announced that the Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine had been approved for use in the UK[23]. The development and rollout of a vaccine has been considered by many, including official UK public health information[24], to be an important step in protecting vulnerable people and potentially ending the pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions. Therefore, we considered that the development of a vaccine was a topic of high public interest about which audiences were likely to look to broadcast services for information. We recognised there had been scepticism from some sources surrounding the rollout of the Coronavirus vaccine, with some protests being staged in the UK and theories purporting to discredit vaccine development being shared widely online[25]. Under the Code, programmes can cover and debate contentious topics, such as the development of vaccines, as a means to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic. Ofcom emphasises that views can be aired which are different to, or question, official authorities on public health information. Legitimate challenge and debate is essential, particularly when public freedoms are curtailed and complex policy decisions are being made. However, we considered that these claims about vaccinations went far beyond reasonable scrutiny. The statements about Coronavirus vaccines and the footage of Ms Edwards’ claims amounted to allegations that the steps being taken by national and international authorities were orchestrated as part of a “New World
order” which would inject citizens with “nanochips” in order to monitor and control the population and torture or murder individuals.
Ofcom was concerned that the claims were broadcast without sufficient context or any challenge, despite the fact they had been widely and consistently debunked[26]. We were concerned that viewers would be particularly vulnerable to the unsubstantiated allegation that a vaccine was part of a “sinister” plan that would control and harm people. We considered that the statements made in the programme had the potential to cause significant harm to viewers by discouraging people from trusting and receiving a Coronavirus vaccine at the point it was about to be offered to those most vulnerable to contracting the virus.
Further contextual factors
Global Day of Prayer was a religious programme on a religious service and was introduced as a whole day of content, in which Pastors and viewers from around the world joined together to “make tremendous power available” through prayer. A Loveworld press release[27] also described the event as “the unique quarterly prayer program” which taught “Christianity and the preaching of Jesus Christ”. We therefore considered that the presentation of Coronavirus conspiracy theories in the programme would not have been within the likely expectations of the audience. Indeed, the Licensee’s response to Ofcom’s request for comments confirmed that the Licensee itself did not expect the programme to present theories about the Coronavirus, suggesting this is why the material had not been flagged by its monitoring processes.
Further, we considered that viewers may have been more likely to trust the harmful theories and claims that were put forward by Pastors of the Christ Embassy, who were likely to be considered as authoritative figures due to their status as leaders of the Church. In particular, we considered that Pastor Chris would have been perceived as a powerful figure of authority and therefore influential both as the high-profile presenter of a television programme and also as the founder and leader of the Christ Embassy Church, the Christian denomination by which this channel is run. His influence and status would have been further strengthened by the numerous references to Pastor Chris as “man of god”, “prophetic” and as someone who “received detailed guidance from the Holy Spirit”. Ofcom’s research[28] indicates that if potentially harmful claims about health are made by a speaker who is perceived by the audience as having authority, the audience is more likely to treat those claims as credible and make decisions based on them. We were also concerned about the unsubstantiated claims advanced in the segment involving Claire Edwards, who was described as having worked for the United Nations and who was therefore likely to have been considered a trustworthy source of information due to the prestige associated with holding a position in the United Nations and the direct endorsement of her theories by Pastor Chris.
Ofcom was particularly concerned that pre-recorded clips of Pastor Chris making misleading and potentially harmful claims about the Coronavirus pandemic were inserted into segments which were presented as news. Audiences place a high level of trust in news content and rely on it to gain knowledge about events in the world. We considered that during a global pandemic, the content broadcast in news programming is particularly important due to the high level of public interest in the topics being discussed and the fast pace at which events develop. We considered viewers would have been likely to trust this information and potentially amend their behaviours based upon it.
Therefore, we considered the broadcast of the theories in this programme without sufficient contextualisation had the potential to be extremely harmful to viewers.
Adequate protection from harm
Ofcom went on to consider whether the Licensee provided adequate protection to viewers from this potentially harmful material. It is an editorial decision for the broadcaster as to how adequate protection might be achieved and our published guidancestates that there are various methods broadcasters can consider.
We took into account that Loveworld is a religious service and that some of the statements were made in the context of live sermons. The Licensee’s representations also highlighted that the programme was live and “it was too late before we could respond to the comments made”. There were, however, large segments of this programme that had been pre-recorded. Some of these prerecorded reports also contained potentially harmful statements, as highlighted above. While live programming presents a different set of demands for broadcasters in ensuring content complies with the Code, it remains their responsibility to ensure audiences are adequately protected from harm.
There are a number of ways broadcasters can ensure live programming is compliant with the Code, for example, some broadcasters may choose to include a warning about potentially harmful or offensive material by showing on-screen slates during live programming, or run programmes with a short delay to ensure problematic material can be quickly removed before it is broadcast. However, given the absence of any credible evidence for the potentially harmful theories broadcast in this programme, we considered that any challenge and context would have needed to be substantial and robust to provide protection to audiences from this particular harm.
The Licensee also said that the potentially harmful statements were “brief” and “passing comments”. Ofcom disagreed. Whilst this was a lengthy programme, significant amounts of which did not include references to the Coronavirus, as outlined above there were numerous potentially harmful statements which were repeated and ran throughout the programme, right from the outset. In several cases, the statements were more than “passing comments” and made significant allegations that the
Coronavirus itself and associated public health measures were part of a scheme to harm the public.
We noted that the Licensee expected the programme to be dedicated wholly to prayer, and its explanation that it “did not envisage what each speaker would say prior to commencing their prayer segment”. The Licensee also described how “with various moderators contributing from different parts of the world it became rather difficult to regulate their utterances, given that it was a live transmission”. We acknowledged that the programme was live, but it was still the Licensee’s responsibility to ensure that the content complied with Rule 2.1 of the Broadcasting Code. We were extremely concerned that LL did not appear to have any editorial oversight of the content included in this lengthy broadcast, noting that the potentially harmful content recurred throughout the course of the programme. We were therefore extremely concerned that the Licensee did not have adequate compliance procedures in place to adequately protect audiences from harm.
We acknowledged that Loveworld’s viewers may have expected the programme to bring a religious perspective to current issues affecting their lives, such as the Coronavirus pandemic. Ofcom does not seek to curb or limit the ability of a broadcaster to present programmes from a religious perspective, or to transmit programmes which express views that may be considered controversial and challenge established thinking. However, we were concerned that the programme did not include any challenge or context to the potentially harmful statements made. Further, we considered that Pastor Chris presented his viewpoint as unequivocal fact to viewers by repeatedly saying “I told you” which, in our view, emphasised the position that the potentially harmful theories he put forward were correct and based in truth. We were concerned that given Pastor Chris’ position of influence and authority as the main presenter on the channel and as the leader of the Christ Embassy Church, viewers would be likely to find his statements credible.
We noted that the Licensee said it was aware of Ofcom’s Code and had “appropriate systems and protocols in place” to ensure compliance with it. We acknowledged that LL said it has put in place further measures “to ensure it does not happen again”, that it had since been “monitoring the station even more closely” and was exploring “tighter mitigative measures to avert any such occurrences in future”. However, the Licensee did not provide Ofcom with any details of the additional measures it had put in place or planned to implement in future. In any event, Ofcom considered that any systems and protocols in place at the time of this broadcast had failed to provide adequate protection to viewers from potentially significant harm. Moreover, we were concerned that the Licensee commented that it had relied on the expectation that content “was originally intended to be prayer centric” and that this presumption appeared not to change over the course of the 29 hour programme as it became clear that potentially harmful statements were being made. As such, the Licensee’s procedures did not in this case appear to result in any intervention as it became clear that the material was not as originally expected by the Licensee.
Our Decision is therefore that the Licensee did not provide adequate protection for the audience from the inclusion of the potentially harmful material in this programme, in breach of Rule 2.1
Rule 5.1
Ofcom sought the Licensee’s comments on the application of Rule 5.1 to the various “Global Watch News” segments included in this programme. LL said that these were “intended to be News Analysis segments…aimed at enlightening viewers on global events” and did not dispute that this content was, in the wording of Rule 5.1, “news, in whatever form”. Ofcom noted that the “Global News Watch” segments were interspersed within the wider Global Day of Prayer programme rather than being standalone programmes. We also considered the licensee’s representations that the news segments were intended to help viewers “channel their prayers more specifically”. However, we considered that the “Global News Watch” segments were presented as being separate from the wider, religious affairs broadcast, featuring their own presenters, music and idents; and beginning by presenting current world events before going on to include comment from the presenter on what had been shown. We therefore considered the material was likely to be regarded by viewers as constituting news under Rule 5.1 of the Code and assessed it on that basis.
The obligation under Rule 5.1 to report news with due accuracy applies to any matter covered in a news segment. In judging whether material complies with this rule, the Code makes clear that “due” means adequate or appropriate to the subject and nature of the content broadcast. For example, where a matter is of particular public interest, the requirement to present that matter with due accuracy will be correspondingly higher.
As with Rule 2.1, context is a key consideration when applying Rule 5.1. We took into account the contextual factors outlined in the above section in our consideration of the programme’s compliance with Rule 5.1. We also had regard to the heightened sensitivity around information relating to the Coronavirus at the time of broadcast, and the particular need for news to be presented with due accuracy in those circumstances.
Under the Code, news can cover topics that are contentious and subject to debate. However, in covering such topics, the Licensee is required to comply with the requirements of Rule 5.1.
There were several “Global Watch News” segments which were broadcast during the course of The Global Day of Prayer which focused on different countries and their approach to the Coronavirus pandemic. We have taken them in turn below.
“Global Watch News: China”
This news report provided an update on news from China. After discussing the rate of total cases, deaths and the measures taken by China during the pandemic, footage of Pastor Chris was shown with a caption that read: “The Lockdowns are a Fraud. The Testings are a Deception”. Meanwhile, Pastor Chris said:
“That’s why I’m telling you that this fraud of the test needs to stop. It’s a deception and it needs to stop. We know from different countries we have seen and have received different complaints about these results. The test results. The fraudulent test results”.
The report then moved back to the presenter, who referenced the theory that the Coronavirus had been planned and said:
“There are ploys of the Deep State to keep the nation under the control of the one world government. We see the same strategy being played out across several nations as our Man of God, Pastor Chris foretold”.
This was followed by footage of Pastor Chris speaking with a caption reading: “Several Nations set the same script to implement the lockdowns”. Pastor Chris said:
“Those people who were sending you all the scripts in which to shut down your country, lockdown everything. Don’t contact them again. They’re not going to contact you. Leave them alone. They’re gone”.
Ofcom acknowledged that there has been debate and discussion throughout the pandemic about the accuracy of Coronavirus test results[29] and the origin of the Coronavirus[30]. It is legitimate for a broadcaster to produce content discussing these topics and any other topics of a contentious nature in news programming. However, in this case, we considered that the report went far beyond reflecting debates on the accuracy of Coronavirus test results and the origin of the Coronavirus and made specific, unsupported and unchallenged assertions that Coronavirus tests were fraudulent and that the Coronavirus pandemic had been planned. This involved not only the airing of comments from Pastor Chris without context or challenge, but also their endorsement by the news presenter.
“Global Watch News: Brazil”
In a news segment about Brazil’s handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, the presenter said that “Brazilian health experts have suspended a clinical trial involving a Chinese Coronavirus vaccine test, citing serious adverse effects”. Brazil did temporarily suspend a clinical trial involving a Chinese Coronavirus vaccine on Monday 9 October 2020[31] following the death of one of the trial participants. However, the trial was resumed on Wednesday 11 October 2020, after the incident was announced to have had nothing to do with the vaccine being trialled[32] and the death was attributed to another cause.
The news segment continued by stating that: “Meanwhile, the Federal Health Ministry took down a website that had been showing daily, weekly, and monthly figures on infections and deaths in Brazil”.
