By A Correspondent- Addressing the media Friday afternoon, a senior police official revealed that 7 police details who teargased a Rimbi bus full of passengers last week at a pick up point near Harare Agricultural show have been arrested and will be charged under the Police Act.

Police Commissioner General Godwin Matanga however refused to disclose the names of the police details saying that the law would take its course.

“No- one is above the law…..They will be charged under the Police Act.”

Watch the video loading below……

Farai Dziva|Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s desperate attempt to use guns to disrupt the people’s struggle literally confirms that he is an illegitimate leader who is afraid of the power of the citizens, President Nelson Chamisa has said.

President Chamisa also took a swipe at the jittery Zanu PF leader for using “excessive force and coercion against hapless citizens.”

“The incumbent’s illegitimacy is confirmed by the excessive use of force and coercion against citizens.

Faith in brute force often mislead unpopular rulers to mistakenly rely on guns, imprisonment, teargas and terror to subjugate and muzzle citizens.
Ultimately,citizens will always win,” President Chamisa said in a statement.

ByA Correspondent- The profligate President Emmerson Mnangagwa administration is spending millions of dollars per month on double salaries and allowances for senior officials in the Ministry of Health and Child Care despite a cleanup operation promised by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga. Chiwenga also oversees the operations of the health sector.

Investigations by the Zimbabwe Independent show that directors who were sent on forced leave to pave way for corruption investigations over three months ago are still receiving their full salaries, while at the same time those who were elevated to act in their positions are enjoying similar perks.

Chiwenga has been superintending over the extensive restructuring process since last month when he was appointed Health minister after Obadiah Moyo was sacked from the position on July 7, at a time Zimbabwe is battling to contain the novel coronavirus.

Moyo’s sacking from cabinet arose from allegations that he unprocedurally awarded a shadowy company called Drax

International a US$60 million contract for the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the fight against Covid-19. Mnangagwa’s sons, Emmerson Jr and Collins were linked to the multi-milliondollar scandal through Drax International local representative Delish Nguwaya.

In the wake of the scandal, now commonly referred to as Draxgate, seven senior officials at national drug supplier, NatPharm, were fired.

The ongoing costly restructuring initiative, which is meant to “achieve greater efficiency as envisaged in the National Health Strategy”, has so far seen 27 directors and deputy directors placed on indefinite paid leave, as Chiwenga reshuffles the scandalridden portfolio. Most of the staffers put on paid leave served during Moyo’s tenure.

A recent Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) dossier seen by this newspaper, reveals that during the course of the restructuring exercise, Health Deputy minister John Mangwiro potentially violated public procurement procedures by directing the NatPharm acting general manager and the adjudicating committee to award an undeserving entity Young Health Care a US$6 million contract to procure Covid-19 consumables.

Members of the adjudicating team that arbitrated in favour of Young Health Care comprise of the newly elevated staff. The contract, through which the country could have been prejudiced US$2 million, has since been re-tendered.

In an interview with this newspaper, Mangwiro denied any wrongdoing and advised the Zimbabwe Independent to get answers from Zacc.

He said: “Handiti Zacc ndiyo irikutitonga? Handina kana chandinombotaura neveZacc ivava. Ngavarambe vachikupayi news muchinzwa kuti ndakaita seyi.” (Is it not Zacc which is judging us? Zacc must continue giving you news so that you know what I’m supposed to have done in this matter).

The ongoing reorganisation exercise and the US$6 million controversial contract awarded to Young Health Care reportedly at the behest of Mangwiro has cast light on the pillaging of Covid-19 funds by top government officials and the apparent raging battle pitting Mnangagwa and Chiwenga for control of the levers of state power.

The investigation reveals that shortly before Chiwenga assumed the reins at the influential portfolio, Mangwiro, through the Health Services Board (HSB) rolled out far reaching changes which saw 27 directors and deputies, among other personnel sent on indefinite paid leave. Mangwiro is Chiwenga’s personal doctor.

Subsequently, new personnel were elevated to act in the positions of those sent on paid leave. The paid leave, according to documents seen by the Independent is indefinite.

Staffers on paid leave include director and deputy director laboratory services, director and deputy director pharmacy services, director procurement and procurement officer, director finance and administration services, deputy director administration and logistics and chief scientist Microbiology Laboratory. The human resources director, deputy human resources director, chief engineer and Hospital management services directors are also on paid leave.

Operations directors and procurement officers at the country’s Central hospitals were also sent on paid leave when the indefinite restructuring process commenced.

A salary schedule within the ministry seen by this newspaper shows that the monthly net salary of a medical director currently stands at ZW$25 000 while that of a non-medical director varies between ZW$16 000 and ZW$18 000. Both receive a weekly 40 litres fuel allocation.

Monthly salaries for a medical deputy director ranges between ZW$12 000 and ZW$13 000 while a non-medical deputy director earns ZW$7 000.Both medical and non-medical deputy directors receive 20 litres of fuel every week.

“Please be advised that the Ministry of Health and Child Care is undertaking a restructuring exercise aimed at refocussing its operations in order to achieve greater efficiency as envisaged in the National Health Strategy. Your function has been identified as one that needs realignment,” a letter to one of the affected directors sent on paid leave seen by this newspaper reads.

“This letter serves to inform you that effective July 10, you are hereby put on indefinite leave to facilitate the restructuring exercise. You will not be required to report for duty unless called back to office.”

The letter, undersigned by HSB executive chairman Paulinas Sikosana was dated July 10. Staffers assigned to assume the positions of the 27 directors and deputy directors among other public health workers sent on paid leave in an acting capacity have since been accommodated at a three-star hotel (name supplied) in the capital since July.

A suite at the luxurious hotel costs US$200 per night or the equivalent using the official weekly auction exchange rate. Staffers are staying at the hotel on full board, meaning that government is footing the cost of their meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

A source close to the extensive restructuring exercise told the Independent that government’s bill at the hotel, where the fresh personnel roped in by Mangwiro to preside over influential positions within the ministry has since shot to ZW$5 million, with the amount set to balloon as they continue to lodge there.

The source said: “When Moyo was fired, Mangwiro immediately instituted a restructuring exercise which resulted in 27 directors and their deputies ordered to go on paid leave. In their place, staffers were

appointed to take their positions in an acting capacity. Those on paid leave have been receiving their full salaries, the US$75 Covid allowance awarded to civil servants and fuel allocations, among other benefits. Similarly, the staffers in an acting capacity have been staying at a hotel in the city on full board while they now enjoy improved salaries and benefits in line with their new appointments.”

Health and Child Care secretary Jasper Chimedza told the Independent to get comprehensive answers on the nature of the restructuring exercise from the ministry’s public relations manager Donald Mujiri.

In an interview, Mujiri committed to respond to questions posed by this newspaper after consultation with Chiwenga, who is overseeing the far-reaching restructuring exercise. However, at the time of going to print, he had not responded.

Among the questions posed, the Independent sought to understand the cost of the restructuring exercise, the duration of the restructuring exercise, the number of staffers sent on paid leave and the quantum of the bill picked by government at the hotel.

HSB communications manager Tryfine Dzukutu requested for questions in writing but did not respond.

Sources told this newspaper in separate briefings that the restructuring process, apart from draining limited resources from the fiscus, could trigger a fresh headache for government as it potentially violated labour laws by placing individuals on paid leave indefinitely.

In the case of the affected, as documents seen by the Independent indicate, staffers sent on paid leave have not been accused of any wrong doing.

A source within the Health ministry said AttorneyGeneral Prince Machaya advised that the manner in which the restructuring process was being handled, particularly relating to indefinitely keeping staffers on paid leave, presented grave legal ramifications, if the matter spilled into court.

