POLICE investigations into the Murehwa boy’s ritual murder have revealed that an 11-year-old boy from Nyamutumbu Village was paid $5 to lure the now deceased Tapiwa Makore (Jnr) from the garden to his uncle’s homestead.
The uncle, Tapiwa Makore (Snr) allegedly gave the boy $5 plus a T-shirt for the crucial role he played in the murder before warning him against disclosing the matter to other villagers.
However, the boy handed over the money to his mother who kept the secret.
The uncle together with his herdsman Tafadzwa Shamba are in remand prison pending the murder trial. Police investigations have revealed that the boy was sent by both Makore (Snr) and Shamba to lure him.
It is alleged that the boy later revealed the matter to his mother who told him not to disclose the matter. The mother is said to have used the money to buy chicken.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the latest developments and said investigations were still in progress.
He said the boy will testify as a witness in the murder trial.
Two more women were recently picked up for questioning by police after they allegedly bought meat from Tafadzwa Shamba, the herdsman. The arrests came after reports that the meat bought by the two women might have been human flesh from the late boy’s thigh, which was sold to them at their homestead where they sell opaque beer and kachasu.
Shamba allegedly exchanged the meat for six containers of opaque beer with one of the women, Joina Tangirire, who sells beer at her homestead.
The meat was consumed by her whole family. Following a tip-off, police picked up Tangirire and a relative, Enia Tangirire, who are alleged to have admitted that they exchanged beer for the meat. The meat was, however, consumed by the whole family.
The developments also came after police arrested a third suspect linked to the murder of Tapiwa Makore (Junior) in Harare over the weekend and appeared in court on Monday.
Moud Hunidzarira (42) was arrested in Budiriro following a tip-off by the public and appeared before a Murehwa magistrate and was remanded in custody.
It is alleged that when the murder occurred, Hunidzarira was in Murehwa and a few days later, she was seen by some neighbours in Harare cleaning an item that had blood believed to be that of the late Tapiwa Makore.
Eventually, the neighbours tipped-off the police, leading to her arrest over the weekend.
Bulawayo city councillors have said it is better to license shebeens, rather than bottle stores calling for policies to make them legal.
According to the latest council report, councillors were debating an application for a development permit to establish a bottle store within a supermarket in Mpopoma, during a meeting of the Town Lands and Planning Committee.
Councillor Silas Chigora, in the minutes, said licensing bottle stores led to fouling at supermarkets by drinkers.
“Councillor S. Chigora supported the application. Previously similar applications had been acceded to. Fouling was one of the major challenges in most shopping centres. Council should have a policy on shebeens and relevant by-laws enforced,” read the minutes.
Cllr Felix Mhaka supported shebeens because they have adequate infrastructure for patrons.
“Councillor F. Mhaka was in support of shebeens. Shebeens had been there pre-independence and they promoted both local and international tourism. Council should have a policy with regards shebeens. He did not support standalone bottle stores. Most illegally operated shebeens had all the required infrastructure.”
Town Lands and Planning Committee deputy chairperson, Cllr Sinikiwe Mutanda, also did not support standalone bottle stores.
“She did not support the application (to establish a bottle store). A bottle store within a supermarket was not different from a standalone one. Fouling would still be experienced. Most bottle stores had turned out to be drinking spots without adequate infrastructure,” read the minutes.
“In response the deputy director of engineering services (town planning) explained that the supermarket was located at Bango Shopping Centre in Mpopoma. Council policy supported bottle stores within a supermarket. Most standalone bottle stores enjoyed existing user rights. Council was no longer in support of new standalone bottle store applications. In the CBD most supermarkets had bottle stores within. No fouling had been experienced.”
Earlier on, the committee considered the matter and Cllr Tawanda Ruzive sought clarification about the report.
He wanted to know if the applicant had started operations. It was now common for applicants to operate first without a development permit. Regularisation fees should be deterrent enough. The City at large should not support the establishment of shebeens. Shebeens were mostly associated with immoral behaviour and other criminal activities.
Council also supported the establishment of sports bars which was an improvement from standalone bottle stores.
It was resolved that a development permit to establish a bottle store on Stand 50291 Mpopoma Township be granted to Inathi Supermarket subject to full compliance with the requirements of the director of engineering services, director of health services, director of housing and community services, and any other municipal by-law requirements.
POPULAR gold dealer, Baron Dube (44) of Habane Extension Township in Esigodini has been sentenced to an effective 10 years in prison for killing a member of a rival gang following a dispute at a mine.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva on Tuesday convicted Dube of murder after he fatally shot Prince Antony Bvundura (22) in September 2018.
In passing sentence, Justice Takuva said Dube was a bully who was motivated by greed.
“In the first place, you had no right to be at that mine which you claimed the owner tasked you to manage. There was a gold rush at the mine and you were driven there by greed because you are a bully,” Justice Takuva said.
He expressed concern over the prevalence of violence among miners saying the courts have a duty to protect the sanctity of human life through passing deterrent sentences.
“Recently violence among miners is on the rise. The court has to pass sentences that will dissuade the would-be offenders as crimes in the mining areas have become a danger to the society. People like you have to be removed from the society. A young man lost his life due to your greed. Imprisonment is the right thing for you and therefore you are sentenced to an effective 10 years imprisonment,” ruled Justice Takuva.
He reminded Dube of his automatic right of appeal against both conviction and sentence at the Supreme Court.
Dube, who was out of custody on $2 000 bail, fatally shot Bvundura in September 2018 in the heat of a fight over a mining claim at Block 13 Atlas Mine in Esigodini.
He used a Voere 458 calibre rifle.
The shooting happened at a mine belonging to Mr Tendai Musanangura and Dube said Mr Musanangura had granted him the authority to occupy it. Mr Musanangura however denied granting the authority.
Dube, who was being represented by Mr Leopold Mudisi of Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners had told the court that the firearm accidentally discharged after he stepped on a rock and fell down while fleeing from a mob, which was throwing stones at him while baying for his blood.
“I fell down while trying to run away from the illegal gold panners who were chasing me and in the process the revolver, which was stashed in my shorts accidentally discharged after I fell into a pit. I didn’t realise that I shot a person until the following day when I was approached by police while trying to fill up the pits, which had been dug by the illegal gold panners,” he said.
Dube had denied that he opened fire at his rivals during violent skirmishes, claiming he was the victim. He also denied that there was a gold rush at the mine.
Under cross-examination, Dube failed to justify why he had to arm himself since he purported that his intention was not to fight anyone.
Upon his arrest he was found with a gun loaded with seven rounds of ammunition.
GOOGLE’S parent company, Alphabet, has partnered with the Econet Group to launch a new high-speed broadband technology, which uses laser beams instead of fibre optic cables.
In a media update, Econet said the new technology can be deployed to connect two points that are 20km apart in a matter of hours, instead of about two weeks of digging to lay fibre cables.
Currently, the technology is said to have the capacity to deliver up to 10Gbits of Internet at the ‘speed of light’ capable of streaming high-quality video.
For Econet, this is ideal for connecting small towns, mines and large businesses. It can also be used to connect areas that are unsafe to lay fibre cables.
“News of the partnership between Google and Econet, reported by Techcrunch.com and several tech news outlets, represents a massive opportunity for Econet, which has set up a new company based in Nairobi, Kenya to roll out a supporting network to Liquid Telecom’s fibre optic network business across Africa,” said the company.
Liquid Telecom is part of the Econet Group and has the largest fibre network across Africa. The new technology was developed by a company in Alphabet’s stable called X, and it looks at finding new high-tech solutions known as “Moon Shots”.
According to Techcrunch.com, X announced on Tuesday that its “Project Taara” high-speed optical wireless broadband endeavor was being rolled out across Sub-Saharan Africa through partnership with giant internet provider Econet and its subsidiaries.
“This deployment follows a series of small pilots in Kenya specifically, but now Taara and Econet are ready to start adding high-speed wireless optical links to supplement and enhance Econet service reach more broadly, starting with Liquid Telecom customers in Kenya,” Techcrunch.com reported.
“Taara is yet another approach to extending the reach of broadband networks to parts of the Earth that have typically not had access or high-speed connections, due primarily to infrastructure challenges.”-Chronicle
A BULAWAYO man allegedly teamed up with an ex-soldier to rob people that his in-laws were selling a house to, at gunpoint.
Covering their faces with face masks and caps tilted to further hide their faces, Learnmore Kwari (30) and the former soldier, Ian Sibanda (53), arrived at the sellers’ home in Lobengula West suburb on Tuesday between 5.30 and 6.30pm.
They, however, got more than they had bargained for when Mr Brendon Matshazi (24) disarmed Sibanda who was brandishing the gun at the family and demanding US$23 000.
Mr Matshazi bashed Sibanda into submission while Kwari took to his heels.
After witnessing the pounding his friend had taken, Kwari could not get away fast enough as he apparently felt getting into a getaway vehicle- a dark green BMW- would slow him down.
He streaked away on foot.
Kwari’s in laws were selling a house in the same suburb and he was part of the team that had engaged the Matshazi family in negotiations.
Sibanda is in police custody while Kwari is still at large.
Unbeknown to the duo, the money they were targeting was not at the house as it was yet to be delivered from South Africa.
Angry residents deflated the getaway vehicle’s tyres when news of the botched heist spread around the suburb.
There was a brief free-for-all as they stampeded to beat Sibanda up.
Mr Matshazi said he was angry Sibanda and Kwari burst into the house and threatened his grandmother and younger sister with a gun.
“I was so angry I did not stop to think. I jumped on him from behind and we tussled for the pistol. I overpowered him although he was bigger than me. I hit him with butt of the gun on the head until he fell to the ground. He begged for mercy while asking where I got the strength to fight an armed man,” said Mr Matshazi.-Chronicle
Comedian Lazarus “Gringo” Boora’s co-actors in different local dramas have described him as the driving force behind the success of the productions.
They said Gringo was not just an actor, but someone who was dedicated to fighting for the rights of artistes.
Gringo succumbed to stomach cancer on Monday despite concerted efforts by doctors to stop the disease from spreading to other parts of the body.
He will be buried today at his rural home in Rusape.
Blessing Chimbowa, popularly known as “Mbudzi Yadhura” said Gringo’s death came as a shock to the arts industry.
“Boora was a person who did not want artists to be looked down upon,” he said.
“He was open and would speak his mind, especially when it comes to low payment of actors, that is why he did not feature in many productions. Many people used to say that Boora was a problem because of that.
“The other thing is that I am begging to all those who worked with Boora, he has left a family behind and I appeal to companies that worked with Boora to help his family not financially, but even to employ his children. Let us try to support his family.”
Chimbowa said he started working with Gringo before he became popular and he was a talented person. He said if one met Gringo, he would learn a lot of things from him.
William Matenga, who acted alongside Gringo as Gweshegweshe, described the late Gringo as a person who was focused and determined.
“I worked with Gringo for a lot of years dating back to the 1980s acting for Screen Talent Drama Club,” he said. “What I noticed ever since I started working with him was that he was a person with a bright future. He was very creative and would look beyond things when it comes to acting.-The Herald
HE sat out the Warriors’ one-hour training session yesterday afternoon due to a slight knock, but newboy, Jordan Zemura, is feeling the love.
The Bournemouth fullback, who was last in the country five years ago, is the only newcomer in coach Zdravko Logarusic’s charges for the 2021 AFCON qualifier against Algeria in Algiers tomorrow.
The team was expected to depart Harare on a charter flight last night and arrive in Algiers this morning.
And Zemura has already gelled with the rest of the squad, with Adam Chicksen his closest buddy.
Zemura was part of the Charlton Athletic Under-16 side when Chicksen was already a senior, and that relationship has helped him to quickly adapt to his new surroundings.
“I am at home, very much comfortable to be in the midst of such amazing players,” said Zemura.
“The warmth I am feeling is incredible. I am ready to give the Warriors everything in the field, I am ready.
“I have seen the players, they are a fantastic group. They are hungry for success and you know what, with that kind of attitude, we are destined for glory.
“I think we have a good number of players who can make things happen. We have very good players dotted around the world.
“Algeria, obviously, are tricky customers, given that they have gone for about 20 games without defeat.
“But that is not to say they are unplayable. We are out to pick the maximum points.”
Zemura said playing against such players like Algerian talisman, Riyad Mahrez,should inspire the Warriors.
“I am ready to face him (Mahrez), If I am given a chance to play, I will definitely do my best, he is good but I will try my best.
“It takes character, which I am sure the guys possess.
“Algeria are the African champions, they are the best team on the continent right now, in terms of form.
“But, we will play against the best, prove a point or two against the best and find our way to the top, that’s how it works.
“I am very happy to be part of this amazing group, I am happy to be among them.
“If I am given a chance to prove myself, yeah, I am ready for the challenge, otherwise, I am very happy for the faith shown in me by the coaches.”-The Herald
The late socialite and flamboyant businessman, Genius Kadungure, better known as Ginimbi’s autopsy results have been revealed.
The autopsy results showed that Ginimbi died from internal bleeding, and this puts to rest various conspiracy theories flying around about the cause of the millionaire’s death.
Family spokesperson, Darling Kadungure, told Nhau/Indaba that Ginimbi underwent a post-mortem on Tuesday and the results said Ginimbi died from “haemorrhagic shock in polytrauma”.
According to online sources, hemorrhagic shock occurs when the body begins to shut down due to large amounts of blood loss.
People suffering injuries that involve heavy bleeding may go into hemorrhagic shock if the bleeding isn’t stopped immediately.
Common causes of haemorrhagic shock include severe burns, deep cuts, gunshot wounds and trauma amputations.
Meanwhile, Ginimbi’s burial will take place on the grounds of his Domboshava mansion, as per his instructions before he died.
Ginimbi is also said to have instructed his family no to rush his burial as “many people will come from all over the world”.
The controversial businessman died on Sunday between 5 am and 6 am when his Rolls-Royce hit a Honda Fit and veered off the road before hitting a tree along Borrowdale Road.
Eyewitness accounts have indicated that Ginimbi was pulled out of the wreckage alive but died shortly afterwards. His colleagues, Malawian Limumba Karim, Mitchelle “Moana” Amuli and popular Mozambican model Alichia Adams, were trapped in the car and were burnt beyond recognition when the car burst into flames.-Nhau/Indaba
Tinashe Sambiri|Controversial musician Desmond ‘Stunner’ Chideme has described the late socialite and business tycoon, Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure as true legend.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Stunner said he was shocked by Ginimbi’s demise.
Ginimbi died in a terrible accident on Sunday morning.Mitchelle ‘Moana’ Amuli, Malawian Karim Limumba and model Alichia Adams from Mozambique also died in the crash.
