THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has opened investigations against judges, magistrates and church leaders over a slew of graft allegations.

Zacc chair Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo last week said members of the judiciary were under scrutiny but emphasised there was no interference on the independence of the third arm of the State.

She also hinted that there were several church leaders under probe for corruption allegations among whom is a prominent bishop who received a US$100 000 tithe from his church congregant.

“The investigation against members of the Judiciary Services Commission (JSC) is underway but we want to ensure that there will be no outcry of interference on the judiciary,” said Justice Matanda-Moyo.

On the church bishop, Justice Matanda-Moyo said: “The commission is tracing the source of funds which shows that the church member who paid a US$100 000 tithe had made US$1 million.”

Justice Matanda-Moyo was not at liberty to disclose the names of the church leaders under probe saying it could jeopardise investigations.

She said corruption was deep-rooted even in law enforcement agencies such as Zacc, police, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“Our institutions are not free from corruption; we have arrested some police officers while some members of Zacc have been dismissed on corruption charges,” said the Zacc boss.-The Sunday News

BULAWAYO businessman and Stingrays Swimming Academy founder, Edmore Cyprianos is suspected to have committed suicide, according to the police.

Cyprianos (49) was reportedly found hanging in a tree in a bushy area at Lucydale Farm in Matobo on Tuesday.

He was the managing director of Cypriano Electrical, ran Donnington Meat Supplies and also had a thriving farming and livestock venture.

The 2016 Zimbabwe National Chambers of Commerce Matabeleland chapter businessman of the year left his home on Tuesday without notifying his wife and was later found dead.

According to the police, the incident happened between 4.30 am and 4pm at Matopo Research Station.

Matabeleland South acting provincial police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena said they were investigating a case of suicide.

“The deceased, Edmore Cyprianos (49) of 7 Bishop Gaule Avenue, Kumalo was found hanging from a tree in a bushy area by a passerby on 8 December 2020.

“He had left his house in the morning without notifying his wife where he was going.

“The body was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals and is awaiting post-mortem results,” she said.-The Sunday News

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By A Correspondent | SEN DOUGLAS MWONZORA has confirmed that his acclaimed funder has been arrested by police at his (the financier’s) in law’s house in Hwange at 8pm Sunday night, ZimEye can reveal.

The Thokozani Khupe aligned Harare deputy mayor who was on the run for several weeks, Luckson Mukunguma, has been arrested in Hwange.

He was found hiding in a round hut at his in-laws rural residence at around 8pm.

Mukunguma is facing 7 counts of corruption charges.

Mukunguma who Mwonzora refers to as his world bank, is expected to appear in court in Bulawayo within the next 48hrs.

Efforts to get a comment from Sen Mwonzora had a brief snag as his phone phone was continuously engaged; But Sen Mwonzora later confirmed the development saying that he was currently driving Bulawayo to see him. He spoke to ZimEye.com in the below interview….

By A Correspondent- Some primary and high schools in Bulawayo are forcing parents and guardians of students to fork out payments for masks and sanitizers, a move the government has declared illegal.

In September, the government began a phased re-opening of schools after a six months forced closure to curb the spread of the virulent Corona pestilence.

In turn, some schools demanded that parents should part with money in order to secure masks and sanitizers for their children.

The government went on to unveil ZWL$600 million to cater for masks and other necessities for students, but teachers argue that such money was not availed by the authorities.

Bulawayo is a Covid-19 hotspot in the country, recording deaths and double digit new infections almost daily.

An investigation by this publication revealed that schools such as Petra High, Christian Brothers College, Coughlan Primary and Mshede Primary demanded that parents pay between 100 rand to 200 rand for masks and sanitizers.

The monies are not receipted but are paid directly to the class teacher who in turn allegedly sources the masks and sanitisers from unnamed markets, investigations revealed.

At Mafela primary school, guardians were asked to part with 100 rand each while schools such as Pumula High and Maswazi Primary asked parents to come and clean schools without providing protective clothing.

In September, a symposium was organized by the Women of Zimbabwe Arise to discuss the re-opening of schools.

Among the participants were guardians, school children, and the Parliament Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education.

One of the contentious issues was the demand of varying monies for masks and sanitizers by schools.

“They asked us to come and clean the school and we were told that we need to bring 100 Rand each for masks and sanitizers,” said one grade seven pupil from Mafela.

Outspoken and combative Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary general, Raymond Majongwe, told this publication in an interview that schools were spot on in charging mask fees as the government had failed to provide them.

“As far we are concerned schools are following what has to be done and we can’t blame the schools because they have to make sure that kids are safe, but at the same time we can’t pass the buck to parents because government had told us that it had provided ZWL$600 million to cover for these,” said Majongwe.

The PTUZ boss further said that the government lied about availing ZWL$600 million for masks and sanitizers for students.

Said Majongwe: “It goes back to the argument that the government was telling the nation that it has ZWL$600 million and the question is; where is the ZWL$600 million? Will they point, indicate a paper trail of what they are talking about, sanitizers, masks and provisions of water and any other provisions stipulated by WHO.

“As far as we are concerned the WHO guidelines have not been adhered to, class sizes remain huge and testing never happened. At the end of the day we need to find out who took the ZWL$600 million and where it was placed and those who took it must be arrested. If ZWL$600 million was provided we can’t be told that certain schools say they don’t have sanitizers to go to exams and it’s unacceptable and unforgiven. The people on the wrong side should be arrested.”

But, Taungana Ndoro, Primary and Secondary Education spokesperson expressly declared that it was illegal for schools to charge money for masks.

“The government has provided sanitizers and masks and parents can only supplement, but schools cannot force parents to buy them. It is unlawful,” Ndoro told CITE via a telephone interview.

An analysis of official COVID-19 data shows that new cases have been rising since November and are now averaging 100 cases daily, compared to the previous two months when infections stood at about 25 a day.

Almost 300 students have tested positive for Covid-19 since the resumption of classes on November 9.

By A Correspondent | DOUGLAS MWONZORA’S acclaimed “funder’ has been arrested by police at his in law’s house in Hwange at 8pm Sunday night, ZimEye can reveal.

The Thokozani Khupe aligned Harare deputy mayor who was on the run for several weeks, Luckson Mukunguma, has been arrested in Hwange.

He was found hiding in a round hut at his in-laws rural residence at around 8pm.

Mukunguma is facing 7 counts of corruption charges.

Mukunguma who Mwonzora refers to as his world bank, is expected to appear in court in Bulawayo within the next 48hrs.

Efforts to get a comment from Sen Mwonzora had a brief snag as his phone phone was continuously engaged; But Sen Mwonzora later confirmed the development saying that he was currently driving Bulawayo to see him. He spoke to ZimEye.com in the below interview….

By A Correspondent- A Harare woman is claiming $700 000 in damages from the government after losing her unborn child at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on June.6

Valerie Chibaya is suing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga in his capacity as Health minister after accusing health officials at the hospital of neglecting to treat her as a medical emergency.

In her High Court papers, Chibaya named the vice president as the defendant in the suit as he is responsible for the actions of health officials. According to her summons, Chibaya went to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in June when she was 23 weeks pregnant after experiencing unusual abdominal pains.

Upon arrival, the doctors and nurses did not take her temperature, blood pressure or sugar levels nor did they do a routine check-up on her.

Instead, they insisted that she gets a scan first before they could treat her, despite her obvious pain and discomfort. Chibaya claims that she began to bleed, without any treatment or even a wheelchair being provided.

The woman eventually went into premature labour and lost her baby without receiving any emergency medical care from staff at the hospital.

“It is reasonably foreseeable that a pregnant woman presenting herself at night in severe abdominal pain, if not medically assisted diligently and as a matter of urgency would develop complications threatening her life, causing pain and suffering, loss of and amenities of life.

“The traumatic experience by plaintiff occurred in a public place where people watched her in such a vulnerable position. Plaintiff as a result was humiliated, demeaned and embarrassed,” reads Chibaya’s summons.

Chiwenga and the Health ministry are yet to file their responses to Chibaya’s suit.-dailynews

Tinashe Sambiri|Recalled MDC Alliance Councillor for ward 7, Masvingo Urban, Richard Musekiwa has vowed to stand with the MDC Alliance and President Nelson Chamisa.

Musekiwa has described his recall as a non-event.

“I will never betray the people’s struggle .

Not even gold and silver can influence me.

Moving solidly behind the people President Advocate Nelson Chamisa -victory is certain.

I would like to thank the residents of Rujeko, ward 7 who gave me the opportunity to represent them in council.

I was recalled by Douglas Mwonzora and Zanu PF.

I will continue to assist local residents,” Musekiwa said in a statement.

Tinashe Sambiri|Embattled MDC -T leader Thokozani Khupe’s attempt to seize the people’s project hit a snag in Chinhoyi.

In a statement, MDC Alliance said Khupe would not stop the people’s victory despite being backed by Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.

Read full statement below :

Chinhoyi has denied Khupe a chance to steal the people’s victory.

We are elated to inform you that a plot to steal the people’s victory by the MDC-T cabal was thwarted when Cllr Garikai Dendera was voted into office and Cllr Mada deputised -handing back the Chinhoyi Mayorship to the MDC Alliance led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa.

The illegal recalls of 6 other MDC Alliance Councillors this week to armtwist the remaining Councillors to give in to the ZANU friendly MDC-T and force them to vote for khupes candidate flopped as the remaining Councillors chose to stand with the people and the MDC Alliance.

Not even the presence of Gift Matshoba Konjana could change the complexion of the mayoral election.

It is no doubt that the khupe cabal are operating full throttle on social media but completely divorced from the grassroots,no wonder why they rely on virtual meetings than physically ones.

Their plan to fire members to get an edge over the MDC Alliance is no longer effective as they continue to be trounced hands down.

Bring on the By-elections we have sellouts and terrorists fighting the people to fry.

Tinashe Sambiri|Embattled MDC -T leader Thokozani Khupe’s attempt to seize the people’s project hit a snag in Chinhoyi.

In a statement, MDC Alliance said Khupe would not stop the people’s victory despite being backed by Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.

Read full statement below :

Chinhoyi has denied Khupe a chance to steal the people’s victory.

We are elated to inform you that a plot to steal the people’s victory by the MDC-T cabal was thwarted when Cllr Garikai Dendera was voted into office and Cllr Mada deputised -handing back the Chinhoyi Mayorship to the MDC Alliance led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa.

The illegal recalls of 6 other MDC Alliance Councillors this week to armtwist the remaining Councillors to give in to the ZANU friendly MDC-T and force them to vote for khupes candidate flopped as the remaining Councillors chose to stand with the people and the MDC Alliance.

Not even the presence of Gift Matshoba Konjana could change the complexion of the mayoral election.

It is no doubt that the khupe cabal are operating full throttle on social media but completely divorced from the grassroots,no wonder why they rely on virtual meetings than physically ones.

Their plan to fire members to get an edge over the MDC Alliance is no longer effective as they continue to be trounced hands down.

Bring on the By-elections we have sellouts and terrorists fighting the people to fry.

Emmerson Mnangagwa has promoted 515 senior and junior police officers stationed in Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces.

The promotion comes after the president had recently promoted over 1000 police officers. The officers were promoted as follows in Bulawayo:

479 officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Police Protection Unit (PPU) and the Daily Uniformed Branch (DUB) were elevated.Of those, 52 were Inspectors who were promoted to the rank of Chief Inspector.123 were promoted from Sergeant to Assistant Inspector282 Constables were elevated to Sergeants.22 were elevated from Sergeants to Sergeant Majors.

A similar event took place in Gwanda, the provincial capital of Matabeleland South Province.

36 police officers stationed in the province were conferred with new ranks of Inspectors and Chief Inspectors.1 officer was promoted from Sergeant Major to Assistant Inspector,27 were promoted from Assistant Inspector to Inspector8 were promoted from Inspector to Chief Inspector.

In a speech read on his behalf by Assistant Commissioner John Simon during the conferment ceremony, Comm-Gen Godwin Matanga said:

While your promotion today reflects due recognition and incentive for your individual hard work, its main thrust is that it is an investment vehicle in which the organisation is planting seeds of hope in your career.

As such you are expected to remain forthright, exemplary, visionary, firm, fair and professional among other attributes and expectations synonymous with the ranks you now occupy.