Brazilian officials did controversially remove Coronavirus data showing infections and deaths from a Government website[33] in June 2020. However, the data was restored days later, and has since remained on the website[34]. The reporter continued by saying that: “Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes tweeted Saturday that manipulated statistics is a manoeuvre of totalitarian regimes”. However, Gilmar Mendes’ tweet was published and reported at the time by major news outlets, back in June 2020[35].
The presenter went on to repeat assertions referred to above regarding the allegedly fraudulent nature of the Coronavirus pandemic and measures to respond to it saying, “We can see that not every nation has fallen for the fraud and deception perpetrated by the deep state”.
We were concerned that all three stories described above had moved on significantly at the time of the broadcast, and this was not made clear to audiences. We were also concerned that this segment
asserted as fact that the Coronavirus pandemic was part of a conspiracy perpetrated by the “deep state”.
“Global Watch News: India”
This news report was introduced by the presenter by saying “we’re bringing you the latest news on India so stay with us”. The report then went into detail about the lockdown in India:
“India has become the latest and largest country to introduce a nationwide lockdown in the fight against the Coronavirus. Its population of 1.3 billion has been told to stay at home”.
The report went into detail about how the lockdown was affecting India’s population, including reports of police officers enforcing restrictions by using force and montage footage of people who were explaining that they were hungry and struggling to survive: “If things don’t improve, we will have to kill ourselves”, “[t]he children stay hungry and so do we” and “[i]f we get one meal in a day we eat it, otherwise we sleep hungry”. The report also included footage of Prime Minister Modi delivering his national address confirming the nationwide lockdown.
The presenter asserted as fact that the scale of the Coronavirus pandemic was being deliberately exaggerated saying:
“The fraud of skyrocketing figures of increasing cases of the Coronavirus is spread through the media, creating fear and uncertainty. Is our responsibility as the Church of God, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to change this situation”.
Ofcom understands that India did impose a nationwide lockdown which came into force on 24 March 2020. Prime Minister Modi’s address, referred to above, was delivered four hours before the lockdown started which caused people to panic buy food and medical supplies[36]. We acknowledged that the report appeared to show India’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic, albeit that the events described had occurred some time previously. However, the programme asserted as fact without context or challenge that the scale of the pandemic had been deliberately exaggerated as part of a “fraud”.
Summary under 5.1
In Ofcom’s view, the statements alleging that the lockdowns and testing were fraudulent, and that the scale of the pandemic had been exaggerated, were likely to have been interpreted by viewers as not merely explaining or acknowledging the existence of theories, but as statements of fact. This was particularly so in the context of a news programme in which viewers have a high level of trust. Many of the statements concerned important public health topics and were made without challenge, and entirely unsupported by any factual evidence at a time when compliance with government health advice was critical. In view of the high level of public interest associated with news about the Coronavirus, we considered that the corresponding level of accuracy required was also high.
Moreover, given the nature of the Coronavirus crisis and how the global handling of it has developed considerably over the past ten months, Ofcom was concerned that LL had advanced a theory that the Coronavirus pandemic was part of a “deep state” conspiracy, and that this had been broadcast as part of a news segment.
When reaching our Decision on the application of Rule 5.1 to the above “Global Watch News” reports, Ofcom took into account that the Licensee’s representations that the Global Day of Prayer was “a live program[me] for which we had been informed would be all about prayer” and that “some of the controversial comments and contents raised could not have been predetermined or foreseen”. We noted the reports also included pre-recorded content, such as clips of Pastor Chris speaking and news reports from other channels. We acknowledged that the news programmes were live but it was still the Licensee’s responsibility to ensure that the content of the news programmes complied with Rule
5.1 of the Broadcasting Code.
We went on to consider the Licensee’s representations that the presenters in the “Global Watch News” segments were “experienced and knowledgeable” and that it did not expect them to include information in their reports that contained potentially harmful material. In our view, the Licensee was responsible for ensuring the content complied with the Code, regardless of the experience of the presenters included in the programme.
We also noted the Licensee’s view that the speakers “did not seem to make any utterances found to be inappropriate”. Ofcom disagreed. As outlined above, we considered that these reports included unchallenged statements about lockdown measures and testing, and unevidenced assertions that the Coronavirus pandemic was part of a “deep state” conspiracy.
Our Decision is the Licensee failed to preserve due accuracy in the news sections of this programme in breach of Rule 5.1
Conclusion
Ofcom was very concerned that LL broadcast potentially harmful conspiracy theories about the
Coronavirus without providing adequate protection for viewers during a worldwide health emergency. Throughout a programme of over 29 hours, which the Licensee said was intended to be dedicated wholly to prayer, a platform was given to individuals to present misleading and potentially harmful claims about the Coronavirus that had been widely discredited elsewhere, without challenge or sufficient context. Inaccurate news content was broadcast, which reported conspiracy theories about the Coronavirus pandemic as fact, which Ofcom considered would have compounded the harm to audiences.
Ofcom emphasises that broadcasters can portray views which are different to, or question, official authorities or public health information. However, given the potential harm to viewers, it was LL’s responsibility to ensure that audiences were adequately protected and that news was presented with due accuracy.
Ofcom’s Decision is therefore that the Licensee did not adequately protect listeners from potential harm, in breach of Rule 2.1; and news was not presented with due accuracy in breach of Rule 5.1. We considered these breaches to be serious.
Breaches of Rules 2.1 and 5.1
Sanction
Given that these breaches are serious, and in order to remedy the potential harm caused as quickly as possible, Ofcom directs the Licensee not to repeat the programme and to broadcast a summary of our Decision in a form and manner to be decided by Ofcom.
We are concerned that these serious breaches have been repeated following assurances given by the Licensee following a previous statutory sanction for similar breaches[37]. Therefore, Ofcom is also considering whether to impose any further sanction in addition to the direction.
The Ofcom Sanctions Panel will consider the matter further, following due process which provides for the Licensee to make written and oral representations to the Panel before reaching its decision.
[1] Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is the founder and president of Loveworld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy. It is an Evangelical Christian denomination with a global network of churches. It runs seven television channels.
[3]Event 201was a pandemic simulation exercise hosted by the John Hopkins Center for Health Security in October 2019. It included a series of scenario-based facilitated discussions associated with response to a hypothetical pandemic. 15 global business, government and public health leaders took part in the simulation exercise.
[4]Agenda 21is a non-binding UN resolution that suggests ways for governments and NGOs to promote sustainable development. Theorists argue that it is the linchpin in a plot to subjugate humanity under an ecototalitarian regime.
[13] The Rockefeller Foundation is an American based foundation established in 1913 by the prominent Rockefeller family from New York. Its mission, taken from its website, is to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/.
[14]Reutersfact checking article dated 3 November 2020.
[16] The World Health Organisation has statedthat “5G mobile networks DO NOT spread COVID-19” and Full Fact, the UK’s independent fact checking charity, has published research articles analysing and debunking the theory and has statedthat “[t]here is no evidence that 5G WiFi networks are linked to the new coronavirus”.
[17]Devexand ABC Newsarticles for timeline of the early stages of the outbreak.
Forgotten Zimbabwean forward Edmore Chirambadare is training with a South African top-flight side as he looks to break into the league again.
Chirambadare, who last played for National First Division team Real Kings, is being assessed at Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), according to KickOff.com.
The likes of ex-Black Leopards stalwart Ivan Mahangwahaya and former Mamelodi Sundowns youngster Katlego Otladisa are also said to be trying their luck in Limpopo.
“Yes, Ivan Mahwangahaya is here, Chirambadare, Katlego Otladisa, those are the only players under assessment,” an unnamed source told the publication.
The 29-year-old first broke into the South African Premier Soccer League in 2016 when he signed for Kaizer Chiefs along with fellow former Chicken Inn player Michelle Katsvairo.
However, he failed to command a first team place and was offloaded two years later.
Should Chirambadare gets a contract at TTM, he will join other Zimbabweans Farai Madhananga and goalkeeper Washington Arubi who is the club’s captain.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Late Mamelodi Sundowns defender Motjeka Madisha has been laid to rest, eight weeks after his death.
Madisha was killed in a car crash on 12 December 2020, when his vehicle crashed into a steel pole in wet conditions and burst into flames near Kempton Park, in Ekurhuleni.
His burial took place in Ga-Madisha in Limpopo this morning.
The long wait in his burial was due to the delay in issuing the DNA results as his body was burnt beyond recognition.
His death came barely a week after a former Masandawana player Anele Ngcongca also died in a car accident.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Tinashe Sambiri|Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is deliberately exposing MDC Alliance Youth Assembly leaders Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri to Coronavirus, it has emerged.
According to Netsai Marova, Joana and Cecilia are sharing cells with individuals showing COVID-19 symptoms.
Despite being persecuted by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration, Joana and Cecilia are in good spirits.
See Netsai Marova’s statement below:
Glad to have seen Hon Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe and Cde Chauya chauya Cecillia R Chimbiri in very high spirits and passing regards to all of u at Chikurubi Maximum Prison today.
They were in their complete PPE to protect themselves from Covid 19 as it is their greatest worry since they are staying with inmates with fever and cough and not sure wether it’s covid or not as there are no covid 19 tests being done in prison.
Let’s all remember them in our prayers for God’s greatest protection from this deadly pandemic and that they be set free for they did not commit any crime but are victims of the State’s ruthless acts of wanting to silence opposition voices.
In the end we need new leaders who respect human rights and the rule of law.
Tinashe Sambiri| MDC Alliance spokesperson, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere has queried why Zanu PF is not abiding by lockdown restrictions.
Zanu PF has directed its employees to report for duty on Monday February 8.
In a circular addressed to all provincial chairpersons (Circular 2/2021), Zanu PF director-general D. Dzora said all party staff members should come to work in spite of the extension of the national lockdown by a further two weeks:
“This letter serves to inform you that all Party staff members are being required to report for duty on Monday 8th of February 2021 at 0800 hours as usual.”
Mahere urged the police to put an end to ZANU PF impunity.
Said Mahere: “Is Zanu PF an essential service?… Why is Zanu PF not bound by the lockdown regulations?… Why do you ignore their continued breaches? Are you captured?… This impunity must end.”
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 are: fever, dry cough and fatigue.
Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some patients include: loss of taste or smell; nasal congestion; conjunctivitis (also known as red eyes); sore throat; headache; muscle or joint pain; different types of skin rash; nausea or vomiting; diarrhoea; chills or dizziness. Symptoms of severe Covid-19 disease include: shortness of breath; loss of appetite; confusion; persistent pain or pressure in the chest; and high temperature (above 38 °C). More severe and rare neurological complications such as strokes, brain inflammation, delirium and nerve damage.
People of all ages who experience fever and/or cough associated with difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, or loss of speech or movement should seek medical care immediately.
If possible, call your health care provider, hotline (in Zimbabwe the number is 2019) or health facility first, so you can be directed to the right clinic.
What should I do if I have Covid-19 symptoms?
If you have any symptoms suggestive of Covid-19, call your health care provider or Covid-19 hotline for instructions and find out when and where to get a test, stay at home for 14 days away from others and monitor your health. If you have shortness of breath or pain or pressure in the chest, seek medical attention at a health facility immediately.
Call your health care provider or hotline in advance for direction to the right health facility. If you live in an area with malaria or dengue fever, seek medical care if you have a fever. If local guidance recommends visiting a medical centre for testing, assessment or isolation, wear a medical mask while travelling to and from the facility and during medical care.
Also keep at least a one-metre distance from other people and avoid touching surfaces with your hands.
This applies to adults and children.
Are antibiotics effective in preventing or treating Covid-19?
Antibiotics do not work against viruses; they only work on bacterial infections. Covid-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work. Antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment of Covid-19. In hospitals, physicians will sometimes use antibiotics to prevent or treat secondary bacterial infections which can be a complication of Covid-19 in severely ill patients. They should only be used as directed by a physician to treat a bacterial infection.
