Fellows Zimbabweans, we come to you in the name of the constitution, and in the hashtag #zimbabweanslivesmatter. My address is specifically for those officers, in the ZNA who were deployed in the neighbourhoods of Bulawayo, Harare and other Zimbabwe towns.
Shiri Assassination Claim Whistleblower Announces Anything Can Happen Anytime From Now | ARE THEY TELLING THE TRUTH?
I think it is high time we asked ourselves who are the cowards in this country are we not the cowards, the ones who are being used by thieves and murderers who are stealing, and doing everything with impunity, those who are stealing and eating this country’s money, while we die of Hunger.
We elderly men are being played upon, being dished out salaries of USD75 when long ago we used to be paid USD750. Gentlemen our duty is to defend Zimbabwe not zanu-pf. Our duty is to follow legal orders. Everyone with a commission scroll knows that. We should not be following repressive, unconstitutional orders. Who is Zimbabwe ? Zimbabweans are the residents from Cowdray Park, Magwegwe, Mbare, Mufakose, not just the thieves who live in Borrowdale, who have hidden their families in Switzerland and England. Let us think again and consider who the real cowards are. It is about time, we stop hiding while assisting oppressors under the days of following orders. We have a duty not to follow these unconstitutional orders. It is our duty. Let the People demonstrate peacefully. We must ensure that the demonstration has been done peacefully. We must not serve the interests of thieves. If we do this, the coward is you and me, the day of redemption has come.
Fellows Zimbabweans, we come to you in the name of the constitution, and in the hashtag #zimbabweanslivesmatter. My address is specifically for those officers, in the ZNA who were deployed in the neighbourhoods of Bulawayo, Harare and other Zimbabwe towns.
Shiri Assassination Claim Whistleblower Announces Anything Can Happen Anytime From Now | ARE THEY TELLING THE TRUTH?
I think it is high time we asked ourselves who are the cowards in this country are we not the cowards, the ones who are being used by thieves and murderers who are stealing, and doing everything with impunity, those who are stealing and eating this country’s money, while we die of Hunger.
We elderly men are being played upon, being dished out salaries of USD75 when long ago we used to be paid USD750. Gentlemen our duty is to defend Zimbabwe not zanu-pf. Our duty is to follow legal orders. Everyone with a commission scroll knows that. We should not be following repressive, unconstitutional orders. Who is Zimbabwe ? Zimbabweans are the residents from Cowdray Park, Magwegwe, Mbare, Mufakose, not just the thieves who live in Borrowdale, who have hidden their families in Switzerland and England. Let us think again and consider who the real cowards are. It is about time, we stop hiding while assisting oppressors under the days of following orders. We have a duty not to follow these unconstitutional orders. It is our duty. Let the People demonstrate peacefully. We must ensure that the demonstration has been done peacefully. We must not serve the interests of thieves. If we do this, the coward is you and me, the day of redemption has come.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to withdraw his appointment of Baleka Mbete and Sydney Mufamadi as Special envoys to Zimbabwe because of their political bias towards the ZANU-PF-led regime in Zimbabwe.
DA said failure to withdraw these two individuals will render the mission a farce and an attempt by Ramaphosa to cover up the human rights abuses that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has been committing against defenseless Zimbabweans.
“If the President refuses to withdraw these ‘envoys’, we call on the Zimbabwean people to reject this poor attempt to whitewash their abuse and suffering at the hands of Mnangagwa’s military government,” said DA in a statement.
“While attending ZANU-PF’s extraordinary congress in December 2017, Mbete, who was representing the ANC, heaped praise on ZANU-PF for the military coup that removed Mugabe, adding that: “You achieved a good transition peacefully. I find no bitterness or hatred about your predecessor Mugabe. That is political maturity. As ANC we are here to say we are proud to be associated with ZANU-PF and we wish you good luck comrades”.
“Her counterpart, Sydney Mufamadi, refused to meet with opposition leaders in Zimbabwe in 2007 when he was sent by then-president Thabo Mbeki in response to the country’s escalating political crisis, choosing instead to focus his attention on the then-president Robert Mugabe.
“In fact, both Mbeki and Mufamadi insisted that the opposition leaders recognise Mugabe as the legitimate leader of Zimbabwe before political talks could begin.
“Under this cloud of political bias, Ramaphosa’s ‘envoys’ cannot claim to be acting on behalf of the South African government. They are ANC functionaries who have been sent by Ramaphosa to express solidarity with Mnangagwa’s murderous government.
“Mnangagwa’s government has used the cover of Covid-19 to unleash an unprecedented attack on individual freedoms by arresting journalists like Hopewell Chinono, whose only crime was exposing corruption, and using force to stop citizens from exercising their right to protest.
“What Zimbabweans do not need at the moment is Ramaphosa using the ANC’s solidarity with ZANU-PF to engineer an international cover-up of Zimbabwe’s escalating political and economic crisis. ‘Quiet diplomacy’ should never be allowed to turn into ‘Cover-up Diplomacy’, DA said.
TWO men have been arrested while their three accomplices are still at large after they ganged up on a man and beat him to death after accusing him of stealing gold ore.
Mpho Moyo (36) and Qhubekani Ndlovu (40) both from Colleen Bawn and their accomplices allegedly assaulted Morgan Sibanda before they drowned him in a saline pond after tying his hands and legs with a wire.
Moyo and Ndlovu were not asked to plead when they appeared before Gwanda magistrate Miss Lerato Nyathi facing a murder charge last week. They were remanded in custody to 21 August.
Prosecuting, Mr Noel Mandebvu said the gang attacked Sibanda on 23 July.
“On 23 July at around 9pm, at Sally 22 Mine in Colleen Bawn, Moyo and Ndlovu together with three other people who are still at large confronted Morgan Sibanda. They assaulted him with a hammer mill, fan belts, horse pipe and also punched and kicked him several times.
“They then tied his hands together to the back with a wire and also tied his feet together with a wire. They then drowned him in a saline pond. Upon realising that he had passed out the gang dumped Sibanda’s body in a make shift plastic tent at the mine and they fled the scene. Sibanda’s body was later found by some mine workers who reported the matter to the police resulting in the arrest of the accused persons,” he said.
Investigations revealed that Sibanda had been remanded out of custody for a case of theft of gold ore and was seen by the gang while carrying a sack full of gold ore and they confronted him accusing him of stealing the gold ore which resulted in the attack. In another case a Gwanda man has appeared in court after he allegedly beat up his neighbour to death for reprimanding his child. Lovington Moyo (52) of Insindi Resettlement was not asked to plead when he appeared before the same magistrate Miss Nyathi facing a murder charge. He was remanded in custody to 21 August.
Prosecuting, Mr Mandebvu said Moyo struck the now deceased several times with a wooden log.
“On 23 July Moyo had a misunderstanding with his neighbour for reprimanding his child. Moyo took a wooden log and struck the now deceased several times on the head resulting in his death. The matter was reported to the police resulting in Moyo’s arrest,” he said.
“There is nothing to be afraid of. Everything is gone.” Demonstrators took hold of Lebanon’s capital on Saturday, fueled by outrage after a blast in Beirut’s port that killed at least 154 people and destroyed entire neighborhoods.
By Wilbert Mukori| South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has reportedly appointed former South African Security minister Sydney and ex-Vice-President Baleka Mbete to “engage the Zanu PF regime and other relevant stakeholders” in a desperate effort to end the worsening economic, political human rights violations in Zimbabwe.
“Crisis! What crisis?” the then SA President Thambo Mbeki asked, rhetorically, in 2008 when Zimbabwe facing the same violent economic and political convulsions we see today. As we now know, President Mbeki and his 2008 to 2013 GNU failed to solve Zimbabwe’s, seemingly, intractable political and economic crisis. Frankly, President Ramaphosa will not do any better; he has shot himself in the foot already!
The international community, including SADC and the AU, condemned Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections, following Zanu PF’s blatant cheating and use of wanton violence. SADC leaders used this as leverage to force Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies to agree to implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to stop a repeat of the cheating and violence of 2008. The Government of National Unity comprising Mugabe and Zanu PF and Morgan Tsvangirai and the two MDC factions, with SADC as the guarantor, was tasked to implement the reforms.
As we already know, Mugabe bribed Tsvangirai and company and not even one token reforms was ever implemented in five years of the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Not a sausage and hence the reason Zanu PF was able to blatantly rig the July 2018 elections and the 2013 elections before it.
SADC leaders did try to have the 2013 elections postponed until the reforms were implemented but both Zanu PF and MDC ignored their warning. The biggest mistake SADC leaders make was to abandon the principled and logical position of demanding the implementation of the reform before the 2018 elections. The second mistake was to endorse the 2018 elections as acceptable. The elections “went well!” remarked President Cyril Ramaphosa.
If Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC opportunists had not sold-out and faithfully implemented the reforms Zimbabwe would have ended the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. We are where we are, what must we do now?
We have to revisit the 2008 reforms and appoint a body that can be trusted to finally implement the reforms. A Zanu PF and MDC led GNU cannot be trusted to implement the reforms for the obvious reason that they failed to get even one reform implemented in the 2008 GNU.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and SADC will not talk Mnangagwa and Zanu PF to step down since they have already endorsed the Zanu PF regime as legitimate. Once again, we are where we are, what can be done to move forward?
SA and SADC must swallow their pride and acknowledge the 2008 to 2013 GNU failed to deliver the desired democratic reforms and to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. They must also acknowledge that their endorsement of Zanu PF as the winner of the July 2018 has left them with no political leverage to force Mnangagwa to step down, a pre-requisite for getting the reforms finally implemented.
President Ramaphosa and SADC must approach the UN or some such other nation that is not compromised to chart a roadmap to get Zanu PF to step down and then appoint a competent body to implement the reforms.
The old adage of “An African solution for an African problem!” must now be ditched. SADC’s sponsored 2008 to 2013 GNU was the African solution to the Zimbabwe crisis and it failed to end the crisis. There is no shame in SA and SADC admitting it.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s 40 year old political and economic crisis is the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The solution is to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the cheating and violence.
Both the incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF and the equally corrupt and incompetent opposition entourage, all 130 political parties at the last count, have played a part in landing the nation in this mess and keeping us there. We, the people of Zimbabwe, know exactly why we are here and what must be done to escape out of this man-made hell-on-earth.
All we are asking of SA, SADC and the world at large is the political support in confronting Zimbabwe’s ruling elite.
Of course, Mnangagwa and Zanu PF are holding the nation to ransom. The regime rigged the July 2018 elections. It has no mandate to govern and must step down.
We are asking of SA, SADC and the world at large to stand by the long suffering people of Zimbabwe who are demanding that Zanu PF must take-off its oppressive big boot off the neck of the nation and allow the people to breath! We are demanding free, fair and credible elections; surely, that is not too much to ask!