Above all the need for you to become role models to your peers and subordinates as well as paragons of professionalism in the communities you serve cannot be overemphasised.

He also urged police officers to shun corruption, uphold morality and good ethical conduct.-State media

By A Correspondent- A 28 year old Harare man yesterday appeared before magistrate Estere Chivasa on allegations of robbing and raping seven women.

The alleged serial rapist, Coaster Kabvuratsiye was not asked to plead when he appeared before Chivasa on 14 counts of rape and robbery.

Prosecutor Panganai Chiutsi told the court that sometime between April 2019 and February 2020, Kabvuratsiye disguised himself as a middleman for jobseekers and would rape the unsuspecting victims.

On all the incidences, he would lie to the victims that he had found a job for them and was taking them to their employer.

Rather, he would lead them to a maize field in Tynwald South in Harare where he would rape them before robbing them of their valuables.

On other incidents, he would rape the victims together with his accomplices who are still at large.

Kabvuratsiye was arrested on February 8, 2020 when the police tracked him using one of the victims’ mobile phone.

He was remanded to December 23, 2020 for trial.

Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) commander Lieutenant General Edzai Absolom Chanyuka Chimonyo is in India for medical treatment.

Lt. Gen. Chimonyo is said to be suffering from lung complications and was airlifted to the Asian country recently.

A local publication said they tried in vain to get a comment from Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and the army.

This comes after former Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander Constantino Chiwenga, who is the Vice President and Health Minister, was flown to China also for medical care.

In September, after being appointed Health Minister, Chiwenga said the government had banned medical trips abroad by Zimbabweans which he said were draining the country of scarce foreign currency.

He said:

We will not export our patients. We will not make referrals (to foreign medical facilities) for our patients. It’s everybody.

Ministers are only about 20 but those who have been going out it’s you, you, me, altogether.

That export bill was too high and that’s what we want to curtail. We want to do away with that, and it requires us to carry out restructuring from the village health worker right up to the quaternary hospital.

Several high-ranking Zimbabwean officials have received medical care in India, among them, Chiwenga, Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo and the late ZIPRA and Zapu supremo, Dumiso Dabengwa.

-newshawks

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s largest sugar manufacturer, Tongaat Hulett last week closed all of its schools in Triangle and Hippo Valley after staff members reportedly tested positive for covid-19.

Eight staff members including the school head, teachers and non-teaching staff at Mufakose High School in Triangle tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

To curb the spread of the virus Tongaat Hulett decided to close all of its 22 schools on Thursday 10 November.

However, only Zimsec exam candidates will be allowed to write their examinations at the schools under strict government and World Health Organisation(WHO) covid-19 safety protocols.

Tongaat Hulett spokesperson Ms Adelite Chikunguru said the company decided to close its schools to curb the spread of the virus among staff and pupils.

“It is unfortunate that one of our schools reported cases of Covid-19. We have closed all schools that are being run by Tongaat Hulett in the Lowveld so that we try and minimise the possible spread of the pandemic. We had stringent protocols that we have been following since the schools opened in September and we had not had any case of Covid-19.

“The new cases at one of our schools are unfortunate and we have made sure that the affected people receive best health care.

We have state of the art healthcare facilities at Tongaat Hulett and we are also working with the Rapid Response Team and the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure that the situation is under control. We continue to follow Government guidelines on Covid-19,” she said.

Tongaat Hulett said in a written memo to its employees that 51 people came into direct contact with one of the 8 persons who tested positive for covid-19 at Mufakose High School.

The memo states that the 51 people who came into contact with the primary source were tested for the virus and were currently in self-quarantine while their PCR test results are being processed.

“Of the 66 primary contacts that have been investigated so far, 15 were tested and 11 turned out to be positive. A total of 51 secondary contacts were tested, six of the 14 ran tests were positive. Other 37 results are not yet out,” reads part of the memo.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- Shebeens are sprouting around Victoria Falls with many houses being turned into drinking spots in the absence of bars and nightclubs that were closed because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Shebeen operators, both men and women, and beer lovers are oblivious of the Covid-19 precautions as patrons usually gather for the “wise waters” albeit without masks or practicing social distancing.

bars and nightspots remain closed and the government stated in a recent post-cabinet briefing that lockdown and curfew measures still exist, adding that where there is non-compliance, the law enforcement agents will not hesitate to enforce the penalties prescribed.

The government recently intensified enforcement of the lockdown measures following a new surge in Covid-19 cases.

Judith Sibanda of Mkhosana, whose husband is based in South Africa and has not been able to return home due to the lockdown restrictions, said she started selling beer at her rented one room to raise money for the upkeep of her four minor children.

“I was working at a backyard restaurant, which was closed because of the lockdown and has not opened to date,” Sibanda said.

“I decided to sell beer at home because that was the only way I could make money.

“We order from Delta, but sometimes we have challenges because they want licences for one to buy beer in bulk so we pay bar operators to order for us using their licences.”

She does not allow her clients to drink on site as a way of evading law enforcement agents.

“They buy and go,” Sibanda said. “Only a few drink inside my room and this is usually my friends and relatives, otherwise everyone else buys and goes to drink elsewhere.”

A random check around Mkhosana and Chinotimba high-density suburbs showed that there could be around 40 houses that are selling beer.

before the lockdown, there were two popular shebeens known as KwaMai Kazembe in Mkhosana and MaJele in Chinotimba.

The closure of public places such as Shoestrings backpackers, Army Chalets, Rest Camp, Invuvu, The Vic Falls Club, Grid bar, KoPanashe, Zambezi house, boat Club, The River brewery, brown Sugar, Comfort Pub and Grill, Sports bar, Tavern, Old bar, Mukali bar and G Sport as a result of the national lockdown that was effected in March left beer lovers with no drinking spots.

Unconfirmed reports say some bar operators are the ones running the shebeens.

However, Mukali bar owner Silas Maligo refuted the claims, saying he was abiding by the lockdown regulations although residents say people have been buying alcohol from his bar.

Mufudzi nyoni, who used to rent Dentola Sports bar, defended a drinking spot at his house in Mkhosana, saying it was not a shebeen but only a sports and leisure centre for people to play snooker.

“I don’t sell beer here. I only saw an opportunity to make money following the closure of bars and nightclubs,” Nyoni said.

“People used to play snooker at Dentola Sports bar so I brought the pool table here.

“Those who want soft drinks buy from a nearby tuckshop, but we don’t allow beer in the yard.”

Most of the shebeens open all night long and clients are entertained with loud music.

Residents have expressed concern about the noise, which they say disturbs their peace.

This is despite the presence of police and soldiers, who are deployed to enforce lockdown regulations.

Sometimes patrons fight at the drinking spots.

“We are tired of noise day and night,” said a Chinotimba resident whose house is surrounded by three shebeens.

“It is worse during weekends as they make noise until morning. We can’t even sleep because of noise.

“They also urinate in our yards and gardens and we have to clean their mess which is a health risk for us.

“We have raised the issue with the police, but nothing has happened as they also drink from there.”

A couple was recently arrested and charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a patron 32 times with a screw driver after he allegedly failed to pay for beer.

Christopher Lyuhya, aged 37, and wife Jacqueline Nhidza, aged 36, severely assaulted Tendai Zengeni at their house in Chinotimba where they were operating a shebeen, leaving him for dead.

The couple is in custody for attempted murder awaiting trial.

Matabeleland north police spokesperson Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese says police are aware of the presence of illegal drinking spots and occasionally carry out raids.

“We sometimes raid houses that sell beer and we will constantly remind citizens that we are still on lockdown,” Makonese said.

“Police will not hesitate to arrest any citizens that break the law as bars remain prohibited while public drinking is also an offence.”

—-
This article was originally published by The Citizen Bulletin, nonprofit hyperlocal news outlet serving audiences in and around Matabeleland.

By A Correspondent- Clara Tandi felt feverish. Worried she was sick with the coronavirus, she grabbed handfuls of lemon, guava and mint leaves from her garden and boiled them into a liquid.

Then Tandi (59) stripped off her clothes, swaddled herself in a blanket and inhaled the herbal steam until sweat beaded on her forehead.

Finally, she stirred a topical cold-and-cough ointment into the greenish brew and drank an entire cup.

“Then you know that, if the virus was inside, it has disappeared or has been killed,” she said.

Some africans routinely use alternative treatments, including herbs, roots, barks and powders, to meet their medicinal needs.

In Zimbabwe, the underfunded health care system can be so frustrating to navigate that traditional medicine is increasingly popular.

So as the coronavirus marched across the country and infected more than 11 000 people some turned to berries and herbs instead of doctors and nurses.

But because the virus is new and what is known about it is ever-shifting, it is a particularly ripe target for misinformation, or what the World Health Organisation has called an “infodemic”.

Medical experts here have noticed a slew of social media posts promoting unproven remedies.

In one, a woman claims she cured her daughter of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, with a routine that included steaming under a blanket four times a day and stuffing her socks with onions and garlic.

While some alternative treatments have proven medicinal value, many coronavirus antidotes do not.

They may not stop the disease, says Shingai Nyaguse, president of the Zimbabwe Senior Hospital Doctors’ association.

And even if an herb is effective, it could linger in the body, severely damaging the kidneys as they try to flush it out.

Agnes Mahomva, chief coordinator of the country’s Covid-19 response, recently met with specialists who analysed Covid-19 cases at a large hospital in Harare.

A number of patients had suffered renal failure.

“We know some of those complications can come because people were taking some concoctions that are not regulated,” she said.

Zimbabwe’s health care system was once among the region’s best.

But over the last two decades, the country’s economy collapsed under the leadership of former president Robert Mugabe.

Health care funding evaporated, and some hospitals had neither electricity nor water.

Many physicians left the country. Those who remain frequently strike to demand more supplies and better pay.

Many Zimbabweans depend on a strained network of public clinics.

Doctors are usually only available on certain days, and the lines to see them are long.

While they once dispensed medication for free, they’re now more likely to give patients a prescription to buy it elsewhere.

“Once communities know that, when you visit a health facility, there are no drugs, and the health workers are rude because they are poorly paid, they end up not visiting those health facilities because the quality of care will be poor,” said Itai Rusike, executive director of the Community Working Group on Health, which advocates for health care for the poor.

Instead, Rusike says, many Zimbabweans visit traditional or faith healers to treat digestive problems, mental illness and sexually transmitted diseases.

They are often less expensive than physicians, and it’s easier to get an appointment.

The government requires healers to join a registry and only use treatments deemed safe.

One of the largest associations counts 55 000 members.

The government has authorised herbalists to treat Covid-19 patients.

But Prince Sibanda, secretary of education for the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers’ association, notices that people bypass even registered healers and try to mix their own concoctions instead.

He attributes this to headlines out of Madagascar, where the president touted an herbal tonic as a potential cure. (There’s no proof that it destroys the virus, though the WHO recently helped establish rules for scientists to test such therapies.)

It’s easy to find ingredients at open-air markets. and if a recipe comes from a friend on social media, it may seem trustworthy, said Nyaguse, the doctors’ association president.

Tandi lives in Kuwadzana, a Harare suburb where large families pack into small homes.

A chatty woman with an ever-present smile, she has hypertension and diabetes, which would put her at higher risk of severe illness if she contracted the coronavirus.

As a tailor, Tandi already worked from home, and when she leaves, she protects herself by wearing a mask and avoiding crowded events like church services and funerals.

But in June, her uncle died from Covid-19. That terrified her.

In the past, Tandi had tried treating her medical conditions with herbal cocktails, though she also takes prescription medication.

She heard that a woman from church beat the virus with homemade therapies. So she and her friends trade recipes on Whatsapp and experiment with different ingredients and measurements.

“I heard that coronavirus does not thrive in hot temperatures or sour stuff,” Tandi says, “so I started looking for things that are hot and sour, and I drank those regularly to avoid being infected.”

Now, three times a day, Tandi sips a mix of Zumbani, an herbal tea people drink to reduce fever, and garlic. She saves the steam and cold-ointment ritual for when she has flu-like symptoms, though ingesting ointment is potentially toxic. But she considers her experiments safe and more efficient than visiting the local clinic. She heard the nurses there were on strike.

