Malawi Airlines staff were forced to remain in their plane at an airport in Botswana during President Lazarus Chakwera’s trip on Friday.
The employees who include four Cabin Crew, an engineer and two pilots were told that they should not disembark the plane because they did not produce Covid-19 certificates.
Ironically, Malawi Airlines requires passengers to produce Covid-19 certificates showing Coronavirus test results before they board a plane.
According to Nation Online, the airline believed that the employees would not require certificate in Botswana as they were expected to return to Malawi the same day.
But at the airport in Gaborone, the Malawi Airlines staff were not allowed to go to the airport terminal to refresh.
“All this is due to their company’s (Malawian Airlines) negligence as they took it for granted since it’s a return trip within a day.
Chakwera being interviewed in Botswana “It is embarrassing as it means that they have to wait right there in the plane up until the President finishes all his meetings and that will be obviously too late,” the Nation reported.
Chakwera went to Botswana on Friday morning to attend the one day Extraordinary SADC Troika Summit of the Organ for Defence and Security, which ended Friday afternoon.
SADC leaders at the summit have agreed on the United Nations proposal to reduce number of troops in the Force Intervention Brigade in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Speaking before departing back for Malawi, Chakwera said SADC leaders are committed to ensure that peace and stability is maintained in the Region.
“We have agreed to continue contributing troops to the Force Intervention Brigade in Democratic Republic of Congo but on reduced numbers,” said Chakwera.
Chakwera also said that the meeting has also agreed to tackle terrorism through the establishment of Anti-terrorism Centre.
The Malawi leader arrived back home Friday evening.
Zimbabwe is in debt distress and this could provide the biggest challenge on efforts to recover the economy from the abyss of collapse. Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube presented a ZWL$421.6 billion 2021 National Budget on Thursday, and once again it leaves more questions than answers.
According to the budget statement, the country’s external debt is estimated at US$8.2 billion, as at end September 2020 which is an increase by US$106 million from the end 2019 amount of US$8.09 billion and was mainly on account of penalties and interest arrears.
“Of the total external debt, 17% is owed by public entities through guarantees,” Minister Ncube said.
Government through its National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) launched last week said worsening the country’s debt position was the rapid accumulation of external arrears.
“There is high risk of moral hazard, with many public entities approaching government for debt assumption,” the NDS1 says.
According to the budget statement, total Public and Publicly Guaranteed (PPG) debt is estimated at 78.7% of GDP by end of 2020 and the debt stock is marginally above the SADC recommended threshold of 60% of GDP and the Public Debt Act threshold of 70% of GDP.
Minister Ncube further highlighted that domestic debt as at 30 September 2020 was ZWL$12.5 billion, which is 1.2% of GDP and 1.8% of the total public debt.
While domestic debt has been stable, and seemingly more sustainable to service, external debt is highly unsustainable given the current shortages in forex to service the obligations. Two-thirds of this debt are arrears and with the economy coming from a two-year dip, it is unlikely to see any repayment in 2021.
The domestic economy, which, in 2018-20 was confronted with climatic, macroeconomic and the current Covid-19 shocks, is projected to contract by – 4.5% in 2020 as per the Ministers projections. However, other independent projections like Equity Axis foresee a worse downturn at about -10% in 2020.
For any future financing from IFIs, requires the authorities to clear the arrears first which is unlikely in the near time. It is worthy to note that, Zimbabwe’s debt management legal framework is rated quite strongly by development partners such as the World Bank and the Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute as one that meets minimum standards for debt management. But, the government has been failing to comply with the law.
The ballooning external debt could prove the major setback in the government’s efforts to revive the ailing economy. While stability has been noticed over the recent months on exchange rate and inflation trends, there are high fears that the stability is highly unsustainable.
If the Zimbabwe dollar further depreciates value, and budget deficit persists in addition to the rapid accumulation of external arrears, toxic as that combination is, the country will by no means manage to safely carry the debt.
Imports of second-hand vehicles more than 10 years old are to be banned to contain the import bill and promote the domestic motor industry, while all vehicles imported from Japan now require prior clearance to ensure they are not contaminated by radioactivity from the 2011 accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The proposal for the ban on older second-hand cars was part of a raft of measures to rebuild Zimbabwe’s assembly industry presented by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube when he unveiled the 2021 National Budget on Thursday, while the need for radiation clearance was part of a statutory instrument gazetted by President Mnangagwa.
Prof Ncube noted that Zimbabweans had spent about US$1,3 billion on the imports of buses, light commercial and passenger motor vehicles from 2015 to September 2020.
“This is despite the existence of capacity by the local motor industry to assemble the above-mentioned range of motor vehicles,” he said.
“Furthermore, due to lack of effective standards and regulation, unroadworthy vehicles, which, in some instances fail to meet environmental and safety standards, find their way onto the market. In line with the National Development Strategy 1, which underscores value addition, I propose to remove second-hand motor vehicles aged 10 years and above, from the date of manufacture at the time of importation, from the Open General Import Licence.”
Prof Ncube said commercial vehicles such as tractors, haulage trucks, earth-moving equipment and other specialised vehicles used in mining and construction would be exempt from this requirement.
In 2011, Government banned the import of vehicles more than five years old, although the ban was later reversed following an outcry from the public.
In order to stop imports of vehicles contaminated with radioactive debris, President Mnangagwa yesterday gazetted a Statutory Instrument requiring those importing vehicles from countries that have experienced level two and above radiation on the International Nuclear Radiological Event Scale to obtain clearance for radiation contamination.
S1 281 of 2020 is cited as the Radiation Protection (Safety and Security of Radiation Sources) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (No. 5).
Japan is the only country that has experienced a radiation event above level two on the INES, notes the instrument, when in 2011 it experienced a disaster at its Fukushima Nuclear Plant following an earthquake and the accident was rated 7 on the INES.
While most cars imported from Japan will not be contaminated, the regulations will prevent vehicles that were near the nuclear power plant being salvaged and exported to Zimbabwe.
According to the SI, any person who does not comply with the regulations or who makes a false statement or declaration or falsifies any documents concerning the country of origin of a vehicle shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 5 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or both such fine and such imprisonment.
President Mnangagwa poses for a picture yesterday at the Phakalane Conference Centre in Gaborone, Botswana, with his counterparts Presidents Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana (centre), Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa (left) during an extraordinary SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation Heads of State Summit to discuss emerging peace and security situations in the region
SADC yesterday undertook to work on a robust regional response to the growing threat of terrorism and insurgency in parts of Mozambique, which it will put in action once finalised.
This came out at an extraordinary Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation summit in Botswana yesterday attended by President Mnangagwa and his counterparts — Presidents Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi was represented by his Defence Minister Jaime Augusto Neto at the summit, which also discussed the re-organisation of regional troops deployed in the DRC.
The extraordinary troika summit resolved to marshal a regional reaction to support Mozambique battle the bloody insurgency in its northern province of Cabo Delgado.
President Mnangagwa returned home last night after the day-long meeting.
A communiqué released after the meeting outlined the Organ Troika’s concern over growing instability in the region.
“The extraordinary Organ Troika summit noted with concern, the acts of terrorism in the region, particularly in Cabo Delgado province of the Republic of Mozambique, and expressed continued Sadc solidarity with Mozambique,” reads the communiqué.
“The extraordinary Organ Troika summit directed the finalisation of a comprehensive regional response and support to the Republic of Mozambique to be considered urgently by the Summit.”
Mozambique has struggled to deal with the Islamist insurgency in the mainly-Muslim province to its north, which has accounted for over 2 000 lives since 2017. Nearly 430 000 people have been displaced in the fighting.
Yesterday’s summit also addressed the re-organisation of the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), a multi-lateral military formation under the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (known as MONUSCO) authorised by the UN Security Council in 2003.
The FIB is the first UN peacekeeping operation specifically tasked to carry out targeted offensive operations to neutralise and disarm groups considered a threat to state authority and civilian security. Its operations have targeted the M23 rebel group which operates primarily in the province of North Kivu in eastern DRC.
Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania contribute troops to the stabilisation mission.
The UN wants to cut the number of troops deployed under the FIB, ostensibly because of funding constraints.
“The extraordinary organ troika summit accepted the proposal by the United Nations to realign the current Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) troops strength to create the headroom for the Quick Reaction Forces (QRFs), and generate two QRFs from the SADC troops contributing countries,” reads the communiqué.
“The extraordinary organ troika summit expressed appreciation to the United Nations for the continued partnership and support.
“The extraordinary organ troika summit pledged regional support to the development and implementation of the joint strategy on the progressive and Phased Drawdown of MONUSCO in the DRC.”
Addressing plenary earlier on, host and organ chair President Masisi underscored the need for a coordinated approach to confront the growing menace of terrorism and insurgency in the region.
“Your Excellencies, even though the region’s performance in the areas of democracy and peace remains the envy of many, there are some emerging issues that are threatening the preservation of our peace and security,” said President Masisi. “These include terrorism, insurgencies, cybercrime and transnational organised crimes.”
President Masisi said member states could not deal with these threats individually.
“As such, there is need for an integrated and coordinated regional approach to effectively deal with these eminent threats,” he said. “You will recall that at our last organ troika summit that was held on August 14, 2020, we endorsed the report on the assessment of security threats to the Sadc region.
“Even though the report identified a number of security threats, it singled out terrorism as the most serious threat that needs urgent attention from all the member States.
“As we all know, terrorism is very cancerous in nature. Once it finds fertile ground, it spreads out like bushfire. There is, therefore, an absolute need to urgently nip it from the bud before it engulfs the entire region.”
Recent reports suggest that 50 people were beheaded by the militant Islamists, with links to the Islamic State (IS) group.
Responding to the news earlier this month, President Mnangagwa condemned the acts of terrorism in Mozambique, warning that Zimbabwe was ready to assist in stamping out the insurgency.
Writing on Twitter, the President said: “I am deeply shocked by reports of terrorist activity in Mozambique.
“These acts of barbarity must be stamped out wherever they are found. Zimbabwe is ready to assist in any way we can.
“The security of our region is paramount in the protection of our people.”
In May, President Mnangagwa held a meeting with President Nyusi in Chimoio, Mozambique, where the two leaders discussed the security situation in Cabo Delgado and parts of Mozambique’s Manica and Sofala provinces, which are also affected by insurgents.
The two leaders condemned the acts of banditry in Mozambique, concluding that such acts undermined peace and development.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and State Security Minister Owen Ncube attended yesterday’s meeting.
Victorious late Michelle “Moana” Amuli’s father Mr Ishmael Amuli (right) flanked by an unidentified man walks out of the High Court in Harare yesterday
SOCIALITE Michelle “Moana” Amuli, who died in horrific car accident on November 8, is set to be buried today after the High Court resolved a three-week-long impasse between her estranged parents over handling of the funeral and burial site.
Justice Pisirayi Kwenda found no legal basis to stop the burial according to Muslim religion in line with her father’s wishes.
Moana’s father Mr Ishmael Amuli and mother Ms Yolanda Kuvaoga desired different funeral ceremonies and different grave sites.
The burial order designated Warren Hills Cemetery as Moana’s resting place, but the mother insisted that she be buried the Christian way at Zororo Cemetery.
Justice Kwenda ruled that the burial order issued to Mr Amuli on November 18, 2020 was correctly issued with the knowledge of the mother, who conceded during the hearing that there was nothing wrong with the manner of its issuance.
“It remains valid. There is no reason to replace a valid burial order with another,” said Justice Kwenda.
“The application for an interdict cannot succeed.”
The Burial and Cremation Act [Chapter 5:03] has no provision that deals with resolution of burial disputes and the judge felt it might be that in the past such a provision was not necessary because of the richness of culture and adherence thereto by the various ethnic communities in Zimbabwe.
Given this novel case, there might be need for legislative intervention prescribing a dispute resolution mechanism that gave prominence to customary law remedies.
But in deciding this case, Justice Kwenda found that there was no evidence that Mr Amuli would exclude Ms Kuvaoga from her daughter’s funeral saying: “The assignment of roles at a funeral as stated in this case, does not amount to a restriction on the applicant’s rights to be participate in activities at her daughter’s funeral which warrants the intervention of the court.
“The applicant has not established the legal basis for the reliefs sought.”
Justice Kwenda said the relevance of what Ms Kuvaoga said was Moana’s worldly lifestyle and her alleged celebrity status was difficult to fathom.
“It appears to me that the applicant does not appreciate the possible implications of over-emphasising the deceased’s secular habits which she believes gave her an elevated social standing in her last days because she could be basking in the grandeur of the perceived status,” said Justice Kwenda.
The judge said Ms Kuvaoga’s oral evidence had no relevance to the relief sought. On the other hand, he found that Moana was born to the Amuli family.
To this end, the court found, the right to family was fundamental and protected in the constitution under Chapter 4 Bill of rights.
In this regard, Justice Kwenda ruled that Mr Amuli raised his daughter from the age of barely a year until she attained adulthood and was her sole custodian and guardian.
Zimbabwe and South Africa are working flat out to harmonise management and health systems at Beitbridge Border Post so that more people can cross the Limpopo during the festive season without health risks and without compromising immigration and customs checks.
The border is expected to reopen to vehicular traffic on Tuesday next week after being closed when Covid-19 restrictions started being implemented in March.
Before the restrictions, an average of 35 000 people were cleared at the border daily during peak periods, with 15 000 travellers on a normal day.
At present, Zimbabweans coming home need pre-clearance from the embassy and consulates in South Africa to avoid swamping health testing, while the number of buses is limited.
Besides the traffic between the two countries, thousands of travellers a day from Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola were cleared at Beitbridge, a problem that is intensified as Botswana tightens its lockdown.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe and his South African counterpart, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, re-affirmed the need to harmonise the operating environment after meeting in Musina yesterday.
After the meeting, the two ministers along with Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Deputy Minister David Musabaya and law enforcement officials toured the South African side of the border.
Minister Kazembe said preparations had gathered momentum for the continued gradual border re-opening, which will see pedestrians and motorists being cleared this festive season.
Cabinet recently approved the re-opening of Beitbridge, Plumtree, Chirundu, Victoria Falls and Forbes border posts on December 1.
The land borders were closed to passenger traffic at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdowns across the Sadc region in March
“We have met today with our counterparts in South Africa and we have agreed on a number of areas where we need to collaborate to ensure a seamless movement of traffic during the festive season and beyond,” said Minister Kazembe.
“This is a unique festive season where people have not been able to move due to the Covid-19 pandemic for the better part of the year and there is bound to be more human traffic from next week.”
The two countries would employ the previous border management systems used during peak periods, but with health screening and testing.
Minister Kazembe and Dr Motsoaledi agreed to strengthen the capacity of port health officials to screen and test travellers.
Minister Kazembe said Zimbabwe was not leaving anything to chance and security had already been tightened at the border posts and along the Limpopo River to contain criminal activities.
“We have walked this road before,” he said. “The immigration, security and customs officials have handled huge volumes of traffic before. What we are only doing this time is beefing up staff and improving the capacity of port health officials to screen and test travellers to avoid creating congestion.”
The Ministry of Health and Child Care had already started testing border
workers of Covid-19 to establish the numbers ready for duty.
Dr Motsoaledi said South Africa had addressed congestion challenges which had dogged their side of the border in the last 21 days.
“We are here today to review our strength on the ground with our brothers from Zimbabwe,” he said.
“You are aware we have had challenges of congestion in the last three weeks. This emanated from the fact that Botswana closed its borders and we are now handling most of the transit traffic at Beitbridge.”
Congestion on the South African side had been worsened by commercial truck drivers disregarding the border protocols, which required them to park in truck stops and only leave for the border after customs clearance.
