Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa has urged the nation to pray for political prisoners.
In a brief statement on Saturday, President Chamisa urged the nation to stand with Joana Mamombe, Last Maengahama, Tunga Madzokere, Takudzwa Ngadziore and all political prisoners in prayer.
” Fellow citizens, Let us stand with our incarcerated Last Maengahama,Tunga Madzokere @JoanaMamombe & @ngadziore currently in jail on account of politics and dictatorship.
I kindly exhort you to pray for all the political prisoners.
Happy Sabbath to you!
#ZimbabweanLivesMatter,” wrote President Chamisa on Twitter.
One of the observations made is that the moment an announcement for salary adjustment is made, retailers and the market respond by increasing prices, thereby eroding any value that would have been added to civil servants salaries. This is why we are not mentioning figures
— Public Service Commission – Zimbabwe (@psczimbabwe) September 26, 2020
“In the spirit of understanding between Government and its employees, Government will proceed to pay, in addition to regular emoluments paid out earlier this week, what is available while NJNC negotiations continue”, announced Secretary to Service Commissions Amb.J. Wutawunashe. pic.twitter.com/Qqe2KmDEfI
— Public Service Commission – Zimbabwe (@psczimbabwe) September 26, 2020
By A Correspondent- Panic and fear struck staffers at a public hospital after a cook who was digging in the garden stumbled on live ammunition.
Upon hearing about the incident staff went into panic until a senior staff member stepped in and allayed any fears of danger.
A source at the hospital who asked not to be named said William Gwebu (50) who is employed as a cook at Hillside Premier Hospital was digging in the garden recently when he stumbled on an assortment of live ammunition.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior employee at the hospital said Gwebu rushed to a senior member’s office and informed him about the live ammunition.
“Gwebu was really shocked as he came to the offices to report that had unearthed live ammunition while he was digging in the garden,” said the source.
“After that staff members were informed about the incident and they panicked asking whether they were safe. But we assured them that the situation was under control,” said a source.
A source said their loss control supervisor handled the matter and reported the matter to Hillside Police Station.
“They went to the scene where a further digging was done and they discovered that there was more live ammunition with rust and agreed that this might have been left during the liberation struggle but one of the police officers said further investigations had to be done,” he said.
He said the army was informed of the find and they dug again and found more ammunition.
The source said army officers took the live ammunition which comprised of 21 x 7.62 mm live FN rounds,10 x 7.62 mm blank FN rounds,01 x 7.65 k-7 live round,02 x .75 live rounds, 02 x21/ 70 live round,02 x51/72 live round, 01x 7mm norma mag live round,01x 45 auto geco live round,01×70- 1FNM live round, 02 x FNM 77-14 blank round and 01 x u49 blank round.
The senior official said: “For security reasons Gwebu was informed not to tamper with the place because there might be more live ammunition.”
The recovered ammunition was handed over to the army bomb disposal engineers.
By A Correspondent- Fear gripped residents of Makokoba and Mzilikazi suburbs in Bulawayo after muthi (charms) suspected to have been used in performing a ritual was found tied to a tree near a bridge connecting the two suburbs.
Residents who spoke to a local publication suspected that the shocking discovery comprising a big kitchen knife stuck into a tree and a bottle of mayonnaise filled with unknown substances tied with a red cloth while facing downwards were a ritual performed by a killer who tried to cleanse himself or herself.
Adding to the horror, the mysterious substances from the bottle of mayonnaise which was mixed with water was slowly and continuously dripping like drops of blood from a wound.
The belief by residents that the items were for ritual purposes came following a series of horrific murders that have occurred at the scene where the alleged ritual is reported to have been performed.
When the news crew visited the scene on Monday afternoon, stunned residents were still flocking to witness the strange sight.
A Makokoba resident, Innocent Ncube (69), said they suspected that the muthi was left by someone who performed a ritual so that he or she could be spared punishment from his or her victim.
“A lot of people have been mugged and killed here. So, the person must have been a killer who got muthi from a sangoma to wash the blood of his or her victim off his or her hands.
“The killer may have been instructed to perform a ritual at the scene of the crime and speak to the spirit of the deceased so that it won’t haunt him or her,” said Ncube to loud approval from other residents who were at the scene.
Another resident who didn’t want to be named claimed the muthi was a ritual performed by criminals so that they can steal from people without being caught.
“I suspect the muthi is also a ritual performed by thieves so that they steal from people without being caught.
“There is no doubt that it was part of their rituals to make people sleep deeply so that they can easily break into their houses during the night,” the resident said.
Some residents believed that the juju was a sign of witchcraft.
“This is witchcraft at its worst. It’s good that B-Metro came here so that people can see these signs of witchcraft in our suburbs,” said Emily Sibanda from Mzilikazi suburb.
Mncedisi Dube, who was also at the scene, concurred with Sibanda adding that residents were now scared.
“We are now living in fear as residents as we suspected that there is witchcraft involved because these old suburbs are known for strange things. Someone could have performed a ritual to cleanse himself or herself of witchcraft practices,” said Dube.-bmetro
By A Correspondent-Police in Mashonaland Central have arrested four illegal miners who allegedly bashed a suspected thief to death on Tuesday.
Simon Kavare (30), John Zimhondi(17), Luke Girini (19) and Takemore Masunga (30) are assisting police with investigations following the death of Anyway Karikoga (26).
Mashonaland Central deputy police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Fidelis Dhewu confirmed the case.
“I can confirm that we arrested four murder suspects in Chesa Mount Darwin who allegedly bashed a suspected thief to death, investigations are underway,” Dhewu said.
Allegations are that the now deceased Karigoka went to Mukaradzi panning site around 10pm and stole Girini’s satchel containing money and fled to the bush.
He was seen running by Girini who teamed up with his colleagues and pursued him.
He was caught in the bush and the suspects heavily assaulted him using a fan belt and open hands.
Karogona’s body was found dead by a passerby who alerted the police leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Police warned members of the public not to take the law into their hands but instead report criminal cases to the police to avoid unnecessary loss of life.
By A Correspondent- The ANC did not go to Zimbabwe for “a joyride”, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu told an online seminar organised by the ANC’s OR Tambo School of Leadership on Wednesday night.
Zulu said the ANC’s team had been “mandated by the National Executive Committee” to go, and hinted that, due to the Covid-19 lockdown, it had no other means to get to Harare.
Following the ANC’s meeting, Zulu has been backtracking from her much more critical stance the month before, when she said there was a “crisis” in Zimbabwe.-DailyMaverick
THREE men crashed their employer’s kombi into a precast wall while fleeing from a crime scene after allegedly breaking into a bottle store in Bulawayo’s Matsheumhlope suburb and stealing an assortment of whisky brands, meat, fish, knives, a wrapping machine and a solar battery regulator among other items.
Knowledge Ndhlovu (28) of Pumula South connived with one Mike Mpofu who is still at large and Webster Muchena who has since died and went on a shop breaking spree targeting bottle stores and butcheries around Bulawayo.
Ndhlovu was arrested following the identification of the trio’s getaway car after it was involved in the accident as they fled, resulting in them abandoning it at the scene.
Ndhlovu and his accomplices allegedly broke into three premises on separate occasions and stole property worth more than $350 000.
Ndhlovu was arrested after a tip-off from the owner of the vehicle which he used to conduct his criminal activities. He is facing three counts of unlawful entry into premises in aggravating circumstances, two of theft and another of unlawful possession of articles for criminal use.
This emerged when Ndhlovu filed an appeal at the Bulawayo High Court challenging the refusal by Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya to release him on bail pending trial. In papers before the court, the State was cited as a respondent.
In his bail statement, Ndhlovu said there were no compelling reasons warranting his continued detention, arguing that he was not a flight risk.
He said the magistrate unjustifiably denied him bail without valid ground. Ndhlovu argued that there were irregularities that resulted in him being denied bail at the lower court.
“The court a quo misdirected itself by concluding that the appellant is a flight risk because the alleged accomplice is still at large. Appellants respectfully submits that the fact that the alleged accomplice is still at large should not be held against him,” argued Ndlovu’s lawyers.
“On the basis of that, appellant submits that his right to bail was erroneously denied and that no threat is posed to administration of justice by admitting him to bail.”
The State, which is being represented by Mr Khumbulani Ndlovu opposed the application arguing that the magistrate’s decision to deny Ndhlovu bail was premised on a strong prima facie case against him.
“The State managed to prove that there were compelling reasons to deny the appellant bail. It is submitted that the decision to deny the appellant bail is not a misdirection or irregularity,” he said.
“It is sound both on the facts and circumstances of the case and at law. Wherefore the respondent prays that the appellant’s appeal against the lower court’s order to refuse him bail be dismissed.”
According to court papers, it was stated that on July 15, Ndhlovu allegedly ganged up with his two accomplices, Mpofu who is still at large and Webster Muchena who is now deceased, and proceeded to White Rock Bottle Store in Matsheumhlope where they forced open a door and stole property.
The accused person and his accomplices were spotted at the scene by a security guard and they sped off using a commuter omnibus registration ADC 8798. While making their getaway, the accused persons crashed the car into a precast wall about 200 metres away from the scene and they dumped the vehicle and fled on foot.
The vehicle was recovered with some of the property and objects used for the crime.
Upon searching the vehicle, police found an angle grinder, a soldering iron, a metal crowbar, a black and yellow respirator, a two-metre long iron bar and a black woollen hat belonging to the accused persons. A follow-up was made through the owner of the vehicle which led to Ndhlovu’s arrest and he implicated his two accomplices and further confessed to have also stolen from Leeside Butchery, East 68 Pub and Grill and a business outlet in Belmont.
By A Correspondent- Five Freda Rebecca gold mine workers were sentenced to six months each yesterday by Bindura magistrate Ethel Chichera after they stole 125 litres of diesel from a dumper truck.
Israel Raza (24),Percy Murape (23), Tawanda Simunji (40),Wellington Makoni(35) and Bruce Maziva (28) will however spend 3 effective months in prison after the magistrate conditionally suspended the other three months.
Prosecutor Vincent Marunya told the court that on September 19 the five hatched a plan to syphon diesel from a dumper truck.
They drained 125 litres of diesel and loaded it in five plastic containers but were unlucky to be caught by two of their colleagues.
They were taken to the police station with their diesel which was used as exhibit.
HARARE – A Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) commissioner who was suspended earlier this month over “corruption allegations” says he fears for his life after his gun and police guards were withdrawn from his home.
Frank Muchengwa says there has been a spate of suspicious break-ins at his house, office and also his vehicle since his suspension on September 8.
He is now fighting his suspension at the High Court, calling it a “legal nullity”.
The former police superintendent received a letter from the Judicial Services Commission on September 8 indicating that they had resolved in a meeting of September 3 that President Emmerson Mnangagwa should appoint a tribunal to determine if he should be removed from office.
The following day, ZACC chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo then removed him from a WhatsApp group of commissioners before ordering that he should be barred from ZACC offices, he says in papers filed at the High Court this week.
Matanda-Moyo then orally suspended Muchengwa from his duties on September 11 before facilitating a change of locks to his office.
Muchengwa said he subsequently received a call from the police on September 18 directing him to surrender his pistol.
He argues in court that Matanda-Moyo has no authority to suspend a commissioner, only the president of the country can.
He said in an affidavit: “In all material respects I still occupy the office of a commissioner and the locking of my office hinders my work. I have some pending matters of national interest that are under investigation. I have a serious apprehension that if I continue to be barred from entering the office someone may tamper with the files.
“I am still exposed to serious security risks as there were break-ins at my house once, two in my car and once at my office.
“I am advised that my purported suspension is a legal nullity and in all respects I am still called upon to execute my duties as a commissioner by the appointing authority until the appointing authority decides to appoint a tribunal and refer the matter.
“If my personal security is revoked, I am exposed to serious risks because of the matters I am working on. I only have one life; it would be a tragedy if I lose it.”
In the application, he cited ZACC and its chairperson Matanda-Moyo as respondents.
Muchengwa was appointed as a commissioner in September 2019 and allocated a police detail and service pistol for security at his home.
ZACC has not disclosed details of the corruption allegations forming the basis of Muchengwa’s suspension.
THE director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Crispen Charumbira will spend the weekend behind bars after he was denied bail by a Harare magistrate.
Charumbira was Saturday hauled before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa who advised him to seek bail at the High Court.
This was after the state opposed bail on his three counts of defeating the course of justice.
Charumbira is represented by Tabison and Norman Bvekwa who are instructing Slyvester Hashiti.
The State was represented by Michael Reza and Tinashe Makiya
According to the state, on the 17th of December 2015, Detective Sergeant Ndlovu, Detective Constable Mbundire, and Detective Constable Munyandure all of CID Drugs, Harare received information that Charles Chabata Magolise was in possession of dangerous drugs at his place of residence.
The team reacted to the information and arrested him.
“A search was conducted leading to the recovery of 443g of dagga,” reads the outline.
It further reads, “Upon learning of the arrest of Magolise, Charumbira phoned detective Sergeant Ndlovu instructing him to release Magolise, however, the team did not take heed of his instructions and took him to Harare Central for docket compilation after consultation with the Officer Commanding CID Drugs Harare Chief Superintendent Mukazhi.”
The court heard that upon arrival at Harare Central Charumbira summoned the arresting team to his office and pleaded with them to release the accused.
After realising that the team was not yielding to his demands, Charumbira became emotional and ordered them out of his office.
Magolise was taken to court where he was convicted to eight months imprisonment.
On count two it is alleged that early 2016 detective Constable Moyo and Detective Sergeant Nkomo of CID Drugs and Narcotics Harare, got a tip-off from a truck driver, Salim Ibrahim that he was carrying a suspicious consignment of two sacks destined for Harare which was to be received by unknown recipients at the Harare railways of Zimbabwe complex.
The two detectives laid an ambush at the spot leading to the arrest of Violet and Kelvin Muzondo after they had received the two sacks of dagga.
They were taken to Harare Central for further investigations.
It is alleged that upon leaving the station for his home, detective Constable Moyo met one drug dealer known as Ranga who informed him that Charumbira wanted to talk to him through his cellphone.
Charumbira instructed him to release the two but Moyo did not comply.
The following day Moyo met the then Assistant Commissioner Charumbira who accused him of being bigheaded and quizzed him as to why he had refused to comply with his instructions.
It is state’s case that on count three, in February this year detective Constables Manyandure, Zamba, and Gwizo who were all attached to the Manicaland crack team received a tip-off that David Cosby of Mutare was in possession of illegal gold and diamonds.
The crack team armed with a search warrant reacted to the information intending to arrest Cosby.
Upon being shown the warrant, Cosby called Charumbira who questioned the credibility of the operation indicating that he was the only one who could authorise such operations.
He accused the crack team to abort the operation and report back to their stations and all this was unlawful.
TWO Power Sales managers have snapped up the firm’s stake at a paltry US$3, details gleaned by the businessdigest have shown.Presently the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) board is looking into the deal in which two Power Sales executives, finance director Elana Maria Chicksen and general manager Fanuel Mahachi, through their newly formed company Giant Tree have acquired 80% of the issued share capital in At The Ready Wholesalers (ATRW) from sellers Pep stores and
Pepkor and Tendril owned 40% stake each in ATRW. Pepkor is 100%-owned by Pep stores.The acquiring firm, Giant Tree holds no other investment and its shareholding is equally shared between Chicksen and Mahachi.
At The Ready Wholesalers (ATRW), the local company that operates Power Sales, has traded in Zimbabwe for four decades.
“Giant Tree, an investment holding company, which was formed by two former directors is targeting Power Sales trading homeware, clothing, footwear. The purchase consideration is US$3 and the deal has been notified in line with the competition act,” a source close to the transaction said.
South Africa’s Pepkor announced on November 25 2019 that it was selling its remaining Power Sales outlets in Zimbabwe after a R70 million (US$4,12 million) exchange loss in the year hurt group performance.
Pepkor exited the local market last year citing operational challenges. South African media reported that the company whose brands include Pep Stores, Ackermans, Dunns and Shoe City, had closed the remaining 20 stores in Zimbabwe, bringing to an end its close to 40 years presence in the country.
Most companies have been struggling to stay afloat due to the country’s economic decline characterised by a deepening liquidity crunch, foreign currency shortages, low capacity utilisation and runaway inflation, which stands at nearly 800% which has decimated incomes and pensions denominated in the Zimbabwean dollar. This has led to a severe reduction in disposable income, which has had a devastating impact on retail outlets which have experienced reduced sales.
Contacted for comment, CTC director Ellen Ruparanganda confirmed handling the transaction but declined to comment on whether the firm was being sold at a fair price.
“Yes, the Commission is handling the matter,” Ruparanganda said.
Mahachi told businessdigest that the deal had ensured that none of the staff at the Power Sales outlets would lose their jobs.
“Pepkor which trades under the Power Sales brand in Zimbabwe has concluded the sale of its 80% shareholding to Giant Tree (Private) Limited. The sale is subject to the approval of regulatory bodies in Zimbabwe. While the terms and conditions of the purchase price are confidential, Pepkor is of the view that this was done at fair value considering the current market conditions and outlook,” Mahachi said. “A key benefit of the sale has been job security as no employees across the business will be retrenched. Pepkor believes the transaction will also further opportunities for employment in the future. The decision to exit Zimbabwe is based on the continued adverse macro-economic conditions affecting trading and the weakening currency.”
AS of September 30,2019, ATRW’s turnover was ZW$12,8 million (US$156 670) with a total asset value of ZW$87,8 million (US$1,08 million).
Insiders say the value of the deal was justified as the firm was saddled with unspecified debts. It was not clear how much ATRW owes to its creditors.
“The value of the deal might be compromised by debts the company has with different stakeholders. CTC dwells mainly with products at play. It is worried primarily on the overlap of products in specified markets. The value of the deals normally is out of focus,” a source said.
In a statement last year the retail outlet said it would not close down its stores despite the exit of Pepkor.
Economist Victor Bhoroma said true value of a company can only be determined when you assess its viability in terms of revenues, assets and liabilities.
“Brand and physical presence in the Zimbabwean market does not reflect company value. Overall, I think it’s a fair price. Zimbabwean clothing industry is being battered severely by informal traders and cheap imports,” Bhoroma said.
Luis Suarez has completed his transfer to Atletico Madrid from Barcelona, signing a two-year contract.
The 33-year old is joining Madrid on a free transfer after he agreed to terminate his contract with Barca following the arrival of new coach Ronald Koeman. He had one more year to run on his contract at Camp Nou.
Atleti, however, will pay the Catalans up to six million euros ($7 million) in bonuses.
“I feel I’m capable of continuing to compete in this league,” Suarez said.
“When Barca told me they weren’t counting on me, there were many calls, many offers, but I was able to go to a team that can compete as equals with two great teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid. I had no doubts.”
Suarez departs Barcelona as their second-highest goal-scorer of all time, having scored 198 goals since signing from Liverpool in 2014.-Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
Galatasaray are still believing and are very confident that there is a possibility of eventually signing Zimbabwean midfielder Marvelous Nakamba from Aston Villla, according to reports in Turkey.
The 26-year-old is in his second season with the claret and blue and started in the two Carabao Cup games against Burton and Bristol City. Even though he has outlined his desire to stay there, with the club also wanting to have him, Galatasaray still believe an agreement can be made, at least for a loan move.
They previously approached Villa for the midfielder but their offer was turned down, although they think this time, it will go through.-Soccer 24 Zimbabwe
One can’t fight the MDC Alliance and claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy.
For the Alliance will always remain the man’s legacy….
Luke-ING the Beast in the Eye
Friday, 25 September 2020
Morgan Tsvangirai must be turning in his grave
By Luke Tamborinyoka
Morgan Tsvangirai, the late icon of Zimbabwe’s tenuous democratic struggle, is a man I knew so well, having served as his spokesperson and trusted lieutenant for almost a decade until his untimely death in February 2018.
This is the man whose legacy of a broad front as represented by the MDC Alliance is enduring savage attacks from the regime and its hired mercenaries.indeed, the MDC Alliance is Tsvangirai’s rich legacy that Zanu PF and its surrogates are desperately trying to decimate in a systematic way. Thank God, the big idea remains standing, despite the vicious body blows. Since the biblical days of Judas Iscariot, we have always known what 30 pieces of silver can do to cheap and treacherous minds.
I knew Morgan so well since the days of my other life as a journalist. And for 10 years I was not just his spokesperson, for it was him who personally directed that I double as the party’s Director of Communications as well, a position that had always traditionally been a separate office held by a different individual.
Even when he appointed me as his spokesperson when he served as Prime Minister of the land, he made me hold the position of Principal Director of Communications as well, a position that had previously been separate from that of the spokesperson. This meant that upon my appointment, he entrusted me with the conflated and conjoined roles of Principal Director of Communications and spokesperson to the Prime Minister.
Such was his faith in my aptitude.
Morgan Tsvangirai, the icon, had the humility to arrive, unannounced, at my rural home at Tamborenyoka village in Shumba ward 3 in Domboshava to pay his last respects upon the death of my late paternal grandmother, Martha Tamborinyoka Gombera, when she succumbed to gastric cancer in May 2014.
We travelled the world together with Morgan: London, Canberra, Lisbon, Rabat, Amsterdam, Washington, Berlin, Madrid, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris, Pretoria, Blantyre, Lusaka, Cairo, Maputo, Windhoek, Luanda and many other World capitals on political business. I was with him in these capitals when he patriotically represented his country and charmed the world as he passionately spoke about the democratic cause in Zimbabwe. In the almost 10 years that I served him, we also traversed the whole country together; from Chirundu to Limpopo, from Msampakaruma to Mandidzudzure and from Mt Darwin to Victoria Falls.
Apart from the conjoined and dual roles that he often gave me, he would also entrust me even with commenting on personal issues such as his amorous scandals that would ordinarily be handled by a family spokesperson, as he did in 2012 when he was deemed to have married one Lorcadia Karimatsenga Tembo. After intense confidential briefings on the intimate details of what had transpired and his personal view on the specific matter, he directed his family members to defer all press questions to me.
The trust he often bestowed on me was humbling. And may be that is why he expressed utmost shock early in February 2018 when he heard, while detained in an infirmary in South Africa, that some members of his family led by by a coterie of the usual suspects in the party had unprocedurally directed that I cease my role as his spokesperson.
” _Nhai_ Luke, when you became my spokesperson, where you employed by my family?” he asked in a low voice over the phone from his hospital bed in South Africa, assuring me that his family, which I have always respected, had never been my employer and that I should remain unperturbed and continue doing my job as usual.