Global Press Journal

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has reportedly set its sights on the judiciary and on churches, The Sunday Mail reports. The anti-graft body has reportedly opened an investigation into judges, magistrates, and church leaders alleged to be engaged in corrupt activities.

This was revealed by the ZACC Chief, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo who said they were investigating corruption in the judiciary even though she emphasized there will be no interference on the independence of the judiciary from ZACC:

The investigation against members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is underway, but we want to ensure that there will be no outcry of interference on the Judiciary.

The commission is tracing the source of funds which shows that the church member who paid a US$100 000 tithe had made US$1 million.

Our institutions are not free from corruption; we have arrested some police officers while some members of ZACC have been dismissed on corruption charges

The commission has submitted eight applications for unexplained wealth orders with the High Court of Zimbabwe. We have started tracing assets in South Africa, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Malasyia, Mauritius and Kenya.

This year, the commission has so far submitted 87 dockets for prosecution. We understand that the NPA has been on a recruiting drive and we look forward to corruption cases being given top priority next year

Matanda Moyo refused to shed light on the case about a prominent bishop who allegedly received a US$100 000 tithe from his church congregant but said corruption is deep-rooted in institutions.

ZACC last week headlined for claiming that it has recovered over 500 vehicles in the last 18 months.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- A relative of the former second lady Marry Chiwenga Hunnington Mubaiwa has called on the Vice President Constantino Guvheya Chiwenga to stop victimising his wife and ensure that she gets the medical attention she urgently requires.

Mubaiwa called on the judiciary to execute their mandate professionally and stop persecuting Marry at the instruction of higher powers by denying her the right to seek medical treatment in South Africa.

He said:

“The matter became extra judicial when that errant judge personalised the case and when he issued a warrant of arrest.

“When a judge superceeds the right and ability and capacity of a duly accepted and professionally trained lawyer and when he has to drag a very sick person to court.

“Sending an ambulance to bring her to court…….that case becomes an extra judicial. The matter is sitting on the president’s lap…VP Chiwenga, this is the mother to your children, she is your wife she has rights.

“Please check the sanity of the judge presiding over this case. We just want her to go to hospital. Cut your losses and do the right thing.”

By A Correspondent- A relative of the former second lady Marry Chiwenga Hunnington Mubaiwa has called on the Vice President Constantino Guvheya Chiwenga to stop victimising his wife and ensure that she gets the medical attention she urgently requires.

Mubaiwa called on the judiciary to execute their mandate professionally and stop persecuting Marry at the instruction of higher powers by denying her the right to seek medical treatment in South Africa.

He said:

“The matter became extra judicial when that errant judge personalised the case and when he issued a warrant of arrest.

“When a judge superceeds the right and ability and capacity of a duly accepted and professionally trained lawyer and when he has to drag a very sick person to court.

“Sending an ambulance to bring her to court…….that case becomes an extra judicial. The matter is sitting on the president’s lap…VP Chiwenga, this is the mother to your children, she is your wife she has rights.

“Please check the sanity of the judge presiding over this case. We just want her to go to hospital. Cut your losses and do the right thing.”

By A Correspondent- A Zanu-PF official in Shangani, Matabeleland South, is allegedly usurping the authority of traditional leaders and the Lands ministry by illegally selling state land to unsuspecting people.

In a petition, Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) president Mqondisi Moyo called on the government to “rescue Chief Jahana’s subjects from the captivity of Shame Mathe and Zanu-PF”.

The petition, dated December 3, was addressed to Chief Ndumiso Jahana Khumalo and copied to the ministries of Lands, Home Affairs, Justice, Primary and Secondary Education, Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs minister Abednico Ncube (pictured) as well as President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“I draw your attention to the subject in which Mathe, a teacher at Ensangu Primary School at Ensangu Village under Chief Jahana, who is a member of Zanu-PF, has become a law unto himself,” Moyo wrote.

“He is a nuisance to Chief Jahana, village heads, and their subjects who do not condone his unethical conduct.

“On December 2, in Bulawayo, five village heads led by Ernest Nxumalo and three other villagers from Village 5 of Insango, Ward 22, Insiza North, had to meet me to air their grievances regarding the unlawful behaviour of Mathe, who has unlawfully taken over responsibilities and roles of the chief.”

He alleged that the traditional leaders claimed that Mathe often boasts about his Zanu-PF and government connections.

“Because of all this, the man has become one of the Zanu-PF untouchables,” Moyo alleged.

“Since May 2012, Mathe has been unlawfully selling land at prices ranging from R5 000 to R6 000, and mainly to land grabbers from Mashonaland.

“It was indicated to me that so far, 5 946 villages have been dubiously registered for land or even allocated the same by Mathe using his destructive connections with Zanu-PF.”

He said the problems started around 2012 when Mathe imposed himself as village head, taking over from Nomusa Mguni who had been appointed by Chief Jahana.

Chief Jahana said he was yet to see the petition although he said he had received many reports about Mathe.

“I have many reports about Shame Mathe on land issues,” he said.

Mathe, however, dismissed the petition as politicking and threatened to sue MRP.

“To me, that’s politics,” he said. “I am not giving it much attention, but the only thing I will do is to seek legal action so that they prove their claim in court.

“They once did the same and the government investigated and found me clean and now they are repeating the same claims again.”-standard

By A Correspondent- The chaos that characterised Zanu-PF polls has revealed that the ruling party is still struggling for cohesion three years after its long-time ruler Robert Mugabe was toppled in a coup, analysts have said.

Zanu-PF held the largely chaotic polls as part of efforts to resuscitate its moribund district coordinating committees (DCCs) over a week ago.

The DDCs were disbanded by the late Mugabe in 2012 as the jostling to succeed him between factions linked to his then deputies Emmerson Mnangagwa and Joice Mujuru intensified.

Mnangagwa eventually succeeded the octogenarian after the military toppled him in November 2017 and the former VP has been trying to strengthen his grip on the faction-riddled party.

The DCC polls were marred by rampant rigging, factionalism and violence.

Ballot papers were burnt in certain areas while candidates accused of belonging to a faction that was aligned to Mugabe in his last days in power known as G40 were prevented from taking part in the polls.

In Nyanga, Manicaland province, one of the candidates, Moses Gutu, was arrested for destroying ballot papers and insulting a polling officer.

In Goromonzi district, Mashonaland East province, candidates said they were threatened by some senior party officials along factional lines and labelled G40 or Gamatox and not wanted by Mnangagwa.

Gamatox was a faction that favoured Mujuru to take over from Mugabe ahead of Mnangagwa before they were expelled from Zanu-PF together with their leader in 2013.

Some of the disgruntled candidates in the new DCC elections said they were intimidated and their supporters ended up either snubbing the polls or voting for candidates they were told were allegedly wanted by Mnangagwa.

“Some candidates were not allowed to stand, labelled either G40 or having been independent candidates before,” said a candidate from Goromonzi.

“The best two candidates for chairmanship and women affairs were Boniface Mutize and Beatrice Nyamupinga, who were labelled G40 and disqualified from participating in the elections.

“At counting, youth affairs and women affairs should have a maximum of 40 votes per district or station, but you had someone getting 79 votes.

“No disregard of voters will surpass this.”

Acting Zanu-PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said it was premature for him to comment on the polls.

“I will not comment right now because the process is still underway,” Chinamasa said yesterday.

“When it is finalised we will give you a press statement.”

But political analyst George Makoni said it was clear that the elections were characterised by vote-buying, imposition of candidates and intimidation.

“The elections also showed an ugly scene of factionalism in Zanu-PF and a lot of hate speech was very common with some being labelled G40s and Gamatox.

“Again marginalised groups, including women and people with disabilities, failed to make it into the DCCs.”

University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Tawanda Zinyama said while there was a semblance of democracy in Zanu-PF, it failed the fundamental tests.

“But what we need to understand is that this is guided democracy, which is grounded in Marxism-Leninism where the thinking is that centralised democracy is the way to go,” Zinyama said.

“You don’t behave the way you want, which is why you see the national political commissar Victor Matemadanda continuously saying we have G40 remnants, which means if somebody is popular in a district and has high chances of winning and is deemed to be someone who is not toeing the party line as defined by the leaders, you are likely to be labelled so that you can be disqualified no matter how popular you are in that particular district.

“So at the end of the day, it defeats the proper functioning of an internal democracy.

“So I will say it is cosmetic windowdressing. It reflects on the existence of fractures in the party. There is no unity at all.”

University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masunungure said while only violence was lacking this time around, there were reports of rigging and other allegations.

“This now appears to be a staple food in Zanu-PF,” Masunungure said.

“They are a reflection of Zanu-PF factionalism and the party appears to thrive on factionalism.

“It is a paradox but it seems factionalism makes the party robust and these are permanent features in Zanu-PF,” he said.

ZBC journalist Reuben Barwe, businesswoman Sharon Mugabe and former presidential aspirant Shakespeare Maya were some of the notable figures to win in the elections.-standard

By A Correspondent- Matabeleland north Provincial affairs minister Richard Moyo has become the latest top Zanu-PF official to test positive for Covid-19 as cases continue to surge.

Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu and the party’s communications director tafadzwa Mugwadi tested positive for Covid-19 over a week ago.

Moyo said he tested positive for the coronavirus last Monday, but said he was asymptomatic.

“I am self-isolating at home, but for now I am not feeling any pain and I am still asymptomatic, but I am taking as much as possible caution while at home,” he told Cite.

Moyo became the third Provincial affairs minister to contract the virus after his Midlands counterpart larry Mavhima and Mary Mliswa Chikoka from Mashonaland West.

Other government officials that have tested positive for the disease since the Covid-19 outbreak began in March include Public Services, labour and Social Welfare deputy minister lovemore Matuke and Finance and economic Development permanent secretary George Guvamatanga.

The then agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement minister Perrance Shiri succumbed to the disease in July.

In august, 26 Zanu-PF employees tested positive for the disease. Zimbabwe has been witnessing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases for the past two months and Friday the country recorded 74 new infections with one death.

As of Friday, Zimbabwe had recorded 11 127 Covid-19 cases with 9 253 recoveries. the country has seen 305 deaths.

Meanwhile, Portia Manangazira, the Health and Child Care ministry’s director of epidemiology and diseases control, on Friday said there was need for Zimbabweans to remain vigilant as Covid-19 would remain a threat to public health for some time.

Manangazira told the Zimbabwe national Practitioners association annual general meeting in Karoi on Friday that there was a risk of a second Covid-19 wave due to increased travel during the festive season

“Covid-19 is still with us for the next two or three years,” she said.

“We must wear masks, regularly sanitise for our own good health. We must share information and researches so that we get solutions. Scientifically, efforts are being made to find medication.

“As Zimbabwe we remain on the forefront to do the best out of it and help get medication with traditionalists playing a critical role for medication.

“Let us value our cultural ways so that we can collaborate and make researches that can be accepted globally to cure Covid-19.”

-standard

By A Correspondent- A 21 year old Shamva woman was arraigned before the courts on Friday for stoning her husband’s girlfriend together with her sister after damaging her property.

Talent Mushamba stoned her husband’s lovebird who was in the company of her sister. She pleaded guilty to all the charges and was slapped with 2 months imprisonment which was commuted to 70 hours of community service by Bindura magistrate Samantha Dhlamini.

She was further fined $4100 for malicious damage of property to be paid before December 31.

Prosecutor Shiella Maribha told the court that on 30 July Mushamba was told by her friend that her husband Lovemore Chikuma was having an extra marital affair with Trish Bvuta.

She armed her self with stones and stormed Bvuta’s homestead.

Upon arrival she broke window panes and asbestos before gaining entry in the house where she pelted Bvuta and Betty Chikuwira with stones on the head.

The duo was injured and rushed to hospital.

Hundreds of students are feared missing after gunmen raided the Government Science Secondary School in north-western Nigeria.

The attackers arrived on motorbikes and targeted the school – where more than 800 students are said to reside – in Katsina state on Friday evening.

On Saturday, the military said it had located the gunmen’s hideout in a forest and exchanged gunfire with them.

However, the outcome was unclear but officials said there were no reports of students being injured.

Meanwhile, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack and ordered the school to carry out a full audit of students to find out how many are missing. Parents who dashed to the school to take their children home were also asked to notify the school authorities.

BBC

Mamelodi Sundowns have suffered tragedy once again with another player having passed on following yet another car accident.