That would never be recovered from, have you thought about these things? Your name @edmnangagwa will go down following along the likes of Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte & people like that, Mobutu Seseko,"@HeraldZimbabwe correspondent @rpkwafawarova warns Mnangagwa pic.twitter.com/7RSxJk0n0B
By Wilbert Mukori | One of the most enduring legacy of Mugabe’s Zanu PF dictatorship is that it has sired hundreds of thousands of copycat corrupt and incompetent dictators, all with trademark Mugabe mentality that they know best and the rest must listen and do as they dictate.
indepth…Wilbert Mukori
”It is commendable that President Ramaphosa has taken interest to respond to the situation in Zimbabwe, but South Africa can only do so much,” said Kenneth Mtata said yesterday. He was commenting on reports that SA was sending two envoys to help find a solution to Zimbabwe’s worsening economic and political crisis.
“We as Zimbabwean must shape our destiny together. Even if we get an envoy from heaven, if we are unrepentant, the envoy will go back empty handed.”
We know that you, Mtata and your fellow church leaders are “unrepentant” in that you have ignored the facts refused to listen to reason. What is more, we now know why!
Kenneth Mtata is the secretary-general of Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), one of many organisations, that has been calling for the formation of a Zanu PF and MDC Alliance led Government of National Unity (GNU) as the way forward. ZCC has completely ignored the historic fact that the two parties were in the 2008 to 2013 GNU that failed to implement even one democratic reforms hence the reason the country is still stuck with the corrupt, tyrannical and vote rigging Zanu PF dictatorship.
I dare Mtata and his fellow church leaders to public endorse the July 2018 elections as free, fair and credible. None of these buffoons would dare because they know an election in which the regime failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters’ roll can never ever be free, fair and credible. Never!
Of course, Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections. They have no democratic mandate to govern the country. They are illegitimate. It will be blasphemous, to say the least, to suggest God Almighty would ever want an illegitimate regime to rule even in a GNU!
It is a measure of our church leaders’ dictatorial arrogance therefore that they should ignore reason and are even purporting to defy an envoy from God Almighty in their determination to keep Zanu PF in office no matter what. Why?
In his expose of corruption in Zimbabwe, Dr Alex Magaisa, special adviser to the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai during the 2008 GNU, provided an answer to that question.
Dr Magaisa listed some of the individuals and organisation who benefited from the 2007 to 2008 Farm Mechanisation Programme administered by the RBZ. The Bank bought farming equipment worth hundreds of thousands of US$ and the recipients paid the bank in Z$ at the official exchange rate which was hundreds of thousands time lower than the black market exchange rate. The Z$ was worthless, many did not even bother to pay the bank.
Many of the individuals and organisation now campaigning to give the illegitimate Zanu PF regime GNU back door legitimacy are on Dr Magaisa’s list or are on some other similar looting scheme.
Farm Mechanisation Programme was just one out of the many programmes used by Zanu PF leaders, their cronies and associates including MDC leaders to loot the nation blind. Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for the late Morgan Tsvangirai, etc., etc. In return the MDC leaders threw reforms out of the window.
Even the repeated nagging by SADC leaders and others to get MDC leaders to implement the reforms failed to get Tsvangirai and company to move one inch. MDC failed to implement even one reform in five years of the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Not even one token reform saw the light of day!
“A Zanu PF led GNU is the destiny we want!” insist ZCC. We must to be bamboozled by corrupt leaders who have long stopped representing the interests of the ordinary people. A Zanu PF government or led GNU is the curse we must now fight to end if we are ever to escape from this man-made hell-on-earth Zanu PF has dragged us into!
Dear Family and Friends,
“Zimbabwe on the edge.” “Crisis in Zimbabwe.” “De facto state of emergency in Zimbabwe.” These are not my words but the banner headlines on South African television news channels this week. After a fortnight of crisis which saw over 60 people arrested including journalists, internationally acclaimed author Tsitsi Dangarembga, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, opposition and civil rights members, Zimbabwe was reeling in shock. We saw riot police jumping over the railing of a peaceful Harare coffee shop to arrest Advocate Mahere; the arrest of a woman carrying a placard saying “end hunger;” police hunting for a journalist and seizing his sister instead when they couldn’t find him. We heard the horrific account of the abduction and torture of a journalist’s 22 year old nephew: blindfolded, chained and taken to a place where he was forced to drink urine, beaten repeatedly over two days and finally dumped three kilometers from his home. His lawyer said: “I’m deeply concerned about the injuries suffered by my client, leading to acute renal failure. I understand his captors repeatedly stamped on him as he lay face down. He also has severe tissue damage around the buttocks and under his feet.”
After news of all these events became widely known locally and internationally, President Mnangagwa made a broadcast to the nation. He said there were people who were trying to “destabilize the country” and called them “Rogue Zimbabweans” and “Rotten Apples” who he said would be “flushed out.” In recent weeks critics have been called” terrorists,” and “dark forces” and the President said new measures were to be brought out to criminalize “campaigning against one’s country.” After a post cabinet briefing a minister said “campaigning against one’s country shall be legislated at law and criminalized.” Legislation is to be presented in parliament which will “prohibit hate speech by public officials, media houses, and citizens in public spaces and social, print and electronic media platforms.” MDC Alliance Deputy President Tendai Biti said the new measures were coming in a “badly drafted Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill” which he described as “fascist dross intended to muzzle free speech and media.”
Our neighbours started to take notice. South Africa’s Department of International Relations said they “noted with concern the reports related to human rights violations in Zimbabwe” and later said they would send two ‘special envoys’ to the country. Former Liberian President Sirleaf, naming some of the people arrested said on Twitter: “Fadzayi, Tsitsi, Julie, Terrence, Loveridge, and all the others in Zimbabwe’s protest may God give you strength and courage in your pursuit of freedom.” Botswana’s former President, Ian Khama said on Twitter: “let’s not forget to pray for our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe as the situation is deteriorating rapidly.” Sadly the AU, SADC and current African Presidents are yet to speak. The UN Secretary Genera has urged the government to ensure protection of all human rights, especially freedom of opinion and expression and the right of peaceful assembly and association.
In the days that have followed the crackdown of a mass protest that never even happened, we have kept our heads down and eyes averted. Soldiers with AK47’s strapped on their backs or sticks in their hands are still in our towns, at roadblocks, on the streets and even in supermarket car parks. Zimbabwe isn’t a military state but in the past fortnight Retired Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri who was also Zimbabwe’s Minister of Agriculture died. Last week President Mnangagwa appointed Air Commodore Jasper Chimedza as the new Health Permanent Secretary and this week appointed Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Retired General Chiwenga as the new Minister of Health.
Award winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono who was exposing corruption at the highest levels in Zimbabwe is still incarcerated. Hopewell has been repeatedly denied bail and yesterday was moved to Chikurubi Prison in Harare. He is not forgotten, nor are all the other brave Zimbabweans whose names and horrific stories have filled our minds and hearts in recent weeks. Nor are the lives of millions of ordinary Zimbabweans struggling to survive 780% inflation and a government that has forgotten them. It was heartbreaking to see two Mums shopping in a supermarket this morning, picking up and putting down all the food they cannot afford: bread, maize meal, sugar, margarine, rice, even vegetables. All #ZimbabweanLivesMatter
As the ZUPCO prices euphoria continues, government has moved to block bakers from increasing the price of a standard loaf of bread to $80 from an average $60 and assured them of more than US$2 million every week from the foreign currency auction.
Authorities believe that the current price already reflects the cost of production.
Bread makers want the price to be pegged to the weekly official exchange rate of US$1, the Sunday Mail says.
However, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Dr John Mangudya argued that bakers had already pegged the price of bread based on illegal foreign currency exchange rates of between $100 and $120 to US$1 before the introduction of the auction system on June 23.
Responding to the position by bakers during an online meeting hosted by the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) last week, Dr Mangudya said the latest proposal to hike bread prices would not be entertained.
The National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe, including Bakers Inn, Lobels Bread and Proton, as well as millers such as National Foods, Blue Ribbon Foods and Edurate Milling took part in the meeting.
Dr Mangudya said: “We want to assure bakers and millers that going forward they will now be prioritised for foreign currency allocation during the weekly forex auction.
“Bakers have no reason to justify any bread price increase because when the price of bread was $79, it was based on a speculative black market rate of between $100 and $120 per US$1.
“We expect bread prices to go down given the fact that bakers are now accessing forex at the auction at a much lower rate of $80 against US$1.”
He assured millers and bakers of at least US$2 million weekly. Millers and bakers need a total of US$12 million per month to produce flour and bread, respectively.
The two sectors have been struggling to raise foreign currency to import wheat and other ingredients used in the bread production.
Millers argue that the price of bread flour — pegged at US$20,4 or $2 140 per 50kg bag — was no longer viable.
They want it to be adjusted to US$26,82 or $2 815 per 50kg bag. -Sunday Mail
MDC Alliance President, Nelson Chamisa has criticised the government for the imprisonment of anti-corruption crusaders.
Speaking for the first time after the death of his mother Gogo Alice Chamisa last month and after visiting some of the victims of abductions by alleged state security agents last week, Chamisa said:
It is not proper to have people in a supposedly free Zimbabwe who are not sleeping in their homes peacefully and are wanted not for anything criminal, but for demanding accountability and end to corruption.
We have brutality of innocent citizens by State agents and it is sad. But we will smile soon.
I sense victory, our sorrows will turn into joy, celebrations are not far away, and change is coming.
He speaks when tensions are rising in the country over latest reports of human rights violations and the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.
The opposition is accusing the governing ZANU PF of presiding over a failed economy and diminishing the citizenry’s living standards- NewsDay
WEEK ROUNDUP- By A Correspondent | ZANU PF heavyweights have spoken warning Emmerson Mnangagwa among other things that he is now to be paired with Adolf Hitler and other genocide criminals. Party Deputy Chairperson [Youth League] Rockefeller Zimba said: “there’s no point in me sitting there and saying no no no there is no police brutality in Zimbabwe; there is there is no point in me sitting there saying that there is no corruption in Zimbabwe, it is sanctions, that is utter nonsense. I am sure we are much clever and that.
“How do you sleep at night knowing that so many people have died because of the decisions you have made? How do you sleep at night knowing that other people are suffering because of your greed and you want to blame it on sanctions? Let us be real let us be real.”
1- @ZANUPF_Official Deputy Chair YL announces " @edmnangagwa needs to take control and take charge. It's not about terrorist organisations, it's about the terrorists surrounding him… Innocent civilians I just crying for what's better for them." pic.twitter.com/dvg90es0ab
Top Herald Correspondent Reason Wafawarova goes further to tell Mnangagwa to his face that he now than the risk of being labelled “alongside Adolf Hitler…” VIDEO –
video loading below….
ZANU PF HEAVYWEIGHTS CONFRONT MNANGAGWA OVER HOPEWELL CHIN'ONO ARREST https://t.co/N1hce5awIx
By Farai D Hove | As the country recorded 4 451 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 3 353 being local transmissions, government is debating when to reopen schools.
Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Edgar Moyo told the state owned Sunday News:
“We are presently monitoring trends particularly Covid-19 local infections, if they continue escalating as they are doing now, we will have to defer re-opening further, mainly as a means of protecting our learners and teachers.
“As a Ministry, however, we have continued readying ourselves for the eventual re-opening through the purchasing of PPEs and perfecting our modules.
“We have also been fine tuning our radio lessons and to communities that do not get radio signals we are also in the process of producing physical modules related to the radio lessons.”