He intimated to me that apart from his wife and other family members, he had instructed hospital staff to keep me in the loop should anything happen to him. And that is why at 1733 hrs, the hospital authorities apprised me of his death when he succumbed to cancer on 14 February 2020 .
Such was my special relationship to this man; the man who paid almost US$60 000 of his own money to meet my medical bill when I was involved in a near-fatal car accident in the early hours of Sunday, 4 November 2012.
He even cut short his honeymoon to flew back home and visited me in hospital to check how I was faring following my near-demise.
Such was my special relationship to this man.
This context of our mutual trust and Tsvangirai’s ceaseless faith in my aptitude is important for this treatise. I presume that this context gives me sufficient _locus_ _standi_ __to_ state unequivocally that this Morgan Tsvangirai that I knew so well is turning and twisting in his grave at how his legacy is being severely eroded and undermined by this motley cabal of Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi and Mudzuri under the pretence that they are protecting it.
The MDC Alliance is an integral part of Tsvangirai’ rich legacy and I had a ringside seat when the history around its formation was unfolding. For one and a half months, beginning February 2017, we traversed the whole country together as he engaged and consulted a diverse spectrum of Zimbabweans within and without the party. Tsvangirai believed in mass-line politics and that explained his enduring traction and political capital. He was never one to make a decision without consulting the people and during that national tour, we spoke to party members, traditional leaders, students, civil servants and ordinary Zimbabweans outside the party.
Throughout the country during our one-and-a-half months of consultation away from home, the people clearly told us that the only prudent way forward was for Tsvangirai himself to lead a broad front in his fight against Zanu PF. It was during that tour, while in Binga, that I learnt that _kujatana__ is the Tonga word for unity or working together. After the intensive consultations, the two of us sat together for a whole evening in March 2017 writing a public message to the people of Zimbabwe that was aptly titled *I* *Heard* **You* . The statement was his assurance to Zimbabweans that he had heard them. The need for unity had rung out loud throughout the nationwide tour and that was how the unity under the MDC Alliance banner was borne. The rest, as they say, is history.
This simply means therefore that one cannot fight and undermine the MDC Alliance, as the surrogates are doing, and still claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy. The MDC Alliance against which the cabal is engaged in mortal combat, is a unique testament of Tsvangirai’s rich legacy. It represents the broad front that Zimbabweans clamoured for during intensive nationwide consultations.
The Tsvangirai I know is twisting and turning in his grave that these surrogates are fighting the people’s great idea and in the process undermining his legacy. And it’s not helping matters that these surrogates are fronting a formation that bears his initial (MDC-T) and are headquartered in a building that we befittingly named after him! This means they they are unwittingly making his great name an accomplice to their treachery and quisling politics.
Worse still, they are consorting and comporting with Zanu PF, the party that the great Tsvangirai tenaciously fought until his death. The same party that arrested and brutalised him his entire adult life.
Tsvangirai was a man who spent a huge chunk of his adult life fighting Zanu PF repression, corruption and unbridled culture of avarice and entitlement. He fought so hard all his life to establish democracy in the country of his birth. He defeated Robert Mugabe in the 2008 election but had his victory violently stolen from him. He was charged with treason in 2004 and was was almost killed through the savage attacks inside Machipisa police station. And we have every reason to believe that Zanu PF had a hand in the cancer attack that killed him. .
But thanks to the treacherous politics of Khupe, Mwonzora and others, the same Zanu PF has now established a second headquarters in a building called Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House!
The surrogates have never uttered a word against Mnangagwa and Zanu PF. Their business is always Nelson Chamisa, the MDC Alliance and its deployees to Parliament and the various local authorities. They are an opposition whose business is to fight another opposition party. Indeed, an opposition created to decimate and annihilate a Tsvangirai legacy called the MDC Alliance.
And they do this from a building named after the very man whose legacy they purport to be protecting. As they would say in the Nigerian movie industry of Nollywood: _it’s_ _an_ _abomination_ !
Morgan is certainly turning in his grave that those falsely fronting and flaunting his name are now comporting with Zanu PF to shred and tear asunder his legacy.
Some of Tsvangirai’s relatives, including some of his children, have now tragically teamed up with this malignant lot in the vain attempt to destroy the MDC Alliance, the very legacy of their own kinsman— their own blood!
Any rational person must ask themselves why soldiers and CIO agents violently took over and donated to these surrogates this iconic building that we befittingly named after Morgan Tsvangirai. Now we hear soldiers and State security agents are not only providing security to these surrogates, but are sitting through the meetings of this political formation that bears the initial of our icon and undermining the man’s legacy from right inside the building that we named after him!
What cheek!
The Tsvangirai I knew is definitely turning in his grave.
Unless if the “T” in their MDC-T refers to Thoko-Zanu or Turncoat, any suggestion that the T refers to Tsvangirai would not only be disingenuous, reprehensible and repugnant, but would represent the highest form of betrayal to this hero of our time.
How does one claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy when they are comporting, cohabiting and doing the bidding for the same party that Tsvangirai stridently opposed all his adult life? Just how does one claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy while at the same time fighting the MDC Alliance, for the MDC Alliance is nothing but Tsvangirai’s enduring legacy as the Alliance Agreement bears his signature. It was not Nelson Chamisa but Morgan Tsvangirai who initiated and signed the Alliance agreement with other principals to bequeath to Zimbabweans a formidable and reunited MDC that would give the people a reason to hope again.
It must be unequivocally stated that all those working with Zanu PF to recall MDC Alliance MPs and councilors are undermining the very Tsvangirai legacy that they falsely purport to be defending. As for Tsvangirai’s relatives who have joined these sellouts, just how do you cohabit with the same people who dragged Tsvangirai to court for appointing two more Vice Presidents but are today claiming to be defending the legacy of the same man they humiliated and whose decisions they contested in court, even posthumously?
But the forthcoming by-elections will expose the ephemeral trait of their surrogate politics. Yet we see them trying to exhume and invoke Tsvangirai’s face as part of their party symbols, in a vain attempt to ressurect their cadaverous politics. They must simply allow this gallant son of our struggle to truly rest in peace. A few months ago, they were at his grave murmuring incantations and invoking his spirt to save them, the very same spirit that they torment every day through their cohabitation with Zanu PF.
The invocation of Tsvangirai’s spirit at the graveside rituals as well as the abuse of the dead man’s face to enhance their political fortunes is the highest depiction of political sorcery in this brave, digital age. First it was Khupe’s surprise turnout to the funeral of a man he had shunned for eight months when he was alive. Then the graveside rituals. If you add her spirited determination to attend _gogo_ Chamisa’s funeral when she had tormented the poor woman to her death by assisting ED’s scorched earth policy against her son, one is astounded by Khupe’s strange affinity for death, funerals and the dead bodies. It’s a macabre, witchly disposition which probably reflects the dead nature of her politics.
Morgan Tsvangirai, this man whose mind I knew so well, is definitely turning in his grave..
And I repeat, you don’t fight the MDC Alliance and claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy.
The Alliance was very much close to his heart. When I was drafting his speech to launch the Alliance, I remember him excitedly telling me to insert the line that underscored the value of working together. He told me to insert the line which said: _Alone_ , _one_ _can_ _go_ _faster_ _but_ _together_ _we_ _go_ _far_ .
Nelson Chamisa was even against the Alliance during its formative stages. As part of his political deftness when he was delegating responsibilities to his deputies, it was the indefatigable Tsvangirai who charmed Chamisa over the cause by appointing him the Vice President responsible for the Alliance, the very same idea he had been against during its formative stages.
I say this to disabuse those who have been misled by this malignant lot into thinking that the MDC Alliance is Chamisa’s legacy and that by undermining the Alliance they are undermining Chamisa, the man they hate with a passion.
Hell No. The MDC Alliance is Morgan Tsvangirai’s legacy and anyone fighting the Alliance is not even undermining Chamisa but the iconic Tsvangirai whose signature stands out so prominently on the Alliance agreement. They are also undermining the people of Zimbabwe who sonorously called for a broad, united front during our countrywide consultations.
We are now hearing a lot of drivel from Thoko-Zanu and Mwonzora who are all now claiming to have been loyal to Morgan Tsvangirai.
But this is the same Thoko who snubbed Tsvangirai’s meetings for eight months as she sulked over the appointment of two more Vice Presidents, only to turn up in Buhera at Tsvangirai’s burial.
In his death, she has suddenly found love for the man she hated with a passion when he walked this earth. For Khupe, way back in 2016, Morgan Tsvangirai had expressed his disquiet to some of us when he learnt that Emmerson Mnangagwa, who doubled as Vice President and Minister of Justice, had used his position as leader of government business in Parliament to arrange a luxury car and a plush house for Khupe, then the the leader of the opposition in Parliament. The conspiracy may have begun back then and the trinkets could point to something deeper than meets the eye. Both were angling to take over from their principals and the plot to kill the MDC could have been hatched then, probably with the agreement that after the death of the MDC, Khupe would then serve beneath Mnangagwa, both literally and figuratively! And Tsvangirai was worried about ED charitable treatment of Khupe. These could be the results. Indeed, the treachery has long been in the oven.
And Douglas is the same man Tsvangirai often branded a chronic and pathological liar. Jameson Timba, Ian Makone, Sessel Zvidzai and Tsvangirai’s own uncle, Innocent Zvaipa can bear testimony to the fact that Morgan Tsvangirai often characterised this self-proclaimed Constitutionalist as the biggest liar of his generation. You can check this out with the four men!
Now that ZEC has told the nation to prepare for by-elections in December, the political interment of these sell-outs of our time is now imminent. Zimbabweans know who and what they voted for in 2018. They will not allow a party whose candidates they defeated to recall their chosen representatives.
It is now public knowledge that Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi and Mudzuri have chosen to bastardise Tsvangirai’s rich legacy as well as his legendary and valiant name. By comporting with the same Zanu PF that Tsvangirai fought all his adult life in the very building that we named after him, while fronting a party that bears his initial, could the highest form of betrayal ever witnessed in history.
This motley has allowed themselves to be a used by Zanu PF. Indeed, Khupe and her sell-out lot are just but marionettes in the hands of a mad puppeteer.
And the puppeteer is Zanu PF.
In the meantime, the gallant son of our time has been betrayed big time and he is violently turning in his grave.
Tsvangirai was always a mass-centric politician. His traction was always without question. And it is public knowledge that Tsvangirai’s side has always been the side of the people. And in the forthcoming by-elections, Tsvangirai’s spirit will certainly vote on the side of the people. The results will show where his true legacy lies.
Now the sell-outs are claiming to be the MDC Alliance, the very party they recalled people for belonging to.
This treacherous lot is behaving like a deranged man who claims he found his wife in bed with a boyfriend. And on the day of the adultery hearing, the same man purports to be the boyfriend.
These charlatans simply cannot get it that one can’t be both the presumed husband and the purported wife snatcher at the same time. And that it is the height of lunacy to claim to be divorcing someone’s spouse.
Put simply, they said they were the the MDC-T and falsely claimed their deployees had joined another party called the MDC Alliance.
Now they are claiming to be the same MDC Alliance for which they purportedly recalled MPs and councillors for joining. Now they are both MDC-T and MDC Alliance at the same time.
How does one claim his wife ran away with another man and then later claim to be the wife snatcher who ran away with his wife? You simply can’t be both.
MaChinja, I thank you I am happy what I am happy about also is the song that was written by Baba
Madzore.
MaChinja are strategist when you see we quiet don’t think that we are idle. When you see this my brother making a lot of noise you must know that something is happening.
I thank the almighty God in heaven we are here because of him. We are here because God loves us there is no one here who made it without him.
…..
For the past 21 years we are still focused and we are still committed and we will get there. We thank you are fellows in barbers what it home thank you very much for supporting the struggle.
I have listened to people they see why are you celebrating 21 years because you are MDC Alliance?
We celebrate the struggle the struggle will morph into different forms. So why why do you ask me why I am celebrating 21 years?
those who are deluded they asked me why are you celebrating 21 years when you are MDC Alliance yes we are a formation as the struggle continues we have to to re strategize reform so what we are doing is we are bringing new people who are more powerful… So we are no doubt where we are going.
We are different from liberation movements, we have to continue ‘improving’
Those of you who say that Morgan tsvangirai did not address the issue of succession, you need to understand he did…
You will need: 2 bunches of black jack leaves, one large chopped tomato and 1 medium chopped onions ,250 ml of boiling water, oil and salt to taste.
Boil the black jack leaves for 5 minutes before starting to cook
1.Add oil to the pan.
2.When the oil is hot, add the onions and after one minute add tomatoes. Let them simmer until the tomatoes make soup. Add salt.
3.Add the boiled black jack leaves and the 250 ml of boiled water to the pot and let it simmer until the soup is nearly over.
Note: Do not cook the hooks and flowers of the black jack.
Health Benefits Of Black Jacks
1.It is very effective in preventing and aiding in treating diabetes because of its numerous nutrients such as fibres and antioxidants. These nutrients help in regulating blood sugar levels in the body. Antioxidants improves the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels
2.It is known for its richness in anti-cancer properties to nearly every type of cancers.They help in preventing ,stopping and killing of cancer cells. Its nutrients help in stopping growth of cancer cells, strengthening the immune system and allows the body to detect and kill cancer cells faster.
3.Black Jacks help in improving the digestive system health because of its richness in fiber. These helps in preventing constipation, acid reflux, bloating, indigestion, diarrhoea and many other digestive orders. By preventing these digestive disorders, it prevents development of cancers in the digestive system.
4.It also prevents gastrointestinal illnesses.
5.It also helps in improving the body’s cardiovascular health. Its nutrients help in preventing heart diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. It is known for its efficiency in low blood cholesterol levels which prevents many chronic diseases.
6.It also helps in curing respiratory infections
7.Black jacks helps in controlling blood pressure in the body
8.It helps in the healing of wounds.
It acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.
From Opera News Hub
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
Farai Dziva|Former Zanu PF stalwart Kudakwashe Bhasikiti has described the persecution of Hon Joana Mamombe by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration as Satanic.
Bhasikiti challenged Mr Mnangagwa to stop harassing Hon Mamombe as she was just like a daughter to him.
“The regime is playing games with the ALLIANCE,they give us Wiwa and take Joana.
This puzzle must be solved.Nothing to celebrate but continued outcry.DEFINITELY THERE HAS TO BE A SOLUTION TO ALL THIS.
Politics aside Hon.J.Mamombe is someone’s daughter,culturally my daughter&ED’s daughter as well,” Bhasikiti wrote on Twitter.
“After her traumatic experience,all effort should be at finding her abusers.Now that she is mentally traumatised,for a woman magistrate to throw her into jail is Satanic,” added Bhasikiti.
Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa has urged the nation to pray for political prisoners.
In a brief statement on Saturday, President Chamisa urged the nation to stand with Joana Mamombe, Last Maengahama, Tunga Madzokere, Takudzwa Ngadziore and all political prisoners in prayer.
” Fellow citizens, Let us stand with our incarcerated Last Maengahama,Tunga Madzokere @JoanaMamombe & @ngadziore currently in jail on account of politics and dictatorship.
I kindly exhort you to pray for all the political prisoners.
Happy Sabbath to you!
#ZimbabweanLivesMatter,” wrote President Chamisa on Twitter.
By A Correspondent- A seemingly absent-minded security guard with a local security company who was deployed at a bank landed himself in trouble when he allegedly forgot his service firearm in the toilet where he was relieving himself.
It is reported that after answering the call of nature, a forgetful Tonderai Manyange (38), employed by Modern Security Company, left his service weapon in the toilet and nothing clicked in his mind until it was picked up by another security guard who handed it over to the police.
Circumstances are that on 16 September 2020, Manyange was on duty and stationed at the National Building Society (NBS) situated along Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues armed with a firearm — a 38 Taurus revolver which was issued to his employer for the purpose of protecting cash and other valuables in transit.
It is reported that around at 2.30pm when nature called, Manyange briefly left his workplace going to the toilet at Barclays Building situated next to his work station.
It is reported that after relieving himself, he left his service firearm in the toilet, a move deemed to be contrary to the prescribed provision of the Firearms Act as the revolver was likely to fall into the possession of an unauthorised person.
It is further reported that at around 2.45pm the firearm was picked up by Kamson Mpofu who is also a security guard at SuperMed Pharmacy which is adjacent to Manyange’s workplace.
After picking up the firearm, Mpofu reportedly secured it at his workplace before proceeding to Bulawayo Central Police and filing a report.
Investigations by the police led to the arrest of Manyange.
For the offence Manyange was brought to court where he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya charged with contravening Section 28 (2) of the Firearms Act Chapter 10:09.
He was, however, not asked to plead and was remanded out of custody on free bail pending commencement of the hearing on his case.-bmetro
By A Correspondent- Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director, Commissioner Chrispen Charumbira who was arrested on Thursday for allegedly accepting bribes from drug and gold dealers to stop criminal investigations, is likely to face more charges when he appears in court today, after four more junior officers from Mutare lodged complaints against him with the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (SACU).
Charumbira was arrested by SACU on Thursday after seven of his junior officers alleged he had been interfering with their duties by protecting drug and gold dealers after allegedly accepting bribes. He is assisting with investigations at Rhodesville Police Station pending his court appearance.
SACU has reportedly recorded statements from some of the junior officers who claim to have been transferred to outlying stations for defying Charumbira’s orders to release arrested suspects.
Four more junior officers from the Manicaland Provincial Specialised Crack Unit arrived in the capital yesterday to have their statements recorded. The quartet said sometime in April this year, they teamed up and went to house number 10 Blesbok, Murambi, Mutare where a suspected gold dealer identified as David Crosby resides.
The team was acting on information that Crosby was illegally dealing in Gold. When they arrived at the house, they identified themselves to the occupants of the house through an intercom before asking to be allowed into the premises to conduct searches as they had a warrant issued at Mutare Magistrates Court.
The occupants reportedly denied them entry saying they wanted confirmation from Police General Headquarters (PGHQ) on whether or not they were real police officers.
Allegations are that Charumbira was contacted by the house occupants and told them not to comply with the officers who left without conducting their duties.
Investigations so far reveal that, among other allegations he is facing, is one dating from the days Charumbira was CID co-ordinator for Harare.
Another complaint states that three detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics in Harare recently arrested two Mufakose drug dealers, Norman Chabata and his brother Charles, after raiding their home where they recovered dagga packed in sachets and bottles of BronCleer cough syrup. While at the scene, Charumbira reportedly called and ordered the officers to release the pair.
Their immediate boss however told them to follow proper procedures and proceed with investigations. They were all later allegedly summoned by Charumbira who informed them that their days at CID Drugs were numbered. Later, they were transferred to CID Chiredzi, CID Lupane and CID Mount Darwin.
Another junior officer also alleged that between February 2016 and March 2016, he received information from a truck driver who suspected that a consignment he was carrying from Malawi could be dagga.
The driver was to meet with the recipients in the city and the junior officer teamed up with his colleagues and intercepted the consignment.
Two sacks of mbanje were collected by two suspects who were arrested but were later acquitted by the courts. Charumbira is alleged to have also interfered with investigations when the two were arrested.
The junior officer told SACU that he was transferred from Harare to CID Hwange.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- The Public Service Commission (PSC) has said civil servants will be paid a cost of living adjustment (COLA) while salary negotiations continue, ZTN News reports.
According to the publication, the cost of living adjustment, which has not been public, is meant to assist public workers who have school-going children.
In a statement, Secretary to the Public Service Commission, Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe said:
In the spirit of understanding between Government and its employees, Government will proceed to pay, in addition to regular emoluments paid out earlier this week, what is available while NJNC negotiations continue.
In a related development, nurses have reportedly agreed to return to work as negotiations continue, although Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) president, Enock Dongo refused to give details on the issue maintaining that it was a private matter.
Last week, Government tabled a 40 per cent increment which was flatly rejected by civil servants who want at least US$480, which is roughly ZWL$39 000 at the official exchange rate.-statemedia
By A Correspondent- Zanu PF has once again had to rope in the party’s security department to deal with the unabating ructions in the former liberation movement, which are threatening elections to choose members of its re-introduced district co-ordinating committees (DCCs).
At the centre of the latest fire-storm are allegations that remnants of the party’s Generation 40 (G4o) faction that was routed three years ago are making fresh inroads into its structures and want to use the impending DCC polls to regain control of the party.
This comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently deployed Zanu PF bigwigs in three provinces that are being ravaged by ugly infighting ahead of the DCC elections. It also comes as Zanu PF’s fissures are fast-approaching the levels that almost disembowelled the party in the last years in high office of the late former president Robert Mugabe – who was later ousted from power by a stunning and popular military coup in November 2017.
Zanu PF secretary for security in the politburo, Lovemore Matuke, confirmed to the Daily News yesterday that his department had been called in to restore order in the brawling party.
“There are some G4o elements who are trying to come back, but we are strictly vetting the CVs. We are going to look at each CV as we want to deal with these elements.
“We are receiving reports from provinces on this issue. As the party security, we are going to do our work diligently and weed out such elements.
“There are some people who were fighting the current leadership who want to use these elections to come back into the structures and destabilise the party,” Matuke told the Daily News.
Another politburo member, David Parirenyatwa, warned Zanu PF members on Wednesday about the growing factionalism in the party, adding that those found wanting faced expulsion.
“You must be loyal to the party. You must also be loyal to the party leadership … We don’t want to hear that the health department belongs to a certain faction.
“There is no room for factions … We don’t want to hear that you are on the forefront of factionalism,” Parirenyatwa told a Zanu PF health department workshop in Harare.
Also this week, Zanu PF national commissar Victor Matemadanda warned of stern action against Zanu PF officials wishing to interfere with the DCC elections.
“I understand that in some provinces they have set up teams for vetting and recommending … that is outside the instructions we gave.
“The instructions were that they receive and yes, put remarks, but not to necessarily have a panel that is going to vet people.
“It’s against the instructions that we gave and if anyone has, or is going to do that, it is null and void. We are not going to consider anything from that,” Matemadanda said.
“I want to emphasise that everyone who is going to be involved, including the leadership … we … must be bound by party discipline.
“Party discipline entails also not going against instructions despite the level of a person. There is no one who is above the law. If we say a procedure must be followed that is what must be done,” he added.
