AllAfrica

On November 15, artisanal miners were buried alive in mine shafts by a Chinese company, which was sub-contracted by a Belarusian mining company at Premier Estates on the outskirts of Mutare.

So far, bodies of only two artisanal miners have been retrieved while an unknown number remains unaccounted for. Although the figures are disputed, artisanal miners allege that there are 10 or more bodies still buried underground. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) says they received three reports of missing persons and investigations are in progress, although they seem to doubt that there could be any bodies remaining. The artisanal miners were suffocated to death after the pits they were working in were filled with soil by excavators during a supposedly land reclamation process.

Over 500 000 Zimbabweans, with over three million dependants, have been forced by the failing economy and climate change, among other factors, into small-scale and artisanal mining. However, the artisanal and small-scale mining sector has been characterised by high frequency of accidents resulting in loss of lives, coupled with several bouts of inherent violence.

Hundreds of artisanal miners have died in the pits as a result of criminality in the sector, weak governance, poor environmental management and cold blood murder by politically connected players. This article explores the dynamics surrounding the gold mining sector, and the Premier Estates mining investment deal in particular.

Absence of the social licence

In Zimbabwe, mining companies obtain formal licences from the central government and other regulatory bodies, which govern mining-related activities. Armed with these licences, firms have proceeded to the mining sites without any consideration of consulting local communities. The entry of large-scale miners to any community has been very intrusive to the social, economic and cultural norms of the locals.

Besides being destructive to the environment, mining exacerbates the vulnerability of local communities, especially women, youths and children, as was noted by the chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development, Edmond Mukwaratigwa, during his visit to Premier Estates on November 22. Climate change-induced droughts have caused rain-fed agriculture to be unpredictable. Consequently, there is a growing number of local men and women, who exclusively depend on gold panning for survival.

At Premier Estates, thousands of young people from surrounding villages, Mutare town and even from other provinces have swarmed what used to be farmland in search of gold in order to survive. Thus when a Belarusian company was secretly awarded a special grant to mine alluvial gold deposits at Premier Estates, where hundreds of artisanal miners had been working for a couple of years now, a standoff ensued. Attempts to displace locals were met with stiff resistance.

The mining company then claimed it was no longer interested in mining, but rather farming, in compliance with the Cabinet decision to ban mining in national parks and along rivers. Earthmoving machinery was used to fill the mining shafts despite protests from artisanal miners, who insisted there were people mining underground.

The parliamentary portfolio committee on mines and mining development visited the area on November 22, about a week after the incident, and noted the absence of a social licence for the mining company.

Committee chairperson Mukaratigwa highlighted that the Chinese company contracted by a Belarusian investor did not involve the community leadership in notifying the miners. Therefore, the company lacked the “social acceptability” and “social permission” that is a prerequisite for any business to operate.

“Our concern is that although mining activities are susceptible to accidents, our findings here are pointing to an accident as a result of negligence,” said Mukaratigwa.

“What we see is that the miners were resistant as they went ahead into the shafts despite being told not to. There is also a gap between contractors and the local community, especially in the way they circulated the information on the reclamation.

“They did not involve the local leaders, who have a way of making sure that this type of communication reaches the people more efficiently when such reclamation activities are carried out to eliminate resistance.”

The ZRP acting officer commanding Mutare rural district acknowledged the absence of a social licence and submitted that as the police force, they had to provide security because sections of the community were not happy with the coming in of the investor.

Although the Belarusian and Chinese companies are claiming that they notified the local community of the scheduled operation, which they intended to implement, locals and artisanal miners are disputing the claim.

Impunity and lack of transparency and accountability in the mining sector

Rescue efforts at Premier Estates led to the recovery of two bodies of artisanal miners. Despite that the alleged land reclamation which led to death of the two men identified to date happened in full view of the police, no one has been held accountable over the loss of the two lives. Although the company has already taken responsibility for the deaths of the two by giving their families funeral assistance, police have not preferred any charges against the company.

The attitude by the state shows that the government valorises corporates over protecting citizens’ rights, which has become the blind side of the “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra.

The ascendancy of President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the helm of the country’s leadership was punctuated by undertones of courting international investors.

“Zimbabwe is open for business” became his mantra, which was aimed at attracting investors, particularly into the mining sector. In October 2019, government launched a mining-centred strategic plan, aimed at achieving a US$12 billion mining economy by 2023.

The strategic plan is part of the broader roadmap of having an upper middle-income economy by 2030. According to the strategic plan, gold, among other minerals, is central to Zimbabwe’s economic recovery plan and it is expected to contribute $4 billion per year by 2023.

However, dubious foreign “investors” with no proven track record in mining have taken advantage of Zimbabwe’s economic policy loopholes and the rent seeking behaviour by the country’s ruling elites to venture into various mining operations in Zimbabwe.

Correspondent

Parliamentarians have demanded that Parliament should put them on life insurance and pensions schemes as some legislators were dying and being buried like paupers as they were not insured.

The demands were made during a condolence message motion in the House of Assembly last week following the death of Kuwadzana MP Miriam Mushayi.

Mushayi died in Harare last September and was buried in Hurungwe.

“I think as Hon. Members, we should raise these issues during this period so that when one is elected into Parliament, they should be put on pension after their first term. Not only on pension, with the little knowledge that I have, we should also be given group life scheme,” Zanu PF chief whip, Pupurayi Togarepi said.

“Here in Parliament, it is us who make laws even the Insurance Act. We should look at our side as well because we need all those services. We will need them when death knocks on our doors.

“It is important that as Members of Parliament, we should not just look up to Parliament but Parliament does what we would have come up with because we are the ones who pass the budget and we are the ones who decide what goes into the budget. The Speaker cannot do that for use.

“The ball is in our court as legislators. When we are looking at the welfare of Hon. Members, we should also look at the context of the economy.”

The MDC Alliance Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya also demanded that families left behind by MPs who die while in office should automatically benefit from the legislator’s gratuity.

“If we do not speak for ourselves, none but ourselves will speak for us. I thought Parliamentary rules must entail that a Member of Parliament who passes away automatically benefits in terms of their children being taken care of by the pension scheme,” he said.

“A Member of Parliament who passes away before they receive their dues, they must be given to their family including their vehicle. We should have gotten these vehicles on the first day of attending Parliament but because of administrative delays, it is not our choice that other Members of Parliament still do not have their vehicles.

“So if one passes away by an act of God, why should their families be punished. Why should we all celebrate that we have saved money when this Member served for two years and serving Parliament without their vehicles on board.

“Madam Speaker, I think whilst you are seeing all these Hon. Members greeting you nicely and respecting you as you walk in this aisle, they will be actually saying in their hearts that these people are letting us down and if they could have powers, one day they are going to revenge. I am not sure how,” added Chikwinya.

The legislators have of late been making a host of demands including being accorded similar benefits received by cabinet ministers, upmarket houses in Harare, and similar perks with other legislators from the SADC region. They have also been issued with diplomatic passports.

President Mnangagwa bade farewell to the outgoing South African ambassador Pakama Mbete at State House this morning.

The South African Ambassador’s tour of duty is coming to end after serving in Zimbabwe for four and a half years.

ZESA Holdings has acquired a fleet of operational vehicles and distribution transformers aimed at improving service delivery and increasing access to power by citizens.

The state-owned entity unveiled 26 operational vehicles and 185 distribution transformers for its two subsidiaries Powertel and ZETDC.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, ZESA Executive Chairman Dr Sydney Gata bemoaned the sad state of affairs at the parastatal where only half of the required fleet of 3 000 vehicles is serving the entire nation.

“ At times we hire vehicles or use those belonging to customers to attend to faults and this is because we have antiquated equipment,” he said.

Turning to the transformers, Guest of Honour, Energy and Power Development Minister Honourable Zhemu Soda, who was represented by his Deputy Honourable Magna Mudyiwa, highlighted that the new equipment will improve power distribution.

“Zesa is undergoing robust transformation and as Government, our goal is to support these initiatives to ensure that we modernise operations,” noted Mudyiwa.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company requires 4 500 distribution transformers of different capacities to operate optimally but vandalism and theft has impacted negatively on electricity supply and distribution.

The new transformers are part of an 8,8 million United States dollar contract to supply 2074 transformers to the parastatal.

ZIMBABWEAN businessman and philanthropist, Mr Strive Masiyiwa, has been named by Bloomberg among the top 50 prominent figures that have changed the global business in 2020.
The annual Bloomberg 50 recognises people who are doing notable things and the 2020 list is made up of individuals who set the bar high in business, entertainment, finance, politics, and science and technology whose accomplishments merit acknowledgment.

Labelling Mr Masiyiwa, who is also the Econet founder, as Zimbabwe’s “messenger of hope”, Bloomberg noted how the businessman’s Higher Life Foundation paid $10 million in cash and other assistance to more than 1 700 health-care workers to urge them not to strike over erosion of wages.

The country had been battling inflation in the first half of the year due to exchange rate volatility.

The Government had to respond by establishing an auction forex trading market, which has brought stability.

“Mr Masiyiwa, a billionaire who’s originally from outside of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, paid monthly stipends from ZW$5 000 to ZW$10 000 ($62 to $124) to health-care workers to stay on the job.

“When Covid-19 hit, he offered an additional ZW$500 a day for anyone hospitalised by the virus and ZW$50 000 for permanent disability or death. His programme ran through July,” wrote Bloomberg.

Mr Masiyiwa’s telecommunications company operates in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Through EcoCash, Econet has become a champion of mobile money transactions, which have become popular in the wake of cash shortages and Covid-19 restrictions.

“Mr Masiyiwa sees his donations as giving back to his home country, even though he lives in self-imposed exile, mostly in Johannesburg and London,” wrote Bloomberg.

Correspondent

ZANU PF looks set never to end its culture of chaos whenever they hold internal elections.

In a DCC election held over the weekend, candidates in Mazowe DCC elections raised concern with the election commissioners over missing ballot boxes that went missing at Zungu business Centre, Shutu village in ward 7.

Eyewitnesses said that polling agents were chased away by Simon Steward the coordinator who is said to be the brains behind the alleged disappearing ballot boxes.