“Back in Harare and the mood just ain’t the same.
@ginimbi I will honestly say I’m still to meet a being that can match your always forever bright and joyous energy .
Not once did I see you in a fight or starting trouble, well as a single guy handinga kuchenese pese but you were that guy everyone wanted to be friends with and not because you had money but you knew how to make one feel at home around you.
May the good lord find another mansion for you and a thousand Lamborghinis to cruise around heaven. You will be missed , RIP bro.
2020 taabho newe honestly it’s not even a popularity contest on who to post from Gringo , Moana and the rest of the guys.
These are tough times we are in , stay safe guys , pasi parikuda ropa apa,” said Stunner.
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance Youth Assembly is ready to defend the people’s struggle, Secretary General of the assembly, Gift Ostallos Siziba has said.
Below is Siziba’s full statement:
We held a successful MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Council in this city of kings this weekend- below are the key resolutions made:
Prepare for action- a radical mass mobilisation program to energise the base, organise communities and fight dictatorship.
Defend the people’s project with utmost precision.
Launch I Million Youth campaign in all Provinces as a harbinger of a radically different Youth Assembly.
Take the Youth Assembly back to the rural areas- Focus on rural Youth mobilisation, voter education and economic empowerment programs.
Initiate a Political education program as a grassroots class consciousness drive for young people.
Join forces with the progressive Youth Movements in and around Zimbabwe to form a formidable fight against military dictatorship in the country.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) has sent its condolences to the Boora family following the death of veteran actor and comedian Lazarus Boora, 47, popularly known as Gringo.
Gringo succumbed to stomach cancer yesterday morning with Dr Johannes Marisa who was treating him saying the cancer had already spread to some parts of the body when he was sent to Westview Clinic in Zimre Park, Ruwa.
In its message to the Boora family, NACZ said the arts sector had been robbed of one of the most recognisable TV personalities. Reads the statement:
The NACZ management and staff would like to express their sincerest condolences to Amai Boora and the Boora family, the arts fraternity and the nation at large following the passing on of one of the country’s most recognisable television personalities.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Gringo rose to fame in 1997 when he took the leading role in Enock Chihombori‘s drama series ‘Gringo.’
He is scheduled to be buried on Thursday at his rural home in Rukweza, Rusape.-Chronicle
A 60-YEAR-OLD man from Kamativi in Matabeleland North allegedly tried to kill his estranged wife by hitting her with an iron bar for refusing to have sex with him.
Martin Sibanda of Tatatongwa Village in Tinde area under Chief Pashu allegedly hit Ms Joyce Muletambo Mathe, whose age was not given, once on the chest with an iron bar after she turned down his sexual advances.
The two are living in separation following undisclosed marital problems and Sibanda allegedly visited Ms Mathe and asked her to have sexual intercourse with him.
He picked an iron bar and attacked her, striking her on the chest after she refused and she fell down.
Sibanda allegedly sat on her stomach and punched her several times on the face.
He also stomped on her neck and stomach as she lay helplessly on the ground.
Sibanda pleaded not guilty to attempted murder when trial opened before Hwange regional magistrate Mr Collet Ncube.
He was remanded in custody to today for continuation of trial.
The State alleges that Sibanda proceeded to his estranged wife’s homestead and demanded to have sex with her.
“On the 1st day of September 2019 at around 6.40pm the accused person went to the complainant’s place of residence and requested to have sexual intercourse with her but she refused.
“This angered the accused person who then hit the complainant with an iron bar once on the chest and she fell down,” said the prosecutor Mr Vumizulu Mangena.
The court was told Sibanda punched the complainant on the face as she lay on the ground.
A report was made to the police leading to Sibanda’s arrest.
The complainant was taken to hospital where she was treated and discharged.-Chronicle
GOVERNMENT’s proposed 40 percent salary increase for civil servants will not destabilise an economy that has been on a positive trajectory over the last few months, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said.
Cabinet announced yesterday that it had awarded a 10 percent risk allowance for teachers while proposing a 40 percent salary increase for civil servants which will result in the lowest paid employee getting over $14 500.
The new salary structure is with effect from November 1.
With the local currency standing firm and inflation on a downward trend since the Government introduced a cocktail of measures which include the Foreign Currency Exchange Auction, Prof Ncube said the latest increases would not reverse the gains made over the last few months.
“We’re making sure that the ordinary civil servant can be as close to the Poverty Datum Line as possible. So, for example for a teacher that salary of above the Poverty Datum Line. That’s what we’re trying to achieve and we will be able to do this without destabilising the stability. In fact, when you look at the ratios, in terms of the salary to total revenue ratio per month that won’t move much. At the same time, it would have given the employees a decent wage, a wage that is a real increase. You’ll agree with me that when a currency is stable, inflation is falling, an increase in wages is a real increase and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Prof Ncube said the latest increase was meant to close the gap, between the bottom of the pyramid in civil service to the higher rungs. Salary increases as the year came to a close, Prof Ncube said, could be beneficial to the economy.
“I think that extra demand from the economy and wages from consumers is not a very bad thing. We also want to make sure that there’s enough demand to support the economic growth that we need to move our country forward,” he said.
Genius Kadungure popularly known as Ginimbi, left a huge estate which has left a huge number of people talking.
In response to bizarre claims, such as him supposedly having a snake that spits money, his friends asked in a statement why no one inquired about the source of wealth when he was alive, yet chose to speculate after his death.
“We all had 36 years to know and understand Ginimbi and his numerous sources of wealth. If no one asked him while he was alive, why speculate now that he is dead.
Ginimbi rose to prominence at the age of 26 as a supplier of liquefied petroleum (LP) gas. That’s when he started hosting birthday parties. Though modest at the time, they drew the attention of the “who’s who” in Harare.
He would later become a social media star, with his life akin to a reality show. Over the years he bought expensive cars and was never shy to announce their acquisition.
At the time of his death, he was awaiting the arrival of a Lamborghini Aventador.
In his garage, the vehicles he leaves behind include:
Rolls-Royce Ghost (2016 model);
Rolls-Royce Ghost (2020 model);
Rolls-Royce Wraith (involved in his fatal crash);
Bentley Continental GT (2014 model);
Bentley Continental GT W12 (2020 model);
Bentley Bentayga;
Bentley Mulsanne;
Lamborghini Aventador S Coupe;
Ferrari 488 Spider;
Mercedes G Wagon Brabus (2016 model);
Mercedes G Wagon G63 (2020 model);
Range Rover Vogue Autobiography (2019 model);
Range Rover Sport SVR (2019 model);
Range Rover Sport Lumma (2017 model);
Range Rover Sport (2018 model);
Range Rover Velar (2018 model);
Mercedes-Benz S Class (2014 model); and
Mercedes-Benz S Class (2019 model).
Plus many other luxury wheels featuring the badges of BMW, Jaguar and Lexus.
The final party to be thrown for Zimbabwean socialite and businessman Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure will be on Friday, but this time guests will have to bring their own champagne because he won’t be there to top up their glasses.
It will be the second party at the Domboshava residence, about 30km on the northern outskirts of Harare, in the space of two months. The first was his 36th birthday party, when he spent at least $50,000 (about R780,000) to entertain 400 invited guests.
The upcoming one will be his funeral wake, a day before he is buried at his upmarket mansion. And to make things clear, the invitation says “bring your own bottle”.
Kadungure died instantly in an accident in the early hours of Sunday in his R5m Rolls-Royce Wraith which veered off the road and hit a tree before going up in flames. Three other people died in the crash.
Since most of those around Ginimbi were relatively well-off businesspeople living champagne lifestyles of their own, drinks such as Ace of Spades, Veuve Clicquot Rich, Moet, and a variety of expensive reserve whiskies are likely to be produced from the boots of Range Rovers and other luxury cars.
All roads will lead to Domboshava, a village known for pottery and market gardening. Kadungure was born there and he saw it fit to build a mansion there when he “made it” instead of the usual thatched mud huts that are a characteristic of the area.
His sister Juliet said he often spoke about wanting to “go out with a bang” because he was a “big” person. As such, he will be buried almost a week after his tragic death.
“He always reminded us how he wanted his funeral to be. He had a plan and always said “ndiri (I am) big”, so make sure at my funeral, you do not hurriedly bury me. Everyone who will be at my funeral must be dressed in all white, no matter who. He said he had friends all over the world, so when he died they should be given time to come and attend, so never hurry,” she said.
Ginimbi had a way with international celebrities. In 2018 he set tongues wagging when he hosted Ciamera Jimenez, a New York adult performer of Puerto Rican descent who goes by the alias Cici Amor, at his mansion for two weeks.
Among friends he counted Nigerian pop superstar Davido, Big Brother Africa star Pokello Nare and SA celebs Bonang Matheba and DJ Tira, among others.
Zimbabwe plans to select a financial adviser by Christmas to help it raise $3.5 billion to compensate White farmers it violently evicted from their land two decades ago, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said.
Resolving the issue is seen as crucial to restoring Zimbabwe’s relations with Western nations and multilateral lenders, including the U.S. and the International Monetary Fund, which have imposed sanctions on the country’s leaders and frozen financial assistance.
Seven applications were received after a call was made for an advisory firm and three of those, including local and international companies, have been shortlisted, Ncube said in a virtual interview on Monday. The government has identified some assets it can use as “seed capital” for the payments, which are meant to cover improvements made to the farms, such as dams, rather than the land itself.
“It is my hope that well before Christmas we can choose a winner,” he said.
The state-sanctioned invasion of White-owned commercial farms by Black subsistence farmers was said by the government to have rectified a historical wrong as White colonists had forced Black Zimbabweans off the land. Still, the expulsions slashed exports and kicked off 20 years of economic turmoil that has seen bouts of hyperinflation and the collapse of what had been one of Africa’s most advanced economies.
The plans to raise the money, possibly getting some of it from an international bond sale, is complicated by the poor state of the Zimbabwean economy and a track record of failing to pay creditors. The country has external debt of more than $8 billion.
Ncube said the economy is improving and he expects to post a current-account surplus of $1.2 billion this year as well as a “very small budget deficit, if not a balanced budget.”
Measures taken to halt the slide of the Zimbabwe dollar have seen the currency stabilize at about 82 to the U.S. dollar since mid-August, after a precipitous plunge from 25 in late June when a peg to the U.S. unit was lifted.
“Stability, stability, stability is going to be critical going forward,” he said.
The country is trying to restore relations with the IMF and other multilateral organizations and hopes to have a staff visit by the time the Washington-based lender holds its so-called Spring Meetings in April, Ncube said. “Token payments” to creditors will resume this month, he said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa will launch the first of two five-year economic plans on Nov. 16, he said. The aim is to almost triple the per capita earnings of Zimbabweans to $3,500 by 2030 from $1,300 now.
Ncube also said:
His ministry doesn’t plan to clamp down on business being done in foreign currencies in the country There are no plans to increase the frequency of weekly currency auctions The government is targeting mining and industrial companies in a drive to have more firms list on a dollar-denominated stock exchange in the resort town of Victoria Falls
Michelle ‘Moana’ Amuli’s family has decided to bury her remains this Thursday after previously demanding for a DNA test to positively identify her charred remains.
Experts had advised that the process would have forced the family to wait for up to three weeks before burying the remains.
Her sister, Tatts, told reporters on Wednesday that the family had agreed to bury the socialite at Zororo Cemetery, Harare this Thursday.
Moana died with Genius Kadungure and two others in a fatal road accident along Borrowdale Road, Harare early Sunday morning.
The four were coming from Moana’s 26th birthday party held at Dreams Nightclub when Ginimbi’s Rolls and Royce was involved in a head-on collision with a Honda Fit and hit a tree before bursting into flames.
Moana and the two other passengers in the car were burnt to death in the car.
Speaking to the reporters Tatts said video footage taken at the accident scene had been used to identify Moana.
“She will be buried tomorrow (Thursday) her body will arrive home today.
“The person we thought was her yesterday was not her, it was the other lady.
“Today other family members were shown a video of Moana before she was burnt beyond recognition so they can now tell who is who hence her body will be home today and her remains will be buried tomorrow at Zororo Cemetery,” she said.
Meanwhile, her family is pleading for donations from the public to foot her funeral expenses and ‘give her a good and decent send off’.
More than 50 people have been beheaded in northern Mozambique by militant Islamists, state media report.
The militants turned a football pitch in a village into an “execution ground”, where they decapitated and chopped bodies, other reports said.
Several people were also beheaded in another village, state media reported.
The beheadings are the latest in a series of gruesome attacks that the militants have carried out in gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since 2017.
Up to 2,000 people have been killed and about 430,000 have been left homeless in the conflict in the mainly-Muslim province.
The militants are linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, giving it a foothold in southern Africa.
The group has exploited poverty and unemployment to recruit youth in their fight to establish Islamic rule in the area.
The BBC’s Jose Tembe reports from the capital, Maputo, that the latest attack was probably the worst carried out by the militants.
Many people are shocked, and they are calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he adds.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa immediately come in and said the country is ready to help the neighboring country fight the insurgency that’s raising alarm across the region.
Mnangagwa took to Twitter on Tuesday to voice support for Mozambique’s government after police in Mozambique announced the militants beheaded more than 50 people in the northern part of the country.
“These acts of barbarity must be stamped out wherever they are found,” Mnangagwa said.
I am deeply shocked by recent reports of terrorist activity in Mozambique. These acts of barbarity must be stamped out wherever they are found.
The gunmen chanted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”, in English), fired shots, and set homes alight when they raided Nanjaba village on Friday night, the state-owned Mozambique News Agency quoted survivors as saying.
Two people were beheaded in the village and several women abducted, the news agency added.
A separate group of militants carried out another brutal attack on Muatide village, where they beheaded more than 50 people, the news agency reported.
Villagers who tried to flee were caught, and taken to the local football pitch where they were beheaded and chopped to pieces in an atrocity carried out from Friday night to Sunday, privately-run Pinnancle News reported.
Mozambique’s government has appealed for international help to curb the insurgency, saying its troops need specialised training.
In April, more than 50 people were beheaded or shot dead in an attack on a village in Cabo Delgado and earlier this month, nine people were beheaded in the same province.
Human rights groups say Mozambican security forces have also carried human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture and killings, during operations to curb the insurgency.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address South Africa at 8pm on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa is expected to provide an update on the government’s strategies to manage the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, in his weekly newsletter, the president urged South Africans to continue adhering to health regulations in order to avoid a second wave of infections.