The South African National Defence Force, Musina municipal traffic police and the Limpopo Provincial Traffic Police had been deployed to restore order on the N1 Highway which leads to the border.
In addition, the South African Revenue Service had removed from its procedures, the use of the Customs Notification Document (CN2), following repeated systems breakdown which caused delays in cargo movement.
“We have also met with relevant border agencies on our side to ensure that we strengthen security for both travellers and manage illegal migration between Zimbabwe and South Africa,” said Dr Motsoaledi.
“We need to maintain the current momentum to eliminate delays of travellers. It’s a tradition that we have many people passing through our land borders every December and hence we continue planning ahead.”
Government has declared readiness to administer public examinations beginning next week after putting in place adequate measures informed by World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, to curb the spread of Covid-19.
In keeping with social distancing rules, examinations will be sat for from more classrooms and spacious halls to minimise chances of spreading the virus.
This week, Government announced the release of a further $150 million to needy schools to improve sanitation.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema said the June exams were conducted successfully and this time around, schools had improved their response.
He said they were expecting a similar outcome in the second round of public exams scheduled for this December and assured parents that all the requirements would be adhered to.
“All the measures needed to hold the examinations in a safe environment, have been put in place and examinations will be starting in December as scheduled,” said Minister Mathema.
“Protective clothing for learners and teachers is now in place and we expect to hold exams successfully like we did in June. I want to assure parents, guardians and all stakeholders that everything is in place for holding successful examinations.”
For schools with confirmed Covid-19 cases, Minister Mathema said measures were in place to isolate, as well as take care of any arising cases.
Speaking after this week’s Cabinet meeting, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said authorities were strengthening protective and preventative measures in boarding school environments.
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education with technical support from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, is organising logistics for implementing practical measures to minimise the recurrence of the John Tallach School experience in other boarding schools,” he said.
Measures included reviewing the maximum carrying capacity of all boarding hostels, conducting detailed inspection of boarding facilities and targeted training of hostel matrons, boarding masters, as well as kitchen staff.
Calls to proceed with examinations have been growing from various sectors as preventing pupils from going to the next grade would clog their streams.
National Association of Primary Heads president Mrs Cynthia Khumalo said the major challenge was the disrupted learning time for students because of Covid-19 mitigatory measures.
National Association of Secondary Heads president Mr Arthur Maposa said they might not be ready to manage the big numbers of examination classes.
By A Correspondent| MBCA head of Credit Herbert Chingono and Garrison Industries founder Tambudzai Tongofa have been taken to court to settle US$5002 they allegedly swindled Crosstrack Investments, a leading borehole drilling company based in Harare.
Chingono is being sued on his personal capacity.
Facts are that in July this year, Garrison Industries which is based in Bulawayo sub- contracted Crosstrack Investments to drill a borehole at Chingono’s residence since the company had no proper equipment and capacity to carry out the task.
Garrison Industries and Chingono agreed to pay US$5002 including tax.
Despite several demands, the defendants have failed to pay for service rendered.
Investigations by this publication have flagged possible conflict of interest between Chingono and Garrison industries.
Garrison Industries got a credit facility from MBCA where Chingono is the head of Credit. It is under unclear circumstances how Garrison Industries ended up paying for borehole drilling at Chingono’s residence.
“It’s a case of kickbacks that have gone wrong. Garrison Industries were supposed to drill a borehole at Chingono’s residence as a thank you token and they were supposed to foot the bill. Chingono has been helping Garrison Industries a lot using his position at MBCA,” said a source who works in the bank.
Contacted for comment, Chingono said, “I am just checking with our Head of Legal if I can respond to a matter before the Courts to which I have prepared a notice to defend. Once I get the nod, I will do the necessary.”
By A Correspondent| The family of the late socialite Michelle Moana Amuli last night clashed on whether to give a chance to the fitness bunny’s mother to bid farewell to her daughter before she is buried at Warren Hills cemetery.
According to a family source, there were sharp disagreements with some feeling she should have her chance while others opposed the idea on the grounds that she has embarrassed the family by taking the matter to court.
“Some were saying let’s give her while others were against the idea,” said the source.
At the time of publishing, it was not yet clear what they had settled as they could not conclude the burial programme in the absence of their Islamic Church leader who was expected to attend the meeting.
The source said Moana’s was bitter that the whole programme had gone against her earlier plans and had specifically spoken about her “deco” which she was worried about.
“Mai Mitchy vaipopota kuti ko deco yangu ndichaita sei nayo (Michelle’s mother was fuming that her deco had been rendered useless),” said the source.
A local news organisation NewsHawks has published a damning report claiming that Impala Car Rental is owned by the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation who owns controlling shares in the company.
According to NewsHawks, an investigation over two months into Impala’s affairs and Muchehiwa’s abduction in Bulawayo on 30 July shows the car hire belongs to the CIO. The kidnapping occurred a day before the 31 July protests, preceded by a sweeping crackdown on civic and political activists, including journalists, by state security agents.
Documents obtained during the investigation show that Impala – registered as Impala Carriers (Pvt) Ltd – is now owned by Chilten Trust, a CIO entity, represented by company chief executive Thompson Dondo in the car hire firm’s registration documents. Impala’s registration number is 2519/1989. Although Impala registration documents have been removed from the company registry in Harare, The NewsHawks managed to meticulously piece together the record.
Investigations reveal Chilten Trust is a CIO entity used for administrative, operational and investments purposes. The probe unearthed a secret arrangement between Dondo and the CIO on the ownership of the business.
The probe shows Dondo – whose National Identification card Number is 58-132451P-50 – represents CIO interests in Impala. His address was given on the documents as No. 92 McChery Avenue, Eastlea, Harare. A search for the address led to No. 92 McChlery, not McChery.
Dondo’s ID No. – the last two digits 50 – shows he is from Mutasa district in Manicaland province. The digits 58 suggest he obtained his ID from Kwekwe. The NewsHawks journalists, then working for the Zimbabwe Independent, first came across Chilten Trust in the late 1990s and again in 2003 investigating its ties with Israeli intelligence-linked entity Nikuv which was hired by government to produce new IDs and passports, and later biometric identity and travel documents. Nikuv, which deals with electrical issues, is infamous in Zimbabwe for election rigging controversies.
Our journalists also later encountered Chilten Trust in 2003 when it was embroiled in a failed CIO plot to frame the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the party’s then secretary-general Welshman Ncube and the late Renson Gasela, an MDC leader, and implicate them in false allegations that they had conspired to assassinate the late former president Robert Mugabe.
In the plot to frame MDC leaders, Chilten Trust was used by CIO as a conduit to make payments through CBZ Bank and ZB Bank (formerly ZimBank) to dodgy international Israeli public relations consultant Ari Ben-Menashe via his Canadian-based political consultancy, Dickens & Madison, between 30 November 2001 and 5 August 2002.
Documents show that Chilten Trust took control of Impala on 6 September 2017 after it had acquired 16 000 shares at a nominal value of ZW$1 each. At the time the exchange between the United States dollar and the Zimbabwean dollar was 1:1. An Impala CR2 document, used for creating and issuing new shares or for share allotment in a private company, shows the 16 000 shares gave the CIO outfit a controlling 50.2% shareholding. The nominal share capital of the company was 32 000 shares going for ZW$1 each. The number of shares previously allotted, including subscriber shares, was 100. This left 31 900 shares available for cash to the tune of ZW$31 900.
After Chilten Trust found its way into Impala through Dondo, on the same day – 6 September 2017 – the balance of the shares went to a company called Gutlomm Trust located on the 7th Floor of Robinson House, Harare. The company was represented by Tendai Gunda whose ID number is 50-173439E-42.
Dondo and Gunda are both from Manicaland. Gutlomm Trust is no longer present at the given address. Checks show that it has now moved to Eastlea along Samora Machel Avenue. The CR6 document says Impala is located on Number 40 Chiremba Road, Hillside, which is public knowledge.
Asked about Impala’s shareholding and CIO connection, Impala company lawyer Jivas Mudimu said: “I don’t want to lie; I’m a lawyer for Impala, but I don’t know what is in its CR14 (information on directors). I don’t think it is any of my business anyway. I don’t know who owns what at Impala.”
Following weeks of endless drama since her death in a car crash on the 8th of November, Michelle Amuli popularly known as Moana will finally be buried today after the High Court dismissed an application by her mother Yolanda Kuvaoga to gain full control of the funeral programme.
Moana who died together with controversial Harare businessman Genius Kadungure, will be buried today at Warren Hills cemetery instead of Zororo Memorial Park which had earlier been announced by Doves.
According to Amuli family members, a service for Moana will be held at Belvedere Islamic Church Hall before burial.
A close family source revealed that a meeting was held last night to deliberate on what to do with Kuvaoga who wanted to have a moment to bid farewell to her child.
“Some felt she should be given upto 2 hours to allow her friends to pay their last respect while some were opposed to the idea,” the source said.
Its not yet clear what they finally agreed on but the source said there was violent opposition to the idea of giving her mother unfettered access to the body due to how she had fought the Amuli family.
A FORMER soldier who was apprehended while attempting to rob an elderly woman at gun-point at her house in Lobengula West, Bulawayo, has been sentenced to an effective seven years in jail.
Ian Sibanda (56) committed the offence with Learnmore Kwari who had tipped him that the woman had money to buy a house from his in-laws.
Kwari is still at large after escaping from the scene during the botched robbery attempt.
Sibanda appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza this week on Tuesday, facing charges of attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm without a licence.
He pleaded guilty to both counts.
For the first count Mr Mabeza sentenced him to eight years imprisonment and suspended two years on condition that Sibanda does not commit a similar offence within five years. For possession of a firearm arm without a licence he was slapped with a one-year jail sentence. He will effectively serve seven years in jail.
The prosecutor Ms Chosen Makanda told the court that Sibanda and Kwari pounced on Livia Matshazi’s (66) house in Lobengula West suburb.
“At about 630PM the accused person in the accompany of his accomplice Kwari who is on the run stormed into Matshazi’s sitting room and found her with her 16- year – old granddaughter. He pulled out a pistol from his waist and pointed it at Matshazi while demanding cash.
Upon hearing unusual noise from the sitting room Matshazi’s grandson who was in the spare bedroom armed himself with a golf club, rushed to the sitting room. He hit Sibanda hard with the golf club on the armed arm causing him to drop the pistol,” she said.
Ms Makanda said the grandson disarmed Sibanda.
“He picked the pistol and called neighbours who assisted in apprehending Sibanda. Kwari fled. A pistol with erased serial numbers with live ammunition and a BMW car all belonging to the accused were taken to Magwegwe police station. Sibanda was force-marched to Magwegwe Police Station.
On the same day the detectives from CID homicide went to the station and discovered that the firearm’s serial numbers were erased, suggesting it was a stolen firearm.
After investigations it was discovered that the accused used a firearm without a certificate,” she said.
Member of Parliament Dexter Nduna has been dragged to court for illegal mining.
The Chegutu West MP, 49, of Plot 1 and 2 Drummond farm, Chegutu and his accomplices Superintendent Wonder Chisikwa, 50, Officer in Charge Crime and Operations, Acting Officer Commanding Chegutu District, Vengai Musengi, (39) of Plot 13 Ardlui farm, Bonzim, Tatenda Gwinji, (30) Chegutu council district chairperson of 13 Hillroad, Concession, Chegutu, Tawanda Marufu, (32)of 7205 East View, Chegutu and Nyasha Nyikadzino, (33) of 27440, Chegutu, appeared before Chinhoyi Regional magistrate, Stanley Mambanje charged with one count of prospecting for minerals without a permit or licence.
The case was postponed to December 4 for trial continuation. Prosecuting, Herald Matura, told the court that on November 12, 2019, Nduna, Chisikwa, Musengi and Gwinji met at ZRP Chegutu district headquarters where they held a meeting and hatched a plan to extract mineral ore from David Whitehead Company waste deposit tanks where there was a pit which had been dug by illegal miners who were prospecting for gold.
In their meeting, the accused people allegedly agreed to look for a JCB to extract the mineral ore and Gwinji opted to approach Chegutu rural district council requesting for the services of a JCB.
The court heard that the following day, Nduna, decided to hire a JCB from Yellow Metal Tours Company, Kadoma, of which he paid US$495 through Marufu.
On November 13, at around 7:30am, Chisikwa went to David Whitehead Company waste deposit tanks pit and told police officers who were guarding the site being led by Sergeant William Gwemende that a JCB was coming to backfill the pit.
Chisikwa returned to the police station and while at his office, he phoned Gwemende on his mobile phone and informed him that Nduna, was coming to the site to have an appreciation of the site and was to brief him.
It is said, a few minutes later, Nduna arrived at the site in the company of Musengi and was briefed by Gwemende and he got an appreciation of the pit.
He also assured Gwemende that a JCB was coming to backfill the pit. At 8:30am, a JCB from Yellow Metal Tours Company Kadoma, which was being operated by Stanley Sibanda arrived at the site being led by Marufu.
The JCB operated for about three hours extracting ore and heaping it to the side of the pit and Musengi ordered Marufu to instruct the JCB operator to load mineral ore into vehicles, which had come to the site. Herald
ONE person died and two others were seriously injured after being struck by lightning in Mutare today (Tuesday).
The incident occurred during a thunderstorm that hit the city earlier this afternoon.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa confirmed the incident which happened near the Grain Marketing Board Depot in Sakubva.
“I can confirm that three people were struck by lightning this afternoon. One of them died on the spot and the other two were seriously injured and taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital where they are receiving treatment,” he said.
Insp Kakohwa, however, could not release details on the identity of the deceased and injured.
The country is expected to receive heavy rains this week accompanied by strong winds and lightning and the Meteorological Services Department has issued an alert for people to be cautious during thunderstorms and avoid seeking shelter under isolated trees or small sheds.-Manica Post
A Rusape man who stoned his mother to death following a misunderstanding over tea will spend the next 23 years in jail.
Muzowaka Macheke (47) was convicted of murder as defined in Section 47(i)(a) or (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23, when he recently appeared before Mutare High Court judge, Justice Hlekani Mwayera.
Prosecutor Ms Jane Rose Matsikidze said the murder was committed on January 27 in Chasaya Village under Chief Tandi.
“Muzowaka, his mother Mrs Monica Macheke and a domestic worker, Ms Margret Bhiza were living at the same homestead when Muzowaka committed the offence.
“On the day in question at around 3am, the accused person returned home and found his mother and Mrs Bhiza sleeping in their bedroom,” said Ms Matsikidze.
He asked for sadza and was referred to the kitchen.
“After eating, Muzowaka asked the domestic worker to make him some tea. The deceased came out of her bedroom with the intention of cooling down her son as he was now demanding the tea. However, Muzowaka did not take heed of his mother’s calls.
“Muzowaka became violent and slapped his mother, before stoning her several times on the head,” said Ms Matsikidze.
Mrs Macheke died on the spot.
Post mortem results showed that her death was due to serious head trauma.
Testifying in court, Ms Bhiza said Muzowaka was drunk when he committed the murder.
Ms Bhiza said when Muzowaka became violent, she rushed to advise Mr Morgan Macheke about the incident but when they returned, Mrs Macheke was already lying in a pool of blood.
The matter was reported to the police, thereby leading to Muzowaka’s arrest.-Manica Post
A HONDE Valley man recently confessed to killing his nine-year-old nephew for ritual purposes, before going on to harvest the minor’s private parts, arms, ears and eyes after being contracted to do so by his brother and another businessman.