Candidates reported the issue to the election commissioners who are Ezra Chadzamira and Paradza.

Candidates are said to have argued that the ballot boxes are now poisoned chalice as their whereabouts are unknown.

“The candidates argue that these ballot boxes will create an Uzumba effect of amazing numbers in favour of certain candidates.” An eye witness said.

The commissioners are yet to take a decision on whether the missing ballot boxes will be included.

Simon Steward the coordinator was not available for comment on the issue.

Confirmed results from 30 out of 35 polling stations in Mazowe indicate that Tafadzwa Musarara was at a comfortable 1794 votes against John Mudzonga’s 723 votes out of the 2517 ballots counted by 5pm on Sunday.

Insiders allege that there is a plot to tamper with the figures at Nzvimbo, the command post, where figures are being cooked to narrow down Musarara’s margin and pave way for the disappearing ballot boxes.

Source – Byo24

ZANU PF has turned part of its Harare provincial offices into tuck-shops and booths, in a development that has not been approved by Harare city council, Zim Morning Post can reveal.

Construction of the booths is being presided over by the party’s provincial chairperson, Godwills Masimirembwa, who is believed to be pocketing part of the US$200 per stall in monthly rentals.

“The tuck-shops are going at a monthly rental fee of US$200 per stall and Masimirembwa pockets his shares there. It’s very bad how these guys are so hypocritical,” said a Zanu PF insider.

“They demolish ordinary citizens’ tuck-shops but build theirs right in the city centre.”

“I am a staunch Zanu PF supporter but this behaviour exposes us ahead of the 2023 elections,” he added.

Masimirembwa’s mobile number went unanswered until it became unreachable at the time of writing.

He also did not respond to questions sent to him. He has previously been accused of demanding a US$6 million bribe from a Ghanaian firm that wanted to dig for diamonds in Marange.

Masimirembwa was chairman for the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation then, but was later exonerated by the later former President Robert Mugabe.

Reached for comment Harare Provincial Development Coordinator (PDC) Tafadzwa Muguti professed ignorance over the development and referred this reporter to Masimirembwa.

“Well, I speak for government and not the party. The best person to talk to will be Cde Masimirembwa,” he said.

“However, although I am responsible for technical and administrative support, I have not received such a report, but like I said, consult the party provincial chairman,“ Muguti added.

The construction of the tuck-shops coincides with the City Fathers’ threats to raze down all illegally erected tuck-shops and booths around the city as part of its campaign to rid the capital of unwanted structures.

“The city has zero tolerance on illegal structures and settlements. We are targeting illegal extensions. All extensions on properties have to be approved by council and if they are not, then they are deemed illegal and will be removed,” city spokesperson Michael Chideme recently said.

The tuck-shops saga comes as Zanu PF bigwigs are building ‘war chests’ ahead of the 2023 elections.

Party insiders say there is a scramble to loot resources to fund the campaign trail ahead of the 2023 elections.

– Zim Morning Post

Zanu-pf Makonde District Coordinating Committee (DCC)’s aspiring Secretary for Transport and Welfare candidate, Cde Darlington Chasara fell off his motorcycle in Makonde Constituency on Sunday night and died on the spot.

Cde Chasara is said to have been coming from polling stations that saw voters casting their ballots yesterday following logistical glitches that resulted in ballot distribution delays on Saturday.

Mashonaland West police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Ian Kohwera was still waiting for reports but some party officials confirmed the accident.

Zanu-pf provincial youth commissar, Cde Tapiwa Chitate said, “It is true, we received sad news that Cde (Darlington) Chasara fell off his motor-bike last night around Mapfungwe area and died on the spot. He was a candidate in the recently held DCC elections eyeing Secretary for Transport and Welfare for Makonde district.”

Cde Chasara was battling it out with two other male candidates.

His body is currently at Naison Dip Clinic in Makonde Constituency.

I WILL NEVER GO HUNGRY, inini ndinogara nekatundu kangu kanenge kakakwana – VP Chiwenga's aide speaking on his cellphone answering to reports of ill treating his own wife, Marry. FULL INTERVIEW ON https://t.co/eY98GsdO0a pic.twitter.com/Q12WDdmp16

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) December 7, 2020

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has accused Zanu PF of denigrating traditional leaders.

Speaking at his mother’s memorial service in Gutu on Saturday, President Chamisa said traditional leaders should not be used by Zanu PF to harass opposition members.

“Traditional leaders are being abused by Zanu PF. Traditional leaders deserve respect and they should be apolitical.

It is sad to note that Zanu PF is using traditional leaders to victimize opposition members.

Traditional leaders are highly esteemed people,” said President Chamisa.

On the way forward he said:

“What we know is victory is certain, it’s only a matter of time.Every struggle has its own unique characteristics.We know exactly what we are doing – please do not panic.

Zanu PF has run out of ideas – that’s an undeniable fact.

I know some people are saying we are failing to deal with Zanu PF tyranny- that’s not true.

We are marching towards total freedom.It is everyone’s duty to fight for freedom – It’s not about Chamisa alone.”

By A Correspondent| Senior ZBC Journalist Janet Munyaka who died of COVID-19 has been buried at Glen Forest this morning.

The burial was conducted in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines and did not attract multitudes as is the norm.

Below are the pictures….

Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has accused Zanu PF of denigrating traditional leaders.

Speaking at his mother’s memorial service in Gutu on Saturday, President Chamisa said traditional leaders should not be used by Zanu PF to harass opposition members.

“Traditional leaders are being abused by Zanu PF. Traditional leaders deserve respect and they should be apolitical.

It is sad to note that Zanu PF is using traditional leaders to victimize opposition members.

Traditional leaders are highly esteemed people,” said President Chamisa.

On the way forward he said:

“What we know is victory is certain, it’s only a matter of time.Every struggle has its own unique characteristics.We know exactly what we are doing – please do not panic.

Zanu PF has run out of ideas – that’s an undeniable fact.

I know some people are saying we are failing to deal with Zanu PF tyranny- that’s not true.

We are marching towards total freedom.It is everyone’s duty to fight for freedom – It’s not about Chamisa alone.”

Tinashe Sambiri|President Nelson Chamisa has revealed how his uncle was kicked out of the Airforce.

Speaking at his mother’s memorial service in Chiwara, Gutu on Saturday, President Chamisa said his uncle- identified as Rukweza- was fired from the Airforce following his visit to Manyame Airbase.

“You cannot believe what I am saying but it’s true.My uncle was dismissed from the Airforce simply because I had visited him.

He was kicked out of Manyame Airbase following my visit to the place with Learnmore Judah Jongwe long back.

The level of intolerance in the country is shocking,” said President Chamisa.

“I salute my uncle because he is a principled man.He has never compromised his affection for the family,” added President Chamisa.

Thank you to all citizens who amplified the voice of student teachers, their salaries were reviewed from USD 1.50 to USD 50. Now they have a new battle to fight. They are being forced to repeat in 2021 but they wont be earning the new allowance.

-ARTUZ

By Jane Mlambo| Controversial cleric Passion Java has insulted investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono after he questioned why Zimbabweans follow the socialite at the expense of people pushing for national interests- like Namatai Kwekweza.

Responding on Twitter, Java accused Chin’ono of seeking funds from donors through attacking politicians and the government.

He responded as follows (screenshot below):

MDC-T acting national spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni, who doubles as interim party president Thokozani Khupe’s press secretary, has been acquitted of rape, the Zimbabwe Independent reports.

Phugeni (44) appeared before Western Commonage regional magistrate Sibongile Marondedze last month charged with contravening section 65 of the Criminal Law, Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).

Prosecutors said Phugeni unlawfully had sexual intercourse with a woman, who could not be named for ethical reasons, during the period extending from June to November 2018, at Emhlangeni and in Magwegwe West, Bulawayo.

Phugeni denied the charge, saying the accusations were politically-motivated and meant to “politically soil” his image after he was nominated for Senate.

More to follow….

The leader of the Council of Student Teachers, Walter Muzamani and other student teachers have been arrested at Morgan Zintech in Harare. The student teachers were protesting against the decision to force them to repeat in 2021.

-ARTUZ

By A Correspondent | Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu and his wife Sikhanyisiwe, a Matabeleland North Senator, have tested positive for Covid-19.

Mpofu told a local online news organisation that he and his wife were “stable” when reached by phone.

They couple is self-isolating separately in Harare, Zanu-PF acting spokesman Patrick Chinamasa added.

Mpofu and his wife are the latest high-profile figures to contract the virus, which was blamed for the death of freelance journalist Zororo Makamba in March; lands and agriculture minister Perrance Shiri in July and ZBC reporter Janet Makamba on Saturday.

On Saturday, Zimbabwe reported 70 new Covid-19 cases and 10 deaths. Nine of the 10 deaths were in Harare, while one was recorded in Bulawayo.

Overall, Zimbabwe has reported 10,617 Covid-19 cases which have resulted in 291 deaths.

1/ Observations of a Political Commentator….
The @ZANUPF_Official DCC elections began from a problematic position. Structures weren’t in place, no cell/branch elections were conducted.

2/ The DCCs were marred by impositions & accusations of anti-ED, G40, Gamatox taunts were rife instead of convincing the people what one has to offer. People simply want to know what candidates will do to turn around the economy and to address their welfare.

3/The fissures are apparent& come 2023 this’ll be disastrous for the party. How do you call provinces people’s provinces when all the Chairs save for Chadzamira & maybe Matiza weren’t elected? So you have a scenario where unelected Chairpersons appoint their own unelected persons

4/ who go on to impose people not in structures. It’s a horror!! I’d hate to be a @ZANUPF_Official leader in such a fiasco where gossiping & rumourmongering rule the day. You can never take somebody’s vote away from them. They’ll keep it with them to your detriment

5/ More trouble and purging lies ahead & come 2023 they’ll be a split. In an area of 120 voters where only 20 vote can you say the will of the people has been encompassed? What about the other 100? The best thing @ZANUPF_Official can do is to nullify these elections & restructure

6/ Restructuring may commence from January 2021 beginning with the Cells then the Branches in February followed by District elections in March and Provincial in April, Central Committee in May with the Politburo being subsequently formed. That would be my advice

7/ For now, this is the worst crop of politicians I’ve seen in ZANUPF, no ideology, nothing. What happened to the school of ideology or is just a facade? The current people are totally devoid of orientation & contradict themselves…. it’s a farce

Forces continue to try to spruce up tainted Impala Car Rental image after the company was caught up in an abduction incident.