Skylake Borehole Drilling has dismissed social media reports that it used the late Lazarus Boora popularly known as Gringo to market its brand when he was bed-ridden.
A picture of Skylake Borehole Drilling ambassadors in the company of Gringo is circulating on social media with inferences that the firm used Gringo when he was unwell to market its brand.
In a statement, the firm said the picture had nothing to do with marketing of its brand but was a mere good gesture they undertook as part of their corporate social responsibility.
They said the picture in question was taken on a day when they were doing a road show in Chitungwiza and decided to pass through the clinic where Gringo had been admitted to make a small donation.
“This picture was taken last year (2019) when we had our road show in Chitungwiza. We never circulated it because it was not our intention to market our brand using Gringo. It was a good and innocent gesture that we decided to undertake after receiving the news that Gringo was not feeling well.
“We then said since we are having a road show here, why don’t we show the spirit of ubuntu and extend our helping hand to Gringo. We are very much concerned that our good and noble gesture is now being twisted by social media bullies to send a wrong signal to the public.”
The statement from Skylake Borehole Drilling comes at a time when social media is awash with fake news on different personalities.
THE Warriors have landed in Algeria ahead of the 2021 AFCON qualifier against the Desert Foxes tomorrow.
The Zimbabwe squad, led by captain Knowledge Musona, arrived at the Houri Boumediene International Airport at 7.13am (local time) after taking off from Harare about seven hours earlier.
The match is scheduled for the 5 July 1962 Stadium in the Algerian capital tomorrow.
Kick off time is 9pm (local time).
Coach Zdravko Logarusic’s charges will conduct their only training session as a group at the venue Wednesday evening.
Some of the players joined camp late due to club commitments and other logistical challenges, denying Logarusic a chance to conduct even a single training session with a full complement of his playing staff.
Three players, who had been named by the Croat, including United States-based goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva and Tendai Jirira, failed to secure flights from their base due to Covid-19 related complications.
Defensive shield, Marshall Munetsi, withdrew from the team as his French club Reims wrote to ZIFA saying he was injured.
The rest of the players, including Aston Villa’s Marvellous Nakamba, Khama Billiat, Tendayi Darikwa and Jordan Zemura are all with the team.
The big match is finally here, Algeria Versus Zimbabwe On Thursday.
Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi has announced his final squad of 24 players for the double header against Zimbabwe on Thursday at 5 July 1962 Stadium in Algiers, and four days later at the giant National Sports Stadium Harare in the 2021 Total Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers’ Group H.
Belmadi made some few changes to the “Champions of Africa” squad that played two friendly matches against Nigeria and Mexico last October. Youcef Atal, Djamel Benlamri and Adam Ounas, who won the 2019 AFCON title in Egypt returned to the squad, while Karim Aribi, who recently joined French side Nîmes Olympique was handed his debut national team call. Belmadi opted to keep out Zineddine Ferhat, Abdeldjalil Medioub and Maxime Spano Rahou.
The man to watch will be Manchester City in hot form striker Riyad Mahrez.
Algeria tops Group H with maximum six points, two more than Zimbabwe. Botswana and Zambia follow in that order with one and zero points respectively.
Full Squad Goalkeepers: Alexandre Oukidja (Metz, France), Rais Mbolhi (Al Ittifaq, Saudi Arabia), Azzedine Doukha (Al Raed, Saudi Arabia)
Defenders: Reda Halaimia (Beerschot VA, Belgium), Youcef Atal (Nice, France), Aissa Mandi (Real Betis, Spain), Mehdi Tahrat (Abha, Saudi Arabia), Djamel Benlamri (Olympique Lyon, France), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Mohamed Fares (Lazio, Italy)
Forwards: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, England), Adam Ounas (Cagliari, Italy), Karim Aribi (Nimes, France), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd, Qatar), Andy Delort (Montpellier, France), Yassine Brahimi (Al Rayan, Qatar), Said Benrahma (West Ham United, England)
Warriors newcomer Jordan Zemura believes Algeria’s two-year undefeated streak will not deter them from coming out with a positive result when the two teams meet on Thursday.
Zemura is among the twenty-one players that travelled to North Africa on Tuesday night. This is his first call-up to the national team.
Speaking to the Herald, the Bournemouth defender believes the Warriors squad is capable of bringing a competitive game against their opponents.
He said: “I think we have a good number of players who can make things happen. We have very good players dotted around the world.
“Algeria, obviously, are tricky customers, given that they have gone for about 20 games without defeat.
“But that is not to say they are unplayable. We are out to pick the maximum points.”
Zemura also said he felt comfortable after meeting his new team-mates.
“I am at home, very much comfortable to be in the midst of such amazing players.
“The warmth I am feeling is incredible. I am ready to give the Warriors everything in the field, I am ready.
“I have seen the players, they are a fantastic group. They are hungry for success, and you know what, with that kind of attitude, we are destined for glory,” he added.-Soccer 24
Young Mighty Warriors coach Ennie Konje has blamed her side’s 10-1 defeat to Tanzania at the COSAFA Women’s U17 Championship on the status of players in their opponents’ squad.
The gaffer believed the East Africans fielded an older team which worked against their plans.
Speaking after the game, she said: “We tried our best, but we only scored one goal.
“It was not our problem because these girls are very young and most of them are 15-years old.
“But I can’t say the Tanzanian girls are of the same age as our girls, there was no Fairplay.
“We used this tournament as a learning curve because the girls are still at school. We now know that we should bring people who are fit … When they were going for the ball, they didn’t have the power (to challenge).”
Tanzania completely dominated the whole game and went into the halftime leading 5-0. They scored their first goal as early as in the second minute.
Rudo Machadu secured the consolation for Zimbabwe in the 78th minute, but it was too little too late to make a come back as the East Africans went on to strike three times in the remainder of the game to win the match 10-1.-Soccer 24
Warrior defender Tendayi Darikwa believes the pedigree Algeria currently has does not intimidate them at all as because there is quality in Zdravko Logarušić’s side too.
The Nottingham Forest right-back is part of Warriors squad which flew out of the country last night for tomorrow’s potentially-explosive AFCON Group H qualifier against the Desert Foxes, who are on an impressive run of form which has seen them not lose a game for over years.
Despite that, Darikwa insists they are not afraid of their much fancied opponents.
“We know they have high-profile players who can single-handedly win games but we the Warriors and it’s not easy to pick points for us,” he said at yesterday’s training session at the National Sports Stadium.
“Part of history, between us, favours us and we have to use that to our own advantage.
‘’But, what is important is definitely to put everything in the game and see what we can extract at the end of the game,” he added.-Soccer 24
A Chivhu woman beheaded her children, numbering four and then went ahead to burn down her house.
ZRP Assistant Commissioner, Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident saying, “the ZRP is currently attending to a report in which a woman beheaded her four children and set the house on fire in Highview suburb, Chivhu.
“The woman then surrendered herself to the Police.”
Ass Comm Nyathi said the police are currently at the scene carrying out investigations.
ZIFA has written to French club Stade de Reims, demanding the release of Marshall Munetsi for national duty.
The midfielder failed to join the Warriors squad for the back-to-back Afcon Qualifiers against Algeria this week after he reportedly picked up a knock.
Despite the said injury, the 24-year old played the entire 4-4 draw away to Lens on Sunday. The Ligue 1 side then wrote to ZIFA, informing the player will not travel to Zimbabwe for the international window.
Warriors manager Wellington Mupandare said they wrote back to Reims demanding that the French club release the player for assessment by the national team doctors.
“We have asked them to release the player so that he can be assessed by our doctors this side,” Mupandare told NewsDay.
Should Reims heed the request, Munetsi is likely to fly straight to Zimbabwe as he will no be able to get into Algeria due to travel restrictions in the North African country.-Soccer 24
Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.There are an estimated 320 000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.Global estimates may significantly underestimate the actual public health problem related to drowning.Children, males and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning.
Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid; outcomes are classified as death, morbidity and no morbidity.
Scope of the problem
In 2016, an estimated 320 000 people died from drowning, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide.
In 2015, injuries accounted for over 9% of total global mortality. Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.
The global burden and death from drowning is found in all economies and regions, however:
low- and middle-income countries account for over 90% of unintentional drowning deaths;over half of the world’s drowning occurs in the WHO Western Pacific Region and WHO South-East Asia Region;drowning death rates are highest in the WHO African Region, and are 15-20 times higher than those seen in Germany or the United Kingdom, respectively.
Despite limited data, several studies reveal information on the cost impact of drowning. In the United States of America, 45% of drowning deaths are among the most economically active segment of the population. Coastal drowning in the United States alone accounts for US$ 273 million each year in direct and indirect costs. In Australia and Canada, the total annual cost of drowning injury is US$ 85.5 million and US$ 173 million respectively.
There is a wide range of uncertainty around the estimate of global drowning deaths. Official data categorization methods for drowning exclude intentional drowning deaths (suicide or homicide) and drowning deaths caused by flood disasters and water transport incidents.
Data from high-income countries suggest these categorization methods result in significant underrepresentation of the full drowning toll by up to 50% in some high-income countries. Non-fatal drowning statistics in many countries are not readily available or are unreliable.
Risk factors
Age
The Global report on drowning (2014)shows that age is one of the major risk factors for drowning. This relationship is often associated with a lapse in supervision. Globally, the highest drowning rates are among children 1–4 years, followed by children 5–9 years. In the WHO Western Pacific Region children aged 5–14 years die more frequently from drowning than any other cause.
Global report on drowning (2014)
Child drowning statistics from a number of countries presented in theGlobal Report on Drowning are particularly revealing:
Drowning is one of the top 5 causes of death for people aged 1–14 years for 48 of 85 countries with data meeting inclusion criteria (1).Australia: drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in children aged 1–3 years.Bangladesh: drowning accounts for 43% of all deaths in children aged 1–4 years.China: drowning is the leading cause of injury death in children aged 1–14 years.United States of America: drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in children aged 1–14 years.
Gender
Males are especially at risk of drowning, with twice the overall mortality rate of females. They are more likely to be hospitalized than females for non-fatal drowning. Studies suggest that the higher drowning rates among males are due to increased exposure to water and riskier behaviour such as swimming alone, drinking alcohol before swimming alone and boating.
Access to water
Increased access to water is another risk factor for drowning. Individuals with occupations such as commercial fishing or fishing for subsistence, using small boats in low-income countries are more prone to drowning. Children who live near open water sources, such as ditches, ponds, irrigation channels, or pools are especially at risk.
Flood disasters
Drowning accounts for 75% of deaths in flood disasters. Flood disasters are becoming more frequent and this trend is expected to continue. Drowning risks increase with floods particularly in low- and middle-income countries where people live in flood prone areas and the ability to warn, evacuate, or protect communities from floods is weak or only just developing.
Travelling on water
Daily commuting and journeys made by migrants or asylum seekers often take place on overcrowded, unsafe vessels lacking safety equipment or are operated by personnel untrained in dealing with transport incidents or navigation. Personnel under the influence of alcohol or drugs are also a risk.
Other risk factors
There are other factors that are associated with an increased risk of drowning, such as:
lower socioeconomic status, being a member of an ethnic minority, lack of higher education, and rural populations all tend to be associated, although this association can vary across countries;infants left unsupervised or alone with another child around water;alcohol use, near or in the water;medical conditions, such as epilepsy;tourists unfamiliar with local water risks and features;
Prevention
There are many actions to prevent drowning. Installing barriers (e.g. covering wells, using doorway barriers and playpens, fencing swimming pools etc.) to control access to water hazards, or removing water hazards entirely greatly reduces water hazard exposure and risk.
Community-based, supervised child care for pre-school children can reduce drowning risk and has other proven health benefits. Teaching school-age children basic swimming, water safety and safe rescue skills is another approach. But these efforts must be undertaken with an emphasis on safety, and an overall risk management that includes a safety-tested curricula, a safe training area, screening and student selection, and student-instructor ratios established for safety.
Effective policies and legislation are also important for drowning prevention.
Setting and enforcing safe boating, shipping and ferry regulations is an important part of improving safety on the water and preventing drowning.
Building resilience to flooding and managing flood risks through better disaster preparedness planning, land use planning, and early warning systems can prevent drowning during flood disasters.
Developing a national water safety strategy can raise awareness of safety around water, build consensus around solutions, provide strategic direction and a framework to guide multisectoral action and allow for monitoring and evaluation of efforts.
Source :World Health Organisation
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
Tinashe Sambiri|Controversial musician Desmond ‘Stunner’ Chideme has described the late socialite and business tycoon, Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure as true legend.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Stunner said he was shocked by Ginimbi’s demise.
Ginimbi died in a terrible accident on Sunday morning.Mitchelle ‘Moana’ Amuli, Malawian Karim Limumba and model Alichia Adams from Mozambique also died in the crash.
“Back in Harare and the mood just ain’t the same.
@ginimbi I will honestly say I’m still to meet a being that can match your always forever bright and joyous energy .
Not once did I see you in a fight or starting trouble, well as a single guy handinga kuchenese pese but you were that guy everyone wanted to be friends with and not because you had money but you knew how to make one feel at home around you.
May the good lord find another mansion for you and a thousand Lamborghinis to cruise around heaven. You will be missed , RIP bro.
2020 taabho newe honestly it’s not even a popularity contest on who to post from Gringo , Moana and the rest of the guys.
These are tough times we are in , stay safe guys , pasi parikuda ropa apa,” said Stunner.
By A Correspondent- A Chivhu woman today reportedly killed her 4 children before torching the family’s home after she found out that her husband had impregnanted another woman.
The woman reportedly “slaughtered” her minors using a knife and put them inside the couple’s matrimonial home and set it on fire.
Said a source privy to developments:
“Mashura kuno kuChivhu mukadzi acheka vana 4 kuuraya nebanga kwaakupisira Mumba iye akumwa poison aripanze imba ichitsva. The husband has impregnated another woman. Two vaburitswa Mumba vangonzi 6yrs and 4 vatswa yet to establish. Murume haasi kuonekwa people hunting for him. Mukadzi now in hospital under police guard. “
According to the above message the woman killed 4 children using a knife and torched the house before consuming poison while outside the burning home. The husband had impregnanted another women. Two of the minors aged 6 and 4 have since been removed from the burning home but they were burnt. The husband is nowhere to be seen and people are looking for him. The woman who committed this heinous crime is currently in hospital under police guard.”
The development was confirmed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police who said:
Breaking news The ZRP is currently attending to a report in which a woman beheaded her four children and set the house on fire in Highview suburb, Chivhu. The woman then surrendered herself to the Police. More details to follow.
Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance Youth Assembly is ready to defend the people’s struggle, Secretary General of the assembly, Gift Ostallos Siziba has said.
Below is Siziba’s full statement:
We held a successful MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Council in this city of kings this weekend- below are the key resolutions made:
Prepare for action- a radical mass mobilisation program to energise the base, organise communities and fight dictatorship.
Defend the people’s project with utmost precision.
Launch I Million Youth campaign in all Provinces as a harbinger of a radically different Youth Assembly.
Take the Youth Assembly back to the rural areas- Focus on rural Youth mobilisation, voter education and economic empowerment programs.
Initiate a Political education program as a grassroots class consciousness drive for young people.
Join forces with the progressive Youth Movements in and around Zimbabwe to form a formidable fight against military dictatorship in the country.
Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.There are an estimated 320 000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.Global estimates may significantly underestimate the actual public health problem related to drowning.Children, males and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning.
Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid; outcomes are classified as death, morbidity and no morbidity.
Scope of the problem
In 2016, an estimated 320 000 people died from drowning, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide.
In 2015, injuries accounted for over 9% of total global mortality. Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.
The global burden and death from drowning is found in all economies and regions, however:
low- and middle-income countries account for over 90% of unintentional drowning deaths;over half of the world’s drowning occurs in the WHO Western Pacific Region and WHO South-East Asia Region;drowning death rates are highest in the WHO African Region, and are 15-20 times higher than those seen in Germany or the United Kingdom, respectively.
Despite limited data, several studies reveal information on the cost impact of drowning. In the United States of America, 45% of drowning deaths are among the most economically active segment of the population. Coastal drowning in the United States alone accounts for US$ 273 million each year in direct and indirect costs. In Australia and Canada, the total annual cost of drowning injury is US$ 85.5 million and US$ 173 million respectively.
There is a wide range of uncertainty around the estimate of global drowning deaths. Official data categorization methods for drowning exclude intentional drowning deaths (suicide or homicide) and drowning deaths caused by flood disasters and water transport incidents.
Data from high-income countries suggest these categorization methods result in significant underrepresentation of the full drowning toll by up to 50% in some high-income countries. Non-fatal drowning statistics in many countries are not readily available or are unreliable.
Risk factors
Age
The Global report on drowning (2014)shows that age is one of the major risk factors for drowning. This relationship is often associated with a lapse in supervision. Globally, the highest drowning rates are among children 1–4 years, followed by children 5–9 years. In the WHO Western Pacific Region children aged 5–14 years die more frequently from drowning than any other cause.
Global report on drowning (2014)
Child drowning statistics from a number of countries presented in theGlobal Report on Drowning are particularly revealing:
Drowning is one of the top 5 causes of death for people aged 1–14 years for 48 of 85 countries with data meeting inclusion criteria (1).Australia: drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in children aged 1–3 years.Bangladesh: drowning accounts for 43% of all deaths in children aged 1–4 years.China: drowning is the leading cause of injury death in children aged 1–14 years.United States of America: drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in children aged 1–14 years.
Gender
Males are especially at risk of drowning, with twice the overall mortality rate of females. They are more likely to be hospitalized than females for non-fatal drowning. Studies suggest that the higher drowning rates among males are due to increased exposure to water and riskier behaviour such as swimming alone, drinking alcohol before swimming alone and boating.
Access to water
Increased access to water is another risk factor for drowning. Individuals with occupations such as commercial fishing or fishing for subsistence, using small boats in low-income countries are more prone to drowning. Children who live near open water sources, such as ditches, ponds, irrigation channels, or pools are especially at risk.
Flood disasters
Drowning accounts for 75% of deaths in flood disasters. Flood disasters are becoming more frequent and this trend is expected to continue. Drowning risks increase with floods particularly in low- and middle-income countries where people live in flood prone areas and the ability to warn, evacuate, or protect communities from floods is weak or only just developing.
Travelling on water
Daily commuting and journeys made by migrants or asylum seekers often take place on overcrowded, unsafe vessels lacking safety equipment or are operated by personnel untrained in dealing with transport incidents or navigation. Personnel under the influence of alcohol or drugs are also a risk.
Other risk factors
There are other factors that are associated with an increased risk of drowning, such as:
lower socioeconomic status, being a member of an ethnic minority, lack of higher education, and rural populations all tend to be associated, although this association can vary across countries;infants left unsupervised or alone with another child around water;alcohol use, near or in the water;medical conditions, such as epilepsy;tourists unfamiliar with local water risks and features;
Prevention
There are many actions to prevent drowning. Installing barriers (e.g. covering wells, using doorway barriers and playpens, fencing swimming pools etc.) to control access to water hazards, or removing water hazards entirely greatly reduces water hazard exposure and risk.
Community-based, supervised child care for pre-school children can reduce drowning risk and has other proven health benefits. Teaching school-age children basic swimming, water safety and safe rescue skills is another approach. But these efforts must be undertaken with an emphasis on safety, and an overall risk management that includes a safety-tested curricula, a safe training area, screening and student selection, and student-instructor ratios established for safety.
Effective policies and legislation are also important for drowning prevention.
Setting and enforcing safe boating, shipping and ferry regulations is an important part of improving safety on the water and preventing drowning.
Building resilience to flooding and managing flood risks through better disaster preparedness planning, land use planning, and early warning systems can prevent drowning during flood disasters.
Developing a national water safety strategy can raise awareness of safety around water, build consensus around solutions, provide strategic direction and a framework to guide multisectoral action and allow for monitoring and evaluation of efforts.
Source :World Health Organisation
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
By A Correspondent- Transport minister Joel Biggie Matiza has been fingered in a $66 000 fuel scam by his aide who told the Harare Magistrates Court on Monday that he took 19 000 litres of fuel with the minister’s knowledge.
Cephas Chiwetu, who was employed as Matiza’s personal assistant, yesterday said he gave his former boss some of the fuel coupons and kept others for stakeholders, including journalists to facilitate their covering of Cyclone Idai.
Chiwetu allegedly got the fuel and a Ford Ranger on the pretext that the minister wanted to use it to visit cyclone-hit areas in Chimanimani and Chipinge. He did that several times allegedly abusing the fuel, defrauding government of $66 000.-Newsday
Petros Manyuchwa- The face-off between government and its workers over salaries has protracted to a magnitude that it’s now threatening the realisation of the national vision.
The new political dispensation committed itself to transforming Zimbabwe into an upper middle income economy. That vision is only realisable if all hands are put on the deck and there is unity of purpose within all government structures.
The national vision entails and provides an opportunity for reconstruction and transformation of the economy to one which is capable of creating maximum opportunities for citizens to live a full and dignified life.
This informs the incessant demands for salary adjustments by civil servants whose current wages have admittedly dishonoured their dignity.
If the current salary regime is maintained, as it now seems, this sector of the populace will be left out in the envisioned upper middle income economy. With disgruntled civil servants, the journey to Vision 2030 will be bumpy and might even deflate the bus.
It is a fact that civil servants are critical enablers of economic transformation; as such their genuine grievances must be listened to. The step taken by President Mnangagwa recently when he met one of the teachers’ unions, the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA), is very positive and one hopes that such an engagement will find a lasting solution to the salary logjam.
The salary standoff has been largely caused by lack of sincerity by both players, the employer and the employee. The workers and the employer are respectively demanding and offering unworkable salaries.
The two should come up with a practical salary structure that enables workers to live a dignified life while leaving a room for realisation of budget savings, supportive of re-orienting expenditures away from consumption towards development.
Understandably, government has a lot in its hands apart from meeting the salary obligation. The situation is exacerbated by lack of productivity within the economy, a condition that requires indulgence of the workers.
However, there are a lot of other avenues that government can exploit as non-monetary incentives for its workers. When workers demand those astronomical salaries, they will be bench marking with market prices of basic needs like shelter.
It will remain a pipe dream for an honest civil servant to buy a house in an urban area with the current salary regime. As a result, most of the government workers are tenants and some of them are lodging in pathetic apartments. They have no choice. An apartment commensurate with their professions can consume the whole salary.
But government owns vast stretches of state land in and around several towns. It’s not a bad idea to give its workers residential stands for free.
Government set for itself a target to build —-houses.That should start in Jerusalem. No sane father can donate food to neighbours when his own family is hungry.
The civil servants can be organised to pull together their resources for servicing their stands. With a roof above their heads, the salary that government is offering will be enough.
There will be no need to pay rent which is currently chewing the largest chunk of the civil servants’ salaries. This does need workshops or a clever minister to do this, just a will power is needed.
It’s unfortunate that instead of striving to provide a roof over the civil servants’ heads, there is actually a deliberate effort to remove those roofs. This is not an allegation but a founded veracity established when this writer visited the local government ministry this week.
A civil servant with melancholy visible on his face told this writer that they received a directive from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to convert all the outstanding lease rentals to US dollars at 1:1 rate. To avoid receipting in USD, as that would cause an outcry, they were also directed to convert it to Zim dollars at the RBZ auction rate.
Unfortunately the majority of the lessees are civil servants who had hoped that they would be house owners through a rent to buy facility. One civil servant revealed that he had an outstanding balance of ZWL$7123 for a stand in one of the medium density suburbs which was effectively converted to US$7123. This then means he is expected by his employer to pay ZWL$576 963 within a period of four years towards a stand to build his house.
Simple arithmetic shows that the land hungry civil servant is to pay ZWL$12 020 every month. On average, a civil servant earns a gross of ZWL$12 591. This means that for the next four years, the whole salary will go towards the purchase of a stand from his employer.
What he will do with other financial obligations is none of the employer’s business. Does this arrangement reflect a government that is willing to provide houses to its citizens?
Last week, deputy minister of Local Government, Marrian Chombo warned local authorities against demanding payment of bills in foreign currency at 1:1 exchange rate. She told Parliament that if one volunteered to pay in foreign currency, the auction rate should be used and she stressed that the 1:1 rate was since abolished.
Going by what she prescribed to the local authorities, the aforesaid civil servant’s outstanding lease rental is supposed to be US$88. It might sound economically ridiculous to Mthuli Ncube but that’s government’s policy which should be implemented for the greater good.
Therefore, what is happening at the Local Government ministry borders on double standard and inconsistency. Policy inconsistency was one of the evils that eroded investor confidence in the old dispensation.
It is most unlikely that the President is in the know of this thoughtless endeavour to reverse the advances government had gone in addressing housing challenges within the civil service.
By converting its charges to USD, government is admitting something. This gives credence to civil servants’ demand for their previous salaries to be converted on a 1:1 rate and then indexed to the existing auction rate.
As much as there is need for budget surplus and need to harness revenues from all sources, there is also need to have a human face in doing so. President Mnangagwa committed himself to servant leadership, one who listens with empathy. Here is a situation that will test his sincerity to that leadership style.
Nyaradzo Funeral Services Group and the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) partnered to offer the late comedian, Lazarus Gringo Boora a platinum coffin.
Gringo succumbed to stomach cancer on Monday morning at Westview Clinic in Zimre Park, Ruwa with Dr Johannes Marisa who was treating him saying they could do nothing as the cancer had already spread to some parts of the body.
His burial is scheduled for this Thursday at his rural home in Rukweza, Rusape, his family confirmed.
We publish pictures at Gringo’s funeral.
At Gringo’s FuneralGringo’s funeralat Gringo’s funeral
By A Correspondent- High Court judge Justice Erica Ndewere has asked President Emmerson Mnangagwa to probe the conduct of Chief Justice Luke Malaba, arguing his interference with judges’ independence was a danger to the judicial system.
This came as the hearing to interdict Mnangagwa from suspending her will be heard before Justice Benjamin Chikowero today after Judge President Justice George Chiweshe ignored her request to have a retired judge for her case.
In August, Justice Chikowero dismissed former Supreme Court judge Justice Francis Bere’s application challenging the legality of a tribunal set to determine his fitness for office.
By A Correspondent- Former Botswana President Festus Mogae and Choppies managing director Ottapathu Ramachandran have been sucked into the legal battle between former Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko and retail group, Choppies Enterprises.
Mogae and Ramachandran are expected to explain their role in allegedly helping Choppies bypass provisions of Zimbabwe’s Indigenisation Act.
The developments came after Mphoko and his son, Siqokoqela, recently sued Nanavac Investments in Bulawayo, Choppies Enterprises and Choppies Distribution Centre (Proprietary) Limited both in Gaborone, Botswana, demanding payment of their 51% shares which they held before they were “unlawfully” divested of their entire shareholding by the company.-Newsday
Friends of the late Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure have taken over funeral processes at a time his business partner and ex-lover Zodwa Mkandhla also seems to be edging towards total control of his wealth and properties.
The friends, yesterday donated groceries and cash to Moana’s family amid reports the Kadungure family were struggling to foot funeral expenses.
The friends led by spokesperson Ronald Muzambe have also emerged to water down social media claims that the flamboyant businessman used juju in his business saying they walked together with him when he started small selling vegetables in Harare.
On the other hand Zodwa is believed to have claimed inheritance on all wealth and properties owned by Ginimbi claiming they were business partners.
The coming on board of Ginimbi’s friends and Zodwa partially addresses the challenges surrounding his funeral which was being funded by well-wishers including Deputy minister of youths, Tinoda Machakaire who donated a coffin while other notable personalities including Temba Mliswa contributed to the mega funeral.
An automobile businessman tells ZimEye the car Ginimbi was driving doesn't explode. He says I owned a Rolls Royce Wraith for over 2 years and crashed many times." His statement somewhat corroborates with US govt logs on the car FULL INTERVIEW ON https://t.co/eY98GsdO0a
By Jane Mlambo| Friends of the late Genius Kadungure have come out guns blazing against claims that the socialite used juju to make money.
Social media has been awash with claims that the Ginimbi used juju to build his empire which included top of the range cars and properties including Lamborghinis and Rolls Royce cars.
Ronald Muzambe, spokesman of the Friends of Ginimbi expressed concern that social media had created claims of rituals and cultism around the socialite, which he said was not true as he worked hard for his success.
“As we grieve,we ask that social media and all platforms spreading falsehood about Ginimbi’s wealth seek first the truth before fabricating rituals and coffins and cults around his legacy,” he said.
Muzambe added that Ginimbi was a courageous entrepreneur who skirted on the edge to build his empire, society now attributes to juju.
“Genius Kadungure lived a courageous lifestyle,skirting on the edge of vulnerability,” he said.
“We had the privilege of working hand in glove with him, witnessing his sheer hard work and exemplary work ethic first hand,” Muzambe added.
Ginimbi died on Sunday morning after his Rolls Royce was involved in a Headon collision with a Honda Fit along Borrowdale road on his way home..