Precautionary measures
Stay safe by taking some simple precautions, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, especially when distancing cannot be maintained, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds and close contact, regularly cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue — www.who.int
Credit:WHO
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
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Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has challenged the Zanu PF administration to release all jailed political activists.
According to the MDC Alliance, detention of political activists is an act of cruelty.
The party said in a statement:
In the midst of a highly infectious pandemic, it’s an act of cruelty send JoanaMamombe and CeciliaChimbiri to Chikurubi Prison where Covid19 protocols are weak.
Bail is a constitutional entitlement. Why crowd prisons that have no tap water?
By Simba Chikanza | 5 returning Zimbabweans are currently stranded in London due to a standoff between Britain and the Zimbabwean ambassador.
Col Christian Katsande
The Zim envoy to London has refused to assist UK Govt in releasing travel documents for volunteering returnees, in protest over the UK’s failure to title him, “His Excellency, Ret Col Christian Katsande,” in their correspondence letters. The British are simply calling him by his work title, ambassador.
War Between UK And Zim London Embassy As the Zim Ambassador Demands To Be Titled "His Excellency" – WHO WILL WIN THIS WAR? https://t.co/SPdbPiNAsJ
This adds fuel to the fire between the two nations days after the former colonial power imposed sanctions on four of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s top security chiefs, one of whom is set to be appointed Foreign Affairs Minister.
By A Correspondent- MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora is battling various plots to topple him, barely two months after he was elected to the helm of the party.
Mwonzora beat then interim MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe in controversial elections last December and is already under pressure from some members of the party who accuse him of stealing money ahead of the polls.
He came face-to-face with his detractors at a national council meeting held virtually yesterday where motions were raised for investigations into the alleged missing party funds.
Officials behind the motions wanted those implicated in the alleged looting of MDC-T funds to temporarily step down until an audit is carried out.
They also suggested that the national council must cooperate with police investigations into the alleged theft.
United States and United Kingdom branches also raised motions seeking the December congress that elected Mwonzora to be annulled on the grounds that it had no quorum.
The motions, however, failed after Mwonzora’s backers prevailed against those aligned to Khupe.
mDC-T spokesperson witness Dube, in a statement released after the meeting, said it was agreed that the audit into the party’s finances must be expedited.
The party affirmed its position that same should be concluded without any further delay,” Dube said.
On the eve of the meeting MDC-T member Beaular Mburundu had written to police commissioner-general Godwin Matanga demanding Mwonzora’s arrest over the $6 million that allegedly went missing.
Mburundu, from Mutoko, said a criminal complaint was lodged by another party member, Patson Murimoga, against Mwonzora at Harare Central Police Station under case number 2236/12/2020, but police were reluctant to act.
“Regardless of damaging evidence availed to the investigating officers, nothing was done to effect arrest of the accused and no explanation is forthcoming why the accused remains uncharged to this day,” Mburundu said in her letter dated February 4.
“Like many Zimbabweans, i am concerned about the failure of the ZRP to charge Douglas Mwonzora and it is my humble view that the ZRP must charge Mr Mwonzora or show cause why they cannot.”
Meanwhile, the MDC-T readmitted its organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe, who was expelled for claiming that Mwonzora wanted to rig the election.
“National council considered and resolved to re-admit everyone who has expressed desire to re-join the party,” Dube said,
“Notably, former national organising secretary Abednego Bhebhe, and former deputy chairperson of Bulawayo province Dorcas Sibanda were duly readmitted into the party as per their expression of interest.”-standard
By Jane Mlambo| MDC Alliance President, Nelson Chamisa has blamed the government for low passrate recorded in the Grade 7 examinations saying they are a reflection of lack of support and investment in the education sector.
Posting on Twitter, Chamisa ruled out the possibility of good results from a ‘bad and irresponsible government’s while calling on the President Emmerson Mnangagwa administration to address the teachers’ plight.
“Grade 7 results:It’s impossible to have good results from a bad and irresponsible government.Results are a reflection of input and support.We must address teachers’ conditions of service, have SMART planning and funding. It’s a governance & leadership problem.We must fix it!!
“The Grade7 results reflect a lack of support and investment to the education sector over time. Skewed priorities by government are robbing our future generations!!,” said Chamisa.
At least 88 schools recorded zero percent pass rate in what has attracted serious conflict from Presidential spokesperson George Charamba and Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) who have been engaged in counter blame game over the deplorable situation.
Meanwhile, eight out 10 best schools were from Harare, a situation that has also caused so much noise with people blaming government for failing the education sector.
Industry and Commerce minister Sekai Nzenza has bizarrely blamed the recent hike in the price of cooking oil by local retailers on rising prices of crude oil on the international market.
Speaking to ZBC News, Nzenza asserted that since Zimbabwe needs foreign currency to import the crude oil, the price of cooking oil naturally goes up.
She said:
The reason why [the price of] cooking oil has gone up… we tracked that it’s caused by prices on the international market, on the price of crude oil.
We are importing this crude oil and that requires foreign currency and as a result, there is a there is an impact on the price of cooking oil.
According to an online source, crude oil is a naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum product composed of hydrocarbon deposits and other organic materials. A type of fossil fuel, crude oil can be refined to produce usable products such as gasoline, diesel, and various other forms of petrochemicals.
However, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Ndavaningi Mangwana defended Nzenza’s use of the term “crude oil” in relation to cooking oil.
As a matter of fact, Minister Nzenza is correct. Zimbabwe gets crushed soya from Argentina which is processed by Zimbabwean cooking oil pressers. That crushed soya is called “crude oil”. There is a labour action in Argentina affecting supply & price of this crude oil.
By Jane Mlambo| Zimdancehall star Winky D has received a major career boost after his music was endorsed by American basketball star Te’a Cooper who posted on Twitter raving about the Dissappear hitmaker’s song Reggae Musambo.
The Los Angels Sparks star said she was trying to sing along to what Winky D sings on the song which she described as hers.
@winkydonline this my song right here lol I like tryna say what ever you saying ???
The American star seems to be a big fan of Winky D as she posted a playing with three of the Zimdancehall chapter’s latest songs while she has previously messaged him on his last birthday.
By A Correspondent- The country has recorded about 1 000 millimeters (mm) of rains on average in the ongoing rain season surpassing last year’s average rains by about 100 percent, the Meteorological Department has noted.
The maximum rains that the country has received this season was recorded in Nyanga which has since the onset of the rains received about 1 200mm, while areas that perennially receive below average rains such as Kezi in Matabeleland South have so far received around 700 mm (one mm of rain is equal to one litre per square metre of water on the surface).
The Department said Bulawayo Metropolitan Province which usually receives average to below average rains this year received between 500mm to 800mm on average while Harare recorded close to 1 000mm.
According to the Met Department, the rains received this year were last received in the 2016/17 rain season when the country had a bumper crop harvest which was complemented by the Command Agriculture programme. The Met Department said the country had by this time last season recorded 500mm on average.
“The country has so far received significant rainfall since the beginning of the season. On average the country has received 1 000mm. The areas that have received more rains are Nyanga which received 1 200mm that is as of Friday, February 5, followed by Chisengu in Chimanimani which has 1 150mm.
Areas that traditionally receive low rainfall such as Kezi received 700mm. The Lowveld which perennially receives below average rains also surpassed 500mm. Most rains are usually not uniform throughout a particular province because the province may not be in the same region and therefore calculating rainfall patterns by provinces may distort the average rains received,” said the department.
The department warned that the country was still to receive more rains.
“The flash floods witnessed in towns and cities show that the rains received this season are way above average. The rainfall patterns this year show that there would be good harvests. There are more rains in the Eastern Highlands as compared to the Lowveld.”
The department said few places such as Mwenezi, Rushinga, Guruve and Nyanyadzi are yet to surpass the 350mm mark so far. Much of the country though is already above 500mm of accumulated rainfall so far as the season progresses.
“Much of the country is within the above normal category owing to the heavy rains that are continuing. There are still a few areas which are in the below normal category The northern part of the Mashonaland provinces is in the normal category. Kezi is showing that the rainfall accumulated so far is way above normal.
“As of last week, (January 31) significant amounts were recorded mostly along the central parts of the country and in Matabeleland South. Chivhu, Kadoma, Mvuma, Binga, Zvishavane and Kezi all recorded amounts above 130mm.
Several other places were between 50mm and 100mm as the wet spell continues throughout the country. Between February 5 and February 13, significant rainfall precipitation amounts are expected in the western and northern parts of the country. Much of the precipitation is expected especially along the Zambezi valley.
Isolated showers are still expected throughout much of the country though.”-statemedia
MDC Alliance national vice-chairman Job Sikhala says he has been informed that he will soon face fabricated rape charges.
The combative Zengeza West Member of Parliament, who has been arrested more than 60 times without a single conviction, says the State’s strategy of cooking rape charges will not only affect him but other government critics.
Sikhala intimated that renowned journalist and filmmaker Hopewell Chin’ono and another unnamed individual could face a similar charge.
I am informed that some concocted rape charges are coming. This will not only affect me but other citizens classified as state enemies. Beware [Hopewell Chin’ono] and another I am not at freedom to mention.
Last year, Chin’ono also claimed that he had been informed that spurious rape charges would be laid against him before his arrest in July on charges of inciting Zimbabweans to join a planned anti-government protest.
He was arrested again in November on charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
The award-winning journalist was arrested yet again in January this year on allegations of publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the State, a charge which no longer exists in statute books according to legal experts.
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) says all foreign-registered vehicles are now required to pay toll fees in foreign currency in line with Statutory Instrument 32 of 2021 promulgated on Friday last week.
The move is expected to raise more funds for road refurbishment across the country. Most of the country’s roads especially in towns and cities are now in a bad shape following heavy rains received this season.
Zinara public relations and marketing manager Mr Tendai Mugabe confirmed that it was now mandatory for all foreign registered vehicles plying on Zimbabwe’s roads to pay toll fees in foreign currency.
“Yes, I can confirm that following the promulgation of Statutory Instrument 32 of 2021 all foreign registered vehicles are now required by the law to pay toll fees in foreign currency,” he said.
“This is a statutory obligation that all motorists have to abide by, and it is also going to help us raise the much-needed funds to disburse to our road authorities.
Most of our roads are now in a bad state after they were neglected for a long time and we hope these interventions by the Government to raise road funds will go a long way in making sure that we make meaningful disbursements to road authorities.”
Mr Mugabe said Zinara had embarked on a rebranding exercise where it would now restrict itself to its core mandate as enshrined in the Roads Act.
“It can be recalled that at some point Zinara overstepped its mandate and engaged in road development projects and that ended up being an audit issue,” said Mr Mugabe.
“The new management at Zinara is realigning the organisation’s operations in a massive rebranding exercise that will see the institution focusing solely on its legislative mandate.
“Our mandate as Zinara is to fix, collect and disburse road user fees to road authorities”.
Road development works are done by the four road authorities that we disburse to and these are the department of roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, the District Development, urban and rural councils.
“We have seen on social media people blaming Zinara for the deterioration of the road infrastructure in a clear indication that they are fully aware of Zinara’s mandate. It is important for the public to know and understand that Zinara is a road fund administrator.”
Mr Mugabe said their disbursements to road authorities were tied to the collections they do.
“We cannot disburse what we have not collected and at some point, the tariffs had become sub-economic for us to make meaningful disbursements.
“We are optimistic that the introduction of dual pricing is going to have a significant impact on the disbursements that we do towards road authorities,” Mr Mugabe said.
Former Labour, Social Welfare Minister Petronella Kagonye has been arrested on allegations of fraud.
Zimbabwe Republic Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest saying she is facing charges related to illegal parcelling out of state land.
Kagonye has been fighting with environmental activists over a recreation park she intended to convert into a wedding venue.
The area situated along Mukuvisi river is also a wetland.
By A Correspondent- Temba Mliswa’s ex-lover, Susan Mutami, has accused the Norton legislator of being an abusive man and extortioner.