“The Attorney-General clearly warned that keeping workers on paid leave indefinitely was both costly to government and could backfire if the matter went to court,” a source close to the restructuring exercise said.

In 2019, Chiwenga arbitrarily fired nurses and doctors at public health institutions who had downed tools in protest over poor remuneration.-ZimIndependent

Farai Dziva|Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s desperate attempt to use guns to disrupt the people’s struggle literally confirms that he is an illegitimate leader who is afraid of the power of the citizens, President Nelson Chamisa has said.

President Chamisa also took a swipe at the jittery Zanu PF leader for using “excessive force and coercion against hapless citizens.”

“The incumbent’s illegitimacy is confirmed by the excessive use of force and coercion against citizens.

Faith in brute force often mislead unpopular rulers to mistakenly rely on guns, imprisonment, teargas and terror to subjugate and muzzle citizens.
Ultimately,citizens will always win,” President Chamisa said in a statement.

By A Correspondent- Labour minister Paul Mavima was on Wednesday grilled by MPs over continued recruitment of State security agents at a time the country is not at war, thus raising fears that government might be preparing to quash dissenting voices.

The thorny issue was discussed during the question-and-answer session in the National Assembly, with Kadoma Central MP Muchineripi Chinyanganya (MDC Alliance) taking Mavima to task over the recruitment of more security agents at a time other civil service posts were frozen.

“My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. What is government policy on the recruitment of critical staff such as medical personnel vis-a-vis those in the police force and the defence forces? I thank you?” the Kadoma MP asked.

At first, Mavima tried to evade the question, saying it should be directed to a different ministry.

“That question should be directed differently. The ministry that I superintend over deals with issues of civil servants. The remuneration of the security forces falls under commissions that are not under my ministry. So that is a question that I am not able to answer,” he said.

However, Chinyanganya could not be deterred and he further asked Mavima to explain the freeze of critical nursing and teaching posts.

“When it comes to the police and army, the recruitment timetable never ceases and there is money to pay the new recruits, yet there is no money to pay new teachers and nurses although we are at peace in this country,” the MP said.

Mavima also tried to downplay the issue of prioritising the State security sector.

“Hon Speaker, I think just today in this House, the Hon Minister of Primary and Secondary Education was indicating that they just recruited 5 300 teachers and they have plans to recruit more teachers, especially given the need for social distancing in schools. This is a matter that has been discussed in the COVID-19 taskforce and it is a matter that even His Excellency has indicated should be dealt with in terms of recruitment of teachers. Like I said, I cannot do the comparisons because the other sectors he is referring to are not under my purview,” Mavima said.

On the salary impasse with teachers, Mavima said negotiations were still ongoing with the Apex Council.

“They should give negotiations a chance while they are attending to their duties,” Mavima said.

By A Correspondent- MDC-T 2014 national organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe has distanced himself from the political dynamics in the party saying the interim leader and chairperson, in that order, Thokozani Khupe and Morgen Komichi were responsible.

He made the revelations in his court affidavit after interim Khupe, Komichi and himself were taken to court by disgruntled party members – Gilbert Kagodora and Nason Mamuse – for hiding critical information regarding the congress.

Bhebhe said the applicants’ concerns were justified as the party leaders were not being faithful in their handling of congress details. He said:

I am not surprised, in light of the foregoing, that first and second applicants are before this honourable court. Second and third respondents (Khupe and Komichi) have failed, neglected, omitted or one way or the other have not been able to convene both the national executive and/or the national council meetings.

Bhebhe accused Khupe and Komichi of openly disregarding the MDC-T constitution and abusing the national standing committee by pushing through committee decisions that are under the purview of the national executive and/or the national council meeting.

Kagodora and Mamuse approached the courts after interim secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora had indicated that MDC Alliance legislators and councillors that were recently recalled by MDC-T were not eligible to contest at the congress despite being in the party’s 2014 structures.

MDC-T is expected to hold the Supreme Court sanctioned Extraordinary Congress in December to elect the successor to the party’s founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai who succumbed to cancer in 2018.-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF has told Western countries, especially Britain and United States, “to shut up” and stop pontificating about democracy and human rights, adding that Britain and the US’s hands were historically dirty.

Party acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said Western countries could not lecture Zimbabwe on democracy when they were responsible for denying the people of Zimbabwe their freedom.

“Zanu-PF takes strong exception to being lectured on issues of human rights by citizens of countries which perpetrated the brutalities accompanying the Atlantic African Slave Trade and colonial conquest of Africa, and who refuse to render apologies or pay reparations,” Chinamasa said.

Zimbabwe is under international spotlight over human rights violations, closing of the democratic space and clamping down on opposition political parties, resulting in the imposition of sanctions against top government figures.

Chinamasa said this was a form of slavery and bullying by the Western powers, which were also yet to come clean on their role on slavery.

“As a consequence of seeking to redress the brutalities that occurred in the colonisation of Zimbabwe, accompanied by dispossession of our land and brutal confiscation of livestock by colonialists, the country has suffered 20 years of naked bullying, economic isolation and severe sanctions regime by the former colonial powers now acting in concert as economic and political powers in support of what they allege are rights of 4 500 white former farmers,” he said.

The British have since dismissed the letter brandished by Chinamasa at his Press conference as fake photoshop replete with errors, but Zanu-PF insists it was genuine.

Zanu-PF also demanded that all Western countries which were involved in colonialism and slavery should pay compensation and offer apologies to those that they wronged.
Chinamasa said instead the British found it worthwhile to compensate the slave owners instead of the slaves.

“That at the time of abolition of the Atlantic African slave trade the British through the British Parliament approved and paid 20 million pounds to slave owners already rich through the labour of the slaves,” he said.

Despite Chinamasa’s utterances, the Zanu-PF-led government is pursuing re-engagement with the West after being left in the cold over alleged human rights violation.

Chinamasa said sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe were unjustified and should be removed because there were an extension of slavery and colonialism.-Newsday

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has poured cold water on government’s recent decision to suspend byelections citing COVID-19 fears, saying elections could safely be held during pandemics as long as “proper measures are in place”.

Addressing a virtual Press conference on Wednesday, WHO executive director for health emergencies programme Michael Ryan said there was nothing to stop elections from taking place as they were an “essential part” of people’s lives.

He also said the world health body was ready to offer advice to countries going into elections to minimise risks of spreading the pandemic.

“It is possible to hold safe elections if the proper measures are put in place. Elections do many things. They are an essential part of our lives, and they are absolutely central to how many societies live, survive, and thrive,” Ryan said.

The utterances came as government has been taken to court for suspending parliamentary and council by-elections which were due in December this year, citing COVID-19 fears.

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who also doubles as Health minister, last week gazetted Statutory Instrument 225A of 2020 which indefinitely suspended the holding of by-elections to replace 15 MDC Alliance legislators and over 80 councillors who were recently recalled by the Thokozani Khupe-led MDCT party.

Khupe recalled 32 MPs.

Some of the recalled MPs are party list legislators, and her party has since taken over the 15 slots, while she has landed the post of opposition leader in the House.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission also endorsed government’s decision to suspend the by-elections, but the move was widely condemned by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and other non-governmental organisations which felt the move violated the Constitution.

“They (elections) are very important parts of the cycle of life. However, they do tend to bring people together. We’ve seen many examples over the last nine months where elections have actually been held very safely and with appropriate measures and have been straightforward enough to manage and implement,” the WHO boss added.

“We do offer them advice on how to reduce those risks if inperson elections are the way forward. In fact, we are working right now and finalising specific guidance for countries that choose in-person elections, learning from the last eight, nine months as to what has worked in those circumstances. We will be issuing that guidance in the coming days.”