However, reliable sources in the community are saying the man is walking scot-free after making the confession.
Jacob Muranganwa is now said to be facing the full wrath of his late nephew, Zedek Muranganwa’s avenging spirit which reportedly carries him outside during his sleep.
Zedek was murdered last year by his father’s brother Jacob.
The murder came to light when one of the Muranganwa siblings — John —approached acting Chief Mutasa’s court accusing his brothers — James and Abraham — of harassing him and breaching his peace.
John said James and Abraham were accusing him of killing Zedek for ritual purposes. However, things took a dramatic twist when Jacob sprung from his seat to confess to the murder.
“I cannot endure this torment anymore. Every morning I wake up sleeping outside. At first, I thought I was sleep-walking, but when I started seeing Zedek’s image every night, I knew his avenging spirit was behind it all. “Whenever it gets dark, l see the boy’s image. I am the only one who sees him, even when I am with someone else,” confessed Jacob during the court session.
Jacob said he murdered Zedek for ritual purposes and harvested the boy’s private parts, arms, ears and eyes.
Three days later, he hung the lifeless and mutilated body on a tree near the boy’s home to stage a suicide.
Jacob fingered his brother, John, businessman Kwambana and another unidentified businessman, of contracting him to carry out a ritual murder to boost their businesses. John allegedly owns a leisure centre in Honde Valley.
“Sometime last year, my brother John, Kwambana and another businessman asked me to harvest a young boy’s body parts for money-making rituals.
“The next day I saw Zedek coming from school and I lured him to my workplace — John’s grinding mill. I promised to give him some money for his school fees and he obliged. I gave him sadza laced with Maragada pills.
“He ate the sadza and dozed off moments later. I took a hammer and hit him once on the head. Zedek died instantly. I took his body and hid it behind the grinding mill.
“After closing the grinding mill, I cut off the body parts. When John and his partners came to collect the body parts, they placed the body in a refrigerator. It stayed there for three days before they instructed me to hang it near Zedek’s home to make it appear like the boy had committed suicide,” narrated Jacob.
After Jacob’s confession, Chief Mutasa ordered his aides to accompany him to Ruda Police Station as he said criminal issues were beyond his jurisdiction.
However, John died mysteriously a week later.
He was buried last Friday.
The Muranganwa siblings’ relatives who spoke to The Manica Post on condition of anonymity said John was found dead. They said they suspect that Zedek’s avenging spirit might have pushed his Uncle John into an early grave.
On the other hand, reliable sources from the community said Jacob is walking scot free after being released from police custody.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa could neither confirm nor deny the matter and said investigations were underway.
“We have called Ruda Police Station and they could neither confirm nor deny that they are handling such a case. However, word doing the rounds in the community confirms the murder case. We will need to dig deeper with the investigations to get to the bottom of the issues,” said Insp Kakohwa.-Manica Post
BENEFICIARIES of Pfumvudza and drought relief programmes should not be coerced into covering transport costs as it is Government’s responsibility to deliver grain and inputs to them, Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars Seenza, has said.
He said those being asked to make such payments must report the cases to the police.
Mr Seenza’s comments come amid revelations that some unscrupulous Government workers in Chipinge and Chimanimani districts were conniving with transporters and village heads to demand US$1 or R20 from beneficiaries of the two programmes, yet that responsibility was being shouldered by the Government.
At least $118 million is being mobilised to transport inputs under the Climate-Proofed Presidential Inputs Programme, commonly known as Pfumvudza, from Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots.
Information gathered by The Manica Post showed that Agritex and Department of Social Welfare officials, truck drivers and village heads were charging unsuspecting beneficiaries in foreign currency for them to be included on the list of beneficiaries.
Proceeds are shared amongst members of the syndicates.-Manica Post
The Zimbabwean government has refused to bow down to pressure from education stakeholders to close all schools across the country after several schools were put under lockdown due to a high number of pupils testing positive for coronavirus.
The leader of government business in Parliament Ziyambi Ziyambi on Wednesday told Parliamentarians that there is a need to accept the new normal saying COVID-19 outbreaks at schools will be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Said Ziyambi:
What we have decided as the government is that we have to adapt and live in the new normal. What we cannot do is, if a school in Chinhoyi has an outbreak of COVID-19, we then close a school in Mutare.
We look at it case-by-case and say we have had cases here, what we do to ensure the safety of the learners as well as to ensure that learners continue learning. We have realised that we can literally have a 365-day lockdown.
This comes after coronavirus cases at schools have surged, with John Tallach in Matabeleland North recording 189, Chinhoyi High School in Mashonaland West has recorded 57 cases and Matopo High School in Matabeleland South has 10 positive cases.
Some of the schools have been quarantined to curb the spread of the virus.-Daily News
Highlanders FC have announced a US$300 000 three-year partnership with the new technical sponsor, England-based sportswear provider On the Ball (OTB).
The former Premier Soccer League champions announced the arrival of OTB as their new sponsor at a colourful ceremony at a Bulawayo hotel on Thursday.
The announcement comes after Bosso have parted ways with sportswear manufacturer Roar.
The new partnership, which was meant to kick in at the start of the 2020 season, is subject to renewal. A report by the Chronicle best describes Bosso’s new kit:
Bosso got four sets of playing kit, a short and long-sleeved traditional zebra-striped shirt, which they can alternate with black or white shorts, as well as an all-black and all-white playing kit.
The deal also includes four sets of training kit made up of neon, orange, red and peppermint green, accompanied by black shorts.
The peppermint training kit, which looks bluish, has already raised debate in social media, with the club’s followers associating the colour with perennial rivals Dynamos.
The travelling kit, which the technical team will also wear on the bench, comprises white golf shirts, with a splash of grey as well as black golf tops. The tops can either be worn with black tracksuit pants or black shorts.-Chronicle
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Deputy president, Hon Tendai Biti, has described Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s National Budget Presentation as a damp squib.
The budget has not addressed key matters affecting ordinary Zimbabweans, according to Hon Biti.
Below is Hon Biti’s argument:
“Joining SACU and the RMU is only logical … The USD has appreciated by 19 % in last two years so Zim must devalue same to a currency that’s weak but credible . Rand offers that .
Besides that is the faster way to SADC integration with all its economies of scale…
As expected this was yet another damp squib.A real missed opportunity to address the key distortion in the economy which is FX & monetary policy. The fiction of ZWL$ is not working .Real value , real wages & real incomes needed to be restored . Maintaining ZWL$ fiction is madness
The failure to restore USD wages and pensions is the ultimate theft & failure by regime .Failure to deal decisively with pensions&the Justice Smith Inquiry recommendations another disaster The raft of tax measures proposed are anti poor & anti people particularly presumptive taxes
The tax attack in the informal economy , the levying of taxes in USD, the punitive taxes on fuel makes the 2021 budget is vicious anti- working class budget. Budget assumptions are a pipe dream & 7% GDP growth rate is an illusion . The country is trouble . #ZimbabweanLivesMatter
Member of Parliament Dexter Nduna has been dragged to court for illegal mining.
The Chegutu West MP, 49, of Plot 1 and 2 Drummond farm, Chegutu and his accomplices Superintendent Wonder Chisikwa, 50, Officer in Charge Crime and Operations, Acting Officer Commanding Chegutu District, Vengai Musengi, (39) of Plot 13 Ardlui farm, Bonzim, Tatenda Gwinji, (30) Chegutu council district chairperson of 13 Hillroad, Concession, Chegutu, Tawanda Marufu, (32)of 7205 East View, Chegutu and Nyasha Nyikadzino, (33) of 27440, Chegutu, appeared before Chinhoyi Regional magistrate, Stanley Mambanje charged with one count of prospecting for minerals without a permit or licence.
The case was postponed to December 4 for trial continuation. Prosecuting, Herald Matura, told the court that on November 12, 2019, Nduna, Chisikwa, Musengi and Gwinji met at ZRP Chegutu district headquarters where they held a meeting and hatched a plan to extract mineral ore from David Whitehead Company waste deposit tanks where there was a pit which had been dug by illegal miners who were prospecting for gold.
In their meeting, the accused people allegedly agreed to look for a JCB to extract the mineral ore and Gwinji opted to approach Chegutu rural district council requesting for the services of a JCB.
The court heard that the following day, Nduna, decided to hire a JCB from Yellow Metal Tours Company, Kadoma, of which he paid US$495 through Marufu.
On November 13, at around 7:30am, Chisikwa went to David Whitehead Company waste deposit tanks pit and told police officers who were guarding the site being led by Sergeant William Gwemende that a JCB was coming to backfill the pit.
Chisikwa returned to the police station and while at his office, he phoned Gwemende on his mobile phone and informed him that Nduna, was coming to the site to have an appreciation of the site and was to brief him.
It is said, a few minutes later, Nduna arrived at the site in the company of Musengi and was briefed by Gwemende and he got an appreciation of the pit.
He also assured Gwemende that a JCB was coming to backfill the pit. At 8:30am, a JCB from Yellow Metal Tours Company Kadoma, which was being operated by Stanley Sibanda arrived at the site being led by Marufu.
The JCB operated for about three hours extracting ore and heaping it to the side of the pit and Musengi ordered Marufu to instruct the JCB operator to load mineral ore into vehicles, which had come to the site. Herald
The Sports and Received Commission (SRC) has suspended Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Chief Executive Joseph Mamutse from any activity related to the game.
Prince Mupazvino, the commission’s Director General, was also suspended.
The move by the SRC is meant to enable a probe into how national teams; the senior men, the Mighty Warriors and U-17s, were according the sports regulatory body, given green light to travel outside the country in the Covid-19 domain.
This week, the Commission barred the national U-20 team from traveling to South Africa for the Cosafa tournament citing failure by ZIFA to inform them of the trip 30 days before departure, for the team to be cleared as per Covid-19 guidelines.
The fact that the Warriors were allowed to travel to Algiers earlier this month for an AFCON qualifier and the same procedure was not followed might indicate a questionable green-light given by someone at the commission, which is why there ought to be an investigation.-Soccer 24
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has made a bold decision to expel the party’s provincial chairperson of the Women’s Assembly (Bulawayo) for disregarding standing principles.
MDC Alliance national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere on Thursday said the party had nothing to do with Masotsha’s utterances which she made soon after she was exonerated from allegations of plotting the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa by the dreaded Ferret team.
“The MDC Alliance unequivocally dissociates itself with the utterances expressed by Tendai Masotsha in an audio recording which was circulated publicly on or about the 24th of November 2020, post our internal inquiry.
The said utterances run contrary to the values, beliefs, principles and disposition of the party. As a matter of record, the alleged conversation with Hon Jameson Timba never took place.
As a party of rules, the National Standing Committee resolves and recommends to the National Council that Tendai Masotsha be expelled from the MDC Alliance in accordance with the provisions of the Party Constitution on the grounds that her conduct violates the values that govern the party and her continued membership would be detrimental to the MDC Alliance,” said Mahere.
Political analysts have urged the MDC Alliance to flush out all implants within its structures.
“This is the time to flush out moles within the party.The decision to expel Masotsha is wise and appropriate,” said a social media analyst identified as Mwana Wevhu.
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has made a bold decision to expel the party’s provincial chairperson of the Women’s Assembly (Bulawayo) for disregarding standing principles.
MDC Alliance national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere on Thursday said the party had nothing to do with Masotsha’s utterances which she made soon after she was exonerated from allegations of plotting the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa by the dreaded Ferret team.
“The MDC Alliance unequivocally dissociates itself with the utterances expressed by Tendai Masotsha in an audio recording which was circulated publicly on or about the 24th of November 2020, post our internal inquiry.
The said utterances run contrary to the values, beliefs, principles and disposition of the party. As a matter of record, the alleged conversation with Hon Jameson Timba never took place.
As a party of rules, the National Standing Committee resolves and recommends to the National Council that Tendai Masotsha be expelled from the MDC Alliance in accordance with the provisions of the Party Constitution on the grounds that her conduct violates the values that govern the party and her continued membership would be detrimental to the MDC Alliance,” said Mahere.
Political analysts have urged the MDC Alliance to flush out all implants within its structures.
“This is the time to flush out moles within the party.The decision to expel Masotsha is wise and appropriate,” said a social media analyst identified as Mwana Wevhu.
Tinashe Sambiri|Mr Ishmael Amuli, the father of the late celebrity, Michelle “Moana” Amuli has said her daughter will be laid to rest at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare on Saturday.
This follows a protracted battle with Moana’s mother over burial rights.
Mr Amuli has been granted permission to bury her daughter by the High Court.
Tinashe Sambiri|Mr Ishmael Amuli, the father of the late celebrity, Michelle “Moana” Amuli has said her daughter will be laid to rest at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare on Saturday.
This follows a protracted battle with Moana’s mother over burial rights.
Mr Amuli has been granted permission to bury her daughter by the High Court.
Popular Sungura Musician Alick Macheso will before the year fold entertain his fans with a brand new single which will be released on 4 December 2020.
The single which is yet to be named, according to the sungura maestro is a Christmas present to his legion of fans and it will also be part of his forthcoming album to be released at an undisclosed date.
Macheso spoke briefly about the album before he referred all questions to his publicist and said:
The single will be out first week of December, it’s for the fans.
When contacted for comment, his Publicist Tich Makahamadze said the production of the said single is already at an advanced stage.
Macheso last made headlines when he featured in Freeman’s song Ngaibake whose video garnered over 2.8 million views on YouTube.-H-Metro
GIRLS College in Bulawayo has indefinitely closed following a Covid-19 case which was detected after the school held a leavers’ party for Upper Six students.
This development comes at a time when Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Bulawayo which now has the highest number of active cases in Zimbabwe.
One more person had died of Covid-19 in Bulawayo on Tuesday, the only death recorded in Zimbabwe as new cases continue rising in the country.
The country recorded 110 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours with 106 being local and the remainder returnees from Botswana and no deaths were recorded in the same period.
Of the new cases, Bulawayo was leading after recording 53 followed by Matabeleland South on 28 and Midlands recorded 15.
As at 25 November 2020, Zimbabwe had 9 506 confirmed cases, including 8 336 recoveries and 274 deaths. Bulawayo has in the past five days recorded seven deaths which constitutes 77 percent of the total deaths reported in Zimbabwe during the same time.
The city has the highest number of active cases in Zimbabwe at 233 against 827 cases in the whole country.
Of the 462 new cases recorded in Zimbabwe in the last six days, 205 were from Bulawayo and authorities have said the upsurge is a testament of a good contact tracing and testing system.
Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo confirmed the Girls College incident saying contact tracing is currently ongoing.
He bemoaned the increase of Covid-19 in the province saying it’s a worrying trend.
“We are recording a steady rise in number of Covid-19 cases in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province of late. This is obviously a worrying trend, but we believe it’s also testament to our strong surveillance system in the province. It means we are suspecting and testing the right segment of the population. It’s testament to good contact tracing,” he said.
“This unfortunately also reveals that Covid-19 continues to spread in the community. Bulawayo is expecting a sharp rise in number of returning residents from Botswana and South Africa, Injiva. As such, we are working on some measures to put in place to ensure safety of communities and to minimise spread of the virus over the holiday season.”
He called on residents to protect lives by practising safety measures which include the proper wearing of masks, social distancing and the washing of hands with either soap or hand sanitizer. “It is absolutely crucial that we practice these measures with a high level of discipline as we are now approaching the holiday season.
This can potentially present a challenge as the buzz of activity expected during this period will see an exponential rise in the number of cases. So, what we do now as Bulawayo will have a bearing on the number of cases we will experience over the festive period as well,” added Dr Mlilo.