Three other people in his car including a female socialite Moana died on the spot after they were trapped in the car which caught fire before they could be rescued.
As we get to 2023 – it is important that Zimbabweans acknowledge the work that has been done by the President. All electoral promises have been met; we now have new roads, jobs have been created, etc. I would like to call upon voters to vote for Zanu PF in the 2023 elections.
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has dismissed as uninformed reports that it was captured by the executive arm of government after it failed to stand firm on by-election dates.
This comes after the electoral body has received criticism from various quarters including law expert Alex Magaisa for confirming the indefinite suspension of by-elections Vice President Constantino Chiwenga who doubles as the Health minister.
Blocking the by-elections, Chiwenga cited the prevalence of the coronavirus pandemic but some view the suspension as a political strategy with nothing to do with the novel virus.
ZEC chairperson, Justice Priscila Chigumba, speaking in Darwendale Tuesday at a training workshop for journalists organised by Zec, said the commission was just an administrative body with no power whatsoever to make policy or challenge the Executive.
She said:
When you go and look at the Constitution and the Electoral Act, only His Excellency, the President, can announce the date of by-elections. He does that by gazetting it.
He only does that in consultation with us. We do not have a mandate where we can stand up and say by-elections will be conducted tomorrow.
There is a piece of paper that is signed by His Excellency to say he has consulted us, he has consulted other stakeholders, he in his considered view agrees that by-elections can be held on such and such a date.
It is my very considered view that this is not a reflection of a lack of independence on the part of Zec, if by independence you mean Zec should willy-nilly proclaim election dates which it has no power to do, then I would say it’s premised on the lack of understanding of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
Zec has been criticised particularly by opposition political players and their supporters over allegations of lack of independence.
MDC Alliance, in particular, claims ZEC connived with the ruling ZANU PF to manipulate results of the 2018 presidential election in favour of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The by-elections were meant to fill posts left vacant mainly by MDC Alliance legislators who were recalled by MDC-T interim leadership.
The late socialite and businessman Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure was a hard worker who accumulated his wealth through his business acumen, his friends have said.
They dismissed social media messages indicating that Ginimbi bought his own coffin and that he used juju to prosper.
Ginimbi died in a horror road traffic accident along Liberation Legacy Way on Sunday morning together with three others.
One of his closest friends, Brian Nyanyiwa, said he worked with Ginimbi from scratch and he fully understood how the late socialite accumulated his wealth.
He said Ginimbi was focused and determined to make it in life and would not let any one come between him and his vision, although he had his ups and downs.
“I worked with Ginimbi from scratch and he was doing well with his business from the start and he started rising to fame,” said Nyanyiwa. “So, what people are saying that he used juju are lies meant to discredit him even in his death.”
Another friend, Tazvi Mhaka, popularly known as Chief Joze, said Ginimbi was an inspiration to many youths and alluding that he used juju would be unfair since he was a businessman many youths looked up to.
“What would the young generation think when people are saying things like these were gotten through juju,” he said. “Ginimbi was a hard worker and an inspiration to many people in the country. They must not think that every rich man’s source of wealth is juju.”
Another friend, Tino Tumbare, said there was no coffin in Ginimbi’s house.
“People should not be misled into believing those rumours,” he said. “It is false that Ginimbi had prepared for his funeral arrangements and there is nothing like that. These are just rumours that there is a coffin in his house. There is nothing like that.”
The friends said Ginimbi used to be broke like any other person, but would come up with business ideas which he would execute and make more money.
Ginimbi will be buried at his mansion in Domboshava on Saturday.
I am in Matabeleland where I am complementing Government’s efforts in the goal to attain the Sustainable Development Goals particularly in the area of ensuring that Zimbabwe’s children live in a safe and clean environment, and have a fair chance in life.
The National Schools Feeding Program is an initiative that is part of the targeted social safety nets that provide both educational and health benefits to the most vulnerable children, thereby increasing enrollment rates, reducing absenteeism, and improving food security at the household level.
Auxilia Mnangagwa
Beyond improvements in access to food, the school feeding program also has a positive impact on nutritional status, gender equity, and educational status, each of which contributes to improving overall levels of country and human development.
As part of this initiative, I am encouraging schools and parents to include as much cultural food as they can in their children’s diets.
Yesterday and today, I met with parents, children and school authorities from different schools in Matabeleland South and Bulawayo.
It was an opportunity to teach, learn and share ideas on improving nutrition in children and also how to best tackle the fight against Covid19.
By A Correspondent- The late comedian Lazarus “Gringo” Boora died a grateful man.
The actor was admitted at Westview Clinic Zimre Park following the deterioration of his health last week and his Dr Johannes Marisa had said if all goes well he be discharged in seven days.
But fate had other ideas.
Dr Marisa had dismissed the rumours as fake news.
“I wish I could recover, it can only be God, he is the healer, and I have changed.
“I am seeing changes from how I came here, ipapa Mwari haasi kuda kutendwa zvedambe ka, akuda kutendwa chaizvoizvo.
“When I was at home I did not think I will be talking like what I am doing now.
“I was in pain. Some people even said they will help me, but some people always have rubbish claims, they are there to change everything from what has been said.
“Vanotaura nepasipo, but they will be pushing each other, iwe ndiwe wakonzeresa izvi, zvaunoona zvisina maturo, ndivanasatan vanenge vachingotaura,” he said.
Added Gringo:
“So some of these things, I keep quiet and ignore what we see on the social media.
“I still have a problem, but if I eat hot food, I can eat well, tiri kuwirirana chaizvo, ndoda kuti ndikamuka makuseni paya ndoti kachu kachu.
By A Correspondent- All government workers have been awarded a 40 percent salary increment while teachers would be awarded a further 10 percent risk allowance.
This comes when teachers have since the reopening of schools on 28 September been refusing to go back to school citing poor salaries and working conditions.
The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa made the announcement on Tuesday during a post-cabinet media briefing.
Said the minister:
Noting its obligations to pay a decent wage, Government has reviewed upwards, the salary increase offer to civil servants by 40 percent which will be awarded to deputy director grade and below.”
In addition to the salary increase, the teachers will also be awarded a 10 percent risk allowance. The new basic salary package for a teacher is $18 237, which is above the Poverty Datum Line (PDL).
This means that the compounded review percentage of the teacher grade salary is 1 284 percent since the beginning of the year. The lowest paid civil servant will receive a salary of $14 528. This is effective from November 1, 2020.
Since last year, there has been a stand-off between the government and workers who have been declaring incapacitation.
They argued that their salaries had been eroded by inflation that has been soaring in the past 24 months.
Authorities introduced a number of measures including cheap transport, garrison shops for the security sector and Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) in an endeavour to cushion them from the bumps of life but they have not had the intended effect.
By A Correspondent- GENIUS ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure’s relatives have pledged to meet part of the funeral costs for Mitchelle ‘Moana’ Amuli.
Moana died in a horror car crash Sunday morning while Ginimbi was behind the wheel.
Ginimbi and two other people – Alichia Adams and Limumba Karimalso – died in the accident.
After it emerged that the funeral proceedings will take longer than expected, Moana’s family’s fears on costs were calmed after the Kadungure family pledged to meet part of the costs.
Moana’s mother Yolanda Kuvawonga told H-Metro yesterday that everything is going on well on the expenses side.
With DNA tests expected to last for at least two weeks, costs will increase but she believes things will flow smoothly.-statemedia
At least two women have made startling allegations of rape against the religious leader of the Rivers of Living Waters Ministries during hearings into allegations of sexual abuse at the church in Evaton, south of Johannesburg.
The CRL Rights Commission heard chilling testimony on Tuesday from two women who accused Archbishop Stephen Zondo of rape dating back to decades. One of the victims accused Zondo of repeatedly raping her when she was only seven years old.
The victim, who cannot be named, said the first time she was raped allegedly by Zondo, he was around 18 years old and he was a popular photographer and wedding videographer. He was not yet a pastor.
“I was playing with my friends and he called me into the house to wash his socks. He locked the door and I went to the bathroom to look for the socks. There was no socks to wash. He called me into the room and he was dressed in his underwear and a white vest,” she said.
Another woman claimed she was raped, threatened with death and offered R75 000 compensation which she has still not received.
Zondo would not be drawn into commenting on the allegations Tuesday. “Go talk to the people who are talking badly about me,” he said before hanging up.
He later responded to text messages asking for comment on the allegations, saying: “Ask professor David Mosoma he’s got all the answers.”
The commission said Zondo had been notified about the hearings and would be given an opportunity to appear before it to respond to them at a later stage.
In tears, the woman who said she was raped at age 7 told the commission that she screamed and told him that he was hurting her but he told her to stop screaming. “I will never forget that day. I can still smell that room,” she said.
She said after the first rape she was told to go back outside to play and never tell anyone what was done to her. “He gave me a R1 and sweets to give to the other children. But I couldn’t play, I was in pain,” she said.
She said she has been traumatised by the incident for her whole life. “I was very smart and a happy child but things changed. I became slow in school. I couldn’t focus and do what I used to do like to write the simplest words.”
She said she started dressing like a boy because she wanted to protect herself from further harm. “I was so stressed that by 13 years old I was put on medication,” she said.
According to the commission’s chairperson Prof David Mosoma, there are five cases of rape that have been opened against Zondo. Four were opened at the Evaton police station and one in Booysens.
The commission is holding hearings into allegations of sexual abuse, among other things, at the church in Evaton in the Vaal.
The first witness to give his testimony on crimes and human rights violations allegedly committed by Zondo said the church was run like a cult.
Solly Poopedi, who was a staunch supporter of Zondo, said he left the church at the beginning of 2019 after hearing about and witnessing financial abuse and money laundering. “We realised over time we are not in a church. We are in a cult,” he said.
Poopedi, who was in the church for five years, said he has had many women tell him that they had been raped. “People are afraid to open cases because nothing seems to happen with the cases,” he said.
Commissioner Richard Botha asked Poopedi how he can prove that some women were not willingly having affairs with Zondo. Poopedi said Zondo “is using his power to solicit sex”.
Poopedi made further allegations about financial abuse whereby Zondo demands large amounts of money from his congregants.
“He once asked us for money and we raised R45,000 in one day. That’s nothing because we have even raised R3.5-million for him in one night. The only family that prospers is his. There are people who are bankrupt because of him,” he said.
President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday that nothing would stop the transfer of power in the U.S. government, while President Donald Trump pursued lawsuits in several states in a long-shot bid to hold on to power.
Trump’s campaign said it would file a lawsuit to stop Michigan from officially certifying Biden as the winner there until the state could verify that votes were cast lawfully, the latest in a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states to try to back up Trump’s unsupported claims of widespread fraud.
Legal experts have said Trump’s litigation has little chance of changing the outcome, and state officials have said there were no significant irregularities in the Nov. 3 election.
Meanwhile, Trump supporters faced a possible setback in Pennsylvania. A witness who had raised accusations of ballot tampering recanted his allegations, according to Democrats in Congress who were briefed on the investigation.
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Trump’s accusations of fraud did not appear to be gaining traction with the public. Nearly 80% of Americans, including more than half of Republicans, recognize Biden as the winner, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Top Republicans in Congress, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, said Trump had a right to challenge Biden’s victory, and others echoed the president’s unfounded accusations of widespread fraud. Privately, some aides said Trump would need to produce credible evidence soon to retain their support.
Biden secured more than the 270 votes in the Electoral College needed to take the presidency by winning Pennsylvania on Saturday after four tense days of counting, which was delayed by a surge in mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden said in a speech in Delaware that his team was pushing ahead with forming a new administration to take over on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2021, no matter what.
“We’re going to be going, moving along, in a consistent manner, putting together our administration, the White House, and reviewing who we’re going to pick for the Cabinet positions, and nothing’s going to stop that,” he said on Tuesday. Biden said it was an “embarrassment” that Trump has not conceded the election.
Taking questions from the media for the first time since his victory, Biden was asked what he would say if Trump were watching. He said: “Mr. President, I look forward to speaking with you.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo predicted a “second Trump administration,” in comments at odds with congratulatory phone calls from the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Ireland to Biden.
Trump installed loyalists in top positions at the Pentagon, one day after firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper, which could potentially make it easier to use U.S. troops to respond to domestic protests.
The Biden transition team has been unable to move into federal government office space or tap funds to hire staff because a Trump appointee who heads the federal office charged with recognizing election results has not yet done so.
“The whole Republican Party has been put in a position with a few notable exceptions of being mildly intimidated by the sitting president,” said Biden, who chuckled when asked about the Pompeo remarks.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a conservative whose blustery style is often likened to Trump’s, said he spoke to Biden on Tuesday by phone about working together on priorities like climate change, promoting democracy and recovering from the pandemic.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also congratulated Biden, a former vice president now heading to take over the White House after almost five decades in politics.
Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has thanked Zimbabwe for touring the country for a limited overs series.
Pakistan and Zimbabwe played three ODIs and three T20 Internationals.
The men in green won the ODI series 2-1, with Zimbabwe triumphing in the final match via a Super Over, and triumphed 3-0 in the T20 series.
Azam made scores of 19, 77 not out and 125 in the ODI series, and followed it up by making 82 and 51 in the first two T20 Internationals. He didn’t bat in the third match of the series.
Champions!
Missed the presence of Pakistan crowd again but cricket in Pakistan is always beyond cricket. Special shout out to Zimbabwe Cricket Team for touring Pakistan.
Self-proclaimed blesser Serge Cabonge says the death of Zimbabwean socialite and multimillionaire Genius Kadungure is the biggest loss to the Joburg north social scene.
Kadungure, better known as Ginimbi, the flamboyant king of a life of glamour who set the Joburg and Pretoria social scenes alive, died early on Sunday in a crash in Harare, Zimbabwe. The businessman who hosted “all-white” parties that were the equivalent to P. Diddy’s was driving his R5m Rolls-Royce Wraith when he collided head-on with three other vehicles.
He and his companions were driving from an all-night party at Ginimbi’s own nightclub called Dreams.
Cabonge said though Kadungure died young at 36, he had lived his life to the fullest, and that he was “an idol to many people”.
Kadungure was known for his expensive lifestyle, from clothes to the lavish parties he organised. The jewels in his swanky crown were his flashy cars and mansions.
He will be sent off in grandeur on Saturday, according to Gabonge. He said Kadungure will be buried with a stack of dollars in cash in honour of his extravagant life.
“His funeral service will be an all-white affair,” he said.
Cabonge said the people close to Kadungure decided on the white colour to honour the person that he was.