Malawi recently held its elections despite COVID-19 fears and other countries such as the United States, Ivory Coast and Tanzania are set to go to the polls soon.

“It takes effort. We have worked very closely in the past in the same way we have done for all types of mass gatherings. We have worked on a risk management approach. You cannot reduce the risk to zero, but what you can do is identify and manage those risks, especially where in-person voting is the choice of the country. We don’t specify to any country what the proper choice is for the type of election they need to run, that is based on their own risk assessment.”

Early this week, nine disgruntled Zimbabwean voters approached the High Court challenging government decision to suspend the by-elections.

The court application came at a time constitutional experts and human rights defenders accused the Harare administration of trampling on citizens’ rights under the guise of enforcing COVID-19 containment measures.

The matter spilled into Parliament yesterday with Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda being quizzed by Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya (MDC Alliance) over the legality of statutory instruments (SIs) that did not pass through Parliament.

Mudenda admitted that SIs could only become law after being endorsed by the Parliamentary Legal Committee (PLC).

Chikwinya said: “I rise to seek clarity on the statement by the Speaker that the SIs do not necessarily become law unless they have passed through the PLC, but Mr Speaker, the majority of SIs that are promulgated by the ministers have a direct effect to the citizens and their contents are directly impacting on our citizens before Parliament has had a look at them. Is it in order for us to pass amendments to the provision so that SIs are first scrutinised by Parliament before they become effective to the citizenry?”

In response, Mudenda said: “Yes, in terms of the Standing Order numbers 20 and 28 that should be the position that they are scrutinised first by the PLC for their constitutionality so that nobody asks on them before Parliament has gone through them. So your point is noted.”

Chikwinya later said the SIs including the one that postponed the by-election, therefore, had no “force or effect”.

Source – NewsDay

Farai Dziva|A daring woman has barred her husband from being intimate with her until he settles Lobola arrears, it has emerged.

See full article below :

SEX is arguably one of the most intimate expressions of love for married couples. So, what happens when one partner constantly says no to sex?

For men it can cause a blow to their ego and for that reason a man from Gokwe approached a traditional court lamenting how his wife was using sex as a bargaining chip, by barring him from having sexual intercourse with her until he paid the balance on the bride price.

It is reported that Eunice Chitangu from Marumisa village under Chief Nemangwe decided to punish her husband Nesbert Chitondo by denying him sex as punishment for allegedly demanding sex all the time even when she was not in the mood.

It was revealed to B-Metro that in January this year, Chitangu who felt her husband should not continue enjoying her affection without giving her parents their dues as an appreciation for raising a woman who bore him four children solemnly told him the comfort, he had enjoyed was equivalent to the lobola he had so far paid.

Irked by his wife’s “sufficient reason” to deny him his conjugal rights, Chitondo then approached Chief Nemangwe’s traditional court complaining that his wife was holding him at ransom by allegedly denying him sex on grounds that he had not yet finished paying lobola for her.

According to a source who claimed to have intimate details of the incident, Chitondo was now accusing his wife of having a boyfriend arguing that same boyfriend must be the one who has been issuing instructions to his wife so that he doesn’t get his conjugal rights.

“In his case which is yet to be heard before Chief Nemangwe, Chitondo is complaining about his wife saying since January this year, he has not had sex with her because every time he tries to stimulate her sexual desires, she would refuse saying he should pay the outstanding lobola.

“Despite the fact he wanted the chief to restore the conjugal rights, Chitondo was complaining that he was also fed up of living with a stingy and disrespectful wife,” the source said.

The source further said Chitondo tried his best to make his wife happy and he even preached to her on the dangers of leaving him sexually starved, but to no avail.

B-Metro also gathered that central to the dispute is the fact that Chitondo was constantly demanding sex to an extent that he would even set his alarm clock an extra 30-40 minutes early so that he could fit in some of his lovemaking sessions with his seemingly restive wife.

Contacted for comment Chief Nemangwe could neither confirm nor deny the incident.

“I am not at liberty to comment on that case now because I have a lot of cases before me, which accumulated after we suspended hearings in March as part of Government’s efforts to reduce the spread of the deadly Covid-19. I will however, only be able to do so after I have presided over it,” said Chief Nemangwe.B-Metro

By A Correspondent- The tribunal record containing proceedings and a determination which absolved former chief magistrate, Mishrod Guvamombe on a charge of criminal abuse of office has gone missing, Justice Felistas Chatukuta heard yesterday as the trial of the former top magistrate continued at the High Court.

Guvamombe is facing charges of criminal abuse of office, and/or alternatively defeating the course of justice during his tenure as the country’s top magistrate.

Proceedings were adjourned on three occasions yesterday as the State and the defence tried to find common ground on the way forward after it emerged that the full record of tribunal proceedings conducted by Justice Herbert Mandeya, was missing with only a few pages made available by the State.

Guvamombe’s lawyer Jonathan Samukange then applied for the trial to focus on the second count which was also marred by controversy as the State sought to seek admission of a bundle of documents purportedly supplied by the defence. But Samukange again challenged their production.

Justice Chatukuta, however, expressed concern over the manner in which the matter had been handled, highlighting that the court was not pleased with the delays.

The State called its first witness, regional magistrate Elijah Singano to testify on what transpired regarding the attachments of former Cabinet ministers Saviour Kasukuwere and Supa Mandiwanzira who were law students with the University of Zimbabwe (UZ).

Posted

Singano said he was the provincial magistrate for Harare province when Mandiwanzira and Kasukuwere were deployed for attachment by the UZ, adding that since both were facing criminal charges, they were posted to the civil courts where they were later withdrawn after concerns had been raised about them.

He said there was no anomaly in accepting them, adding the two were part of over 40 students who had been referred by the university for attachment.

He further said there was nothing barring the duo from being attached to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) as students because the Constitution said they were presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

The second witness to testify was the deputy secretary for the JSC Thembinkosi Msipa who told the court that students from universities apply for attachment in various departments and the secretary then decides if there was capacity for them to be taken on board.

Msipa said when Guvamombe received a letter from UZ for student attachment, he should have referred the matter to the JSC for consideration, but he failed to do so.

The trial continues today.-Newsday

By A Correspondent- The owner of a rooster that recently attacked a Chigodora woman is at it again.

This time, Zvikomborero Takarinda is being accused of stealing two solar panels from a Chigodora farmer.

Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa, confirmed the incident that happened last week in Cloudlands, Vumba.

“The incident happened at Mr Graham Wilson’s place in Cloudlands, Vumba. He allegedly stole two solar panels after sneaking into the yard through the fence. He was arrested and the solar panels were recovered,” said Inspector Kakohwa.-

Takarinda is also set to appear before Chief Zimunya’s court to shed more light on the mysterious incident that led to the death of Chandapiwa Makaza, nee Bushu.

Acting Chief Zimunya said he would soon summon Zvikomborero to his court to explain how his rooster allegedly caused Makaza’s death .

“We could not hold our usual court sessions due to the Covid-19 lockdown, but business is slowly getting back to normal.

“We want to get to the bottom of this issue. Many people thought the matter had died a natural death, but we will probe it further and hear the case in full. What happened is taboo, an abomination. Justice should prevail,” said Acting Chief Zimunya.-statemedia

By A Correspondent- Police have picked up a traditional healer for questioning over the missing head of the seven-year-old Murehwa boy, Tapiwa Makore, suspected to have been murdered for ritual purposes.

Body parts taken in a ritual murder which occurred at Makore Village under Chief Mangwende, would have to be processed in particular ways, the superstitious believe, so that they bring good fortune and riches.