Concerned parents said their children were informed yesterday morning that Girls College had to close to avert the spread of Covid-19.
In a letter addressed to parents dated November 24, Girls College principal Mrs Les Ross said the school continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and students with daily monitoring of temperatures, regular sanitising of all surfaces, mask wearing and social distancing.
“As you know, on Thursday 19th November Girls College held a Leavers’ Dinner Dance for our U6 Leavers. The event was held in a large open venue and numbers of both guests and staff working at the event were kept below 100. Unfortunately, since the dance one of the attendees has tested positive for Covid-19,” read the statement.
She said the virus has been contained within the U6 group as they had for the most part finished their exams and left the school and hostels some time before the dance.-Chronicle
ETHIOPIAN Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has again ruled out dialogue with the leaders of the defiant Tigray region during a meeting with three African Union special envoys. Abiy told the envoys trying to end the deadly conflict between Ethiopian troops and Tigray’s forces that he is willing to speak to representatives “operating legally” in the region, The Associated Press news agency reported on Friday. The meeting occurred as people fled the Tigrayan capital, Makelle, in fear of an imminent assault after Abiy on Thursday announced the “final phase” of the three-week offensive. In a statement issued after the meeting, Abiy’s office said the government was committed to the “protection and security of civilians” in Tigray. There was no immediate word from the three AU envoys: Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano and former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe. The government had given the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), who runs the northern Ethiopian region, until Wednesday to lay down arms or face an assault on Mekelle, home to 500,000 people. The federal and regional governments consider each other illegitimate. Abiy accuses Tigrayan leaders of starting the war by attacking federal troops at a base in Tigray three weeks ago. The TPLF has described the attack as a pre-emptive strike. AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo did not say whether the EU envoys can meet TPLF leaders, something Abiy’s office has rejected. The prime minister appreciated the AU envoys’ “elderly concern” and told them his government’s failure to enforce the rule of law in Tigray would “nurture a culture of impunity with devastating cost to the survival of the country,” his office said. Abiy, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, has rejected international “interference”. The Reuters news agency said it was unable to reach the TPLF for comment on Friday, but two diplomats said fighting raged in several areas outside Mekelle. With phone and internet connections shut off to the region and access to the area tightly controlled, verifying claims by all sides is difficult. There was no indication the Ethiopian military had entered the city of Mekelle. The TPLF previously said it was digging trenches around the city. Reuters was unable to verify those claims. Thousands of people are already believed to have died amid air raids and ground fighting since the war began on November 4. The United Nations estimates 1.1 million Ethiopians will need aid as a result of the conflict. The conflict has sent shockwaves through the Horn of Africa amid fears of it spreading to neighbouring nations. More than 43,000 Ethiopian refugees have fled to Sudan. -Al Jazeera
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Kazembe Kazembe on Friday held a closed meeting at the offices of the Musina Local Municipality in Limpopo to discuss immigration matters.
Motsoaledi and Kazembe were to later visit the Beitbridge border post. The meeting comes as undocumented foreign nationals continue to enter South Africa from Zimbabwe through the porous border.
The army and the police have started a campaign to push undocumented foreign nationals back to Zimbabwe.
Early this year the Department of Public Works erected a controversial low-quality R37 million border fence.
Recently South Africa started what it termed a push back strategy. This involves soldiers forcefully pushing hundreds of illegal immigrants entering South Africa through the fence back to Zimbabwe by soldiers. On Tuesday soldiers chased hundreds of illegal foreigners.
The fence was procured in terms of the COVID-19 prevention measures to stop the inflow of people from neighbouring countries.
While hitmaker Master KG is out here collecting accolades, his ex-girlfriend, singer Makhadzi, is letting it be known that her “virginity-breaker” is totally deserving of those awards and more.
Following a record-breaking eight award wins in just three weeks, Master KG became the talk on social streets after he bagged his latest win, an Icon of The Year award, at the SA Style awards this past Sunday.
But many tweeps were puzzled by the accolade, as they did not see Master KG as a very “fashion forward person”. However, his former bae Makhadzi felt that the award fitted him perfectly.
Taking to Twitter, the Limpopo-born songstress congratulated the Jerusalema hitmaker on his win, which led to tweeps stanning even harder at her level of maturity, seeing that there’s no bad blood between them.
Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Makhadzi said the only thing she wanted people to know her for was her performances and music rather than personal issues.
“However, because people already knew of my relationship, there was nothing I could do but wish him the best. My other wish is SA to know about my music only.”
Congratulations mukwasha https://t.co/E48ICcAqRi
— makhadzi muimbi SA (@makhadzimuimbi) November 23, 2020
In August, the couple revealed that they weren’t an item any more.
After a flood of questions on social media about the status of their relationship, Master KG revealed to his fans that they had split amicably to focus on their careers.
“Me and Makhadzi parted ways months ago … to focus on our careers. We are still young and we still need to achieve big things. (We) hope everyone understands and respects that. I am no longer going to answer anything related to this. Thanks,” Master KG said.
Commenting on the Facebook post verifying Master KG’s words, Makhadzi said, “Indeed it is true, it has come to an end, our relationship. Kindly respect our decisions.”
HIGHLANDERS FC have announced a three-year partnership with new technical sponsor, England-based sportswear provider On the Ball (OTB) worth US$300 000.
Bosso, who have parted ways with sportswear manufacturer Roar, announced the arrival of OTB as their new sponsor at a colourful ceremony at a Bulawayo hotel yesterday.
The partnership, which was meant to kick in at the start of the 2020 season, is subject to renewal.
Bosso got four sets of playing kit, a short and long-sleeved traditional zebra-striped shirt, which they can alternate with black or white shorts, as well as an all-black and all-white playing kit.
The deal also includes four sets of training kit made up of neon, orange, red and peppermint green, accompanied by black shorts.
The peppermint training kit, which looks bluish, has already raised debate in social media, with the club’s followers associating the colour with perennial rivals Dynamos.
The training kit will also be used for warm-ups.
The traveling kit, which the technical team will also wear on the bench, comprises white golf shirts, with a splash of grey as well as black golf tops. The tops can either be worn with black tracksuit pants or black shorts.
The ZANU PF secretary for administration, Obert Mpofu has announced that the party’s District Coordinating Committees (DCCs) elections will be held on 5 and 6 December 2020.
Mpofu made the announcement at the ZANU PF Headquarters on Friday evening during the National Spokesperson’s Editors Cocktail Dinner.
Mpofu said voting will be done from 0800hrs to 1600hrs at the respective designated Ward centres across all the 8 provinces and only candidates which were vetted and approved by the National Security Department and Commissariat will participate in the elections.
He added that the national elections Command Centre will be located at the Party Headquarters in Harare and will be presided by the national chair, secretaries for administration, security, national political commissar and other supporting Politburo members.
Mpofu said the DCC elections will be governed by the following parameters:
The Electoral College will consist of District Executive Committee Members Deployment of Supervisory Teams to Provinces will be on the 3rd December 2020 The Voters Roll will be as per the – 2017/2018 approved Membership Registers The Elections Supervisory Team – Each Province will be supervised by a team from a different province Ballot Papers will only consist of the approved candidates.
The Zimbabwean government has refused to bow down to pressure from education stakeholders to close all schools across the country after several schools were put under lockdown due to a high number of pupils testing positive for coronavirus.
The leader of government business in Parliament Ziyambi Ziyambi on Wednesday told Parliamentarians that there is a need to accept the new normal saying COVID-19 outbreaks at schools will be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Said Ziyambi:
What we have decided as the government is that we have to adapt and live in the new normal. What we cannot do is, if a school in Chinhoyi has an outbreak of COVID-19, we then close a school in Mutare.
We look at it case-by-case and say we have had cases here, what we do to ensure the safety of the learners as well as to ensure that learners continue learning. We have realised that we can literally have a 365-day lockdown.
This comes after coronavirus cases at schools have surged, with John Tallach in Matabeleland North recording 189, Chinhoyi High School in Mashonaland West has recorded 57 cases and Matopo High School in Matabeleland South has 10 positive cases.
Some of the schools have been quarantined to curb the spread of the virus.
Some unions representing teachers have vowed that their members will not invigilate Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) examinations which start on 1 December saying the exams body should have a separate arrangement with them.
In a letter dated 23 November 2020 and addressed to the Public Service Commission and Primary and Secondary Education ministry, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said:
We also officially inform you that our members will not invigilate Zimsec examinations because they do not work for that parastatal.
If ZIMSEC wishes to secure their services, it should negotiate with them for remuneration commensurate with that duty.
We stand ready to facilitate that dialogue before the examination session starts in earnest on December 1.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) said its members were still incapacitated and were also not in a position to invigilate the examinations.
Both unions, PTUZ and ARTUZ, advised their members to report for duty, with the former saying teachers should only work for a maximum of three days a week while the former has encouraged its members to attend school once every week.
Harare magistrate Bianca Makwande has postponed to Saturday (tomorrow) the bail ruling for Harare mayor Jacob Mafume who was arrested on Wednesday on criminal abuse of office charges.
Mafume allegedly forced Harare City Council officials to parcel out some stands in Harare’s Westlea suburb to his sister and colleague.
The State opposed bail on the grounds that Mafume will likely interfere with witnesses and could also abscond.
Through his lawyer Tonderai Bhatasara, Mafume said there was no way he could interfere with investigations because he is not a Council employee. Said Bhatasara:
As an officer of this court, the accused is aware of the dire consequences of breaching bail.
He is a legal practitioner for 20 years; he is married with two kids. He has a car and immovable property being a residential stand in Mt Pleasant.
He is a mayor of Harare and earns about $6 000 from this job. He generates $100 000 a month from his practice as a lawyer.
Mafume is denying the charges. He said if he had indeed committed the offences, then the witnesses would be accomplices because they are the ones who have powers to parcel out stands.
HENRIETTA Rushwaya today complained in court that her 6kg gold was being tampered with at Fidelity Printers and Refiners saying it has since lost three grams in weight and also lost 6 percent of its purity.
Rushwaya, through her lawyer Mr Tapson Dzvetero, said she was also subjected to harassment during the time she will be moved from Chikurubi Maximum Prison to Fidelity Printers and Refiners for re-assaying of the said gold, which is kept as an exhibit.
Rushwaya said she was harassed on November 19, 20 and 23 where she was taken from Chikurubi Maximum Prison to Fidelity Printers and Refiners for re-assay of the gold.
“The gold that has been seized from accused and its weight has since varied with three grams.
“The purity percentage has materially varied with some blocks ranging from 93 percent and others now more than 100 percent.
“It is our view that once this gold was taken in the hands of police as exhibit it is now subject to the court’s directive.
“She cannot be asked to sign for the gold as she is no longer in her custody. The gold has since lost its purity by 6 percent,” said Mr Dzvetero.
Rushwaya is jointly charged with businessman Ali Muhamad, security agents Stephen Tserai and Raphios Mufandauya, miner Gift Karanda on smuggling.
Al Alhly coach Pitso Mosimane will this evening lead his charges in the CAF Champions League final against Zamalek at the Cairo International Stadium seeking to make history.
The 56-year-old is the Red Devils’ first black African coach who isn’t Egyptian and is targeting is second Champions League title and Al Ahly’s 9th.
The final, billed as the ‘Game of the Century’, will take place without five players from both sides who tested positive for Covid-19.
South Africa Football Association (SAFA) chairperson Tebo Motlanthe weighed in with a good luck message to the former Sundowns coach.
“To Pitso, I would like to say good luck and if you win the title on Friday, you would not only have made yourself and your family proud but the rest of South Africa. You are a true ambassador of the country and we are proud of you. Go and make us proud because we all love and admire your honesty and professionalism. You are a true champion,” said Motlanthe in a statement.-Soccer 24
RITUAL KILLINGS OF 7 YEAR OLD KIDS- WHO IS BEHIND THIS?
As Southern Africa struggles against the backdrop of the killing of 7 year old Tapiwa Makore, another 7 year old, a girl was found struggling to breathe, after being raped, and the alleged rapist is seen in an undated video, at the side after being administered mob justice, in South Africa. The video is now being investigated by the South African police service. This weekend, ZimEye investigates this as well as another rape attack of a 7 year old Zimbabwean girl back in 1981 in Mbare, who after being sexually abused, was about to be killed, only to be saved by chance when she jumped out of a window, when the rapists, had gone out in search for a car so to take her to Mukuvisi Dam to kill her in a ritual.
FC Platinum have announced their travelling squad for the Champions League, preliminary round encounter against Costa do Sol on Saturday.
Coach Norman Mapeza named regular players in the team with the likes of Petros Mhari, Perfect Chikwende, Gift Bello, Rahman Kutsanzira and Gift Mbwete making the selection.
2020 arivals Ralph Kawondera, Denzel Khumalo, Silas Songani, Congolese Elie Ilunga and Tanzanian striker Elias Maguri have also been included.
The Zimbabwe champions will leave for Mozambique today on chartered plane. The game is set for Zimpeto National Stadium in Maputo at 3:30 pm.-Soccer 24
The conclusion: The burial order issued to the 1n respondent on 18 November 2020 was correctly issued with the knowledge of the applicant. She conceded in evidence that there was nothing wrong with the manner of its issuance. It remains valid. There is no reason to replace a valid burial order with another. The application for an interdict cannot succeed. There is no evidence that the 1n respondent will exclude the applicant the deceased’s funeral. The assignment of roles at a funeral as stated in this case, does not amount to a restriction on the applicant’s rights to be participate in activities at her daughter’s funeral which warrants the intervention of the court. The applicant has not established the legal basis for the reliefs sought. Costs must follow the result.
FC Platinum players have welcomed returning coach Norman Mapeza with open arms after the club rehired him last week to replace sacked Dutchman Pieter De Jongh.
Club captain and goalkeeper Petros Mhari told H-Metro that the majority of the players were elated when they were informed of Mapeza’s return as most of them had worked with him before. Said Mhari:
When we heard that coach Norman was coming back, everyone was happy. Most of the guys worked with him before so it was good news to hear that.
Ralph Kawondera, who joined FC Platinum after Mapeza’s departure, said he had always wanted to be trained by the former Chippa United gaffer. He said;
I am very happy to have coach Mapeza back at the club. It has always been my wish in my football career to be coached by him.
I will learn a lot from him and I think his tactics will help me become a good player.
I am not worried that coach Mapeza is back at the club, though I was signed by coach De Jongh who has since left.
I believe that I’m in his plans, all that I can say is I am happy that the coach is back.
Nomore Chinyerere also expressed happiness over Mapeza’s return saying the coach has a good philosophy and also understands the system and culture at the club.
FC Platinum begin their 2020-21 Champions League campaign with a trip to Costa Do Sol of Mozambique this Friday.-H-Metro
The Sports and Received Commission (SRC) has suspended Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Chief Executive Joseph Mamutse from any activity related to the game.
Prince Mupazvino, the commission’s Director General, was also suspended.
The move by the SRC is meant to enable a probe into how national teams; the senior men, the Mighty Warriors and U-17s, were according the sports regulatory body, given green light to travel outside the country in the Covid-19 domain.
This week, the Commission barred the national U-20 team from traveling to South Africa for the Cosafa tournament citing failure by ZIFA to inform them of the trip 30 days before departure, for the team to be cleared as per Covid-19 guidelines.
The fact that the Warriors were allowed to travel to Algiers earlier this month for an AFCON qualifier and the same procedure was not followed might indicate a questionable green-light given by someone at the commission, which is why there ought to be an investigation.-Soccer 24
By A Correspondent- The late socialite Michelle “Moana” Amuli will finally be laid to rest on Saturday, 28 November 2020 at 1 pm at Warren Hills Cemetery.