Sundowns have lost one of their star defenders Motjeka Madisha, who passed on on Saturday night.

The rising star was involved in a horrific car crash in Kempton Park on Saturday evening, just hours after the club’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Scroll through the gallery above to see some of Madisha’s career highlights

This is the second loss by The Brazilians, who just recently laid former right-back Anele Ngcongca to rest following a car accident in Durban last month.

KickOff.com wishes to express heart-felt condolences to the bereaved family, friends, teammates and colleagues.

Kick Off

Paul Nyathi

Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo who tested positive for Covid-19 last week went on to spend the day with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and a multitude of other ZANU PF members well aware of his status.

The Minister was part of the delegation that attended the official conferment of the city status to Victoria Falls on Wednesday which was presided over by Mnangagwa.

Moyo said he tested positive for the coronavirus last Monday, but said he was asymptomatic.

“I am self-isolating at home, but for now I am not feeling any pain and I am still asymptomatic, but I am taking as much as possible caution while at home,” he told Cite.

Moyo became the third Provincial Affairs minister to contract the virus after his Midlands counterpart Larry Mavhima and Mary Mliswa Chikoka from Mashonaland West.

Other government officials that have tested positive for the disease since the Covid-19 outbreak began in March include Public Services, Labour and Social Welfare deputy minister Lovemore Matuke and Finance and Economic Development permanent secretary George Guvamatanga.

The then Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement minister Perrance Shiri succumbed to the disease in July.

In August, 26 Zanu PF employees tested positive for the disease. Zimbabwe has been witnessing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases for the past two months and Friday the country recorded 74 new infections with one death.

As of Friday, Zimbabwe had recorded 11 127 Covid-19 cases with 9 253 recoveries. The country has seen 305 deaths.

Paul Nyathi

LAWYERS from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) are working on filing an appeal in the High Court challenging the denial of bail of Allan Moyo, a University of Zimbabwe (UZ) student, who was arrested on Monday 7 December 2020 and charged with inciting people to commit public violence after he allegedly called for a revolt against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.

Moyo, a student at UZ, was arrested on 7 December 2020 by Zimbabwe Republic Police officers who charged him with incitement to commit public violence as defined in section 187(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act as read with section 36(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

On Thursday 10 December 2020, prosecutors told Magistrate Judith
Taruvinga that the 23 year-old Moyo, who is represented by Obey Shava of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, incited some commuters on 3 July
2020 at Copacabana bus terminus in Harare when he addressed and told them that the time to stage a revolt against President Mnangagwa’s administration in Zimbabwe was conducive, for the ZANU PF party leader has failed the people of Zimbabwe.

The prosecutors also alleged that Moyo told commuters that President Mnangagwa’s government was not capable of presiding over the country’s
affairs as it has presided over the suffering of people in Zimbabwe.

Paul Nyathi

The Ministry of Health and Child Care says the deadly Coronavirus is likely to remain with us for the next three years.

Portia Manangazira, the Health and Child Care ministry’s director of epidemiology and diseases control, on Friday said there was need for Zimbabweans to remain vigilant as Covid-19 would remain a threat to public health for some time.

As of Friday, Zimbabwe had recorded 11 127 Covid-19 cases with 9 253 recoveries. The country has seen 305 deaths.

Manangazira told the Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association annual general meeting in Karoi on Friday that there was a risk of a second Covid-19 wave due to increased travel during the festive season

‘‘Covid-19 is still with us for the next two or three years,” she said.

“We must wear masks, regularly sanitise for our own good health. We must share information and researches so that we get solutions. Scientifically, efforts are being made to find medication.

“As Zimbabwe we remain on the forefront to do the best out of it and help get medication with traditionalists playing a critical role for medication.

“Let us value our cultural ways so that we can collaborate and make researches that can be accepted globally to cure Covid-19.”

Standard

A Zanu PF official in Shangani, Matabeleland South, is allegedly usurping the authority of traditional leaders and the Lands ministry by illegally selling state land to unsuspecting people.

In a petition, Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) president Mqondisi Moyo called on the government to “rescue Chief Jahana’s subjects from the captivity of Shame Mathe and Zanu PF”.

The petition, dated December 3, was addressed to Chief Ndumiso Jahana Khumalo and copied to the ministries of Lands, Home Affairs, Justice, Primary and Secondary Education, Matabeleland South provincial affairs minister Abednico Ncube (pictured) as well as President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“I draw your attention to the subject in which Mathe, a teacher at Ensangu Primary School at Ensangu Village under Chief Jahana, who is a member of Zanu PF, has become a law unto himself,” Moyo wrote.

“He is a nuisance to Chief Jahana, village heads, and their subjects who do not condone his unethical conduct.

“On December 2, in Bulawayo, five village heads led by Ernest Nxumalo and three other villagers from Village 5 of Insango, Ward 22, Insiza North, had to meet me to air their grievances regarding the unlawful behaviour of Mathe, who has unlawfully taken over responsibilities and roles of the chief.”

He alleged that the traditional leaders claimed that Mathe often boasts about his Zanu PF and government connections.

“Because of all this, the man has become one of the Zanu PF untouchables,” Moyo alleged.

“Since May 2012, Mathe has been unlawfully selling land at prices ranging from

R5 000 to R6 000, and mainly to land grabbers from Mashonaland.

“It was indicated to me that so far, 5 946 villages have been dubiously registered for land or even allocated the same by Mathe using his destructive connections with Zanu PF.”

He said the problems started around 2012 when Mathe imposed himself as village head, taking over from Nomusa Mguni who had been appointed by Chief Jahana.

Chief Jahana said he was yet to see the petition although he said he had received many reports about Mathe.

“I have many reports about Shame Mathe on land issues,” he said.

Mathe, however, dismissed the petition as politicking and threatened to sue MRP.

“To me, that’s politics,” he said. “I am not giving it much attention, but the only thing I will do is to seek legal action so that they prove their claim in court.

“They once did the same and the government investigated and found me clean and now they are repeating the same claims again.”

SCHOOLS will open in two phases for the 2021 first term, with the first classes resuming lessons first week of January after Government declared that recent sporadic outbreaks of Covid-19 in schools had been contained.

All classes, with the exception of Form One and Five learners, will commence learning on January 4, with this year’s Ordinary Level examination candidates resuming their exam sittings the following day.

Form One and Five classes will return to school in February after Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) has released their results.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema said all pupils will be in school by February.

“We recently issued statements to school heads regarding when schools will be opened,” said Ambassador Mathema.

“I have submitted the calendar to Cabinet and I can tell you that by February all students will be in school.”

The Ministry’s spokesperson Mr Taungana Ndoro said public examinations will resume after the festive season holiday break.

“Students in Grade One to Seven, Form Two up to Four and Upper Sixth learners will be back in school on January 4,” said Mr Ndoro.

“Form Fours sitting for their examinations will go back to school on January 5.

“Form One students will open on February 9 next year, this is to enable marking of their examinations and to ensure parents secure places for their children.

“Lower Sixth students will have to wait for their O’Level results to be released.”

Advanced Level and Grade Seven candidates started writing examinations on December 1 and 3 respectively and will finish this week.

Ordinary Level candidates will break on December 18 before resuming sitting for their last papers on January 5.

Outbreaks under control

Mr Ndoro said the number of Covid-19 cases reported in schools recently had significantly dropped.

Over 300 pupils, teachers and staff have tested positive to Covid-19 at nearly 30 schools countrywide in recent weeks, prompting fears of a widespread outbreak.

“The Ministry was in the Matabeleland provinces assessing the situation in schools that had students who were infected with the Covid-19,” said Mr Ndoro.

“At John Tallach 184 students out of 185 have been cleared and at Chinhoyi all 72 cases have been cleared and this is very encouraging.

“We are yet to receive statistics from the other schools that were affected.”

In her weekly Covid-19 update on Friday, chief coordinator of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva said outbreaks in schools had been contained.

“Reports from monitoring support and supervision visits indicate that the situation in our schools is now under control,” said Dr Mahomva.

“Government is grateful to parents in the affected schools for not only being cooperative during the outbreak, but for also remaining very calm and very supportive during the investigations and implementation of the recommendations.

“Government would also like to thank the teachers and other school authorities who stepped up to ensure that the situation was brought under control in a very timely fashion.”

Exams progress

Zimsec board chairperson Professor Eddie Mwenje said the public examinations body would prioritise marking of Grade Seven papers to allow parents adequate time to secure Form One places for their children.

“We will be marking Grade Seven papers first and we are hoping that they will be released around mid-January,” said Prof Mwenje.

“Zimsec is also coming up with strategies that will be used to ensure that all work is done as soon as possible. We will only be in position to give these strategies when we have sat down and deliberated next week. We understand that there are students who want to proceed to tertiary institutions, some want to go to Lower Sixth and to Form One, so we will try to fast-track the process.”

THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has opened investigations into judges, magistrates and church leaders over a slew of graft allegations.

ZACC chair Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo said members of the Judiciary were under scrutiny, but emphasised that there was no interference on the independence of the third arm of the State.

She also hinted that there were several church leaders who were under investigation for corruption, among whom is a prominent bishop who received a US$100 000 tithe from his church congregant.

“The investigation against members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is underway, but we want to ensure that there will be no outcry of interference on the Judiciary,” said Justice Matanda-Moyo.

On the bishop, Justice Matanda-Moyo said: “The commission is tracing the source of funds which shows that the church member who paid a US$100 000 tithe had made US$1 million.”

She was not at liberty to name the church leaders under probe, fearing to jeopardise investigations.

Corruption, she said, was deep-rooted even in law enforcement agencies such as ZACC, the police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“Our institutions are not free from corruption; we have arrested some police officers while some members of ZACC have been dismissed on corruption charges,” said the ZACC boss.

-State Media

The Kenyan government has begun issuing formal citizenship documents to members of the Zimbabwean Shona community, the first step in recognizing the people who have lived in the country for years without recognition.

The government earlier this week issued the first batch of birth certificates to 600 children from the community, raising hopes that its members will now officially be recognised as Kenyans.

The Shona community in Kenya is estimated to have around 3,500 members.

The community’s forefathers are believed to have migrated to the East African country from the southern part of Africa in the 1960s.

Most of the members alive now were born in the country, but their quest to obtain citizenship documents have been in vain until now.

The move to provide citizenship documents to the Shona, now makes it Kenya’s 44^th tribe.

The 43^rd tribe (Makonde) was formally recognised by the current President Uhuru Kenyatta in February 2017 after years of living in the country without documentation.

Upon completion of the documentation process for the Shona people, they will be eligible to participate in national matters, including elections.

Kenya is one of Africa’s most ethnic diverse African nations, now boasting of 44 tribes. With this in mind, the country has legislation in place of recognising all the ethnic groups equally.

Some ethnic tribes have however seen a decline in their members over the years, prompting initiatives to ensure their survival and the passing on of their cultures to future generations.

-CGN News

By A Correspondent- Schools will open in two phases for the 2021 first term, with the first classes resuming lessons first week of January after Government declared that recent sporadic outbreaks of Covid-19 in schools had been contained.

All classes, with the exception of Form One and Five learners, will commence learning on January 4, with this year’s Ordinary Level examination candidates resuming their exam sittings the following day.

Form One and Five classes will return to school in February after Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) has released their results.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema said all pupils will be in school by February.

“We recently issued statements to school heads regarding when schools will be opened,” said Ambassador Mathema.

“I have submitted the calendar to Cabinet and I can tell you that by February all students will be in school.”

The Ministry’s spokesperson Mr Taungana Ndoro said public examinations will resume after the festive season holiday break.

“Students in Grade One to Seven, Form Two up to Four and Upper Sixth learners will be back in school on January 4,” said Mr Ndoro.

“Form Fours sitting for their examinations will go back to school on January 5.

“Form One students will open on February 9 next year, this is to enable marking of their examinations and to ensure parents secure places for their children.

“Lower Sixth students will have to wait for their O’Level results to be released.”

Advanced Level and Grade Seven candidates started writing examinations on December 1 and 3 respectively and will finish this week.

Ordinary Level candidates will break on December 18 before resuming sitting for their last papers on January 5.

Outbreaks under control

Mr Ndoro said the number of Covid-19 cases reported in schools recently had significantly dropped.