Police started hunting for the traditional healer they believed was implicated in this killing soon after they arrested the two men they suspect were the actual killers. Only a torso and legs were recovered from the dismembered body, but the head is still missing.

In their investigations, police recovered the head of another child, a 12-year-old, in the same village, but think it may have been exhumed from a grave.

Although the police did not disclose the name of the traditional healer, they confirmed he was being questioned.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police have established that they had been given a lot of misleading information on the death of the boy and people were hiding crucial information.

“We have realised that some people are not telling the truth and they are hiding crucial information. But we will surely get to the bottom of the matter and the truth will come out,” said Asst-Comm Nyathi.

Tapiwa was allegedly murdered for ritual purposes by his uncle Tapiwa Makore (Senior) who used his own domestic worker, Tafadzwa Shamba (40). The boy was kidnapped in the family garden in the village.

Shamba, a herdsman, and the boy’s uncle have since been arrested and taken to court facing murder charges.

They now await trial while in remand prison. They were remanded in custody to October 26 in absentia yesterday, as they are still assisting police with investigations.

Meanwhile, police have taken the head of a 12-year-old child recently found in the same village for forensic analysis.

There has been no report of another missing child in that age group, creating room for suspicion that the head could have been exhumed from a grave.

“The other head found in Makore village is now subject to forensic analysis. So far no report of a missing person falling in that category has been received by the police. We are still investigating that matter,” said Asst-Comm Nyathi.

During investigations, Shamba recently told detectives he killed the boy by cutting off the head with a knife in the dead of the night, while the boy’s uncle was holding a torch.

Shamba said after the alleged murder, he carried a black plastic bag containing the head and the dismembered body while his employer, who is the boy’s uncle, carried another bag containing the arms and legs.

He led the team of detectives to the uncle’s homestead where he said he fed the boy, drugged him with kachasu and locked him up in a room for hours.

Shamba said he met the boy’s uncle around midnight and took the boy to a nearby mountain, where they allegedly killed him.

“Around midnight, we opened the door and I carried the boy, who was still in deep slumber to a mountain in the village. Mr Makore carried the knives and the plastic bags. While here (in the mountain), I pressed the boy to the ground and cut off his head with a sharp knife, while his uncle was holding a torch for lighting.

“I also cut off the hands and legs, but we packed the parts in different plastic bags. I carried the one with the torso and the head while Mr Makore carried another one containing the legs and hands,” he said.

At the scene, investigators saw human waste, believed to have been excreted by the boy during the murder.

Shamba told detectives that he cleaned the scene of the blood and set the grass on fire to destroy evidence.

He said while walking back to Makore’s homestead, he felt the load was becoming heavier before dumping the torso near Mr Summer Murwira’s homestead.

While at Makore’s homestead, Shamba said he was instructed to put the head in one of the rooms, which he did.

The following day, Shamba said he dumped the arms and legs at a nearby grave as police investigations were intensifying. -Herald

By A Correspondent| Following social media noise after Gweru Magistrates Court Prosecutor Namatai Chipere won in the Zanu PF DCC elections, yet another top civil servant who is Mash West Provincial Education Director Gabriel Mhuwa has thrown his hat into the party ring raising another outcry over state party conflation.

Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services later confirmed that Chipere had resigned from her post but will have to address Mhuwa’s issue.

Below is Mhuwa’s campaign poster;

By A Correspondent| ZINASU President Takudzwa Ngadziore has finally been granted ZWL$5000 bail by High Court judge, Justice Davison Foroma.

The youthful ZINASU leader was languishing behind bars since September 18 and had ieen denied bail by the regional Harare magistrates court.

The High Court told Ngadziore to stay 500 metres away from Impala Car Rental, surrender his passport and report once every week at Harare Central Police Law and Order.

He was also ordered not to attend any political gathering until his matter has been concluded.

Ngadziore was arrested while addressing a press conference near Impala Car Rental.

He was assaulted by plain clothed assailants who later handed him over to the police.

By A Correspondent- Despite  the fact that Harare City Council has been ordered by the High Court  of Zimbabwe  under Chief Justice Mushore  on the 7^th of October 2020 to  open all its forty- two council polyclinics within seven days, it  has not yet complied.

Acting Health Director, Doctor Masunda, had this to say, “As council we still have only eight clinics which are operational and we being affected by industrial action by council nurses and some of them are resigning”

A  snap survey done by the CHRA Information Department  indicates that Mbare Matapi, Mbare Hostels, Marlborough, Warren Park and Sunningdale  clinics are completely closed and a few namely Tafara, Mabvuku, Mufakose and Highfields and Dzivarasekwa clinics  are open but not operational.  

“The council clinic gates are opening but there is no one to attend to patients, we are stuck and we do not know where to go to access medication”, said CHRA Welfare Chairperson Ms. Fatima Madamombe in Dzivarasekwa.

 CHRA condemns the excuses given by Harare City Council as it is its duty to motivate its employees and provide them with a satisfactory remuneration.

CHRA calls for Harare City Council to comply with the High Court order failure to do so CHRA will not hesitate to approach the courts on contempt of court within seven days

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s gold deliveries in September fell by 73% to close at 1.36 tonnes from 2.8 tonnes in the comparative period in prior year.

The decline is attributed to a number of variables chief among them smuggling and the coronavirus pandemic which affected production.

Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR)’s general manager, Fradreck Kunaka, blamed Covid-19 pandemic as the major contributor to decline in gold deliveries and the late payments to gold producers. Kunaka Kunaka told Business Times:

Gold deliveries have gone down 73% to reach 1.36 tonnes during September 2020 from 2.8 tonnes last year due to restrictions imposed by Covid-19 pandemic which hampered operations as it restricted the movement of mining raw materials and people especially the small scale miners.

Gold Miners Association of Zimbabwe chief executive Irvine Chinyenze suggested that miners were not delivering gold to FPR due to late payment and unattractive prices. Chinyenze said: We can’t deny the effects of Covid-19 as it delayed the shipping in of raw materials from China and other countries but the major reason for the fall in gold deliveries was that FPR continues with some talk shows telling people that their money will be paid, the way to go is just look for the US dollars then clear the backlogs and begin paying on spot.

As long as small scale miners do not get paid instantly the country will lose a great deal of minerals and revenue as miners search for alternative markets for their precious minerals.

This comes after Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube and Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe have concurred that Zimbabwe was losing more than US$100m worth of gold due to smuggling.

Gold is one of Zimbabwe’s largest foreign currency earners and the decline spells a huge economic crisis.-MiningZimbabwe

By A Correspondent- Eleven (11) nurses who were arrested in June this year for violating coronavirus lockdown regulations after they demonstrated over poor salaries and working conditions have been set free.

The development was announced by the Zimbabwe Lawyers For Human Rights (ZLHR) on its social media pages.

The association said:

Eleven (11) arrested nurses who had been on trial following a protest over poor salaries and working conditions at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, on July 6, 2020, were yesterday acquitted by the Mbare Magistrate Shelly Zvenyika.

The nurses were accused of participating in an illegal demonstration which contravened section 5(3)(a) of Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 Public Health (COVID 19 Prevention, Containment, and Treatment Regulations National Lockdown) Order, 2020.

The magistrate acquitted the nurses at the close of the prosecution case after their lawyers Rudo Bere and Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of @ZLHRLawyers applied for them to be discharged arguing that the nurses had not committed an offense warranting them to be prosecuted.

Over a thousand people including MDC Alliance trio, Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova have been arrested since the initial imposition of the lockdown in March.

Some observers say the government is now using the lockdown as a political tool to crack down on critics including opposition members, journalists and human rights defenders.-ZLHR

By A Correspondent- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that the Zimbabwean economy will this year contract by 10,4%, much higher than its earlier prediction of 7,4%. 