“No one is allowed to change that because we only direct what has been communicated by the politburo. “Any deviation from what we have said will be considered as indiscipline and action will be taken,” Matemadanda said further. This comes as the process to choose members for the ruling party’s DCCs has been sullied by allegations of rampant vote-buying and the imposition of candidates in some provinces.
Recently, the Daily News reported that there was serious jostling for posts along factional lines, with this said to be most rife in Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and the Midlands.
This had seen Mnangagwa deploying senior party officials, including former Cabinet minister Christopher Mushohwe, to lead probes in the troubled provinces. The party’s DCCs were disbanded in 2012 after they were deemed to be fanning factionalism during Mnangagwa and former vice president Joice Mujuru’s battles to succeed Mugabe.
Then, Mnangagwa’s group had gained control of most regions, including Mujuru’s Mashonaland Central province – putting him in a strong position ahead of the party’s 2014 congress.
Earlier this week, liberation stalwart and former Cabinet minister Tshinga Dube highlighted the growing factionalism in Zanu PF when he warned that it would be futile for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his African National Congress (ANC) to hope to end Zimbabwe’s long-standing political and economic crises without support from the party’s brawling factions.
“It all starts with the leaders in Zanu PF agreeing that we need dialogue and that South Africa has a critical role to play.
“They need to find common ground on that to make the ANC’s work easier. We can blame this group or that group, but I don’t want to do that because what is important, for the sake of progress, is that they must find each other.
“It is not difficult for the leaders to find each other because they have been working together for quite a long time,” the fearless Dube told the Daily News’s sister paper, the Daily News On Sunday.
“I don’t think it is impossible for them (Zanu PF factions) to do that for the good of the country and our people.
“That is what leadership is all about. If they do not agree and continue like that, then it will be difficult for anyone who wants to help, including the ANC,” he added.
The widening fissures in Zanu PF appear to have taken the same route of the last few years in power of Mugabe. Then, Mnangagwa was involved in a hammer and tongs war with the G4o faction – which had coalesced around Mugabe’s erratic wife Grace.
The vicious brawling took a nasty turn when Mnangagwa was allegedly poisoned by his rivals during one of Mugabe’s highly-divisive youth interface rallies in Gwanda in 2017.
The then VP’s fate was eventually sealed on November 6, 2017 when Mugabe fired his long-time lieutenant a few days after his allies had booed the irascible Grace during a tense rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo.
However, tables were dramatically turned on Mugabe when the military rolled in their tanks on November 15 of that year and deposed the long-ruling leader from power – which saw a number of alleged G4o kingpins fleeing into self-imposed exile soon afterwards. But despite Mnangagwa’s ascendancy to power, some ambitious bigwigs in the former liberation movement continue to stand accused of plotting to unseat the new Zanu PF leader.
By A Correspondent- A woman from Umzingwane District under Chief Sigola’s area and who is also a builder by profession has reversed a common perception that only men beat up women in relationships after she allegedly rained blows on her husband as punishment for stopping her from meeting her boyfriend.
This problem of female-on-male domestic violence which is often trivialised in society was heard at the Esigodini Magistrates’ Court where the victim, Hloniphani Msipa, narrated his ordeal before resident magistrate Nomagugu Sibanda.
Msipa, who was seeking a restraining order against his wife Tafadzwa Moyo, was brave enough to tell the court that he was living a hellish life at the hands of his violent better half.
He stated that in a fit of anger, his wife brutally assaulted him after he stopped her from visiting her boyfriend.
As if the beating was not enough, Msipa said a daring Moyo went on to destroy their matrimonial property before she burnt down their bedroom hut.
“I declare that my wife Tafadzwa Moyo is destroying our matrimonial property and she recently burnt down our homestead. I need the court to strongly warn her against her conduct. She has since gone back to her parents’ homestead and I have done the same due to the fact that we both no longer have a place to call home,” complained Msipa.
He said he once sought help from the police to no avail.
“I engaged the police over the issue about my wife who is not taking any action to account for the damage she caused. Instead of apologising she is now prohibiting me from visiting our homestead because I am willing to do the repairs. I can’t imagine that I am now homeless yet I used to own my own homestead.
“I am living in fear and my efforts to check out on the livestock which we left behind is being hindered by my wife as she is threatening me with unspecified action through a string of text messages. All I want now is a protection order against her so that I live in peace,” begged Msipa.
In response Moyo didn’t refute her husband’s accusations leading the magistrate to grant an order stopping her from beating or threatening her husband as well as not to prevent him from going to their homestead.-bmetro
By A Correspondent- Call it an epic clash of the world’s oldest profession and the spiritual world of divination.
A youthful sangoma from Inyathi, Matabeleland North province, reportedly lost a bag containing his bones and charms to a prostitute after he refused to pay her for services she had rendered to him.
It is reported that drama started after the sangoma only identified as Hlongwane reportedly withheld payment to an unidentified prostitute who, in turn, relieved him of his bag containing his bones and powerful spells and magic charms that he was boasting could cure all kinds of ailments.
The sangoma was reportedly robbed of his tools of the trade on Sunday last week.
According to a source Hlongwane, who is known at the business centre for looking for a little pleasure each time he had money, hired a prostitute and agreed with her on a US$10 fee for an afternoon quickie.
However, the hooker later shifted goalposts and demanded US$15 claiming she had also offered him oral sex.
“All hell broke loose after the sangoma refused to pay the $15 he had been charged. He was initially charged US$10 for a quickie but after sex the prostitute refused to take the money and informed him that the price had gone up because she had also offered him oral sex.
“His refusal, however, prompted the prostitute to grab his bag containing his bones and other charms.
“The prostitute later called her colleagues who came and mobbed the sangoma while accusing him of being ungrateful.
“Normalcy only returned after the sangoma promised to pay the amount in question,” said the source who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation.
The source further said the sangoma was left embarrassed by the incident.
“He felt hopeless, violated and deprived and he threatened to curse the prostitute’s privates,” the source said.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a comment from the sangoma drew a blank after he hung up his phone soon after this reporter introduced himself that he was from B-Metro.
By A Correspondent- MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora has warned Members of Parliament (MPs) and councilors who won their seats under the MDC Alliance in the 2018 harmonised elections that they should desist from making suicidal political decisions motivated by blind loyalty for Nelson Chamisa.
Mwonzora told TellZim News that no one is being victimized under the current wave of recalls but they are only targeting those who pledge their allegiance to Chamisa instead of MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe
“We are not going to be victimizing councillors and MPs as long as they tow the party line. If they don’t, we will not hesitate to wield the axe.
“Some people thought that they were invincible and would not be recalled from council or parliament but where are they now?
“They thought we were joking. They were being lied to by Chamisa and Biti (Tendai) that they belong to him but where was Chamisa when we recalled them?
“There is nothing personal about the recalls but it is about principle. Every party has its principles and if you fail to live by them and do as expected we kick you out,” said Mwonzora.
He said all the MPs and councilors who got positions under the MDC Alliance ticket belong to MDC-T and they should make no mistake to grand stand as they will be expelled.
“The argument on whether the MDC-T has jurisdiction over them has been exhausted. Most councilors in the urban areas that we had to recall committed political suicide.
“They knew that we had the power to recall them and they continued to disregard the law,” said Mwonzora.
TellZim News has been informed that Mwonzora’s axe will soon land on Masvingo councilors who are believed to be siding with Chamisa.
Fear of recalls among the seven MDC Alliance Masvingo Urban councillors increased after Mwonzora fired 11 Harare councillors including the deputy mayor in the wake of a mayoral by-election which was won by Jacob Mafume ahead of Mwonzora’s preferred candidate Luckson Mukunguma.
Those fired in Harare are Lovemore Makuwerere, Gilbert Hadebe Gilbert, Simon Mapanzure, Charles Chidhagu, Keith Charumbira, Steven Dhliwayo, Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi, Barnabas Ndira, Runyowa Chihoma, Charles Nyatsuro and Enoch Mupamawonde.
In Masvingo, Mwonzora is said to be targeting Ward 4 Cllr Godfrey Kurauone, who is MDC Alliance national youth organising secretary and strong Nelson Chamisa ally; Ward 5 Cllr Daniel Mberikunashe, who is related to Chamisa; and Ward 7 Cllr Richard Musekiwa, who is also said to be strongly loyal to Chamisa.
Sources said Mwonzora could spare Mayor Collen Maboke, who has had several runs-in with Chamisa prior to the controversial Supreme Court judgement that led to the current turmoil in the opposition movement.
The other two councillors; Selina Maridza of Ward 1 and Tarusenga Vhembo of Ward 3 would be threatened into towing the Mwonzora line and spared as well.
Mwonzora, however, said that his party is yet to get a report about councilors in Masvingo saying that they are still doing as expected of them hence they are still safe.
“We have not received any information regarding the councilors in Masvingo. This means they are still doing as expected of them.
“The Harare councilors were recalled for a number of reasons. They had specifically by word and deed said that they had joined the MDC Alliance party.
“They were fingered in various embarrassing allegations of corruption. The councillors in Harare went against the party directive in the selection of the mayor and ended up surrendering the position to PDP, which is unacceptable,” said Mwonzora.
Last year @edmnangagwa gloried using an axe against people and this week he has complained over the murder of 7 year old Tapiwa Makore | IS HE SINCERE? pic.twitter.com/Yt7iUNxJs7
By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed concern over the recent reports of the gruesome murder of children in the country.
He speaks after a suspected killer of a 7-year-old Murewa boy has been arrested while his two accomplices are still at large.
Ongoing investigations have also suggested that many cases of children murder could be going unreported after the head of a different boy was discovered during the process.
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While addressing junior cabinet in a virtual meeting in Harare, President Mnangagwa urged stakeholders to quicken investigations to bring perpetrators to book. He said:
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My government is gravely concerned with the threats to the well-being of children and youths emanating from various forms of abuse. We continue to take several measures to give effect to commitments to end violence against children.
I am disturbed by the loss of life by young children as a result of heinous and evil actions for rituals and witchcraft purposes. These cold-hearted acts of murderers have no place in our country.
The stakeholders in our criminal justice system must speedily and strongly deal with perpetrators so that this evil trend is expunged from our society.
During the address, the president also said that the government had “put in place concrete interventions” through the ministries of primary and secondary education and also, higher and tertiary education innovation science and technology development to ensure that learners return to safe and hygienic schools or college environments.
This is however contrary to reports by teachers’ representative organisations who claim that schools are not prepared for reopening soon.
Schools are scheduled to reopen on the 28th of this month after they were prematurely closed in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year @edmnangagwa gloried using an axe against people and this week he has complained over the murder of 7 year old Tapiwa Makore | IS HE SINCERE? pic.twitter.com/Yt7iUNxJs7
By Tiden Makeke | In what could negatively affect the credibility of his party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) member, Edwin Dzambara, has attacked Zimbabwean teachers for asking for a salary increase.
Dzambara made the call despite the fact that the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has pegged the Poverty Datum Line (PDL) in Zimbabwe’s inflationary 2020 environment at +ZWL $ 58 000 or +US$580, teachers are currently earning ZWL $3500 or US$35 desp
Dzambara, who is the chairman of an MDC-T outfit called Defending Morgan Tsvangirai Legacy (DMTL), castigated teachers’ demand for a US$500 salary as “unreasonable and destructive.”
Critics sceptical of DMTL respectively accuse MDC-T Acting President and MDC-T Secretary General Thokozani Khupe and Douglas Mwonzora of going into bed with ZANU PF at a time when many MDC supporters expected the opposition to unite ahead of the oncoming December 5, 2020 by-elections.
Former University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, Jonathan Moyo is one critic who described Mwonzora as one who has been in “the ZANU PF pocket for donkey years.”
While Kent University law lecturer, Alex Magaisa refers to Khupe’s party as the “judicially reconstructed MDC-T,” former Daily News editor, Pedzisayi Ruhanya, tweeted on last June’s seizure of the MDC Alliance headquarters (Harvest House) in Harare, saying, “Dear Mwonzora: It is neither a strategy nor a tactic to be assisted by the military, police, CIO and ZANU PF to takeover a building from your rivalries (sic). You have effectively confirmed that all along you have been working with the state and this effectively destroys your politics.”
Despite accusations of bedding ZANU PF, the MDC-T has ploughed on undeterred and Dzambara has resolutely maintained his stance.
“There are some Zimbabwe Teachers’ Unions which are politically motivated and lack progressive developmental mantra. The demand for a monthly US$500 + salary is unreasonable and destructive,” thundered a seemingly numb Dzambara in a clear reference to the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Zimbabwe Teachers Union (ZIMTA) and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ).
“They don’t care how this can suffocate our meagre national coffers in an over populated economy. Tell them to leave the job and employ only Patriots,” added Dzambara.
The DMTL chairman went on to argue that “Teachers received free salary (sic) for 6 months during COVID period, since April, with COVID allowances in USD. They were resting home and no work was done. From 6 months resting and puffing at home, with full salaries to a strike when schools open, why didn’t they strike during the six months free pay period?
Teachers are not the only workers or civil servants. Besides, most workers in industries, mines, vending sites or farms did not get pay on COVID due to closure or downsizing, while others received cut salaries.”
To conclude his write-up that sounded like former Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe’s speech before the MDC was formed in 1999, Dzambara condemned the teachers saying, “this is very destructive unscrupulous and the intention is just to be confrontational for the purposes of politicking.… Let them know that we are all Zimbabweans and must not engage dirty tactics for political mileage. We buy from same shops all of us ordinary folks. Watch out your pace. Leave unions and join politics !!!”
Dzambara did not talk about the plight of teachers who according to PTUZ president, Raymond Majongwe, have pathetic salaries, poor housing no safety and are taken for granted. Majongwe added that the teachers’ job has “no security of tenure,” added to the fact that “teachers now can’t send their kids to any school.”
ZCTU Secretary General, Japhet Moyo, took aim at Dzambara’s statements saying “the teachers are demanding that the employer pays them what they were earning before the introduction of SI 142 of 2019. Prior to August 2018 the teachers were earning USD 520 while the PDL was pegged at +USD 580.”
Japhet denied that teachers were dabbling in politics but quipped rhetorically on what basis Dzambara was “making the conclusion that the USD 500 is destructive?”
Japhet’s comments dovetailed a statement made by ARTUZ. “We still demand our 2017 salaries, USD520,” demanded ARTUZ despite the fact that the demand was below the projected PDL at June 30, 2020 .
Like other civil servants, Zimbabwean teachers are operating in an environment in which economic indicators show a dwindling quality of life.
For example, the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee Food and Nutrition Security Report of March 2020 states that “the 2019 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) Rural Livelihoods Assessment (RLA) report projected that 59% of the rural population would be cereal insecure during the peak hunger period (January to March 2020). This food insecurity prevalence translated to a population of about 5.5 million rural people.”
The ZimVAC RLA report also noted that “there was need for urgent food distribution or cash based transfers (to promote the local economy where feasible) to food insecure households in order to avoid a worsening situation.”
The Ministry of Education has a workforce of 130 000 teachers. A great proportion of them have fled to greener pastures in neighbouring countries while others have left teaching altogether.
Last week, during a debate in the National Assembly on the Second Reading Stage of the Finance 2020 Bill, Finance minister, Mthuli Ncube promised to review civil servants’ salaries every three months to hedge against inflation.
“We are reviewing salaries – as I speak now, we reviewed civil servants salaries and gave them USD75 allowance and USD30 for pensioners,” Ncube said.
However, while teachers battle for the actioning of their USD520 government-worker salary agreement of 2017, it remains to be seen if Ncube’s promises are going to be fulfilled.
It would seem that after collating all the statements of stakeholders that Dzambara’s statement was ill-thought-out. Majongwe’s had dismissive words for the DMTL chairman.
“We can’t be responding to every barking dog. Our demands are justified. Those guys singing for their supper must just eat the few crumbs they are feasting on,” retorted Majongwe.
By Victor Maphosa- A friend had just dropped me off near Westgate Shopping Centre on the outskirts of Harare around 7pm on Thursday from where I intended to catch lifts to Gwebi College to visit my brother.
There were about 20 other commuters at the long-distance bus stop. I joined in the flagging down of lifts. Soon, a Chirundu-bound haulage truck crawled, huffed, puffed and screeched to a rattling halt. The air brakes puffed the last when the truck had already stopped.
Touts stampeded to get permission to load passengers into the truck, amid a waft of dust that we could only smell and not see, it being dark.
In the shadow of the silhouette rear brake lights, a blue Honda Fit appeared on tow and it stopped, looking for passengers too.
A tall lady who was going to Chinhoyi jumped into the back seat first, followed by another man and then yours truly.
“Tiri kuenda kuChinhoyi muface wangu,” (We are going to Chinhoyi my friend) said the driver after he stopped inches from where I was standing.
“Ndiri kuda kusara pa Gwebi and how much is it?” I said.Before boarding, I struggled to open the door, and the driver urged me to exert more pressure and it finally opened.
My sixth sense gave a warning, “This door is hard to open, what if this car belongs to robbers, will I be able to open it from inside, and oh, I did not check the number plates of this car?”
I quickly brushed that aside. We passed a police checkpoint in Mt Hampden.
About 5km from the check point, the driver started speeding. Well, I do not have a problem with speed. All I wanted was to be at my destination and come back as early as possible.
In the blink of an eye, one of the passengers seated in front slid back into his seat so that it blocked my view and immobilised my legs. In an instant, he produced a long shiny knife which he poised inches away from the left side of my chest.
He screamed, “Makwira mota yematsotsi, musatitarise, tsikitsirai musoro pasi, failure to do that tinokuurayai mose. Tiri kuda zvese zvamunazvo mafoni nemari. (You have boarded robbers’ car… surrender all you have or we will kill you).
“Driver, give me that spray, let me punish this man who seems to be defiant. If you try any tricks, we will not hesitate to kill you.”It happened so fast that there was no time or any chance to resist.
With his right hand firmly holding the knife, his left hand was busy in my pockets. I lost my two mobile phones, US$110 and $400 and my beautiful wrist watch. Yes, it is very beautiful.
At the other side of the vehicle, one of the men seated at the right side of the back seat, grabbed the tall lady by the neck and took her mobile phone and a handbag which I later learnt had her bank cards, driver’s licence and national identification card.
When all this was happening, we were pleading with the criminals not to kill us. I politely asked for my other documents and one of the criminals handed me back my ID, my Press card and bank cards plus US$1 to get transport back to town.
It happened in less than five minutes, we were cleaned of our belongings.They kept on threatening to kill us.
After robbing us, they drove off the main road to the left, passed a railway level crossing and turned right and then left again and drove for 400 metres before making a U-turn.
The one who was holding a knife at my chest disembarked and went to open the boot.We could not see what he was doing there.
After a minute, he came back and opened my door while pointing the knife at me. I made my final prayer, or my only prayer.
“Lord, I know I have not been communicating with you for a long time. This is my prayer today, if I am to die, I commit my spirit in your hands, forgive me of all my trespasses, Amen.”
I could hear the woman next to me saying her prayers also.The criminals ordered me out and forced me to kneel, with the knife now on the back of my neck.
I closed my eyes, waiting to feel the cold piercing knife slicing my neck.Instantly, the driver raved about the car and my-would-be executor jumped in and they drove off at high speed, with the woman inside.
My captor shouted to me, “Don’t you dare raise your head or else…” In defiance, I raised my head anticipating to see the number plates, but it was not visible. Some tape was stuck on the plate making the numbers invisible.
They drove for about 200 metres and shoved the woman out and drove off again at high speed. She screamed, wailed and cursed.
“They were now debating on whether to rape me or not. One of the criminals said they should let me go,” she said while shaking.
We found our way back to the main road and a Good Samaritan gave us a lift and left us at a police station at Westgate Shopping Centre where we were attended to by the police.
One of the cops assisted us with his mobile phone and airtime to call our relatives and inform them of our predicament.
Our police officers deserve a thumbs up, they are professionals. Thank you Westgate police post team.
It all started after my article had been cleared by the News Editor and I asked to be excused since I had a personal chore which I needed to do.I told my boss that I wanted to go to Gwebi and he said it was a bit late for that if I was not using my own vehicle.
“Victor, you like travelling in the evening, even during the night, that is very risky, robbers are everywhere,” he advised.
I asked him if I could use his car, well he told me to wait for a few minutes since he was still doing something, but I did not have those few minutes to wait, so as soon as he briefly left his desk, I eluded him.
I did not want him to see me, surely he was going to stop me. Well, I failed to listen to his advice and lost all my personal belongings
By A Correspondent- Independent Member of Parliament for Norton constituency Temba Mliswa accused ZACC of being captured by Billy Rautenbach as the anti-graft has failed to act on grand corruption surrounding the Aspindale land scandal which has a potential to leave 30000 people homeless.
“Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and Special –Anti Corruption Unit (SACU) has been captured by Billy” Said Temba Mliswa.
The agitated Mliswa went on to allege that the Minister of Local Government July Moyo, Minister of State Oliver Chidawu and Matanga from Zimbabwe Republic police for working in cahoots with Billy Rotenberg to evict genuine land owners and cause social unrest in Aspindale.
“How can we have confidence in a system where the people who are supposed to investigate corruption are part of it” added Mliswa.
The in-action by ZACC on the Aspindale land saga has raised more questions than answers among residents as available evidence in the public domain point out that cooperatives are the legitimate owners of the land.
Mliswa accused Billy Rautenbach for using fraudulent titled deeds in the name of Marimba Properties, a company that is non –existent at the Registrar of Companies.
CHRA calls upon ZACC to act on the Aspindale land saga as it has a potential to water down its work on acting against graft.
By A Correspondent- There are growing concerns that Zimbabwe’s worsening economic situation could lead to the collapse of the education system and a spike in school dropouts after most schools exorbitantly hiked fees, with some demanding between $25 000 and $40 000 for the two months the pupils will be in school starting Monday.
Public schools reopen for examination classes on Monday after being forced to close in March this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other classes will reopen in two phases, with the last group on November 9. But parents with children attending Chishawasha Mission Primary School, Moleli, Matopo, Gokomere, Dadaya and Prince Edward among others have raised alarm after the school authorities charged upwards of US$341 for examination classes that will be attending lessons for the two months before writing their exams.
In a newsletter to the parents, Chishawasha Mission Primary School also requested parents to provide the school with 20kg bags of mealie-meal, 5kg rice, 5kg machine washing powder, 1-litre floor polish, 12 bath soaps among several demands per pupil.
In addition to the demands, Chishawasha demanded parents to pay a revised fee of US$341 and $19 800 before opening day.