On June and November exams, he said:
“For June examinations you should note that most of those writing were private candidates but for the November examinations we mainly have school candidates hence for them to be ready to sit for the exams. They need adequate learning time so that they are able to complete the syllabus. So, at the moment the only time we can talk of November examinations is when we have a set date for the re-opening of schools.”
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) chairperson Professor Eddie Mwenje is on record as saying examinations will only be written when students have completed the syllabus and when it is safe to do so, even if it means pushing the examinations to December this year or January next year. He said Zimsec understands that there was little time for students to prepare for examinations given that schools closed in March this year.
Prof Mwenje, however, said Zimsec would not compromise the quality and substance of Zimbabwe’s education by lowering the pass mark for students to score better grades. Instead, they would ensure that the syllabus is completed before students sit for exams. Schools were closed in March and the second term was supposed to have come to an end last week. – Sunday News
Nelson Chamisa who leads the opposition MDC Alliance has criticised the government for the imprisonment of anti-corruption crusaders.
Speaking for the first time after the death of his mother Gogo Alice Chamisa last month and after visiting some of the victims of abductions by alleged state security agents last week, Chamisa said:
It is not proper to have people in a supposedly free Zimbabwe who are not sleeping in their homes peacefully and are wanted not for anything criminal, but for demanding accountability and end to corruption.
We have brutality of innocent citizens by State agents and it is sad. But we will smile soon.
I sense victory, our sorrows will turn into joy, celebrations are not far away, and change is coming.
He speaks when tensions are rising in the country over latest reports of human rights violations and the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.
The opposition is accusing the governing ZANU PF of presiding over a failed economy and diminishing the citizenry’s living standards- NewsDay
Nelson Chamisa who leads the opposition MDC Alliance has criticised the government for the imprisonment of anti-corruption crusaders.
Speaking for the first time after the death of his mother Gogo Alice Chamisa last month and after visiting some of the victims of abductions by alleged state security agents last week, Chamisa said:
It is not proper to have people in a supposedly free Zimbabwe who are not sleeping in their homes peacefully and are wanted not for anything criminal, but for demanding accountability and end to corruption.
We have brutality of innocent citizens by State agents and it is sad. But we will smile soon.
I sense victory, our sorrows will turn into joy, celebrations are not far away, and change is coming.
He speaks when tensions are rising in the country over latest reports of human rights violations and the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.
The opposition is accusing the governing ZANU PF of presiding over a failed economy and diminishing the citizenry’s living standards- NewsDay
The MDC Alliance welcomes the efforts by the region to intervene in the deepening governance and human rights crisis in Zimbabwe, particularly by His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the current Chairperson of the African Union.
The crisis in Zimbabwe has been characterized by a de facto state of emergency, a crackdown on citizens, abductions, arbitrary arrests of government critics and the political persecution of journalists.
The region must take note of the collapse of the public health system characterised by an ongoing doctors’ and nurses’ strike amidst the Covidl9 pandemic, the economic crisis which has seen hyperinflation exceed 786% and a hunger crisis that has left 7,7 million Zimbabweans food insecure.
The Government in Harare is incapable of resolving these challenges because it lacks legitimacy.
We are of the firm view that any solution to the ongoing socio-economic lies in resolving the political crisis and answering the outstanding legitimacy question. The deteriorating plight of the Zimbabwean people means that a political settlement is more urgent than before.
We acknowledge the special envoy that has been deployed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and we will continuously assess the sincerity of all the actors in the process.
The MDC Alliance welcomes the efforts by the region to intervene in the deepening governance and human rights crisis in Zimbabwe, particularly by His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the current Chairperson of the African Union.
The crisis in Zimbabwe has been characterized by a de facto state of emergency, a crackdown on citizens, abductions, arbitrary arrests of government critics and the political persecution of journalists.
The region must take note of the collapse of the public health system characterised by an ongoing doctors’ and nurses’ strike amidst the Covidl9 pandemic, the economic crisis which has seen hyperinflation exceed 786% and a hunger crisis that has left 7,7 million Zimbabweans food insecure.
The Government in Harare is incapable of resolving these challenges because it lacks legitimacy.
We are of the firm view that any solution to the ongoing socio-economic lies in resolving the political crisis and answering the outstanding legitimacy question. The deteriorating plight of the Zimbabwean people means that a political settlement is more urgent than before.
We acknowledge the special envoy that has been deployed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and we will continuously assess the sincerity of all the actors in the process.
[Senate Adjourns to 15th September – Appointments to Ministry of Health]
BILL WATCH 53/2020[7th August 2020]
The Senate Has Adjourned to 15th SeptemberBusiness of Parliament Remains Suspended until Further NoticeFirst An Apology :
In the last Bill Watch we stated that Hon Masango Matambanadzo who passed away recently was a member of ZANU-PF, but in fact he was a member of the National Patriotic Front
Senate Meets then Adjourns until Tuesday 15th September
The Senate met on Tuesday 4th August, the date to which it had adjourned from its most recent previous sitting on the 23rd July. Tuesday’s sitting lasted only four minutes, with the Deputy President of the Senate, Hon Nyambuya, presiding.
After the prayers that start every Senate sitting, two items of business were conducted:Announcement of the death of Senator Rtd Air Chief Marshal Perrance ShiriHon Nyambuya announced that he had died on Wednesday 29th July. He was Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Leader of Government Business in the Senate and Senator for Mashonaland Central Province.
All present rose and observed a minute’s silence in respect for the late Senator.Adjournment until Tuesday 25th August
As expected following the National Assembly’s brief sitting last week and its adjournment until 25th August – see Bill Watch 52/2020 [link] – the Senate also adjourned, but until Tuesday 15th September.
If members of the National Assembly do not have to extend their recess on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, this will give them a chance to use the three working weeks between these two dates to pass the National Assembly’s backlog of Bills, thereby generating work for the Senate.
Contact with Parliament during the recess
Until a further announcement is made by the Clerk of Parliament, Parliament remains shut down.
Anyone intending to submit any documentation to Parliament or seeking information from Parliament is requested to use the following email addresses: [email protected]; or [email protected].
Backlog of Bills in the National AssemblyBills for continuation of Second Reading debate
Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill – Start of Second Reading debate As notified by Veritas in a special Bill Watch bulletin [link] disseminated early evening on 9th July, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs presented this Bill that afternoon, followed by his Second Reading speech and the presentation of the Portfolio Committee’s report [link] on the public hearings on the Bill.
Backbenchers then began making contributions to debate. Attorney-General’s Office Amendment Bill [link]Forest Amendment Bill [link] National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill [link]
For launch of Second Reading stage
Financial Adjustments Bill [link] Although this Bill dates from last year, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development has not yet started off the Second Reading stage with a speech explaining the Bill.
Debate on the Death Penalty in the Senate
The debate on Senator Makone’s motion calling for the abolition of the death penalty by repealing all statutory provisions for it is due to continue when the Senate eventually meets again. For those interested in the issue, Veritas refers you to our easy-to-read booklet available on the Veritas website – Should Zimbabwe Abolish the Death Penalty? The Facts : The Case for Abolition [link].
ZEC Gazettes 15 Party List Vacancies in MDC-T/MDC-A Parliamentary Seats
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission [ZEC] gave public notice in the Government Gazette of 31st July by General Notice 2078/2020[link], that it had received notice from Parliament of fifteen vacancies in proportional representation seats in Parliament.
Seven of these are from the National Assembly and eight from the Senate. These vacancies had been previously announced in Parliament by the Speaker and the President of the Senate, respectively, citing section 129(1)(k) of the Constitution.
The vacancies arise from Parliament’s acceptance of the recalls of fifteen MDC-A party list members of Parliament by the leadership of the MDC-T. The MDC-T leadership acted on the basis that they were restored to office by the Supreme Court judgment of 31st March 2020 in the case of MDC and Others v Mashavira and Others,Judgment 56/2020 [link].
Under section 157(1)(d) of the Constitution, these vacancies do not necessitate by-elections. Instead this provision stipulates that every party list vacancy must be filled by a person belonging to the same political party as the former incumbent did and must be of the same gender, but leaves the procedure for filling vacancies to be provided in the Electoral Act.
Section 39 of the Electoral Act is the relevant section. Section 39(4) provides that upon being notified of vacancies in the proportional representation seats in Parliament, ZEC must notify the public of the vacancies by notice in the Gazette and, at the same time as the notice is gazetted, must invite the political party [i.e. the political party to which the former incumbents belonged] to nominate suitably qualified persons to fill the vacant seats.
If the Chief Elections Officer is satisfied that the nomination papers are in order, ZEC will then gazette a list of the nominees and invite objections to the nominees from members of the public.
Finally, in the absence of valid objections, ZEC will gazette a notice appointing the nominees as members of Parliament to fill the vacant seats, as it did for the eight-month old National Assembly vacancy referred to in the paragraph below.
BUT The legal situation on the legitimacy of the MDC Alliance vis-à-vis the MDC-T is still sub judice. Whether the recalls by MDC-T still stand after the 31st July [the deadline the Supreme Court gave for a fresh MDC-T Congress to elect the leadership] is also legally questionable.
If ZEC goes ahead with filling these vacancies on the basis that the recalls were valid, it may find itself embroiled in legal proceedings.
ZEC Fills ZANU PF Party List Vacancy in National Assembly
ZEC has gazetted the appointment of Esther Nyathi, the nominee put forward by ZANU PF, as a party list/proportional representation [women’s quota] member of the National Assembly. The appointment is in terms of section 39(7)(a) of the Electoral Act and with effect from the 31st July 2020. See General Notice 2079/2020
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s corrupt regime this week reached a new low by denying bail to MDC Alliance Youth Organizer, Godfrey Kurauone, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.
Kurauone is currently languishing at Masvingo Remand Prison while Chin’ono and Ngarivhume have been condemned to Chikurubi Maximum Prison as if they are dangerous criminals.
We all know Chin’ono is being punished for exposing Mnangagwa’s corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo who looted Covid-19 funds.
By firing his corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo, ED confirmed exactly what Chin’ono brought to light but relieving a thief of his duties without sending him to jail is not enough.
By sending those that speak against corruption to jail, it is clear that the unrepentant regime is consenting to looting of state coffers.
From Kariba to Chiredzi, the regime without shame besieged homes, arrested, abducted and tortured all those who dared to speak against stinking corruption that is reigning supreme inside Mnangagwa’s government.
Our fight against corruption is a just cause hence it knows no political party and as such we are going to stop at nothing until our voices are heard.
We shall never relent until justice is served.
Silence and folding hands at this juncture whilst our country is burning is akin to consenting to looting.
Let Monday, the 10th of August to Friday, the 15th of August be our defining moment.
If we love our country, then we must be prepared to take head on those who are running it down.
Let those that are eating on our behalf know no peace until justice is served!
We deserve to be heard!
A corrupt free government is possible in our lifetime.
Our lives matter fellow citizens!
ZimbabweanLivesMatter!
KushingaMberi!*
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDCAllianceYouthAssemblyNationalSpokesperson
Crackdown on media and all those with dissenting voices is just uncalled for…It is time the reports of torture..abductions are thoroughly investigated and culprits brot to book… Citizens are justified to believe the perpetrators are state sponsored if no arrests are made..