The international financial institution also expects the annual inflation rate to close the year at 495% and predicts an economic rebound of 4,6% in 2021.

In its new World Economic Outlook titled A Long and Difficult Ascent released during the current Annual Spring Meetings in the United States, the Bretton Woods institution said:

In 2019 Zimbabwe authorities introduced the Real-Time Gross Settlement dollar, later renamed the Zimbabwe dollar, and are in the process of re-denominating their national accounts statistics. Current data are subject to revision.

This comes as Zimbabwe’s statistics agency, Zimstat has reported that the country’s year on year continued on a downward trend in September.

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube has however dismissed IMF’s projections as mere opinion.

He, however, admitted that the country was in the negative, like “all the economies around the world” citing the coronavirus pandemic as the causal factor.

In response to questions by Zimbabwe Independent at a cabinet event on Wednesday, Ncube suggested that a recent “assessment shows that the situation is not as bad as initially thought.”

He added:

We had projected a growth of -4,5%. Our teams are busy on the ground again trying to further analyse that growth.

We also have our own numbers. We have got our own batch of statistics — we have got the central bank and Treasury who look after these numbers. These numbers are not imposed on countries by the way. It’s an opinion by just one institution out there, albeit, an important institution.

He added that there were other institutions which were also providing varying statistics which suggests that there is no projection which is 100 percent accurate.

Zimbabwe’s economy has been on a downward trajectory for the past 24 months following the government’s adoption of austerity measures which were meant to kickstart the economy.-ZimIndependent

By A Correspondent- The trial of former Tourism Minister Prisca Mupfumira and her co-accused Ngoni Masoka failed to kick off today because her lawyer is not feeling well and could not attend court this morning, The Herald reports.

According to the publication:

Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba, who is representing Mupfumira, wrote to the court saying he was not feeling well and could not attend court for the hearing.

Mupfumira’s trial failed to kick-off last year because her lawyers said the former cabinet minister was mentally unstable to attend the trial.

Mpfumira was arrested in July last year for defrauding NSSA of close to US$100 Million dollars.

POLICE have picked up a traditional healer for questioning over the missing head of the seven-year-old Murehwa boy, Tapiwa Makore, suspected to have been murdered for ritual purposes.
Body parts taken in a ritual murder which occurred at Makore Village under Chief Mangwende, would have to be processed in particular ways, the superstitious believe, so that they bring good fortune and riches.

Police started hunting for the traditional healer they believed was implicated in this killing soon after they arrested the two men they suspect were the actual killers. Only a torso and legs were recovered from the dismembered body, but the head is still missing.

In their investigations, police recovered the head of another child, a 12-year-old, in the same village, but think it may have been exhumed from a grave.

Although the police did not disclose the name of the traditional healer, they confirmed he was being questioned.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police have established that they had been given a lot of misleading information on the death of the boy and people were hiding crucial information.

“We have realised that some people are not telling the truth and they are hiding crucial information. But we will surely get to the bottom of the matter and the truth will come out,” said Asst-Comm Nyathi.

Tapiwa was allegedly murdered for ritual purposes by his uncle Tapiwa Makore (Senior) who used his own domestic worker, Tafadzwa Shamba (40). The boy was kidnapped in the family garden in the village.

Shamba, a herdsman, and the boy’s uncle have since been arrested and taken to court facing murder charges.

They now await trial while in remand prison. They were remanded in custody to October 26 in absentia yesterday, as they are still assisting police with investigations.

Meanwhile, police have taken the head of a 12-year-old child recently found in the same village for forensic analysis.

There has been no report of another missing child in that age group, creating room for suspicion that the head could have been exhumed from a grave.

“The other head found in Makore village is now subject to forensic analysis. So far no report of a missing person falling in that category has been received by the police. We are still investigating that matter,” said Asst-Comm Nyathi.

During investigations, Shamba recently told detectives he killed the boy by cutting off the head with a knife in the dead of the night, while the boy’s uncle was holding a torch.

Shamba said after the alleged murder, he carried a black plastic bag containing the head and the dismembered body while his employer, who is the boy’s uncle, carried another bag containing the arms and legs.

He led the team of detectives to the uncle’s homestead where he said he fed the boy, drugged him with kachasu and locked him up in a room for hours.

Shamba said he met the boy’s uncle around midnight and took the boy to a nearby mountain, where they allegedly killed him.

“Around midnight, we opened the door and I carried the boy, who was still in deep slumber to a mountain in the village. Mr Makore carried the knives and the plastic bags. While here (in the mountain), I pressed the boy to the ground and cut off his head with a sharp knife, while his uncle was holding a torch for lighting.

“I also cut off the hands and legs, but we packed the parts in different plastic bags. I carried the one with the torso and the head while Mr Makore carried another one containing the legs and hands,” he said.

At the scene, investigators saw human waste, believed to have been excreted by the boy during the murder.

Shamba told detectives that he cleaned the scene of the blood and set the grass on fire to destroy evidence.

He said while walking back to Makore’s homestead, he felt the load was becoming heavier before dumping the torso near Mr Summer Murwira’s homestead.

While at Makore’s homestead, Shamba said he was instructed to put the head in one of the rooms, which he did.

The following day, Shamba said he dumped the arms and legs at a nearby grave as police investigations were intensifying. -Herald

State Media

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has fired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Francis Bere, for gross misconduct following recommendations by the tribunal set up to inquire into his fitness to hold the office of a judge.

Justice Bere, who was on suspension pending conclusion of investigations, was fired for interfering with a Harare lawyer involved in a matter in which he had conflict of interest.

Retired Judge Justice Simbi Mubako chaired the three-member tribunal which investigated the judge’s conduct.

The tribunal presented its findings and recommendations to President Mnangagwa at State House yesterday after which the report was actioned and the decision made to sack the judge immediately.

Other members of the tribunal were Advocate Takawira Nzombe and veteran lawyer Ms Rekayi Maposa.

In a statement, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, said President Mnangagwa’s decision to fire the judge followed due process.

He said following advice from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), that Justice Bere’s conduct needed investigation, President Mnangagwa, acting in terms of the Constitution, appointed through Proclamation Number 1 of 2020, a tribunal to inquire into the question of removal from office of the judge.

“The tribunal has completed its investigations and has recommended that Honourable Justice Bere JA be removed from office for acts of gross misconduct,” said Dr Misheck Sibanda.

“His Excellency the President, accordingly acting in terms of Section 187(8) of the Constitution, has removed the Honourable Judge from office with immediate effect.”

Justice Bere

This means the tribunal made adverse findings and recommendations leading to the judge losing his post. If it had cleared him of any wrongdoing, he could have returned to the bench.

The tribunal is not a criminal court, but can report that certain conduct is not consistent with holding judicial office.

Investigations were concluded in the absence Justice Bere and his legal team after they walked out on the proceedings in protest over the tribunal’s refusal to have one of its members, Advocate Takawira Nzombe, recuse himself because of his alleged links to the lawyer who was a crucial witness in the inquiry.

Defence lawyers were also not happy with the extension of the tribunal’s tenure by another six months after the expiry of its initial tenure of four months.

Lead defence counsel Advocate Froze Girach, Advocate Lewis Uriri and Prof Lovemore Madhuku walked out of the hearing protesting what they claimed to be a “violation of legal procedure”.

President Mnangagwa set up the tribunal inquiry on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission after the lawyer accused Justice Bere of interference in a civil case involving the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) and his relatives.

The judge allegedly telephoned the lawyer, who was representing Zinara, asking him to consider settling a civil dispute pitting Zinara against Fremus Enterprises.

Justice Bere was serving on both the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court benches when he was suspended in March this year.