Over 300 pupils, teachers and staff have tested positive to Covid-19 at nearly 30 schools countrywide in recent weeks, prompting fears of a widespread outbreak.

“The Ministry was in the Matabeleland provinces assessing the situation in schools that had students who were infected with the Covid-19,” said Mr Ndoro.

“At John Tallach 184 students out of 185 have been cleared and at Chinhoyi all 72 cases have been cleared and this is very encouraging.

“We are yet to receive statistics from the other schools that were affected.”

In her weekly Covid-19 update on Friday, chief coordinator of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva said outbreaks in schools had been contained.

“Reports from monitoring support and supervision visits indicate that the situation in our schools is now under control,” said Dr Mahomva.

“Government is grateful to parents in the affected schools for not only being cooperative during the outbreak, but for also remaining very calm and very supportive during the investigations and implementation of the recommendations.

“Government would also like to thank the teachers and other school authorities who stepped up to ensure that the situation was brought under control in a very timely fashion.”

Exams progress

Zimsec board chairperson Professor Eddie Mwenje said the public examinations body would prioritise marking of Grade Seven papers to allow parents adequate time to secure Form One places for their children.

“We will be marking Grade Seven papers first and we are hoping that they will be released around mid-January,” said Prof Mwenje.

“Zimsec is also coming up with strategies that will be used to ensure that all work is done as soon as possible. We will only be in position to give these strategies when we have sat down and deliberated next week. We understand that there are students who want to proceed to tertiary institutions, some want to go to Lower Sixth and to Form One, so we will try to fast-track the process.”

Tinashe Sambiri|The writing is on the wall for Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa and his cronies following the formation of a government in exile.

The government in exile comprises concerned Zimbabweans in the diaspora.

According to information gathered by ZimEye.com, the government in exile will set up offices in the United Kingdom.

It is understood the government in exile will confront Mr Mnangagwa over gross violation of human resources, looting of State Resources and flagrant disregard of Constitutional principles.

Watch video below :

VIDEO –

Interviewer – Good afternoon our viewers in Zimbabwe and around the world. We bring you this slide where we speak to one of the vendors who was arrested together with the late Hilton Tamangani to narrate what really transpired on the day when they were arrested.

Interviewee: I am (inaudible)… two years old. Inini ndinoita zvekutengesa nekuchinja mari pacorner Kwame Nkrumah naAngwa pane QV Phamarcy. It happened like that eeh musiwe Saturday, which is the 12th of October, we were doing our business as usual eeh inini nemamwe mayoungsters andinoita sei vandinoshanda navo. It’s like a full truck yema (inaudible) … yakabva ne-road yekuna eeh na Angwa. I think sevanhu vanenge vachingotengesa ndobva taita sei tatanga kutiza. Patange takutiza eeh ndobvataona another bigger truck inenge aya anonzi mangongongo aya, inenge ine about 60 or so, ndirikungofembera because I am not very sure … bva taona kuti panapa … tatoita sei tatokombwa. Tenge tisina option yekutiza napo because mapurisa vakazara ne the other side. Saka the only nzvimbo yatakagona kutiza napo ndeye basement because usually … panouya mapurisa mazhinji tinopinda chii-basement. And mu-basement imomo havaiti sei havasotiwana. Little did we know kuti panemunhu anenge atotengesa kuti tinopinda chii mu-basement. Then tadaro paya paya tahwanda mu basement muya muya matinopinda aaah vasvika muyamuya bvavatanga kurova ma-teargas. Unongoziva basement panhu pakavharika nemateargas vamwe varimunemamwe marooms vachingokosora …. Police [vakati] “you guys marova mapurisa … about three”. Tarova mapurisa? Zvaitikira kupi izvozvo? Ndekupi kwatarova mapurisa? And that day we were celebrating birthday raHilton, 29, so musi iwowo. And it is a well known fact kuti isusu tiri ma-supporters echii? eMDC. Saka patinenge tichiita zvinhu zvedu topfeka chii regalia. Saka that regalia I think ndochakanyanya kuattracta chii … vakazobata iye Hilton neumwe mupfanha anonzi David Tekere aaaah vakavabata paye paye haaa pakarohwa munhu. Inini ndakange ndakahwanda muneimwe room ndakange ndine other three guys but ndaingonzwa kuchema kwaiita munhu akuita sei, arikurohwa. Akarohwa! Almost 30minutes, uchinzwa munhu achiita sei, achirohwa! Ende whilst achirohwa paya paya paneroom yakabatwa vanaHilton yanga ine ma-helmets e-police anga akawanda … munhu wese. But ma-helmets aya manje, they belonged kune umwe mukomana aripa-building iyoyo. Akange amatenga ku-auction, that is 2016, for recycling unoziva … that is the reason yaakaita sei, yaakapa. Saka ivo vakenge vakuti ‘muriku organiser kupandukira hurumende. Already you have ma-helmets aya’ nechii ndoo most reason yavanyanya kuita sei kutirova zvakanyanya. [Then] vabata varova vana Hilton paya paya vazoita intensify their search vachibvavazo batawo vamwe munema rooms metenge tisiri. The first thing yavaita vasati vatanga kukurova vaitanga kusearcha votora mari. Some other guys lost about USD400, ini I lost about ini hangu ndange ndisina mari yakawanda ndenge ndine USD66, R254, ZWL $720 ma-bond but vamwe vapfanha vandanga ndinavo vange vanemari dzakaita sei dzange dzakawanda. Haa vatitora payapaya ndobva vatipfugamisa mumukoto aah bvavatanga kutirova zvakare nemambhoma. Ndopandakazonyanyanya kukwara because truck yavakatirongedza yaiva diki apa tanga takarongedzwa apa ne weight yake he was a big guy. Apa wese aiuya aitanga arova iye because ndiye aiwa pamusoro and he was crying like ‘vakomana mandiuraya. Mhosva yandaita ndeyei ko kani? Munondiurayira kuchinja mari here? Inga mari yacho matora wani? What else do you want from me guys? I am already dead. Musana wangu waita sei? Watyoka!’ Because kunezvimwe zvimambhoma zve-police zviye zvakamira zvakadai unoziva zvavanobata vakadai? Vachitenderedza vachirova pa-spinal. Saka I believe kuti akatyoka spinal ….

From there tasvika ku-Central vakatirova zvakare zvakasimba including mashefu anga akapfeka hat dze black hanzi ‘hee moita basa rekurova police, muchiti munotonga nyika inoyi. Nyika ino inevaridzi vayo,’ and some stuff kusvika vaneta ‘mofunga munotora nyika ino’. Ndopavakazotiisa muma cells next day. On sunday ndopavakatiitisa ma interviews paye vachida kuti pavhurwe case vakashaya kuti vovhura case ipi kusvika vazoita settle for assault. Saka vakambotanga vati eeeh we are suspecting you ne murder nekuti panemupurisa akambotsikwa nemota nekuti tawana helmet yechii yemupurisa uya iri pama helmets ange awanikwa paya paya. But the truth is helmet iyoyo vakatora umwe mpfanha anonzi zvikanzi Kevy come here, come here tora helmet iripapo undikandire vakati titambidze helmet iyo ndikati ‘mpfanha iwewe ukuisa ma fingerprints pa helmet yemunhu akafa’. From there vakomana vangavakakuvara vakachema vakasvika so we demanded medical attention and that was on Sunday denied medical till ma lawyers edu auya akasiya apa order akauya akati tipihwe medical attention but still we were denied. Then ava manheru eSunday vakauya zvakare vakatitora hanzi ‘takuenda kuchipatara’. Vakatiendesa paCentral paye paunosvika uchireporter ndobva taiswa pasi pema-tables pakatora two hours. Then after dzakuma 12 one kuHarare Hospital? Ivo vaiti hanzi tirikuenda vakutiendesa asi havana vakati ‘these guys are dangerous. So we can’t take them vasina ma leg irons’ saka ‘so we can not take them vasina chii they are trained’ whatever zvavaitaura hanzi ‘vanozotikanganisa kuti tivaendese saka ngavadzokere’.

That was on Sunday, then Monday, that is when we went to court, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday taingoenda ku-court taibva ku court that was around 7 taizosvika kuHarare Central Prison kuma 7pm. Wednesday, Thursday, eeh musi weFriday ndopatisina kuenda ku police pandakaona mukomana … azvimba muviri wese manje, azvimba body yese kubva kutsoka kusvika uku right side yake yese iyi yakange yaoma that was Thursday night because pane pamwe paakarohwa nebhodhoro range raka cracker.

I: Bhodhoro?

Interviewee: … bhodhoro! Kugoti uku musoro wake wawaclotta blood, zvekuti kana asimudze gumbo tatakuita wekujegera. Saka umwe prison officer akazonyatsoona akati ‘haa mpfanha akakwara uyu hazvichaite’ and then they had to negotiate his way kuti aende chii anoona ma nurses but fortunately takawana ma nurses anonzwisisa akamugadza pa wheelchair achitoti ‘akomana hameno mangwana toonana here nezvandiri kunzwa ini. Haa ndiri pa-tight’. Maziso ake aive eye red ndikamupa two… Wakubuda waitaura naye akakutarisa so you could see kuti hapasisina hupenyu. … That was on Friday makuseni bvaaswera aripo pachipatara chepajeri Harare Central Prison. Then the next morning sad news ndopatakanzi mumwe wenyu akashaya. And vamwe vese vaiva vakatyoka they were denied medical attention. Only ini ndakatozorapwa musi watapuhwa bail that was on Monday. Ndopandakazoenda kunoiswa plaster nekuonekwa ma internal injuries nekuti vakuti ndine ropa raka clotter mukati. Saka ndikupihwa mapiritsi ekuti akline. That’s the horror we went through. That was hectic especially mapurisa acho awe akawanda haa pakarohwa vanhu about 60 of them. Initially we were 12. Another one wechi 12 wacho is a lawyer ndakangomuona akamira pa gate akarohwa zvakasimba. Ndakanganwa zita rake but ndoziva kumuona. Pakazouya vanhu veku law firm kwavo manheru emusiwe Saturday that’s when they released him. And then the other one wechi 13 anonzi Tawanda akatokwanisa kutiza ku escaper akatsemuka musoro and ruoko but akakwanisa kuescaper akaenda.

TRANSLATION

Interviewer – Good afternoon our viewers in Zimbabwe and around the world. We bring you this slide where we speak to one of the vendors who was arrested together with the late Hilton Tamangani to narrate what really transpired on the day when they were arrested.

I sell goods and trade in forex at the corner of Kwame Nkrumah and Angwa Street where you have the QV Pharmacy. It so happened that on Saturday, 12th of October, while some youngsters, in actual fact my business colleagues, and I were going about our business as usual.

It’s like a full truck came from the direction of Angwa Street to which we, as as vendors usually do, began to flee. While running we saw another bigger police truck with about 60 or so I guess. We realised we had been surrounded. We had no escape route because police sealed the other side and usually when police raid in large numbers we hide in the basement. There police have always failed to find us except that this time around someone had sold out our hideout.

So while in the basement hideout, police got in there and started throwing teargas. As you know, the basement is an enclosed place and with the teargas people in other rooms kept coughing. … the police [said] ‘you guys beat up police officers … about three’. We assaulted police officers? Where on earth did that happen? Where did we assault police officers? And that day, we were celebrating Hilton’s birthday – that was his 29th. And it is a well known fact that we are MDC supporters. So when we go about our business we wear our party regalia. So it is that regalia which I think drew the attention … they caught Hilton and another guy called David Tekere aaaah they caught them and severely beat them. I was hiding in another room with three other guys but I heard from his cries that he was being beaten. He was beaten! For almost 30minutes, the cries reported a sustained beating! And whilst he was being beaten there is a room where Hilton and his colleagues were caught, which had many police helmets … everybody. But now these helmets, belonged to another guy who is based at the same building. This guy had bought the helmets at an auction, that is 2016, for recycling you know … that is the reason he gave. So the cops were now saying ‘you are organising a uprising against the government. Already you have these helmets’ and that is the prime pretext they used to beat us so badly. [Then] they caught and beat up Hilton and his colleagues, intensified their search and caught others who were hiding in other rooms that we had not been in. The first thing they did before beating you up is to search and seize money. Some other guys lost about USD400, I lost about (as someone without lots of money) I had USD66, R254, ZWL $720 (bond) but other guys I was with had huge amounts of money. So they took us and made us kneel in the alley then they started to beat us up again with button sticks and would start by beating him [Hilton] up. That is when I got severely injured because the truck they piled us in was small yet with his weight he was a big guy. All who came started by beating him up because he was at the top of the stack and he cried saying ‘guys you have killed me. What crime have I really committed? You kill me for dealing in forex? Yet you have taken all my money? What else do you want from me guys? I am already dead. What has become of my spine? It’s broken!’ Because there is a type of button stick used by police, the one that is like this, which they hold like this and spin as they hit the spine. So I believe that he broke his spine ….