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s corrupt regime this week reached a new low by denying bail to MDC Alliance Youth Organizer, Godfrey Kurauone, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.
Kurauone is currently languishing at Masvingo Remand Prison while Chin’ono and Ngarivhume have been condemned to Chikurubi Maximum Prison as if they are dangerous criminals.
We all know Chin’ono is being punished for exposing Mnangagwa’s corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo who looted Covid-19 funds.
By firing his corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo, ED confirmed exactly what Chin’ono brought to light but relieving a thief of his duties without sending him to jail is not enough.
By sending those that speak against corruption to jail, it is clear that the unrepentant regime is consenting to looting of state coffers.
From Kariba to Chiredzi, the regime without shame besieged homes, arrested, abducted and tortured all those who dared to speak against stinking corruption that is reigning supreme inside Mnangagwa’s government.
Our fight against corruption is a just cause hence it knows no political party and as such we are going to stop at nothing until our voices are heard.
We shall never relent until justice is served.
Silence and folding hands at this juncture whilst our country is burning is akin to consenting to looting.
Let Monday, the 10th of August to Friday, the 15th of August be our defining moment.
If we love our country, then we must be prepared to take head on those who are running it down.
Let those that are eating on our behalf know no peace until justice is served!
We deserve to be heard!
A corrupt free government is possible in our lifetime.
Our lives matter fellow citizens!
ZimbabweanLivesMatter!
KushingaMberi!*
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDCAllianceYouthAssemblyNationalSpokesperson
Mr President, let me start by conveying my hearty greetings to you and your comrades.
It has been over two-and-a-half years since you came into power and the citizens of Zimbabwe feel economically and socially worse off under your leadership. Zimbabweans feel they were deceived into accepting a faux revolution, as it’s the same old guard led by a new face.
Mr Mnangagwa, you have failed to deliver on your 2018 election promises. Where you have promised economic recovery, there has been extensive poverty. Where you have promised jobs, there has been job losses and where you promised an improved health care system citizens have been appalled by the condition of state health institutions.
Not every Zimbabwean can fly to a first world nation seeking healthcare, like you and your comrades, which you, yourself have mentioned previously.
In April 2020, Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube wrote to International Finance Institutions in Washington. The Finance Minister stated that ‘government takes responsibility for the recent policy missteps during late 2019’, and furthermore mentioned that ‘government and the economy is near collapse’.
The Finance Minister also mentioned that the economy is expected to shrink by 15-20% this year and 8.5 million citizens will become food insecure. It is evident that our nation is struggling, which is why I call on you to implement the independently funded proposed humanitarian solutions that were handed to you directly.
The solutions focused on nuclear energy, economic development and the eradication of poverty. A few weeks ago, Minister Fortune Chasi hinted about the possibility of Nuclear Energy being introduced in Zimbabwe, a plan from 2013 when the previous President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe stated that by 2020 Zimbabwe will have Nuclear Energy.
Since October 2018, 30 African countries have been considering Nuclear Power. Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Sudan and Nigeria have already assessed their readiness to embark on a nuclear energy program.
Construction has already begun in Egypt. Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria and Kenya are developing plans and Namibia, Tunisia, Zambia and Tanzania are still considering the possibility.
Looking at the countries interested in Nuclear Energy Deals, I personally think it is beneficial for Zimbabwe to pursue the Energy Deal because not only will Zimbabwe be able to supply the country with sufficient power, but Zimbabwe will also be able supply other nations, as there are more than 600 million citizens in Africa without electricity and countries are looking for solutions.
There are numerous benefits to Nuclear Energy, such as;
Reliability – Nuclear reactors offer impressive based-load electricity and operate and produce power over 90% of the time. The periods between refuelling have been substantially extended, plus downtime for refuelling has been significantly minimized. In the United States, for example, these enhancements through the years have been equated to building one reactor each year to the existing ones. Most nuclear reactors are designed to operate for more than 40 years. Most of the reactors are nearing that age in perfect condition and projections are that they could still operate for another 20 years.
No greenhouse gas emissions – Nuclear reactor operations emit zero greenhouse gasses. Although the process of mining, enrichment, construction and waste management of uranium involves emission of greenhouse gasses, the total emissions are way lower compared to emissions from fossil fuels.
Competitive cost– The cost of nuclear power is very much stable and competitive. On the other hand, the cost of power derived from fossil fuels pretty much depends on the market. When the market is good, oil prices become stable. When the market is volatile, oil prices may shoot up or plummet.
Nuclear energy is compact– A nuclear power station is compact, which means it quintessentially covers an area the size of a football stadium and the surroundings. Wind turbines, solar cells, and growing biomass all need huge area of land.
The modern day nuclear power plants are safe – Developers of the current nuclear power plants have drawn from the weaknesses of the past disasters like the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Japan. The current nuclear power plants do not depend on external electricity supplies or external water supplies for purposes of cooling. Instead, they utilize water fed by gravity, gas pressurized water tanks, and natural convection heat exchangers. These systems are referred to as “passive safety systems.” Another advantage is the reactors can be installed underground offering added insulation against unauthorized access and external hazards.
Powerful and Efficient – The other main advantage of using nuclear energy is that it is very powerful and efficient than other alternative energy sources. Advancement in technologies has made it more viable option than others. This is one the reason that many countries are putting huge investments in nuclear power. At present, a small portion of world’s electricity comes through it.
The world’s best economies use Nuclear Energy In terms of Nuclear Waste, it is important to remember, nuclear waste is recyclable. Once reactor fuel (uranium in Zimbabwe’s case), is used in a reactor, it can be treated and put into another reactor as fuel. Typical reactors only extract a few percentage of the energy in their fuel. A good fact to know is that you can power the entire US Electricity grid of the energy in Nuclear waste for the next 100 years. If you recycle the waste, the final waste that’s left over decays to harmlessness.
There are many citizens whom will support a Nuclear Energy proposal, but there are also those whom will disagree and promote renewable energy. What remains a fact, is that it is important for a nation to have a range of energy sources and now Zimbabwe has a unique opportunity to explore alternative options.
Mr President, as you are in possession of a more detailed and independently funded proposal, I once again call on you to implement it as designed as that is the best way to ensure that there will be no room for corruption and the ordinary citizen benefits the most.
The funding scheme is original and independently designed which will ensure Zimbabwe does not take on more debt.
In addition, to the Energy Solution you were presented, you were also made aware of the humanitarian benefits as well as additional programs in line with the promises you made to Zimbabweans.
Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed health care workers and teachers protest over wages, when all civil servants could have received decent dollarized salaries starting in July 2020.
Other projects detailed in the letter included, a Corona Virus Monitoring and Control Plan for 12 Months, Food Aid for 12 months for ALL Zimbabweans as Corona Virus is expected to continue, Business Aid for all businesses that are struggling during lockdown, Six Sector project which includes (Food Security, Job Creation, Energy and Fuel Security which will end shortages and stabilise prices, Health Sector Assistance and Agriculture Assistance), housing projects, construction of suitable schools and hospitals etc.
The projects would solve many issues short term but would have a long term effect and allow for future generations to benefit.
Mr President, your actions now will determine the legacy you leave behind and you have the chance to implement your election promises. As you have an open door policy, we can engage when you are ready to alter the course Zimbabwe is on.
By Cathy Buckle- “Zimbabwe on the edge.” “Crisis in Zimbabwe.” “De facto state of emergency in Zimbabwe.”
These are not my words but the banner headlines on South African television news channels this week. After a fortnight of crisis which saw over 60 people arrested including journalists, internationally acclaimed author Tsitsi Dangarembga, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, opposition and civil rights members, Zimbabwe was reeling in shock.
We saw riot police jumping over the railing of a peaceful Harare coffee shop to arrest Advocate Mahere; the arrest of a woman carrying a placard saying “end hunger;” police hunting for a journalist and seizing his sister instead when they couldn’t find him.
We heard the horrific account of the abduction and torture of a journalist’s 22 year old nephew: blindfolded, chained and taken to a place where he was forced to drink urine, beaten repeatedly over two days and finally dumped three kilometers from his home.
His lawyer said: “I’m deeply concerned about the injuries suffered by my client, leading to acute renal failure. I understand his captors repeatedly stamped on him as he lay face down. He also has severe tissue damage around the buttocks and under his feet.”
After news of all these events became widely known locally and internationally, President Mnangagwa made a broadcast to the nation. He said there were people who were trying to “destabilize the country” and called them “Rogue Zimbabweans” and “Rotten Apples” who he said would be “flushed out.”
In recent weeks critics have been called” terrorists,” and “dark forces” and the President said new measures were to be brought out to criminalize “campaigning against one’s country.”
After a post cabinet briefing a minister said “campaigning against one’s country shall be legislated at law and criminalized.” Legislation is to be presented in parliament which will “prohibit hate speech by public officials, media houses, and citizens in public spaces and social, print and electronic media platforms.”
MDC Alliance Deputy President Tendai Biti said the new measures were coming in a “badly drafted Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill” which he described as “fascist dross intended to muzzle free speech and media.”
Our neighbours started to take notice. South Africa’s Department of International Relations said they “noted with concern the reports related to human rights violations in Zimbabwe” and later said they would send two ‘special envoys’ to the country.
Former Liberian President Sirleaf, naming some of the people arrested said on Twitter: “Fadzayi, Tsitsi, Julie, Terrence, Loveridge, and all the others in Zimbabwe’s protest may God give you strength and courage in your pursuit of freedom.”
Botswana’s former President, Ian Khama said on Twitter: “let’s not forget to pray for our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe as the situation is deteriorating rapidly.” Sadly the AU, SADC and current African Presidents are yet to speak.
The UN Secretary Genera has urged the government to ensure protection of all human rights, especially freedom of opinion and expression and the right of peaceful assembly and association.
In the days that have followed the crackdown of a mass protest that never even happened, we have kept our heads down and eyes averted. Soldiers with AK47’s strapped on their backs or sticks in their hands are still in our towns, at roadblocks, on the streets and even in supermarket car parks.
Zimbabwe isn’t a military state but in the past fortnight Retired Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri who was also Zimbabwe’s Minister of Agriculture died. Last week President Mnangagwa appointed Air Commodore Jasper Chimedza as the new Health Permanent Secretary and this week appointed Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Retired General Chiwenga as the new Minister of Health.
Award winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono who was exposing corruption at the highest levels in Zimbabwe is still incarcerated. Hopewell has been repeatedly denied bail and yesterday was moved to Chikurubi Prison in Harare.
He is not forgotten, nor are all the other brave Zimbabweans whose names and horrific stories have filled our minds and hearts in recent weeks. Nor are the lives of millions of ordinary Zimbabweans struggling to survive 780% inflation and a government that has forgotten them.
It was heartbreaking to see two Mums shopping in a supermarket this morning, picking up and putting down all the food they cannot afford: bread, maize meal, sugar, margarine, rice, even vegetables. All #ZimbabweanLivesMatter
WATCH- Patrick Zhuwao speaks on the Zimbabwean crisis. "The world is coming to realise Emmerson Mnangagwa for who he really is."https://t.co/Im1DeFS4KI
Misred had insinuated during an interview with a Ghanaian radio that reports on social media are not a true reflection of what is really happening on the ground adding that disgruntled and hurt citizens were sensationalizing minor issues.