The tribunal sought to establish whether or not Justice Bere conducted himself improperly in violation of the oath of office and the Constitution by interfering in the matter at the centre of the inquiry

WHILE many people are happy that the rainy season is upon us, a woman from Ntabazinduna is living in fear of losing her life after her estranged husband threatened to kill her by lightning while in her house.

Rhoda Dlodlo from Madlelenyoni Line claimed her ex-husband Elias Zondo from Dobha Line in ward 5, also in Ntabazinduna, threatened that he had the power to send lightning to kill her as punishment for deserting him. In a desperate bid to stop Zondo from carrying out his chilling threats, a fearful Dlodlo approached the Bulawayo Civil Court and sought a protection order against him.

“I want a protection order to be granted against my ex-husband Elias Zondo. We parted ways because he was an irresponsible man. He was failing to financially support me. He is a drunkard and would drink beer from morning till late at night.

“He would come home very drunk and start insulting me with vulgar language. On 17 September he followed me to my sister’s house where I’m now staying. He came armed with an axe and knobkerrie and was threatening to harm me.

“He also threatened to bewitch me saying he was going to send lightning to kill me together with those I’m staying with. He is also coming late at night at our home and lies in wait in the yard. He is a very dangerous man and I now feel insecure that he can harm me together with those people I’m staying with,” said Dlodlo.

Zondo didn’t, however, refute his ex-wife’s accusations. He said he carried out the threats in a bid to force Dlodlo to reconcile with him.

“Yes, I followed her to where she is now staying because I wanted her to come back home so that we can stay together. I was hurt that she deserted me so that is why I followed her to her place of residence. This is also because I didn’t expect her to leave me just like that,” protested Zondo.

His efforts to reconcile with Dlodlo seemed to have been dampened after the presiding magistrate Nkosinomusa Ncube sternly ordered him that for the next six months he should not to go to her house without her consent or to behave in a violent manner towards her.-B-Metro

Gibson Mhaka
SEX is arguably one of the most intimate expressions of love for married couples. So, what happens when one partner constantly says no to sex?

For men it can cause a blow to their ego and for that reason a man from Gokwe approached a traditional court lamenting how his wife was using sex as a bargaining chip, by barring him from having sexual intercourse with her until he paid the balance on the bride price.

It is reported that Eunice Chitangu from Marumisa village under Chief Nemangwe decided to punish her husband Nesbert Chitondo by denying him sex as punishment for allegedly demanding sex all the time even when she was not in the mood.

It was revealed to B-Metro that in January this year, Chitangu who felt her husband should not continue enjoying her affection without giving her parents their dues as an appreciation for raising a woman who bore him four children solemnly told him the comfort, he had enjoyed was equivalent to the lobola he had so far paid.

Irked by his wife’s “sufficient reason” to deny him his conjugal rights, Chitondo then approached Chief Nemangwe’s traditional court complaining that his wife was holding him at ransom by allegedly denying him sex on grounds that he had not yet finished paying lobola for her.

According to a source who claimed to have intimate details of the incident, Chitondo was now accusing his wife of having a boyfriend arguing that same boyfriend must be the one who has been issuing instructions to his wife so that he doesn’t get his conjugal rights.

“In his case which is yet to be heard before Chief Nemangwe, Chitondo is complaining about his wife saying since January this year, he has not had sex with her because every time he tries to stimulate her sexual desires, she would refuse saying he should pay the outstanding lobola.

“Despite the fact he wanted the chief to restore the conjugal rights, Chitondo was complaining that he was also fed up of living with a stingy and disrespectful wife,” the source said.

The source further said Chitondo tried his best to make his wife happy and he even preached to her on the dangers of leaving him sexually starved, but to no avail.

B-Metro also gathered that central to the dispute is the fact that Chitondo was constantly demanding sex to an extent that he would even set his alarm clock an extra 30-40 minutes early so that he could fit in some of his lovemaking sessions with his seemingly restive wife.

Contacted for comment Chief Nemangwe could neither confirm nor deny the incident.

“I am not at liberty to comment on that case now because I have a lot of cases before me, which accumulated after we suspended hearings in March as part of Government’s efforts to reduce the spread of the deadly Covid-19. I will however, only be able to do so after I have presided over it,” said Chief Nemangwe.B-Metro

IMBIBERS scurried for cover when their drinking partner axed a man on the head after a heated argument over beer.

The attempted murder incident happened in Cowdray Park suburb last week on Sunday at a shebeen.

Speaking to B-Metro, Kelvin Manyathela said the whole fracas happened fast as they were taking wise waters at a shebeen in the suburb.

Manyathela said it started with usual shebeen talk but it suddenly took a u- turn when Thabani Nyathi accused him of showing off to the ladies.

“He accused me of refusing to buy him alcohol and showing off money by buying ladies beer. As a result we had a fierce argument. While we were arguing he reached for his axe in his pocket. He then axed me in the head declaring that he would kill me,” he said.

He added : “ As I was trying to stop the blood gushing from my head Thabani tried to flee as residents were baying for his blood. They pursued him and caught up with him and meted out instant justice on him.”

A source close to investigations said Thabani was escorted to a police station as residents had a free-for-all in battering him for almost killing Kelvin. They handed him over to the police leading to his arrest.

Kelvin was rushed to Mpilo hospital for treatment. He has been discharged and is recovering at home.-B-Metro

Angry youths besieged the Impala Car Rental offices in Harare, demanding the immediate release of ZINASU leader Takudzwa Ngadziore.

The youths also condemned the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa…

Watch video below :

Farai Dziva|Bees are giving cops at Chikato Police Station in Masvingo a torrid time.

The bees are stinging the cops and their families, triggering widespread speculation on where they came from. ..

The bees are in a chimney at one of the flats.

“We are having a torrid time at Chikato Police Station. The bees are attacking us even without being provoked. We don’t know where they came from -this is very strange,” a police officer who declined to be named told ZimEye.com.

The Masvingo Mirror reports how Ass Insp Forbes Musora was not only bitten but lost 17 chickens to the bees.

When asked for a comment, Insp Musora referred all questions to the Police Public Relations department, the paper says.

The PR department was however not taking any calls.

The development follows a separate incident back in July when soldiers and police details were attacked by a swarm of killer bees in Kuwadzana 4, Harare.

Of that incident, a witness narrated in full saying:

“There came a lorry full of police details and soldiers in Kuwadzana 4 Harare so everyone ran away.

Some of the soldiers were in civilian clothes and they were just arresting everyone and for you to run away, you ended up just being arrested.

In the past you would just notice that this person who has arrested me is a soldier or a police officer and that you have been arrested and are being taken to the police truck when you saw their boots.

Police boots
But today, they were just arresting everyone …so when they arrived at Kuwadzana 4 shops, people ran away leaving their groceries, the ones that they were selling including their firewood.

So there were bees that came from nowhere,they just flew and went underneath a cart.

The cart was like the ones that are used by vendors in towns when they are selling their wares. No one knows what time these bees made this cart their haven, but it should be today because this cart was at home last night and was taken to the shops this morning for it’s daily business.

So when people ran away after seeing that the soldiers in plain clothes were arresting people and taking them to their truck, they left their wares.

So these soldiers started confiscating people’s groceries and that is when they saw the cart and they started loading the confiscated goods and firewood into that cart.

Trouble began when they started to push the cart. The bees left their haven ,underneath the cart and started biting the soldiers. They were bitten so bad that they left the cart and started running away.

The soldiers were bitten and they ran back to their truck and they were wailing while the swarm of bees continued biting them. It was a swarm of bees. And when these soldiers who were fleeing the bees got to their truck, the bees continued biting them and those who were inside the truck were not spared either. They were all bitten.