In a social media post this Sunday, Mutami said Mliswa habitually uses his sister name, Mary Mliswa, who is the Mashonaland West Minister for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, to extort money from people.
Mutami, whose romantic relationship with Mliswa ended acrimoniously, claimed that the latter told her that he does not care about First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa at all. Said Mutami:
If I was a resident of Norton I would be very worried if I had a legislator like Temba Mliswa because he’s a very abusive man.
Anobira vanhu mari all in the context of my sister is the minister of Mash West, ndokubatsirai kuwana minda. Vanhu vodyirwa mari dzavo mahara.
Temba does not love the first family, he told me personally that he had a fight with the First Lady vakati havadi kumuona and he said he didn’t care about that woman at all as they were not related.
According to him Temba’s dad once helped the Mnangagwa family some years back so he said the president is oblidged to look after him and his siblings and that he paid 30k for his dad’s funeral.
Temba writes fake expose’s on people and goes on to extort money from people. He preaches let’s fight corruption yet he’s the one that’s corrupt.
Innscor is a victim of Temba and not only that but Paul Westwood in England.
I think the President needs to intervene in this Crisis.
People in Mashwest live in fear because of Temba and how he abuses the president’s name purporting to be his brother yet he’s not related to him.
By A Correspondent- Budiriro residents are up in arms with their council District Officer (DO) Chiratidzo Dzama whom they accuse of continuously parcelling out State land to land barons.
She is further accused of abusing her power by grabbing land for her self enrichment and also giving some to her friends and subordinates illegally.
Sources who spoke to this publication said she also dubiously allocated receipts to her allies.
“We are at war with Mai Dzama over stands she has denied low income housing vapostori their right to own land while parceling out to land barons like Taurai Munyika, Clifford Chimusoro and Muchineripi Utete, lamented the source who declined to be named.
Further investigations by this reporter proved that in the alleged corruption she is working closely with the council’s legal officer Alice Zeure who works at Town House.
Contacted for comment Dzama said the complainants can report their case to Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) but will not succeed as she is well connected.
“I am tired of these accusations the complainants can report me to ZACC and see if l get arrested, l am well connected,” fumed Dzama.
Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has started implementing recommendations of the Uchena Commission land audit which implicated several Zanu PF-linked land barons in the illegal sale of State land.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has been tasked to implement findings of the probe and bring the culprits to book.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba confirmed the development on Friday.
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) has distanced itself from a collation of Grade 7 results showing a staggering number of schools, especially in Matabeleland, recording zero passes.
Zimsec released the 2020 Grade 7 results on Friday showing a sharp decline in the pass rate from the previous year.
A ranking of schools that has been circulating on social media showed at least 88 schools countrywide recorded zero percent pass rates.
According to the ranking, nine of the topranked schools were in Harare while Bulawayo did not have a school in the top 40.
Most of the worst-performing schools, with zero percent pass rates, were said to be in Matabeleland. However, Zimsec spokesperson Nicholette Dhlamini yesterday said the examinations body did not rank the schools according to the results.
“That report circulating on social media did not originate from Zimsec. We don’t rate individual schools, but I can confirm that there was a drop in the pass rate by 9.79% compared to the 2019 results,” Dhlamini said.
“The global trend due to the Covid-19 pandemic affected all learners in one way or the other, so it would have been expected that there would be a decline because of the situation learners found themselves in.”
On Friday, Zimsec board chairperson Eddy Mwenje said of the 327 559 candidates that sat for the examinations, 167 602 (51.17%) were females while 159 957 (48.83%) were males.
“The 2020 national pass rate is 37,11%, which is lower than the 2019 national pass rate, which was 46,9 %,” Mwenje said.
“This translates to a decrease of 9, 79%. “The pass rate for female candidates was 39.67% compared to 34.42% for males. “Indigenous languages recorded a high subject pass rates when compared to performances in English, Mathematics, Agriculture and General Paper.”
The ranking, that has now been disowned by Zimsec, generated a lot of debate on social media. President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba posted a screenshot of the purported rankings and immediately put the blame for the alleged poor performance of the students on Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz).
Charamba’s tweet drew the ire of Artuz secretary-general Robson Chere.
“The fact that the administration chooses such an airhead to speak for the president says all about the calibre of the same administration,” Chere said.
“Last year was characterised by total incapacitation of teachers, who at one point were earning less than US$50.
“We agree that teachers play a decisive role in the advancement of education.
“It’s, however, not a secret that educators are not miracle-workers.”
He said the Covid-19 pandemic rendered teaching and learning almost impossible last year and government effected lockdowns with learners spending considerable time at home.
“Artuz was on record advising and even demanding that no exams should be administered for the simple reason that learners did not learn,” Chere said.
A Chinhoyi teacher, Rosten Mtapa, said the writing was on the wall as government decided to ignore calls by unions to address teachers’ welfare.-standard
By A Correspondent- Students at Zimbabwe’s tertiary institutions are up in arms with their institutions, which they accuse of charging exorbitant fees for online classes during the lockdown period.
Education institutions, including schools, universities and colleges, have been closed for most of the time since Zimbabwe first went into lockdown in March last year to slow down the spread of Covid-19.
This forced institutions to switch to online lessons to avoid disruption of learning activities, but most of them have not adjusted their fees accordingly.
Tariro Mapanga, a student at a local university, said she was struggling to access online learning programmes because data was expensive.
Mapanga believes her university could lessen the burden on her by reviewing the fees downwards so that she is left with some money to pay for the data.
“I now have extra financial responsibilities for me to be able to participate in online lessons,” she said.
“I need to pay for the data, and I have to dig deep into my savings to get a mobile phone compatible with e-learning. I am failing to meet all the expenses for e-learning while paying my full fees at the same time.”
Wilbert Muzarawetu, the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) students’ representative council vice-president, said the government was neglecting tertiary institutions, driving them to charge exorbitant fees. Muzarawetu said the government had also allowed outdated administration systems which compelled students to pay for what they were not utilising to continue running.
“They made efforts to enhance e-learning and negotiated a flexible and cheaper data package with local network service providers, but it’s not enough,” Muzarawetu said.
“As students’ representatives, we are approaching well-wishers for bailouts on behalf of the disadvantaged students, something which the government should have considered.
“The universities’ accounting systems should automatically adjust where necessary so that students pay for only what they are utilising.”
He said students were facing challenges accessing online lessons due to financial constraints and warned of an increase in the number of dropouts.
Zimbabwe national Students union president Takudzwa Ngadziore accused tertiary institutions of profiteering by forcing students to pay for services they were not utilising during lockdown.
“As it is now on the fees structure, students are still being ordered to pay for transport costs, yet no one is using their buses due to the lockdown restrictions,” Ngadziore said.
“Authorities should slash the fees during lockdown, and then review them on resumption of physical learning.
“It will then lessen the financial burden of students, which is hindering effective online learning.” uZ vice-chancellor Paul Mapfumo said students should engage the authorities formally for their concerns to be addressed.
“Paying tuition fee is meant to enhance learning for students and is approved by government,” Mapfumo said.
“Therefore, students cannot complain about tuition fees when they are still learning.
“On the issue of paying for ancillary costs, students have a forum to engage the university authorities and they can’t complain on public platforms.
“We are prepared to hear their proposal.”
Mapfumo described online lessons at the uZ as a success, adding challenges faced were yet to be brought to his attention.
By A Correspondent- Budiriro residents are up in arms with their council District Officer (DO) Chiratidzo Dzama whom they accuse of continuously parcelling out State land to land barons.
She is further accused of abusing her power by grabbing land for her self enrichment and also giving some to her friends and subordinates illegally.
Sources who spoke to this publication said she also dubiously allocated receipts to her allies.
“We are at war with Mai Dzama over stands she has denied low income housing vapostori their right to own land while parceling out to land barons like Taurai Munyika, Clifford Chimusoro and Muchineripi Utete, lamented the source who declined to be named.
Further investigations by this reporter proved that in the alleged corruption she is working closely with the council’s legal officer Alice Zeure who works at Town House.
Contacted for comment Dzama said the complainants can report their case to Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) but will not succeed as she is well connected.
“I am tired of these accusations the complainants can report me to ZACC and see if l get arrested, l am well connected,” fumed Dzama.
Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has started implementing recommendations of the Uchena Commission land audit which implicated several Zanu PF-linked land barons in the illegal sale of State land.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has been tasked to implement findings of the probe and bring the culprits to book.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba confirmed the development on Friday.
GOVERNMENT CAN’T OUTSOURCE RESPONSIBILITY. ( Response to Jamwanda aka George Charamba’s Utterances)
ARTUZ notes with shock the irresponsible insinuation uttered by one Jamwanda whom we understand is George Charamba to the effect that teachers are responsible for some dismal Grade 7 results in some schools across the country.
The fact that Mr Charamba does not understand the dynamics, ins and outs, intimacies and intricacies of education does not surprise us. His consistent uneducated utterances over the years have left everyone in no doubt whatsoever that he is dead from the neck upwards. The fact that the administration chooses such an airhead for speaking for the President says all about the calibre of the same administration.
ARTUZ, as usual a patriotic and generous teacher’s union wishes therefore to educate Mr Charamba about the basic tenets of education. We are used to work for free anyway. The education of our children is a simple triangle made up of teachers, learners and parents. This triangle is brought together by a responsible government through capacitating both parties. We all know that with unemployment rate of more than 90% parents are totally incapacitated to provide a conducive home and environment for their children to study. Parents who are struggling to put a square meal on the table can not be expected to provide for basic educational needs of their children. It is Mr Charamba’s government that has presided over the demise of all forms of meaningful employment hence casting all citizens into the pit of abject poverty.
Last year was characterised by total incapacitation of teachers whom at one point were earning less than US$50. We agree that teachers play a decisive role in the advancement of education. It’s however not a secret that educators are not miracle workers. Even religious missionaries were equipped with resources for their material welfare. Teachers simply could not execute their duties because they just didn’t have the resources to do so. Maybe Mr Charamba can point to us which employer was supposed to capacitate teachers.
The Covid 19 pandemic rendered teaching and learning almost impossible last year and government effected lockdowns with learners spending considerable time at home. Artuz was on record advising and even demanding that no exams should be administered for the simple reason that learners did not learn. The government as usual defaulted to its traditional command mode and we got command education with the attendant dismal results. Suddenly it is teachers’ fault according to the all knowing Charamba!
As Artuz we have always been clear, honest and forthright with our employer. We pointed to the dangers of incapacitation of teachers, we pointed to the effects of Covid and we agitated for a better economic climate in relation to the education sector. We correctly hold the government responsible for every poor result across the country. We did everything in our power to contribute towards better education. We regret nothing and celebrate everything.
We therefore advise Mr Charamba who happens to have the President’s ears to use his proximity to the President as a platform to address pertinent issues affecting the education sector. They may start by addressing the welfare of teachers, infrastructure in schools and combating Covid 19. His uneducated rants on Twitter are not helping anyone except exposing his arrogant ignorance.
By Simba Chikanza | 5 returning Zimbabweans are currently stranded in London due to a standoff between Britain and the Zimbabwean ambassador.
Col Christian Katsande
The Zim envoy to London has refused to assist UK Govt in releasing travel documents for volunteering returnees, in protest over the UK’s failure to title him, “His Excellency, Ret Col Christian Katsande,” in their correspondence letters. The British are simply calling him by his work title, ambassador.
War Between UK And Zim London Embassy As the Zim Ambassador Demands To Be Titled "His Excellency" – WHO WILL WIN THIS WAR? https://t.co/SPdbPiNAsJ
This adds fuel to the fire between the two nations days after the former colonial power imposed sanctions on four of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s top security chiefs, one of whom is set to be appointed Foreign Affairs Minister.
POWER utility Zesa could be losing revenue to fraudsters working in cahoots with its employees who are illegally generating electricity tokens and then sell them to the public.