“Following parents’ meeting which was held on September 16, 2020 at Our Lady of the Wayside in Mount Pleasant, it was agreed that the option of groceries be adopted at a revised fee of US$341 plus groceries. It was also agreed that the sum of US$100 be paid in full hard currency and the balance is optional to be paid in RTGS or US dollars,” the newsletter read.
But parents, who requested anonymity for fear victimisation of their children, felt that the school authorities were “robbing” them, saying one pupil could not exhaust a 20kg bag of mealie-meal and that the several demands were way above other schools across the country.
“Look what they are demanding for a Grade 7 pupil as compared to other schools. The fees and other demands are way out of the parents’ reach,” one parent said.
Chishawasha school secretary, who declined to be named, said: “I cannot respond to the allegations. I am only the secretary of the school. The person who can respond to you is the principal and is not around you can try other times.” The principal could not be reached for comment.
Parents at Eaglesvale junior and senior schools have also written to Primary and Secondary Education minister Cain Mathema protesting over the exorbitant school fees, arguing the school was fleecing them of their hard-earned cash.
The parents said the school was rating US$1 to $95 despite the official Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe foreign currency auction system rate. They said the school fees were currently pegged at US$1 000 for primary school up to Form 4 on both online and examination classes, while A-Level students are being asked to pay US$1 100.
“If you do not pay, online lessons are not optional and are being forced on parents. If you did not pay, the school sends threats to your email that your child should transfer. They also need to justify paying US$1 000 online because parents feel it’s too high, even in formal class,” the parents wrote.
The parents also complained that they were forced to pay US dollars at the school office and not into the school bank account, thereby risking falling prey to armed robbers. The school’s financial controller, one Mukoko, referred NewsDay Weekender to the school head, whose mobile phone number was not reachable.
Another parent who requested anonymity said other schools like Moleli High had proposed $39 000 to be paid for all the examination classes, Dadaya proposed $38 450 and Matopo High proposed $25 800 plus US$50, while Mutendi High School in Masvingo was demanding about $32 000 or US$320.
Gokomere pegged its fees at $29 000. Day schools like Prince Edward in Harare have also reportedly hiked their fees to around US$350 or the equivalent in Zimdollars. However, Primary and Secondary Education deputy minister Edgar Moyo called on the schools to stick to government guidelines when increasing or coming up with new fees structures. He said it was illegal for schools to use an exchange rate for US dollars which was different from the one pre-scribed by the RBZ auction system.
“Our position as government in terms of school fees increase is that the school development committee sits and comes up with an agreement on the rightful fees agreed by both parties,” Moyo said.
“They then write a recommendation to the permanent secretary of the ministry for approval. The receipts of the previous fee and the proposed new fees must be tied together for the permanent secretary to assess if it is worth approving.”
He added: “It is illegal for schools to use their exchange rate which is different from the official rate allowed by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. I want to reiterate that education must not be commercialised and it must not be a barrier to our children.”
Several schools have been plunged into turmoil with debates rising on the appropriate fees to charge for examination classes.-Newsday
By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed concern over the recent reports of the gruesome murder of children in the country.
He speaks after a suspected killer of a 7-year-old Murewa boy has been arrested while his two accomplices are still at large.
Ongoing investigations have also suggested that many cases of children murder could be going unreported after the head of a different boy was discovered during the process.
While addressing junior cabinet in a virtual meeting in Harare, President Mnangagwa urged stakeholders to quicken investigations to bring perpetrators to book. He said:
My government is gravely concerned with the threats to the well-being of children and youths emanating from various forms of abuse. We continue to take several measures to give effect to commitments to end violence against children.
I am disturbed by the loss of life by young children as a result of heinous and evil actions for rituals and witchcraft purposes. These cold-hearted acts of murderers have no place in our country.
The stakeholders in our criminal justice system must speedily and strongly deal with perpetrators so that this evil trend is expunged from our society.
During the address, the president also said that the government had “put in place concrete interventions” through the ministries of primary and secondary education and also, higher and tertiary education innovation science and technology development to ensure that learners return to safe and hygienic schools or college environments.
This is however contrary to reports by teachers’ representative organisations who claim that schools are not prepared for reopening soon.
Schools are scheduled to reopen on the 28th of this month after they were prematurely closed in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
“…..Similarly, it is my administrations’ decisiveness in entrenching constitutionalism, democracy and rule of law including the protection of property rights. The commitment of my government to these cardinal rules remains unwavering.” said President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the UN
watch the full speech by Mnangagwa on the link below…..
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has urged Zimbabweans to pray for jailed MDC MP Joana Mamombe and other political prisoners who are languishing in prison.
In a Twitter post on Saturday, Chamisa said:
“Fellow citizens, Let us stand with our incarcerated Last Maengahama,Tunga Madzokere, @JoanaMamombe & @ngadziore currently in jail on account of politics and dictatorship. I kindly exhort you to pray for all the political prisoners. Happy Sabbath to you!”
Joana Mamombe was recently ordered by Judge Bianca Makwande to be evaluated by government doctors to ensure that she can stand trial in October.
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday called for the lifting of “illegal economic sanctions” imposed by the West on his nation, and appealed to the United Nations to help bring an end to them, saying they are seriously affecting the country’s development.
In a pre-recorded speech delivered virtually to the 75th United Nations General Assembly, Mnangagwa said like other nations, COVID-19 has had an adverse effect on Zimbabwe, which have been compounded by the sanctions.
Mnangagwa said his country has registered “notable achievements” toward reaching the SDG, as far as improving the lives of its citizens.
Sticking to his government’s position that there is no crisis in the country, despite the outcry by human rights groups, Mnangagwa told the General Assembly that Zimbabwe is respecting the constitution and the rule of law.
He also said Zimbabwe is respecting property rights, referring to the government’s recent pledge to compensate white farmers stripped of their land, $US3.5 billion.
President Nelson Chamisa has called for an independent inquiry on the abduction, torture of MDC Alliance youth leaders @JoanaMamombe, @CeciliaChimbiri and @NetsaiMarova . Do you think Zimbabwe's listening president @edmnangagwa will LISTEN?
By A Correspondent- Two armed robbers allegedly pounced at a Beitbridge businesswoman’s home and robbed her of property and cash worth R30 000 as well as a vehicle worth US$2 500.
This was heard by magistrate Maphios Moyo on Tuesday when Petious Ndou (26) and Decent Mbedzi (19), both from the border town, appeared in court charged with armed robbery.
Both denied the charges and were remanded in custody to September 28 for trial.
Prosecutor Munyonga Kuvarega told the court that the complainant in the matter was Shuman Nguluve (30), who runs a tuckshop at her house.
It is the State case that on August 28 at 9pm, the two, together with accomplices still at large, stormed Nguluve’s house while wearing face masks and armed with two pistols and okapi knives.
Kuvarega told the court that the gang then fired three shots directed at the sitting room door and pushed the door open before proceeding to Nguluve’s bedroom where they further fired two shots into the roof, demanding money.
Out of fear, Nguluve gave them R15 000 before they began assaulting her with clinched fists, demanding more.
When she failed, they allegedly demanded the keys of her Honda Fit before stealing other property such as mobile phones, laptops and shoes.
They drove away with their loot in her Honda Fit.
Nguluve reported the matter to the police, who recovered two rounds of live ammunition and 13 by 9mm spent cartridges at the scene.
Police tracked the vehicle’s tyre marks and recovered it dumped about 15km away.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the two.-Newsday
By Josiah Mucharowana- As I witnessed yet another birthday in my short life this week, I thank God and further realise I am a mere mortal.
Since 37 years ago when I escaped my mother’s womb to wander the earth, I have seen many perish from accidents, diseases or simply just from the cruel hand of inelectable fate.
Of late, coronavirus wrought irreparable damage to both humans and economies so much so that recovery back to previously lived standards remains a Herculean task.
For millions, the battle for survival has been triggered on, it’s game time! Many have lost incomes. Families have crumpled and the future has never been more uncertain than now.
People died like flies in Italy, Spain and America and elsewhere with the pandemic reaching even the most far-flung and remotest islands of the world.
In Africa, Aha! The majority of Africans had to live under war -time-like conditions of sustained lockdowns and curfews. It has been a global first where jetplanes got grounded not to traverse the skies for long. A first where home became a yearned for place to be for millions of foreigners marooned outside their countries.
Nevertheless, time waits for no man. I realised I have to be thankful to be alive. My peers and more lie motionless in cemeteries.
In this life, we have to live to our best of abilities because we only live once.
For me, many birthdays have been mere milestones of time fleeting by as I ferret for a decent life in the diaspora.
From school, the bulk of my life have been lived outside Zimbabwe. It was not by design but fate. I found myself in bustling metropolitans like Johannesburg and Pretoria. I embraced a life away from home to be the new norm.
A cursory check on my timelines and inboxes across social platforms reminded me of long lost friends. At school, in beerhalls and taverns of the world, I have forged relationships. Some became casual, some left an enduring impact on my life.
Some even shaped the trajectory I took henceforth. Some names remain etched in my memory. However, one theme ran through their messges, they all wished me well in this life.
Solace for a backyard dweller?
At 37, I have crossed national borders innumerable times both legally and illegally running away from hunger, poverty and political tyranny. In some instances I have done so with no real money in my pockets.
I have fallen sick and was taken care of by complete strangers. I have also wined and dined with Kings and Queens of the land. I have met both influential people in positions of authority and at the same time I have found common ground with the low-lifes.
I have slept in mansions and have also slept under bridges burning cardboard paper.
During Murambatsvina -a politically driven operation by Robert Mugabe to decimate and scatter the urban population to rural areas. Urbanites had incrementally voted opposition creating a bastion of rebellion politics that irked the erstwhile authorities, I found solace under the moon and the stars of Mbare.
I had a been a backyard dweller therein and Mugabe’s hatchet men had come in the morning with yellow machines and pulverized our lodgings to the ground.
My feet also took me to Hwange and Livingstone where I had the best game drives ever. I bed-hopped from hotel to hotel and ate gourmets with names I can hardly remember. I also slept in a bed that Mugabe, the Statesman had found solace in on some night.
I have also realised media people especially journalists anywwere on earth always make the best of company wherever alcohol is available. They are knowledgeable, funny, and carefree spirits the majority of whom have at least an unwritten book lurking somewhere in the cabinet of their minds. They are creatives who in the company of fellow minds would divulge as many secrets just like convicts squashed and condemned together in a prison cell.
My life took me to State House and many other esteemed government institutions opening my eyes on how the wheels of governance turn.
I have watched presidential motorcades both as an insider and as an outsider.
Crocodile
But for the entire life, the shock came when I realised I share the same birthday month with President Mnangangwa.
Born 78 years ago, the man has seen twice my life. He has been a guerrilla in the bushes of Mozambique and elsewhere in the region. Above all , much of his life has been in the corridors of power either as minister of Defence, State Security, Justice and as a confidante of Mugabe et al.
Today as President, he has a coterie of ‘ wingman’ aiding him much to rule than govern and lead Zimbabwe. His tenure is mottled by rampant corruption even involving his sons, close friends and relatives. In some instances, he turns a blind eye just like a ‘crocodile’ he is.
Many social services in Zimbabwe have collapsed or simply cosmetic owing to mismanagement such that majority of people are once again trekking into the diaspora leaving family and loved ones to hold forte in a dire economy.
We hear the Ministry of Health and Child Care has tightened the grip on medicineman making it very difficult for them to jump ship to greener pastures even when they are not being fully remunerated for their sweat and toil. Vice President Chiwenga and his deputies- all former military men in the ministry are slowly turning hospitals into military barracks where orders carry the day.
Reset button the answer
In Johannesburg, I have met more Zimbabwean nationals than I could meet back in my village. In Pretoria, the bulk of prostitutes and roadside beggars with babies strapped on their backs are my fellow countrymen.
I have had the luxury of a tertiary education albeit I am yet to fully reap the benefits of that education back in Zimbabwe. Not that the tertiary syllabi concentrates on producing employees but even as entrepreneur, the economy is on the skids to start with.
It takes heavy capital injection and the patience of a fisherman to find a way around the bureaucracy of doing business in Zimbabwe.
September has been awash with corporates everywhere wishing the President well in the future. For me it has been a time of reflection upon the journey of life thus far.
Yes admittedly, i have not achieved all I had sought to do in the vibrancy of youth. 37 years have become a bolouvard of broken dreams.
And quite sadly, my life mirrors millions of others scattered across the globe with eyes pinned on Zimbabwe, our birthplace in the hope that one day, maybe one day the fortunes of the country might allow a comeback.
Bob Marley said, he who fights and runs away will live to fight another day. But for as long as the ‘crocodile’ continue to bask in the sunshine, coming ashore is tantamount to being hoist by own petard.
For Zimbabwe as a country and it’s citizens, there has to be a reset button somewhere even when the President says ‘ there is no crisis in Zimbabwe’.
Josiah mucharowana is a media graduate and writes in his personal capacity. Feedback; joemasvokisi@gmail.com/ +27 84 587 4121
By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance (MDC-A) president Nelson Chamisa has demanded an independent inquiry into the alleged abduction and torture of Harare West MP Joanna Mamombe and party activists Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova by suspected State agents earlier this year.
Chamisa made the remarks after Deputy Chief Magistrate Bianca Makwande jailed Mamombe at the country’s notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison even though she was granted bail by the High Court.
The MDC-A leader argued that the State cannot be trusted to deliver justice for the three MDC-A activists since it was implicated in their alleged abduction and torture. Said Chamisa:
The unlawful detention and sending to Chikurubi maximum prison of Youth leader and MP Hon Mamombe is another new low, a classic case of continuing victimization. It is clear that the State which is implicated in this case can not deliver justice. We demand an INDEPENDENT INQUIRY!
This continued persecution of these emblems of change is a direct threat to democratic tenets and freedom. Oppressors fear the power of the future that the young women represent. We stand with the young and fearless. We fight for their right to dignity, freedom and justice.
The MDC trio represents what Zimbabwe could be if we made room for the NEW. They are women of courage and conviction. The trio and all young people are the embodiment of a New Zimbabwe we can create in which young women can freely participate in political activity and nation-building.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has since filed an urgent application with the High Court seeking the immediate release of Mamombe from prison.
By A Correspondent- Opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has said he will today use his second e-rally to tell the nation that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime is stoppable despite its show of invincible power and heavy crackdown on dissenting voices.
The charismatic youthful leader, who has not made a public address since the passing on of his mother a couple of months ago, takes to the podium today to articulate the way forward for the opposition movement that, apart from being rocked by internal fights, is also under siege from Mnangagwa administration.
The address also comes at a time when the country is facing its worst economic downturn in a decade with majority citizens yearning for better days.
Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda yesterday said the main opposition leader was aware of the challenges faced by his supporters and would today provide the way forward.
He said Chamisa will rally citizens to confront Mnangagwa’s regime headon in order to influence change in the country.
“The president will tell the people that the ball is now in our court as a nation,” Sibanda said.
“He will say that no one will save us, we have a duty to save ourselves, he will remind the people that this is their once proud country and that we can build this country and never have to live in fear of anyone ever again.”
He added:
“He will tell the people that it is not the army that is the enemy of the people, it is not the police, but the political elite who are abusing the army.
“He will say that no one is safe from the ferret force, both in the country or in the region and that the army or the police are not protecting the people who are killing us off, but that we have failed to protect our army from the regime.”
Sibanda further pointed out that Chamisa was aware of government’s plans arranged soon after the 2018 elections to destroy his party and brand altogether, but he would assure the nation that the plot will fail.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has filed an urgent application with the High Court seeking the immediate release of Joana Mamombe from Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.
Mamombe was sent to prison for a mental examination on Thursday by Deputy Chief Magistrate Bianca Makwande. The ZLHR said in a statement:
We are concerned about the situation of Joana Mamombe and our lawyers have filed an urgent application at High Court seeking an order for her release from Chikurubi Prison where she has been detained since Thursday.
We first filed an application for a review of the decision of Deputy Chief Magistrate Makwande ordering the detention of Hon. Mamombe for mental examination and later on filed an urgent application for the review application to be set down and heard urgently.
Mamombe, alongside fellow MDC Alliance activists, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova were allegedly abducted in April this year soon after staging a flash demonstration in Warren Park suburb, Harare.
They were reportedly tortured and sexually abused and dumped in Bindura. Soon after their release from abduction, the visibly injured and traumatised women were arrested by police and charged with faking their abductions.
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Senior Hospital Doctors Association (SHDA) has called for the restoration of the rule of law in the health sector after the government abruptly introduced new rules which now make it difficult for doctors to leave the country.
In the Twitter thread below, the SHDA clarifies issues around Certificates of Good Standing (CGS) which have traditionally been granted to doctors when they leave for greener pastures:
A Certificate of Good Standing (CGS) is a document issued by a professional body to a sister professional body as clearance for a colleague with no hanging disciplinary issues regarding patient care and relations with colleagues. MDPCZ [Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe] plays the role in Zimbabwe.
The term of the MDPCZ council expired on 31st July this year. The councillors are responsible for setting up rules of the council and to oversee its operations including the issuing of Certificates of Good Standing. They never amended the rules.
The new council members are waiting to be inaugurated by the minister of MOHCC who is said to be too busy with other matters for now and therefore they have not yet even convened a meeting. They, therefore, have not officially made any amendments to any rules.
The changes that are purportedly being done at the MDPCZ are actually not being done by the council. It is all coming from an office at the Min of Health whose certainty is undisputed. These changes are null and void as only superficial scrutiny of the law has been done on it.
The CGS is never issued by a government anywhere in the world. The minister only administers the act that governs the operations of the professional body. Professional bodies are therefore independent bodies that practice in autonomy. CGS is never denied over labour issues.
The MDPCZ determines which doctor gets a Certificate of Good Standing (CGS) and any unilateral changes to it are a blatant disregard to the rule of law. The MOHCC has trampled on the Health Professions Act while attempting to solve a labour dispute with doctors.
Doctors are asking for PPE, medicines and sundries, and a review of their wages which are now so low that many cannot afford to come to work. Instead of providing solutions, the Govt has decided to throw away the books of the laws of the land.
Sister medical organizations intending to accept visiting or relocating doctors from Zimbabwe have been depending on the CGS. The registering authority has been invaded and until this issue is resolved the system has been poisoned to block migration.
The safe way to get a CGS devoid of political influence is to get two senior doctors signatures as has always been in Zimbabwe. Outside of that, reference letters from senior doctors of repute should be enough. The rule of law must be restored.-twitter
President Nelson Chamisa has called for an independent inquiry on the abduction, torture of MDC Alliance youth leaders @JoanaMamombe, @CeciliaChimbiri and @NetsaiMarova . Do you think Zimbabwe's listening president @edmnangagwa will LISTEN?
MDC Alliance (MDC-A) president Nelson Chamisa has demanded an independent inquiry into the alleged abduction and torture of Harare West MP Joanna Mamombe and party activists Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova by suspected State agents earlier this year.
Chamisa made the remarks after Deputy Chief Magistrate Bianca Makwande jailed Mamombe at the country’s notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison even though she was granted bail by the High Court.
The MDC-A leader argued that the State cannot be trusted to deliver justice for the three MDC-A activists since it was implicated in their alleged abduction and torture. Said Chamisa:
The unlawful detention and sending to Chikurubi maximum prison of Youth leader and MP Hon Mamombe is another new low, a classic case of continuing victimization. It is clear that the State which is implicated in this case can not deliver justice. We demand an INDEPENDENT INQUIRY!
This continued persecution of these emblems of change is a direct threat to democratic tenets and freedom. Oppressors fear the power of the future that the young women represent. We stand with the young and fearless. We fight for their right to dignity, freedom and justice.
The MDC trio represents what Zimbabwe could be if we made room for the NEW. They are women of courage and conviction. The trio and all young people are the embodiment of a New Zimbabwe we can create in which young women can freely participate in political activity and nation-building.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has since filed an urgent application with the High Court seeking the immediate release of Mamombe from prison.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, has told teachers to leave their profession and join other government departments if they are not happy with their salaries.
Charamba said this in response to the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union (ARTUZ), which had lamented the paltry monthly salaries of teachers which they said are less than the daily allowances for other civil servants.
In a post on Twitter, ARTUZ said:
A government official working under the drought relief program earns a daily allowance which surpasses a teacher’s monthly salary.
The same government which approves these allowances denies us a paltry USD520 as monthly salary. If you are a teacher and report for duty under these circumstances, you need therapy.
In response, Charamba told the teachers to try lateral transfer, which occurs when an employee moves from one position to another position at the same pay grade within an organisation.
He wrote:
In Government, there is something called lateral transfer; it’s perfectly legal. Try that!
This comes amid revelations that government officials who are working under the drought relief programme are earning US$5 for breakfast, US$10 for lunch, US$15 for dinner, and US$30 for unapproved bed and breakfast per day.
Fellow citizens, Let us stand with our incarcerated Last Maengahama,Tunga Madzokere @JoanaMamombe & @ngadziore currently in jail on account of politics and dictatorship. I kindly exhort you to pray for all the political prisoners. Happy Sabbath to you!#ZimbabweanLivesMatter
By A Correspondent- The Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) has announced that its graduation to be held on October 2 will be virtual and that proceedings will be live-streamed on ZTV and on the CUT Facebook page.
In a statement, CUT said only selected graduands will be formally invited to attend the physical proceedings in line with measures put in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The statement read:
The rest of the graduands will graduate virtually in the comfort of their homes with their families.
Proceedings will be live-streamed on ZTV and CUT Facebook page. Graduands who are graduating virtually will follow proceedings in their gowns and respond to announcements as shall be beamed on the stated platforms.
The Seventh-day Adventist-run Solusi University has also announced that its graduation ceremony will be held online.
This comes when many academic institutions the world over have been forced to postpone exams or resort to online graduations due to the threat posed by SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus which causes the respiratory disease called COVID-19.-statemedia
The High Court has thrown out Goromonzi farmer Mr Martin Grobbler’s bid to stop his eviction from Buena Vista Farm and told him to stop abusing the court.
Mr Grobbler has been trying to block the new owner Ms Ivy Rupande from occupying the property.
Ms Rupande had won several court orders against Mr Grobbler right from the magistrates, High and Supreme Courts, but all her efforts were being scuttled by the white farmer on the pretext of using the courts to seek justice in the dispute.