The driver of the truck sped off but this did not help, the bees continued biting them.

I doubt these bees are a natural species. They must be someone’s bees. In Kuwadzana 4 today, we witnessed a rare occurence.

The soldiers were bitten so bad. They were wailing and crying.

Please do not take people’s property. This happened around 12pm in Kuwadzana 4, Harare.

The firewood that they wanted to take belonged to one granny whom we call gogo Ndunge. The soldiers were bitten so bad.”

..

The Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda, pictured, has announced that the Statutory Instrument 225A/2020 has been deemed unconstitutional by the Parliamentary Legal Committee.

This follows the recent announcement by the Vice President and Health Minster, Constantino Chiwenga that by-elections had been shelved indefinitely due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the decision was met with widespread resentment from all quarters alleging that it was unconstitutional and undemocratic.

Mbizo Member Of Parliament, Settlement Chikwinya said the decision by Mudenda is a step in the right direction as now the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission can pronounce new dates for the by-elections.

“This is critical in that the SI is immediately struck off and had no force or effect. This means that ZEC remains challenges to set out dates for By-Elections as per dictates of the Constitution.

“The cases challenging this SI which are now before the courts now have more than a bright chance to succeed if ever the government still wants to oppose which I do not see how,” he said.

Yesterday, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission expressed concern over the suspension saying it was an infringement on the democratic spaces.

“The ZHRC is worried by the recent pronouncement by the Minister of Health and Child Care Vice President C.G Chiwenga in terms of SI 225A /2020 of the Public Health COVID-19 prevention, Containment and Treatment) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, No. 4.

“Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Zimbabwe is a party provides that citizens have the right and opportunity to take part in the conduct of public affairs directly or through freely chosen representatives meaning the right to vote through electoral processes. The ZHRC underscores the fact that the right to vote in all elections and referendums to which this Constitution or any other law applies should therefore be observed and respected,” read the statement.

The Commission urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and other stakeholders exercise their obligations in upholding the Constitution.

Farai Dziva|Bees are giving cops at Chikato Police Station in Masvingo a torrid time.

The bees are stinging the cops and their families, triggering widespread speculation on where they came from. ..

The bees are in a chimney at one of the flats.

“We are having a torrid time at Chikato Police Station.The bees are attacking us even without being provoked. We don’t know where they came from -this is very strange,” a police officer who declined to be named told ZimEye.com.

No official comment could be obtained from the police.

Farai Dziva|The man who defeated Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa twice in the Kwekwe Central Parliamentary elections, Hon Blessing Chebundo, has described the MDC Alliance primary elections in the constituency as peaceful.

However, Hon Chebundo indicated that the figures were somehow exaggerated.

See statement below:

CORRECTING FIGURES ON AN ARTICLE BY ONE, SEARCHMORE MURINGANI, ON THE ‘FIGURE FACTS’ OF THE MDCA KWEKWE CENTRAL PRIMARY ELECTIONS HELD ON THE 10Th OCTOBER 2020 AT THE PARTY’S OFFICES IN KWEKWE, WHERE I WAS INVOLVED AS A CONTESTANT

Indeed the Primary Elections, for the people’s party were peaceful by all standards on this day. Issues arising from the processes prior to the primary election day, and pertaining to internal management, admin and communications were addressable and taken NOTE of.

The mischief to be corrected is with due respect to the ‘Votes figures’, ( ‘Judith Tobaiwa : 1328. Blessing Chebundo – 495. Henry Madzorera : 43, Admore Marongwe : 22) whose misrepresentation has a negative bearing on the part of the contestants, and for posterity.

The primaries were open for all those in the ZEC voters roll; though it was not very clear to many until evening on the eve. The correct version is as follows:-

A total of 359 people voted (validated) :

Judith Tobaiwa : 211
Blessing Chebundo : 140
Henry Madzorera : 5
Admore Marongwe : 3

                                            359

B. CHEBUNDO

Two women from Mabvuku, Harare have been arrested and arraigned before the courts for killing a robber who had attacked them.

It is alleged that on October 10 at around 5 am, Phoebe Tembo and Petronella Ndlovu were on their way home from fetching water from a well in Mabvuku when they were attacked by Gunungo who demanded cellphones.

The duo refused to give their phones to Gunungo who proceeded to drag Ndlovu prompting Tembo to intervene thereby triggering a fight.

Gunungo reportedly hit Tembo on the mouth with an iron bar and she lost her teeth before she pulled his privates. He managed to shove her to the ground and sat on her stomach trying to strangle her.

Ndlovu then disarmed Gunungo of the iron bar and allegedly hit him several times on the head, leading to his death.

The women were not asked to plead to the allegations before Harare magistrate Judith Taruvinga who granted them $500 bail each.-Daily News

A BOY, last seen kicking a football up a street on October 3, has not been seen since then.

The disappearance of 16-year-old Prince Sibanda, a Form Three pupil at Bulawayo’s Milton High School, has left his parents, Ms Sinothando Ncube and Mr Trevor Sibanda worried.

What was bizarre about his disappearance was that Prince ran ahead of his mother, up a sloppy road and then disappeared going down.

When his mother got to the top, there was no sign of him.

“My son and I were coming from church (12 Apostles Church) on October 3 accompanied by his siblings. There is a road that leads to our house that passes by Parrot Lodge in Matsheumhlophe suburb (along Valeview Road) and it has a steep slope. So, we were going up the slope and he ran forward kicking his plastic ball. He went over the hill and when we got there about a minute later, we couldn’t see him,” said a solemn looking Ms Ncube.

While she spoke, her husband, Mr Sibanda sat there in silence, perhaps still in shock that their son has been missing for 10 days.

Ms Ncube said she thought that Prince, an aspiring volleyball player at school, had run home.

“When we couldn’t see him, his siblings started laughing saying Prince has run home, but they had the house keys.

When we got home (in Sunninghill suburb), Prince wasn’t there. We called him on his cellphone and it wasn’t going through,” said Ms Ncube.

Soon they started getting worried as Prince did not return home that night.

The next day Ms Ncube said with her husband they went to report Prince as missing at the Zimbabwe Republic Police Hillside Station. They are appealing to members of the public to help find him.

Prince was last seen wearing a black and white long sleeve t-shirt, a blue Adidas cap with matching blue Nike takkies and a brown face mask.

Anyone who can help find Prince can contact their nearest police station or call or WhatsApp 0779139961 or 0778607723, said Ms Ncube.-Chronicle

State Media

Police in Beitbridge spent the whole day on Thursday held up in a a standoff with a suspected armed robber in Dulivhadzimu suburbs, Beitbridge.

The suspect is reported to have evaded an early arrest on Wednesday before being tracked to a house where he locked himself and had been firing wild shots from 1 am.

The police surrounded the house. One police source said they spent the day giving him room to finish up his ammunition so they could safely arrest him.

Additional special tactical team members had to be dispatched from Bulawayo.

More details to follow.

A confirmed ZANU PF Member who was last week shot at by security details at a retire army general’s house in Harare has died in police cells at Harare Central Police Station according to ZimEye.com sources.

The ZANU PF member whose party membership card was dropped off at the scene and identified as Kudakwashe Mupedzazvose, whose Zanu PF Youth League membership card was found at the crime scene died after being captured by police and kept at a police station without medical attention.

He is the second person to die after another man – previously thought to be Mupedzazvose because of the Zanu PF card – was killed at the home of Retired Lieutenant General Engelbert Rugeje in what police said was a gunfight between armed robbers and soldiers guarding Rugeje’s home.

Mupedzazvose was known to the police after he was previously arrested in 2017 accused of the theft of power cables.