Zim businessman and socialite Ginimbi Kadungure killed in crash after party at nightclub Zimbabwean socialite and businessman Genius Kadungure, commonly known as “Ginimbi”, died instantly in a freak road accident in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“He was a man of class, taste and style, and we need to honour that. We are going to bury him with lots of dollars, and expensive brandy. Ginimbi was a fan of international brands like Louis Vuitton and Versace. He could wear Versace from top to bottom, including his underwear.”
Tinashe Jonas, president of IDEAL Zimbabwe, defined Kadungura as a shrewd businessman who owned Pioneer Gases which had interests in Zimbabwe, Botswana and SA. He said he loved international labels such as Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Hermes and Rolex among others.
“He was the owner of Dreams Night Club in Harare. When he was dining in restaurants he was a kind of person who tipped waiters because he wanted to leave a financial statement that I am Ginimbi, the Hustler. Showing off was a trademark. Genius hosted parties in his different mansions in Botswana and Johannesburg, where he invited friends, celebrities, beautiful women, musicians, rich people and party animals.”
Cabonge, who met Kadungure five years ago, said he was more than just a friend.
“I am still not fine. It is going to take me long before it sinks in. I had to cancel my international trip and I will be going to Zimbabwe on Thursday to bury him.”
According to Cabonge, Kadungure’s favourite partying spots included Taboo in Sandton, Moloko and Club Harlem in Pretoria. Cabonge said whenever they went out to his favourite spots, the excitement began before Kadungure entered the venue with girls asking for selfies and money. He said Kadungure gave away money easily and once inside the club he reserved a table for his friends and always offered to spoil them with expensive booze.
“Inside the club he will leave all the people smiling from bartender to bouncer because he would tip them. Once I was with him in Los Angeles and Hollywood. I was shocked how people were competing to get a selfie with him. Whenever we were travelling internationally he always looked for a place that sells African cuisine.”
Ginimbi’s funeral service on Saturday will be held at his village mansion in Domboshava, 35km north of Harare.
Former Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré, has died.
Toure passed away on Monday in a hospital in Turkey, his family said.
He was 72.
Touré was president of Mali from 2002 to 2012 before being overthrown in a military coup.
He was recovering from a heart operation he had in Bamako before his condition deteriorated, prompting his evacuation to Turkey, according to his doctor.
Amadou Toumani Touré, a former soldier who came to power through an election was pushed out by mutinous soldiers angry at his government’s inability to stop a militant insurgency in the north of the country.
Senior ANC sources have confirmed to eNCA that an emergency top six meeting of the party has been called to discuss among other things the arrest warrant of Secretary-General, Ace Magashule.
A warrant of arrest was issued for Magashule on Tuesday.
It is in connection with Magashule’s alleged involvement in an asbestos audit contract in the Free State.
A warrant of arrest was issued early this week for ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule.
The Hawks confirmed that the warrant is in connection with the R255-million asbestos audit contract in the Free State.
Speaking to eNCA Magashule said he’s not aware of a warrant of arrest.
“If it happens then it happens but I am not worried at all because I know I have not done anything wrong, as a law-abiding citizen of South Africa,” said Magashule, who is campaigning in Soweto for Wednesday’s by-elections.
Magashule is expected to appear in court on Friday.
The family of Genius Kadungure could be left holding straws amid indication that flamboyant businesswoman Zodwa Mkandla was part owner of the Domboshava mansion.
Sources close to the developments told Zim Morning Post that “Zodwa has already started projecting herself as the surviving spouse, and is firmly in charge.”
The mansion that can easily get a slot on MTV crib lies deep beyond the hem of the capital far from the city limits amidst the smell of soot and smoke in the land of Chief Chinhamora in Nyamande Village, Domboshava.
The home which had become a status symbol at the peak of Ginimbi’s powers was co-owned by Ginimbi and Zodwa, according to State papers retrieved by Zim Morning Post from a 2018 case.
For the later part of his life popular socialite and businessman claimed to have built the mansion in his home area where he grew up.
However, 2018 court record reveal that flamboyant businesswoman Zodwa Mkandla also claims ownership to the house.
These ownership details were leaked in court as Zodwa, who is popularly known as Zozo, sought to retrieve lost property worth $60 000 at the house in question.
In the court case, the State detailed that Zodwa lost the property at her Domboshava mansion to one of her security personnel, a man identified as Justice Jasi. Justice allegedly did injustice in spite of the trust vested in him.
The two businesspeople (Zozo and Ginimbi) never categorically stated their marital status despite speculation and rumours that the two were married under Marriage Act which will entitle them to dual ownership of properties.
On numerous occasions, Ginimbi skirted answering the question on his marital status.
There were murmurs that Genius was masquerading as a home owner but was actually being looked after like the proverbial church mouse.
Other sections maintained that the two had joint ownership by virtue of being married, or the two were simply joint owners without marriage.
Yet other sources in the couple’s circles say that the two were business partners and not lovers.
However, the street jury was of the verdict that the two were at one time an item and Zozo was the anchor of Ginimbi’s finances, a claim that Ginimbi was on record denying.
With lucrative palpable business, many believed that Genius feed off the sweat and genius of Zozo’s widely celebrated business acumen and tenacity.
Genius became popular for his traditional all white parties where he flaunts his wealth, popping expensive bottles of whiskey.
Zozo was also prominent at these parties, giving credence to word that the two are either business partners or an item with Zozo being the benefactor.
The late Ginimbi owned Dreams Nightclub, formerly Club Sankayi.
It was venue for Moana’s 26th birthday celebrations on Saturday night, the last event before their tragic death early Sunday.
Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) a Mthwakazi cessation proponent political party has written a strongly worded letter to traditional chiefs in the Matabeleland region complaining about the allocation of prime land in the region to outsiders specifically Shona speaking people.
According to the party, Shona speaking people have been accorded most of the very fertile lands by chiefs who they accuse of being captured by ZANU PF and its leader Emmerson Mnangagwa.
In the 14-pag letter dated November 9, 2020, MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo also accused the traditional leaders of being sellouts and Zanu PF appendages.
“Of late, I have been engaged by thousands across Mthwakazi concerning the land issue.
“People want to know what is happening with their land. The outcry is that people from Mashonaland have taken land in Mthwakazi.
“You as the traditional custodians of the said resources have neither done nor said anything to stop this provocative move,” wrote Moyo in the letters addressed to 79 chiefs in the region.
Moyo cited Section 282 of the Constitution which he said mandated chiefs to promote the cultural values of their communities, facilitate development, resolve disputes and perform other functions expected of them by an Act of Parliament.
“Our chiefs have been captured by Zanu PF government. Your powers over your own jurisdiction have been pruned. Contrary to the call by the Constitution that you must not be politically affiliated, an estimated 85 percent of you have since been reduced to Zanu PF puppets, which is a very sad and destructive development.
“We have also gathered from our intelligence that the majority of you are Zanu PF cardholders, making you easy prey for the ruling party. It is no surprise that even on land related decisions your wings are clipped,” Moyo said.
The party also expressed concern over the way the Gukurahundi issue is being handled by the government.
The government recently tasked the national chiefs council led by chief Fortune Charumbira to lead the process of exhuming and reburying victims of the 1980s government atrocities.
TANZANIA have booked their place in Saturday’s final of the 2020 Cosafa Women’s Under-17 Championships after making light work of Zimbabwe, racing into a 5-0 lead inside 31 minutes and never looking back, claiming a 10-1 success in the end.
Protasia Mbunda profited from a goalkeeping error to give her side the lead in the opening minute, before tournament leading scorer Aisha Masaka turned provider for Koku Kipanga.
Irene Kisisa, Shehat Mohamedi and Ester Gindulya all added further goals before the break.
The second half was less frantic as the rain started to pelt down and broke up the rhythm of the play.
But Zawadi Athuman, Mohamedi, Neema Shibara (two) and tournament leading scorer Aisha Masaka, who netted her ninth goal of the campaign, did add further damage for the Tanzanians.
Zimbabwe were able to get a consolation through Rudo Machadu as she bundled the ball home when a free-kick was only parried into her path.
The final round of pool fixtures will be played on Thursday with nothing but pride to play for. — Cosafa
THREE children from Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb died while in the back of a single cab Nissan SE pickup truck that was stuck in the mud near Luveve Cemetery as their parents battled to free the vehicle.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday at around 11pm while the family was travelling to the city from their rural home in Nyamandlovu.
Mr Algernon Aaron Moyo (63) and his wife, Thenjiwe (45), had just collected their only children, Aquilla (10) and Thelma (6), both pupils at Mthombowesizwe Primary School, as well as Shantel (2) in preparation for schools opening this week.
Family members speaking at a funeral wake in Entumbane said the death of the children was a mystery but a mechanic said the children could have been suffocated by exhaust fumes from the car.
Mrs Moyo discovered that the children had died as Mr Moyo went out of the car to gather small tree branches to help get the car out of a rut.
She checked on the children at the back as it was already dark and to her shock, the children were cold and did not show any sign of life.
Family spokesperson Mr Noel Dube said she called her husband and they tried to render first aid but the children were already dead.
Mr Dube said the family is still trying to come to terms with what could have happened.
“We have lost our children under very mysterious circumstances. Up to now we are at a loss for words as to what could have happened to them. They died on their way home while coming from our rural home in Nyamandlovu. The children were returning home after spending the long holidays at the rural home due to Covid-19,” said Mr Dube.
“While their parents drove near Luveve Cemetery, the vehicle got stuck in the muddy ground. Mr Moyo got out of the car to look for tree branches and his wife decided to check on the children who were sleeping at the back of the pickup. She discovered that the eldest was lying in an awkward position. This worried her and she alerted her husband.”
He said it was not their first time for the family to travel with the children at the back of the car.
Another relative Ms Sindiswe Bhajila said there is no explanation that could console the family.
“Siphelelwe asikuzwisisi ukuthi kwenzakeleni, simadolo nzima. (we are shocked, we don’t understand what happened, we are at a loss for words) we are told that Thelma was frothing from the mouth. So that really makes it more complicated for us to understand what happened,” said Ms Bhajila.
Their neighbour at Redbank in Nyamandlovu, Mr Bigboy Sibanda, said they were heartbroken to learn of the tragic loss.
“I know these children very well. It is sad losing a kid and losing three of them at one go is terrible,” he said.
A post-mortem to establish what happened was supposed to have been conducted yesterday.
Acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said police were investigating the matter as a sudden death.
A mechanic, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said while the post-mortem will determine how the children died, they could have suffocated.
“If the exhaust pipe of the truck was not extended so that it protrudes at the back from under the truck, its fumes were getting inside the car.
“So, what could have happened is that when the car got stuck in the mud, the driver could have revved the car trying to get it out and by doing so it emitted a lot of smoke suffocating the children, particularly if the windows were left closed.
“This is sad we hope the post-mortem will explain what caused their death,” said the mechanic.
The truck was taken by Luveve police who attended the scene but later taken to UBH at the request of the pathologist who was conducting the post-mortem.
The late socialite and businessman Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure was a hard worker who accumulated his wealth through his business acumen, his friends have said.
They dismissed social media messages indicating that Ginimbi bought his own coffin and that he used juju to prosper.
Ginimbi died in a horror road traffic accident along Liberation Legacy Way on Sunday morning together with three others.
One of his closest friends, Brian Nyanyiwa, said he worked with Ginimbi from scratch and he fully understood how the late socialite accumulated his wealth.
He said Ginimbi was focused and determined to make it in life and would not let any one come between him and his vision, although he had his ups and downs.
“I worked with Ginimbi from scratch and he was doing well with his business from the start and he started rising to fame,” said Nyanyiwa. “So, what people are saying that he used juju are lies meant to discredit him even in his death.”
Another friend, Tazvi Mhaka, popularly known as Chief Joze, said Ginimbi was an inspiration to many youths and alluding that he used juju would be unfair since he was a businessman many youths looked up to.
“What would the young generation think when people are saying things like these were gotten through juju,” he said. “Ginimbi was a hard worker and an inspiration to many people in the country. They must not think that every rich man’s source of wealth is juju.”
Another friend, Tino Tumbare, said there was no coffin in Ginimbi’s house.
“People should not be misled into believing those rumours,” he said. “It is false that Ginimbi had prepared for his funeral arrangements and there is nothing like that. These are just rumours that there is a coffin in his house. There is nothing like that.”
The friends said Ginimbi used to be broke like any other person, but would come up with business ideas which he would execute and make more money.
Ginimbi will be buried at his mansion in Domboshava on Saturday.
The long court hearings over the bail applications by Henrietta Rushwaya and her four co-defendants held on charges of attempting to smuggle 6kg of gold continued in their second week yesterday.
One of the CIO security officers accused of escorting Rushwaya through the VIP route at Robert Mugabe International Airport tried to cast doubt over CCTV footage.
The State is relying on footage that allegedly shows Stephen Tserai and Raphios Mufandauya accompanying Rushwaya through the VIP route, which is why they are facing charges of abuse of public office in the matter.
Yesterday Tserai, through his lawyer Admire Rubaya, tried to weaken that case by alleging that the State has destroyed the digital version of the footage and is relying on an analogue version, which can be easily manipulated. He thus supported his bail application by saying he was unlikely to be convicted.
Mr Rubaya, who has been casting doubt in his questioning throughout the bail hearing over all evidence held by the State, said on the CCTV footage that Tserai “suspects that (police) may want to manipulate it to his detriment after destroying the digital footage which is difficult to manipulate”.
The lawyer also wanted the police and State to obtain CCTV footage from Zimra and CIO systems, not just from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe. He said the particular CCTV footage would not be admissible in the trial.
“The State case is not strong and has no reason to abscond. When no real and cogent, compelling reasons exist, accused should be granted bail,” he said.
Mr Rubaya told the court that Tserai was willing to report to the CID Law and Order ‘as many times as the court would have ordered’ as part of his bail conditions.
Although he did not reveal the amount he was prepared to deposit as bail, Mr Rubaya said Tserai was prepared to deposit title deeds of his property as surety.
“He has no reason to abscond and as a civil servant it is difficult to eke a living in his country. He is safer when he is here in the country than anywhere else.
“It is important to take note that Covid-19 pandemic is causing havoc outside the country and Zimbabwe is a bit safer. Why seek to kill himself by running away from a safer place in Zimbabwe.”
Tserai is appearing along with Rushwaya, Mufandauya, Pakistan businessman Ali Muhamad and Zimbabwe Miners Federation external relations officer Gift Karanda.