The troubled company was over the weekend accorded two awards, the Superbrand of the Year and the Most Trusted Brand in the Car Hire sector for the year 2020.

The Superbrand of the Year award was being sponsored by the Marketers Association Zimbabwe while the Most Trusted Brand was awarded by the Chartered Institute of Customer Relationship Management.

Speaking after receiving the awards, Impala Car Rental Group Brand Manager Ms Tracy Ngoma attributed the achievements to the company’s customer-centric approach and the work ethic engrained in the team over the years.

“It is an honour to receive any form of accolade. We value such recognition as it clearly shows that we are doing things right. We were also humbled to be selected as winners amongst such formidable competitors that we work with in the car rental industry in particular and tourism in general,” said Ms Ngoma.

She added: “I believe we are consistent in the way we do things, and in our service delivery as such those that have direct contact with our service, know for certain the values we uphold as a company.

“As testimony of our excellency in customer service we have been scooping these awards for the past five years. We also owe it to our visionary leader Mr Thompson Dondo, the chief executive officer who is customer-centric and has an open-door policy in managing the business.”

Ms Ngoma said Impala Car Rental has an experienced team that distinguishes it from the rest. She added that Impala Car Rental was the only car hire company that offers 24-hour service.

“As the saying goes ‘experience is the best teacher.’ I believe the amount of experienced engrained in us over the years has enhanced our efficiencies and also improved our systems and the way we do doing things.

“We are flexible, innovative, customer-centric, and we have a leader who is involved in everything to do with the business.
“As a result, we continue to grow. Recently we opened a branch in Zambia and business is booming there,” said Ms Ngoma.

She expressed gratitude to Mr Dondo for leading the team from the front.

“We take pride in the way Mr Dondo does business. He has shown us that business requires one to be hardworking, professional and to be a team player who listens.

“We are grateful that we get to interact with him daily. The knowledge and wisdom that he imparts on us are unapparelled and priceless.

“He takes time to groom and guide everyone in the team, including us the mangers

Ms Ngoma said with all the achievements over the years, Impala Car Rental was destined to conquer Southern Africa.
“We are definitely going places. In Southern Africa, we now have firm footprints in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia. Continue watching the space because our intention is to conquer the region,” said Ms Ngoma.

Several laboratories have started setting shop in Beitbridge town to service travellers who are required to comply with the internationally set strict and safe cross-border migration standards under the Covid-19 pandemic environment.

The border was re-opened last week and upon arrival, Zimbabwe requires visitors to produce a Covid-19 free certificate with a 48-hour validity. South Africa requires a certificate with a validity of 72 hours.

With respect to commercial cargo, drivers need Covid-19 free certificates with 14 days’ validity.

A survey around Beitbridge town by our news crew last week revealed that there are four testing laboratories, including the one at the District Referral Hospital.

Testing cost up to US$60 at approved laboratories officering Covid-19 tests in Beitbridge.

Assistant Regional Immigration officer-in-charge of Beitbridge, Mr Nqobile Ncube, said many people waited for the border to officially open for them to start the process of getting their Covid-19 certificates.

“In terms of those travellers who were turned away at the entry points to the border, the most common reasons being brought to our attention are to do with the new Statutory Instrument which makes it clear what form of test is required and acceptable,” he said.

The development comes after cross border traders, who are usually the majority to pass through border posts, have said they are ready to abide by the new protocols to curb the spread of Covid-19 as gazetted by Government.

Cross Border Traders Association of Zimbabwe president Mr Killer Zivhu said the association had already communicated with all its members across the country on what was needed to be done in terms of following the Covid-19 regulations.

“We are well prepared,” he said.

“We have identified a registered organisation that is going to test cross border traders and they will be tested on an agreeable fee of US$35. When getting out of the country, they will be tested and given a certificate and when they come back they will be tested and given their results before mixing with others.

“We are going to work hard and closely with the Government in preventing the spread of Covid-19. No one should go out of the country without producing a Covid-19 certificate.

“Some people come as far as Kariba to Beitbridge and let us say they are tested at the border and find that they are positive to the virus, they will be turned back home and what it means is that they will be spreading the virus on their way to the border and they will be spreading it again on their way home.”

Mr Zivhu said testing people before they travelled to the borders would minimise the spread of Covid-19, and cross border traders had heeded the call to do so.

The association has identified various centres in towns and cities like Harare, Beitbridge, Mutare, Plumtree, Victoria Falls and Hwange, where cross border traders can be tested for Covid-19 at a lower cost.

Mr Zivhu appealed for Government to allow buses to carry people travelling through the border since the majority of cross border traders did not have private cars.

The government will consider input from Zimbabweans on the Mbuya Nehanda statue that will eventually be erected in Harare amid indications authorities are mulling the possibility of starting the process afresh following a public outcry.

A statue being made by sculptor David Mutasa sent tongues wagging when its images started circulating on social media after it was shown to President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week.

Some felt that the statue that showed a younger Mbuya Nehanda compared to how she appeared on her only known image was a distortion.

Godfrey Mahachi, the National Monuments and Museums of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) executive director, told The Standard that there was need for consensus on the spirit medium’s image.

“The statue is being erected by the people of Zimbabwe,” Mahachi said.

“Whilst our appreciation of exactly how Mbuya Nehanda looked like is limited because there’s probably one photograph of her, there still needs to be some degree of consensus on the image of her, notwithstanding the limitations related to the issue.

“The opinions of the people matter.” The NMMZ defended the erection of the statue, which some Zimbabweans feel is not a priority at a time the country is facing a myriad of economic-related problems.

“Statues are commonplace throughout the world, including the Christian world,” Mahachi said.

“Zimbabwe a few years ago erected the statue of Father Zimbabwe (late vice president Joshua Nkomo), South Africa and Mozambique erected statues of their former departed leaders, Nelson Mandela and Samora Machel respectively.

“The United Kingdom and the rest of Europe and North America erect numerous statues of various persons regarded as significant contributors to their national histories.

“They are recognising the contributions of these people. “They are celebrating them as distinguished departed citizens,” Mahachi argued.

“They are not idols. They have not turned them into gods. They have made monuments out of their stories. The same applies in our case. Mbuya Nehanda is not being turned into a god because of the statue.

“As Zimbabweans, the statement we are making is that we’re thankful to Mbuya Nehanda for the courage and sacrifices she made through her spiritual leadership of the First Chimurenga and we want present and future generations to remember those contributions and be inspired by them as they also become citizens, who contribute to the common good.”

He said they chose to do a statue of Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana because of her role in the liberation struggle particularly her prophetic words before her hanging in 1898 that “my bones will rise,” which inspired the Second Chimurenga.

“It will be remembered that the Second Chimurenga that finally delivered independence and sovereignty to Zimbabweans was directly inspired by the First Chimurenga, in particular Mbuya Nehanda’s prophetic words ‘my bones shall rise’ declaration just before she was hanged by the colonial administration for her role in that early struggle against our conquest by the British,” Mahachi said.

Nehanda is a spirit, who operates through mediums. “There are known mediums of Nehanda before Nyakasikana inasmuch as there are some after her.

“Currently there are several claimants, dotted around the country. The fact that we have a medium through whom we then interact and get guidance from Nehanda the spirit means that the spirit has personified itself through its medium. We can represent the spirit through its medium.

“The medium is our means to the spirit. If we, therefore, want to respect the spirit and to immortalise it through honouring by way of erecting a statue, we represent the spirit through its medium.”

Standard

The Zimbabwe Voice

VILLAGERS in Nembudziya, Gokwe and surrounding areas are making brisk business using their own manpower or ox-driven draught power to drag cars struggling to pass the district’s flooded rivers.

So bad are the roads in the area that even area MP, Zanu-PF’s flamboyant Justice Mayor Wadyajena, has previously had to abandon an offroad sport utility vehicle after it struggled to cross a river.

Villagers said the most notorious spot during the rain season is at Kawongo Bridge along the road that connects Gokwe South and Gokwe North via Nemangwe.

A haulage truck spent the better part of yesterday stuck in the muddied road as the local youths mobilised manpower while the driver sourced the funds for the lorry to be pulled across.

“It’s a pitty that I am just an employee trying to go about my business, buy I have to pay the local folks some “tollgate fee” for the men to pull and push my truck across,” said the driver.

“I’ve been stuck at this bridge for a while day running around to source the ‘fees’. Other motorists have been paying between US$5-00 and US$10-00 for them to cross the flooded Kawongo River.

“Unfortunately, my truck is loaded and much heavier such that the locals have really gotten an opportunity to milk me dry.

“Authorities really meed to fix this problem because it crops up yea after year,” said the driver, sounding distraught after hours on end on the spot.

By around 1400hrs, his haulage truck that was carrying cement to Nembudziya was still trapped on the bridge.

Paul Nyathi

Urban public transporters users in Harare have been left exposed to the harsh wet weather as efforts by the Harare City Council to spruce up bus terminuses across the city have delayed.

In March this year, Harare City Council spokesperson, Mr Michael Chideme promised that the refurbishment would commence before this year’s rainy season, but up to now there is nothing tangible.

Passenger Association of Zimbabwe president, Tafadzwa Goliati, blasted the local authority for failing to spruce up terminuses.

“The Harare City council promised to address the issue of refurbishing the terminuses, but they are taking ages and we do not even know when the problem would be solved,” he said. “As it stands, it seems the city fathers have no answers to problems affecting the city.”

Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators secretary-general Mr Ngoni Katsvairo said they were not getting value for their money.

“We are not getting any services at ranks at all, just look at their state, the deplorable toilets and lack of garbage collection,” he said.

The city has five terminuses in the CBD — Market Square, Copacabana, Simon Muzenda Street (formerly Fourth Street), Charge Office and Rezende Street.