In the latest case, Mr Grobbler had approached the court seeking to stop the eviction on the grounds there was an application seeking to reinstate his appeal, which was struck off the roll at the Supreme Court.
But after hearing submissions from all parties yesterday Justice Joseph Mafusire threw out the urgent application by Mr Grobbler for lack of merit.
He also blamed his lawyers for showing lack of seriousness in prosecuting their appeals and applications, which has seen their cases suffering still birth at the Supreme Court.
The judge said he could not even understand why Mr Grobbler was coming to court requesting to be allowed to return to the farm, when all he has “are some dubious documents suggesting they have the right to the farm”.
Justice Mafusire found that Mr Grobbler and his co-applicant Protea Valley were properly evicted from the land on the basis of a court order plus a writ of ejection, which was lawfully issued by the Sheriff in circumstances in which there was no appeal pending at the Supreme Court.
The judge also accepted Ms Rupande’s contention that the applicants were using the court process to deny her access to the farm, when she had got several judgments in her favour.
The judge also ruled that even if the applicants’ appeal against the decisions given in the lower court, they have no prospects of success on appeal.
Through his lawyer Advocate Wilbert Mandinde instructed by Mugiya, Macharaga and Associates, Mr Grobbler told the court that he had a prima facie right to be at the farm saying the court processes instituted suspended the action taken against him by Ms Rupande.
In this particular case, it was Mr Grobbler’s contention that he had not received any notice to vacate the farm hence the eviction was unlawful.
Ms Rupande, a self-actor, successfully argued that Mr Grobbler’s application was procedurally flawed and substantively without merit and asked the court to dismiss it.
She argued that the action was premised on a lawful process derived from the judgment granted in her favour to evict Mr Grobbler.
“The so-called urgency is self-created and the court must decline to aid an illegality committed by the applicants when they continued to occupy gazetted land without authority,” she argued.
Mr Target Shumba assisted by Mr Nigel Muchinguri of the Attorney General’s office argued the matter for the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement.
In his submissions Mr Shumba supported Ms Rupande, saying that she was the rightful owner of the farm in question by virtue of a valid offer letter.
He said Mr Grobbler did not have an offer letter to be on the farm. He urged the court to dismiss the application saying Mr Grobbler was abusing the court process in deliberate attempt to frustrate Ms Rupande’s move onto the farm.
Ms Rupande was allocated the land in 2003 at the height of the Land Reform Programme, but faced resistance from Mr Grobbler.
The farm had been acquired by the State and gazetted for redistribution under the Land Reform Programme.
SOLUSI University has continued pioneering digital innovations in the country with online graduation for its 24th edition which will see over 300 graduands follow proceedings from the institution’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
In August, Solusi successfully conducted its examinations online, while other universities around the country were looking at reopening campuses for final year students whose exams were disrupted after Government tightened lockdown restrictions.
The development will also save graduands from transport, hosting of two invited guests, lunch and other costly activities that come with a graduation ceremony.
Following the outbreak of Covid-19, many academic institutions the world over have been forced to postpone exams or resort to online graduations which often lack the prestige and passion of a real ceremony.
In an interview, Solusi public relations manager Ms Sihle Nyathi said graduands will be expected to wear their gowns while attending the ceremony.
“All graduands have been invited to attend the online graduation and it is our hope that they will be able to do so as we did not want students to wait until after there is no Covid-19 to graduate. If they are unable to do so this weekend, the graduation will be available on our social media pages and can be viewed when they are able to do so,” she said.
“Online graduation is an advantage because students need their certificates so that they can move on with their lives because some students desire to pursue further studies and some need to seek employment. In the past there were restrictions in terms of invitees because of space but now given that we will be streaming they will be able to view with all their friends and family members,” said Ms Dube.
She added that Solusi had accepted the reality that people now live in a socially mediated world and urged students to be positive as the ceremony will precede the collection of certificates and transcripts.
“The theme is ‘skilled hands and a cultivated mind’; this means that our graduates have been skilled and cultivated. They have acquired knowledge that will enable them to provide solutions that will help in national and international development. They will not have a physical graduation but they have the knowledge that has been acquired in the course of their studies.”
Chinhoyi University of Technology has also announced that its graduation to be held on October 2 will be virtual and that proceedings will be live streamed on ZTV and on the CUT Facebook page.
In a statement, the institution said only selected graduands will be formally invited to attend the physical proceedings as a measure in line with Covid-19 regulations.
“The rest of the graduands will graduate virtually in the comfort of their homes with their families. Proceedings will be live streamed on ZTV and CUT Facebook page. Graduands who are graduating virtually will follow proceedings in their gowns and respond to announcements as shall be beamed on the stated platforms,” read the statement.
VICE President Constantine Chiwenga has issued new regulations which will see the awarding of tenders to “locals” in a development that will likely see ZANU PF inclined persons making killings from the tenders.
The announcement comes after ZANU PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa early this week declared that the ruling party was finalising preparing a document that will see the party involved in the lucrative government procurement business.
“We are going to unpack this 19-page document and we are going to liaise with the Chief Secretary (in the Office of the President and Cabinet) which ministry should do what, in which sector,” he said.
“If we are talking about mines, we will set out what empowerment tools must be implemented in the mining sector. A very key issue, we want to know the procurement bill of government, government as you know is the biggest procurer when you consider and compare its services to the cooperate sector.
“Now we want to know who is supplying what to government and come up with policies that empower locals so that they must be able to be empowered by their own government through supplying procurement contracts.
“Where possible, we want to know who is supplying to government and build on that to empower our people in an honest and transparent manner.
“If we develop a process to empower our people through government, it has to be on the basis that is transparent, it’s competitive in terms of price and it’s competitive in terms of quality.”
Chiwenga under Statutory Instrument 219 of 2020, Procurement Management Units (PMUs) (departments which undertake purchasing on behalf of government departments) instructed to allocate tenders under specific thresholds to Zimbabweans only.
“The Honorable Vice President responsible for Procurement, in consultation with the Finance Minister (Mthuli Ncube) and in terms of section 101 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter 22:23] and after consulting with the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, has amended the regulations,” said Chiwenga in the SI.
The policy will be applicable for contracts worth an equivalent of US$20 000 up to US$5 million dollar for construction works.
The United States thorough its Embassy in Harare has expressed doubts at President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s commitment to promote human rights in the country
This comes after Mnangagwa told the UN General Assembly, that he is committed to democracy, constitutionalism and promotion of human rights in the country.
Addressing the UN General Assembly during the week Mnangagwa said:
“My administration is decisive in entrenching constitutionalism, democracy and rule of law, including the protection of property rights. The commitment of my government to these cardinal principles remains unwavering,”
However, the US government says he should walk the talk, and match his words to the UN with action on the ground.
In a Tweeter post on Friday, the US Embassy in Harare said the America goverment is watching Mnangagwa closely to see commitment to his statement.
During his speech to the UN General Assembly President Mnangagwa restated his commitment to fostering democracy, human rights and rule of law. We are listening and watching for action. pic.twitter.com/aCJV5OrJJb
The Embassy said if Mnangagwa was sincere in his UN address, he should consider dropping criminal charges against MDC Alliance MP Joanna Mamombe, jailed for two weeks to allow state doctors to examine and assess her mental health status before she stands trial in court.
Allowing @JoanaMamombe to receive the healthcare she needs and dropping the case against her would show Zimbabwe's words match its actions. pic.twitter.com/9SAdP50pGu
BULAWAYO High Court judge, Justice Martin Makonese has kicked out an application by a Gukurahundi survivor, Charles Thomas, Zapu and Ibhetshu Likazulu who were seeking an interdict barring President Emmerson Mnangagwa from exhuming Gukurahundi victims.
The litigants filed an urgent application at the High Court, citing Mnangagwa, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe, Jenni Williams of Matabeleland Collective.
The litigants also cited National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) Chairperson Retired Justice Sello Nare and the Commission as the 5th and 6th respondents.
In his judgment Justice Martin Makonese ruled the litigants failed to comply with the Constitution before approaching the court.
“The applicants did not seek the intervention of the 6th respondent (National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC). The issue of Gukurahundi and exhumations has to be dealt with carefully and in full compliance with the requirements of the law. The manner in which this application was rushed to court without following the provisions of the Constitution particularly section 252 (f) is deeply concerning,” Justice said in his ruling.
“By his own admission, the 1st applicant asserts in paragraph 64 of the founding affidavit in clear and unambiguous terms that it is the 6th respondent who has the legal mandate to promote the programmes concerning peace and reconciliation in accordance with 252 (a) of the Constitution.
“One wonders why 1st applicant chose to file this urgent application before engaging the 6th respondent when he was well aware of the legal remedies available in the Constitution.”
The judge also took a swipe at the litigants for failing to verify the authenticity of reports that the defendants were in indeed planning to exhume victims of the 1980s atrocities.
“Before concluding, I need to point out that it is not only presumptuous to allege that 1st respondent (Mnangagwa) sought to conduct exhumations. The suggestion by the applicants is fanciful, scurrilous and unjustified. Applicants took no time to inquire whether the media reports were accurate and how these exhumations would be carried out. As I pointed out during oral submissions by the parties, the issue of Gukurahundi is emotive and sensitive,” said the judge.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director, Commissioner Chrispen Charumbira who was arrested on Thursday for allegedly accepting bribes from drug and gold dealers to stop criminal investigations, is likely to face more charges when he appears in court today, after four more junior officers from Mutare lodged complaints against him with the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (SACU).
Charumbira was arrested by SACU on Thursday after seven of his junior officers alleged he had been interfering with their duties by protecting drug and gold dealers after allegedly accepting bribes.
He is assisting with investigations at Rhodesville Police Station pending his court appearance.
SACU has reportedly recorded statements from some of the junior officers who claim to have been transferred to outlying stations for defying Charumbira’s orders to release arrested suspects.
Four more junior officers from the Manicaland Provincial Specialised Crack Unit arrived in the capital yesterday to have their statements recorded.
The quartet said sometime in April this year, they teamed up and went to house number 10 Blesbok, Murambi, Mutare where a suspected gold dealer identified as David Crosby resides. The team was acting on information that Crosby was illegally dealing in Gold.
When they arrived at the house, they identified themselves to the occupants of the house through an intercom before asking to be allowed into the premises to conduct searches as they had a warrant issued at Mutare Magistrates Court.
The occupants reportedly denied them entry saying they wanted confirmation from Police General Headquarters (PGHQ) on whether or not they were real police officers.
Allegations are that Charumbira was contacted by the house occupants and told them not to comply with the officers who left without conducting their duties.
Investigations so far reveal that, among other allegations he is facing, is one dating from the days Charumbira was CID co-ordinator for Harare.
Another complaint states that three detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics in Harare recently arrested two Mufakose drug dealers, Norman Chabata and his brother Charles, after raiding their home where they recovered dagga packed in sachets and bottles of BronCleer cough syrup.
While at the scene, Charumbira reportedly called and ordered the officers to release the pair. Their immediate boss however told them to follow proper procedures and proceed with investigations.
They were all later allegedly summoned by Charumbira who informed them that their days at CID Drugs were numbered. Later, they were transferred to CID Chiredzi, CID Lupane and CID Mount Darwin.
Another junior officer also alleged that between February 2016 and March 2016, he received information from a truck driver who suspected that a consignment he was carrying from Malawi could be dagga. The driver was to meet with the recipients in the city and the junior officer teamed up with his colleagues and intercepted the consignment.
Two sacks of mbanje were collected by two suspects who were arrested but were later acquitted by the courts. Charumbira is alleged to have also interfered with investigations when the two were arrested.
The junior officer told SACU that he was transferred from Harare to CID Hwange.
Civil servants and Government pensioners will continue to get their tax-free US dollar Covid-19 allowances until December.
The allowances, of US$75 a month for civil servants and US$30 a month for retired civil servants, were introduced in June as a temporary measure for three months to last month.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima announced the extension during a virtual Junior Cabinet meeting yesterday when responding to concerns raised by the Junior Cabinet that more should be done to improve the welfare of Government employees.
“There are currently negotiations taking place in the various forums and I am hoping that sooner rather than later the Government side and the workers would agree on a cost of living adjustment.”
The Minister noted that the President had put in a 50 percent increment and the US dollar allowances to help civil servants as interim relief while negotiations on a wage settlement were in progress.
Prof Mavima confirmed that the extension also applied to pensioners in an interview after the meeting.
The allowances were as an interim measure to help civil servants and Government pensioners cope with “transitory economic challenges being currently experienced in the country, which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Soon after the introduction of the allowances, the exchange rate stabilised as a result of the foreign currency auctions and prices stabilised soon afterwards. The minister urged civil servants to be realistic with their demands.
“I have met with the members of the APEX Council and I have urged them to be realistic in their demands otherwise we will go back to the instability that was there before,” he added.
ZIMBABWE international, Jordan Zemura, was back in the spotlight on Thursday night after a composed, and impressive, performance against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.
Zemura’s Bournemouth were beaten 1-2 at the Etihad, but their gritty show is being hailed in the game.
The 20-year-old Zemura, and fellow Bournemouth academy graduate, Nigerian Nnamdi Ofoborh, caught the eye again.
They also starred when the Cherries beat Premiership side, Crystal Palace, 11-10 in a penalty shoot-out, in the previous round.
City are the defending Carabao Cup champions and they featured some of the top players in England like Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez in the game.
Kevin de Bruyne and England international Raheem Sterling made second half appearances.
Zemura was thrown into the fray after 27 minutes following the injury to Kelly Lloyd.
The Zimbabwean had to deal with Mahrez and, at the end of the match, Bournemouth posted on their social media platforms a picture of Zemura, alongside that of Ofoborh, with the caption “Did us proud, lads”.
The compliment came from the club’s academy.
“I was very pleased with the performance tonight,’’ said manager Paul Tindall. “I thought the lads executed the tactical game plan very well and were very brave in winning possession.
“I felt we caused Manchester City a few problems.
“Ultimately, disappointed that we’ve gone out of the cup, but overall, very pleased with the performance.
“I think it was testament to how well we were doing in the game that they brought on the likes of De Bruyne and Sterling.
“But I didn’t really feel we were in too much danger. I didn’t really think they created too many clear cut opportunities.
“I felt we were a threat all night long as well.”
Former Warriors team manager, Wellington Mpandare, said he could not hold back his excitement as he watched Zemura’s fine show.
“I wasn’t surprised by the way he performed,” said Mpandare yesterday.
“I think this is the right time that he should come back home and take his place in the Zimbabwe national football team.
“I used to follow this boy, when I was the Warriors manager, and I still haven’t stopped.”
Born in London, to Zimbabwean parents, Zemura has since made a commitment to play for the Warriors.
He is one of the overseas players being chased by ZIFA to boost the quality, and competitiveness, of the national team.
He narrowly missed this opportunity, last year, when he was included in the Warriors squad to play the opening games of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers.
He was dropped by then interim coach, Joey Antipas, at the last minute.
His Zimbabwean passport had expired and could not be renewed on time.
The defender, however, is relishing another opportunity ahead of the resumption of international football in November, when Zimbabwe play back-to-back AFCON qualifiers against Algeria.
Zemura’s rapid rise, and his excellent performances, have all combined to excite both his coach, Tindall, and the legion of Zimbabwean football fans.
The fans invaded social media yesterday to salute the player.
“When we were making noise about the issue of passports, many people were focusing attention on the other guys like Macauley Bonne,” said Mpandare.
“But almost everyone is beginning to talk about Zemura now.
“Despite his young age, I had already concluded he was a brilliant talent and recommended him for the national team.
“It was probably because they had never seen him play before the Manchester City game.
“Now that he has been exposed at the big stage, I am sure people are beginning to appreciate the talent that we have as a country.
“I don’t want to take the credit, for having him commit to play for Zimbabwe.
“It’s a decision that he has since made and it’s now up to the coach, and the technical team, to extend the invitation to him, if they want.
“I believe I played my part in recommending him to the ZIFA technical director, who was also keen on him, which is the reason why he was called up the last time.’’
Mpandare said the passport issue has now been sorted out.
“It’s unfortunate his passport had expired, last time, when efforts were made to call him up,’’ he said.
“Fortunately, with the assistance from the authorities, we managed to get a new one for him.
“He asked me to keep it for him and if, by any chance it’s needed, he can have it any time.
“I am happy for the contributions made by the organisation called Zimbabwe Foreign Legion, which is led by Mistry Chipere.
“These guys have been doing a wonderful job. They were my foot soldiers when I was team manager.
“They do a lot of research on Zimbabwean players abroad and they go out of their way in trying to establish and maintain contacts.’’
Mpandare said there were many promising Zimbabwe players in the Diaspora.
“Together, we had compiled a list of over 48 Zimbabwean players, who are stationed all over the world, and we have been checking on those that are progressing, like Zemura,’’ he said.
“It doesn’t matter that I am no longer the team manager, I haven’t stopped doing so, because of the passion that I also have for football.
“So, if the new coach and manager want him, I can guarantee that all the paperwork is in place.’’
BARCELONA. — Lionel Messi has aimed a fresh dig at Barcelona on the back of his efforts to leave the Spanish La Liga football club, with the Argentine questioning the decision at Camp Nou to “throw out” Luis Suarez.
Having endured a frustrating end to the 2019-20 campaign, a six-time Ballon d’Or winner pushed for the exits in Catalunya.
His path was blocked and the 33-year-old eventually revealed to Goal that he will be honouring the final year of his contract.
Others have been allowed to move on, though, with Ronald Koeman deeming Suarez to be surplus to requirements shortly after being announced as successor to ousted coach Quique Setien.
The Uruguayan striker is now crossing a La Liga divide to link up with Atletico Madrid, with a memorable six-year spell with Barca being brought to a close.
Suarez had starred for the Blaugrana, with one of the most devastating partnerships in world football struck up between two talented South Americans.
That bond has now been broken, much to the disgust of a disgruntled Messi.
The Barca superstar has posted on Instagram: “I had already begun to imagine it but today I went into the dressing room and it truly dawned on me. It’s going to be so difficult to not continue to share every day with you both on the pitches and away from them.
“We’re going to miss you so much. We spent many years together, many lunches and many dinners. So many things we will never forget, all the time we spent together.
“It will be strange to see you in another shirt and much more to come up against you on the pitch. You deserved a farewell that fit with who you are: one of the most important players in the history of the club. Someone who achieved great things for the team and on an individual level.
“You did not deserve for them to throw you out like they did. But the truth is that at this stage nothing surprises me anymore.”
Suarez hit 198 goals for Barcelona through just 283 appearances, with his impressive strike rate complementing that of Messi.
The pair formed a close bond on and off the field and helped to deliver an enviable array of major honours to the Camp Nou trophy cabinet.
Suarez has, in an emotional farewell statement of his own, claimed that Koeman’s culling came as no surprise.
Many have been stunned by the decision, though, with Messi among those left disappointed at another big call that Barca may live to regret.
MY LETTER TO ALEX MAGAISA
Alex T Magaisa Flag of Zimbabwe
@Wamagaisa
By Mari Matutu
Hi Dr Adv Alex Magaisa | I enjoy your BSRs. Even those that come mid week. I just have reservations on a few things in your today one. Outside that I respect your views.
1) In your today 26/09/2020 under sub heading ELIMINATION AND CONTROL you mentioned this in your words “The Supreme Court ordered that an Extraordinary Congress was to be held within a period of 4 months and gave the Acting Presidency of the MDC-T for that period to Thokozani Khupe.”
You as a respected legal mind and your BSR being a source of wisdom cannot be allowed to mislead the nation and the world on words that you also used casually but if after this you go back and revise you will see that you misrepresented the Supreme Court and thereby misinformed the public.
a) I believe you as legal mind you understand that the words ” Hold an Extra Ordinary Congress” and ” Convene an Extra ordinary Congress ” are a worlds apart.
Holding an extra ordinary congress is the end result of events that include inviting rightful people to a meeting regarded as delegates. The delegates come as invited with a stipulated number meant to be a quorum. The agenda is presented and the process of the proceeding ends well. Holding a meeting has bearing on event or Congress having to happen, that is holding an Extra Ordinary Congress.
Whereas Convening an Extra Ordinary Congress is just ” bringing together for purpose of holding a Congress or say inviting delegates to a congress.” Just inviting delegates to EOC does not mean they will attend and if they do not attend you are held responsible for their failure to attend.
Now let’s go to what the Supreme Court said:
b) Dr Magaisa go to paragraph 2 of operation order of the Supreme Court. It reads:
“The judgement of the court a quo be and is hereby confirmed, save for the deletion of paragraphs 4 and 5 of the operative order”
This order looks innocent and people enjoyed the first part and never bothered to read on what the SC deleted. You are one of them Dr. Order 4 was deleted entirely, no part of it was left.
Let’s have it here “The 1st Respondent be and is hereby ordered to hold an Extra Ordinary Congress after the lapse of at least one month after date of this order.” Take note that
a) The 1st Respondent was MDC who is a person on its own. By deleting the order it means MDC was relieved of HOLDING an EOC.
b) It’s only the High Court that had used the words HOLD AN EXTRA ORDINARY CONGRESS. If you check well the Supreme Court after deleting the HC order 4 it never used that word again. You can safely say the Supreme Court deleted the order directed to MDC to Hold an EOC. MDC is not obliged at all to hold that EOC because the same court ruled the case moot.
c) What the Court ordered Khupe and Komichi was to CONVENE an EOC first in three months for Khupe or 4 months for Komichi. Convening is never the final. All what these two were ordered is to write notices to delegates inviting them to come and elect a president. Finish. That is an agenda item that can be rejected by delegates and they can say we have already elected a new president.
No court order ever ruled on what people voted for in Gweru. We still wait to see where it says Bulawayo MDC T Congress was cancelled and Gweru MDC congress was cancelled. Delegates may come or fail to come that is no longer Khupe or Komichi’s responsibility. He would have done his duty of convening. If they want to elect or not is still their choice because all what convenor does is bring item on agenda. Already we know it’s debatable .
Some say we held congress and some say it was not. The test is on numbers of correct delegates. The agenda is electing the president which means all posts are covered. Like what you rightfully said the mandate of Komichi and Mwonzora are long expired they cannot represent MDC any more.
As it stands these people did announce that 31 July was the date of EOC. That was enough of what the court had ordered them. Calling for a meeting. Finish. If it fails to happen because of Covid or any other reason like no quorum it’s another story. The only thing Komichi could have approached the court for and give as an excuse is that which stops him to convene not that which stops the holding of an EOC.