They are all expected back in court today where lawyers will submit written closing bail submissions to Magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna. Already Rushwaya has supported her bail application with her defence testimony that she grabbed the wrong bag on the way to the airport, and has offered $90 000 bail and the title deeds to her house, while Muhamad has denied any involvement in the matter, said he would never abandon his US$50 million business empire in Zimbabwe by absconding, and has offered bail of $100 000 and title deeds.
File: Cabinet ministers in a virtual cabinet meeting.
PROPOSED NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY: 2021-2025
Cabinet considered and approved the National Development Strategy 1: 2021-2025, which was presented by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development. The National Development Strategy 1: 2021-2025 (NDS 1) is the Second Republic’s first of two five-year medium-term plans aimed at realising the country’s Vision 2030. The two plans will, therefore, run under the theme “Towards a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle Income Society by 2030”.
The National Development Strategy 1 outlines the policies, legal and institutional reforms, programmes and projects for identified National Priorities that will be implemented over the Strategy’s five-year lifespan.This will help to achieve accelerated, high, inclusive, broad-based and sustainable economic growth and development. The NDS was a result of an extensive and structured consultative process involving stakeholders. The Strategy succeeds the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP): 2018-2020, which focused on, inter-alia, stabilising the macro-economy and the financial sector, and thus laid the foundation required for economic growth. The report on the TSP will be published at the end of the programme period.
NDS 1 will therefore build on the successes and challenges of the Transitional Stabilisation Programme and aim to steer the economy onto a growth path with an average growth rate of 5 percent per annum over the Strategy Period.
The broad objectives of NDS1 are as follows:
To strengthen macroeconomic stability, characterised by low and stable inflation, as well as a stable exchange rate;
To achieve and sustain inclusive and equitable real GDP growth;
To promote new enterprise development, employment and job creation;
To strengthen social infrastructure and social safety nets;
To ensure sustainable environmental protection and resilience;
To promote good governance and corporate social investment; and
To industrialise and modernise the economy.
NDS has the following 14 priority areas: Economic Growth and Stability; Food Security and Nutrition; Governance; Moving the Economy up the Value Chain and Structural Transformation; Human Capital Development; Environmental Protection, Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management; Housing Delivery; ICT and the Digital Economy; Health and Well-being; Transport, Infrastructure and Utilities; Image-building and International Engagement and Re-engagement; Social Protection; Youth, Sport and Culture; and Devolution.
PROPOSED REMUNERATION REVIEW FOR CIVIL SERVANTS
Noting its obligations to pay a decent wage, Government has reviewed upwards thesalary increase offer to civil servants to 40 percent which will be awarded to deputy director grade and below. In addition to the salary increase, the teachers will also be awarded a 10 percent risk allowance. The new basic salary package for the teacher is now $18 237, which is above the Poverty Datum Line (PDL). This means that the compounded review percentage of the teacher grade salary is 1 284 percent since the beginning of the year. The lowest paid civil servant will receive a salary of $14 528. This is effective from 1st November 2020.
PROGRESS UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 6TH 100-DAY CYCLE PRIORITY PROJECTS
Cabinet received progress reports in the implementation of the following 6th 100-Day Cycle Priority Projects, from the Ministers of Primary and Secondary Education; Local Government and Public Works; Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation; and Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services.
The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education informed Cabinet that a total of 36 Satellite Schools in Chiredzi district, Masvingo province were registered after infrastructure was upgraded. The minister also outlined progress made in the following 6th 100-Day Cycle Priority Projects:
49 boreholes were rehabilitated and drilled in Lupane District;
Rehabilitation of 24 ablution blocks and hand-washing facilities in Chimanimani and Chipinge;
One girls’ dormitory at Chapoto Secondary School in Mbire district.
The Minister of Local Government and Public Works reported that the construction of the superstructure of the Bona Clinic in Bubi district, Matabeleland North province was completed and the outstanding work constituting the project is overall, at 90 percent completion.
Under the project, Tsholotsho disaster recovery project in Tsholotsho district, modern housing units are being constructed to house those that were affected by Cyclone Dineo-induced floods in 2016/17 rainy season, and the 10 housing units being constructed under this phase are at various levels of completion. The minister reported progress made in the following projects: Mukuva Bridge, Guruve, Mashonaland Central; Water Supply and Sanitation Rehabilitation Project II-Dutchman’s Pool, Kwekwe-Midlands and Mabula sewer treatment plant, Zvishavane.
Cabinet notes with satisfaction, huge strides made under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development.
The construction of the University of Zimbabwe Zim Agro-Industrial Park, the superstructure is now almost complete while the Chinhoyi Agro-Industrial Park Dairy and Milk Processing Unit is 80 percent complete. The construction of a model milking parlour for small holder farmers is complete.
The establishment of a Goat Genetics Research Centre at Bindura University of Science Education continues, while the establishment of the Simon Mazorodze School of Health Sciences at the Great Zimbabwe University is at 85 percent complete.
The Multi-Purpose Teaching and Learning Building at the Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences was completed. Furthermore, 12 out of the 20 Universities were provided with internet services under the e-Learning Facility for Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions.
The Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation highlighted that construction of a Recreational Centre and a multi-purpose sports facility in Mufakose, Harare, is now complete and ready for official launch.
As part of Government’s response to assist those affected by the pandemic, a total of 2 548 athletes and 867 artistes benefited from the tune of$11,8 million under the Athletes and Artistes Covid-19 Relief Fund.
The entrepreneurship development support to beneficiaries of the Youth Covid-19 Relief Fund has commenced, and company registration and formalisation underway.
The refurbishment of Murehwa Cultural Centre, computer lab and installation of high-speed internet connectivity is30 percent completion.
Meanwhile, as part of Government’s thrust to upgrade sporting facilities to acceptable international standards, satisfactory progress has been made to date in renovating the National Sports Stadium as the project is 90 percent complete. What remains outstanding is the procurement of bucket seats, turnstiles and e-ticketing.
The Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services reported that six shared base stations have been completed at Showgrounds, Domboshava; Cowdry Park in Bulawayo; Zindoga in Harare; Ruwange in Nyanga; Chikonohono in Chinhoyi and Mandara in Harare.
Under the internet connection to Higher and Tertiary institutions project, two institutions, namely Mutare Polytechnic and Morgenster Teachers’ College were connected. Under the schools digitalisation programme, 13 of the targeted 17 schools were digitalised.
On a related project, 15 schools were connected to the internet under the Schools Connectivity (e-learning) programme. A total of 10 fully furnished and equipped Community Information Centres (CICs) were established.
ZIMBABWE’s RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
Cabinet received the weekly update on the Covid-19 pandemic from the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Honourable OCZ Muchinguri-Kashiri, chairperson of the Ad-Hoc Inter-Ministerial Task Force on the Covid-19 Outbreak.
The country has now recorded 8 362 confirmed Covid-19 cases compared to the 8 471 reported last week. The recovery rate is 94.2 percent. New cases for week 44 stood at 109, compared to 105 in week 43.
A total of 5 600 PCR tests were conducted during the reporting period compared to 5 457 tests carried out the previous week.
In order to enable the smooth flow of returnees at the Beitbridge Border Post, the Embassy of Zimbabwe in South Africa has drawn up Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). All bus operators involved in the repatriation of Zimbabwean nationals from South Africa are required to obtain clearance from the respective Zimbabwean Consulate in Cape Town and Johannesburg two days before departure. The bus operators should provide full names of all passengers; passport or temporary travel document numbers of the passengers; vehicle and trailer registration details; final destination in Zimbabwe and the identification details of the drivers.
Both passengers and bus crews should have Covid-19 negative certificates from a registered laboratory and obtained within 48 hours from departure.
Bus operators must ensure that passengers have requisite travel documents before purchasing tickets. A maximum of five buses will be cleared per day.
Under primary and secondary education, the attendance of learners was 51.8 percent, while that of teachers is 25.7 percent For the final examination classes, learner attendance was 42 percent, while the national average on teacher availability marginally increased from 27.16 percent to 27.77 percent.
While Government has supported with PPE, it is expected that parents and/or guardians provide masks to their school-going children.
Cabinet resolved to continue engaging all neighbouring countries to synchronise the movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic between the countries pending the re-opening of the country’s major ports of entry and exit on 1 December, 2020.
The sectors of the economy that are still under lockdown are to be listed in order for them to present their cases individually for re-opening.
PROGRESS OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE VICTORIA FALLS-HWANGE-BINGA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE
Cabinet was briefed by the Minister of Local Government and Public Works on the progress made in the planning and developmentof the Victoria Falls-Hwange-Binga Special Economic Zone.
As the nation will recall, Cabinet approved the integrated development programme for the Victoria Falls-Hwange-Binga Special Economic Zone in August 2020. A committee comprising the Ministers of Local Government and Public Works, and Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry together with the Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) were directed to come up with an implementation matrix. The committee has since identified a consortium to prepare a visual blueprint for the area.
The Victoria Falls Development Programme will entail the upgrading of the Municipality to City status, and improved land utilisation and modernisation, which should unlock land for new investment.
Regarding the Masuwe Resort Institutional Framework and Detailed Designs, a Statutory Instrument to operationalise the establishment of a Masuwe Joint Management Committee has since been drafted. Planning for the mixed use and commercial zones is underway.
Batoka Town: A proposed new town anchored on power generation activities will be created at Batoka once the legal processes have been completed. Furthermore, layout plan extensions for Binga, a highly promising tourist node, are being prepared.
INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION PLAN: 2021-2025
Cabinet considered and approved the Integrated Agricultural Information Management System Implementation Plan: 2021-2025, which was presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, and Rural Resettlement.
The Integrated Agricultural Information Management System Implementation Plan aims at consistently collecting accurate and timely statistical data and information which is essential for programming, monitoring and evaluation of development initiatives in agriculture.
The purpose of the Integrated Agricultural Information Management System is to provide reliable information to policy makers, planners, stakeholders and users of statistics for informed decision-making.
VELD FIRE MANAGEMENT
The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry briefed Cabinet on veld fire management for the period 31 July to 31 October, 2020. Cabinet was informed that a total of 1 153 fire incidences burning 684 070.22 hectares of land were recorded since the beginning of the fire season compared to 1 508 incidences and 1 158 291 hectares burnt over the same period in 2019. A total of three lives were lost to veld fires in 2020.
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has deplored the recent acts of terrorism in northern Mozambique, warning that Zimbabwe is ready to assist in stamping out the insurgency.
A growing Islamist insurgency has entered its fourth year in Cabo Delgado Province and has intensified in recent months with hundreds of people being killed or maimed.
The conflict, also known as the Cabo Delgado Civil War, is pitting Mozambican government forces against militants attempting to establish an Islamic state in the region.
Civilians have been the main targets of the attacks.
Writing on his Twitter handle yesterday, President Mnangagwa said regional security was important for the protection of people.
“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,” said President Mnangagwa.
The insurgency, which started in October 2017, is said to be intensifying as in the first half of 2020, there were nearly as many attacks carried out as in the whole of 2019 when 1 100 people were killed and 100 000 displaced.
A group calling itself Ansar al-Sunna, is the main faction which was initially a religious movement in northern districts of Cabo Delgado.
It first appeared around 2015 and was formed by followers of the radical Kenyan cleric Aboud Rogo, who was killed in 2012. Thereafter, some members of his movement settled down in Kibiti, Tanzania, before moving into Mozambique.
Zimbabwe and Mozambique are long time allies whose ties date back to pre-colonial times.
Liberation war movements from the countries defeated settler regimes to establish independent states, Mozambique in 1975 and Zimbabwe in 1980.
After they became independent, the two countries cooperated in the fight against the Renamo rebels in Mozambique which were heavily supported by the apartheid regime in South Africa.
The Renamo rebels were defeated militarily after their headquarters in Mozambique’s western Gorongosa region, were overrun by Zimbabwean and Mozambican troops with the rebel leader, the late Afonso Dhlakama, escaping capture.
Renamo was forced to sign a peace deal with the Mozambican Government in Rome in 1992 after which the country enjoyed peace until disturbances resurfaced in 2017.
Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri recently said Zimbabwe was closely monitoring the unfolding armed conflict in Mozambique, but a possible military intervention would only be guided by a collective SADC Troika decision.
“We are really worried with the situation prevailing in Mozambique, particularly in the Cabo Delgado region. The situation is no longer affecting Mozambique only.
“It means there is provocation already on another SADC country and that is worrisome to Zimbabwe because Mozambique is our lifeline.
“At the last SADC Summit, there was nothing quite tangible that came out and we are seeing Mozambique now approaching countries like the United States and France for assistance. We do not know how far they have gone in that direction.
“Mozambique is our lifeline because it is our gateway to the sea. For all our goods, either rail or road, we use Mozambique because we are landlocked. It is in our best interests that SADC moves in quickly to address the situation. We need to find a lasting solution to this challenge,” she said.
The Zimbabwe dollar saw its smallest move since the start of the auction system yesterday, easing one ten thousandth of one percent and effectively remaining unchanged at $81,67 to the United States dollar as almost all importers continue to set their bids at the prevailing rate.
The actual weighted average moved one hundredth of a Zimbabwean cent from $81,6740 to $81,6741.
Reserve Bank figures at October 30, show that reserve money declined by $1,1 billion to $15 billion,
“The decline in reserve money over the week under review was largely due to issuance of open market operations instruments by the bank, designed to sterilise idle liquidity in the economy,” explained the RBZ.
“Purchases and sales of foreign exchange on the auction by the RBZ also resulted in net withdrawal of liquidity from the market.”
Yesterday’s auction, for example, moved around $2,6 billion out of importers’ bank accounts into the Reserve Bank, a large block of cash.
Yesterday’s auction saw total bids on the main auction rising, with 268 bidders from 260 last week, but still lower than the prior week’s record high of 274.
Of these, 248 bids from the big corporates were successfully allotted a total of US$29,9 million the second highest ever. Failed bids once again were over paperwork, rather than underbidding with all bids that met the RBZ conditions being allotted.
The highest bid on the main auction fell to $86,30 from $90 previously, while the lowest accepted bid remained on $80.
The narrowing bid band seems to be the result of even the most pessimistic bidder recognising that the rate is stable and they do not have to pay over the odds.
And on the SMEs auction, the highest bid also fell to $85 from $86 last week, although the lowest successful bid was slightly up at $80 from $79 last week.
Total bids on the SMEs board increased to 152 from 148, although 9 bidders were unsuccessful over paperwork problems.
The SME auction saw a record total allotment of US$1,844 million driving the total allotted on both auction to a record of US$31,7 million. This was up from US$28 million last week.