Some Zesa employees have been allegedly manipulating the system, generating and selling electricity tokens to customers without declaring the proceeds to the power utility company.
It is understood that some of the workers were manipulating the system to allow their agents to sell tokens and not remitting the money to Zesa.
Last week police arrested a Zesa employee and his agent for allegedly illegally generating electricity tokens and selling them to customers without the knowledge of the power utility company.
Police arrested Darlington Chiputura (41) a ZESA employee at the company’s headquarters in Harare together with his agent Joseph Wagusiwa (36) from Kadoma for allegedly illegally generating and selling electricity tokens.
National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest of the two suspects following a tip off.
“I can confirm that police have arrested Joseph Wagusiwa and Darlington Chiputura for fraud. Wagusiwa was arrested in Kadoma after a trap was set and a Zesa electricity token valued at ZWL$ 1 680 was recovered. The token had been sold to a potential client through a fraudulent system manipulation in the Zesa electricity data process.
Wagusiwa then implicated Chiputura who was responsible for generating the tokens at Zesa headquarters in Harare and supplied them to the first suspect for sale to the public for their own benefit,” he said.
It is alleged that some of the employees would manipulate the Zesa token system to create a parallel system that allows agents to sell electricity, illegally accessing the Zesa electricity database.- The Sunday News
A HEADMASTER and a driver at Mandwandwe Secondary School in Bulawayo are under investigation after 16 doors out of 32 that were replaced at classrooms by the School Development Committee reportedly went missing under unclear circumstances.
The school head, Mr Litmus Moyo, and an unnamed school driver have been implicated in the alleged scam after two of the missing doors were found installed at the driver’s house. He claimed that he was given the doors by Mr Moyo.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed that they were investigating circumstances surrounding the alleged theft of the doors but to date no arrests had been made. “Our officers are investigating that matter after a report was made but no arrests have been made so far,” said Insp Ncube.
Contacted for comment, the SDC chairperson, Mr Sign Bhebhe confirmed that they had reported the matter to the police after Mr Moyo had failed to give a substantive explanation on the whereabouts of the missing doors. “As the SDC we got a request from the school to replace the doors, we naturally approached parents who gave us a go ahead, we then went ahead to replace 32 doors at the school. However, we later got a tip off that the driver had taken some of the old doors to his house and for sure when we went there, we identified two of the old doors that had been installed at his house.
“When we asked him, he implicated the school head who initially neither denied or confirmed this assertion, we then went back to the school where we did an inventory on the old doors, where we found that only 16 were left, it is then that the school head professed ignorance on the whereabouts of the doors, which is why we had to report the issue to the police,” said Mr Bhebhe.
He said their worry was that school property could not just go missing when there were people meant to ensure its safety.
“Our thinking was that we were going to dispose of these doors and ensure that the funds raised are channeled towards the development of the school, not just for one person to benefit,” said the SDC chairperson.- The Sunday News
By A Correspondent- Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa said he is proud of the 18 children he has fathered with more than 10 women, while revealing that he pays US$25 000 each term for their school fees.
The firebrand legislator, who remains a bachelor, said he plans to continue bearing children but will eventually settle down when the right time comes.
Mliswa was speaking after being in the news last week following a fallout in his relationship with Australia-based Ms Susan Mutami who exposed controversial details on their estranged union.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Mail, Mliswa chose not to dwell much on the fallout, saying he was preparing to take legal action against some of the allegations that Ms Mutami made against him.
“The truth will come out and I am going to sue her. I am not going to sue because I need the money, I am going to take legal action not for myself but to protect people that were affected by the allegations such as the people of Norton, the Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (YARD) think tank that looks up to me and my family.”
Quizzed about his children, he said: “Yes I have 18 children, and I love them very much. I am proud of them and I take very good care of them. Each term, I pay school fees of about US$25 000 because all my children attend top schools. I have 13 girls and 5 boys,” he said.
He said he will continue fathering children “to grow the clan” as his five siblings “are lazy to make children because they have just two or so”.
“We are six in our family but my brothers and sisters have just one or two children. So it is my duty to grow the clan. Our family is blessed. We have two legislators in Parliament and I count that as a blessing from God to my family.”
Asked if the plentiful children do not defile social norms, Mliswa said he had agreed not to get married to the women that he has fathered children with.
“People are different. I mostly date mature women, who are professionals and know what they want. Most of them come to an understanding with me just to have children and not get married. I have seen many marriages failing and I see a lot of cheating happening in marriages, so the marriage institution is not as sacrosanct as many people want to claim. What most people do not know is that in addition to my 18 children I take care of 600 other children through the Temba Mliswa foundation. This is in addition to other philanthropic projects that I carry out in my constituency.”
Mliswa denied allegations that he was bisexual. “Can a bisexual have 18 children? Those allegations were made just to tarnish my image.”
Farming
He spoke at length about his farming prowess, lauding the Government for the land reform programme, which he says has empowered him “more than anything else”.
He said he has made a lot of money from farming to look after his large family, dismissing claims by Ms Mutami that he was an extortionist.
“I rate Zimbabwe’s land reform programme as one of the best black empowerment initiatives the world has ever witnessed. I am what I am because of farming. This season is going to be a prosperous one for many farmers because of the good rains. At my farm in Karoi, I have put 400 hectares under maize to contribute to the country’s food security.
“At the very minimum, I am expecting a yield of at least 3 000 tonnes. This means I would have played my part in feeding the nation. Today (Thursday) we have started to harvest some green maize crop that we planted here at my house (in Borrowdale).
“I use this house as my research station for agriculture activities. I am proud to say that I have developed my farm better than what the white man did. My involvement in farming includes tobacco, where my company Saltlakes supported over 16 000 farmers, mainly small-scale growers.
“Currently, Saltlakes is leasing over 5 000 hectares for tobacco through the joint venture system that the Government has supported. So for someone to say I am an extortionist with the money I make from my farming ventures is just malice.”
Political career
Mliswa’s political career has been a roller coaster ride, at one time he rose to the post of Mashonaland West Zanu PF provincial chairperson, before he was fired from the ruling party in 2013, only to bounce back as an independent candidate and claim the Norton Constituency National Assembly seat.
“I see myself as a man of the people. I am a nationalist at heart, partly because I remain inspired by my father Kripper Peter Mliswa, who is an ex-Zipra combatant. I respect the President. Politics comes second when you love your country. That is why I stood as an independent candidate because I stand with the people.
“Some people say I influence my sister (Mashonaland West Minister for Provincial Affairs, Mary Mliswa), but what they do not know is that she is a hothead on her own. When we are together, we do not talk about politics because she respects my views and I respect hers.”
By A Correspondent- Popular jit singer Baba Harare (real name Braveman Chizvino) has taken to Facebook to introduce his new wife to Zimbabwe.
Baba Harare
The musician said he paid lobola yesterday for his wife and did not reveal her name on social media as he shared the following photos with his wife.
However, it has emerged that Baba Harare Married Nash TV presenter and musician Nomagugu Ncube who at some point was a member of a group named Ancient Times.
By Dr Masimba Mavaza | The United Kingdom of Britain imposed sanctions on three security chiefs plus a minister of state security. The most likely to be appointed to the post, the Director General of the Central Intelligence, a respected career diplomat will face the UK head on.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW….
Isaac Moyo with President Mnangagwa
This will surely cause a headache as he will be diplomatically expected to lead all and any engagement with the former colonial power.
The development comes as there is already a tiff between UK and Zimbabwe with the London based High Commissioner, His Excellency Ret’ Col Christian Katsande refusing to assist UK with releasing travel documents for Zimbabweans on a British list of returnees being sent back home. Alreadyour ambassador in the UK has failed to even issue a travel document to Zimbabweans willing to return home putting already damaged relations with England on another level.
Ambassador Katsande’s bitterness is all concerning the UK’s failure to address him as High Commissioner, His Excellency Ret’ Colonel Katsande. The British are calling him by his work title, of ambassador.
Zimbabweans numbering five so far are stranded in UK as a result of the ambassador’s standoff with UK.
In other forums, the question is asked what these targeted sanctions slapped against the four security chiefs will achieve.
Targeted sanctions are intended to be directed at individuals, companies and organizations, or restrict trade with key commodities. … Financial sanctions (freezing of funds and other financial assets, ban on transactions, investment restrictions.
Sanctions are one of the tools utilised to address human rights violations. They are also an increasingly prominent tool in the European Union’s foreign policy. International sanctions policy is part of a global trend towards individualisation: rather than affecting the state as a whole, bans nowadays are targeted at individuals identified as responsible for the abuses.
Originally developed within the context of the United Nations the practice of applying sanctions against individuals has become commonplace in EU foreign policy.
Sanctions against individuals represent the narrowest expression of a targeted sanction, discriminating clearly between targets and non-targets, while other types tend to display effects on non-targeted populations to different degrees. Although traditionally highly targeted, EU sanctions (including those applied against individuals) are gradually becoming less discriminating, largely as a result of frequent litigation.
Despite the increasing trend towards individualisation of sanctions, few instances are known as yet in which the behaviour of targets has been affected, at least in a way that incites compliance with the sender’s aims.
Still, a comprehensive inquiry into UN individually targeted sanctions found a compliance ratio of about 20 %, which does not deviate from common estimates for comprehensive embargoes. Nevertheless, even the most optimistic assessments concede that the performance of individual sanctions could be improved beyond present compliance ratios with the help of better informed targeting policies.
In his 1997 report on the work of the United Nations, Secretary General Kofi Annan stressed the importance of economic sanctions: the Security Council’s tool to bring pressure without recourse to force. At the same time Annan worried about the harm that sanctions inflict on vulnerable civilian groups, and their collateral damage to third states.
He acknowledged that “[i]t is increasingly accepted that the design and implementation of sanctions mandated by the Security Council need to be improved, and their humanitarian costs to civilian populations reduced as far as possible.”
Widely shared concerns about humanitarian and third country effects can undermine the political unity required for the effective implementation of multilateral sanctions. The case of Iraq stands as Exhibit A. With the erosion of support for the embargo against Iraq, it is becoming clear that the effectiveness of a sanctions regime partly depends on how it addresses humanitarian issues.
Although virtually all sanctions regimes launched during the 1990s allow trade in humanitarian goods, the “blunt weapon” of comprehensive embargo inevitably hurts those at the bottom of the economic heap. Given the poor track record of sanctions in achieving their foreign policy goals, the conventional wisdom that civilian pain leads to political gain is being questioned. Many ask whether the costs of sanctions are worth the results.
Despite sanctions conveniently called targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe the lives of Zimbabwean citizens has become worse.
“Targeted sanctions” or “smart sanctions”, like “smart bombs”, are meant to focus their impact on leaders, political elites and segments of society believed to be responsible for objectionable behaviour, while reducing collateral damage to the general population and third countries.
Zimbabwe has been under the cruel jaws of the West and as the West chews and grinds the life out of every Zimbabwean life they try to beautify the evil act and call it targeted sanctions.
Before taking a closer look at certain measures, it may be useful to draw a distinction between “targeted” and “selective” sanctions. “Selective” sanctions, which are less broad than comprehensive embargoes, involve restrictions on particular products or financial flows. “Targeted” sanctions focus on certain groups or individuals in the target country and aim to directly impact these groups. But this has failed as it only cause strife on every Zimbabwean already groaning under the hard economic conditions.
The United Kingdom has slapped more sanctions on four Zimbabwean security officials over alleged human rights abuses, in a move that will restrict their travel to Britain and freeze their assets. They are being accused for stopping a marauding gang of thugs who wanted to storm the election command centre and change the election results. This is the same violence shown in America which Britain condemned. Why is it now condemning the enforcer and praising the hooligans. These people who tried to execute an electoral coup in Zimbabwe in 2018 were described as “stupids” by Nelson Chamisa the then president of the MDC A. The opposition United with security leaders in condemning the hooligans who are now being used as the source of the targeted sanctions. Applying a new sanctions regime following its exit from the European Union, the UK on Monday cited a crackdown on protests in January 2019 which killed 6 people even though the UK puts the figure are 17 in order to justify the illegal sanctions. as it introduced the sanctions on Minister for State Security Owen Ncube, as well as heads of police and intelligence organisations Britain purported to be working on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe.