Her remarks had attracted the wrath of some Zimbabweans with some unearthing her private life.
Below is her full Twitter thread in which she issued the apology.
Dear fellow Zimbabweans, I really do want to say, I am sorry I let us down. I am sorry that my words have caused pain and have resulted in so many of you feeling that I have let our cause down.
I have listened to all the feedback and concerns raised and although my temptation has been to explain away the pain, I do agree I could have articulated our plight much more clearly. In hindsight I should have declined the interview given the gravity of the cause.
I want you to know I share the pain and daily struggles we all experience and do not in any way trivialize this. #ZimbabweanLivesMatter and this is not negotiable. Again, my profound apologies.
So people are actually buying that fake ass apology? If she's really sorry she needs to request for another interview and say "My name is Misred and I lied" on air. Chances are Nick is the one who wrote that message for her ???
MISA Zimbabwe has reported that a Zimbabwean journalist, Gilbert Munetsi spent the Friday night in police cells for violating the dusk to dawn curfew. We present MISA Zimbabwe’s statement below.
Journalist Gilbert Munetsi spent the night in police cells after he was arrested by police in Chitungwiza outside Harare on 7 August 2020 around 8 pm for allegedly violating the 6 am – 6 pm curfew imposed in terms of the COVID-19 regulations.
He was released this morning without any charges after MISA Zimbabwe deployed lawyer Tafadzwa Mugabe who attended to the matter and secured his release.
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According to lawyer Mugabe, Munetsi was arrested when police rounded up people who were still outdoors beyond the prescribed time of 6 pm as provided for in terms of Statutory Instrument (SI) 174 of 2020. The police did not give Munetsi an opportunity to explain or to even show them his accreditation card.
MISA Zimbabwe Position
MISA Zimbabwe urges the police to heed the fact that journalists are providers of essential services in terms of SI 83 of 2020 as amended by SI 93 of 2020 and SI 174 of 2020. As such, they should be allowed to undertake their professional duties without any unjustified interference.
MISA Zimbabwe also takes this opportunity to remind the media that our staff is on standby to assist media practitioners/journalists injured or arrested in the line of duty. The MISA Zimbabwe Hotline is 0784 437 338.
ZANU PF Aligned goverment information officer Nick Mangwana Says the arrest of private media journalists is good for the country. Watch video below as Mangwana embarrasses himself endorsing widely condemned Zimbabwean government impunity.
The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) was formed on 8 Aug 1963 as a splinter party from the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) which was led by the late Joshua Nkomo.
It was formed in Enos Nkala‘s house in Highfield.
The party’s first members include Henry Hamadziripi, Herbert Chitepo, Ndabaningi Sithole (who subsequently became the party’s first leader), Edgar Tekere and Leopold Takawira.
The party favoured confrontational politics as compared to ZAPU’s politics of compromise.
Zimbabwe’s founding leader, Robert Mugabe became the leader of the party in 1977, three years before independence.
The Patriotic Front (PF) was formed as a political and military alliance between ZAPU and ZANU during the war against white minority rule in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
The party has been in power since independence in 1980.
In 1987, ZANU and ZAPU signed a Unit Accord which merged the two parties led by Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe after which the name ZANU PF was adopted.
An anonymous member of the Zimbabwe National Army has said it was high time the citizenry, including uniformed forces, stopped protecting corrupt politicians in the country.
The official who was identified by exiled former Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Jonathan Moyo only as a Lieutenant Colonel who commands a Battalion said that only good governance can transform the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.
He speaks when there is an increased government crackdown on dissent and arrest of anti-corruption crusaders. He said state security forces should disobey orders to harm innocent civilians.
Manchester City advanced to the final eight of the Champions League 4-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 home victory over Real Madrid on Friday, nearly five months after the first leg.
Goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus sandwiched a Karim Benzema strike in the 28th minute to give Pep Guardiola’s men comfortable passage into the next round after a similar 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu back in February.
It was an especially rough night for Madrid defender Raphael Varane, who became the ninth player in UCL knockout history with two errors leading to a goal in the same game in the past 10 seasons.
Meanwhile, it was a milestone evening for Jesus, who — in providing the assist for Sterling’s strike — recorded his first match with a goal and an assist in Champions League play (22 games).
Real, trailing from the first-leg and without their suspended skipper and defensive lynchpin Sergio Ramos, made a disastrous start, gifting City a ninth minute opener.
Frenchman Varane, having received a pass inside his own area from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, was robbed by Jesus and he slipped the ball to Sterling who slotted home.
There was a strong response from the Spanish champions, with City keeper Ederson forced into fine saves to keep out efforts from Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard.
Ederson could do nothing, however, to keep out a bullet header from Benzema near the half-hour mark, the Frenchman rising to power home a superb pin-point cross from Rodrygo.
City created chances after the break but lacked the killer touch and it took another piece of calamitous defending by Varane to decide the tie in the 68th as his attempted header back to Courtois was too weak and Jesus was alert again, nipping in to flick it past the keeper and make it 2-1 on the night.
Friday’s result means that City will take on Lyon, who ousted Juventus in the day’s other match-ESPN
Bosso forward Prince Dube has responded to reports linking him with a move from Highlanders to a Tanzanian club, insisting that he will only get transferred when the right time comes.
Bulawayo-based newspaper The Chronicle, claimed in a story yesterday that Bosso Chief Executive Officer Nhlanhla Dube is “in trouble” for allegedly going behind the club’s board to facilitate a move for Dube, whose contract expires in December, to Tanzanian big-spenders Azam.
“Highlanders chief executive officer Nhlanhla Dube is reportedly in trouble for allegedly sitting on a US$50 000 cash offer for hitman Prince Dube from free spending Tanzanian side Azam.
Dube is alleged to have received official offer for the 22-year-old Prince, whose contract expires in December, but allegedly didn’t inform the Bosso executive, raising fears that the club’s prized possession could leave for nothing as a free agent in four months’ time,” reported the paper.
The striker has since taken to microblogging site Twitter to respond to the report.
“I’m saddened by the news circulating about my transfer , with all that said I’m not being held at Highlanders FC against my will when the time comes for me to move , I will move and Highlanders FC will benefit,” he wrote-Soccer 24
Nelson Chamisa who leads the opposition MDC Alliance has criticised the government for the imprisonment of anti-corruption crusaders.
Speaking for the first time after the death of his mother Gogo Alice Chamisa last month and after visiting some of the victims of abductions by alleged state security agents last week, Chamisa said:
It is not proper to have people in a supposedly free Zimbabwe who are not sleeping in their homes peacefully and are wanted not for anything criminal, but for demanding accountability and end to corruption.
We have brutality of innocent citizens by State agents and it is sad. But we will smile soon.
I sense victory, our sorrows will turn into joy, celebrations are not far away, and change is coming.
He speaks when tensions are rising in the country over latest reports of human rights violations and the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.
The opposition is accusing the governing ZANU PF of presiding over a failed economy and diminishing the citizenry’s living standards- NewsDay
Hopewell,Jacob & all others under persecution count on us for solidarity. There is no freedom when fellow citizens are unjustly deprived of their freedoms.Fighting corruption is a collective& just fight.Rights& freedoms of all Zimbabweans is our key duty!#ZimbabweanLivesMatter
Misred had insinuated during an interview with a Ghanaian radio that reports on social media are not a true reflection of what is really happening on the ground adding that disgruntled and hurt citizens were sensationalizing minor issues.
Her remarks had attracted the wrath of some Zimbabweans with some unearthing her private life.
Below is her full Twitter thread in which she issued the apology.
Dear fellow Zimbabweans, I really do want to say, I am sorry I let us down. I am sorry that my words have caused pain and have resulted in so many of you feeling that I have let our cause down.
I have listened to all the feedback and concerns raised and although my temptation has been to explain away the pain, I do agree I could have articulated our plight much more clearly. In hindsight I should have declined the interview given the gravity of the cause.
I want you to know I share the pain and daily struggles we all experience and do not in any way trivialize this. #ZimbabweanLivesMatter and this is not negotiable. Again, my profound apologies.
So people are actually buying that fake ass apology? If she's really sorry she needs to request for another interview and say "My name is Misred and I lied" on air. Chances are Nick is the one who wrote that message for her ???
Nelson Chamisa who leads the opposition MDC Alliance has criticised the government for the imprisonment of anti-corruption crusaders.
Speaking for the first time after the death of his mother Gogo Alice Chamisa last month and after visiting some of the victims of abductions by alleged state security agents last week, Chamisa said:
It is not proper to have people in a supposedly free Zimbabwe who are not sleeping in their homes peacefully and are wanted not for anything criminal, but for demanding accountability and end to corruption.
We have brutality of innocent citizens by State agents and it is sad. But we will smile soon.
I sense victory, our sorrows will turn into joy, celebrations are not far away, and change is coming.
He speaks when tensions are rising in the country over latest reports of human rights violations and the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.
The opposition is accusing the governing ZANU PF of presiding over a failed economy and diminishing the citizenry’s living standards- NewsDay
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Many countries around the world have seen cases of COVID-19 and several have seen outbreaks.
The situation is unpredictable so check regularly for the latest news.
You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions:
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Why?Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 hotspots (cities or local areas where COVID-19 is spreading widely). If possible, avoid traveling to places – especially if you are an older person or have diabetes, heart or lung disease.
Why? You have a higher chance of catching COVID-19 in one of these areas.
Credit:WHO
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow /like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
WEEK ROUNDUP- By A Correspondent | ZANU PF heavyweights have spoken warning Emmerson Mnangagwa among other things that he is now to be paired with Adolf Hitler and other genocide criminals. Party Deputy Chairperson [Youth League] Rockefeller Zimba said: “there’s no point in me sitting there and saying no no no there is no police brutality in Zimbabwe; there is there is no point in me sitting there saying that there is no corruption in Zimbabwe, it is sanctions, that is utter nonsense. I am sure we are much clever and that.
“How do you sleep at night knowing that so many people have died because of the decisions you have made? How do you sleep at night knowing that other people are suffering because of your greed and you want to blame it on sanctions? Let us be real let us be real.”
1- @ZANUPF_Official Deputy Chair YL announces " @edmnangagwa needs to take control and take charge. It's not about terrorist organisations, it's about the terrorists surrounding him… Innocent civilians I just crying for what's better for them." pic.twitter.com/dvg90es0ab
Top Herald Correspondent Reason Wafawarova goes further to tell Mnangagwa to his face that he now than the risk of being labelled “alongside Adolf Hitler…” VIDEO –
1- @ZANUPF_Official Deputy Chair YL announces " @edmnangagwa needs to take control and take charge. It's not about terrorist organisations, it's about the terrorists surrounding him… Innocent civilians I just crying for what's better for them." pic.twitter.com/dvg90es0ab
The MDC Alliance welcomes the efforts by the region to intervene in the deepening governance and human rights crisis in Zimbabwe, particularly by His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the current Chairperson of the African Union.
The crisis in Zimbabwe has been characterized by a de facto state of emergency, a crackdown on citizens, abductions, arbitrary arrests of government critics and the political persecution of journalists.