From there when we arrived at Central [Police Station] they and their black-hat police chefs severely beat us again and taunted us saying ‘hee you make it your job to beat up police officers, and brag that you will rule this country. This country has its owners,’ they taunted us until they were tired and continued to say ‘you think you will win this country?’ Then they put us in the cells the next day. On Sunday they conducted interviews with a view to filing a criminal case against us, and kept fumbling until they settled for an assault charge. So at first they said ‘we are suspecting you committed murder’ because there is a case of a police officer who was run over by a car and so they said that ‘we have found the helmet of the deceased policemen amongst the other helmets that had been discovered earlier on’. But the truth is that in the case of the helmet-murder case they took one guy called Kevy and trapped him saying ‘come here, come here, take that helmet over there and throw it to me’. They said ‘give us that helmet’ before I weighed in saying “my boy you are putting your fingerprints on the helmet of the deceased.’ From there the guys who were injured cried on arrival and so we demanded medical attention and that was on Sunday when our lawyers left behind an order that we get medical attention but still we were denied. Then on Sunday evening they [police] came and took us again and said ‘we are going to the hospital’. They took us to Central, there where complainants stand when they report their cases then we were put under the tables for two hours. Then at or about 12 noon to 1 p.m. Harare Hospital? They told us that they were taking us to hospital but they did not save to say ‘these guys are dangerous. So we can’t take them without leg irons’ therefore ‘so we can not take them because they are trained’ whatever they were saying they added ‘they will create trouble for us if we take them so they must go back’.

That was on Sunday, then Monday, that is when we went to court, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday we kept going to court and would leave court around 7 p.m. and would arrive at Harare Central Prison at or about 7 p.m. On Wednesday, Thursday and eeh on Friday were the days we did not go to the police whereupon I saw Hilton really swollen all over from the toes to his right side which was now badly affected and stiff … that was Thursday night because he had also earlier on been assaulted using a cracked bottle.

Interviewer: bottle?

Interviewee: … bottle! Besides a blood clot to the head, we had to support him when he tried to lift up his leg. So one prison officer who clearly saw what was happening remarked ‘haa this young man is injured we can’t ignore this anymore’ and then they had to negotiate his way so that he is attended to by the nurses but fortunately we got served by very understanding nurses who put him on a wheelchair while he remarked ‘guys with the way I am feeling I do not know if we will see each other tomorrow. I am in pain’. His eyes were red and I gave him two … as you exited the clinic you spoke to him and once he looked at you you could see that there was no more life in him. … That was on Friday morning and so he spent the whole day at Harare Central Prison clinic. Then the next morning sad news we were told that your mate had died. And the other inmates who had broken limbs were denied medical attention. Save for me, I was treated on the Monday we were granted bail. That is when I went to get a plaster and got checked for internal injuries because they said I have blood that clotted right inside me. So I am being given pills to clean the clot. That’s the horror we went through. That was hectic especially considering that there were many policemen about 60 of them who severely beat up the people. Initially we were 12. The 12th guy, a lawyer I saw standing at the gate, was also severely beaten up. I have forgotten his name but can recognise him when I see him. People from his law firm came on Saturday evening and that’s when they released him. And then the thirteenth guy is called Tawanda who actually managed to escape despite an injury to the head and hand.

…………………………………………………………………………………

FIVE poachers were gunned down by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers in 10 incidents of armed confrontation in national parks this year amid an intensifying crackdown on poaching by authorities.

Poaching activities declined significantly this year, thanks to the introduction of new anti-poaching strategies that include deployment of high-tech drones to monitor conservancies, retraining of rangers and the introduction of a shoot-to-kill policy.

According to statistics from Zimparks, 20 elephants were killed by poachers this year, down from 30 killings recorded last year. Only eight rhinos were killed this year, down from 29 in 2019. Four lions were poached this year matching the same number of predators that were killed last year.

Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo told The Sunday Mail that introduction of the shoot-to-kill policy has deterred illegal incursions into conservancy areas.

“Twenty elephants were poached this year, marking a significant decrease from the 30 that were killed in 2019,” said Mr Farawo.

“We have had 10 armed contacts with poachers this year, with five of them leading to fatalities. If you look at it, five years ago we would have about 500 elephants poached in a year but with the introduction of new strategies by management, we are bringing the numbers down.

He said rangers had intensified patrols after Zimparks acquired more vehicles.

“We are also working with the International Fund for Animal Welfare to help with protecting elephants especially in the Hwange National Park and also other partners to fight poaching.

“Before the new management came in there were a lot of constraints especially in terms of vehicles but now we have managed to procure over 100 vehicles for patrolling and tracking and this has helped us become more visible around the protected areas. We are now also harnessing technology by deploying drones and this helps us in monitoring wildlife and the protected areas. We are now able to detect intruders early and this has really helped to curb poaching.”-The Sunday Mail

Tinashe Sambiri|The planting and management of natural resources is everyone’s responsibility, MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has said.

On Friday President Chamisa was in Goromonzi for a tree-planting programme.

“Planted trees in Goromonzi South.We do this annually.We must do it daily.

Greening Zimbabwe is our collective responsibility & national duty. December is our tree planting month.

Ought to manage natural resources for posterity & future generations! #GreenZimbabwe #SmartEnvironment,” President Chamisa said in a brief statement.

By A Correspondent= A Hurungwe prison inmate, who is now on the run, is alleged to have repeatedly raped a woman at a farm near Karoi after he was reportedly given undue privileges.

Bosman Mahosa, who was serving a jail term for robbery, was inexplicably placed under ‘a’ class treatment.

‘A’ class inmates are prisoners who are serving jail time, but are allowed to do their daily assigned duties without being guarded.

For one to be placed under the ‘a’ class category, prison authorities consider the nature of the crime committed and sentence, time served and behaviour, among other issues.

But prison sources said what was puzzling in this case was how an inmate serving time for a serious crime like robbery was considered for the ‘a’ class category.

Mashonaland west Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services spokesperson Emanueri Kondowe confirmed the incident, but could not comment saying the case was now under police investigation.

“Yes, i can confirm that a prisoner at our Hurungwe prison is alleged to have raped a woman twice before he ran away,” Kondowe said. The woman is from the nearby Kent farm and she was with her one-year-old child on that day.

“That’s all i can say for now since the case in now being investigated by the police.”

Mashonaland west police spokesperson assistant inspector ian Kohwera refused to comment on the issue.-standard

Tinashe Sambiri|The planting and management of natural resources is everyone’s responsibility, MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has said.

On Friday President Chamisa was in Goromonzi for a tree-planting programme.

“Planted trees in Goromonzi South.We do this annually.We must do it daily.

Greening Zimbabwe is our collective responsibility & national duty. December is our tree planting month.

Ought to manage natural resources for posterity & future generations! #GreenZimbabwe #SmartEnvironment,” President Chamisa said in a brief statement.

Tinashe Sambiri|A school head is on the run after killing a villager over a heated political argument in Mwenezi on Saturday morning.

Although details are still sketchy, sources told ZimEye.com, the head of Batanai Khomanani school stabbed the said villager five times and vanished.

“The school head arrived at a place local villagers were drinking beer.There was a political argument and the school head interjected.

The villager, who is one of the known parents of children at Batanai Khomanani School urged the school head to stay out of Zanu PF politics as he was a civil servant.

This angered the school head who produced a knife and stabbed the parent five times before running away,” said a source.

Sources say the school head is a Zanu PF activist.

Police are yet to comment on the matter.

Tinashe Sambiri|A school head is on the run after killing a villager over a heated political argument in Mwenezi on Saturday morning.

Although details are still sketchy, sources told ZimEye.com, the head of Batanai Khomanani school stabbed the said villager five times and vanished.

“The school head arrived at a place local villagers were drinking beer.There was a political argument and the school head interjected.

The villager, who is one of the known parents of children at Batanai Khomanani School urged the school head to stay out of Zanu PF politics as he was a civil servant.

This angered the school head who produced a knife and stabbed the parent five times before running away,” said a source.

Sources say the school head is a Zanu PF activist.

Police are yet to comment on the matter.

A SAKUBVA man reportedly raped his 12-year-old daughter and went on to “sell” her to a prophet for US$10 to conceal the crime.

The polygamous cleric took the minor in as his fifth wife.

Fed up with the relentless abuse, the girl fled the prophet and took refuge in a bush where she faced starvation.

The matter only came to light after the hunger-struck girl approached a Good Samaritan who encouraged her to narrate her terrifying story.

The case was reported at Zimunya Police Post, resulting in the arrest of her father and the cleric.

Deputy Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Luxon Chananda, confirmed the case.

He said police investigations revealed that the 41-year-old father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, raped his daughter and sought to conceal the crime by marrying her off to the prophet.

Asst Insp Chananda said the complainant was staying with her father and her two siblings when the offence was committed.

On an unknown date last year, the accused  person asked his three children to join him in his bedroom for the night.

They all slept on the same bed and during the night, the girl’s father raped her.

After committing the crime, he threatened to kill his daughter if she ever divulged the matter to anyone.

Days later, the man took his daughter to 35-year-old Lukas Hondo, a self-proclaimed prophet of Temberere Village under Chief Zimunya and married her off.

The prophet’s second wife prepared a room for the young girl and the ‘man of cloth’ came in to rape her. This went on for days until the complainant fled and seek refuge in a nearby bush.

Starvation forced the young girl to approach a Good Samaritan to seek assistance.

The matter was subsequently reported to the police.

The girl was taken for medical examinations and the doctor’s affidavits will be produced in court as exhibits.

Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars Seenza is on record pointing out that the province is blighted with cases of child marriages; with Mutare, Buhera, Makoni, Mutasa and Chipinge districts identified as the problem areas.

Child marriage obstructs progress towards gender equality, women’s empowerment and inclusive development.

The practice is a violation of children’s human rights and places the girl child at the risk of gender based violence and ill-health.

Girls who are married off at an early age do not complete their education, thus limiting their socio-economic life chances. In Zimbabwe, studies show that one in every four women aged between 15 to 19 years is married (Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2014).

According to the survey, 47 percent of the women aged between 20 and 24 who were married before the age of 18 were in Manicaland province.-Manica Post

State Media

TWO thousand rand or an equivalent of about US$130 is a small fortune for a woman working as a maid in the leafy suburbs of Johannesburg.

The amount is about 70 percent of a monthly salary that Janet Mthimkhulu, a Lupane born 40-year-old woman, working in Johannesburg takes home at the end of every month.

By her admission, the R2 000 goes a long way in purchasing festive season groceries and clothes for her two kids and elderly mother back in Lupane.

But this time around, that money will be used for an entirely different purpose if Mthimkhulu is entertaining any thoughts of travelling back home to be with her loved ones for the Christmas holidays.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we knew it prior to the worldwide outbreak of the novel virus early this year.

And most certainly, Covid-19 has changed the face of travel, be it by air, road or sea.

In a week’s time Mthimkhulu should be packing her bags, bus ticket and passport ready for the 870km journey from Johannesburg to Bulawayo. But this time around, it’s not as simple as that. She must have a negative Covid-19 certificate to enable her to travel back home.

The test costs R850 in a private laboratory and must not be older than 48 hours upon arrival at the border.

“This will be the most expensive journey back home because now I must spend R850 for the Covid-19 test here in Johannesburg, a day before I board a bus to Bulawayo.

“R850 is a lot of money for a domestic worker like myself who works as a maid for a white family here in Johannesburg. That money alone is enough for a bus ticket to Bulawayo or to buy my two kids new clothes for Christmas.