This was a very shameful action by the United Kingdom. Zimbabwe is trying its best to re engage but we have countries like the UK undermining the efforts of the new dispensation.
We wonder what will the UK do if the Director General of Central Intelligence is appointed the minister of Foreign Affairs. He is a celebrated diplomat with diplomatic soft but forceful and fair approach to things. How would the former coloniser engage the minister of Foreign Affairs who is on their sanction list.
This shows that the effectiveness of arms embargoes in ending conflicts remains elusive.
This is particularly true when the targeted group does not controls valuable natural resources.
The assumption that targeted sanctions exert minimal humanitarian impact will not hold, Zimbabweans have a different story to tell. The so called targeted sanctions have ravaged and savaged our economy.
We must always remember that In August 1996, the Security Council voted to impose a flight ban on the government of Sudan for its suspected support of international terrorism. Implementation of the ban was delayed, however, and the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs subsequently issued a report on its possible humanitarian effects. The report showed that even a selective flight ban could cause humanitarian suffering.
The present study conceives of sanctions as measures imposed by an individual or collective sender that interrupt normal relations or benefits that would otherwise be granted in response to perceived misconduct by the target. This broad understanding includes economic and financial restrictions as well as diplomatic sanctions. In the EU context, sanctions have traditionally been referred to as ‘restrictive measures’ or méasures negatives in French, even though in recent times the term ‘sanctions’ is gaining currency also in EU parlance.
Despite targeted sanctions having first appeared in the context of the United Nations (UN), their origin is European, which explains their subsequent adoption in the EU context. The idea of targeted measures emerged in response to negative experiences with comprehensive trade embargoes in the mid-nineties, which led to hardship for whole populations due to the blanket interruption of all trade and finance. Following the international outcry over the Iraqi humanitarian catastrophe which was provoked by the UN embargo, in particular the high mortality rate among children, it became clear to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the employment of similar measures would be politically untenable. This is the situation in Zimbabwe. Sanctions have destroyed whole communities and it is a wonder why the UK is so heartless as to impose more sanctions on a bleeding nation.
It’s human not to kick a man while he is down.
The anger exhibited by both America and the UK in imposing more sanctions is best described as witchcraft. Five people were killed in America in a political violence caused by a sitting president. The UK does not see this as a sanctionable act. Their eyes are fixed on Zimbabwe. Their regime change mantra has started again.
They find themselves hobbled in conducting business with us but sanctioning our leaders giving them the travel ban cuts them off from their companies and bank accounts. All for what? World wide the, travel bans seem to have had limited results.
In recent years, however, we have observed a few instances of targeted financial sanctions. These include measures such as a freeze on foreign assets of specifically designated individuals, state-owned companies and governments. Selective asset freezes were imposed on Haiti, Serbia-Montenegro, the Bosnian Serbs, and UNITA. The primary challenge facing these asset freezes is the identification of funds belonging to the individuals, governments and companies targeted. Although the means of tracking financial assets have greatly improved, so have the means of deception.
The record indicates that targeted sanctions have been used either as a “warm-up” for broader measures or as the supposed “knock-out” punch. To summarize, targeted sanctions may satisfy the need in sender states to “do something”, they may slake humanitarian concerns, and they may serve to unify fraying coalitions. But they are not a magic bullet for achieving foreign policy goals. Again quoting UN Secretary General: “The international community should be under no illusion: these humanitarian and human rights policy goals cannot easily be reconciled with those of a sanctions regime. It cannot be too strongly emphasized that sanctions are a tool of enforcement and, like other methods of enforcement, they will do harm. This should be borne in mind when the decision to impose them is taken, and when the results are subsequently evaluated.”
Did the UK consider the plight of Zimbabweans in piling more sanctions? This shows a typical disregard of the plight of Zimbabweans. The UK is only concerned with the regime change. But to whose benefit? Does it not please only Biti and his thick heads? The sinister reason behind the targeted sanctions is clear.
By A Correspondent- The former Minister of Labour, Social Welfare Minister Petronella Kagonye has been arrested, ZBC News reports. Kagonye was reportedly arrested on fraud allegations and her arrest was confirmed to the publication by ZRP National Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi.
Kagonye is being accused of illegally parceling out stands to home seekers.
This came a few days after Vice President Chiwenga last week said land barons will have their day in court and they will be made to compensate the home seekers they duped. President Mnangagwa came back to work and said at the top of his priority list is his desire to tackle the issue of land barons and preserving wetlands.
It is still not clear where Kagonye is detained at the moment. We will update this article if new details emerge.-statemedia
Kamhuka signs for new club Zimbabwe international Victor Kamhuka has signed for a new club.
The 30-year old former Dynamos and How Mine defender has signed for Malaysian Premier League side Royal Malaysian Police Football Club.
He inked a 2-year deal.
Kamhuka was on the ranks on Myanmar League side Ayeyawady United last season and got his debut Warriors call-up during the back to back AFCON qualifiers against Algeria last November.- Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
The ruling ZANU PF party has directed all its employees to report for duty on Monday, 8 February 2021 in spite of the current lockdown regulations.
In a circular addressed to all provincial chairpersons (Circular 2/2021), the party’s director-general D. Dzora said all party staff members should come to work in spite of the extension of the national lockdown by a further two weeks. He wrote:
This letter serves to inform you that all Party staff members are being required to report for duty on Monday 8th of February 2021 at 0800 hours as usual.
We are quite aware that lockdown has been extended for further two weeks.
Meanwhile, in a tweet in which she tagged the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), MDC Alliance national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere queried why ZANU PF is not bound by the lockdown regulations when it is not an essential service.
Mahere challenged the police to put an end to ZANU PF impunity. Said Mahere:
Is Zanu PF an essential service?… Why is Zanu PF not bound by the lockdown regulations?… Why do you ignore their continued breaches? Are you captured?… This impunity must end.
Under Level IV lockdown, extended to 15 February 2021, only organisations classified under essential services are allowed to operate.
These include security organs, fuel service stations, the media, supermarkets, pharmacies, healthcare facilities, farmers, and miners among others.- Pindula News
Welcome to our weekly covid-19 update. In our fight against the covid-19 pandemic, we have emphasized the tools currently available to us, namely social distancing, masking up, avoiding super-spreader events like funerals, overcrowding in ZUPCO buses, uncalled for incarceration in prison cells for minor offenses, parties & weddings, and promoting hand washing and sanitizing, quarantine and isolation. These tools are aimed at preventing covid-19 infection from happening at all in the first place. Now we have a new kid on the block, called a covid-19 vaccine. It works by training our bodies to fight and defeat covid-19 when it enters our bodies. This is not a new tool in our fight against viral infections. It has given us great success against diseases like small pox, measles, polio, and many others.
There are things we must do right as a government and its people to benefit from the explosion of knowledge and vaccine technologies that we are witnessing today.
Firstly, we expect the government to do some due diligent processes to instill confidence into the population and allay the myriad of anxieties that presently cloud our minds. We want to know: Are the vaccines on offer safe? Are they better than the disease we are trying to prevent? Are they efficacious (i.e. do they work)? Do we have verifiable scientific data on safety and effectiveness, and have our own scientists verified the claims of the manufacturers? This is a good opportunity for Zimbabwe to start building capacity for vaccine manufacture. It’s doable.
It was exciting news to learn that the government has set aside a sum of USD100 million for vaccine procurement, and that all those who meet the clinical criteria will receive the vaccine for free. We were further tickled by the proposed roll out plan, to front line workers first, and then to the elderly and those with co-morbidities, reaching out to other sectors next. We await the detailed roll out plan that must be made public.
We also want to know: Is the government tapping into the COVAX facility, and are we going to work with other reliable partners we have worked with before in the field of immunization? What is the breakdown of government’s budget for this immunization effort, considering important pillars such as procurement, logistics, storage, distribution, administration, training and human resources? What is our current level of preparedness in terms of the cold chain? How is this going to affect the other immunization programs already in place, and how much money has the government set aside for research? The government should commission and fund research into covid-19 without delay. There is urgent need to understand how our vaccine choice will be impacted by emerging new variants like the so-called South African variant.
We need to raise awareness on the benefits and risks of vaccines in general, and of the covid-19 vaccine more specifically, and demystify conspiracy theories and other myths doing the rounds. There is need to involve other stakeholders like church leaders, traditional leaders, healthcare providers, workers’ unions, captains of industry, students, telecommunication companies, civil society, the United Nations family, and other partners, right from the beginning. We consider it prudent for the government to set up a multi-stakeholder advisory board on covid-19 vaccination, and give it both authority and responsibility. Transparency is extremely important in this venture, in light of our past experiences with covid-19 designated funds.
We urge all Zimbabweans to be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to us, but until such a time as enough people have been vaccinated to reach the so-called herd immunity, there is need to contain the pandemic aggressively through existing means. These include eliminating all super spreader events, cushioning citizens and businesses economically, ensuring scientifically informed targeted lockdown measures, and providing adequate support to schools to open safely as the pandemic will be with Zimbabwe for most of 2021. We need to go a gear up in terms of testing, contact tracing and isolation. There is need to improve our services to those who get the infection. This means increasing the number of admission facilities, equipping healthcare workers properly with PPE, and conducting continuous training of health workers because information on this disease is continuously evolving.
Lastly, we wish to implore Zimbabweans to listen to our healthcare professionals for advice on vaccination. Let’s leave our prophets to concentrate on spiritual matters. We have been here before, and we all probably know some friends or relatives who lost their lives prematurely to HIV because of prophets in the past.
Here are a few key facts we all need to know about the covid-19 vaccine:
• Over 100 million covid-19 vaccine doses have already been administered globally. • The covid-19 vaccine will help prevent you from getting sick with covid-19.
• People who have already gotten sick with covid-19 may still benefit from getting vaccinated. We do not know yet how long immunity from natural infection will last. • Covid-19 vaccines cannot give you covid-19 disease. More on this next time. • Covid-19 vaccines will not cause you to test positive on covid-19 viral tests. • Covid-19 vaccine will NOT alter your DNA. We will explain this next time. • There is no microchip in the covid-19 vaccine. This is only a malicious rumour. It is the job of our regulatory authorities to verify the safety of all medicines, including vaccines. • Remember, after getting your vaccine you must continue to observe all the other prevention measures like masking up, social distancing, hand washing, sanitizing, etc. till the pandemic is over. The job of the vaccine is simply to prevent you from getting sick if you contract the virus.
More information on vaccines next week.
Many thanks to the MDC-Alliance Health Portfolio Committee for their input.
Dr H. Madzorera. Secretary for Health and Childwelfare. MDC-Alliance.
GOVERNMENT CAN’T OUTSOURCE RESPONSIBILITY. ( Response to Jamwanda aka George Charamba’s Utterances)
ARTUZ notes with shock the irresponsible insinuation uttered by one Jamwanda whom we understand is George Charamba to the effect that teachers are responsible for some dismal Grade 7 results in some schools across the country.
The fact that Mr Charamba does not understand the dynamics, ins and outs, intimacies and intricacies of education does not surprise us. His consistent uneducated utterances over the years have left everyone in no doubt whatsoever that he is dead from the neck upwards. The fact that the administration chooses such an airhead for speaking for the President says all about the calibre of the same administration.
ARTUZ, as usual a patriotic and generous teacher’s union wishes therefore to educate Mr Charamba about the basic tenets of education. We are used to work for free anyway. The education of our children is a simple triangle made up of teachers, learners and parents. This triangle is brought together by a responsible government through capacitating both parties. We all know that with unemployment rate of more than 90% parents are totally incapacitated to provide a conducive home and environment for their children to study. Parents who are struggling to put a square meal on the table can not be expected to provide for basic educational needs of their children. It is Mr Charamba’s government that has presided over the demise of all forms of meaningful employment hence casting all citizens into the pit of abject poverty.