The region must take note of the collapse of the public health system characterised by an ongoing doctors’ and nurses’ strike amidst the Covid-l9 pandemic, the economic crisis which has seen hyperinflation exceed 786% and a hunger crisis that has left 7,7 million Zimbabweans food insecure.
The Government in Harare is incapable of resolving these challenges because it lacks legitimacy.
We are of the firm view that any solution to the ongoing socio-economic lies in resolving the political crisis and answering the outstanding legitimacy question. The deteriorating plight of the Zimbabwean people means that a political settlement is more urgent than before.
We acknowledge the special envoy that has been deployed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and we will continuously assess the sincerity of all the actors in the process.
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s corrupt regime this week reached a new low by denying bail to MDC Alliance Youth Organizer, Godfrey Kurauone, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.
Kurauone is currently languishing at Masvingo Remand Prison while Chin’ono and Ngarivhume have been condemned to Chikurubi Maximum Prison as if they are dangerous criminals.
We all know Chin’ono is being punished for exposing Mnangagwa’s corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo who looted Covid-19 funds.
By firing his corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo, ED confirmed exactly what Chin’ono brought to light but relieving a thief of his duties without sending him to jail is not enough.
By sending those that speak against corruption to jail, it is clear that the unrepentant regime is consenting to looting of state coffers.
From Kariba to Chiredzi, the regime without shame besieged homes, arrested, abducted and tortured all those who dared to speak against stinking corruption that is reigning supreme inside Mnangagwa’s government.
Our fight against corruption is a just cause hence it knows no political party and as such we are going to stop at nothing until our voices are heard.
We shall never relent until justice is served.
Silence and folding hands at this juncture whilst our country is burning is akin to consenting to looting.
Let Monday, the 10th of August to Friday, the 15th of August be our defining moment.
If we love our country, then we must be prepared to take head on those who are running it down.
Let those that are eating on our behalf know no peace until justice is served!
We deserve to be heard!
A corrupt free government is possible in our lifetime.
Our lives matter fellow citizens!
ZimbabweanLivesMatter!
KushingaMberi!*
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDCAllianceYouthAssemblyNationalSpokesperson
ZANU PF members and activists are coming out in the open voicing their displeasure at the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The unfolding leadership drama bedeviling the ruling party has seen some members openly demanding an extraordinary Congress to recall Mnangagwa and rectify the leadership crisis.
Popular ZANU PF social media activist (Murakashi) Munyaradzi Rex Midzi posted on his twitter handle saying, “I’m very clear now, ZANU PF is my party. I don’t agree with my first secretary ED Mnangagwa and his current approach. ZANU PF must reform.”
ZANU PF District Chairman Goodman Musariri, who stood against Advocate Fortune Chasi in the ZANU PF primary elections, said: I totally agree and an Extraordinary Congress is long overdue! The most critical part was my court challenge to seek a DECLARATORY ORDER that: No Competent Central Committee Session was held on 19 November 2017. It is that Central Committee Caucus that unlawfully REINSTATED the expelled V.P E.D Mnangagwa.”
Musariri added that 45 out of 49 politburo members are General Chiwenga’s favorites and patrons.
He singled out Obert Mpofu the Secretary for Administration and said for now the secretary for Administration who is meant to handle the process of calling for an extraordinary Congress supports Mnangagwa.
“Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is needed in the 3rd Republic.” He said
A ZANU PF Central Committee member who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity said Zimbabweans cannot rely on Members of Parliament to remove Mnangagwa but should put their trust on the extraordinary Congress of ZANU PF to deal with the current President.
“This, unfortunately, seems like the only viable way, we cannot depend on social media to topple a constitutionally elected government.” The source said. “Neither can we rely on Nero and his team of activists. We also cannot rely on sitting MPs to support impeachment. So Congress is the way to go. We legitimized an illegal appointment of a non-card carrying member to run for the presidency.”
A section of ZANU PF members has anonymously written to Former Liberation Movements in Southern Africa seeking their help in facilitating a ZANU PF extraordinary congress.
Renowned Pan Africanist Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba agreed with the ZANU PF supporters saying, “Mnangagwa has gone rogue”.
The issue of an extraordinary Congress is likely to be raised during a special virtual meeting set to be held between ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule and ZANU PF secretary for Administration Dr Obert Mpofu.
By A Correspondent| The MDC Alliance has welcomed the move to send a special envoy to Zimbabwe by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa following allegations of human rights violations in the country.
President Ramaphosa on Friday announced that he will be sending a special envoy to Zimbabwe. This follows calls for South Africa to step in as alleged crackdown on government critics grows.
In an interview with eNCA , MDC Alliance deputy president, Tendai Biti welcomed the response by President Ramaphosa said they are looking forward to the agenda and mandate of the appointed team.
“Firstly it is common cause that Zimbabwe is in a crisis mode on the verge of implosion, we acknowledge President Ramaphosa response even if its belated it is an acknowledgment that all is not well in Zimbabwe we now look forward to the agenda and the mandate of the team he has appointed. The details have not been flashed out to us.
“We are curious to know how that will interconnect with SADC or AU because any mediation without the scaffolding of SADC will be very difficult we welcome the move but we have questions we need clarity, openness, impartiality, transparency,” said Biti
Biti said though they are not aware of the special envoy’s mandate, they expect an approach that is different from the 2007/8 Global Political Agreement which gave birth to the Government of national Unity (GNU).
“The situation in Zimbabwe is a very complex one. In 2007/8 we negotiated for the Global Political Agreement which gave birth to the Government of National Unity, the problem with that, was it focused on stability more than democracy it did a disservice to the agenda of democracy more important it skirted of reform in Zimbabwe in particular security sector reform now this time around anyone who wants to dabble in Zimbabwe must understand that the problems are structural that they cannot be whitewashed and you cannot put lipstick or mascara over them.
“Zimbabweans want real transformation to avoid the suffering and the price of illegitimacy and bad government we have paid for the last forty years Sydney Mufamadi must know that the task on his hand is huge whatever task it is because Zimbabweans are not going to settle for anything other than genuine intention and that they are not going settle for anything that does not respect the people’s will so democracy over stability after all democracy is the biggest guarantor of stability.” said Biti
The special envoys are former South African Minister, Sydney Mufamadi and former National Assembly Speaker, Baleka Mbete with the former taking part in the 2007/8 negotiations.
Pandemonium broke out at the Zimbabwean Embassy in Pretoria yesterday during a protest against human rights abuses. The protest was in response to recent arbitrary arrests of Zimbabwean activists, opposition figures, and the continued detention of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. Protestors have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene as an African Union chair, instead of delegating. We to continue our focus on the situation in Zimbabwe, joining us now is Zimbabwe’s Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana.- SABC
Dear fellow Zimbabweans, I really do want to say, I am sorry I let us down. I am sorry that my words have caused pain and have resulted in so many of you feeling that I have let our cause down.
I have listened to all the feedback and concerns raised and although my temptation has been to explain away the pain, I do agree I could have articulated our plight much more clearly. In hindsight I should have declined the interview given the gravity of the cause.
I want you to know I share the pain and daily struggles we all experience and do not in any way trivialize this . #ZimbabweanLivesMatter and this is not negotiable. Again, my profound apologies.
I notice that everyone is writing that ZANU PF MUST GO It is true. Zanu Pf Must Go
My only worry is that they are leaving the other culprits who must go
Zimbabweans must join hands and also add Chinese must go The Chinese are looting our resources What will our grandchildren mine in 50years to come if everything taken by Chinese? ZANU PF MUST GO CHINESE MUST GO!
By MISA Zimbabwe| Journalist Gilbert Munetsi spent the night in police cells after he was arrested by police in Chitungwiza outside Harare on 7 August 2020 around 8 pm for allegedly violating the 6 am – 6 pm curfew imposed in terms of the COVID-19 regulations.
He was released this morning without any charges after MISA Zimbabwe deployed lawyer Tafadzwa Mugabe who attended to the matter and secured his release.
According to lawyer Mugabe, Munetsi was arrested when police rounded up people who were still outdoors beyond the prescribed time of 6 pm as provided for in terms of Statutory Instrument (SI) 174 of 2020.
The police did not give Munetsi an opportunity to explain or to even show them his accreditation card.
By A Correspondent- The Human Rights Watch Director for Southern Africa Dewa Mavhinga has opined that the persecution of journalists in Zimbabwe is a strategy to get to their sources who helped in the exposure of grand corruption by some government officials and departments.
Mavhinga who investigates human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, South Africa, eSwatini & Malawi speaks when journalists Hopewell Chin’ono and Mduduzi Mathuthu have been targeted by the state after they exposed corruption in the country.
Posting on social media on Saturday, Mavhinga said:
Persecution/harassment of prominent journalists Hopewell Chin’ono & @Mathuthu, & their families, is for the Zimbabwe authorities to get to their sources who helped expose high-level Covid19 PPE corruption.
Chin’ono was arrested on 20 July and charged with inciting public violence after rallying the citizenry to participate in anti-corruption protests that had been scheduled for 31 July.
Meanwhile, Mathuthu has gone into hiding but his family is being harassed by state security personnel. His nephew Tawanda Muchehiwa was recently abducted, tortured and detained by police who wanted him to reveal Mathuthu’s whereabouts.
Speaking to SABC News last night, the Secretary for Information, Nick Mangwana said relatives of wanted individuals who do not reveal the whereabouts of their relatives are being arrested for “obstructing justice.”
By Wilbert Mukori- To date SA has carried out a total of 3 million test and has 511 000 confirmed cases. Zimbabwe has done 144 000 tests and 4 000 confirmed cases.
With 1/4 the population of SA, Zimbabwe should have done 750 000 tests, we have only done 20% of the tests, and most of the test targeted returnees whilst ignoring even the top priority groups like health care workers and all those with covid-19 like symptoms.
Zimbabwe has not been testing even the health care frontline workers, it is only starting to do so now and hence the reports of 70 health care workers testing positive at Parerinyatwa Hospital, 20 at Maphisa District Hospital and 40 at Mpilo Hospital’s Opportunistic Infection Clinic. At 2 000 test a day, it will take months to test all health care workers and we have yet to test the patients and other suspect cases!
Zimbabwe should mobilise for a blitz testing, tracing and tracking to recover lost ground, we should have 1 million tested for covid-19 by the end of this month. If Zanu PF can mobilise to impose a nation wide dawn to dusk curfew to stop Sikhala and Ngarivhume street protests; the only thing stopping the regime mobilising a blitz covid-19 test squad is lack of political will.
If Zimbabwe has carried out the test, trace and track routine as aggressively as it is supposed to and the country had done 750 000 or so tests, then the number of confirmed covid-19 cases will 1/4 those of SA, 125 000 and not 4 000. All those tested and found to have the corona virus have rightly gone into isolation.
So, for everyone person in self-isolation, there are possibly 30 others who should be in isolation but are out. They are spreading the virus but only because they are not aware they have the virus. Only they needed to know their covid-19 status was a simple test costing US$ 6 to 20. And the failure to carry out the test in going to cost hundreds of thousands of human lives. A sobering thought!