The Convening of EOC and holding of EOC are different. The judgement was given during Corona. His notice was given during Corona and if it fails to happen it’s no longer his responsibility.
For avoidance of doubt these goons were sold a dummy. Without MDC you cannot hold a Congress for MDC however you can convene it and if all true delegates come as invited then you can safely say MDC held an EOC. This must show all those that were told of 2014 structures that it’s all lie. As it stands, if MDC is to hold Congress it will be in 2024. The one held in Gweru was never challenged. Actually it is the reason why the SC ruled the case moot.
FORMER Dynamos forward, Simon Chuma, says the Glamour Boys are now being run like a spaza shop (tuckshop) and have lost their way terribly.
Chuma, who celebrated his 50th birthday last week, said playing for DeMbare used to be a privilege and an honour.
He remembers the first time he made it to senior team.
He won four league titles with DeMbare.
But, he says, the club are now barely recognisable as the giants who used to rule local football.
“Things have really changed at Dynamos now, compared to our time,’’ said Chuma.
“Almost every player wanted to play for Dynamos, the club was the pride of Zimbabwe.’’
They had strong development structures, from where Chuma, and the likes of Memory Mucherahowa, Vitalis Takawira, Chamu Musanhu, Hope Chihota and Tichaona Diya, graduated to the senior team.
“No one is perfect, but the system was so organised, from the juniors up to the senior team,’’ said Chuma.
“There were sound structures and technical teams which knew the system well.
“Even from the juniors, we were taught how the senior team operates, therefore, it was simple to go into the senior team, straight from the juniors.
“Now, the team has no junior structures and is being operated like a tuck-shop. It now depends on buying players, instead of grooming their own,” said Chuma.
A proud product of the Dynamos juniors, Chuma started playing football at a young age in Gweru, before his family relocated to Marondera. In 1985 when he was 15 years old, he joined the Dynamos juniors that were coached by Daniel “Dididi” Ncube, David George and Kuda Muchemeyi.
Club legend Moses Chunga, who made waves in Belgium, was his biggest inspiration.
“At Dynamos juniors I teamed up with the likes of Tawurayi and Nyaro Mangwiro, Memory Mucherahowa, Cobert Chimedza, Alois Godzi, Vitalis Takawira, Lloyd Mutasa, Twoboy Chiku, Kachubwa Rosi, Charlton Katsvere, Chamu Musanhu, Hope Chihota, Earnest Chigama, Gari Mukangairwa, Tichaona Diya, Luis Kutinyu just to mention a few.
“As juniors we were always playing before big crowds as curtain raisers, so we always watched the senior team playing most of the home games. I was inspired by Moses Chunga. I used to enjoy watching him play.”
Chuma won the Dynamos Junior Player of the Year Award, on several occasions and, in 1992, he was rewarded with a month-long attachment at former English Premier League side Coventry City.
He believes the coaches of that era should be given respect because they always gave young players the chance to showcase their talents.
“My biggest inspiration came when Memory Mucherahowa got promoted from the juniors to the first team,’’ he said.
“That’s when I became serious about playing football at a higher level.
“In fact, all junior players that time realised that they all had chances to play in the first team.
“Besides, we were coached by experienced coaches, who believed in promoting the youth.
“I also got promoted to train with the first team in 1988. I played for the reserve side before I was drafted into the first team in 1989.
“It was like a dream to wear the blue jersey of the first team.’’
Chuma said the team always targeted winning major trophies.
“At Dynamos, my biggest memories were winning trophies, and representing Zimbabwe, in the African Champions League,’’ he said.
“We won a lot of trophies locally. But, my lowest point was when I got a nasty injury which prematurely ended my career when I was only aged 26.
“I believe my best decision in life was to choose to play for the Dynamos juniors.
“This was a stepping stone for my career. In 1991, I was chosen as the best young player at Dynamos, and was given an opportunity for an attachment at Coventry City in the UK, together with Benjamin Nkonjera of Highlanders.’’
Since he officially retired in 2000, Chuma has had stints with Dynamos as juniors’ coach.
He has also been roped in as assistant coach of the senior team.
The CAF B Coaching Licence holder briefly coached junior teams in China and came back just after the Covid-19 outbreak.
But, he said, his heart bleeds when he sees Dynamos having to fight for survival.
Only last week CAF unwittingly turned back the hands of time when they posted a DeMbare line-up, with three other teams, under the caption: “Which is the GOAT club wearing blue on the continent?”
Dynamos may not be the best, among the lot, but they are known in CAF corridors for reaching the final of the Champions League in 1998.
They also hold the record of winning 21 domestic league titles.
“For the team to go back to the top, they need juniors and they must be coached by qualified coaches who understand modern football,’’ he said.
“As long as they continue buying new players, every season, I believe that is a short-term measure which does not address the root of the problem.
“A permanent solution is to create your own source of players, through a strong junior policy.
“In fact, all Premier Soccer League clubs must be forced to have junior teams playing in a competitive League.’’
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema has said that no school will be allowed to increase school fees without his approval.
This comes after schools have been urged to be considerate in their proposals for new fees ahead of the reopening of schools from Monday.
“Schools know the procedure. They have either a school development committee or boards of governors that should have a meeting with parents first, and the ministry would like to see the minutes.
“No school will increase fees without me or the permanent secretary knowing.”
Many public schools are charging around $30 000 for boarding, while day schools are looking at pegging levies from $1 000 to $7 000, depending on level and type of school.
Levies for boarding schools range from $21 000 to $35 000, levies for day primary from $1 000 to $3 000 and levies for day secondary from $3 000 to $7 000.
National Association of Secondary Heads president Mr Arthur Maphosa told state media that while there was a strong case for schools to increase fees to remain viable, the hikes should be reasonable.
“The biggest challenge is that the increase in fees is not at par with the increase in most parents’ salaries,” said Mr Maphosa. “It is, however, difficult to come up with a blanket figure because the increases will depend on the size of the school but like I said, we need to be sensitive to the plight of parents.
“There is a process that is followed when increasing fees,” said Mr Maphosa.
Heads were told to present budgets to parents to justify the charges, and a number of schools have already submitted applications and should receive authority from provincial education directors soon.
President Mnangagwa who himself is accused of several politically motivated murders and abductions yesterday condemned the killing of children for ritual purposes, saying the Government was concerned with all forms of threats and abuse to children and vowed to end violence against them.
The condemnation comes in the wake of the murder of a seven-year-old Murehwa boy, Tapiwa Makore, last week for ritual purposes, allegedly by a herder.
While it is noble for Mnangagwa to condemn the killings of innocent children the President himself has a history of killing which taints his otherwise noble call. Zimbabweans have through the years called on Mnangagwa to speak to the murders attributed to his authority and call for an end to the wanton killing of citizens for political purposes as he has done on the killing of children for ritual purposes.
“I am disturbed by the loss of young children as a result of heinous and evil actions for rituals and witchcraft purposes. These cold-hearted acts of murder have no place in our country.
“The stakeholders in our criminal justice system must speedily and strongly deal with perpetrators so that this evil trend is expunged from our society,” said Mnangagwa during a virtual Junior Cabinet meeting at State House on Friday.
While Mnangagwa was Minister of State for National Security, the 5th Brigade of the Zimbabwe National Army killed thousands of civilians in the Matabeleland region. These massacres, known as the Gukurahundi, lasted from 1983 to 1987, and resulted in an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 deaths.
More recently military officials – many behind his rise to power – have been accused of benefiting from the rich Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe, with reports of killings and human rights abuses there.
His ruthlessness, which it could be argued he learnt from his Rhodesian torturers, is said to have been seen again in 2008 when he reportedly masterminded Zanu-PF’s response to former President late Robert Mugabe losing the first round of the presidential election to long-time rival the late Morgan Tsvangirai.
The military and state security organisations unleashed a campaign of violence against opposition supporters, leaving hundreds dead and forcing thousands from their homes. Tsvangirai then pulled out of the second round and Mugabe was re-elected in a one man race.
On August 1 2018, the Zimbabwean army shot at protestors killing at least twelve and injuring many others. The government of Mnangagwa again denied involvement. A commission headed by Mohlante found the army responsible for the killings. The commission made recommendations and all were ignored by Mnangagwa’s military government. None of the recommendations were carried out.
In January 2019, more protestors were killed by the same army in cold blood. Scores of women were raped, some in front family members. A brazen Mnangagwa, would later demand to see graves of those killed and the women raped should come to him that he can believe that such atrocities took place at the hands of the army he directs. Many Zimbabweans were shocked and hurt by such reckless statements from a heartless president.
Tapiwa Makore was looking forward to resuming classes on November 9, and rejoining his peers at Nyamutumbu Primary School in Murehwa after a six-month hiatus.
Like millions of other pupils across the country, particularly his Grade One fellows, he was raring to go as the phased reopening of schools, which comes into effect on Monday, puts an end to their daily routine of playing house, horseplay and hopscotch, in-between errands as may be assigned by their parents.
The seven-year-old Tapiwa was his parents’ gift from God as was reflected in his name. With school lessons temporarily shelved owing to Covid-19, the bubbly boy, like the gift he was, often helped out his mother in tending to their vegetable garden.
In the morning of Thursday September 17, as she has always done, Tapiwa’s mother prepared food for him and set him off on the excursion to keep stray livestock away from their vegetable patch.
She and her husband were set to relieve him later in the afternoon.
However, fate had decided otherwise. It was set in the stars that they would never see their beloved son alive again, neither were they to bury him intact.
Unbeknown to them, the Makore family had set in motion a chain of events that would leave the serene community of Makore Village in Chief Mangwende’s domain of Murehwa District, dumbfounded, distressed and in deep mourning as a dark cloud of both grief and fear engulfed them.
Tapiwa’s story reads like a horror movie where death is traded with such abandon that the grisly ceases to be abnormal with the Grim Reaper, in his dark shrouds, hooded robe and scythe daring the living as they dare each other.
Bereft of words, the community fretfully tries to come to terms with what could have befallen their child; for in African societies, a child belongs to all. No one knows what he went through, and how the Grim Reaper tore through his fragile heart to “reap” his soul. All else pointed to ritual murder.
When Tapiwa’s parents got to the garden around 3pm, where they expected to see him as usual, they were confronted by his “last meal”, untouched, and his pair of shoes. Their boy was nowhere to be seen.
The parents’ enquiries on the whereabouts of their cherished son from other children, who were also keeping watch over their gardens revealed that Tapiwa had last been seen swimming in a pond close-by.
A visit to the pond, however, did not yield any result. Suddenly an air of fear filled them as they alerted other villagers of the missing boy, resulting in an immediate search of the area.
Nonetheless, the search, which was immediately conducted into the wee hours of the night and the morrow, yielded nothing; except more pain, anxiety and regret. By then, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) had joined in the search.
The following day, Friday September 18, villagers reported that a neighbour had woken up to an enigmatic sight in his yard. He discovered his dog and puppies feasting on human organs. The body had its head, neck, both legs and arms hacked off.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said of the discovery then:
“The body of the boy was later discovered on September18, 2020, being eaten by dogs with the head, arms and legs chopped off for suspected ritual purposes.”
With the police leaving no stone unturned, one of the suspects, Tafadzwa Shamba was nabbed on kidnap and murder charges, while his two alleged accomplices are still at large.
Shamba, a herdsman in the same village with the Makores, and his co-conspirators ostensibly allegedly waylaid the boy from his family’s garden, took him to a mountain and detained him for the entire day.
The herdsman was promised US$1 500 for his part in the kidnap and subsequent gruesome murder.
However, before the envisaged windfall, Shamba’s luck ran out, as the blood-stained clothes he wore on the day he allegedly committed the crime betrayed him.
Naturally, the discovery of Tapiwa’s dismembered body, and one of the suspects’ subsequent arrest would have put closure to the sad story, as some questions could have been answered.
That was not to be. More human body parts were found strewn all over the place including a skull. However, this turned out not to be Tapiwa’s. This discovery with all the trappings of the macabre, led to more questions than answers.
Could there be a conspiracy to wipe out children from the area for ritual purposes? Has the area’s Grim Reaper made a date with the Makore villagers for a ransom as an appeasement for some ill-informed engagement from the past?
Villagers and the police unearthed more than they could chew. Among the skulls found, was one that looked so old it could not be linked to the victim’s; the other one was still blood-stained, but with the eyes gorged out and missing jawline. The chin and tongue were also missing.
Also discovered were a fire-singed child’s palm, a jaw with seven lower teeth, and other body pieces.
It is not clear how many other children could have met their fate in Tapiwa’s manner, which has left a cold chill running through the villagers’ spines.
Tapiwa’s relatives are convinced that the discovered fresh skull could not be their “son’s”.
Mr Isaac Makore (57), the deceased boy’s granduncle, said the newly discarded skull they chanced on was not his grandnephew’s, but that of a 12-year-old, yet to be identified child’s.
As a result of the uncertainty, Tapiwa is still to find rest, as burial arrangements have been put on hold pending further investigations.
“My grandnephew went missing, and we later discovered his torso with other organs, like the head, hands, and legs missing. We also discovered separate sets of teeth; and two separate skulls, one with lower teeth and the other one with upper teeth but without a tongue.
“Indications are that the other skull belongs to a yet to be identified older child, and not our ‘child’s’, Mr Makore said.
However, the boy’s privates were untouched.
Following Tapiwa’s grisly murder, and the unearthing of more mutilated body parts, villagers are now living in fear of death merchants who could be on the prowl in the area, seeking children’s hearts for ritual purposes.
Tapiwa’s uncle, Mr Simbarashe Makore (38), said it is believed that there could be many children, although not from their area, who could have been killed for ritual purposes, and had their bodies dumped in the proximity of their village.
“We are now living in fear. Our prayer is that the police apprehend the culprits and rid our area of this menace. Who knows, after our children, they may also come for us, their parents. How could someone kill a fellow human being in such cold blood just like that?” he bemoaned.
Ms Easther Makore (52), Tapiwa’s aunt concurred, saying the police should not leave any stone unturned and get to the bottom of the issue as it was mind-boggling that so many human organs could be discovered hard upon her nephew’s demise.
Mr Summer Murwira (78), a nephew to the Makore family, at whose homestead Tapiwa’s dismembered body was found, said it (body) was bloodless when it was discovered.
Another villager weighed in, saying: “I do not think the place the torso was found is where he was murdered, otherwise there would have been blood stains all over. This is a serious matter.
“We now fear for our children. No one even wants to attend to the gardens anymore, or guard them against roaming livestock since the incident occurred.” —
OBERT MPOFU: Those who voted for that promise have the jobs. Why want to be included for what you didn’t contribute towards?
JONATHAN MOYO: Do you have a list of those who voted for your vain promise? Wait. You mean the soldiers who used an Excel Spreadsheet to falsify results of the 2018 presidential election at ZEC head office. Your outrageous tweet proves Mnangagwa’s criminal ZanuPF can’t protect ALL the citizens!
OBERT MPOFU: @ProfJNMoyo are you trying to validate your Excel-gate desktop research print-on-demand booklet? Coming from a veteran political scientist, this is laughable. You would know better we have the address of every ZANU PF supporter on our data-base. We know everyone from the cell.
Your post-November 2017 degeneration from your erstwhile robust scholarship of the 90s benchmarked by ‘Voting for Democracy’ (1992) among other books is a shame to the academia. Sad to see your “Fall from Grace” reproducing you to petty reactionary greviance intellectualism.
@Jamwanda2 diagnosed your current predicament before time: “Big Book minus Social Intelligence”. I have laughed at your “mind of a rat” banter claim about me. How ironic that your elephant-size academic accolades have only landed you in some lonely political oblivion.
JONATHAN MOYO: Hahaha. And you’re the ruling ZanuPF’s secretary general with this rat nonsense? Asambe sibone Mpofu. Oh you also masquerade as today’s Lobengula. Asifuni bumbulu uyazi. And is your PA Ndlovu, the one who wrote your…still with you? He used to consult me when he was writing it!
Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume says council will continue to take appropriate measures to ensure that wetlands are preserved.
Mayor Mafume was speaking during a recent meeting with Harare Wetlands Trust and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
The two parties have been lobbying Council and Government to protect wetlands in the city which are the first port in the city’s water treatment process.
Clr Mafume said deliberate programmes are being put in place to protect wetlands.
“As a council, we will continue taking suitable action in making sure that the remaining wetlands in Harare are protected.
“We understand their importance to this city, especially considering that the city is built top of its water sources,” he said.
He said Council will conduct an audit of the trustees who own golf clubs at some of the wetlands.
Harare Wetlands Trust Coordinator, Julia Pierini, said wetlands are crucial to maintaining water sources hence should be protected at all costs.
“There is need to develop a policy that support the establishment and management of nature reserves on the remaining wetlands.
“We need to protect these wetlands so that they will be restored to their natural state.
“We are suggesting for these wetlands to be used as recreational parks, as this will prevent people from illegally building infrastructure and practising agriculture on the land,” said Julia.
A military plane carrying 28 people crashed in Ukraine on the evening of September 25, killing at least 22 people, according to the country’s State Emergency Service.
The crash of the AN-26 military plane was in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
“According to the airfield’s air traffic control, there were 28 people on board. The bodies of the 22 victims have been found. Two people were injured. Four are being searched for,” the State Emergency Service said on its Telegram channel.
Rescue teams have been working at the scene.
Air force pilots and cadets were on the plane, the Interior Ministry said in a separate statement.
Former ZANU PF official Shadreck Mashayamombe has said that he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Posting on Twitter, Mashayamombe advised young men and women to regularly go for cancer screening. He said:
“SAD to tell you that I have been diagnosed with COLON CANCER. I advise all young men and women to go for routine Colo-rectal Cancer Screening. Pray for me as I battle against this Monster. I am starting a new Journey in my life.”
This comes after the disease recently claimed the life of 34-year-old opposition MDC Alliance political activist Patson Dzamara who was a brother to missing journalist-cum political activist Itai Dzamara.
Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer globally, and the 6th most common in Africa. There has been a gradual temporal increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer in Zimbabwe over the past two decades
The exact cause of colorectal cancer is not known, but certain risk factors are strongly linked to the disease, including diet, tobacco smoking and heavy alcohol use.
Also, people with certain hereditary cancer syndromes or a family history of colorectal cancer have a high risk of developing the disease.
THREE men crashed their employer’s kombi into a precast wall while fleeing from a crime scene after allegedly breaking into a bottle store in Bulawayo’s Matsheumhlope suburb and stealing an assortment of whisky brands, meat, fish, knives, a wrapping machine and a solar battery regulator among other items.
Knowledge Ndhlovu (28) of Pumula South connived with one Mike Mpofu who is still at large and Webster Muchena who has since died and went on a shop breaking spree targeting bottle stores and butcheries around Bulawayo.
Ndhlovu was arrested following the identification of the trio’s getaway car after it was involved in the accident as they fled, resulting in them abandoning it at the scene.
Ndhlovu and his accomplices allegedly broke into three premises on separate occasions and stole property worth more than $350 000.
Ndhlovu was arrested after a tip-off from the owner of the vehicle which he used to conduct his criminal activities. He is facing three counts of unlawful entry into premises in aggravating circumstances, two of theft and another of unlawful possession of articles for criminal use.
This emerged when Ndhlovu filed an appeal at the Bulawayo High Court challenging the refusal by Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya to release him on bail pending trial. In papers before the court, the State was cited as a respondent.
In his bail statement, Ndhlovu said there were no compelling reasons warranting his continued detention, arguing that he was not a flight risk.
He said the magistrate unjustifiably denied him bail without valid ground. Ndhlovu argued that there were irregularities that resulted in him being denied bail at the lower court.
“The court a quo misdirected itself by concluding that the appellant is a flight risk because the alleged accomplice is still at large. Appellants respectfully submits that the fact that the alleged accomplice is still at large should not be held against him,” argued Ndlovu’s lawyers.
“On the basis of that, appellant submits that his right to bail was erroneously denied and that no threat is posed to administration of justice by admitting him to bail.”
The State, which is being represented by Mr Khumbulani Ndlovu opposed the application arguing that the magistrate’s decision to deny Ndhlovu bail was premised on a strong prima facie case against him.
“The State managed to prove that there were compelling reasons to deny the appellant bail. It is submitted that the decision to deny the appellant bail is not a misdirection or irregularity,” he said.
“It is sound both on the facts and circumstances of the case and at law. Wherefore the respondent prays that the appellant’s appeal against the lower court’s order to refuse him bail be dismissed.”
According to court papers, it was stated that on July 15, Ndhlovu allegedly ganged up with his two accomplices, Mpofu who is still at large and Webster Muchena who is now deceased, and proceeded to White Rock Bottle Store in Matsheumhlope where they forced open a door and stole property.
The accused person and his accomplices were spotted at the scene by a security guard and they sped off using a commuter omnibus registration ADC 8798. While making their getaway, the accused persons crashed the car into a precast wall about 200 metres away from the scene and they dumped the vehicle and fled on foot.
The vehicle was recovered with some of the property and objects used for the crime.
Upon searching the vehicle, police found an angle grinder, a soldering iron, a metal crowbar, a black and yellow respirator, a two-metre long iron bar and a black woollen hat belonging to the accused persons. A follow-up was made through the owner of the vehicle which led to Ndhlovu’s arrest and he implicated his two accomplices and further confessed to have also stolen from Leeside Butchery, East 68 Pub and Grill and a business outlet in Belmont.
Minister Lindiwe Zulu has defended the ANC’s use of a military plane to fly to Zimbabwe, and the relevance of the former liberation movements came under question during a webinar on neighbourly relations.
The ANC did not go to Zimbabwe for “a joyride”, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu told an online seminar organised by the ANC’s OR Tambo School of Leadership on Wednesday night.
“There was no other way that we could have gone there,” she said, seeming irritated by criticism from opposition parties that ANC members had abused state resources.
The criticism of an ANC delegation hitching a ride on an Air Force jet earlier this month to meet their counterparts in Zanu-PF did not specifically arise during the seminar, which was addressed by party stalwart and academic Pallo Jordan and veteran Zimbabwe analyst Ibbo Mandaza, but Zulu commented during the question and answer session.
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Zulu said the ANC’s team had been “mandated by the National Executive Committee” to go, and hinted that, due to the Covid-19 lockdown, it had no other means to get to Harare.