Last year was characterised by total incapacitation of teachers whom at one point were earning less than US$50. We agree that teachers play a decisive role in the advancement of education. It’s however not a secret that educators are not miracle workers. Even religious missionaries were equipped with resources for their material welfare. Teachers simply could not execute their duties because they just didn’t have the resources to do so. Maybe Mr Charamba can point to us which employer was supposed to capacitate teachers.
The Covid 19 pandemic rendered teaching and learning almost impossible last year and government effected lockdowns with learners spending considerable time at home. Artuz was on record advising and even demanding that no exams should be administered for the simple reason that learners did not learn. The government as usual defaulted to its traditional command mode and we got command education with the attendant dismal results. Suddenly it is teachers’ fault according to the all knowing Charamba!
As Artuz we have always been clear, honest and forthright with our employer. We pointed to the dangers of incapacitation of teachers, we pointed to the effects of Covid and we agitated for a better economic climate in relation to the education sector. We correctly hold the government responsible for every poor result across the country. We did everything in our power to contribute towards better education. We regret nothing and celebrate everything.
We therefore advise Mr Charamba who happens to have the President’s ears to use his proximity to the President as a platform to address pertinent issues affecting the education sector. They may start by addressing the welfare of teachers, infrastructure in schools and combating Covid 19. His uneducated rants on Twitter are not helping anyone except exposing his arrogant ignorance.
By Patrick Guramatunhu- During India’s struggle for home rule, especially during the years when some felt Mahatma Gandhi’s passive resistance was going nowhere, the question did arise on whether they should wage an armed struggle.
“What kind of leaders will an armed struggle throw up?” Gandhi and the other leaders asked. “And are those the men and women we would want to lead the nation after independence?”
An armed struggle could have hastened India’s independence by a decade or two, no one will ever know for certain. The most important question is would India, led by liberation war leaders, be the healthy and functioning democracy it has been since independence? Probably not!
In the case of Zimbabwe, we did wage an armed struggle to end white colonial rule and the armed struggle did thrown up hawks who have ridden roughshod over the people, denying them their freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and even the right to life.
It was laughable, if it was not so tragic, that during the 1979 Lancaster House talks it was the black nationalists leaders who objected to the multi-party democratic Lancaster House constitution. Both Zanu PF and PF Zapu wanted a one-party state, they did not push for it only because each wanted to be the dominant party.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF party launched the 1983 to 1987 Gukurahundi massacre whose principle purpose was to crash Dr Joshua Nkomo and his PF Zapu, his main political challenge, and force them to join Zanu PF in the 1987 Unity Accord. The Unity Accord was then used as the excuse for imposing a de facto one-party dictatorship that has ruled the roost to this day.
Zimbabwe had many opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best of these coming during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC leaders had managed to get Mugabe and his Zanu PF party to commit to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to dismantle the dictatorship. The task of implementing the reforms fell to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC colleagues.
Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and, with their snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about the reforms. They failed to implement even one reform in five years!
Ever since the 2008 GNU, Zanu PF has toned down the dictatorship by giving away a few gravy train seats and a share of the annual payout from the Political Party Finance Act as bait to entice the opposition to participate in elections even when it is clear Zanu PF was rigging the plebiscite. Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections, the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll for Pete’s sake.
Still, the party was able to point to the opposition’s overwhelming enthusiastic participation in the elections as proof Zimbabwe is a functioning democracy. There were 23 presidential candidates and 130 political parties contested for the parliamentary seats to say nothing of independent candidates.
Zimbabwe had the potential to become the South Korea of Africa – a free dynamic and prosperous nation, if the country had had the fortune of quality leaders. Sadly, the armed struggle had thrown corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs as the nation’s leaders and Zimbabwe has become the North Korea of Africa – a nation with a few filthy rich and ruling elite crashing the poor and powerless majority into the dust.
“If the armed struggle throws up corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs as the nation’s leaders; what must you do to wrestle power from these thugs?”
This is the third question Mahatma Gandhi and his fellow Indian leaders never asked because they ruled out the armed struggle. Zimbabwe had the armed struggle and it did thrown up corrupt and murderous tyrants. And for the last 40 years we, Zimbabweans have pretended the third question was irrelevant and have paid dearly for our folly as Zanu PF has dragged the nation deeper and deeper into the abyss.
The corona virus pandemic has hit Zimbabwe very hard because at the outbreak the country was already in an economic mess with its health care service all but broken. And going forward, Zanu PF’s blundering incompetence, the failure to test and isolate for example, has turned a tragedy into a catastrophe.
Nations get the government they deserve and we in Zimbabwe certainly deserve this corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship because we have done nothing to stop the thugs getting into power. And, once in power, for 40 years and counting, we have done nothing to remove them!
Power utility Zesa could be losing revenue to fraudsters working in cahoots with its employees who are illegally generating electricity tokens and then sell them to the public.
Some Zesa employees have been allegedly manipulating the system, generating and selling electricity tokens to customers without declaring the proceeds to the power utility company.
It is understood that some of the workers were manipulating the system to allow their agents to sell tokens and not remitting the money to Zesa.
Last week police arrested a Zesa employee and his agent for allegedly illegally generating electricity tokens and selling them to customers without the knowledge of the power utility company.
Police arrested Darlington Chiputura (41) a ZESA employee at the company’s headquarters in Harare together with his agent Joseph Wagusiwa (36) from Kadoma for allegedly illegally generating and selling electricity tokens.
National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest of the two suspects following a tip off.
“I can confirm that police have arrested Joseph Wagusiwa and Darlington Chiputura for fraud. Wagusiwa was arrested in Kadoma after a trap was set and a Zesa electricity token valued at ZWL$ 1 680 was recovered. The token had been sold to a potential client through a fraudulent system manipulation in the Zesa electricity data process.
Wagusiwa then implicated Chiputura who was responsible for generating the tokens at Zesa headquarters in Harare and supplied them to the first suspect for sale to the public for their own benefit,” he said.
It is alleged that some of the employees would manipulate the Zesa token system to create a parallel system that allows agents to sell electricity, illegally accessing the Zesa electricity database.
Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa said he is proud of the 18 children he has fathered with more than 10 women, while revealing that he pays US$25 000 each term for their school fees.
The firebrand legislator, who remains a bachelor, said he plans to continue bearing children but will eventually settle down when the right time comes.
Mliswa was speaking after being in the news last week following a fallout in his relationship with Australia-based Ms Susan Mutami who exposed controversial details on their estranged union.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Mail, Mliswa chose not to dwell much on the fallout, saying he was preparing to take legal action against some of the allegations that Ms Mutami made against him.
“The truth will come out and I am going to sue her. I am not going to sue because I need the money, I am going to take legal action not for myself but to protect people that were affected by the allegations such as the people of Norton, the Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (YARD) think tank that looks up to me and my family.”
Quizzed about his children, he said: “Yes I have 18 children, and I love them very much. I am proud of them and I take very good care of them. Each term, I pay school fees of about US$25 000 because all my children attend top schools. I have 13 girls and 5 boys,” he said.
He said he will continue fathering children “to grow the clan” as his five siblings “are lazy to make children because they have just two or so”.
“We are six in our family but my brothers and sisters have just one or two children. So it is my duty to grow the clan. Our family is blessed. We have two legislators in Parliament and I count that as a blessing from God to my family.”
Asked if the plentiful children do not defile social norms, Mliswa said he had agreed not to get married to the women that he has fathered children with.
“People are different. I mostly date mature women, who are professionals and know what they want. Most of them come to an understanding with me just to have children and not get married. I have seen many marriages failing and I see a lot of cheating happening in marriages, so the marriage institution is not as sacrosanct as many people want to claim. What most people do not know is that in addition to my 18 children I take care of 600 other children through the Temba Mliswa foundation. This is in addition to other philanthropic projects that I carry out in my constituency.”
Mliswa denied allegations that he was bisexual. “Can a bisexual have 18 children? Those allegations were made just to tarnish my image.”
Farming
He spoke at length about his farming prowess, lauding the Government for the land reform programme, which he says has empowered him “more than anything else”.
He said he has made a lot of money from farming to look after his large family, dismissing claims by Ms Mutami that he was an extortionist.
“I rate Zimbabwe’s land reform programme as one of the best black empowerment initiatives the world has ever witnessed. I am what I am because of farming. This season is going to be a prosperous one for many farmers because of the good rains. At my farm in Karoi, I have put 400 hectares under maize to contribute to the country’s food security.
“At the very minimum, I am expecting a yield of at least 3 000 tonnes. This means I would have played my part in feeding the nation. Today (Thursday) we have started to harvest some green maize crop that we planted here at my house (in Borrowdale).
“I use this house as my research station for agriculture activities. I am proud to say that I have developed my farm better than what the white man did. My involvement in farming includes tobacco, where my company Saltlakes supported over 16 000 farmers, mainly small-scale growers.
“Currently, Saltlakes is leasing over 5 000 hectares for tobacco through the joint venture system that the Government has supported. So for someone to say I am an extortionist with the money I make from my farming ventures is just malice.”
Political career
Mliswa’s political career has been a roller coaster ride, at one time he rose to the post of Mashonaland West Zanu PF provincial chairperson, before he was fired from the ruling party in 2013, only to bounce back as an independent candidate and claim the Norton Constituency National Assembly seat.
“I see myself as a man of the people. I am a nationalist at heart, partly because I remain inspired by my father Kripper Peter Mliswa, who is an ex-Zipra combatant. I respect the President. Politics comes second when you love your country. That is why I stood as an independent candidate because I stand with the people.
“Some people say I influence my sister (Mashonaland West Minister for Provincial Affairs, Mary Mliswa), but what they do not know is that she is a hothead on her own. When we are together, we do not talk about politics because she respects my views and I respect hers.”
By A Correspondent| A Chipinge drug queen arrested with 35 kilograms of marijuana has been freed on $15 000 bail.
Shupikai Sigauke (34) of Munyamana Village in Chipinge was not asked to plead when she appeared before magistrate Franklin Kwananzi this week.
Her trial has been set for March 18. Prosecuting, Gift Bikita informed the court how police detectives raided Sigaukes home acting on a tip off that she was selling dagga from her home in Munyamana village.
They discovered the drug in eight plastic packets stashed in her spare bedroom.
It was weighed at 34,8kg and will be produced in court during her trial.
Health experts have recommended that the Government must consider easing tight lockdown restrictions and open up the economy as indications on the ground were that the country has reaped the benefits of the Level Four lockdown that was introduced at the beginning of the year to contain the spread of Covid-19.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, at the first week of January when the country introduced the strict lockdown, the country recorded 6 008 new Covid-19 cases, which by the second week increased to 6 382, but there has been a steady decline in new infections, with 4 126 recorded in the third week, 2 266 in the last week of January while last week (as at Friday) the country had 1 058 new infections.
In terms of deaths in the first week, 106 deaths were recorded, which went up to 200 in the second week, further increasing to 291 in the third week. However, the fatalities began to decline to 219 in the last week of January, with the country recording 110 deaths last week. The Level Four lockdown is set to end on 15 February.
Although the country is still on high alert, doctors said Government can now loosen the lockdown and open up more sectors of the economy to ensure a balance between people’s lives and their livelihoods. Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) president Dr Francis Chirowa said although there was need for an extension of the lockdown so as to arrest the pandemic, there was need to open up on some sectors of the economy.
“If it was just the pandemic alone, we would want to have an indefinite lockdown. But because the lockdown has its own effects on the economy, there is need for Government to loosen up but not completely take it away. All other measures such as social distancing, sanitisation and masking up should remain in place. Congregating should not be allowed at all while bars, saloons and churches should remain closed.