These terminuses lack roofs on the waiting sheds and properly functioning toilets. The few shelters still standing have been stripped of their roofs, while metal bars that used to hold them together are falling apart.

All schools will open on January 4 for the first 2021 term including Form Four pupils who will be expected to finish their examinations which spilled into 2021 due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

This time there will be no phased opening.

The opening is for all classes except pupils enrolling for Form One and Form Five who will wait for examination results.

Those going into Form One, who are Grade Seven this year, started writing public examinations last week on Thursday and will finish on 17 December.

Those writing Ordinary Level examinations will have some of their papers overlapping into early next year.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Director of Communications, Mr Taungana Ndoro said there are no changes in the 2021 school calendar.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education would like to set the record straight that schools will open on 4 January 2021 and not in a phased approach as has been announced on Sunday by one news report.

“Schools will open on 4 January and secondary school classes opening are Form Two, Three, Four and Six,” said Mr Ndoro.

The Mbuya Nehanda statue project is essentially about remembering and paying respects, as a nation, as a people, to an ancestor whose contribution to our unfolding history deserves recognition.

Of course there are many such personalities in this country’s history but we have to start somewhere.

Nehanda is a spirit who operates through mediums.

There are known mediums of Nehanda before Nyakasikana inasmuch as there are some after her. Currently there are several claimants, dotted around the country.

The fact that we have a medium through whom we then interact and get guidance from Nehanda the spirit means that the spirit has personified itself through its medium.

We can represent the spirit through its medium. The medium is our means to the spirit.

If we therefore want to respect the spirit and to immortalize it through honoring by way of erecting a statue, we represent the spirit through its medium.

Statues are commonplace throughout the world world, including the Christian world. Zimbabwe a few years ago erected the statue of Father Zimbabwe (Joshua Nkomo), South Africa and Mozambique erected statues of their former departed leaders, Nelson Mandela and Samora Machel.

The United Kingdom and the rest of Europe and North America erect numerous statues of various persons regarded as significant contributors to their national histories.

They are recognizing the contributions of these people. They are celebrating them as distinguished departed citizens. They are not idols.

They have not turned them into Gods. They have made monuments out of their stories. The same applies in our case.

Mbuya Nehanda is not being turned into a God because of the statue.

As Zimbabweans, the statement we are making is that we’re thankful to Mbuya Nehanda for the courage and sacrifices she made through her spiritual leadership of the First Chimurenga and we want present and future generations to to remember those contributions and be inspired by them as they also become citizens who contribute to the common good.

It will be remembered that the Second Chimurenga that finally delivered independence and sovereignty to Zimbabweans was directly inspired by the First Chimurenga, in particular Mbuya Nehanda’s prophetic ‘my boned shall rise’ declaration just before she was hanged by the colonial administration for her role in that early struggle against our conquest by the British.

The statue is being erected by the people of Zimbabwe.

Whilst our appreciation of exactly how Mbuya Nehanda looked like is limited because there probably is only one photograph of her, there still is need for some degree of consensus on the image of her, notwithstanding the limitations related to this issue.

The opinions of the people matter.

The statue project commenced after relevant and appropriate procedures and protocols had been followed.

*Gibson Mahachi is director of the National Monuments and Museums of Zimbabwe

Rescue operations at Ran Mine in Bindura where at least 10 miners were trapped in a disused mine shaft two weeks ago have stopped after the tunnel continued to collapse.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando said Government will soon move in to ensure that all mining activities were undertaken in accordance with the law in a safe manner.

This comes after a number of mine disasters have occurred in the past year because of illegal mining.

Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo who visited Ran Mine on Saturday, said search and rescue of the trapped had become difficult and Government will take a relief approach.

“This tragedy was attended by several ministries, including the technical ministry of Mines and Mining Development, engineers, provincial and national civil protection unit,” he said.

“Our first mode of operation is to search and rescue. We lost one volunteer and we retrieved one person. The situation has gone worse because of the incessant rains and the ground has become sensitive and it is collapsing.

“Some of the families are here and we might move into the relief situation. We must move into the relief approach which include psycho-social understanding of what has happened and work with the families.”

Chief Government Engineer Michael Munodawafa said rescue operations at the mine had stopped after the tunnel collapsed.

“The area where we pumped out water collapsed and we are trying to find a better way of dealing with the situation due to the instability of the ground,” he said.

“This is an old mine and at the bottom there is a deep void filled with water, in mining we call it an open stope. When the initial collapse happened, that is why water came up instead going down. De-watering of the tunnel released pressure and contributed to the continuous collapse.”

Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) coronavirus/COVID-19 situation report as of 06 December 2020:

New cases: 101
Locals: 46
Returnees: 55 – from South Africa
Deaths: 0
Recoveries: 36
PCR Tests Done: 548
National Recovery Rate: 82.8%
Active Cases: 1 547
Total Cumulative Cases: 10 718
Total Recoveries: 8 880
Total Deaths: 291

State Media

AN 80-year-old granny died after strong winds that ravaged Gokwe North destroyed her house and left about 100 people homeless.

The granny, who was admitted to Gokwe District Hospital, died from injuries sustained after the house collapsed on her last Friday.

Schools and a clinic where not spared by the storm.

Gokwe North District Development Coordinator (DDC) Mr Martin Musakanda who also chairs the district civil protection unit (CPU) said the mishap follows heavy rains that have been pounding the country in recent days.

“The storm accompanied by strong winds destroyed infrastructure across the district. We have a granny who passed on after a house fell on her. A 15-year-old girl who was also injured when the house she was in collapsed, is recovering well at hospital,” said Mr Musakanda.

He said six schools had their roofs blown off by the strong winds.

“Tafara, Zvanaka, Tenda, Mutakayi, Chiwodza, Budiriro and Vhumba primary schools as well as Gumunyu High School, had roofs of their classrooms blown off,” he said.

Mr Musakanda said more than 100 people were left homeless after their homes were destroyed by the violent storm.

He said value of the property destroyed is estimated to be US$514 000.

“We have since sent a report to the national CPU and we are waiting for their response” he said.

Mr Musakanda said his committtee was mobilising resources to put up temporary shelters as well as provide food to affected families as it awaits further instructions from Government.

“We have mobilised tents and will use some classrooms to accommodate some of the affected people.

“We have since engaged development partners who are willing to come on board to assist us,” said Mr Musakanda.

Gokwe is flood prone and Mr Musakanda said his committee was on alert.

Meanwhile, a 42-year-old woman under Chief Tshitshi in Mangwe District of Matabeleland South Province was struck and killed by lightning last Tuesday.

Acting Matabeleland South Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena confirmed the incident and identified the deceased as Lista Mlalazi (42).

“The woman was coming from a women`s club meeting and was about 50 metres away from her homestead when the lightning struck,” she said.

State Media

ABOUT 330 blank stamped fake Covid-19 certificates were recovered by police from two suspects at Chirundu Border Post, as law enforcement agents intensify operations to weed out criminals engaging in fake documents.

The two suspects are Simbarashe Tsetse (24) and Freddy Katamanga (31).

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests in a statement.

“They were arrested on December 3, 2020 for originating fake Covid-19 certificates for travellers at Chirundu Border Post,” he said.

“The suspects were arrested after a tip off from members of the public, leading to the recovery of 334 blank stamped Covid-19 certificates, two tubes containing glass capillaries, two testing kits, two receipt books, three plastic capillaries, Covid-19 test record register, methylated spirit bottle and one packet of new needles in their office at Self-Med Complex.”

Asst Comm Nyathi said the duo had no medical qualifications and had just received US$120 from two complainants who intended to cross the border.

Following an investigative article published by The Herald recently exposing some individuals working at Harare Central and Chitungwiza Central hospitals for issuing fake Covid-19 certificates, police vowed to investigate and bring to book all those who engage in the illegal practice.

According to the Zimbabwean regulations following World Health Organisation guidelines, travellers must produce a PCR Covid-19 clearance certificate issued by a recognised health facility within 48 hours before leaving the country.

Most institutions charge around US$65 for the required PCR test for Covid-19, a test that is required within 48 hours before leaving the country by road or air.

To avoid the inconvenience or to cut costs, some wishing to cross the borders have resorted to paying US$20 bribes to health staff in order to be issued with a fraudulent certificate showing they tested negative to Covid-19.

Cross-border traders, job-seekers and others desperate for cheaper certificates are the major clients of the corrupt cartels.

Three miners died last week at Kunyu Mine in Mudzi after they were crushed by two ore wagons which fell into a shaft.

Two of the victims died on the spot, while the other died on admission to hospital.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.

“A mine accident occurred on December 1, 2020 at Kunyu Mine, Banze, Mudzi where three miners lost their lives,” he said. “Two ore wagons fell into an inclined mine shaft and crushed the miners.

“Two of the victims died on the spot while the other died on admission at All Souls Mission Hospital. Investigations into the incident are in progress.”

The incident comes after at least 30 illegal gold miners are reportedly trapped underground at Bindura Ran Mine after the shaft collapsed recently.

Only six miners were rescued at the mine. Early last month, bodies of two of the five miners trapped after a mine shaft collapsed at Task Mining Syndicate in Chegutu on September 8 were retrieved by artisanal miners who were continuing to search for the other three bodies.

The body of Shingai Gwatidzo (20), which was among the two that were retrieved on Saturday was buried at Borgan Villa resettlement area in Mhondoro.

It was in an advanced state of decomposition.

Fellow artisanal miners defied a Government directive to stop the search for the bodies of their trapped colleagues after all hope was abandoned of finding the five alive.

A police officer attached to the CID Minerals Flora and Fauna Unit was also trapped to death when the ground he was standing on carved and gave in at Magobo illegal mining site in Shamva.

Tinashe Sambiri| President Nelson Chamisa has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu PF cannot stop the people’s revolution.

Speaking at the memorial service for his late mother in Gutu on Saturday, President Chamisa said he was aware of the Zanu PF leader’s plan to dismantle the MDC Alliance.

According to President Chamisa, the wave of change is not confined to a building.

“They think that they are destroying us, yet they are strengthening us.