The productive sectors continue to dominate the auction system, with latest figures showing that raw materials accounted for the bulk of allotments yesterday at US$12,54 million on the main auction and US$413 913 on the SMEs section.
Machinery and equipment came in second with US$4,63 million on the main and US$377 174 on the SMEs section.
And consumables came in third on the main auction at US$2,68 million, but on the SMEs section, consumables took up the bulk of allotments at US$556 338.
Consumables are things like spare parts and the like, and the SME auction has allowed a lot of specialised businesses in the SME sector who maintain and service equipment to use the auctions rather than having to send runners to Johannesburg, cutting their costs as well as ensuring they can give more reliable service to their customers.
THE Government has increased Its salary offer to striking teachers by 50 percent to US$227 at current auction rate effective from November 1 this year.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa revealed this after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, saying besides the pay rise for all civil servants, teachers were awarded an additional 10 percent risk allowance.
The latest increase will see the lowest paid civil servant earning $14 528 while the basic salary for a teacher is now $18 237.
“Noting its obligations to pay a decent wage, Government has reviewed upwards, the salary increase offer to civil servants by 40 percent which will be awarded to deputy director grade and below,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
“In addition to the salary increase, the teachers will also be awarded a 10 percent risk allowance. The new basic salary package for a teacher is $18 237, which is above the Poverty Datum Line (PDL).
“This means that the compounded review percentage of the teacher grade salary is 1 284 percent since the beginning of the year. The lowest paid civil servant will receive a salary of $14 528. This is effective from November 1, 2020,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
Minister Mutsvangwa also gave an update on the teacher pupil turnout following the conclusion of the phased reopening of schools this week.
“Under primary and secondary education, the attendance of learners was 51.8 percent, while that of teachers is 25.7 percent.
“For the final examination classes, learner attendance was 42 percent, while the national average on teacher availability marginally increased from 27.16 percent to 27.77 percent,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
Teachers had chosen to go on industrial action to push for salary increments to US$520 equivalent in local currency. The teachers unions are yet to respond to the latest improvements on their salaries.
A 60-YEAR-OLD man from Kamativi in Matabeleland North allegedly tried to kill his estranged wife by hitting her with an iron bar for refusing to have sex with him.
Martin Sibanda of Tatatongwa Village in Tinde area under Chief Pashu allegedly hit Ms Joyce Muletambo Mathe, whose age was not given, once on the chest with an iron bar after she turned down his sexual advances.
The two are living in separation following undisclosed marital problems and Sibanda allegedly visited Ms Mathe and asked her to have sexual intercourse with him.
He picked an iron bar and attacked her, striking her on the chest after she refused and she fell down.
Sibanda allegedly sat on her stomach and punched her several times on the face.
He also stomped on her neck and stomach as she lay helplessly on the ground.
Sibanda pleaded not guilty to attempted murder when trial opened before Hwange regional magistrate Mr Collet Ncube.
He was remanded in custody to today for continuation of trial.
The State alleges that Sibanda proceeded to his estranged wife’s homestead and demanded to have sex with her.
“On the 1st day of September 2019 at around 6.40pm the accused person went to the complainant’s place of residence and requested to have sexual intercourse with her but she refused.
“This angered the accused person who then hit the complainant with an iron bar once on the chest and she fell down,” said the prosecutor Mr Vumizulu Mangena.
The court was told Sibanda punched the complainant on the face as she lay on the ground.
A report was made to the police leading to Sibanda’s arrest.
The complainant was taken to hospital where she was treated and discharged.-Chronicle
THREE children from Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb died while in the back of a single cab Nissan SE pickup truck that was stuck in the mud near Luveve Cemetery as their parents battled to free the vehicle.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday at around 11pm while the family was travelling to the city from their rural home in Nyamandlovu.
Mr Algernon Aaron Moyo (63) and his wife, Thenjiwe (45), had just collected their only children, Aquilla (10) and Thelma (6), both pupils at Mthombowesizwe Primary School, as well as Shantel (2) in preparation for schools opening this week.
Family members speaking at a funeral wake in Entumbane said the death of the children was a mystery but a mechanic said the children could have been suffocated by exhaust fumes from the car.
Mrs Moyo discovered that the children had died as Mr Moyo went out of the car to gather small tree branches to help get the car out of a rut.
She checked on the children at the back as it was already dark and to her shock, the children were cold and did not show any sign of life.
Family spokesperson Mr Noel Dube said she called her husband and they tried to render first aid but the children were already dead.
Mr Dube said the family is still trying to come to terms with what could have happened.
“We have lost our children under very mysterious circumstances. Up to now we are at a loss for words as to what could have happened to them. They died on their way home while coming from our rural home in Nyamandlovu. The children were returning home after spending the long holidays at the rural home due to Covid-19,” said Mr Dube.
“While their parents drove near Luveve Cemetery, the vehicle got stuck in the muddy ground. Mr Moyo got out of the car to look for tree branches and his wife decided to check on the children who were sleeping at the back of the pickup. She discovered that the eldest was lying in an awkward position. This worried her and she alerted her husband.”
He said it was not their first time for the family to travel with the children at the back of the car.
Another relative Ms Sindiswe Bhajila said there is no explanation that could console the family.
“Siphelelwe asikuzwisisi ukuthi kwenzakeleni, simadolo nzima. (we are shocked, we don’t understand what happened, we are at a loss for words) we are told that Thelma was frothing from the mouth. So that really makes it more complicated for us to understand what happened,” said Ms Bhajila.
Their neighbour at Redbank in Nyamandlovu, Mr Bigboy Sibanda, said they were heartbroken to learn of the tragic loss.
“I know these children very well. It is sad losing a kid and losing three of them at one go is terrible,” he said.-Chronicle
The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) says heavy rains are expected in the country starting late today and tomorrow (Wednesday).
MSD chief forecaster, James Ngoma told ZTN that members of the public should avoid being caught outdoors during heavy storms. He said:
There should be widespread rains across much of the country, spreading from Matabeleland South into Matabeleland North as well as parts of Bulawayo Metropolitan as of today.
Tomorrow they should spread into parts of Midlands and much of the Mashonaland provinces.
Earlier, the MSD warned that hailstorm occurrence was possible and potential destruction to property and life, with strong winds being able to blow off rooftops.
To be safe from experiencing lightning strikes, the public has been urged to remember the 30-30 rule.
The rule says if lightning is seen in a distance and one cannot count 30 seconds before the sound of thunder, then there is a potential of lightning strikes.
Under such conditions, people should stay indoors for 30 minutes after the last rumble.-ZTN
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) has sent its condolences to the Boora family following the death of veteran actor and comedian Lazarus Boora, 47, popularly known as Gringo.
Gringo succumbed to stomach cancer yesterday morning with Dr Johannes Marisa who was treating him saying the cancer had already spread to some parts of the body when he was sent to Westview Clinic in Zimre Park, Ruwa.
In its message to the Boora family, NACZ said the arts sector had been robbed of one of the most recognisable TV personalities. Reads the statement:
The NACZ management and staff would like to express their sincerest condolences to Amai Boora and the Boora family, the arts fraternity and the nation at large following the passing on of one of the country’s most recognisable television personalities.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Gringo rose to fame in 1997 when he took the leading role in Enock Chihombori‘s drama series ‘Gringo.’
He is scheduled to be buried on Thursday at his rural home in Rukweza, Rusape.-Chronicle
Tinashe Sambiri|Controversial dancehall star Soul Jah Love, real name, Soul Musaka, has claimed the late Harare socialite and business tycoon Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure is going to hell.
Kadungure died in a horrific accident on Sunday morning.Popular socialite Moana, Malawian Limumba Karim and one Elisha also died in the same accident.
Commenting on Ginimbi’s death Soul Jah Love claimed the late business tycoon would go to hell.
“Ginimbi is going to hell, that’s what I can say.
This I can declare boldly, hell is his final destination,” claimed Soul Jah Love in a video footage that has gone viral on social media.
Angry Zimbabweans have described Jah Love’s remarks as reckless.
“You are not God, so please keep quiet,” commented one Facebook user.
“Please keep quiet, you are just seeking relevance,” said another social media user.
Tinashe Sambiri|MDC Alliance Youth Assembly chairperson Tererai Obey Sithole has assured party supporters and the nation that he is out of danger.
Below is his statement:
Revolutionary salutations fellow compatriots.
Allow me to express my gratitude to you for the support, in all forms that you rendered to me following my unfortunate involvement in a road traffic accident.
I am forever indebted for the love and solidarity you extended and still extend to me. I can confirm that I am in a stable condition and recovering well from the injuries sustained.
I may be down but certainly not out, the struggle continues unabated. Zimbabwe shall be free!
Tinashe Sambiri|A senior MDC Alliance official has revealed the cause of Hon Kennedy Dinar’s death.
Speaking at the funeral of the youthful MDC Alliance MP, the official said:
“One thing that I want you to know is that Hon Dinar was poisoned.We don’t know why they killed him.God knows everything and He will judge those who poisoned him.
Our beloved MP died as a result of blood clots in his body.This cannot be a natural death, we know the system wants to eliminate opposition members.
Let us not lose hope, they will not stop the wave of change…”
He added:” We are determined to fight for democratic change and there is no backtracking.”
Tinashe Sambiri|A senior MDC Alliance official has revealed the cause of Hon Kennedy Dinar’s death.
Speaking at the funeral of the youthful MDC Alliance MP, the official said:
“One thing that I want you to know is that Hon Dinar was poisoned.We don’t know why they killed him.God knows everything and He will judge those who poisoned him.
Our beloved MP died as a result of blood clots in his body.This cannot be a natural death, we know the system wants to eliminate opposition members.
Let us not lose hope, they will not stop the wave of change…”
He added:” We are determined to fight for democratic change and there is no backtracking.”
WARRIORS skipper, Knowledge Musona, says they feel they can collect some points in the back-to-back AFCON qualifiers against Algeria.
The Smiling Assassin arrived in the country yesterday aboard the same flight with the England-based trio of Tendayi Darikwa, Adam Chicksen and Jordan Zemura.
This will be Zimbabwe’s first competitive international assignment since last November when they upstaged Zambia 2-1 in their backyard.
“It always feels good to come back home and represent the country,” he told The Herald.
“We are looking forward to the upcoming games against Algeria.
“There isn’t much to say. We just have to do it, not to talk. We have to go there and try to play the game to win and, of course, when they come here we also have to aim to win.
“So, we are going to do our best as a team. We just want to promise our fans that we are going to do everything we can to collect some points in these two games.’’
The 30-year-old forward played a leading role in Zimbabwe’s qualification in the previous two editions of the AFCON finals in Gabon and Egypt.
Musona combined twice with Khama Billiat when Zimbabwe beat hosts Zambia 2-1 in Lusaka to move second in Group H with four points.
Algeria lead the race, on six points, following wins over both Zambia and Botswana.
The Desert Foxes are unbeaten in their last 20 games in all competitions in a period stretching two years.
Their last home match, in an AFCON qualifier was a five-goal destruction of Chipolopolo in Algeria.
However, in their second match against Botswana, they showed they were human, too, as they struggled to win 1-0 in Gaborone.
Star forward, Riyad Mahrez, did not play in that match against the Zebras but is available for the duel against the Warriors.
Matches between Zimbabwe and Algeria, however, have produced interesting results with their last meeting at the 2017 AFCON finals in Gabon ending in a 2-2 stalemate.
Musona was part of the game but only lasted 12 minutes after suffering an injury.
The captain was also joined at the airport yesterday by new Orlando Pirates hotshot Terrence Dzvukamanja, who had arrived earlier from South Africa.
There was boundless joy for Zemura, who was met at the airport by ecstatic members of his family.
The 20-year-old has experienced a phenomenal rise in the last two seasons, and was recently handed his first team cap at English Championship side, Bournemouth.
This is the first time that the fullback has joined the Warriors for national team duty.
Interestingly, he will be turning 21 on Thursday when Zimbabwe play Algeria.
The rising star, who can play either right or left back, says representing Zimbabwe has always been his dream.
“Currently, I am transitioning into breaking into the first team and playing competitively,’’ he told our sister newspaper, The Sunday Mail, at the weekend.
‘’So, at the moment, I am ready and can’t wait for the opportunity (to play for the Warriors.
“It is something that I have always wanted to do.
“I received the call-up from the manager and had a good conversation with him, and now things are looking good and I want to be part of this team).’’
Scotland-based David Moyo and Adam Chicksen are also looking to have their full national team caps.
Musona said he was delighted by the commitment shown by some Zimbabwean players born and raised in the Diaspora towards playing for their mother country.
“I am glad that they are here and we welcome them. They are part of our team and they are Zimbabweans,’’ he said.
‘’So, we just want to welcome them to the team and make sure that they adapt quickly to the new environment and also to the new teammates that they are going to meet.-The Herald
TWO children aged three months and five-years from Maphisa area died after a vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and rolled several times.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred on Tuesday at the 103 km peg along the Bulawayo-Maphisa Road at around 7AM.
He said the driver, Mr Fortune Mlilo, lost control of the vehicle while trying to evade some donkeys which were on the road after trying to overtake another vehicle.
“I can confirm that we recorded a fatal road accident which occurred along the Bulawayo-Maphisa Road.
“Fortune Mlilo was driving a Toyota Sienta headed for Bulawayo with seven passengers on board. When he got to the 103 kilometre peg he tried to overtake another vehicle but realised that there were donkeys blocking the other lane.
“He tried to evade the donkeys and in the process lost control of the vehicle which rolled several times before landing on its roof. A three-month-old baby boy and a five-year-old girl died upon admission to Maphisa District Hospital while the other passengers and the driver sustained injuries,” he said.-Chronicle
Macheso's manager angrily responds: "is this your child? Where did you get the age?," he asks, after a 6 hour long wait, having promised Macheso would come for an interview by 2.30pm on Tuesday 10th Nov | FULL INTERVIEW ON https://t.co/eY98GsdO0a
Macheso's manager angrily responds: "is this your child? Where did you get the age?," he asks, after a 6 hour long wait, having promised Macheso would come for an interview by 2.30pm on Tuesday 10th Nov | FULL INTERVIEW ON https://t.co/eY98GsdO0a
A warrant of arrest has been issued for ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule.
The Hawks confirmed that the warrant is in connection with the R255-million asbestos audit contract in the Free State.
Speaking to eNCA earlier, Magashule said he’s not aware of a warrant of arrest.
“If it happens then it happens but I am not worried at all because I know I have not done anything wrong, as a law-abiding citizen of South Africa,” said Magashule, who is campaigning in Soweto for Wednesday’s by-elections.
Magashule is expected to appear in court on Friday.