Also, the limited number of 30 people for funerals is okay. The challenge we have is that people that do not have comorbidities (chronic conditions) are young and very active and they may have the disease (Covid-19) but they may be asymptomatic and spreading it,” he said.
Zimbabwe World Health Organisation country representative Dr Alex Gasasira said the downward trend in the country’s epidemic was a testimony that the measures put in place by Government have yielded positive results and citizens have adhered to the regulations and protocols.
Dr Gasasira said for Government to lift the lockdown there was need for people to comply with Covid-19 protocols of maintaining social distance, masking up, limiting movements, limiting gatherings and socialisation.
“What we would recommend for people is to comply with Government regulations and limit movement, gathering and socialisation. Compliance to these measures in the absence of lockdown would also mean Government would not need to enforce the stringent measures.
The idea of lockdown is to ensure minimum movement and gathering.
“Movement and gatherings give the virus an opportunity to spread. Let us not give the virus a chance by complying with the measures. The downward trend of the epidemic gives us the belief that the preventative measures have been adhered to.
“In other countries where there is compliance transmission has been kept low and they have relaxed their conditions. Lockdown is usually the last option,” he said.
Mpilo hospital acting chief executive officer Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said lockdown measures would always attract debate as there was need to balance health measures and issues to do with the nation’s economy.
“Lockdowns and coronavirus are now a contentious subject because on one hand lockdowns cause a lot of economic disruptions. On the other hand, from a health perspective, a full lockdown is necessary as it helps us contain this pandemic and avoid mass infections that might lead to the crippling of the health sector subsequently leading to mass deaths,” said Prof Ngwenya.
He said the danger with downgrading the lockdown was that most countries would eventually revert back to full scale lockdown once infections rise.
“As a country it is difficult for me to comment whether we are ready or not to relax the lockdown but from where I am, the community I work from, I believe if we downgrade it might be catastrophic because there is a lot of infections in the community and a lot of people that are not being tested.
“The countries that are downgrading will actually soon go back to full scale lockdowns, it’s a vicious cycle, you relax, infections surge and you go back to full scale lockdown, but that is one thing which we have to accept because there is also the need for the economy to function,” said Prof Ngwenya.
Chief Coordinator for the National Response to the Covid-19 in the President’s Office Dr Agnes Mahomva said the downward curve on the country’s epidemic trend was an indication that the country’s response was on the right path.
Dr Mahomva said this however, does not rule out the possibility of a third wave of the pandemic.
“As of Thursday February 4, the country’s cumulative cases were 34 171 with recoveries at 27 759 which is about 81 percent and deaths were 1288. Bulawayo and Harare metropolitan Provinces continue to be the country’s main hotspots followed by Manicaland and Mashonaland East,” she said.
Dr Mahomva said the country cannot however, rule out the possibility of the third wave if citizens relax. She said medical practitioners must be guided by science on treatment guidelines and protocols.
A security guard and a cleaner employed by a local bank allegedly stole a client’s ATM card before withdrawing thousands of dollars from his account.
Takesure Chasukwa (47) and Silas Bvumbe (31) both denied the theft charges when they appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Audrey Muzhingi last week.
They were being charged with contravening Section 167 (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
They were remanded in custody to March 2. Mr Kangai Tiriwamambo represented the State. Chasukwa is a security guard stationed at POSB, Mutare Branch, while Bvumbe is a cleaner at the same bank.
They allegedly withdrew $35 164 Mr John Tadzara’s bank account and bought US$291 which they shared.
The court heard that Chasukwa stole the ATM card on January 11 after Mr Tadzara had asked him to assist him to make a withdrawal at an ATM machine at the bank.
It was alleged that instead of using Mr Tadzara’s card on the ATM, Chasukwa used Catherine Kafumu’s card, which he had in his possession.
He remained with Mr Tadzara’s card.
The theft was discovered the following day when Mr Tadzara tried to buy some groceries.
He was told that the ATM card he wanted to use belonged to Kafumu, prompting him to make a police report.
Police’s investigations led them to Chasukwa who was found in possession of the card. He implicated Bvumbe leading to their arrest.
“After stealing the card, Chasukwa handed it over to Bvumbe the following day, together with the secret pin number. Bvumbe proceeded to buy two loaves of bread at OK Supermarket before approaching an airtime dealer, Stella Simon in search of American dollars.
“Simon gave Bvumbe US$291 in exchange of $35 000 after she had used the card at Econet Shop to buy airtime. Bvumbe surrendered the card and US$259 back to Chasukwa,” said Mr Kangai. Nothing was recovered.
HELL broke loose in Hobhouse high-density suburb of Mutare on Monday, with irate neighbours baying for the blood of a step-mother who allegedly bludgeoned a teenager to death and faked suicide as a cover-up.
Ishmael Chishakwe (13), who was a Grade Seven learner at Sheni Primary School in Dangamvura, had visited his father and stepmother at their Hobhouse lodgings when he allegedly committed suicide in the bathroom, something neighbours dismissed as the boy was always on the receiving end of his step-mother, Precious Chishakwe’s ire.
Residents and neighbours who suspected foul play in Ishmael’s death bayed for Precious’ blood, demanding an explanation on what had transpired as they claimed that circumstances of his death were not tantamount to suicide.
Ishmael’s father, Tapfumaneyi — an officer with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) — was at home when the teenager died and was reported to have been at sixes and sevens to narrate the events of the day.
Police could neither confirm nor deny that it was a murder case and said investigations were in progress.
“We can confirm that the boy was found dead in a suspected case of suicide in Hobhouse on Monday afternoon. However, investigations are in progress,” said Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Luxson Chananda.
A neighbour who managed to force her way into the house after the Chishakwes had locked themselves inside their rented premises who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she saw Ishmael’s body in an empty bathroom tub, while a sponge that was around his neck was hanging from the tap.
She queried why a teenager would commit suicide using a soft sponge.
Neighbours also said it took more than an hour for police who are stationed less than 200 metres from the Chishakwe lodgings to be alerted of the incident.
Another neighbour, Ms Sara Chakuhwa, alleged that the couple wanted to keep the death as a secret and had already initiated processes of ferrying the corpse to their rural area when Tapfumaneyi was overheard talking to someone over the phone.
“He was overheard by someone informing a relative of Ishmael’s death and their decision to ferry the corpse to their rural home. They wanted to keep the death under wraps, but it was all over the neighbourhood within minutes, prompting neighbours to besiege the house demanding the truth,” said Ms Chakuhwa.
She said Ishmael’s body had switch marks all over, allegedly inflicted by his step-mother’s beatings.
“I was outside when I heard the step-mother (Precious) calling the boy and shouting: ‘Idiot, unoda kudeedzerwa chikafu, unotenga chikafu pano here iwe. (You want me to always call you to come and eat, do you buy any food here?) Within 20 minutes, the child was dead and who can buy these suicide lies?
“I quickly rushed to their house and asked the stepmother if I could view the child. My intention was to render him first aid, but I was denied access. Precious told me that she was scared to go into the bathroom where the body was,” said Ms Chakuhwa.
Another neighbour who managed to view Ishmael’s body before it was taken to the mortuary for a post mortem by the police, said it was clear that the body was dragged into the bathroom.
“Precious told me that she was informed by a niece who was at the house that Ishmael had committed suicide. It is, however, shocking that anyone would believe that the child committed suicide in that bathroom, as tall as he was.
“He had marks on his neck and there was no water, towel or soap in the bathroom to corroborate their claim. His was just lying in an empty tub with his eyes open,” she said.
Ishmael’s former teacher, Mrs Victoria Chimonyo, said the teenager was staying with his aunt in Dangamvura after fleeing from abuses at the hands of his father and step-mother.
She said Ishmael had resorted to be a street urchin on countless occasions.
“I taught him when he was in Grade 5. Ishmael was a hardworking learner, but he was staying in an abusive environment. When I taught him, he was usually late and at most times, he would ran away from home to become a street kid at Sakubva Musika. Her aunt decided to take custody of him,” said Mrs Chimonyo.
In an interview, Precious distanced herself from Ishmael’s death.
“I was not there when the incident happened. I was told by my niece who was here that Ishmael had been instructed by his father to take a bath when he committed suicide. His father was reading a novel in the dining room. The boy took long to come out of the bathroom and when a follow-up was made, it was discovered that he had died. He might have been choked by a sponge which was around his neck. I could not entertain our neighbours at that time because I was still in a state of shock,” said a teary Chishakwe.
Efforts to contact Tapfumaneyi proved fruitless as he was said to be busy with Ishmael’s burial arrangements.
By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has stressed the need for coexistence adding that there is power in embracing diversity.
On Saturday morning President Chamisa wrote on his official Facebook page:
“THE POWER OF COEXISTENCE!! I have just seen and taken a picture of these trees here. This reminded me of the power of being together in diversity.
Conflict is evidence of barbarism. Coexistence is a sign of civilization and maturity . Blessed Sabbath to you beloved!”
Picture taken by President Chamisa on Saturday morning
POWER utility Zesa could be losing revenue to fraudsters working in cahoots with its employees who are illegally generating electricity tokens and then sell them to the public.
Some Zesa employees have been allegedly manipulating the system, generating and selling electricity tokens to customers without declaring the proceeds to the power utility company.
It is understood that some of the workers were manipulating the system to allow their agents to sell tokens and not remitting the money to Zesa.
Last week police arrested a Zesa employee and his agent for allegedly illegally generating electricity tokens and selling them to customers without the knowledge of the power utility company.
Police arrested Darlington Chiputura (41) a ZESA employee at the company’s headquarters in Harare together with his agent Joseph Wagusiwa (36) from Kadoma for allegedly illegally generating and selling electricity tokens.
National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest of the two suspects following a tip off.
“I can confirm that police have arrested Joseph Wagusiwa and Darlington Chiputura for fraud. Wagusiwa was arrested in Kadoma after a trap was set and a Zesa electricity token valued at ZWL$ 1 680 was recovered. The token had been sold to a potential client through a fraudulent system manipulation in the Zesa electricity data process.
Wagusiwa then implicated Chiputura who was responsible for generating the tokens at Zesa headquarters in Harare and supplied them to the first suspect for sale to the public for their own benefit,” he said.
It is alleged that some of the employees would manipulate the Zesa token system to create a parallel system that allows agents to sell electricity, illegally accessing the Zesa electricity database.- The Sunday News
A HEADMASTER and a driver at Mandwandwe Secondary School in Bulawayo are under investigation after 16 doors out of 32 that were replaced at classrooms by the School Development Committee reportedly went missing under unclear circumstances.
The school head, Mr Litmus Moyo, and an unnamed school driver have been implicated in the alleged scam after two of the missing doors were found installed at the driver’s house. He claimed that he was given the doors by Mr Moyo.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed that they were investigating circumstances surrounding the alleged theft of the doors but to date no arrests had been made. “Our officers are investigating that matter after a report was made but no arrests have been made so far,” said Insp Ncube.
Contacted for comment, the SDC chairperson, Mr Sign Bhebhe confirmed that they had reported the matter to the police after Mr Moyo had failed to give a substantive explanation on the whereabouts of the missing doors. “As the SDC we got a request from the school to replace the doors, we naturally approached parents who gave us a go ahead, we then went ahead to replace 32 doors at the school. However, we later got a tip off that the driver had taken some of the old doors to his house and for sure when we went there, we identified two of the old doors that had been installed at his house.
“When we asked him, he implicated the school head who initially neither denied or confirmed this assertion, we then went back to the school where we did an inventory on the old doors, where we found that only 16 were left, it is then that the school head professed ignorance on the whereabouts of the doors, which is why we had to report the issue to the police,” said Mr Bhebhe.
He said their worry was that school property could not just go missing when there were people meant to ensure its safety.
“Our thinking was that we were going to dispose of these doors and ensure that the funds raised are channeled towards the development of the school, not just for one person to benefit,” said the SDC chairperson.- The Sunday News