A people’s revolution is not confined to a building.Actually the cracks they are creating are fortifying our walls.

I know that they are desperate to annihilate the MDC Alliance,” said President Chamisa.

“Don’t underestimate the commitment of the children of change.The wave of change is unstoppable.

Those who are trying to dismantle the people’s party are wasting their time. We are unstoppable -that’s an undeniable fact. I have seen one CIO guy here, Tino is his name.
Tino do your job, go and tell Mnangagwa that we are determined.Yes, we know you guys…
,” added President Chamisa.

Tinashe Sambiri| President Nelson Chamisa has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu PF cannot stop the people’s revolution.

Speaking at the memorial service for his late mother in Gutu on Saturday, President Chamisa said he was aware of the Zanu PF leader’s plan to dismantle the MDC Alliance.

According to President Chamisa, the wave of change is not confined to a building.

“They think that they are destroying us, yet they are strengthening us.

A people’s revolution is not confined to a building.Actually the cracks they are creating are fortifying our walls.

I know that they are desperate to annihilate the MDC Alliance,” said President Chamisa.

“Don’t underestimate the commitment of the children of change.The wave of change is unstoppable.

Those who are trying to dismantle the people’s party are wasting their time. We are unstoppable -that’s an undeniable fact. I have seen one CIO guy here, Tino is his name.
Tino do your job, go and tell Mnangagwa that we are determined.Yes, we know you guys…
,” added President Chamisa.

A MAN here reportedly killed his eight-year-old nephew, dismembered the head and cooked it.

The 22-year-old suspect from Matova Village near Gokomere Mission under Chief Zimuto ,was found by alert neighbours stewing the boy’s head in a pot after barricading himself inside his hut.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the juvenile’s torso was

found stashed in a nearby shallow pool.

“We will release the name of the suspect and the deceased tomorrow (today) but the suspect is in police custody and investigations are underway to determine his mental state,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“He was found cooking the boy’s head in a kitchen hut, while the remaining parts of the body were recovered in a shallow pool, wrapped in a mosquito net.

“Investigations are underway.”

According to sources, the incident occurred when the boy, who was in Grade 2 at Matova Primary School, sought shelter from the heavy rains at his uncle’s home on Friday.

The suspect is alleged to have killed the boy before cutting off his head.

A search for the boy yesterday morning led to the recovery of his head after a relative forced his

way into the suspect’s kitchen

where he had locked himself from inside.-The Sunday Mail

Tinashe Sambiri |Zanu PF spokesperson, Patrick Chinamasa instructed the police to arrest and detain MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti, it has emerged.

According to MDC Alliance spokesperson, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, Hon Biti presented himself to be police after being informed that there was a plan to arrest him.

There are claims that Hon Biti threatened Russian national Tatiana Aleshina.

Advocate Mahere argued Chinamasa literally ordered the police to arrest Hon Biti.

“Zanu PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said the police should arrest Hon Biti.

This suggests that the police received instructions from the Zanu PF spokesperson.

Mr Nick Mangwana also ordered the police to arrest Hon Biti.

When Hon Biti was in police custody, he was denied food.He was also exposed to Coronavirus because the police officers were not wearing face masks.There were no sanitizers at the police station,” said Advocate Mahere.

Hon Biti was granted $ 10 000 bail.

DECEMBER 5, 2020

The ZRP has issued a statement after a video of a female police officer smacking schoolchildren during a campaign  and said the force doesn’t condone acts of violence of any form:

VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS DEPICTING A POLICE OFFICER ASSAULTING STUDENTS.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police is concerned with the conduct of the police officer as seen in the video that has gone viral on social media. We understand the incident happened at Kwekwe High School where the police officers had gone to conduct an awareness campaign on 3′ December 2020.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police does not condone such conduct during awareness campaigns and investigations are underway to verify the facts with the Kwekwe District Command and Midlands Province. If confirmed, appropriate action will be taken against the member. The police applaud the public for bringing the matter to our attention.

NYATHI.P

Assistant Commissioner Senior Staff Officer

To the Commissioner General of Police Police General Headquarters

VILLAGERS in Muchini area of Buhera South have been left in a state of shock following the gruesome murder of three senior citizens, with a 17-year old boy confessing to having committed the crime.

The senior citizens; one aged 86, his 74-year-old wife and her 80-year-old sister were allegedly murdered in cold blood at around midnight on Thursday by the teenager from the same village.

In his confession, the 17-year-old said: “I arrived at around 11pm from a bar intending to kill them because they killed my parents when I was still young.

“I only wanted to kill the man because his wife actually liked me a lot and I do not know why I killed her,” he said.

Buhera South legislator, Cde Joseph Chinotimba who is related to the deceased, said they are yet to come to terms with loss of three family members.

“We are shocked as a family because we can’t even begin to think of what could have gone wrong to this extent of killing three people, especially for a boy as young as 17,” he said.

Police officer commanding Chipinge District Chief Superintendent Kennedy Nyaumwe confirmed the incident, saying investigations were underway. — ZBC.

A MAN here reportedly killed his eight-year-old nephew, dismembered the head and cooked it.

The 22-year-old suspect from Matova Village near Gokomere Mission under Chief Zimuto ,was found by alert neighbours stewing the boy’s head in a pot after barricading himself inside his hut.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the juvenile’s torso was

found stashed in a nearby shallow pool.

“We will release the name of the suspect and the deceased tomorrow (today) but the suspect is in police custody and investigations are underway to determine his mental state,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“He was found cooking the boy’s head in a kitchen hut, while the remaining parts of the body were recovered in a shallow pool, wrapped in a mosquito net.

“Investigations are underway.”

According to sources, the incident occurred when the boy, who was in Grade 2 at Matova Primary School, sought shelter from the heavy rains at his uncle’s home on Friday.

The suspect is alleged to have killed the boy before cutting off his head.

A search for the boy yesterday morning led to the recovery of his head after a relative forced his

way into the suspect’s kitchen

where he had locked himself from inside.-The Sunday Mail

VIDEO LOADING BELOW….

https://twitter.com/ngungunyana/status/1335683292557881345?s=19

https://fb.watch/2c_CoR57e5/

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa says sustained attacks by Zanu-PF and the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe will not break his spirit as he responded to criticism that he is not showing any appetite to fight back.

Chamisa told hundreds of people that attended a memorial service for his late mother at their rural home in Masvingo’s Chiwara area yesterday that his political career was far from over.

“The people’s party cannot be broken.

“Where you try to break it, you are giving it more strength. Where there are cracks, that is where the strength starts.

“Do not underestimate the commitment of the agents of change in Zimbabwe. I want to thank all MDC cadres, you are wonderful.”

Chamisa described himself as a survivor.

“I am a survivor, no matter what they plan. I have always been one since long back when my mother failed to conceive or would always have a miscarriage,” he said.

“She had to hide my pregnancy to the community with coats and jerseys. After seven years of barreness, she later fell pregnant and gave birth to me.

“I did not know about this even when I grew up, until another prophet from a Pentecostal church whom I will not mention by name came to my office when I was now a lawyer.

“He told me about my mother’s challenges falling pregnant and I phoned her in his presence and she admitted,” he said.

Chamisa, who has been criticised for being too quiet and lacking strategy to unseat Zanu-PF, said being quiet was a strategy in itself.

“People ask why I remain quiet in the face of relentless attacks by Zanu-PF and its stooges,” he said.

“If you are in possession of the ball, do not do tactics that will make you lose control. Keep your eyes on the ball.

“A dog that has the bone should not bark, lest the bone falls and it is picked up by others.

“Others ask me why I do not make noise like (popular Ugandan opposition leader) Bobi Wine.

“Let me tell you, he acknowledges my contribution to the democratic struggle here. Every struggle has its own unique tactics. We know the winning formula.

“The victory of the people is confirmed.

“The victory of the people is certain. It is not going to be withdrawn. Do not be afraid, we will get there. We arrived long back.”

– Standard

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Hopewell Chin’ono has never been one to hold back his opinion.

Even as a young journalism student in the early 1990s, he was not afraid to speak out and demand accountability.

“He sort of kept a record of when a lecturer missed class,” recalls former classmate Njabulo Ncube. “He would say, ‘We came here to learn and lecturers missing classes cannot be tolerated’. At one time, he took the matter to the principal of the college.”

Some 30 years later, the independent journalist and anti-corruption campaigner remains as forthright, a symbol of defiance for many in a country where few dare to protest.

‘Will not be cowed’
On Monday, Chin’ono will appear in court for allegedly inciting public violence following his endorsement of planned anti-government protests in late July.

Chin’ono’s latest troubles began in June after he used social media to expose allegedly corrupt coronavirus-related contracts for the $60m acquisition of protective equipment for healthcare workers. Along with top government officials, Chin’ono and other journalists also linked the son of President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the scandal – allegations denied by both Collins Mnangagwa and the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), the party that has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

“ZANU-PF has noted with concern the systematic well-choreographed and sponsored attacks on the integrity of the first family by unscrupulous characters such as Hopewell Chin’ono this time targeting the president’s son,” spokesman Patrick Chinamasa said at a news conference on July 4. “We are aware that these baseless attacks did not start today but need to stop forthwith.”

It was a chilling warning, prompting Chin’ono to say on Twitter that his “life is now in danger” but also to declare that he “will not be cowed to fear”.

On July 20, less than two weeks before the opposition-organised protests, police smashed a glass door as they raided Chin’ono’s Harare home and took him away, charging him with “incitement to participate in a gathering with intent to promote public violence, breaches of peace or bigotry”.

He spent 45 days in prison. Upon his release in September on bail, he shed light on the poor state of the penal system and prisons in the country, which he likened to “concentration camps”.

Two weeks ago, he was arrested again and charged with contempt of court but prosecutors later dropped the charges. He has since been charged again with attempting to “defeat the course of justice” following his criticism of the country’s National Prosecuting Authority in the case of a gold smuggler with political connections.

“It’s all designed to intimidate journalists,” Chin’ono, who denies all charges, told Al Jazeera. “I am not intimidated. If they do this to me, other journalists will think twice about reporting corruption.”

Unperturbed, he has continued posting to his 172,000 Twitter and 63,000 Facebook followers.