State Media

A 70-YEAR-OLD man from Bulilima drowned while he was fishing in a dam.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred at Kariba Dam in Fairview Village on Tuesday at around 11AM.

He said Emmanuel Mudzingwa from Nketa 6 Suburb in Bulawayo was fishing at the dam in the company of others when he drowned.

“I can confirm that we recorded a case of drowning which occurred at Kariba Dam in Fairview Village. Emmanuel Mudzingwa was fishing with others when he caught a big fish which pulled the fishing line and drifted with it further into dam. Mudzingwa tried to pursue the fish by following the fishing line. He dived inside the dam and drowned after failing to swim.

“His peers tried to rescue him but failed. Mudzingwa’s body was retrieved from the dam and the matter was reported to the police who attended the scene,” he said.

Chief Insp Ndebele urged members of the public to be careful when around water bodies. He said a number of lives have been lost during fishing expeditions. Chief Insp Ndebele said now that the rainy season had started people should desist from attempting to cross flooded rivers.

A workshop manager with Merchant Investment Company has appeared in court on allegations of defrauding Zanu-PF of $401 200 in a botched vehicle service deal.

Tinotenda Nigel Rusere (35) appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Judith Taruvinga facing fraud charges and was remanded to November 25 without having to pay bail.

Allegations are that on August 16, the party’s representative Mr Steward Mutizwa went to Merchant Auto Services Company workshop to have an accident-damaged Isuzu D-Tec repaired.

The court heard that Rusere prepared a quotation for $401 200 on the same date for the complete job and that Rusere started repairing the vehicle at Merchant Investment Company, trading as Merchant Auto Services, until he was dismissed.

The court heard that on August 23 Rusere went back to Merchant Investment Company and collected the Isuzu D-Tec motor vehicle and took it to his new workshop.

Mr Mutizwa later realised that the party vehicle was not repaired properly and decided to take it back to Merchant Investment Company and to lodge a complaint.

He was advised to bring proof of payment. It was then discovered that Rusere unlawfully instructed Mr Mutizwa to deposit $401 200 into his own account as payment. The court heard that Rusere misrepresented facts to Mr Mutizwa that he was able to do the job on time but failed to do so and prejudiced Zanu PF of $401 200.

President Mnangagwa has sworn in members of the Zimbabwe Media Commission at the State House in Harare.

The swearing in ceremony was attended by President Mnangagwa’s two deputies Dr Constantino Chiwenga and Cde Kembo Mohadi among other senior Government officials.

The commission, chaired by Professor Ruby Magosvongwe, also comprises Ms Dumisani Mashingaidze, Mrs Susan Makore, Ms Miriam Tose Majome, Rtd Major Edward Mbewe, Mr Tanaka Muganyi, Dr Phillip Pasirayi, Mr Jasper Maphosa and Mr Alec Ncube.

Caledonia, a sprawling informal settlement to the east of Harare, may get its own local board as Government has ordered the three surrounding councils to set up a caretaker local authority to assist in the regularisation of the chaotic area.

Harare, Ruwa and Goromonzi local authorities have been directed to each second five councillors plus critical staff to join a Government team to enable the setting up of a caretaker local authority.

The seconded team is scheduled to hold its first meeting today. Caledonia could eventually stand alone as a local board just like Epworth, or could be incorporated into an existing authority.

But first it needs to be fixed up. Caledonia Farm has no roads, electricity, clinics, schools, water and sewer reticulation facilities and other essential social amenities for proper human habitation.

Speaking during a recent Harare full council meeting, Mayor Jacob Mafume said Local Government and Public Works Minister Cde July Moyo had ordered for the creation of the caretaker local authority in line with the Urban Councils Act.

“Minister Moyo indicated that there be created a caretaker local authority for Caledonia which is going to be gazetted in terms of the Urban Councils Act,” he said.

“The staff will be seconded from Government and three councils that is Harare, Ruwa and Goromonzi will separately second five each councillors as well as some staff members.”

Mayor Mafume said the committee will make recommendations to Government.

“Part of the recommendations will either to make Caledonia a stand-alone local authority as it has a sizable population of over 150 000, 200 hectares of land and 30 000 stands,” he said.

“The other option might be that of just incorporating Caledonia into an existing local authority.”

Caledonia, a sprawling settlement east of Harare on a farm of the same name, has been synonymous with chaos, poor sanitation and irregular settlement.

THE trial of former Cabinet Minister Prisca Mupfumira and ex-Public Service Commission secretary Ngoni Masoka failed to kick-off again this morning after the former’s lawyer failed turn up because of ill-health.

Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba, who is representing Mupfumira, wrote to the court saying he was not feeling well and could not attend court for the hearing.

Mupfumira and Masoka are being tried on allegations involving a $90 000 debt acquired from NSSA and used to purchase a Land Cruiser and more than R10 000 used in the purchase of air tickets to South Africa.

The matter was postponed to November 4 for trial continuation.

Mupfumira and Masoka are denying the charges.

They appeared before Chief Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi.

Former Health Minister Obadiah Moyo today approached the court seeking relaxation of his bail reporting conditions saying they were costly and inconvenient to him.

Moyo, through his lawyer, said there were changed circumstances since his initial appearance on July 6 this year which warrants variation of his reporting conditions.

He was ordered to report thrice a week as part of his bail conditions.

The former Cabinet Minister is facing criminal abuse of office as a public officer.

Prosecutor Mr Michael Reza opposed the application saying nothing has changed since his first appearance in court.

Mr Reza also argued that Moyo did not challenge the conditions when they were imposed by the court on the day he was granted bail.

He also told the court that the conditions imposed were the ones which are compelling Moyo to return to court and they were still serving the purpose.

Magistrate Mr Trynos Utahwashe is expected to make a ruling on Moyo’s application on October 27.

President Mnangagwa will deliver a State of the Nation Address next Thursday as well as officially open the Third Session of the Nineth Parliament where he will set Government’s legislative agenda for the coming Session.

This was said by Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda this afternoon in the Chamber. Adv Mudenda said the official opening of the Third Session of the Nineth Parliament was consistent with the Constitution.

He said the Head of State and Government will deliver an address of a virtual joint sitting of both the National Assembly and Senate.

The Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda, pictured, has announced that the Statutory Instrument 225A/2020 has been deemed unconstitutional by the Parliamentary Legal Committee.

This follows the recent announcement by the Vice President and Health Minster, Constantino Chiwenga that by-elections had been shelved indefinitely due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the decision was met with widespread resentment from all quarters alleging that it was unconstitutional and undemocratic.

Mbizo Member Of Parliament, Settlement Chikwinya said the decision by Mudenda is a step in the right direction as now the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission can pronounce new dates for the by-elections.

“This is critical in that the SI is immediately struck off and had no force or effect. This means that ZEC remains challenges to set out dates for By-Elections as per dictates of the Constitution.

“The cases challenging this SI which are now before the courts now have more than a bright chance to succeed if ever the government still wants to oppose which I do not see how,” he said.

Yesterday, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission expressed concern over the suspension saying it was an infringement on the democratic spaces.

“The ZHRC is worried by the recent pronouncement by the Minister of Health and Child Care Vice President C.G Chiwenga in terms of SI 225A /2020 of the Public Health COVID-19 prevention, Containment and Treatment) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, No. 4.

“Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Zimbabwe is a party provides that citizens have the right and opportunity to take part in the conduct of public affairs directly or through freely chosen representatives meaning the right to vote through electoral processes. The ZHRC underscores the fact that the right to vote in all elections and referendums to which this Constitution or any other law applies should therefore be observed and respected,” read the statement.

The Commission urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and other stakeholders exercise their obligations in upholding the Constitution.