This comes after High Court judge Justice Pisirai Kwenda on Friday dismissed, with costs, an urgent chamber application filed by Moana’s mother Yolander Kuvaoga.
Kuvaoga filed the application at the High Court last week seeking to have the burial order issued on 18 November nullified.
She wanted her estranged husband and Moana’s father, Ishamel Amuli to be prevented from renouncing their prior agreement that Moana be buried at Zororo Cemetery.
However, Justice Kwenda today ruled that since Moana was born to the Amuli family, it is a constitutional value that cannot be taken away as she identified with the customs of her family.
He added that Amuli raised the deceased and was her sole custodian and he chose the religion (Islam) for her and there was no evidence that she openly renounced Islam from 2013 when she became an adult.
Justice Kwenda concluded by saying that the burial order of 18 November was correctly issued and there was nothing wrong with its issuance and therefore it remains valid.
Moana will therefore be buried in accordance with Muslim rites as her father, Ishmael Amuli, who raised her single-handedly is a Muslim.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Deputy president, Hon Tendai Biti, has described Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s National Budget Presentation as a damp squib.
The budget has not addressed key matters affecting ordinary Zimbabweans, according to Hon Biti.
Below is Hon Biti’s argument:
“Joining SACU and the RMU is only logical … The USD has appreciated by 19 % in last two years so Zim must devalue same to a currency that’s weak but credible . Rand offers that .
Besides that is the faster way to SADC integration with all its economies of scale…
As expected this was yet another damp squib.A real missed opportunity to address the key distortion in the economy which is FX & monetary policy. The fiction of ZWL$ is not working .Real value , real wages & real incomes needed to be restored . Maintaining ZWL$ fiction is madness
The failure to restore USD wages and pensions is the ultimate theft & failure by regime .Failure to deal decisively with pensions&the Justice Smith Inquiry recommendations another disaster The raft of tax measures proposed are anti poor & anti people particularly presumptive taxes
The tax attack in the informal economy , the levying of taxes in USD, the punitive taxes on fuel makes the 2021 budget is vicious anti- working class budget. Budget assumptions are a pipe dream & 7% GDP growth rate is an illusion . The country is trouble . #ZimbabweanLivesMatter
By A Correspondent- The Daily News has dispelled media reports that Zimbabweans Mogul Kuda Tagwirei acquired a stake in a company that publishes the Daily News, The Daily News reports.
According to the publication, online media had claimed that Tagwirei bought the Daily News:
In its e-paper yesterday, the Zim Morning Post also claimed that Tagwirei is a shareholder in Modus Media the publisher of the iconic and market leading business newspaper, The Financial Gazette.
Similarly, the paper also claimed that Tagwirei is a shareholder in Jester Media Services, the owners of the newly licensed 3K television station. This is simply not true.
Rather embarrassingly too, the paper also claimed that Modus Media is owned by Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe the publisher of the Daily News. This is false.
Rather ridiculously, Zim Morning Post further claimed that “the Daily News’ application (presumably for a TV licence) coincided with a radical shift in the publications (sic) editorial policy” — adding, for good measure, that “The pro-government policy coupled with Tagwirei’s influence appears to have catapulted the publications’ TV licence application to land one of six slots on offer”.
This is false and defamatory, as it suggests that Jester Media Services won its openly and transparently tendered TV licence through devious and corrupt methods.
The publication dismissed these reports and said Jester Media Services, Modus Media and 3K TV are owned by one family and claimed by ZimMorning Post that Jester Media Services won its TV license tendered publicly through devious and corrupt methods is defamatory.
A spokesperson for the stakeholders affected by the alleged false reports denied even doing business with Tagwirei at any point and said:
Neither the shareholders nor the directors of Jester Media Services, Modus Media and ANZ (which publishes the Daily News) have ever met, let alone had any business or social dealings with Mr Tagwirei. The malicious intentions by those peddling all these falsehoods are clear, and this is to impact negatively on the concerned businesses.
A clear demonstration of this co-ordinated malice is that none of those who have written all these false stories have ever attempted to verify their misplaced claims with us. But it will be well,” a spokesperson for the shareholders said.
Because the Zim Morning Post story went beyond the boundaries of incompetence and erroneous reportage, legal action will be taken against it. The extreme fascination with our businesses is a source of major mystery for us, with many people, especially journalists who should know these things seemingly keen to donate shareholders to us
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has made a bold decision to expel the party’s provincial chairperson of the Women’s Assembly (Bulawayo) for disregarding standing principles.
MDC Alliance national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere on Thursday said the party had nothing to do with Masotsha’s utterances which she made soon after she was exonerated from allegations of plotting the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa by the dreaded Ferret team.
“The MDC Alliance unequivocally dissociates itself with the utterances expressed by Tendai Masotsha in an audio recording which was circulated publicly on or about the 24th of November 2020, post our internal inquiry.
The said utterances run contrary to the values, beliefs, principles and disposition of the party. As a matter of record, the alleged conversation with Hon Jameson Timba never took place.
As a party of rules, the National Standing Committee resolves and recommends to the National Council that Tendai Masotsha be expelled from the MDC Alliance in accordance with the provisions of the Party Constitution on the grounds that her conduct violates the values that govern the party and her continued membership would be detrimental to the MDC Alliance,” said Mahere.
Political analysts have urged the MDC Alliance to flush out all implants within its structures.
“This is the time to flush out moles within the party.The decision to expel Masotsha is wise and appropriate,” said a social media analyst identified as Mwana Wevhu.
Tinashe Sambiri|Mr Ishmael Amuli, the father of the late celebrity, Michelle “Moana” Amuli has said her daughter will be laid to rest at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare on Saturday.
This follows a protracted battle with Moana’s mother over burial rights.
Mr Amuli has been granted permission to bury her daughter by the High Court.
NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area!!If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
Indoor Lightning Safety
Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.
Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips
If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk:
Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
Never lie flat on the ground
Never shelter under an isolated tree
Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.) Source: National Weather Service
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Deputy president, Hon Tendai Biti, has described Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s National Budget Presentation as a damp squib.
The budget has not addressed key matters affecting ordinary Zimbabweans, according to Hon Biti.
Below is Hon Biti’s argument:
“Joining SACU and the RMU is only logical … The USD has appreciated by 19 % in last two years so Zim must devalue same to a currency that’s weak but credible . Rand offers that .
Besides that is the faster way to SADC integration with all its economies of scale…
As expected this was yet another damp squib.A real missed opportunity to address the key distortion in the economy which is FX & monetary policy. The fiction of ZWL$ is not working .Real value , real wages & real incomes needed to be restored . Maintaining ZWL$ fiction is madness
The failure to restore USD wages and pensions is the ultimate theft & failure by regime .Failure to deal decisively with pensions&the Justice Smith Inquiry recommendations another disaster The raft of tax measures proposed are anti poor & anti people particularly presumptive taxes
The tax attack in the informal economy , the levying of taxes in USD, the punitive taxes on fuel makes the 2021 budget is vicious anti- working class budget. Budget assumptions are a pipe dream & 7% GDP growth rate is an illusion . The country is trouble . #ZimbabweanLivesMatter
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has made a bold decision to expel the party’s provincial chairperson of the Women’s Assembly (Bulawayo) for disregarding standing principles.
MDC Alliance national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere on Thursday said the party had nothing to do with Masotsha’s utterances which she made soon after she was exonerated from allegations of plotting the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa by the dreaded Ferret team.
“The MDC Alliance unequivocally dissociates itself with the utterances expressed by Tendai Masotsha in an audio recording which was circulated publicly on or about the 24th of November 2020, post our internal inquiry.
The said utterances run contrary to the values, beliefs, principles and disposition of the party. As a matter of record, the alleged conversation with Hon Jameson Timba never took place.
As a party of rules, the National Standing Committee resolves and recommends to the National Council that Tendai Masotsha be expelled from the MDC Alliance in accordance with the provisions of the Party Constitution on the grounds that her conduct violates the values that govern the party and her continued membership would be detrimental to the MDC Alliance,” said Mahere.
Political analysts have urged the MDC Alliance to flush out all implants within its structures.
“This is the time to flush out moles within the party.The decision to expel Masotsha is wise and appropriate,” said a social media analyst identified as Mwana Wevhu.
The Zengeza West MP Job Sikhala has passed his exams for a master’s in Law.
Hon Sikhala is currently Zimbabwe’s most outspoken legislator, who has defeated Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa at court following treason charges laid ast year.
A statement of credits on the Midlands State University website stated that Sikhala has passed credits in all fields in the disciplines of: International Criminal Law, constitutional law, human rights law, human rights litigation, and criminal law.
Responding to questions Friday, Hon Sikhala told ZimEye:
“From prison I was determined to pass my Master of Laws degree Exams.
“Through the hand of God, I am happy to announce that I made it. I am now a Master of Laws.”
Tinashe Sambiri|Mr Ishmael Amuli, the father of the late celebrity, Michelle “Moana” Amuli has said her daughter will be laid to rest at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare on Saturday.
This follows a protracted battle with Moana’s mother over burial rights.
Mr Amuli has been granted permission to bury her daughter by the High Court.
By A Correspondent | First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa was on Friday morning spotted in Domboshawa road driving with a reduced motorcade of only 2 cars, a Range Rover and a Toyota Hilux.
Her normal entourage comprises: 7 cars minimum: 3 in front, Range Rover in the middle, and 3 other cars at the back.
She was alone in the back seat; At the front was her driver and a female bodyguard. In the twin cab were 3 people, 2 male, and 1 female.
Inquiries by ZimEye.com at the time of writing could not establish the reason for her humble appearance.
WHY DO THINK IS THE REASON FOR THE REDUCED MOTORCADE?
The development comes against the backdrop of a rift between Auxillia and her husband, Emmerson, and as at mid last year, an audio recording surfacing of a woman sound-a-like the First Lady, pleading with a military intelligence officer to kill her husband in her stead.
The audio which surfaced around July, has ‘Auxillia’ telling the army officer he could go ahead and kill Mnangagwa.
“You are spying on me, if you ask Manjoro he will tell you that I told him that I will ask you about it, what do you want from me Murombo?
“If I die, it is on you who’s done it,” she continued.
She added saying:
You were using Manjoro to tell you of my whereabouts and now that he is gone you have started again.”
The woman then continued ranting saying
“Just tell me what you want from me Murombo because you cannot spy on me. It is almost a year and I have been quiet.
“Why are you spying on me? Why?”
She added:
“This matter wont stop. I am coming to your office, it is better you pull out your gun and shoot me.”
Just as the male at the end of the other line tried desperately to answer her, the female voice continued demanding answers:
“Who are you telling my whereabouts? What do you need that information for? I am coming to deal with you,” shouted ‘Auxillia.’
She then told him to kill her husband in her stead. She said:
“If it is Mnangagwa whom you do not want just kill him and leave me alone I have my own surname, I do not speak politics, I do not speak about the army, what if I die another death do you think you will survive?
“You planted Mhlanga in my office as low in rank as he is, do you think I am a fool. I am a trained somebody. You are seeking to deal with Mnangagwa through me through tracking my phone, am I Mnangagwa?” she asked.
Towards the end, she began pleading for the soldier to spare her life. She said:
“You are stupid, I will expose you, I do not care about your post but you personally. I am shocked. I am just a woman, a granny but I have powerful people like you spying on me. Go shoot Mnangagwa and spare me. I am no threat to anyone.
“Go and shoot Mnangagwa do not shoot me, I am not a threat, go and shoot Mnangagwa,” she said. – ZimEye
WHY DO THINK IS THE REASON FOR THE REDUCED MOTORCADE?
By A Correspondent- Henrietta Rushwaya today complained in court that her 6kg gold was being tampered with at Fidelity Printers and Refiners saying it has since lost three grams in weight and also lost 6 percent of its purity.
Rushwaya, through her lawyer Mr Tapson Dzvetero, said she was also subjected to harassment during the time she will be moved from Chikurubi Maximum Prison to Fidelity Printers and Refiners for re-assaying of the said gold, which is kept as an exhibit.
Rushwaya said she was harassed on November 19, 20 and 23 where she was taken from Chikurubi Maximum Prison to Fidelity Printers and Refiners for re-assay of the gold.
“The gold that has been seized from accused and its weight has since varied with three grams.
“The purity percentage has materially varied with some blocks ranging from 93 percent and others now more than 100 percent.
“It is our view that once this gold was taken in the hands of police as exhibit it is now subject to the court’s directive.
“She cannot be asked to sign for the gold as she is no longer in her custody. The gold has since lost its purity by 6 percent,” said Mr Dzvetero.
Rushwaya is jointly charged with businessman Ali Muhamad, security agents Stephen Tserai and Raphios Mufandauya, miner Gift Karanda on smuggling
By A Correspondent- Midlands Province Zanu PF Secretary for Education in the Youth League Tapiwa Muto has been arrested.
Sources privy to the development revealed that Muto was ambushed by MID officers and fully armed Support Unit officers.
Said one of the sources:
“They blocked his car at the ZanuPF Kwekwe district HQ and they forced him out of his car at gun point.
There were 8 support unit officers and 5 military intelligence officers. One of them is named Tapera.”
The source added that Muto is one of the youths who were advocating for a youthful candidate for Kwekwe Central By Elections.
Added another source:
“The Dispol was not at liberty to reveal details about the arrest and he said he knew nothing about the matter. He was referring all questions to the Deputy Minister of Defence since he is the one who directly gave him a list of people and instructed him to lock the youths in the cells.”
Another source alleged that Deputy Minister Victor Matemadanda is being accused of causing all these problems.
“It is alleged that Matemadanda is imposing G40 and his loyalists into the DCC because he is eyeing the Vice presidency post.”
Over the Kwekwe Central candidature, ZanuPF heavyweight are divided and Matemadanda, Daniel McKenzie Ncube who is the Midlands Provincial Chairman and Edmore Samambwa are backing a known G40 Kandros Mugabe. On the other hand, Minister of State Security Owen Ncube , July Moyo , Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri , Mable Chinomona are backing the youthful candidate Energy Dhala Ncube who is also a nephew to Owen Ncube.
It is said that the police are just hand picking ZanuPF and Lacoste loyalists in Kwekwe under the instructions of Matemadanda.
Some of the members on Matemadanda’s unwanted list are Denis Chikwanda , Jona Nyevera ,Moore Muzira, Takunda Chikwanda , Makomborero Mlambo , Luckson Nyika , Boss Munya ,Petros Makonde and Tapiwa Muganhu who are known as the Alshabab.”
The late socialite Moana born Michelle Amuli’s mother Yolanda Kuvaoga has suffered a major blow in her bid to take full control of her daughters’s burial after the High Court ruled against her application to have the burial order cancelled.
In his ruling Justice Kwenda said there was no basis to cancel the order granted by an administrative office.
Kuvaoga approached the High Court to have the burial order after quarrelling with her ex-husband Ishmael Amuli over the funeral programme.
Kuvaoga argued that allowing Moana to be buried through the Islamic rites would deprive her as the mother an opportunity to bury her daughter since women are not allowed at the graveyard.
She also argued that her daughter had ceased to follow the Islamic religion as confirmed by the secular life she was living during her last days.
Kuvaoga also wanted the public who followed her to have a chance to bid her farewell, something she said would not be possible should she be buried in the way demanded by her father.
Thanks Makore bail application, verdict announcement delayed, as Judge says it will be passed on the 3rs Dec. Mr Thanks Makore is the uncle to the late 7 year old Murehwa child, Tapiwa Makore who was found killed and his body severally dismembered on 17th Sept 2020.