“In 1980 [when Zimbabwe attained independence from Britain], I was 9 years old. Today, I am 49, [and] the same people who told me that I was the future are saying they will be with us until 2030 as they continue to loot everyone’s future,” he wrote on Facebook recently. “I won’t allow my children’s future to be stolen as mine was through corruption, looting and plunder. No.”

‘A brilliant journalist’
Born in Harare on March 26, 1971, Chin’ono entered journalism somewhat circumstantially, he confesses.

At the age of 18, he was commissioned by Prize Beat Magazine to profile Jamaican reggae star Dennis Brown, who in 1989 toured Zimbabwe. Clad in a school uniform, he showed up for an interview with Brown at his Holiday Inn suite in the capital, Harare.

“I spent hours with Dennis and his wife talking about reggae, smoking and drinking,” Chin’one recalls. “It became a big party.”

From those early days onwards, his future career was sort of cut out for him. He enrolled at the Zimbabwe Institute of Mass Communication, where he excelled.

“He is a brilliant journalist,” says Ncube, the current coordinator of the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum. “In college, he was on top of the class and well-liked.”

After graduating in 1993, he left Zimbabwe to advance his studies in the United Kingdom, where he later worked for broadcasters such as BBC and ITV.

He eventually settled back in Zimbabwe in 2007, but the state of his country under then-President Robert Mugabe left him dismayed.

“The economy was totally changed. Prices were unbelievably high and shops were empty,” he says. “The state had collapsed and corruption was institutionalised.”

Propelled by the dire economic situation at home and the impact it was having on Zimbabweans, Chin’ono began filming Pain in my Heart, a compelling documentary on the state of Zimbabwe’s affairs.

“The documentary was a juxtaposition of two stories of a political matter around two people infected with HIV and suffering from AIDS. The other was getting medication from a church while the other could not afford medication,” he says. “The other lived while the other died from AIDs-related complications.”

After the success of Pain in my Heart – which, in 2008, won Chin’ono the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Award, the Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting in Africa, and the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award – he set up Television International in Zimbabwe, a news production house, and continued collaborating with international broadcasters for special assignments.

Throughout, he has remained committed to exposing injustice.

“I believe in a society that respects the rule of law, that respects the vote and a society that does not encourage corruption,” Chin’ono says. “Those are my core beliefs.”

On social media, many seem to share Chin’ono’s views, and a cursory scan of comments shows overwhelming support and messages of solidarity. Some offer prayers for protection; others simply write notes of encouragement.

“Brother Hopewell, we can’t thank you enough for the work you are doing fighting corruption in our country,” reads one comment. “Hopewell our hope, corruption destroys lives. My wish is that one day all our people will join hands in fighting evil corruption,” says another user.

Prominent Zimbabwean author
Chin’ono himself often takes to social media to criticise the government, but things have not always been so abrasive between him and Mnangagwa’s administration.

When Mnangagwa took over in a military coup in November 2017 and pledged political and economic reforms, Chin’ono, like many other Zimbabweans, threw his weight behind the ZANU-PF stalwart.

“I supported the idea of reforms he [Mnangagwa] was pursuing,” Chin’ono says. “I thought he was genuine and there was no point in criticising the coup itself because it had happened and was irreversible. For purposes of progress, it was sensible to support his reforms.”

“Fast forward to October 2018, I had realised there were no reforms,” he says, noting it was then that he “started making noise”.

In August of that year, six opposition supporters were killed when soldiers opened fire on people protesting against what they viewed as an attempt by the ZANU-PF party to steal tightly contested elections. Meanwhile, Zimbabweans continue to struggle to cope with a deepening economic crisis characterised by sky-high inflation and foreign currency shortages, as well as a devastating mix of a rapidly weakening currency, stagnant salaries and high unemployment.

Human rights campaigners and rights groups have also decried an “unprecedented” clampdown on dissent that has resulted in the arrests of dozens of activists and opposition officials. The government has denied stifling opposing voices.

But just before his return to court, Chin’ono says he will keep up his fight against wrongdoing.

“Fighting corruption is something that we should all do, and it’s not my fight alone,” he says. ‘We don’t have to wait for a moment of inspiration to start fighting corruption. It’s something we should do every day.’

For former schoolmate Ncube, this kind of determination by Chin’ono is nothing new.

“I remember, we had an accommodation problem at the college in those days and he fought for that. We were struggling and yet there were newly built hostels at the college that were yet to be officially opened,” he says.

In the end, under sustained pressure from Chin’ono and others, school officials allocated the rooms to the students.

“I am not surprised he is taking on authorities,” Ncube says.

SOURCE : AL JAZEERA

Paul Nyathi

Professor Jonathan Moyo has revealed that Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo is involved in an extramarital affair with his Personal Assistant who has previously been in trouble with his wife, Loice Matanda Moyo.

In his Twitter thread, Professor Moyo said:

@MinisterSBMoyo‘s PA Lynette Mahlaba has been AWOL from circa Feb 2020 & not seen at the Ministry since lockdown. Staff say she’s training for posting in SA or on maternity leave. Truth is SB lied to wifey that he fired his PA in Feb yet he moved her to a Kuda Tagwirei bldg!

The Kuda Tagwirei bldg is on 11 Argyle Drive, Newlands, Harare. That’s where @MinisterSBMoyo, who has a private office there, has literally been hiding his PA from his wife, under the false pretext that he fired her in Feb; yet she’s still with him on the Ministry’s payroll!

It is an open secret in the foreign affairs ministry that @MinisterSBMoyois in a relationship with his PA. Things came to a head in Feb when SB’s wife said she didn’t want to see the PA at the Ministry. SB then moved her to a Tagwirei bldg, but lied that he had fired her!

It is not clear what work, if any, @MinisterSBMoyo‘s PA has been doing over the last nine months from a Tagwirei bldg; save that she has been drawing her salary from Foreign Affairs, where she is supposed to have been fired by SB; who also has an office in the Tagwirei bldg!

Another blur on Lynette Mahlaba’s extant employment situation is that a CV she posted on her LinkedIn status shows she holds two jobs: one since 2012 as the Project Coordinator at “With Love Foundation”, she cofounded & another (undescribed) since 2014 with Foreign Affairs!

It is no surprise that @MinisterSBMoyo hid Lynnette Mahlaba in a Tagwirei bldg. Since becoming foreign minister, SB has been Tagwirei’s dark business partner. They’ve done dodgy deals, like the SOTIC/NOIC USD 1,2bn scam; in which USD 12m was pocketed as “1% arrangement fee

…..The SOTIC/NOIC scam is relevant to the #SBMoyoSexScandal, as it explains the context in which SB was able to hide Lynnette Mahlaba in Tagwirei’s Newlands bldg for nine months; while she has been AWOL at the Ministry, after SB lied to his wife that he had fired his PA!

After SB hid his AWOL PA at a Tagwirei bldg in Feb he started to criminally abuse his office & to manipulate staff promotion protocols to get his PA who is at PAO level, appointed at Deputy Ambassador level in SA by dislodging Tendai Mudambo in Cape Town, as Consul General!

To dislodge Ms Tendai Mudambo – the Consul General – to aid his AWOL PA marooned in Tagwirei’s Newlands hideout, SB connived with Sifelani Tarwirei, the finance officer & Hilbert Mada, the CIO liaison officer, at the Cape Town Consulate to fabricate a case against Mudambo!

….Just last Tuesday,@MinisterSBMoyo upped the ante against Ms Mudambo, Zim’s Consul General in Cape Town & got Zim’s Ambassador to SA, David Hamadziripi, to go to Cape Town to investigate Mudambo, on charges trumped up by Tarwirei & CIO’s Mada; maliciously prompted by SB!

….When I first raised the #SBMoyoSexScandal here, there was a noisy reaction from SB quarters. Most of it was ignorant & crap. While I understood where

@nickmangwana & @VascoDaGappah were coming from; they were personal & focused on the forest, at the expense of the trees!

Some like @iMisred & @caesarzvayi baldly denied the maternity story & vowed they knew where Lynnette Mahlaba lives. Caesar announced he is her neighbour. But when you are said to be staying at a guest house or a hotel, it does not mean you don’t have a home where you live!
As I type this, Harare Mayor @JMafume is in jail without bail, as if he is charged for a capital crime; when he’s alleged to have shown favour to his sister by allocating her a stand. Yet @MinisterSBMoyo is free, having shown favour to his mistress. Why the double standard?

It is capture by Tagwirei for @MinisterSBMoyo to have private offices in Kuda’s Newlands bldg. *It is a crime for SB to keep his “fired” PA on govt payroll, while not doing govt work. *It is a crime for SB to use deceit to dislodge Ms Mudambo to create a vacancy for his PA!
SB Moyo is yet to respond to this supposed corruption case. Ironically Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission ZACC is headed by SB Moyo’s wife Justice Loice Matanda Moyo.
Source: Jonathan Moyo Twitter

ZRP On Twitter has detailed how a man brutally beheaded a nine year old boy and shaved the head before using it for ritual purposes to get rich.

The incident occurred on Friday. Police tweeted as follows:

The ZRP confirms the gruesome murder of a 9-year-old boy at Matova Village Chief Zimuto, Masvingo on 4/12/20 by suspect Clever Chitiga (22) for assumed ritual purposes. The minor was beheaded using a kitchen knife before the head was shaved in hot water and pounded in a mortar using a pestle.

The head was boiled in a pot in preparation for feasting and the body of the victim was wrapped in a mosquito net before it was submerged in a nearby dam. Meanwhile Police have arrested the suspect and recovered several exhibits.

Members of the public are warned against strange, superstitious and unjustified beliefs for wealth; all perpetrators of crime will be arrested. #notomurder

The unfortunate incident comes a few months after the gruesome murder of Tapiwa Makore suspected to have been murdered by his uncle Tapiwa Makore and a local headman Tafadzwa Shamba. Tapiwa’s young body is yet to be buried as his head and other parts are yet to be recovered.

Source: ZRP Twitter

Tinashe Sambiri| President Nelson Chamisa has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu PF cannot stop the people’s revolution.