The only people who are benefiting from Zimbabwe’s failure to test aggressively and thus the under reporting of the country’s corona virus cases, by the end of the year the difference between the official figure and the real could well be thousands of times, is Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF regime. The regime views the low covid-19 cases in the country as proof of Zanu PF’s competence in containing the corona virus.
Whilst countries like South Korea, New Zealand and China who have had great success in containing corona virus can point to their aggressive testing, strict quarantine and mobilising human and material resources to deal Wuhan outbreak respectively.
Zanu PF is claiming the accolades for successfully containing corona virus and yet the regime cannot point to anything it did – other than stubbornly refuse to test and falsify the data! I will be damned, if I should let Mnangagwa and company get away with such callous and calculated criminal behaviour!
By A Correspondent- Air India Express skidded off a runway and split in two while landing Friday in heavy rain in the southern state of Kerala killing and injuring at least 18 and 123 passengers respectively.
Both pilots, including Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe, were among those killed in the crash.
Abdul Karim, a senior Kerala state police officer, said at least 15 of the injured were in critical condition, and that rescue operations were over.
The NDTV news channel said the plane flew from Dubai to Kozhikode, also called Calicut, in Kerala, India’s southernmost state.It was a special evacuation flight bringing people home to India who had been trapped abroad because of the coronavirus.
Dubai-based aviation consultant Mark Martin said that while it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, low visibility, wet runway, low cloud base, all leading to very poor braking action is what looks like triggered the crash.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister’s Office has said all the accident victims will be tested for COVID-19, including those who died in the crash adding that so far, only one victim has tested positive for Coronavirus.
By Wilbert Mukori- “The nature of our politics today demands, in my view, greater tolerance, cross-fertilisation of ideas from different corners of political and economic thought and inclusiveness. If I had my way into the ears of our politicians, as in 2008, I would recommend going the GNU way,” argued Gideon Gono, former RBZ governor.
This is the kind of foolishness that has landed Zimbabwe in this man-made hell-on-earth and the kind of foolishness that has kept us there, stuck!
The 2008 to 2013 GNU did bring about considerable economic recovery, no one would deny that, but no one would deny the country had sunk to nauseating depths. Before the GNU inflation had soared to the dizzying heights of 500 billion percent, it was near impossible to conduct any meaningful business transaction. The scrapping of the Z$ alone was enough to bring back confidence and sanity in the economy!
The reason why Zimbabwe is in the same economic and political mess it was in before the 2008 GNU is that no meaningful political reforms were implemented during the GNU. A new GNU, extended to ten years instead of five, by the same Zanu PF and MDC players will not implement any meaningful reforms and so, at the end of the GNU we will be back to where we are today.
As for the new GNU delivering any economic recovery, it will be marginal at best because the economic situation now is totally different from that in 2008.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess is the failure to remove the corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF from office because the party rigged the elections. 40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness have reduced Zimbabwe into a pariah state in economic ruins.
The proposed new GNU to last until 2030 is just an excuse to keep Zanu PF in power just as the 2008 GNU was an excuse to keep the party in power after it had blatantly rigged the 2008 elections. At least back then SADC leaders had forced Mugabe and Zanu PF to sign the Global Political Agreement agreeing to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to end the curse of rigged elections.
It is a great tragedy that Morgan Tsvangirai and his corrupt and incompetent MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.
At least the 2008 GNU had implementing the reforms as a set objective. Mnangagwa has already made it clear that the 2018 elections were free, fair and credible; other than Chamisa’s dispute over the presidential vote count, a position endorsed by all Zimbabwe’s opposition parties; and so there will be no meaningful reforms implemented throughout this new GNU.
So after yet another GNU, lasting ten years, we will be back where we are today, this a dysfunctional political system with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the entourage of 130, at the last count, equally corrupt and incompetent opposition parties!
“We are too polarised for a winner-take-all type of approach. No electioneering for next 10 years as we rebuild our economy,” continue Dr Gono.
“We ought to suspend elections till 2030 and rather focus on the economy and the survival of our people in a climate of peace, mutual respect, trust, good governance, tolerance of diversity, human, gender and property rights while deepening our international respectability and acceptance by the West, East, South and North. How we can achieve that is a matter of detail with failure not being an option.
“We must in that period ban all manner and spectrum of violence, shun any acts, real or perceptions of abductions, harassments of citizens, abuses of office, violence or negative feelings against and fears of our law enforcement agencies and make them darlings of our people regardless of colour, creed or political affiliation, make it everyone’s job to create jobs for our youths, women, war vets, and the landless while creating an atmosphere of true healing and mutual forgiveness between and among us Zimbabweans.
“There is so much we can do in 10 years before we decide to go back into the divisive competition for these political office again. Let’s pause and find and help each other. There is too much hatred, suspicion, abuses, gossip and negativity out there it’s not healthy!”
Dr Gono, spare us your truckload of bull!
There is one reason why democracy; free, fair and credible elections; freedom of expression and association; open debate; democratic competition; etc. have failed in Zimbabwe – Zanu PF leaders have refused to be bound by rule of law and democracy. After 40 years of allowing Zanu PF to ride roughshod of the people’s freedoms, rights and dreams to appease the Zanu PF demons at the expense of the nation well being and survival you still want the madness to continue. NO! Enough is enough!
The way forward for Zimbabwe is to tell Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies that they rigged the July 2018 elections, they have no democratic mandate to govern, they are illegitimate and they must step down. The country needs an interim administration that will implement the reforms culminating in the holding of free, fair and credible elections.
The way out of this man-made hell-on-earth Zanu PF has landed us in is to dismantle the dictatorship and replace it with a healthy and functional democratic system of government. The dictatorship must be dismantled and not given yet another lease of live under the guise of a new GNU!
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) has urged political actors not to abandon the push for electoral reforms in the face of COVID-19 that has forced the country’s electoral body, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), to suspend by-elections.
Zec has indefinitely suspended the holding of by-elections to prevent voters, polling officers and other electoral stakeholders from contracting COVID-19.
However, the independent electoral watchdog argued the global pandemic should not be used as an excuse to supplant the need to implement electoral reforms. Zesn said it would keep debate on the matter alive using various platforms.
“Zesn continues to keep the debate on electoral reforms alive, by among other things hosting webinars to review proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Electoral Bill drafted by the network,” the civic society organisation said in its weekly monitoring responses to COVID-19 bulletin.
“The network has this week held virtual meetings with its provincial representatives in the different provinces to share information, review the network’s programming, and opportunities to continue supporting various aspects of the electoral cycle during the COVID-19 era.”
According to Zesn, electoral reforms were necessary to strengthen the integrity of the country’s polls which are always marred by disputes, with the opposition citing rigging and manipulation.
Following the disputed 2018 general elections, there were several recommendations to Zec from local, regional and other international election watchdogs.
MDC Alliance has refused to recognise President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s victory citing electoral malpractices.
However, Zec has denied charges of colluding with Zanu-PF to rig the elections.
Zesn has also called for the establishment of an electoral and political reforms taskforce bringing together political parties and other stakeholders to push for implementation of reforms to avert disputed polls in 2023.
“It is persecution of opponents of this evil regime. These are things that we have raised to the world that the democratic space of our country has been closed,” said the MDC Alliance Zengeza West legislator Job Sikhala.
By A Correspondent- Zanu PF members and activists are coming out in the open voicing their displeasure at the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The unfolding leadership drama bedeviling the ruling party has seen some members openly demanding an extraordinary Congress to recall Mnangagwa and rectify the leadership crisis.
Popular ZANU PF social media activist (Murakashi) Munyaradzi Rex Midzi posted on his twitter handle saying:
“I’m very clear now, ZANU PF is my party. I don’t agree with my first secretary ED Mnangagwa and his current approach. ZANU PF must reform.”
ZANU PF District Chairman Goodman Musariri, who stood against Advocate Fortune Chasi in the ZANU PF primary elections, said:
“I totally agree and an Extraordinary Congress is long overdue! The most critical part was my court challenge to seek a DECLARATORY ORDER that: No Competent Central Committee Session was held on 19 November 2017. It is that Central Committee Caucus that unlawfully REINSTATED the expelled V.P E.D Mnangagwa.”
Musariri added that 45 out of 49 politburo members are General Chiwenga’s favorites and patrons.
He singled out Obert Mpofu the Secretary for Administration and said for now the secretary for Administration who is meant to handle the process of calling for an extraordinary Congress supports Mnangagwa.
“Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is needed in the 3rd Republic.” he said
A Zanu PF Central Committee member who spoke to a local publication on condition of anonymity said Zimbabweans cannot rely on Members of Parliament to remove Mnangagwa but should put their trust on the extraordinary Congress of ZANU PF to deal with the current President.
“This, unfortunately, seems like the only viable way, we cannot depend on social media to topple a constitutionally elected government. Neither can we rely on Nero and his team of activists. We also cannot rely on sitting MPs to support impeachment. So Congress is the way to go. We legitimized an illegal appointment of a non-card carrying member to run for the presidency.”
A section of ZANU PF members has anonymously written to Former Liberation Movements in Southern Africa seeking their help in facilitating a ZANU PF extraordinary congress.
Renowned Pan Africanist Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba agreed with the ZANU PF supporters saying, “Mnangagwa has gone rogue”.
The issue of an extraordinary Congress is likely to be raised during a special virtual meeting set to be held between ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule and ZANU PF secretary for Administration Dr Obert Mpofu.
By A Correspondent- Zanu-PF has, however, reacted angrily to African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Ace Magashule’s comments during a televised interview that the South African ruling party was concerned with the crisis in Zimbabwe amid growing human rights abuses.
The ruling party accused the ANC of interfering and acting like Zimbabwe’s “prefect”.
“We note that this is not the first time a senior ANC leader has sought to speak like Zimbabwe’s prefect,” Zanu-PF acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said.
“Zanu-PF categorically states that Magashule’s utterances were completely out of order.
“For the record, there is no brutality of whatever form happening in Zimbabwe, but enforcement of lockdown regulations in line with recommendations by the World Health Organisation, our Ministry of Health and Child Care and what has become common practice on COVID-19.”
He added: “We have seen on social media, videos of South African soldiers beating their non-compliant citizens using fists and sjamboks while in some regrettable circumstances, we have seen them spraying rubber bullets on their citizens resulting in serious injuries and deaths, to the extent that it has been reported that members of the SANDF (South African National Defence Force) killed eight citizens in the streets during enforcement operations. Zanu-PF has not uttered a word in public.”
He also referred to the Marikana massacre in the North West province in August 2012 where police opened fire on striking mine workers.
“We have watched Marikana massacres that remain unprecedented since the turn of the millennium by government forces, but we have sought to respect South Africa’s capacity and right to deal with those matters internally,” Chinamasa said.
“We, however, are taken aback by these latest irresponsible utterances by Magashule, who by all means should have sought clarifications from his counterpart Obert Mpofu.”
He said Magashule had relied on information from “fortune-seeking” activist groups and “faceless social media posts” on issues about Zimbabwe.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba accused the exiled members of the Zanu-PF faction better known as the G40 of lying to South Africans about the situation back home.
“I hope you are aware that in that statement that same secretary-general was attacking his own President. There is just too much manipulation of statements for propaganda purposes,” Charamba said.