“This Covid-19 disease is really wreaking havoc in our lives, first it was job losses for a majority of Zimbabweans living here and now we have to bear the cost of tests to travel back home,” Mthimkhulu tells Saturday Leisure by telephone from South Africa.

The extra costs that Mthimkhulu must budget for do not end there. On her return to SA, she must present a negative test not older than 72 hours. That test costs US$60 (around R920).

“The two tests will cost about R1 800 and if I add the local transport costs to the laboratories, it easily adds up to R2 000. That is a lot of money, which I should be using for other things such as school uniforms for my kids.

“I haven’t even factored in bus fare which costs R1 200 for a return trip to Johannesburg, more money to travel to my rural home from Bulawayo, groceries for the family and school fees for the children next year when schools open,” lamented Mthimkhulu.

Mthimkhulu is not alone in this new predicament presented to travellers as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to the media two weeks ago, other Zimbabweans living in Limpopo, the South Africa province that lies after the Beitbridge border post, told the same story.

“If you want to travel to another country, you need a negative Covid-19 certificate. It is your own private thing so you can visit private laboratories for the Covid-19 test and get a certificate,” said Thilivhali Muavha, spokesperson for the Limpopo health department during a joint Zim/SA taskforce tour of the border.

“Public hospitals do not do that.”

But for many Zimbabweans, the costs are just too high.

Marvelous Moyo, who runs a food stall near the South Africa border gate, said since March this year, she has not been able to afford to visit her family in Masvingo because the lockdown affected her business.

“Though borders were opened for us to travel back home, I could not. My only means of sustaining a living is through selling food at this place. The little money I am getting since we were allowed to go back to business is not enough to meet the travel costs including Covid-19 tests,” she told the taskforce.

Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe said the Covid-19 costs were a necessary evil that the travelling public must learn to live with for the unforeseeable future.

“We need to save lives. This pandemic is real. We urge our citizens to plan their trips. If you know you want to travel in a few weeks, do what is expected of you so you do not have challenges at the border,” he said.

To circumvent the stringent border control demands for Covid-19 certificates, many will likely turn to using the illegal entry points dotted along the border line.

Omalayitsha – cross border transporters – are already smiling in anticipation of injiva that will require their services to outmanoeuvre border officials by using illegal entry points.

During an unrelated trip to Esigodini, the last small town before entering Bulawayo, Chronicle Showbiz had a chat with a malayitsha coming home from South Africa.

“There is a solution to every problem and this is where we come in. Travellers will abandon buses and come to us because we can get them through the border without the Covid-19 certificates,” he bragged.

The cross-border transporter was carrying passengers in his Toyota Quantum, towing a trailer laden with a variety of goods from beds to groceries.

If left unabated, the influx of travellers without negative Covid-19 certificates could be catastrophic to the fight against coronavirus in the country.

Bulawayo in particular has seen a surge in new cases and most worrying in schools around the Matabeleland region.

State Media

The gigantic mayoral mansion built by Harare City Council in Gun Hill for more than US$500 000 as the grand luxury residence for the now-defunct executive mayors is a white elephant gradually rotting under a regime of minimal maintenance and of no practical use for the city council, which still refuses to sell it off.

Yesterday a visit found most rooms empty, a few used as offices and, incongruously, the headquarters of the council’s football club.

The mansion was built just over 20 years ago despite numerous objections by ratepayers. The rationale was that the mayoralty should not be limited to those wealthy enough to afford a decent house. But even then, those who accepted the concept reckoned what was actually needed was the standard three-bedroomed middle-income house with a second lounge and a study so the mayor could see visitors at home.

Instead there is a mansion which has six bedrooms on the first floor, an airy functions area, an industrial-size kitchen, a family kitchen, two colossal lounges, a dining room, an outlandish mayor’s suite on the ground floor, a powder room, large cloakroom, several lobbies and a luxurious bar.

It is now a shadow of its intended glory, with the extensive grounds dominated by weeds and uncut grass.

At the security office at the main gate the visitor sees a sign of what is happening. A broken window is boarded up with a cardboard box.

The “cottage” in the backyard that was meant to be staff quarters, and which many reckoned by itself was suitable as a mayor’s house if one was needed, is now being used by personnel who should taking care of the mansion but are literally doing nothing.

In spite of these luxurious specs, including expensive curtains and furniture, only two individuals have lived in the house since the construction of the mansion that is being underused, considering the huge amount of money that was put into the project.

These are former mayor Engineer Elias Mudzuri (2002–2003) who once occupied the cottage and former Harare Commission chairperson Sekesai Makwavarara, (2006–2008) who had a stint in the mansion itself.

Acting Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende said the current mayor opted to use his personal accommodation.

The Mayoral Mansion in Gunhill which was built by former Harare Mayor, Solomon Tavengwa from 1999–2000 has become a white elephant. Construction of the manor which gobbled approximately Z$50 million (US$500,000) of taxpayers money. – Picture: Believe Nyakudjara

“The house is home to council’s business unit Sunshine Holdings and football club Harare City. It also houses council employees and some council functions are held there. The decision not to use the house is saving us thousands in rentals,” he said.

Contacted yesterday Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume interestingly said using the house was costly. “There are a lot of things needed for me to use the house. A lot of furniture has to be bought to bring the house up to standard. Our priority is service delivery, but the good thing is that we are using it to house offices of some our departments,” he said.

Many have suggested over the years that the council should admit its error, recognise that it was a bad investment and get rid of it either to some business mogul who wanted a mansion or more probably to one of those private businesses that, with extra suitable investment, would convert it into the private boutique hotel and seminar centre, similar to several that are operating in the north-eastern suburbs.

Back then, Esther Chimanikire, who is the lobby and advocacy officer for the Harare Residents Trust (HRT), has said that it was better for council to sell or rent out the mansion, as it was not generating income equivalent to the resources that were used for its construction.

“It is another case of misappropriation of public funds. Residents lost out when that mansion was constructed because the money that was used was supposed to be channelled towards service delivery. There is need for a valuation of the mansion so that residents know its actual value,” said Chimanikire.

All has never been well in the late actor Lazarus (Gringo) Boora’s family since he died last month, leaving four women who were in his life — three he had divorced and the one he was staying with.

Gringo’s last movie was named “Gringo the Troublemaker”, and true to the title, trouble is indeed brewing in the late actor’s family

The popular movie featured South Africa based Zimbabwean Evangelista Mwatse, Blessing Chimhowa, Memory Makuri, the late Stembeni Makawa, Chati Butao, William Matenga and Gringo himself.

Well, the new real life script taking place at the moment is the drama of accusations and counter-accusations among family members, with the main goal being to take over the property left by Gringo, although not much, according to insiders.

It’s now a month since Gringo passed on after succumbing to stomach cancer.

He was survived by seven children and the wife he was staying with.

Today, as per tradition, a memorial service which will be crucial in the distribution of the property left by Gringo, will be held at the family homestead in Nyazura.

If you believe Netsai Meki, the wife Gringo was staying with at the time of his death, then all has not been rosy in the family.

With tears running down her cheeks during an interview, Meki said her story was that of trouble since the death of her husband.

She wants to use the opportunity at today’s memorial gathering to seek peace and closure over the family squabbles which have been going on since Gringo’s death.

Meki is fighting with other family members, including Gringo’s first son Taurai, over some of the properties left by the comedian, including a car and a mobile phone which he was using as his EcoCash service.

“To be frank with you, the dispute started the day after my husband died,” said Meki.

Netsai Meki

“It started with some family members who were now avoiding me, hiding me from the press and other well-wishers, maybe they thought since I was grieving I would end up opening a can of worms.

“If you recall well, I was with Gringo until the time of his death. His son took over the funeral proceedings at Zimre Park. I have no problem with that, but it seems I was left out of the decision making process.”

Meki said during the funeral process, Taurai and others demanded she pay $180 transport fares for Gringo’s friends and family.

“I was seated by the corner and they sent someone telling me that they hired a commuter omnibus with people from Tafara and Mabvuku who had come to the funeral,” she said.

“They said the driver wanted his payment. They instructed me to pay using EcoCash from Gringo’s mobile phone. During that time, I did not know where the mobile phone was, but they kept insisting, without showing respect.”

Meki said it seemed the family members wanted her out of the house.

“I think today everything will be sorted at the memorial service since that is where Gringo’s estate will be shared,” she said.

“I had no one to talk to, some of the well-wishers who used to guide and assist us were told to bug off. They said everything should pass through Taurai. I am willing to go the legal route to settle the scores.”

Meki says she has never met Gringo’s other three wives, but was at peace with them and her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.

“I met Gringo in 2006 and by then he had divorced his other wives,” she said.

“He told me that he divorced his first wife in 2003. He paid lobola to my family in 2007.

“We did not hurriedly have children because I wanted to see if he was loyal and true to his word. By that time he had issues with his other wives, so I wanted him to fix that first.

“We had our first born Lazarus Takudzwa in 2012. We had another baby in 2013, but he died. In 2016, we had a baby girl named Tabeth and the last born Tanyaradzwa who was born last year.”

Meki said she wondered why Gringo’s family members were of the view that she was after his property.

“So, the other family members think I am after his property. I met Gringo and he had nothing, we struggled together. He bought his own car, a Mazda 626, which he gladly gave to his son Taurai while he still alive. Now I hear Taurai wants to sell the car because he wants Gringo’s Isuzu KB 250.”

Meki said what the family did not know was that the Isuzu KB 250 was not Gringo’s car.

“The family members, including Taurai, think Gringo had several cars,” she said. “The Isuzu KB 250 they want does not belong to him. The car is in his boss’ name. He acquired it at work and had negotiations with his former boss at AB Petroleum, where he worked then, as they could not pay him monthly.

“So, he was given half his salary and was the car to use for hiring services to get his money back. I do not know what will happen after today, maybe the owner will come and take his car or give it to us for good.

“But I am not letting that car go to Taurai because that is what I want to use for his children. They need school fees and food.”

Meki said other family members were after her husband’s mobile phone.

“Every day I am just reminded about the mobile phone as they want me to surrender it,” she said.

“They always ask how much was in the EcoCash account since that is where most well-wishers were sending some money.

“They even blocked Sekuru Banda’s plan of building a house for Gringo’s family.”

Asked if Gringo had written a will, Meki said he had never thought of that, but always cared for his children, but could sometimes speak of his wishes.

“About the mobile phone in question, he said it should be given to his son Takudzwa Lazarus since he has the same name with him,” she said.

“Some of the stuff he donated and gave away while he was still alive.

“Aunt Vivian who spoke ill about Gringo to the ZBCTV is also part of the family members who do not respect and recognise me as the legitimate wife of Gringo.”

Meki confirmed that the nieces who used to stay at Gringo’s place were chased away and told to abandon the house.

“I came here in Rusape early to prepare for the memorial service,” she said.

“The nieces who stayed with Gringo were told to leave the house soon after the funeral. I then looked for a young boy to look after the house.”

Contacted for comment, Taurai disowned what Meki said she was experiencing.

“I am in good books with my mainini,” he said.

“I am shocked she is saying I am demanding a lot and causing havoc in the family. That is all I can say.”

A close source in the family revealed that there was division among the family members.

“Some do not want Meki to get a share of Gringo’s little wealth,” said the source.

“Taurai is being used by other children and their mothers. He is only the mouth-piece. Let us wait and see what happens today and who gets what, but it is an interesting story.”

By A Correspondent- A Sakubva man reportedly se_xually abused his own daughter (12) and concealed his crime by marrying her off to a polygamous self-proclaimed prophet in Temberere Village which is under Chief Zimunya.

The matter came to light when the young girl fled the prophet’s home and was rescued by a good samaritan.

According to the publication:

On an unknown date last year, the accused  person asked his three children to join him in his bedroom for the night.

They all slept on the same bed and during the night, the girl’s father raped her. After committing the crime, he threatened to kill his daughter if she ever divulged the matter to anyone.

Days later, the man took his daughter to 35-year-old Lukas Hondo, a self-proclaimed prophet of Temberere Village under Chief Zimunya and married her off.

The prophet’s second wife prepared a room for the young girl and the ‘man of cloth’ came in to rape her. This went on for days until the complainant fled and seek refuge in a nearby bush.

Starvation forced the young girl to approach a Good Samaritan to seek assistance. The matter was subsequently reported to the police.