Speaking at the memorial service for his late mother in Gutu on Saturday, President Chamisa said he was aware of the Zanu PF leader’s plan to dismantle the MDC Alliance.

According to President Chamisa, the wave of change is not confined to a building.

“They think that they are destroying us, yet they are strengthening us.

A people’s revolution is not confined to a building.Actually the cracks they are creating are fortifying our walls.

I know that they are desperate to annihilate the MDC Alliance,” said President Chamisa.

“Don’t underestimate the commitment of the children of change.The wave of change is unstoppable.

Those who are trying to dismantle the people’s party are wasting their time. We are unstoppable -that’s an undeniable fact. I have seen one CIO guy here, Tino is his name.
Tino do your job, go and tell Mnangagwa that we are determined.Yes, we know you guys…
,” added President Chamisa.

Tinashe Sambiri |Zanu PF spokesperson, Patrick Chinamasa instructed the police to arrest and detain MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti, it has emerged.

According to MDC Alliance spokesperson, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, Hon Biti presented himself to be police after being informed that there was a plan to arrest him.

There are claims that Hon Biti threatened Russian national Tatiana Aleshina.

Advocate Mahere argued Chinamasa literally ordered the police to arrest Hon Biti.

“Zanu PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said the police should arrest Hon Biti.

This suggests that the police received instructions from the Zanu PF spokesperson.

Mr Nick Mangwana also ordered the police to arrest Hon Biti.

When Hon Biti was in police custody, he was denied food.He was also exposed to Coronavirus because the police officers were not wearing face masks.There were no sanitizers at the police station,” said Advocate Mahere.

Hon Biti was granted $ 10 000 bail.

Tinashe Sambiri |Zanu PF spokesperson, Patrick Chinamasa instructed the police to arrest and detain MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti, it has emerged.

According to MDC Alliance spokesperson, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, Hon Biti presented himself to be police after being informed that there was a plan to arrest him.

There are claims that Hon Biti threatened Russian national Tatiana Aleshina.

Advocate Mahere argued Chinamasa literally ordered the police to arrest Hon Biti.

“Zanu PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said the police should arrest Hon Biti.

This suggests that the police received instructions from the Zanu PF spokesperson.

Mr Nick Mangwana also ordered the police to arrest Hon Biti.

When Hon Biti was in police custody, he was denied food.He was also exposed to Coronavirus because the police officers were not wearing face masks.There were no sanitizers at the police station,” said Advocate Mahere.

Hon Biti was granted $ 10 000 bail.

Tinashe Sambiri| President Nelson Chamisa has said Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu PF cannot stop the people’s revolution.

Speaking at the memorial service for his late mother in Gutu on Saturday, President Chamisa said he was aware of the Zanu PF leader’s plan to dismantle the MDC Alliance.

According to President Chamisa, the wave of change is not confined to a building.

“They think that they are destroying us, yet they are strengthening us.

A people’s revolution is not confined to a building.Actually the cracks they are creating are fortifying our walls.

I know that they are desperate to annihilate the MDC Alliance,” said President Chamisa.

“Don’t underestimate the commitment of the children of change.The wave of change is unstoppable.

Those who are trying to dismantle the people’s party are wasting their time. We are unstoppable -that’s an undeniable fact,” added President Chamisa.

Schools will once again open in a phased approach next year with only those in Form Four this year returning on 4 January to finish writing their remaining papers.

Other pupils will only return to class in another phased approach with some classes especially Form One expected to start school as late as February 2021.

Those going into Form One, who are Grade Seven this year, started writing public examinations last week on Thursday and will only finish on 17 December.

Those writing Ordinary level examinations will have some of their papers overlapping into early next year. Other non-examination classes will close this term on 18 December and initially the Government had indicated that schools will then reopen on 4 January 2021.

However, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Director of Communications, Mr Taungana Ndoro, told Sunday News yesterday that the ministry will employ the same method of phased opening of schools next year as a way of decongesting and further implementing the Standard Operation Procedures.

He said only pupils who have not finished writing their public examinations will return on 4 January to finish the papers while phased dates for other classes will be announced in due course.

“We are opening schools on January 4 2021 to allow the Ordinary Level candidates to finish their examinations. Other returning pupils will have to come in February most probably after the Form 4 students finish their examinations,” he said.

Mr Ndoro said Grade Seven results will be released early next year but definitely before 31 January.

This comes as the ministry will tomorrow open the online application platform for Form One pupils wishing to be enrolled into boarding schools next year.

The Government introduced the Form One online application in 2016 for boarding schools to plug profiteering by some schools who were making parents pay for entrance tests.

Most schools were now conducting their own assessments for pupils and make them sit for entrance tests after paying money, rendering Grade Seven examinations irrelevant.

Some schools would call many prospective pupils for interviews when they could only enrol a few classes.

“We expect the Grade 7 results to be out before January 31. The Form 1 pupils will enrol after the Ordinary level candidates have finished their examinations. The idea is to continue decongesting our schools and following the Standards Operation Procedures amid the Covid-19 pandemic. We will have a phased schools reopening,” said Mr Ndoro.

According to a circular released last week by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the online platform will run from tomorrow to 31 January.

Under the method, pupils have to apply through the Electronic Ministry’s Application Platform (EMAP) where an applicant is allowed to place three applications at each given time although there is room for the upward review of the number of applications accepted until the closing date.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will be launching online the Electronic Ministry’s Application Platform (EMAP) for Form 1 boarding place enrolment from Monday 7th of December to January 31 2021.

An applicant is allowed to have three maximum active applications at any given time in order to decongest traffic on the platform. The schools will notify the successful applicants through sms. Once offered a place by a school an applicant can decline it and once declined a place cannot be reclaimed back.

The enrolment will start after the official publication of the 2020 Grade 7 Zimsec results,” reads a statement from the ministry.

This year, following premature closure of schools in March as a preventive measure against Covid-19, the Government introduced a phased approached to schools opening where Phase One of the reopening was on 28 September and was meant for the Grade 7s, Forms 4 and Upper Sixth followed by Grade 6, Form 3 and 5s on 26 October under the second phase.

In Phase Three, schools opened on 9 November 2020 with the rest of the learners which covered ECD A and B, grade 1,2,3,4,5 and Forms 1 and 2.

However, an industrial action by most teachers affected learning resulting in the Government taking a decision to postpone some of the public examinations into next year.

Reopening of schools were, however, affected when about 300 schoolchildren at various schools contracted the virus. Mr Ndoro said the disease has been contained at most schools with 50 percent recoveries recorded in the past few weeks.

The hardest hit school was John Tallach High in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland North Province where about 185 pupils and teachers tested positive. However, the situation has since been contained.

-State Media

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu and his wife Sikhanyisiwe, a Matabeleland North Senator, are said to be in a stable condition after they both tested positive for coronavirus.

According to the party’s acting spokesman Patrick Chinamasa, the couple is self-isolating separately in Harare.

Reports on Saturday had claimed that Mpofu and his wife were both admitted at a hospital following their COVID-19 diagnosis.

Mpofu and his wife are the latest high-profile figures to contract the virus, after the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance, George Guvamatanga was hospitalised for an extended period of time due to COVID-19.

The disease has been blamed for the death of freelance journalist Zororo Makamba in March; lands and agriculture minister Perrance Shiri in July and ZBC reporter Janet Makamba on Saturday.

By A Correspondent- A Zvishavane woman has been arrested for allegedly marrying another man while her marriage to her first husband was still in force.

Moreblessing Maridza (41) of Platinum Park in Zvishavane appeared before the local magistrate, Archie Wochionga facing bigamy charges last week and was convicted on her own plea of guilty.

She was sentenced to six months in prison, however, three months were suspended on condition that she pays a fine of $5 000.

The other three months were suspended on condition on she does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.

Maridza told the court that her first husband, James Chivandire is mentally challenged and has failed to be intimate with her for the past 12 years.

The court heard that Maridza and Chivandire wedded under Chapter 5.11 of the Marriage Act which prohibits a man or a woman from marrying more than one spouse.

In 2012 Maridza went on to marry a second husband, David Mhuru and wedded him under the same Marriage Act and the two started living together.

The matter only came to light in September when an officer at the Registrar-General’s office observed that Maridza had two valid marriage certificates.

The State proved that Maridza married and wedded Mhuru while fully aware that she was legally married to Chivandire under Marriage Act Chapter 5.11.-statemedia

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government is under pressure to resolve complications arising from episodes such as the Gukurahundi atrocities in Matabeleland and Midlands, election violence and Operation Murambatsvina.

Siphosami Malunga, the executive director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (Osisa), will deliver the NTJWG’s highly anticipated lecture from between 10:00am and 11:30am.

Yassin Nhara, who is part of the NTJWG’s secretariat, will host the lecture and Thobekile Matimbe, a community manager at Paradigm Initiative, a civic organisation which promotes digital rights and inclusion in Africa, will moderate the plenary session of the lecture.

This year’s lecture will be held under the theme, “Hate speech and its impact on transitional justice”.

NJTWG vice-chairperson Paul Themba Nyathi said the theme was carefully selected because to achieve reconciliation in any environment full of past hurt and pain, there was a need to use constructive language.

“Hate language will worsen feelings of the hurt,” Nyathi said.

“Words have the capacity to instigate people into violence and at the same time, words can inspire people to unite forgive and forget.

“Hate speech is responsible for all the disasters we have experienced in the world.

“In Rwanda, it took one person to describe another tribe as cockroaches and one million people were dead in 100 days.

“Gukurahundi took someone to use uncomplimentary language to instigate violence and cause the murder of 20 000 people.

“Things do not just happen, they take some careless language and in countries with ethnical diversity, use of language should be well thought out.”

At the height of Gukurahundi, politicians such as the late Robert Mugabe and Mnangagwa were accused of using hate language to fuel the conflict.

Mugabe referred to then Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo as a snake. Zapu officials and their supporters were the targets of the army killings.

Mnangagwa, who was Security minister at the time, referred to “dissidents” as cockroaches that needed a deadly pesticide to be exterminated.

Malunga is a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer with extensive experience in transitional justice and governance in Africa. He has been the Osisa executive director since 2013.