The officials met with Zanu-PF over challenges (most have called it a crisis) in Zimbabwe, but Zulu, with Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, apparently went there primarilyin their official capacity to meet their counterparts over government matters.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked for a report on how it came to be that party officials benefited from a flight paid for by the taxpayer, while the ANC has vowed to pay back the money even as the party’s study group in Parliament found the trip was justified.
“It’s very unfortunate that there is all this drama of the media and statements being made,” Zulu said. “I can tell you right now that we had one of the most open, honest, frank – both ways – meetings, to the point that the secretary-general of Zanu-PF himself [most likely a reference to Obert Mpofu] said this is almost the first meeting we have ever had of this nature where comrades said, ‘Yes we are liberation movements, yes we have been in the trenches, but how relevant are we today as liberation movements? Do we really see the opportunities for us to unite and respond to the needs of our people?’ ”
Mandaza, however, didn’t think so. “Lindiwe is exaggerating the role of the former liberation movements,” he said, “unnecessarily so, especially with regards to Zimbabwe.”
He speculated that it could be a “public relations stunt on her part to make peace with Zanu-PF”.
Following the ANC’s meeting, Zulu has been backtracking from her much more critical stance the month before, when she said there was a “crisis” in Zimbabwe.
Mandaza continued: “She must know, as we all know, Zanu-PF is heavily dented as a party, it is dependent on the military, but most important of all, it is completely naive and self-indulgent on the part of anybody, including herself, to think that Zanu-PF can turn around the fortunes of Zimbabwe.”
Mandaza also commented on the fact that the ANC had failed to meet anybody outside Zanu-PF, as Ramaphosa, in an ANC briefing the week before, had promised the party would, and as his envoys tried to do during their visit the month before.
“I think it is very important in the interests of the national dialogue that South Africa’s mediation must encourage whatever is left of Zanu-PF, whatever is left of the Zimbabwean state, which is in decline, to engage other political parties and civil society in national dialogue” towards resolving the crisis in Zimbabwe, he said.
“Zanu-PF does not resemble in any way a liberation movement, notwithstanding its claims to the contrary. It has lost its soul long ago.”
Mandaza also said that from South Africa’s side, “it is naive to expect that the ANC on its own can resolve the problems that are here and so real in our countries. As former liberation movements we should not indulge in the self-denialism of the kind that was seen in Harare. It is time for introspection like never before.”
He said talks between South Africa and Zimbabwe should also touch on issues such as the trade imbalance, the illicit export of minerals to South Africa – some through elite collusion – and the exodus of skilled workers from Zimbabwe to South Africa.
Jordan, who has kept a low profile after his resignation from leadership positions in 2014 after lying about having a doctorate, was also critical of the ANC’s softly-softly approach towards Zanu-PF, as well as remarks by Zanu-PF officials accusing the ANC of interference.
“You don’t have to be asked to help where your neighbour’s house is on fire. Your neighbour might well say, ‘No, no, no, I can handle this, no need for you to come and help me’, but the neighbour should never interpret the offer to help as an attempt to interfere, and I think, unfortunately, that is the spirit in which the comrades in Zimbabwe have received interventions on the part of the ANC.
“The ANC is not perfect and it doesn’t pretend to be perfect, and I’ll never suggest they are perfect. But I think the spirit in which the ANC delegation came to Zimbabwe was not to interfere in Zimbabwe’s affairs, but as a good neighbour that sees the house on fire and is coming to help.
“And in any case, even when your neighbour says, ‘I can handle this’, it is in your self-interest to help your neighbour to put out the fire, because that fire might spread to your house,” he said.
In the same vein, Jordan said, it was important that the region do something about the insurgency in Mozambique and treat it as an issue that affects the whole region, rather than a national issue.
“In terms of the region, we need to start that framework in which countries act collectively,” he said. “The difficulties we face are far tougher than each country can handle on its own.”
STAKEHOLDERS in the media industry yesterday warned government against threatening media organisations and interfering in editorial policies of independent newspapers as it posed serious danger to Press freedoms and the safety of practitioners.
This came after President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba yesterday launched a barrage of tweets on his handle @Jamwanda2, attacking NewsDay and its editor, Wisdom Mdzungairi, for not reporting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s anti-sanctionas call at the United Nations General Assembly.
Charamba accused NewsDay of pursuing an “anti-Zanu-PF agenda” and threatened unspecified action.
He accused NewsDay of selectively ignoring Ramaphosa’s address and concentrating on the remarks by his International Relations minister Nalade Pandor, who challenged Zanu-PF to be honest about the crisis in the country.
“The dutifully opinionated editor of NewsDay avoids and ignores that address with the frightened care of a 19th Century man avoiding a leper. Instead, the wise Editor foregrounds some errant and non-committal comments by some South African minister who is an appointee of President Ramaphosa,” Charamba tweeted.
“Whatever it is the NewsDay editor is angling for won’t remain disguised for too long. His hostile editorial thrust simply has exceeded journalistic limits. It is now an anti-Zanu-PF, anti-government and anti-country crusade run consistently,” Charamba wrote.
“When a newspaper makes it its duty to play opposition to government of the day, well, it may be time to call it to order and invite it to formalise its chosen and desired role of opposition, but without hiding behind the parapet of the noble profession of journalism.”
He warned of unspecified consequences.
“They do that, they cross the line of professionalism which is their only shield against reactions that may inevitably come by way of consequences. The Constitution does not privilege editors …”
He accused NewsDay of ignoring stories that paint government in good light, including Tuesday’s currency auction that he claims “finds the Zim dollar retaining
its firming path which has been running for three sales in succession”.
But Zimbabwe National Editor’s Forum (Zinef ) national director Njabulo Ncube said the threats on NewsDay and its editor were uncalled for and Mnangagwa must rein in his lieutenants.
“We cannot allow civil servants to abuse journalists. Journalism is a profession. Let civil servants allow journalists to work because what we have noticed is there is lot of interference in the State media and we don’t want that to cascade to private media,” Ncube said.
He said the attack would result in Zanu-PF militia targeting NewsDay journalists.
Media Alliance of Zimbabwe chairperson Tabani Moyo said government officials should not interfere in the operations of media outlets.
“The good thing about Mr Charamba’s threats is that he is not the editor of the paper, so he cannot decide the content that comes out in the paper,” Moyo said.
“We stand firmly behind independent journalism in Zimbabwe as exhibited by NewsDay and encourage its editorial team not to budge to any forces of pressure and continue to abide by its ethical decisions they are taking in breaking stories daily.
“Being attacked by all quarters across the political divide, from Zanu-PF, the MDCs and other parties, it shows that (NewsDay’s) journalism has stood the test of time, so do not lose sleep in the sideshows and bushfires. You are on the correct side of the divide and it is the factual reporting that you are doing. That’s what matters and Zimbabwe is well-informed now because of what you are doing.”
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary-general Foster Dongozi said such threats by Charamba were unacceptable.
“Threats have no place in a country that is engaging the international community,” he said.
Dongozi said what was more worrying was that Charamba’s attacks came days after journalists were attacked by unknown assailants while covering a Press conference in Harare and yet government remained silent.
Observers said government should leave media houses to carry out their mandate as their call was to hold the Executive to account and the behaviour by Charamba was a threat to the independence of the media.
EXILED former Zanu PF national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere has advised MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa against perennially resorting to the courts to settle political problems rocking the opposition party, but to take the game back to the people.
In a virtual interview with Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE) director Zenzele Ndebele yesterday, Kasukuwere accused MDC-T president Thokozani Khupe
of grabbing the MDC Alliance using the courts after suffering a massive electoral defeat in 2018.“Politics is about the people and Nelson must take the game back to the people,” Kasukuwere said.
“Let the people make decisions. It is about the people voting and the verdict will come from the people.
“If they are to go to the by-elections and a determination is made by the people, it will make all those making those decisions think twice. As it stands, the people’s will and the people’s decision is being undermined on a daily basis.”
Khupe contested the 2018 elections under the MDC-T banner and garnered a paltry 45 000 votes against Chamisa’s over two million.
“Did people vote for Khupe? The answer is no, and for Khupe, to walk in and say I am now the president of this party, MDC Alliance, I think at a personal level, I wouldn’t take such a position because I know that I wouldn’t get 45 000 votes.”
“I wouldn’t want to take an institution that somebody has built. We all know the game at play and at the end of the day, do you get the best results out of the courts or it is a political game?” Kasukuwere said
Chamisa has accused Zanu PF and the courts of using Khupe in plotting his downfall.
This was after his party was left in chaos following a Supreme Court ruling in March that declared him an illegitimate leader of the opposition party.
Khupe, ruled the interim president, has recalled 84 councillors voted for under Chamisa as well as 21 MPs, apart from grabbing the party’s Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House and recently the name MDC Alliance.
Former Information Technology minister Supa Mandiwanzira was acquitted on a charge of criminal abuse of office on Friday, more than two years after his arrest.
The Nyanga South MP had been charged with “unprocedurally seconding” his personal assistant Tawanda Chinembiri – a government employee at deputy director level – to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) board without following due process.
Prosecutors had charged that Chinembiri was not an employee of the government, but Mandiwanzira’s team always contended that he was, and accused prosecutors of bringing him to court on a false premise.
Harare magistrate Esthere Chivasa acquitted Manziwanzira on Friday after prosecutors admitted their charge was incompetent.
Prosecutor George Manokore said he took over the case mid-flight and even as he realised that the charge needed amending, he never got round to doing so.
“Having taken over the matter from a different team, we went through the state papers as was directed by the court but we believe that we underestimated the issues which we were supposed to deal with before we prepared the charge sheet,” Makonore said.
“As the state, we have no problem with the accused person being removed from remand.”
Mandiwanzira was arrested in 2018 on two charges. He was acquitted by Justice Nicholas Mathonsi at the Harare High Court last year on a charge of criminal abuse of office over a NetOne audit contract awarded to Megawatt Energy (Private) Limited without going to tender.
Megawatt unearthed overpricing of equipment by bought by NetOne by US$100 million. At least US$30 million of that money was recovered, and Justice Mathonsi ruled that Mandiwanzira had saved NetOne money, and not prejudiced it.
Mandiwanzira’s lawyer Fungai Chimwamurombe said Mandiwanzira should never have been arrested.
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has called dupon an Independent inquiry into matters surrounding the incarceration of MDC leader Joana Mamombe.
A Harare court remanded the legislator for Harare West Joana Mamombe in custody for two weeks for her to be examined by two government doctors after the State said that it suspects her of faking mental illness to avoid trial. Magistrate Bianca Makwande said Mamombe has to be examined by doctors as the court cannot independently assess her mentality.
Said Chamisa, “The unlawful detention &sending to Chikurubi maximum prison of Youth leader &MP Hon Mamombe is another new low, a classic case of continuing victimization. It is clear that the State which is implicated in this case can not deliver justice. We demand an INDEPENDENT INQUIRY! This continued persecution of these emblems of change is a direct threat to democratic tenets and freedom. Oppressors fear the power of the future that the young women represent. We stand with the young & fearless. We fight for their right to dignity, freedom and justice.
“The MDC trio represent what Zimbabwe could be if we made room for the NEW. They are women of courage and conviction. The trio &all young pple are the embodiment of a New Zimbabwe we can create in which young women can freely participate in political activity and nation building.”
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has called dupon an Independent inquiry into matters surrounding the incarceration of MDC leader Joana Mamombe.
A Harare court remanded the legislator for Harare West Joana Mamombe in custody for two weeks for her to be examined by two government doctors after the State said that it suspects her of faking mental illness to avoid trial. Magistrate Bianca Makwande said Mamombe has to be examined by doctors as the court cannot independently assess her mentality.
Said Chamisa, “The unlawful detention &sending to Chikurubi maximum prison of Youth leader &MP Hon Mamombe is another new low, a classic case of continuing victimization. It is clear that the State which is implicated in this case can not deliver justice. We demand an INDEPENDENT INQUIRY! This continued persecution of these emblems of change is a direct threat to democratic tenets and freedom. Oppressors fear the power of the future that the young women represent. We stand with the young & fearless. We fight for their right to dignity, freedom and justice.
“The MDC trio represent what Zimbabwe could be if we made room for the NEW. They are women of courage and conviction. The trio &all young pple are the embodiment of a New Zimbabwe we can create in which young women can freely participate in political activity and nation building.”
Bayern Munich beat Sevilla 2-1 after extra time on Thursday to lift the UEFA Super Cup and complete a quadruple under coach Hansi Flick, in the first European game played with some fans in the stands since the sport returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Substitute Javi Martinez headed in the winner in the 104th minute after Europa League winners Sevilla had taken a 13th-minute lead through Lucas Ocampos’s penalty and Bayern levelled through Leon Goretzka in the 34th.
The Bavarians, unbeaten now in 32 consecutive matches and winners of the domestic double as well as the Champions League, missed more than half a dozen clear scoring chances.
Yet it was Bayern keeper Neuer who kept them in the game when he twice denied Youssef En-Nesyri with superb saves before Martinez benefited from being given too much space to head in on the rebound.
Some 15,000 fans were seated in Budapest’s Puskas Arena with the game seen as a test event for the gradual return of fans to European games.-The Independent
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday called for the lifting of “illegal economic sanctions” imposed by the West on his nation, and appealed to the United Nations to help bring an end to them, saying they are seriously affecting the country’s development.
“These are a breach of international law and compromise Zimbabwe’s capacity to implement and achieve Sustainable Development (Goals) especially SDGs 2, 3, 8, 9 and 17,” said Mnangagwa, referring to the global commitment to end hunger, improve health and well-being, create jobs, develop industry, innovation and infrastructure, as well as build partnerships.
In a pre-recorded speech delivered virtually to the 75th United Nations General Assembly due to the global coronavirus pandemic that has restricted public gatherings, Mnangagwa said like other nations, COVID-19 has had an adverse effect on Zimbabwe, which have been compounded by the sanctions.
“Like other nations in the region, we are facing humanitarian challenges which in our case have been worsened by the illegal sanctions, the negative impact of climate change and compounded by the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic,” said Mnangagwa in his 14-minute speech.
Zimbabwe has registered just under 8,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 226 deaths. In March, the government took measures to contain the spread of the virus but imposing several statutory instruments to allow for lockdown and other restrictive measures. During this time, nurses and many health care professionals went on strike for close to five months, citing poor working conditions, including shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) such as masks and gloves, as well poor salaries.
Mnangagwa, however, assured the Assembly that Zimbabwe is closely following the World Health Organization’s recommendations on containing the spread of the virus, and providing adequately for its citizens, health institutions and its health workers and facility health care and protective clothing.
“Let me assure you that Zimbabwe continues to implement measures to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Over and above instituting phased lockdowns following World Health Organization guidelines, my Government has also provided ZWL$18 billion (approximately US$720 million) economic stimulus package.”
Despite the impact of sanctions and COVID-19, Mnangagwa however said his country has registered “notable achievements” toward reaching the SDG, as far as improving the lives of its citizens.
“Our macro-economic stabilization reforms have seen the reduction of our budget deficit to a single digit, as well as a positive balance of our current account, coupled with foreign exchange rate and price stability.
Many economists have, however, disputed the government’s account of stabilization or ease of doing business, saying, with year on year inflation as recorded by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe at close to 800% and cost of living continuing to increase, the country is far from showing signs of improvement.
Political and economic commentator, Nokuthula Adonsi, says, “It is surprising that the government is saying all this yet it can’t raise money to compensate white commercial farmers whose land was seized by the government. At the same time, people are living from hand to mouth in a country where it is difficult to set up businesses due to stringent regulations.”
Sticking to his government’s position that there is no crisis in the country, despite the outcry by human rights groups of violations of citizens civil rights as demonstrated by the mass arrests of journalists, opposition members and activists, Mnangagwa told the General Assembly that Zimbabwe is respecting the constitution and the rule of law.
He also said Zimbabwe is respecting property rights, referring to the government’s recent pledge to compensate white farmers stripped of their land, $US3.5 billion.
“It is in this spirit and in line with our Constitution that in July this year, my Government concluded the landmark Global Compensation Deed, with former farm owners.”
Dismissing accusations from opposition parties like the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa of stifling democratic space and not fostering an environment of peace and unity through dialogue, Mnangagwa, who recently entertained two delegations from South Africa sent to investigate reports of various violations in the country, said his government has accommodated all voices.
“The culture of dialogue across all sectors is taking root, with activities and programmes under the auspices of our homegrown Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), gaining momentum.”
On gender, Mnangagwa said in keeping with the Beijing Declaration of 1995 and the upcoming anniversary on October 1st, his government has ensured the advancement of women in his country.
“These include the adoption of a gender-responsive Constitution, establishment of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, enactment of several pieces of legislation to outlaw all practices that infringe on the rights of women and girls, such as forced and child marriages and discrimination against women in inheritance matters,” said Mnangagwa, adding that his government had also ensured access to capital for women through the establishment of the Women’s Bank.
Moving on to issues outside his country, Mnangagwa picked up from his predecessor, former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, called for an end to the occupation of Western Sahara, and also for the inclusion of Africa in the UN Security Council.
“We cannot continue with a situation where over 16% of the world’s population does not have a voice in decision making. This is a serious indictment to our avowed commitment to multilateralism and the basic principles of natural justice, fairness and equity.”
This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the ongoing sessions which end Saturday, are taking place under the theme, “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitments to multilateralism-confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action.”
ROGUE law enforcement agents operating at Chiadzwa diamond fields are being used as couriers to transport stolen diamonds from the area, with two Mutare Central District senior police officers recently arrested over the illegal activities.
Illegal diamond syndicates have allegedly enlisted the services of rogue cops to transport the loot through roadblocks to circumvent tight security check points at the diamond mining area.
A source close to the dealings said the cops involved have amassed great wealth overnight, with some of them buying houses and posh vehicles from the proceeds of the illegal activities.
The Manica Post understands that last week’s arrest of two senior detectives who are attached to the Minerals, Fauna and Flora Unit is just a tip of an iceberg of the illegal enterprise going on at Chiadzwa. Joseph Mlambo, an Assistant Inspector; and Felix Machaka, an Inspector who is also Officer-In-Charge of the Minerals, Fauna and Flora Unit, have since been hauled before Mutare magistrate, Ms Prisca Manhivi, on charges of possessing precious stones, resisting arrest and trying to obstruct the course of justice.
Machaka was granted $6 000 bail for trying to obstruct the course of justice, while Mlambo was granted a total of $16 000 for dealing in diamonds and resisting arrest.
Prosecuting, Mrs Tawananyasha Muuya said on May 29 at around 5am, Detective Constable Chidhakwa was informed that some diamonds were being smuggled from Chiadzwa.
“Detective Constable Chidhakwa teamed up with two other police officers and proceeded to the Hotsprings-Chiadzwa Road. The three detectives set up a roadblock.
“At around 7.30am, a truck approached the roadblock. Mlambo was seated on the front passenger seat while Tafadzwa Mafukidze was driving.
“Detective Constable Chidhakwa signalled Mafukidze to stop the car and he compiled. However, Mlambo disembarked from the vehicle and charged towards Detective Constable Chidhakwa, instructing him to allow them to proceed,” said Mrs Muuya.
“With Detective Constable Chidhakwa indicating that he wanted to search the vehicle, Mlambo allegedly threatened to beat him up.
“A fight broke out between the two until one of Detective Constable Chidhakwa’s colleagues intervened and managed to subdue Mlambo. Magune then proceeded to search the vehicle. He recovered 12 pieces of diamonds from Mlambo’s dust coat pocket,” she said.
After the discovery of the diamonds, the two suspects pleaded with the police detectives to talk over the issue without going to the police station.
However, the arresting team called Machaka and briefed him on the development. Machaka rushed to the scene and instructed Detective Constable Chidhakwa and his colleagues to proceed to the station with the diamonds. He said he would bring the suspects.
However, it is the State’s case that Machaka released the accused persons without taking them to court.-The Manica Post
One can’t fight the MDC Alliance and claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy.
For the Alliance will always remain the man’s legacy….
Luke-ING the Beast in the Eye
Friday, 25 September 2020
Morgan Tsvangirai must be turning in his grave
By Luke Tamborinyoka
Morgan Tsvangirai, the late icon of Zimbabwe’s tenuous democratic struggle, is a man I knew so well, having served as his spokesperson and trusted lieutenant for almost a decade until his untimely death in February 2018.
This is the man whose legacy of a broad front as represented by the MDC Alliance is enduring savage attacks from the regime and its hired mercenaries.indeed, the MDC Alliance is Tsvangirai’s rich legacy that Zanu PF and its surrogates are desperately trying to decimate in a systematic way. Thank God, the big idea remains standing, despite the vicious body blows. Since the biblical days of Judas Iscariot, we have always known what 30 pieces of silver can do to cheap and treacherous minds.
I knew Morgan so well since the days of my other life as a journalist. And for 10 years I was not just his spokesperson, for it was him who personally directed that I double as the party’s Director of Communications as well, a position that had always traditionally been a separate office held by a different individual.
Even when he appointed me as his spokesperson when he served as Prime Minister of the land, he made me hold the position of Principal Director of Communications as well, a position that had previously been separate from that of the spokesperson. This meant that upon my appointment, he entrusted me with the conflated and conjoined roles of Principal Director of Communications and spokesperson to the Prime Minister.
Such was his faith in my aptitude.
Morgan Tsvangirai, the icon, had the humility to arrive, unannounced, at my rural home at Tamborenyoka village in Shumba ward 3 in Domboshava to pay his last respects upon the death of my late paternal grandmother, Martha Tamborinyoka Gombera, when she succumbed to gastric cancer in May 2014.
We travelled the world together with Morgan: London, Canberra, Lisbon, Rabat, Amsterdam, Washington, Berlin, Madrid, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris, Pretoria, Blantyre, Lusaka, Cairo, Maputo, Windhoek, Luanda and many other World capitals on political business. I was with him in these capitals when he patriotically represented his country and charmed the world as he passionately spoke about the democratic cause in Zimbabwe. In the almost 10 years that I served him, we also traversed the whole country together; from Chirundu to Limpopo, from Msampakaruma to Mandidzudzure and from Mt Darwin to Victoria Falls.
Apart from the conjoined and dual roles that he often gave me, he would also entrust me even with commenting on personal issues such as his amorous scandals that would ordinarily be handled by a family spokesperson, as he did in 2012 when he was deemed to have married one Lorcadia Karimatsenga Tembo. After intense confidential briefings on the intimate details of what had transpired and his personal view on the specific matter, he directed his family members to defer all press questions to me.