By A Correspondent- President Mnangagwa today left the country for Botswana where he will attend an extraordinary SADC Troika Summit. The news was shared by the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Service which shared the update on Twitter and said:
His Excellency, President @edmnangagwa has left the country for the Republic of Botswana where he will attend an Extraordinary SADC Organ Troika Summit. In his absence, VP KCD Mohadi is the Acting President.
According to The Herald, the agenda of the summit will be to address the challenge of terrorism and violent attacks affecting the region:
Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi will host the indaba that is expected to address the challenge of terrorism and violent attacks through interventions and which is also expected to fully operationalize the SADC Regional Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and urgently finalize the establishment of the SADC Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre (SADC-CTC).
By A Correspondent- Defiant teachers have dug in demanding provision of personal protective equipment for fear of contracting COVID-19 before returning to the classrooms.
The teachers also vowed not to invigilate Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) examinations, saying the examination body should have a separate arrangement with them.
Teachers last week begrudgingly accepted a 41% salary increase and have since registered their displeasure, but they have been under pressure from a shadowy Zanu-PFlinked union called Zimbabwe Parents Union (ZPU) to report back to work.
In a memo to members dated November 26, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) said its members were still incapacitated and vowed to snub invigilating the examinations.
“This note serves to remind each and every one of us that we are still incapacitated, but we are encouraging all our members to attend school once every week for the next three weeks to assess adherence of schools to COVID-19 regulations,” the memo, signed by Artuz secretary-general Robson Chere, read.
“We are informed of shocking COVID-19 reports emanating from schools. As Artuz members, we will not take part in invigilating end of year Zimsec examinations. We will not be drawn to invigilate learners that we did not teach for the whole year due to incapacitation and COVID-19-induced lockdown.”
Another teachers union, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) wrote to the Public Service Commission and Primary and Secondary Education ministry saying its members will not report full-time for duty, citing COVID-19 fears.
“We would like to officially notify you that our members will not be able to report for work full-time due to the continued state of incapacitation,” part of the letter by PTUZ secretary-general Raymond Majongwe, dated November 23 read.
“The agreement reached with government on remuneration last Monday did not capacitate us as expected. It still falls short of the minimum expenses that our members have to meet, which we estimate to be not less than US$520 which we demanded. Government has even failed to meet the consumer basket, announced by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe as about $21 000 and by our own research, not less than $28 000.”
Majongwe added: “Our members have had to report for work under duress, but will be able to do so for a maximum of three days a week. This enables them to hustle around to fend for the families. We regret to inform you that this situation will persist until government fully capacitates them to report for work full-time.
“We also officially inform you that our members will not invigilate Zimsec examinations because they do not work for that parastatal. If Zimsec wishes to secure their services, it should negotiate with them for remuneration commensurate with that duty. We stand ready to facilitate that dialogue before the examination session starts in earnest on December 1.”
Majongwe also requested for a waiver on teachers with chronic conditions to stop reporting for duty until the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.-newsday
(A speech delivered at the launch of the campaign for the Presidency of the MDCT)
Douglas Mwonzora
26 November 2020:
By Douglas Togaraseyi Mwonzora
My loving spouse and long time friend Muchaneta Mwonzora, Members of the National Executive Committee and National Council of the Party. Members of the Provincial and district Executive Committees here present. The Chairman of the Harare Provincial Executive, Hon. Hove and your leadership. Members of the Mwonzora Campaign Team, the Donkeys.
All democracy loving Zimbabweans within and outside Zimbabwe. On the 11th of September, 1999 our forbearers heeded the national call and founded this great Movement. Its leadership was drawn from the Labour, Constitution and Student Movements and its mandate was to deliver Zimbabwe from the political, social and economic morass and quagmire that it had been consigned following long periods of national irresponsibility. The long cherished ideals of the liberation struggle, for which thousands of our gallant brothers and sisters paid the ultimate price had long been forgotten. In place thereof totalitarianism, tyranny, pestilent corruption, inequality, deprivation, paternalism, clientism, regionalism, tribalism and sexism had taken root in our national body politic. The projected economic development was substituted by mass poverty and want. Instead of long cherished peace was great strife and violence pitting kith against kin. We therefore, state it without equivocation that the Movement for Democratic Change was formed to complete the unfinished business of the Liberation Struggle.
The great Movement was predicated upon timeless and indelible values of freedom, justice, equality, constitutionalism and the respect for the rule of law. The leadership of this movement was conferred on merit and not on the basis of rank favouritism and friendship. It was not attained for personal glory or self-aggrandisement but on the basis of the need for service and sacrifice. To our founding fathers and mothers, it was the attainment of the common good that was paramount. Germaine to our struggle was the best interests of the Zimbabwean masses and not individual leaders. The initial stages of the democratic struggle saw us posting impressive and historic victories against our opponents. These include the historic NO vote in the 2000 referendum, the great parliamentary election campaign of 2000, the great presidential campaign of 2002 and the total electoral annihilation of Zanu PF in the historic 2008 Harmonised Elections. In that 2008 election we won the presidential, parliamentary and local government elections. Out of the love of the Zimbabwean masses above himself, our iconic leader, Morgan Tsvangirai signed the Global Political Agreement that ushered in the Government of National Unity. That development saw the lives of the common Zimbabwean change for the better. This selflessness on the part of our leaders spoke of the centrality of our timeless founding values. Unfortunately, as the people of Zimbabwe were beginning to warm up to the possibility of a future MDC government disaster struck. Greed, avarice, impatience and political corruption saw our party needlessly split in 2014. In February, 2018 our founding president Morgan Tsvangirai breathed his last. The party was immediately treated to an embarrassing power grab and violence. Democracy and constitutionalism were sacrificed on the altar of convenience and opportunism. Once again favouritism, avarice, hate, propaganda and criminalisation of competition took centre stage thus consigned our great movement to a new low. However, through the legal victory by Elias Mashavira in the Supreme Court our party was given a chance to retrace its steps and go back to constitutionalism and our founding values. We cannot afford to squander this historic opportunity. We now have another chance of positing the Party as a credible change agent once more. For that reason, immediately our party must go back to the practice where all leaders at all levels are democratically elected by the people. It is the membership of the party and not the leadership who must rank supreme in our party. Secondly, at all times the party must always exercise collective leadership and democratic decision making. In other words, decision making power must lie in the organs of the party and not with individual leaders. Any major decision must be made after consultation with the grassroots. It is these who must instruct the leadership and not the other way round.
Third, candidates must be selected following a democratic process. This means credible free and fair primary elections must be a new way of life for the MDC. Regarding all party candidates to be chosen under proportional representation, these must be chosen using an objective and fair process. We should practice the 50:50 gender representation principle as contained in both our party constitution and the national constitution without fail. We need more women in decision making positions.
It is wrong to say that the youth are leaders of tomorrow. No! They are leaders of today. We therefore have to make sure that we implement the agreed Youth Quota without fail.
In line with our principle of Zero Tolerance to corruption we will deal decisively with any of our officials who are involved in corruption. Violence as a means of resolving both external and internal disputes can never be tolerated and those who practice this barbarism have no place in our great Movement.
Sexism, regionalism, tribalism, favouritism have no place in our movement. They are anathema to our founding values. Our party must be prepared to play its part in the economic, social and political development of Zimbabwe. We will play our party in ensuring that there is love, peace and harmony in our great nation. To that end we will work hard to change the politics of Zimbabwe. We have to throw away the politics of intolerance, hate, rancour, acrimony and violence and substitute it with the politics of rational disputation and tolerance. Zimbabweans must be free to make political choice without fear of any form of reprisals. Our belief and commitment to dialogue is total. We believe that all dialogue should be genuine, inclusive and unconditional. We will therefore pursue dialogue as a principal means of resolving the national question
Further, we will play our role in trying to end Zimbabwe’s international isolation. The present state of affairs is hurting the common man and woman. We will play our part in fighting corruption at all levels.
Our party will continue to fight for equality and equal access to national resources on the party of all Zimbabweans. We will press for full compensation of all victims of political violence including the victims of Gukurahukndi and the 2008 violence.
Most importantly our party will work hard to achieve the unity of the opposition following periods of acrimony within the opposition. This unity should be predicated upon clear values and principles. I believe that we are operating in a period where the party is faced with many challenges which include the growing scepticism from the Zimbabwean people following long periods of unproductive bickering within the opposition. For that reason, we need a new leadership. The new leader must have proven knowledge of the politics of Zimbabwe and the world. He or she must have proven strategic thinking skills. He or she must have proven skills in negotiating and dialogue with political opponents. Our party is on the rise. This is the time to reclaim our party and win Zimbabwe.
By A Correspondent- Police in Lupane have arrested a man suspected to be a member of a three-man gang that armed itself with a machete, knife, screw drivers and catapult before unleashing terror on residents whom they robbed of valuables.
Qhubekani Sibanda (23) of Gomoza village who sometimes resided at 6825 Mkhosana in Victoria Falls allegedly committed the crimes in the company of two accomplices, Elvis Ntutha Manzini and another who is yet to be identified. Both are still at large.
The trio allegedly armed themselves with a machete, catapult, knife and two screw drivers.
Sibanda was apprehended by residents who mobilised and ambushed the gang. His two accomplices fled.
Sibanda was not asked to plead to seven counts of robbery when he appeared before Lupane resident magistrate Mr Ndumo Masuku who advised him to approach the High Court for bail.
He was remanded in custody to December 7.
Prosecuting, Mr Clive Gumbo said the trio hatched a plan to rob people and targeted cellphones and cash from those they found on the streets at night.
The complainants are Ms Siphethangani Msipha (22), Mr Shepherd Moyo (22), Mr Mmeli Nkomo (20), Mr Praise Dube (25), Mr Only Nyathi (53), Mr Mugande Dingane (25) and Mr Douglas Sibanda all of Lupane.
“On the 19th day of November at around 9pm, the accused person in the company of two accomplices Elvis Ntutha Manzini and another who is yet to be identified and at large, proceeded to New Stands armed with a machete, catapult, knife and two screw drivers with the intention to commit robberies. The accused person met the complainant Ms Msipha who was waiting for her boyfriend at a road near Roman Catholic Church and demanded a cellphone from her and she resisted,” said Mr Gumbo.
By A Correspondent| Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has approached the Harare Magistrates Court to get his passport back in order to travel out of the country for medical attention.
Chin’ono had two cases before the Harare Magistrates court and is out on bail.
The award winning journalist said he met and had a chat with corruption accused Dellish Nguwaya at the magistrate Court.
By A Correspondent- Girls College in Bulawayo has indefinitely closed following a Covid-19 case which was detected after the school held a leavers’ party for Upper Six students.
This development comes at a time when Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Bulawayo which now has the highest number of active cases in Zimbabwe.
One more person had died of Covid-19 in Bulawayo on Tuesday, the only death recorded in Zimbabwe as new cases continue rising in the country.
The country recorded 110 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours with 106 being local and the remainder returnees from Botswana and no deaths were recorded in the same period.
Of the new cases, Bulawayo was leading after recording 53 followed by Matabeleland South on 28 and Midlands recorded 15.
As at 25 November 2020, Zimbabwe had 9 506 confirmed cases, including 8 336 recoveries and 274 deaths. Bulawayo has in the past five days recorded seven deaths which constitutes 77 percent of the total deaths reported in Zimbabwe during the same time.
The city has the highest number of active cases in Zimbabwe at 233 against 827 cases in the whole country.
Of the 462 new cases recorded in Zimbabwe in the last six days, 205 were from Bulawayo and authorities have said the upsurge is a testament of a good contact tracing and testing system.
Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo confirmed the Girls College incident saying contact tracing is currently ongoing.
He bemoaned the increase of Covid-19 in the province saying it’s a worrying trend.
“We are recording a steady rise in number of Covid-19 cases in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province of late. This is obviously a worrying trend, but we believe it’s also testament to our strong surveillance system in the province. It means we are suspecting and testing the right segment of the population. It’s testament to good contact tracing,” he said.
“This unfortunately also reveals that Covid-19 continues to spread in the community. Bulawayo is expecting a sharp rise in number of returning residents from Botswana and South Africa, Injiva. As such, we are working on some measures to put in place to ensure safety of communities and to minimise spread of the virus over the holiday season.”
He called on residents to protect lives by practising safety measures which include the proper wearing of masks, social distancing and the washing of hands with either soap or hand sanitizer. “It is absolutely crucial that we practice these measures with a high level of discipline as we are now approaching the holiday season.
This can potentially present a challenge as the buzz of activity expected during this period will see an exponential rise in the number of cases. So, what we do now as Bulawayo will have a bearing on the number of cases we will experience over the festive period as well,” added Dr Mlilo.
Concerned parents said their children were informed yesterday morning that Girls College had to close to avert the spread of Covid-19.
In a letter addressed to parents dated November 24, Girls College principal Mrs Les Ross said the school continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and students with daily monitoring of temperatures, regular sanitising of all surfaces, mask wearing and social distancing.
“As you know, on Thursday 19th November Girls College held a Leavers’ Dinner Dance for our U6 Leavers. The event was held in a large open venue and numbers of both guests and staff working at the event were kept below 100. Unfortunately, since the dance one of the attendees has tested positive for Covid-19,” read the statement.
She said the virus has been contained within the U6 group as they had for the most part finished their exams and left the school and hostels some time before the dance.
“As the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in Bulawayo is on the increase, we once again remind parents not to send their daughters to school if they are unwell or have a temperature.
“We continue to offer lessons and exams online to any students who feel they are at risk or may have been in contact with someone who is infected.
By A Correspondent- Gideon Mapokotera, the former Personal Assistant (PA) to fired Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo has been arrested.
Police picked Mapokotera on Thursday at about 2.30 pm on allegations of criminal abuse of office.
Mapokotera allegedly facilitated the issuance of visas to Ali Mohammad and his family to gain access into the country in contravention of section 174 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.
It is the State’s case that Mapokotera created visa application letters on June 18, 2019, for a single entry visa, September 26, 2019, for a multiple entry visa and November 24, 2019, for multiple entry visas for Ali Mohammad’s family – wife and six children.
The accused person had not been given authority by his principal and further did not bring the heinous development to his attention up to the 25th of November 2020 when the principal was made aware after investigations commenced.
Meanwhile, Muhammad has a case pending before the courts. He is charged together with Henrietta Rushwaya and others on smuggling, unlawful possession of gold, charges which they all deny.
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is expected to join other Heads of State and Governments in Botswana today for a one-day SADC Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit that will focus on emerging terrorism threats in the region particularly in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The SADC Troika of the Organ of Politics and Defence includes Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe as the current, incoming and outgoing Chair of the Organ respectively.
The Heads of State Troika meeting follows yesterday’s indaba attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo (the outgoing Troika Ministerial Committee of the Organ chair), his South African counterpart Dr Naledi Pandor (incoming chairperson) and the chairperson of the committee Dr Lemogang Kwape, Botswana’s Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation.
Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi is hosting the indaba that is expected to address the challenge of terrorism and violent attacks through interventions.
The meeting is also expected to deliberate on the need to fully operationalise the SADC Regional Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and urgently finalise the establishment of the SADC Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre (SADC-CTC).
In his opening remarks, Dr Lemogang Kwape told the Troika that although the region was entrenching democracy and enjoying peace, emerging threats of terrorism from Mozambique and the DRC were a cause for concern.
“Your Excellencies, while much has been done to consolidate democracy and to ensure that our region remains peaceful, there are emerging challenges that pose a serious threat to the stability and tranquillity that we have become so accustomed to.
“This, therefore, means that we cannot afford to be complacent and bask on our past glories.