The case was confirmed by Deputy Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Luxon Chananda who said the matter is before the courts.

Manicaland’s districts Makoni, Buhera, Mutasa, and Chipinge are riddled with cases of child marriages according to Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr. Edgars Seenza.

-ManicaPost

By A Correspondent- The torrential rains that have been received in the country over the last few weeks have reportedly swept away bridges in Joseph Chinotimba ‘s Buhera South Constituency.

This has reportedly cut off the constituency from the rest of the country and villagers are forced to travel for over 20 km in some instances to find transport to go to Murambinda or Birchenough Bridge.

This was revealed by the Chinotimba himself when he spoke to the publication and said:

This year has been an unusual one for us in Buhera South. We were among the first areas in the country to receive rains in November. Some areas have recorded very high rainfall which is not associated with dry areas like Buhera South.

Most roads are impassable as bridges were swept away. The most affected bridges are Nyadi and Defe. Almost all small bridges on roads that link Muzokomba and Mabhoko, Mutiusinazita and Chapanduka as well as Bhegedhe and Chabata were swept away. Villagers are having nightmares in getting transport.

The situation is so dire, especially when people want to access health care services or attend funerals. In short, movement of people and goods is now difficult. I implore the Minister of Transport and Infastructural Development, Engineer Joel Matiza, to drive to Buhera to get first hand information on the prevailing situation there. He should not fly, but use the roads. The Murambinda-Birchenough Road has been on the cards for years, with little movement on the ground.

Buhera is also battling severe drought and animal diseases that has made families lose their cattle at an alarming rate. This was also revealed by the Chinotimba when he said:

Our major economic activities in Buhera are cattle ranching and groundnuts production. However, due to perennial droughts and outbreaks of diseases, our herd is being reduced every year. We applaud Government for doing its part in vaccinating the animals, but the situation is dire in some areas.

Some farmers are losing an entire herd. Because of limited resources, not all farmers are able to buy supplementary feed for their cattle and they end up watching them dying.

We also want to encourage farmers to de-stock and use the resources they will obtain from selling some of the animals to vaccinate the remaining herd.

-ManicaPost

By A Correspondent- The National Joint Operations Command (JOC) met in Beitbridge yesterday and committed to beefing up borderline security to control rampant smuggling of goods and irregular migration which peaks during the festive season.

The meeting was attended by JOC members, who included State Security minister Owen Ncube, Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe, Commander of Defence Forces Phillip Valerio Sibanda, Commissioner General of Police Godwin Matanga and Air Chief Marshal Elson Moyo.

Also in attendance were several directors from the Central Intelligence Organisation and dozens of senior civil servants who also came face to face with a massive traffic gridlock that has paralysed Africa’s busiest inland port of entry.

Kazembe promised to immediately engage his South African counterpart Aaron Motsoaledi over the traffic jam.

“I will call him before we leave Beitbridge. We met recently and I will take images of this and forward to him,” he said.

Truck drivers are spending up to three days before crossing into South Africa because of disorderly COVID-19 screening by South Africa lumping travellers and truckers in one queue.

Speaking to journalists soon after their briefing at a hotel in the border town, Ncube said their visit to Beitbridge was to appreciate the situation and find solutions.

“We want to increase security between us and South Africa. We have to stop smuggling of petrol (fuels), electrical gadgets, explosives and cigarettes among other things,” Ncube said ahead of their visit to River Ranch illegal crossing point..

“We want to seal all the porous points and routes between our two countries. We are going to improve security.”

Zimbabwe is losing billions of potential revenue in duties to smuggling enabled ironically by security personnel deployed along the country’s borders.

This year, after the COVID-19 lockdown, Customs and Excuse officials at Beitbridge intercepted smuggled goods worth over a billion dollars which had been smuggled across the river.

At the official crossing point large volumes of fuel have been intercepted after being smuggled into the country.

At the illegal crossing points the ministers found nothing after information of their arrival leaked.

JOC members held several small on site meetings and saw signs of activity at the points which looked like picnic sites with beer bottles, empty condom papers, signs of small fires all over showing a hive of activity.

During their meetings, closed to the press, some officials were heard complaining that the visits were too much and unproductive.

“We came here this year, next year and yet the problem continues. Let’s arrest those who fail to arrest the problem we have. Ngatisungane (let’s arrest each other),” one official said.

“We cannot continue giving lip service.”

Zimbabwe, which has the potential to become of the richest African nations, is widely believed to be let down by corruption cascading from top to bottom.

Civil servants were also believed to be half-hearted in their work owing to poor remuneration.

The JOC has been travelling around the country and arrived in Beitbridge after a tour of Manicaland which took them to Chiadzwa diamond fields.

Some Zimbabwean economists have, however, said Zimbabwe was wrongly focusing on imports yet losing billions to under-declaration of exports.

Recently, a Zimbabwean former football administrator Henrietta Rushwaya attempted smuggling gold worth US$333 000 outside the country although she says it was in the wrong bag.

-newsday

By A Correspondent- Daring thieves allegedly pounced on Mvurwi police station and stole mobile phones through windows.

This happened at three separate houses in the police camp.

According to police officers who spoke to Bulawayo24.com the thieves stole and went away unnoticed.

“Three senior cops’ houses were visited by thieves who used the same modus operandi to steal charging phones through windows and went away unnoticed,” said the police officers close to Investigations.

Meanwhile, the station’s canteen was recently robbed of its bond notes at night.

Tinashe Sambiri|The planting and management of natural resources is everyone’s responsibility, MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa has said.

On Friday President Chamisa was in Goromonzi for a tree-planting programme.

“Planted trees in Goromonzi South.We do this annually.We must do it daily.

Greening Zimbabwe is our collective responsibility & national duty. December is our tree planting month.

Ought to manage natural resources for posterity & future generations! #GreenZimbabwe #SmartEnvironment,” President Chamisa said in a brief statement.

By A Correspondent- City Council finance director Tendai Kwenda yesterday appeared in court on criminal abuse of office charges after he allegedly used council funds to purchase his personal vehicle.

It is alleged that Kwenda transferred US$75 000 from the council beer levy account into his account and purchased a personal Jeep Cherokee motor vehicle without council approval.

Kwenda was not asked to plead when he appeared before magistrate Ngoni Nduna, but was remanded in custody to December 24. His lawyer Joel Mambara said he would not apply for bail at the magistrates’ court, but at the High Court.

Kwenda was arrested a week after he was released at the court on the same charges by magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, who said the charges were “meaningless and incomplete.”

His co-accused when he was first arrested Cainos Chingombe, council human capital director, was also re-arrested early this week and was in custody for using council funds to purchase personal vehicles.

The State alleges that Kwenda did not follow the council procurement procedures that stipulate that council procurement exceeding $10 000 should be purchased through a tender process.

He purchased the vehicle for $97 500 and topped up $27 500 from his personal funds.

He insured the vehicle and demanded the money from council, which was reimbursed. The accused was then involved in an accident with the Jeep and made an insurance claim from Old Mutual, and bought a Land Cruiser that he registered in is name.

The beer levy funds he used to purchase his personal vehicle with were not part of the general revenue of the local authority, but was to be used to fund the welfare of the community on provision of services such as health, water sanitation and others. Panganai Chiutsi appeared for the State.

newsday

Masvingo residents Friday poured a bucketful of raw sewer at the council offices’ reception accusing the local government authority of inaction over the faulty sewage system.

About 20 protesters operating under the Masvingo Residents Forum demanded an explanation on why the city’s main sewer line upgrade project initiated a decade ago is yet to be completed.

Millions of United States dollars have so far been injected into the project since its inception.

The delays in completing the project have resulted in sewer bursts in the town with residents also accusing the MDC Alliance dominated local authority of taking days to attend to the complaints.

Brighton Ramusi, who chairs the lobby group, said all they were not fighting the local authority but were demanding was transparency and accountability in its operations.

He said:

We are asking for accountability, for proof that it is indeed not misuse of funds and resources that has gotten us to the extremely bad situation that we find ourselves in as a city.

There is growing belief that council management is misusing funds and resources resulting in the worsening of poor service delivery.

This is not a fight against council; it’s an ask for what it is due only.

Two of the Forum’s members, Tamutswa Chikonyora and Margaret Chidhimba were arrested after handing a petition to the city father.

-newsday

By A Correspondent- Two Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officers and a policeman allegedly teamed up with a civilian accomplice to rob a mine after having assaulted workers in a shaft and making good their escape with gold ore.

The quartet, Collen Mukozho (31) Ngonidzashe Chinaganaga (27) (both soldiers), Douglas Ushe (36), a police officer and their alleged accomplice Wellington Nerupiri (28) appeared before Bindura magistrate Memory Chifamba on Thursday charged with armed robbery.

They were remanded to December 17 on $1500 each.

The State led by Prosecutor Edward Katsvairo, alleges that on October 5 the suspects went to El Shadayi Mine in Mazowe driving two cars, a Toyota Wish, registration number AFF 2894 and a Nissan Caravan registration number AFF 7099, which they parked in the bush and walked to the mine.

Upon arrival, they saw the mine workers sleeping and assaulted them and those who tried to resist were pushed into the mine shaft.

The quartet demanded gold ore from the miners which collected and packed it in sacks.

The sped off in their cars.

Mine workers regrouped and gave chase.

The Caravan’s rear tire burst and the miners tried to apprehend the suspects, who were armed with unknown weapons.

The miners filed a police report.

Police officers acted swiftly and arrested the suspects.

newsday

By A Correspondent- A man from Dekezi area in Filabusi under Chief Sibasa went berserk beheading one of his three wives after he found her having sex with a local herdman.

Zama Mafu, allegedly beheaded his wife with an axe on Wednesday after finding her engaging in sex with one of the local herdman from the area.

According to a close family member who narrated the tragic event on condition of anonymity, Mafu was greatly distressed after finding one of his wives intimate with a herdman.

“This did not go well with Mafu because he failed to control his temper and murdered his wife with an axe,” a family source said.

“Mafu was practicing polygamy and he built one of his homesteads in Dekezi a place commonly known as Nyoni. I really do not know what prompted him to do such a horrific act in our area. He was always sober-minded and rational,” one of his friends who identified himself as Xolani said.

It is alleged that after Mafu beheaded his wife with an axe, he committed suicide by drinking cattle dip. He died upon admission at Filabusi Hospital.

“After beheading his wife, he committed suicide by drinking cattle dip and died upon admission at Filabusi Hospital,” a close family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Efforts to get a comment from Matabeleland South police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele were fruitless as he was not picking calls.

-newsday

Tinashe Sambiri|The writing is on the wall for Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa and his cronies following the formation of a government in exile.

The government in exile comprises concerned Zimbabweans in the diaspora.

According to information gathered by ZimEye.com, the government in exile will set up offices in the United Kingdom.

It is understood the government in exile will confront Mr Mnangagwa over gross violation of human resources, looting of State Resources and flagrant disregard of Constitutional principles.

Watch video below :

By A Correspondent- An illegal gold panner was found dead while his colleague is missing after they parked their vehicles on the banks of Mazowe River in-PFungwe before they were swept away by floods.

Police in Mutawatawa managed to retrieve the body of Norman Nyamunda (42) while Keith Tigere (23) is still missing despite efforts by the sub-aqua-unit to locate him.

Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza could not be reached for a comment as he is reportedly attending a meeting in Harare.

According to a memo seen by this paper, it is reported that on December 4, at around midnight, Tigere and Nyamunda were asleep in their vehicles parked along the banks of Mazowe River in Zengeza area, under Chief Chitsungo when incessant rains hit the area.

It is reported that the duo were awakened by the flooding river, before Tigere tried to drive his vehicle a Toyota Noah away from the banks but was swept away.

Nyamunda reportedly tried to rescue his vehicle and a water pump before he was swept by the floods as well.

The matter was reported at ZRP Mutawatawa who retrieved the body of Nyamunda about 100m away from the scene while his Toyota Corolla was found downstream.

On December 7, the ZRP Sub Aqua unit began a search for the missing Tigere and managed to discover his vehicle buried under the sand while his body was nowhere to be found.

Some well-wishers tried to pull out the Toyota Noah vehicle using an excavator but was dismantled in the process to due to sand inside.

-Newsday