The trust he often bestowed on me was humbling. And may be that is why he expressed utmost shock early in February 2018 when he heard, while detained in an infirmary in South Africa, that some members of his family led by by a coterie of the usual suspects in the party had unprocedurally directed that I cease my role as his spokesperson.
” _Nhai_ Luke, when you became my spokesperson, where you employed by my family?” he asked in a low voice over the phone from his hospital bed in South Africa, assuring me that his family, which I have always respected, had never been my employer and that I should remain unperturbed and continue doing my job as usual.
He intimated to me that apart from his wife and other family members, he had instructed hospital staff to keep me in the loop should anything happen to him. And that is why at 1733 hrs, the hospital authorities apprised me of his death when he succumbed to cancer on 14 February 2020 .
Such was my special relationship to this man; the man who paid almost US$60 000 of his own money to meet my medical bill when I was involved in a near-fatal car accident in the early hours of Sunday, 4 November 2012.
He even cut short his honeymoon to flew back home and visited me in hospital to check how I was faring following my near-demise.
Such was my special relationship to this man.
This context of our mutual trust and Tsvangirai’s ceaseless faith in my aptitude is important for this treatise. I presume that this context gives me sufficient _locus_ _standi_ __to_ state unequivocally that this Morgan Tsvangirai that I knew so well is turning and twisting in his grave at how his legacy is being severely eroded and undermined by this motley cabal of Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi and Mudzuri under the pretence that they are protecting it.
The MDC Alliance is an integral part of Tsvangirai’ rich legacy and I had a ringside seat when the history around its formation was unfolding. For one and a half months, beginning February 2017, we traversed the whole country together as he engaged and consulted a diverse spectrum of Zimbabweans within and without the party. Tsvangirai believed in mass-line politics and that explained his enduring traction and political capital. He was never one to make a decision without consulting the people and during that national tour, we spoke to party members, traditional leaders, students, civil servants and ordinary Zimbabweans outside the party.
Throughout the country during our one-and-a-half months of consultation away from home, the people clearly told us that the only prudent way forward was for Tsvangirai himself to lead a broad front in his fight against Zanu PF. It was during that tour, while in Binga, that I learnt that _kujatana__ is the Tonga word for unity or working together. After the intensive consultations, the two of us sat together for a whole evening in March 2017 writing a public message to the people of Zimbabwe that was aptly titled *I* *Heard* **You* . The statement was his assurance to Zimbabweans that he had heard them. The need for unity had rung out loud throughout the nationwide tour and that was how the unity under the MDC Alliance banner was borne. The rest, as they say, is history.
This simply means therefore that one cannot fight and undermine the MDC Alliance, as the surrogates are doing, and still claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy. The MDC Alliance against which the cabal is engaged in mortal combat, is a unique testament of Tsvangirai’s rich legacy. It represents the broad front that Zimbabweans clamoured for during intensive nationwide consultations.
The Tsvangirai I know is twisting and turning in his grave that these surrogates are fighting the people’s great idea and in the process undermining his legacy. And it’s not helping matters that these surrogates are fronting a formation that bears his initial (MDC-T) and are headquartered in a building that we befittingly named after him! This means they they are unwittingly making his great name an accomplice to their treachery and quisling politics.
Worse still, they are consorting and comporting with Zanu PF, the party that the great Tsvangirai tenaciously fought until his death. The same party that arrested and brutalised him his entire adult life.
Tsvangirai was a man who spent a huge chunk of his adult life fighting Zanu PF repression, corruption and unbridled culture of avarice and entitlement. He fought so hard all his life to establish democracy in the country of his birth. He defeated Robert Mugabe in the 2008 election but had his victory violently stolen from him. He was charged with treason in 2004 and was was almost killed through the savage attacks inside Machipisa police station. And we have every reason to believe that Zanu PF had a hand in the cancer attack that killed him. .
But thanks to the treacherous politics of Khupe, Mwonzora and others, the same Zanu PF has now established a second headquarters in a building called Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House!
The surrogates have never uttered a word against Mnangagwa and Zanu PF. Their business is always Nelson Chamisa, the MDC Alliance and its deployees to Parliament and the various local authorities. They are an opposition whose business is to fight another opposition party. Indeed, an opposition created to decimate and annihilate a Tsvangirai legacy called the MDC Alliance.
And they do this from a building named after the very man whose legacy they purport to be protecting. As they would say in the Nigerian movie industry of Nollywood: _it’s_ _an_ _abomination_ !
Morgan is certainly turning in his grave that those falsely fronting and flaunting his name are now comporting with Zanu PF to shred and tear asunder his legacy.
Some of Tsvangirai’s relatives, including some of his children, have now tragically teamed up with this malignant lot in the vain attempt to destroy the MDC Alliance, the very legacy of their own kinsman— their own blood!
Any rational person must ask themselves why soldiers and CIO agents violently took over and donated to these surrogates this iconic building that we befittingly named after Morgan Tsvangirai. Now we hear soldiers and State security agents are not only providing security to these surrogates, but are sitting through the meetings of this political formation that bears the initial of our icon and undermining the man’s legacy from right inside the building that we named after him!
What cheek!
The Tsvangirai I knew is definitely turning in his grave.
Unless if the “T” in their MDC-T refers to Thoko-Zanu or Turncoat, any suggestion that the T refers to Tsvangirai would not only be disingenuous, reprehensible and repugnant, but would represent the highest form of betrayal to this hero of our time.
How does one claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy when they are comporting, cohabiting and doing the bidding for the same party that Tsvangirai stridently opposed all his adult life? Just how does one claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy while at the same time fighting the MDC Alliance, for the MDC Alliance is nothing but Tsvangirai’s enduring legacy as the Alliance Agreement bears his signature. It was not Nelson Chamisa but Morgan Tsvangirai who initiated and signed the Alliance agreement with other principals to bequeath to Zimbabweans a formidable and reunited MDC that would give the people a reason to hope again.
It must be unequivocally stated that all those working with Zanu PF to recall MDC Alliance MPs and councilors are undermining the very Tsvangirai legacy that they falsely purport to be defending. As for Tsvangirai’s relatives who have joined these sellouts, just how do you cohabit with the same people who dragged Tsvangirai to court for appointing two more Vice Presidents but are today claiming to be defending the legacy of the same man they humiliated and whose decisions they contested in court, even posthumously?
But the forthcoming by-elections will expose the ephemeral trait of their surrogate politics. Yet we see them trying to exhume and invoke Tsvangirai’s face as part of their party symbols, in a vain attempt to ressurect their cadaverous politics. They must simply allow this gallant son of our struggle to truly rest in peace. A few months ago, they were at his grave murmuring incantations and invoking his spirt to save them, the very same spirit that they torment every day through their cohabitation with Zanu PF.
The invocation of Tsvangirai’s spirit at the graveside rituals as well as the abuse of the dead man’s face to enhance their political fortunes is the highest depiction of political sorcery in this brave, digital age. First it was Khupe’s surprise turnout to the funeral of a man he had shunned for eight months when he was alive. Then the graveside rituals. If you add her spirited determination to attend _gogo_ Chamisa’s funeral when she had tormented the poor woman to her death by assisting ED’s scorched earth policy against her son, one is astounded by Khupe’s strange affinity for death, funerals and the dead bodies. It’s a macabre, witchly disposition which probably reflects the dead nature of her politics.
Morgan Tsvangirai, this man whose mind I knew so well, is definitely turning in his grave..
And I repeat, you don’t fight the MDC Alliance and claim to be defending Tsvangirai’s legacy.
The Alliance was very much close to his heart. When I was drafting his speech to launch the Alliance, I remember him excitedly telling me to insert the line that underscored the value of working together. He told me to insert the line which said: _Alone_ , _one_ _can_ _go_ _faster_ _but_ _together_ _we_ _go_ _far_ .
Nelson Chamisa was even against the Alliance during its formative stages. As part of his political deftness when he was delegating responsibilities to his deputies, it was the indefatigable Tsvangirai who charmed Chamisa over the cause by appointing him the Vice President responsible for the Alliance, the very same idea he had been against during its formative stages.
I say this to disabuse those who have been misled by this malignant lot into thinking that the MDC Alliance is Chamisa’s legacy and that by undermining the Alliance they are undermining Chamisa, the man they hate with a passion.
Hell No. The MDC Alliance is Morgan Tsvangirai’s legacy and anyone fighting the Alliance is not even undermining Chamisa but the iconic Tsvangirai whose signature stands out so prominently on the Alliance agreement. They are also undermining the people of Zimbabwe who sonorously called for a broad, united front during our countrywide consultations.
We are now hearing a lot of drivel from Thoko-Zanu and Mwonzora who are all now claiming to have been loyal to Morgan Tsvangirai.
But this is the same Thoko who snubbed Tsvangirai’s meetings for eight months as she sulked over the appointment of two more Vice Presidents, only to turn up in Buhera at Tsvangirai’s burial.
In his death, she has suddenly found love for the man she hated with a passion when he walked this earth. For Khupe, way back in 2016, Morgan Tsvangirai had expressed his disquiet to some of us when he learnt that Emmerson Mnangagwa, who doubled as Vice President and Minister of Justice, had used his position as leader of government business in Parliament to arrange a luxury car and a plush house for Khupe, then the the leader of the opposition in Parliament. The conspiracy may have begun back then and the trinkets could point to something deeper than meets the eye. Both were angling to take over from their principals and the plot to kill the MDC could have been hatched then, probably with the agreement that after the death of the MDC, Khupe would then serve beneath Mnangagwa, both literally and figuratively! And Tsvangirai was worried about ED charitable treatment of Khupe. These could be the results. Indeed, the treachery has long been in the oven.
And Douglas is the same man Tsvangirai often branded a chronic and pathological liar. Jameson Timba, Ian Makone, Sessel Zvidzai and Tsvangirai’s own uncle, Innocent Zvaipa can bear testimony to the fact that Morgan Tsvangirai often characterised this self-proclaimed Constitutionalist as the biggest liar of his generation. You can check this out with the four men!
Now that ZEC has told the nation to prepare for by-elections in December, the political interment of these sell-outs of our time is now imminent. Zimbabweans know who and what they voted for in 2018. They will not allow a party whose candidates they defeated to recall their chosen representatives.
It is now public knowledge that Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi and Mudzuri have chosen to bastardise Tsvangirai’s rich legacy as well as his legendary and valiant name. By comporting with the same Zanu PF that Tsvangirai fought all his adult life in the very building that we named after him, while fronting a party that bears his initial, could the highest form of betrayal ever witnessed in history.
This motley has allowed themselves to be a used by Zanu PF. Indeed, Khupe and her sell-out lot are just but marionettes in the hands of a mad puppeteer.
And the puppeteer is Zanu PF.
In the meantime, the gallant son of our time has been betrayed big time and he is violently turning in his grave.
Tsvangirai was always a mass-centric politician. His traction was always without question. And it is public knowledge that Tsvangirai’s side has always been the side of the people. And in the forthcoming by-elections, Tsvangirai’s spirit will certainly vote on the side of the people. The results will show where his true legacy lies.
Now the sell-outs are claiming to be the MDC Alliance, the very party they recalled people for belonging to.
This treacherous lot is behaving like a deranged man who claims he found his wife in bed with a boyfriend. And on the day of the adultery hearing, the same man purports to be the boyfriend.
These charlatans simply cannot get it that one can’t be both the presumed husband and the purported wife snatcher at the same time. And that it is the height of lunacy to claim to be divorcing someone’s spouse.
Put simply, they said they were the the MDC-T and falsely claimed their deployees had joined another party called the MDC Alliance.
Now they are claiming to be the same MDC Alliance for which they purportedly recalled MPs and councillors for joining. Now they are both MDC-T and MDC Alliance at the same time.
How does one claim his wife ran away with another man and then later claim to be the wife snatcher who ran away with his wife? You simply can’t be both.
A woman from Umzingwane District under Chief Sigola’s area and who is also a builder by profession has reversed a common perception that only men beat up women in relationships after she allegedly rained blows on her husband as punishment for stopping her from meeting her boyfriend.
This problem of female-on-male domestic violence which is often trivialised in society was heard at the Esigodini Magistrates’ Court where the victim, Hloniphani Msipa, narrated his ordeal before resident magistrate Nomagugu Sibanda.
Msipa, who was seeking a restraining order against his wife Tafadzwa Moyo, was brave enough to tell the court that he was living a hellish life at the hands of his violent better half.
He stated that in a fit of anger, his wife brutally assaulted him after he stopped her from visiting her boyfriend.
As if the beating was not enough, Msipa said a daring Moyo went on to destroy their matrimonial property before she burnt down their bedroom hut.
“I declare that my wife Tafadzwa Moyo is destroying our matrimonial property and she recently burnt down our homestead. I need the court to strongly warn her against her conduct. She has since gone back to her parents’ homestead and I have done the same due to the fact that we both no longer have a place to call home,” complained Msipa.
He said he once sought help from the police to no avail.
“I engaged the police over the issue about my wife who is not taking any action to account for the damage she caused. Instead of apologising she is now prohibiting me from visiting our homestead because I am willing to do the repairs. I can’t imagine that I am now homeless yet I used to own my own homestead.
“I am living in fear and my efforts to check out on the livestock which we left behind is being hindered by my wife as she is threatening me with unspecified action through a string of text messages. All I want now is a protection order against her so that I live in peace,” begged Msipa.
In response Moyo didn’t refute her husband’s accusations leading the magistrate to grant an order stopping her from beating or threatening her husband as well as not to prevent him from going to their homestead.-B-Metro
Farai Dziva|The MDC Alliance Assembly of Women has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Hon Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe.
In a statement on Friday, MDC Alliance Assembly of Women spokesperson, Barbara Gwangwara Tanyanyiwa described the harassment of Hon Mamombe as barbaric.
See full statement :
The MDC Alliance Assembly of women notes with great concern the continued harassment of the Harare West MP Hon Joana Mamombe by the state.
From the time she was abducted, tortured and sexually abused by the state security together with Cecilua Chimbiri and Netsai Marova, the trio have never been treated justly by the government.
Their abductors are walking freely because they are protected by the state and instead of being treated as victims, they are being accused of faking their abduction, an act which we found to be absurd.
The detention is unlawful and her continued harassment and victimisation is uncalled for.
The corrupt Priscah Mupfumira has been out on bail for the past 9 months after pleading with the Court that she was not mentally fit to stand trial which is the same case with Mary Mubaiwa Chiwenga. The Prosecuters had no problem with that and the magistrate only asked for Mupfumira psychiatrist to testify. So why is Joanna being treated differently from these two women? This discrimination and selective application of law must stop.
We are deeply concerned and worried about these developments and know that they are meant to break us and stop women from actively participating in politics and issues that affect our lives. We are not going to keep quiet but will continue speaking out and expressing ourselves as per our constitution.
We call upon all progressive women and other women’s organisations to unite and denounce this government that violates women’s right. We call upon the government to respect the rights of the women.
*We demand the immediate release of Joana Mamombe and other political prisoners*
The Assembly of women will continue to fight for a people’s government that respects human rights and the dignity of women.
Farai Dziva|The MDC Alliance(Namibia Branch) has described the detention and torture of the party’s Youth Assembly member, Hon Joana Mamombe as totally unacceptable.
The MDC Alliance has also called for widespread protests at the harassment of women and the youth by Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.
Read full statement below:
25 SEPTEMBER 2020
GENUINE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS MUST COORDINATE IMMEDIATE ACTION DEMANDING JUSTICE AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT, TORTURE AND DENIAL OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL SERVICES FOR HON JOANA MAMOMBE, MDC ALLIANCE NAMIBIA FUMES
Mdc Alliance Namibia is infuriated by the perpetual incarceration of Hon Joana Mamombe who has just been remanded in custody for two (2) weeks for her to be examined by two (2) government doctors after the state said it suspects her of faking mental illness to avert trial.
The outspoken legislator has been imprisoned for actively supporting democratic rights that conflict with the views of despots in rogue Zanupf regime.
Ms Joana Mamombe is a prisoner of conscience and we should demand her immediate release from the hell- hole of Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
On 2 March 2019, she was arbitrarily arrested and charged with treason.
It was alleged that she was attempting to subvert a constitutionally elected government led by Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa,after she led a protest on 14 January 2018. On 13 May 2020, she and two other women , Mdc Alliance vibrant Youth Assembly leaders Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova were initially arrested by the police before they were surrendered to masked abductors at Harare Central Police Station.
Two days later, the women were found badly injured and traumatized , by the side of the road sixty miles from Harare.
Given this authoritarian narrative, Mdc Alliance Namibia urges all Social Democrats around the globe to pent-up their outrage forcing Zanupf government to address the longstanding obstruction to justice and constitutionalism for the victims of rape and other sexual abuse perpetrated by Zanupf state security agents.
Instead of allowing the further victimisation, we should coordinate action to assist Hon Joana Mamombe to obtain legal , medical , psychosocial services and political freedom.
We need to gather the much needed varlour , mettle and nerve to compel Zanupf to lift restrictions on freedom of expression and association , and allow civil society, including female human rights defenders, to demonstrate peacefully and engage in public action and discourse.
Furthermore, all genuine revolutionaries must confront the ruthless security forces to halt targeting activists and end all abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence , and hold accountable those perpetrators.
We would like to urgently call for the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) rapporteurs on human rights defenders to escalate their engagement on Zimbabwe, conduct visits to investigate and report on incessant patterns of gross abuse against female activists including sexual violence and the adverse repercussions on their agenda to ensure gender equity in the Motherland.
Moreover, Mdc Alliance Namibia believes that the imprisonment of our youthful leader on spurious charges is an attempt to muffle and then silence her altogether. Lets demand democratic reforms and castigate Zanupf for suffocating voices of dissent in Zimbabwe.
We should remain resolute in our clamour to end arbitrary detentions of all activists and human rights defenders, release those held unlawfully or charge them lawfully according to full due democratic and constitutional processes. Zanupf sadists should be called to order and respect the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.
Moreso, Social democrats must ensure that all victims of sexual violence and physical assault have access to medical care including pyscho-social support.
Hon Joana Mamombe, Cecilia and Netsai need our serious confrontation with Zanupf thugocrats for their liberation.
In a nutshell, Mdc Alliance Namibia shall not be silenced by Zanupf terrorists. We shall continue to audibly call for democratic reform in Zimbabwe. We reject to be bullied by our murderers. Mdc Alliance Namibia advocates for dangerous freedom against thugocracy and maltreatment of women in the alternative government.
ZANUPF WINS MARONDERA MAYORAL ELECTION FOR ITS SURROGATES’ (KHUPE AND CABAL) CANDIDATE, MDC ALLIANCE NAMIBIA ECHOES.
Mdc Alliance Namibia is neither mesmerised nor transfixed by the symbiotic interdependence between corrupt Zanupf and their political surrogates championed by Khupe, Mwonzora,Komichi and unknown Festus Dumbu. This was unearthed when a Zanupf councillor intervened as a tier-breaker resulting in the slim victory of the desperate Mdc-Thokozani party in Marondera on Tuesday. Surely we can’t be delighted to get symphathy from Zanupf.
The Mdc-T previously recalled five Mdc Alliance councillors in the 12-ward council, exploiting the compromised and biased Supreme Court judgement. The People’s Party (Mdc Alliance) had won 11 out 12 wards, with Zanupf’s Joel Mujaranji of ward 12 snatching a single seat for the clueless Zanupf morons. Mayor Chengetai Murowa was ousted by the victims of a psychosocial disability. The mentally retarded Khupe managed to convince only three (3) Mdc Alliance councillors who jumped out of the freedom train to join politically inept and frail outfit reliant on Zanupf sponsorship. They combined with their Zanupf Mujaranji’s secured ward 2 councillor Simbarashe Nyahuye as he beat the defiant and resolute Alliance’s Boniface Tagwirei 4-3.
Furthermore, Mdc Alliance Namibia has the conviction that Khupe and cronies are relying on Zanupf mentorship. This is a fulfilment of their sadist plot to decimate the People’s project led by President Advocate Nelson Chamisa. It is a severe impairment in intellectual ability to doubt that the illegal recalls are a direct instigation from lunatic Zanupf hooligans. As social democrats, we solidly object the satanic attempt to suffocate the will of the people through connivance and elevation of a counterfeit opposition meant to mute genuine revolutionaries.
Moreover, in a virtual meeting undertaken by Mdc Alliance Namibia, the Spokesperson Robson Ruhanya postulates that the recalls are “strident and vociferous hoodwinks” by frustrated Khupe whose pathetic party only won two (2) proportional representation in parliament in 2018 harmonised elections. She just harvested an insignificant 45-000 votes in juxtaposition with President Advocate Nelson Chamisa who resoundingly amassed 2.6 million votes according to our figures and more than 2.1 million votes as per captured Zec’s untruthful announcement. This is distinct incontrovertible evidence of a psychophantic demeanor or conduct in the politicians of plunder and self-enrichment.
Moreso, Mdc Alliance Namibia District Secretary for Elections, E. Macheka declared Khupe and her cabal electoral fraudsters who are unremorsefully riding on the authoritarian and despotic environment anchored by Zanupf dictatorship.
In a nutshell, Mdc Alliance Namibia will remain genuinely and resolutely behind the People’s Party and it’s astute leader. The infuriated Youth Assembly in Rundu led by our organic Chairperson, Misheck Bunga pledged to exploit all the available organs to guard against Zanupf intervention in our politics. He emotionally expressed his outrage and insatiable appetite to defend the party , its vibrant leadership and the objective membership from political hypocrites who intend to hijack the national democratic revolution
Farai Dziva|The relentless persecution of Hon Joana Mamombe indicates that Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is afraid of the power of the future, President Nelson Chamisa has said.
The harassment of women and the youth is a threat to democratic tenets, according to President Chamisa.
“The unlawful detention and sending to Chikurubi maximum prison of Youth leader and MP Hon Mamombe is another new low, a classic case of continuing victimization.
It is clear that the State which is implicated in this case cannot deliver justice. We demand an INDEPENDENT INQUIRY!
This continued persecution of these emblems of change is a direct threat to democratic tenets and freedom,” President Chamisa wrote on Twitter.
” Oppressors fear the power of the future that the young women represent. We stand with the young and fearless. We fight for their right to dignity, freedom and justice.
The three represent what Zimbabwe could be if we made room for the NEW.They are women of courage and conviction.
The trio and all young pple are the embodiment of a New Zimbabwe we can create in which young women can freely participate in political activity and nation building,” he added.