“We must seriously review the political and security challenges in the region, with a view to respond to these emerging threats,” said Minister Kwape.
She said SADC needed to work together in the spirit of solidarity and togetherness, to pre-empt any latent and active forces within and without, that may threaten the peace and tranquillity in the region.
The SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, known as the Troika is the body whose overall objective is to promote peace and security in the region in line with Article 2 of the SADC Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
It is mandated to steer and provide member states with direction regarding matters that threaten peace, security and stability in the region.
The organ is coordinated at the level of a summit, consisting of a chairperson, the next leader designated to be chairperson and immediate past chairperson.
Mozambique, which is under threat from an Islamic insurgency operating in its northern Cabo Delgado Province, has filed a formal request for support from the regional body.
A MAN who was caught having se_x in a car with his girlfriend almost died after three unknown men who were armed with a knife and a knobkerrie stabbed him several times all over the body and left him lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
They robbed him of a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and cash all with a total value of US$5 300.
They smashed windows on the passenger’s side and driver’s side before attacking Ngonidzashe Ninge (42) and his girlfriend Nozizwe Khumalo (21) at a bushy area which is between Hyde Park Shops and Nkulumane complex. The source said Ninge had lowered his trousers to knee level with a cond0m on while Nozizwe had pulled up her skirt while they enjoyed themselves in the car.
Unfortunately, the source said, one of the men grabbed the hapless Ninge and pulled him out of his black Nissan X-Trail car.
The source said he tried to reason with them but they would not listen to his pleas.
Another source who is close to the pair said: “They took turns to clobber Ninge while accusing him of taking advantage of Nozizwe saying she was too young for him,” said the source.
They were not done yet with Ninge as they demanded cash while assaulting him.
A source close to investigations said Ninge sustained three stab wounds on the head, another wound on the right side of the back and bruises all over the body. The accused persons took away his Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and cash.
Nozizwe phoned Pumula police station and made a report. Police attended the scene.
“They found Ninge lying unconscious on the ground in a pool of blood. They phoned an ambulance which came and ferried him to Mater Dei Hospital,” said a source close to the pair.
Efforts to get a comment from Ninge were fruitless. Khumalo could neither confirm nor deny as she only said “who told you that” before she terminated the call.
“We are investigating a case of attempted murder where a man was attacked while he was having se_x in a car with his girlfriend at around 7.30pm at a bushy area which is between Hyde Park Shops and Nkulumane complex. He was robbed of his Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and cash, all valued at US$5 300. We would like to urge community members not to indulge in se_x in the bush because it’s illegal and dangerous.”
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume is expected to appear in court today on allegations of illegally parcelling out residential stands to his sister and secretary.
Mafume was arrested on Wednesday and is set to face criminal abuse of office charges.
National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the arrest.
The Herald could not establish some of the charges he might face, beyond his involvement in the illegal parcelling out of stands in Harare.
Mafume is alleged to have unlawfully allocated residential stands to his sister and secretary under unclear circumstances.
The stands are believed to be in Westlea, Harare.
A number of other council bosses have been arrested over the Westlea stands, while others were nabbed over the Kuwadzana stands scandal.
Mafume is councillor for Ward 17 and was elected mayor in September following the recall of the then mayor, Herbert Gomba, by the MDC-T.
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa, his deputy Constantino Chiwenga and Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo, locked in a vicious duel to wrest and consolidate state power, are manoeuvring to control the lucrative gold sector, in a country where US$1,5 billion in potential revenue is lost through smuggling of the precious mineral.
This was revealed by research think-tank International Crisis Group (ICG) in its latest report titled: All that glitters is not gold: Turmoil in Zimbabwe’s Mining Sector.
Chiwenga served as the Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander, while Moyo was a senior commander when Mnangagwa rose to power through a military coup that brought the late former president Robert Mugabe’s rule to a close in 2017.
The report by ICG comes after the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and her son Collins were implicated in the high-profile trial of Henrietta Rushwaya, who was arrested while attempting to smuggle a 6kg gold contraband, worth US$330 000, to Dubai.
In the report, ICG highlights that the trio have been making power play moves to gain control of the gold industry to outmanoeuvre each other politically. The three strong men are reportedly leading competing factions within Zanu PF and the government.
“On the other hand, artisanal miners are an important constituency in Zimbabwe’s patronage politics, particularly as practiced by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu PF). Several Zanu PF politicians have been fingered as ‘patrons’ of illegally encroaching artisanal miners, or even machete gangs, and some mobilise such groups against rivals,” it says.
“Some observers contend that ‘whoever controls the gold, will control and rule Zimbabwe’, referring to power struggles between party factions loyal to Mnangagwa, on one side, and his Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, on the other . . . The latter is seemingly positioning himself to challenge Mnangagwa for Zanu PF leadership ahead of the 2023 elections, although another, possibly stronger challenger, Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo, has also emerged.”
ICG highlights that gold smuggling has thrived in Zimbabwe largely due to the monopoly to buy the precious metal the Central Bank enjoys through Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR).
It reads: “Several factors contribute to instability in Zimbabwe’s gold mining sector. A centralised gold buying scheme depresses government gold revenues, encourages smuggling and contributes to industrial mine closures. All gold producers in Zimbabwe, whether artisanal, small-scale or industrial, must, by law, sell to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe via its subsidiary gold buyer, Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR).
“This requirement has several deleterious effects on the gold sector. The main problem is that FPR underpays and sometimes pays late for gold. The body pays producers partially in US dollars and partially in amounts of Zimbabwe dollars determined by the official exchange rate.”
The bulk of the smuggled gold, according to ICG, is spirited to Dubai.
In yet another report by the Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW), the research body advances that argument that gold production and its attendant marketing system in Zimbabwe presents an opportunity for cartels to launder money through smuggling of the precious metal.
The SARW report is called Artisanal Miners Robbed in Broad Daylight: Zimbabwe Gold Monopoly as a Conduit to Canalise Forex and Cannibalise Bodies.
As part of its investigation to cast light on the systemic gold smuggling in Zimbabwe fuelled by cartels with strong political ties, SARW emphasises that FPR declined to disclose the identity of its gold producers and the size of their sales.
“Though Securities and Exchange Commission documents show FPR as a supplier for US companies, from Acer to Control4, this is increasingly rare as the recourse to Dubai shifts origin to provenance allowing for companies to displace supplier origin with refiners. In addition, FPR declined to provide lists or details of enterprise names, jurisdiction, private external turnover and debt,” the report released last week reads.
“This extreme legal and financial secrecy works in tandem with Dubai’s hosting of the world’s only cash-for-gold market, where refiners can buy gold using only a receipt, thus eliminating origin on export. Bearing in mind that Dubai’s gold trade (estimated to be worth US$75-billion a year) refines more than 40% of the world’s gold, which is often exported to Switzerland, we have a major commodity market shielded from examination and legal oversight.”
In 2013, before legislation which monopolised gold buying in the hands of FPR, Zimbabwe produced 14 001kg of gold. Output rose to 20 022kg in 2015.
In 2018, production rose to over 35 042kg.
SARW attributes the upswing of gold output from 2013 to 2018, largely to the contribution of artisanal miners, whose mining operations are opaque.
“But this rapid turnaround in accumulated volume was not due to an increase in corporate production, efficiency by the state or fair dealing. If anything, the state deepened financial opacity and control by strategically canalising the hungry and desperate will of Zimbabwe’s artisanal miners who were the producers of such output,” the SARW report reads.
One person died while four others were injured on Monday after they were struck by lightning at Hippo Valley Mill in Chiredzi District as they were on their way to work.
The incident happened at around 3PM.
Chiredzi District Development Coordinator (DDC), Mr Lovemore Chisema who is also the local Civil Protection chairman confirmed the incident.
He said one of the victims died on the spot while four others were taken to Hippo Valley Medical Centre for treatment.
He said the now-deceased, Herbert Mukwetura ( 21) of Chishamiso Village, was on his way to work at Tongaat Hulett’s Hippo Valley Mill with four of his workmates.
“We had a challenge yesterday of a lightning bolt which struck five Tongaat Hulett workers killing one on the spot. We also received information about households in Ward 21 which also got the same problem although there are no injuries reported,” he said.
“The injured were taken to Hippo Valley Medical Centre while Mukwetura was taken to Chiredzi Provincial Hospital for postmortem.”
Mr Chisema advised the public to adhere to information from the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) to avoid loss of lives.
The tragedy happened a few days after the MSD warned members of the public about weather-related hazards including floods, hailstorms, lightning among others as the rain season has started.
Some schools have since been destroyed by hailstorms in Bikita and Zaka districts of Masvingo province.
MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti, who is a former Finance Minister, said the 2021 national budget, presented by Treasury chief Mthuli Ncube this Thursday, is yet another “damp squib” as expected.
Biti said the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar has failed and the government should have re-dollarised the economy to restore the real value of wages and pensions.
Said Biti:
“As expected this was yet another damp squib. A real missed opportunity to address the key distortion in the economy which is forex and monetary policy.
“The fiction of Zimbabwe dollar is not working. The real value, real wages and real incomes needed to be restored. Maintaining Zimbabwe dollar fiction is madness.
“The failure to restore USD wages and pensions is the ultimate theft and failure by the regime. Failure to deal decisively with pensions and the Justice Smith Inquiry recommendations is another disaster.”
Biti also castigated the tax measures proposed by Ncube in his 2021 national budget which include a 20% levy on the export sales value of dried medicinal cannabis flowers.
Biti added:
“The raft of tax measures proposed are anti-poor and anti-people particularly presumptive taxes
“The tax attack in the informal economy, the levying of taxes in USD, the punitive taxes on fuel makes the 2021 budget is vicious anti-working-class budget.
“Budget assumptions are a pipe dream and 7% GDP growth rate is an illusion. The country is in trouble.”
Inside Ziscosteel when it was beginning to go go down
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube says that he will bring back to life defunct and debt-stricken Ziscosteel in 2021.
Mthuli Ncube made the big promise while presenting the country’s 2021 National Budget in parliament on Thursday.
“In 2021, Government will resuscitate Ziscosteel through innovation and harnessing inward opportunities, while working closely with local investors. This will be done through courting new investors who will bring new technology and new skills.
“The revival of Ziscosteel is key to the economy through its potential benefits in job creation and value chain impact in companies such as National Railways of Zimbabwe and Hwange Colliery and the resultant savings in foreign currency in excess of US$1 billion through importation of steel products,” Ncube said.
“While the search for new investors is in progress, Government is currently implementing a short-term roadmap of resuscitating the firm’s subsidiaries which include ZimChem, Lancashire Steel, and Buchwa Iron Mining Company (Bimco) among others,” Ncube said.
At its peak at independence,Ziscosteel was producing 30 tonnes of steel a day, and directly employed over 5 000 people and about 50 000 others in downstream and support industries.
By 1984, the plant was the country’s biggest earner of foreign currency, but only two years later, signs of poor management were beginning to show.
An inquiry into the operations of Ziscosteel between 1980, when former President Robert Mugabe took over power and 1986, revealed that already, the main issues that were affecting the company included poor management, corruption, nepotism and failure to refurbish and properly maintain equipment.
Almost four decades later and after several economic hiccups resulting from Mugabe’s inept policies, the massive Ziscosteel industrial complex lies dead, forgotten and rotten like a giant eyesore.
In September the Ziscosteel board cancelled all deals it entered into with various business entities as it views them as unfavourable to its revival plan.
This was confirmed by board chairperson, Martin Manhuwa while briefing a government inter-ministerial team that toured the giant Ziscosteel plant in Redcliff.
GIRLS College in Bulawayo has indefinitely closed following a Covid-19 case which was detected after the school held a leavers’ party for Upper Six students.
This development comes at a time when Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Bulawayo which now has the highest number of active cases in Zimbabwe.
As at 25 November 2020, Zimbabwe had 9 506 confirmed cases, including 8 336 recoveries and 274 deaths. Bulawayo has in the past five days recorded seven deaths which constitutes 77 percent of the total deaths reported in Zimbabwe during the same time.
Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo confirmed the Girls College incident saying contact tracing is currently ongoing.
Concerned parents said their children were informed yesterday morning that Girls College had to close to avert the spread of Covid-19.
In a letter addressed to parents dated November 24, Girls College principal Mrs Les Ross said the school continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and students with daily monitoring of temperatures, regular sanitising of all surfaces, mask wearing and social distancing.
“As you know, on Thursday 19th November Girls College held a Leavers’ Dinner Dance for our U6 Leavers. The event was held in a large open venue and numbers of both guests and staff working at the event were kept below 100. Unfortunately, since the dance one of the attendees has tested positive for Covid-19,” read the statement.
She said the virus has been contained within the U6 group as they had for the most part finished their exams and left the school and hostels some time before the dance.
“As the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in Bulawayo is on the increase, we once again remind parents not to send their daughters to school if they are unwell or have a temperature.
“We continue to offer lessons and exams online to any students who feel they are at risk or may have been in contact with someone who is infected.”
A former personal assistant to sacked Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo was arrested yesterday on allegations of criminal abuse of office.
Gideon Mapokotera was picked at 2.30pm yesterday by law enforcement agents on allegations of illegal issuance of visas in contravention of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.
He is accused of illegally facilitating the issuance of visas to Ali Mohammad and his family to gain entry into Zimbabwe.
Muhammad has a case pending before the courts where he is charged together with suspended Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya and others with smuggling and unlawful possession of gold.
It is the State’s case that Mapokotera acted unlawfully in the discharge of his duties by signing and dispatching letters to the Department of Immigration to facilitate the issuance of visas to Ali Mohammad.
The accused created visa application letters on June 18, 2019, for a single entry visa, and September 26, 2019, for a multiple entry visa.
On November 24, 2019, he is alleged to have created multiple entry visas for Ali Mohammad’s family, made up of his wife and six children.
“The accused person had not been given authority by his principal and further did not bring the heinous development to the attention of authorities up to November 25, 2020, when the principal was made aware after investigations commenced,” some of the allegations against him seen by The Herald read.
President Mnangagwa’s administration has been pulling all the stops in the fight against corruption and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit, have been mandated to deepen the fight against graft in all its forms.
The arrests are part of accelerated efforts by President Mnangagwa’s administration to fight corruption, which is seen as a major drawback in economic revival. President Mnangagwa has indicated that days for catching-and-releasing corruption suspects are over.
High-ranking officials, including ministers alleged to have been involved in corruption, have since been arrested and their cases are at various stages of completion.
Recently, President Mnangagwa tweeted: “Let me be very clear. If you engage in or promote corruption, you will be arrested and prosecuted. There are no excuses for corruption. No one is above the law.”
Those abusing offices, and name-dropping of high ranking figures have also been warned that the long arm of the law will descend on them.
Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mnangagwa, yesterday promoted 11 Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) officers from the rank of Squadron Leader to Wing Commander.
The President made the promotions in terms of the Defence Act.
Congratulating the promoted, AFZ Chief of Staff Supporting Services, Air Vice Marshal Jacob Nzvede said the elevation demonstrated the trust that the President had in the officers.
“The elevation means a higher responsibility that demands good judgment, discipline, loyalty and hard work,” he said.
“This promotion demonstrates the trust that His Excellency, the President, has in your abilities to perform at the highest level.
“It is, thus, incumbent upon you to be diligent and prudent in exercising command and control in order to maintain sustainable security in Zimbabwe.”
Air Vice Marshal Nzvede urged the newly promoted officers to remain vigilant as the region and world at large were witnessing a surge in threats.
“There is regional and global upsurge in hybrid threats, so we expect you to remain vigilant and be ready to swiftly provide incisive leadership to your subordinates,” he said.