He holds a law degree from the University of Zimbabwe obtained in 1994 and a Masters in International Law from the University of Oslo, Norway, in 2007.

Malunga began his career with law firms in Zimbabwe before moving to Botswana.

He later joined the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in the United Nations’ Transitional Administration in east Timor in 2000 as an advisor to the Transitional Justice minister and later as senior defence trial attorney with the UN Serious Crimes Panel.

From 2003 to 2006, he worked with the UN in Afghanistan to rebuild the justice sector and later moved to the United Nations Development Programme’s Governance Centre in Oslo where he led the United Nations Development Programme’s efforts to integrate conflict prevention in demographic governance policy and programming.

He was the senior governance advisor and regional programme manager for the Regional Bureau for Africa.

He later moved to Johannesburg to work under the United Nations Development Programme’s east and Southern Africa office until 2011 when he took up his current position.

Source – the standard

SOME Zanu-PF members yesterday boycotted voting in the party’s district coordinating committee elections after names of their preferred candidates were removed from ballot papers under controversial circumstances.

The voting commenced very late in most parts of the country because of delays in the delivery of voting materials.

There was drama in Marondera after party members from wards 10 and 11 in Marondera Central refused to cast their votes after realising their candidate Lawrence Katsiru’s name was missing on the ballot paper.

In Goromonzi some Zanu-PF members also failed to locate the name of their preferred candidate, Bornface Mutize, on the ballot papers.

Both Katsiru and Mutize were eyeing the chairmanship posts in their respective areas.

A survey in Marondera east and West constituencies showed that ballot papers arrived after 4pm when some of the voters had already gone home.

There was also chaos in Chiredzi after hundreds of voters were turned away as their names did not appear in the voters’ roll.

By midday most ballot papers were still being photocopied at various locations.

In Mashonaland West, polling had not started by 5pm yesterday afternoon, with rival camps at the party district office where ballot papers were being sorted, with names of some candidates missing.

Voting started late in most districts of Mashonaland Central as most areas took time to vote due to poor logistics.

Politburo member Josiah hungwe said voting would continue today in Muzarabani, Guruve and Mbire where heavy rains disrupted the voting process.

There was chaos in Bindura after some candidates distributed flyers to voters giving out a list of their favourite candidates.

Zanu-PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa was not picking calls yesterday.

THE families of six illegal miners, including four from one family, that were trapped underground when a mine collapsed in Matshetshe, Esigodini, will conduct a burial ritual at the site, as authorities have decided it would be too dangerous and costly to attempt any effort to retrieve the bodies.

Nkosilathi Ndlovu (29), Christopher Dube (23), Ndumiso Dube (19) and Blessed Ncube (24), all members of one family, were trapped alongside Nduduzo Ntini (28) and another miner only identified as Mlilo when a flash flood triggered a collapse on their illegal mining claim on 10 November.

Families of the six have seen hopes of a rescue dashed when a rescue effort was abandoned 11 days after the tragic disaster as the mine was flooded, making it too risky to proceed with the operation.

Hopes of a retrieval have also since faded, with Chief Government Mining Engineer, Engineer Michael Munodawafa noting as part of his observations after a study of the area that it was too dangerous to attempt any rescue operation.

“The debris caught up within the shaft 1 headgear (more than 1m height) suggest the shafts were at one time entirely flooded and thus it can be deduced that water inundation underground and depreciation of oxygen occurred.

“The area is unsafe to conduct any rescue operation as it is characterised with friable ground, loose rock material and debris posing danger for further collapse. A visit on the seventh day showed some further collapse on both sides of the trench and inside the radius of the shaft,” he said.

Eng Munodawafa noted that if an effort to retrieve the bodies was initiated, it would take over a year of continuous work before any fruitful results were realised. Furthermore, indications are that the mine, forfeited by its previous owner in 2013, was operating illegally.

“Some debris surrounding the shafts was washed into the two shafts filling them up. Going by the assumed shaft depth of 60m, any excavation to the mine bottom would entail opening up more than 100m diameter pit from surface, excavating 160 000 cubic metres (450 000t) of rock and more than one year and two months of continuous work. The excavated material should be dumped out of the dam reservation area.

The said Patridge NWC mine registration number 35541 was forfeited on 15 May 2013 and is located at the site where the accident occurred approximately 1,5km north west and there is no way a mine claim could have been registered across the river and within a dam reservation thus the deduction that any mining was illegal,” he said.

As part of his recommendations, he exhorted that the families be allowed to carry out burial rituals at the site.

Eng Munodawafa recommended that no further action be taken with the families of the deceased encouraged to conduct their burial rituals at the site. In addition, he recommended that the alleged owner of the mine, Ms Sakhile Ndlovu, be prosecuted for operating illegally and for her actions in the aftermath of the mine collapse.

When Sunday News visited the site of the collapse last month, villagers expressed outrage at Ms Ndlovu, who they said had delayed rescue efforts by denying ownership of the claim while she hastily pulled down evidence of any mining activity.

“The area of the accident to be back filled so that there is no further access by illegal panners in the future. Relatives of the deceased (need) to be allowed access to the scene of the accident for the purpose of seeing the place and doing rituals before or after backfilling. The purported owner Sakhile Ndlovu needs to be prosecuted for carrying out illegal mining, tampering with the scene of the accident prior to the investigation and negligence which resulted in the death of the six miners,” he said.

Speaking to Sunday News, a distraught Ms Moddy Ndlovu, who lost a son and three grandchildren in the accident, said the family was yet to conduct any burial rituals despite the fact that they had access to the site.

“Nothing has happened since that time when we went to try and initiate some kind of rescue mission for the boys stuck down there. The last time we were told that there would not be any attempt to dig them up because the place is dangerous and there might be more accidents if they tried to do any work there. So we were told the collapsed mine would serve as their place of burial.

“…We have not done any rituals to bid farewell to them. We are just moving on and it is painful. We are allowed to go to the site but there is no further communication with any authority and I think that’s the end of it,” she said.

Source – sundaynews

Correspondent

A Gwanda couple were tragically killed in a car crash head on with a haulage truck at Mbalabala 60km from Bulawayo on the Bulawayo Gwanda highway on Saturday afternoon.

Shocked eye witnesses told ZimEye.com that the pick-up they were travelling in with a third person slipped on the wet road and went straight on to the oncoming haulage truck.

The three died on the spot.

More details to follow

State Media

ZANU-PF Secretary for Administration Dr Obert Mpofu has gone on self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.

Zanu-PF acting spokesperson Cde Patrick Chinamasa last night confirmed that Dr Mpofu was in self-isolation at his house in Harare.

“I can confirm that our Secretary for Administration tested positive for the Covid-19 pandemic and has gone on self-isolation in Harare,” said Cde Chinamasa.

He could not provide more information on when Dr Mpofu tested positive.

Dr Mpofu is the latest high-profile individual to test positive for the pandemic with others being Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Permanent Secretary Mr George Guvamatanga, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Lovemore Matuke, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Cde Vangelis Haritatos and Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Cde Larry Mavima.

National hero and Retired Chief Air Marshal Perrance Shiri who was the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Perrance Shiri succumbed to the pandemic on 29 July.

State Media

POLICE have arrested two people and confiscated more than 300 blank stamped Covid-19 certificates, as the net closes in on people who are making fake certificates and selling them to travellers intending to cross the borders.

Zimbabwe reopened its land borders last week but travellers are required to present valid Covid-19 certificates obtained within 48 hours. Most laboratories charge around US$60 for the certificates and this has resulted in the mushrooming of scammers who are issuing the certificates for as little as US$20.

National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the two, Simbarashe Tsetse (24) and Freddy Katamanga (31) were arrested after originating fake Covid-19 certificates for travellers at Chirundu Border Post.

He said the duo was arrested after a tip-off from members of the public leading to the recovery of 334 blank stamped Covid-19 certificates, two tubes containing glass capillaries, two testing kits, two receipt books, three plastic capillaries, Covid-19 test record register, a methylated spirit bottle and one pack of new needles at their offices at Self-Med Complex.

“This is what the police have been monitoring which led to the arrest at Chirundu where two suspects were found with equipment which they were using to issue fake Covid-19 certificates to travellers. The two were in the process of receiving USD$120 from two people who intended to travel to Zambia.

So, we want to warn the public that they must go to Government institutions and medical institutions which have been cleared by the Government and Ministry of Health and Child Care to issue Covid-19 certificates,” he said.

Asst Comm Nyathi said travellers should avoid back yard premises and people who move around committing various offences under the name of Covid-19. “The police will ensure that the law takes its course on anyone found committing criminal acts under the guise of Covid-19.

Those that will be found buying the fake certificates will also be arrested as long as they are aware that what they are doing is criminal which means they are also conniving with those issuing the certificates and certainly the law will take its course,” he said.

Beitbridge District Medical Officer Dr Lenos Samhere said yesterday the Department of Port Health was on the lookout for travellers using fake documents.

He said since the reopening of the borders to the general public mainly motorists and pedestrians they have been intercepting a number of travellers with fake documents at the Beitbridge Border Post.

Dr Samhere said most of the documents had purportedly come from some clinics in the border town though there is none registered with the ministry to offer such services.

“At some point we intercepted travellers with certificates they claimed to have acquired at the district hospital, a time when our Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine had broken down,” he said.

“As far as we are concerned no laboratory has registered with us to indicate they offer such services as required by our standard operational procedures.

“What should happen is that these labs should notify our Port Health, which will then relay the message to the South Africans to accept their certificates. The same applies with those coming from South Africa, we have names of those authorised to do such tests.”

Dr Samhere said they had agreed in principle with their counterparts at the South African border to exchange a list of approved/ registered laboratories which offer PCR tests. He said only those with PCR tests results would be allowed to leave or enter the country.

Some of the travellers who have been turned away were using results from rapid or antigen tests.

“The position is clear from both countries that we will screen travellers based on PCR results and not any other tests.

Our appeal is that travellers must not lose their valuable money to bogus syndicates,” said the medical doctor.

Dr Samhere said the Port Health department had a verifiable list of approved testing points at various points across the county.