“It, therefore, stands to reason that the varied threats we may face as a country demand perceptive officers who quickly adapt to the fluid global, regional and local securoscape.”
The AFZ, which is the last line of defence, wants to continue aiding civil ministries and communities in times of need, in line with its responsibility to protect people from all forms of threats, said Air Vice Marshal Nzvede.
He said security was central to the success of the National Development Strategy 1, the latest national economic blueprint launched by Government, which runs from 2021 to 2025.
Air Vice Marshal Nzvede said security forces will continue to support Government initiatives, including safeguarding the nation against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc across the globe.
One of the promoted officers, Wing Commander Primrose Ndlovu, thanked the President for the promotion, saying they will continue to work for the improvement of the AFZ and the nation at large.
“As newly-promoted wing commanders, we thank His Excellency for entrusting us with responsibility,” she said. “Through this promotion, he has re-energised us; we will continue working hard for the betterment of the AFZ and nation at large.
“It is common knowledge that this elevation in rank and status is associated with an increase in duties and responsibilities on our shoulders.”
The promotion comes a few days after President Mnangagwa promoted one AFZ Air Commodore to the rank of Air Vice Marshal, four Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) colonels to the rank of brigadier general and 54 majors to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
An MDC-Alliance supporter based in Chitungwiza, Richard Mutiti, will spend an effective 10 months in prison after he was convicted of inciting protesters who went on a rampage and destroyed Makoni Police Station during last month’s protests.
Chitungwiza resident magistrate Mr Nyasha Vitorini initially sentenced him to 18 months in prison before suspending eight months on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.
Mutiti was convicted after the State submitted a video in which he was among people who were captured while being addressed by an unidentified MDC-Alliance member who was influencing the mob to join the protests while chanting their party’s slogan.
His co-accused and former Chitungwiza Deputy Mayor Jabulani Mtunzi was acquitted last week after the State failed to prove its case against him.
Prosecutor Mr Tatenda Mukatera told the court that on January 14 at between 10.30am and 11am, Mtunzi, Mutiti and others who are still at large gathered at Unit C junction during the violent protests.
Mtunzi was alleged to have incited other people who were gathered at the junction to burn down Makoni Police Station.
The pair was seen by Tawanda Hongoro, who was passing by and he reported the matter to the police, leading to their arrest.
The late Mitchelle Moana Amuli was dumped by her mother into the custody of her father at 8 months only to part ways with her father at 24 when she decided to lead a party life which ended her life.
Watch the interview below as the father emotionally tells his story.
Zimbabwe continues to record more Covid-19 cases, with 115 cases reported today.
This means the country has recorded a staggering 225 cases in 48 hours after 110 new cases were reported on Wednesday.
Tellingly, Zimbabwe has recorded 451 new cases in the last five days, a development that should naturally worry citizens, especially those that have abandoned face masks and other guidelines such as social distancing.
An update released by the Ministry of Health and Child Care today shows that 1 770 PCR tests were done, with 115 cases testing positive.
Worryingly, all of them are community transmissions.
However, no deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, for the second day running.
Active cases have since shot up to 952.
Bulawayo Province leads on active cases by a wide margin, with 326 cases followed by Matabeleland North which has 199, Mashonaland West 117, Harare 94 and Matabeleland South 76.
Other provinces have smaller numbers.
Sixty-one new recoveries were announced today, leaving the national recovery rate at 87,3 percent.
As of November 26, Zimbabwe has recorded 9 623 cases, 8 397 recoveries and 274 deaths.
GIRLS College in Bulawayo has indefinitely closed following a Covid-19 case which was detected after the school held a leavers’ party for Upper Six students.
This development comes at a time when Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Bulawayo which now has the highest number of active cases in Zimbabwe.
One more person had died of Covid-19 in Bulawayo on Tuesday, the only death recorded in Zimbabwe as new cases continue rising in the country.
The country recorded 110 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours with 106 being local and the remainder returnees from Botswana and no deaths were recorded in the same period.
Of the new cases, Bulawayo was leading after recording 53 followed by Matabeleland South on 28 and Midlands recorded 15.
As at 25 November 2020, Zimbabwe had 9 506 confirmed cases, including 8 336 recoveries and 274 deaths. Bulawayo has in the past five days recorded seven deaths which constitutes 77 percent of the total deaths reported in Zimbabwe during the same time.
The city has the highest number of active cases in Zimbabwe at 233 against 827 cases in the whole country.
Of the 462 new cases recorded in Zimbabwe in the last six days, 205 were from Bulawayo and authorities have said the upsurge is a testament of a good contact tracing and testing system.
Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo confirmed the Girls College incident saying contact tracing is currently ongoing.
He bemoaned the increase of Covid-19 in the province saying it’s a worrying trend.
“We are recording a steady rise in number of Covid-19 cases in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province of late. This is obviously a worrying trend, but we believe it’s also testament to our strong surveillance system in the province. It means we are suspecting and testing the right segment of the population. It’s testament to good contact tracing,” he said.
“This unfortunately also reveals that Covid-19 continues to spread in the community. Bulawayo is expecting a sharp rise in number of returning residents from Botswana and South Africa, Injiva. As such, we are working on some measures to put in place to ensure safety of communities and to minimise spread of the virus over the holiday season.”
He called on residents to protect lives by practising safety measures which include the proper wearing of masks, social distancing and the washing of hands with either soap or hand sanitizer. “It is absolutely crucial that we practice these measures with a high level of discipline as we are now approaching the holiday season.
This can potentially present a challenge as the buzz of activity expected during this period will see an exponential rise in the number of cases. So, what we do now as Bulawayo will have a bearing on the number of cases we will experience over the festive period as well,” added Dr Mlilo.
Concerned parents said their children were informed yesterday morning that Girls College had to close to avert the spread of Covid-19.
In a letter addressed to parents dated November 24, Girls College principal Mrs Les Ross said the school continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and students with daily monitoring of temperatures, regular sanitising of all surfaces, mask wearing and social distancing.
“As you know, on Thursday 19th November Girls College held a Leavers’ Dinner Dance for our U6 Leavers. The event was held in a large open venue and numbers of both guests and staff working at the event were kept below 100. Unfortunately, since the dance one of the attendees has tested positive for Covid-19,” read the statement.
She said the virus has been contained within the U6 group as they had for the most part finished their exams and left the school and hostels some time before the dance.-Chronicle
A MAN who was caught having sex in a car with his girlfriend almost died after three unknown men who were armed with a knife and a knobkerrie stabbed him several times all over the body and left him lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
They robbed him of a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and cash all with a total value of US$5 300.
They smashed windows on the passenger’s side and driver’s side before attacking Ngonidzashe Ninge (42) and his girlfriend Nozizwe Khumalo (21) at a bushy area which is between Hyde Park Shops and Nkulumane complex. The source said Ninge had lowered his trousers to knee level with a condom on while Nozizwe had pulled up her skirt while they enjoyed themselves in the car.
Unfortunately, the source said, one of the men grabbed the hapless Ninge and pulled him out of his black Nissan X-Trail car.
The source said he tried to reason with them but they would not listen to his pleas.
Another source who is close to the pair said: “They took turns to clobber Ninge while accusing him of taking
advantage of Nozizwe saying she was too young for him,” said the source.
They were not done yet with Ninge as they demanded cash while assaulting him.
A source close to investigations said Ninge sustained three stab wounds on the head, another wound on the right side of the back and bruises all over the body. The accused persons took away his Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and cash. Nozizwe phoned Pumula police station and made a report. Police attended the scene.
“They found Ninge lying unconscious on the ground in a pool of blood. They phoned an ambulance which came and ferried him to Mater Dei Hospital,” said a source close to the pair.
Efforts to get a comment from Ninge were fruitless. Khumalo could neither confirm nor deny as she only said “who told you that” before she terminated the call.
“We are investigating a case of attempted murder where a man was attacked while he was having sex in a car with his girlfriend at around 7.30pm at a bushy area which is between Hyde Park Shops and Nkulumane complex. He was robbed of his Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and cash, all valued at US$5 300. We would like to urge community members not to indulge in sex in the bush because it’s illegal and dangerous.”-B-Metro
One person died while four others were injured on Monday after they were struck by lightning at Hippo Valley Mill in Chiredzi District as they were on their way to work.
The incident happened at around 3PM.
Chiredzi District Development Coordinator (DDC), Mr Lovemore Chisema who is also the local Civil Protection chairman confirmed the incident.
He said one of the victims died on the spot while four others were taken to Hippo Valley Medical Centre for treatment.
He said the now-deceased, Herbert Mukwetura ( 21) of Chishamiso Village, was on his way to work at Tongaat Hulett’s Hippo Valley Mill with four of his workmates.
“We had a challenge yesterday of a lightning bolt which struck five Tongaat Hulett workers killing one on the spot. We also received information about households in Ward 21 which also got the same problem although there are no injuries reported,” he said.
“The injured were taken to Hippo Valley Medical Centre while Mukwetura was taken to Chiredzi Provincial Hospital for postmortem.”
Mr Chisema advised the public to adhere to information from the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) to avoid loss of lives.
The tragedy happened a few days after the MSD warned members of the public about weather-related hazards including floods, hailstorms, lightning among others as the rain season has started.
Some schools have since been destroyed by hailstorms in Bikita and Zaka districts of Masvingo province. – Herald
A Bulawayo man was left shocked and upset after spotting “flirty” messages and nude pictures in his wife’s phone that she was exchanging with another man while making an appointment supposedly for a date.
After stumbling on the lewd pictures and messages Thamsanqa Dale failed to control his temper when he allegedly pummelled his wife Grace Dale accusing her of being promiscuous.
So severe were Thamsanqa’s repeated acts of violence on his wife that subsequently she was prompted to approach the Bulawayo Civil Court to seek a protection order against him.
In her papers Grace told the court how her husband’s constant acts of violence and verbal abuse left her distressed and fearful.
“Thamsanqa Dale is my husband of seven years and we have three children together. I am making this application for a protection order because of the physical and emotional abuse I’m subjected to. The abuse has become so unbearable and untenable. I am living in constant fear for my life. He recently seriously assaulted me and I fled and sought refuge at one of our relatives’ house.
“His violent behaviour is spiralling out of control and he is also constantly falsely accusing me of infidelity and continues to insult me while calling me a prostitute in front of our minor children. He is also causing so much pain, discomfort and distress as he continues to threaten and harass me. I pray that this honourable court intervenes and grants me a protection order,” pleaded Grace.
She also begged the court to bar her husband from visiting her workplace.
In response Thamsanqa justified his violent actions saying when he assaulted his wife, he was angered by her alleged flirtatious behaviour.
“I assaulted her because I saw messages, in which she was making an appointment with someone else and she had sent him nude pictures,” protested Thamsanqa.-B-Metro
Popular Sungura Musician Alick Macheso will before the year fold entertain his fans with a brand new single which will be released on 4 December 2020.
The single which is yet to be named, according to the sungura maestro is a Christmas present to his legion of fans and it will also be part of his forthcoming album to be released at an undisclosed date.
Macheso spoke briefly about the album before he referred all questions to his publicist and said:
The single will be out first week of December, it’s for the fans.
When contacted for comment, his Publicist Tich Makahamadze said the production of the said single is already at an advanced stage.
Macheso last made headlines when he featured in Freeman’s song Ngaibake whose video garnered over 2.8 million views on YouTube.-H-Metro
FC Platinum players have welcomed returning coach Norman Mapeza with open arms after the club rehired him last week to replace sacked Dutchman Pieter De Jongh.
Club captain and goalkeeper Petros Mhari told H-Metro that the majority of the players were elated when they were informed of Mapeza’s return as most of them had worked with him before. Said Mhari:
When we heard that coach Norman was coming back, everyone was happy. Most of the guys worked with him before so it was good news to hear that.
Ralph Kawondera, who joined FC Platinum after Mapeza’s departure, said he had always wanted to be trained by the former Chippa United gaffer. He said;
I am very happy to have coach Mapeza back at the club. It has always been my wish in my football career to be coached by him.
I will learn a lot from him and I think his tactics will help me become a good player.
I am not worried that coach Mapeza is back at the club, though I was signed by coach De Jongh who has since left.
I believe that I’m in his plans, all that I can say is I am happy that the coach is back.
Nomore Chinyerere also expressed happiness over Mapeza’s return saying the coach has a good philosophy and also understands the system and culture at the club.
FC Platinum begin their 2020-21 Champions League campaign with a trip to Costa Do Sol of Mozambique this Friday.-H-Metro
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has pointed out that the opposition party is an unbreakable formation despite efforts by Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to destroy it.
According to President Chamisa, a return to legitimacy is the only solution to the country’s deepening crisis.
He also commended the people of Uganda for their determination to fight for freedom.
“Uganda..keep on marching, you are almost getting there.Thank you Africa for standing with those seeking to break the always-temporary chains of oppression..Freedom!
Zimbabwe must be RESTORED TO PROSPERITY anchored on a return to a People’s government.
VP @BitiTendai delivered a State of the Economy address articulating our alternative SMART views on how to fix Zim economic challenges.
Join us in this fight to WIN Zimbabwe for Change.
Chinja is unbreakable..The people shall govern,” President Chamisa said in a statement.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance leader, President Nelson Chamisa, has pointed out that the opposition party is an unbreakable formation despite efforts by Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa to destroy it.
According to President Chamisa, a return to legitimacy is the only solution to the country’s deepening crisis.
He also commended the people of Uganda for their determination to fight for freedom.
“Uganda..keep on marching, you are almost getting there.Thank you Africa for standing with those seeking to break the always-temporary chains of oppression..Freedom!
Zimbabwe must be RESTORED TO PROSPERITY anchored on a return to a People’s government.
VP @BitiTendai delivered a State of the Economy address articulating our alternative SMART views on how to fix Zim economic challenges.
Join us in this fight to WIN Zimbabwe for Change.
Chinja is unbreakable..The people shall govern,” President Chamisa said in a statement.
Is it possible for President Advocate Nelson Chamisa to be close to Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa?
●Zanu PF has a system which is eating its own key members.
What guarantees the safety of Chamisa who opposes it?
▪︎We can’t all be stupid to believe that General Mujuru died of a candle flame. He was a key member, yet he perished and nothing was done. People moved on! ▪︎We cant all be stupid to believe that Air Marshal Perrance Shiri died of Covid-19. It doesn’t kill instantly, we all know Covid-19.
What about the other Colonels who followed! People moved on! ▪︎We can’t ignore the fact the General Chiwenga survived polonium poison and he had to return nicodemusly without even telling his number 1!
▪︎We have a series of suspicious accidents that claimed the lives of key members that we all know.
Chindori Chininga, Moven Mahachi, Brigadier Gunda, Eliot Manyika, Border Gezi, Peter Pamire…. the list is endless. ▪︎Matemadanda who is their political çommissar (Vatete vomusangano) the auntie of the Party, has just survived food poisoning, but the damage has already been done, he will go slowly! We are waiting for his reaction…
▪︎What about abductions and assassinations?
●If the system kills those who support it, what then guarantees the safety of President Nelson Chamisa who opposes it?
Tinashe Sambiri|Former Manchester United, England and Real Madrid star, David Beckham, has said the death of Diego Maradona is a blow to the global football fraternity.
Maradona is famous for his “Hand of God” goal.
“A sad day for Argentina and a sad day for football as we celebrate the greatness of what this man gave us…
Someone that played with passion , spirit and was nothing less than a pure genius .. I was so excited to meet Diego and we will all miss him Rest In Peace,” Beckham said in a statement.