“This is a man who is facing charges around procurement of PPE (personal protective equipment) in South Africa and that is public. He has a bone to chew with his organisation and its leadership.
“We don’t get misled by errant statements from someone who is roguish, we don’t.”
By A Correspondent- Beatrice Mtetwa, the lawyer of detained prominent Zimbabwean journalist and filmmaker, Hopewell Chin’ono has told members of the media that her client was stopped from wearing his goggles amid concerns they could be for surveillance purposes.
Chin’ono was using the goggles as personal protective equipment to prevent contracting the coronavirus.
The award-winning journalist was arrested on the 20th of July for inciting violence after he had persuaded the citizenry to participate in anti-corruption protests that were pencilled for the 31st.
Zimbabwean prisons are reportedly in bad shape and are also overcrowded making them very risky especially when the country is grappling with a pandemic.
The deadly virus has already breached the prison walls with both prisoners and prison officers to have contracted coronavirus.
“The circumstances surrounding the death of my uncle are questionable…. but he was one of those guys sent to be at the forefront of the late Robert Mugabe’s coup. He reportedly is on record saying he knew that if the late Perrance Shiri had died, he was next, he would not live.
“A day after Shiri died, he confessed that he had been threatened at work. So when he said he was feeling cold, unfortunately his wife is late, he called the army doctor, he was advised that the doctor would tell him what to do. It is suspected that he was poisoned because he was reportedly coughing blood. Even his children were not allowed to get inside the hospital to see him let alone talk to him only to get a call that he was no more.
“We were told that he died of COVID-19 but no results were availed. They just rushed to bury him. It was like a movie. We dont even know if we buried him or we buried a chicken. An aunt pleaded with them to give her the PPEs so that at least someone from the family views the body, they refused, they were adamant. Not even body viewing.
“It is not only him who died such a mysterious death, there was also another colonel who died but his death was not announced. Something is going on, anything can happen anytime in this country.”
Noxolo Maphosa, niece to Josphat Mzaca Ngulube, Bulawayo political activist who went missing on Friday morning was later dumped at her family home tortured and sexually assaulted.
By Wilbert Mukori- “The nature of our politics today demands, in my view, greater tolerance, cross-fertilisation of ideas from different corners of political and economic thought and inclusiveness. If I had my way into the ears of our politicians, as in 2008, I would recommend going the GNU way,” argued Gideon Gono, former RBZ governor.
This is the kind of foolishness that has landed Zimbabwe in this man-made hell-on-earth and the kind of foolishness that has kept us there, stuck!
The 2008 to 2013 GNU did bring about considerable economic recovery, no one would deny that, but no one would deny the country had sunk to nauseating depths. Before the GNU inflation had soared to the dizzying heights of 500 billion percent, it was near impossible to conduct any meaningful business transaction. The scrapping of the Z$ alone was enough to bring back confidence and sanity in the economy!
The reason why Zimbabwe is in the same economic and political mess it was in before the 2008 GNU is that no meaningful political reforms were implemented during the GNU. A new GNU, extended to ten years instead of five, by the same Zanu PF and MDC players will not implement any meaningful reforms and so, at the end of the GNU we will be back to where we are today.
As for the new GNU delivering any economic recovery, it will be marginal at best because the economic situation now is totally different from that in 2008.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess is the failure to remove the corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF from office because the party rigged the elections. 40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness have reduced Zimbabwe into a pariah state in economic ruins.
The proposed new GNU to last until 2030 is just an excuse to keep Zanu PF in power just as the 2008 GNU was an excuse to keep the party in power after it had blatantly rigged the 2008 elections. At least back then SADC leaders had forced Mugabe and Zanu PF to sign the Global Political Agreement agreeing to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to end the curse of rigged elections.
It is a great tragedy that Morgan Tsvangirai and his corrupt and incompetent MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.
At least the 2008 GNU had implementing the reforms as a set objective. Mnangagwa has already made it clear that the 2018 elections were free, fair and credible; other than Chamisa’s dispute over the presidential vote count, a position endorsed by all Zimbabwe’s opposition parties; and so there will be no meaningful reforms implemented throughout this new GNU.
So after yet another GNU, lasting ten years, we will be back where we are today, this a dysfunctional political system with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the entourage of 130, at the last count, equally corrupt and incompetent opposition parties!
“We are too polarised for a winner-take-all type of approach. No electioneering for next 10 years as we rebuild our economy,” continue Dr Gono.
“We ought to suspend elections till 2030 and rather focus on the economy and the survival of our people in a climate of peace, mutual respect, trust, good governance, tolerance of diversity, human, gender and property rights while deepening our international respectability and acceptance by the West, East, South and North. How we can achieve that is a matter of detail with failure not being an option.
“We must in that period ban all manner and spectrum of violence, shun any acts, real or perceptions of abductions, harassments of citizens, abuses of office, violence or negative feelings against and fears of our law enforcement agencies and make them darlings of our people regardless of colour, creed or political affiliation, make it everyone’s job to create jobs for our youths, women, war vets, and the landless while creating an atmosphere of true healing and mutual forgiveness between and among us Zimbabweans.
“There is so much we can do in 10 years before we decide to go back into the divisive competition for these political office again. Let’s pause and find and help each other. There is too much hatred, suspicion, abuses, gossip and negativity out there it’s not healthy!”
Dr Gono, spare us your truckload of bull!
There is one reason why democracy; free, fair and credible elections; freedom of expression and association; open debate; democratic competition; etc. have failed in Zimbabwe – Zanu PF leaders have refused to be bound by rule of law and democracy. After 40 years of allowing Zanu PF to ride roughshod of the people’s freedoms, rights and dreams to appease the Zanu PF demons at the expense of the nation well being and survival you still want the madness to continue. NO! Enough is enough!
The way forward for Zimbabwe is to tell Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies that they rigged the July 2018 elections, they have no democratic mandate to govern, they are illegitimate and they must step down. The country needs an interim administration that will implement the reforms culminating in the holding of free, fair and credible elections.
The way out of this man-made hell-on-earth Zanu PF has landed us in is to dismantle the dictatorship and replace it with a healthy and functional democratic system of government. The dictatorship must be dismantled and not given yet another lease of live under the guise of a new GNU!
By A Correspondent- An official in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development said that health authorities are now adding the final improvements to ventilators produced by the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) so that they are ready for use.
Speaking during an interview with the state media on Friday, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Professor Fanuel Tagwira said the ventilators have already been tested on animals.
He said:
The university made a prototype and tested it, they even tested the ventilators on animals.
Now HIT are working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care putting finishing touches to ensure the ventilators are safe for the intended purpose.
Some of the components are expensive because they are imported and they may affect the scale of production we are anticipating.
Some of these components include circuit boards, which we have the capacity to make, but we do not have the requisite machinery yet, we will work to ensure that the machinery is bought to allow for cheaper production in the long run.
In June this year, HIT Vice Chancellor Engineer Quinton Kanhukamwe told Parliament that their ventilators had passed requisite tests and that they met international standards.
A ventilator is a machine that helps pump oxygen into a critically ill patient’s body through a tube that goes in the mouth and down the windpipe.
By A Correspondent- A three-week-old baby was among the latest six people who have succumbed to COVID-19 according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC).
The six deaths were announced by MoHCC in its daily updates on Friday, 7 August 2020 and this brought the cumulative number of deaths to 102 since the disease was reported in Zimbabwe in March this year. The Ministry of Health said in the statement:
Today we regret to report five deaths which were recorded from 3-5 August 2020 in the community and admission to casualty departments at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and other hospitals after investigations and postmortems were done.
These include two males and two females from Harare province and a baby aged three weeks from Matabeleland North province and had respiratory symptoms compatible with COVID-19 and the PCR results were positive for COVID-19.
On Friday, a total of 1 575 Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) screening tests and 961 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) diagnostic tests were done. The cumulative number of tests done date is 147 026 (77 923 RDT and 69 103 PCR).
To date, the total number of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Zimbabwe since 20 March 2020 is 4 451, 1345 recovered, 3 004 active cases and 102 deaths.
OUTSPOKEN former Botswana leader, Ian Khama has urged Zimbabweans to press harder in their quest to free themselves despite renewed onslaught on citizen freedoms by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“Time has come for Zimbabweans to do something much more. Even if it means a personal sacrifice, withdrawal of labour crossing the borders to make neighbouring states pay attention to what is happening in Zimbabwe,” said the ex-leader in an interview on Botswana’s Duma FM.
Khama said he “regrets” attending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inauguration when the former was still President three years.
The former President said he attended the inauguration in the hope Mnangagwa would keep promises of restoring the troubled country to good fortune.
“I was really happy to share the words he (Mnangagwa) expressed at that inauguration about how he planned to take the nation of Zimbabwe forward. Coming away from that event, I thought to myself that this is great news and I wished him all the best,” he said.
At the time, Mnangagwa had ousted Robert Mugabe as President with assistance from the military.
Said Khama, “I saw this as an opportunity for Zimbabwe to break from the past ways of doing things as there were indications that the country will be on the path to prosperity again.
“Sadly, that part of the letter which hoped that there would be a new dispensation unfortunately has not happened and Zimbabweans are saying their situation is now worse than it was under Mugabe.”
Khama said Zimbabwe needed free and fair elections to allow its citizens to exercise their democratic right to choose their leaders.
“The problem is that there has been rigging of elections which has not allowed that to happen as we now hear from Zimbabweans who have come to work here,” Khama said.
The ex-leader said Zimbabweans were suffering from a lot of difficulties.
“That country has so much potential, the biggest and greatest resource are the people who are able to turn things around. I think that is a starting point,” he said.
He urged Zimbabweans to keep trying their best despite hanging on to hardships for too long.
“We don’t believe that there is an alternative political formation in Zimbabwe which can address this crisis.”
Former ZANU PF top officials, Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Zhuwao have appealed to South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) to intervene to end ZANU PF’s factional fights as they believe that there is no other political party in Zimbabwe which can address the current crisis, hence the need to save ZANU PF from itself.
The duo wrote to the ANC of South Africa expressing their hearts out for the party they left in a huff when former President Robert Mugabe was kicked out in a military coup. They said they don’t believe that the main opposition MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa can be a solution.
“We don’t believe that there is an alternative political formation in Zimbabwe which can address this crisis,” they said.
The letter reads as follows:
We are requesting the ANC to positively and substantively intervene to help save the tradition, ethos and values of the liberation movement in Zimbabwe. We believe that the ANC faces a very high risk of having a rogue neighbour north of the Limpopo.
ZANU PF is no longer the liberation movement that it used to be. It is our considered view that the ANC, both as a sister liberation movement and as Africa’s oldest and most democratic liberation movement is best placed to serve Zimbabwe by saving its liberation movement.
It is instructive to note that when the military staged the November 2017 coup in Zimbabwe it presented seven demands to President Mugabe.
Out of the seven, six represented the interest of a ZANU PF faction linked to and supported by the military; and the other demand was about the tenure interests of the military commanders.
In effect, the military coup was about using the gun to dictate and entrench the interests of a ZANU PF faction. This remains the case in Zimbabwe today and explains why ZANU PF remains profoundly divided and why Zimbabwe remains mired in a crippling political and economic crisis with far-reaching implications for the country and its neighbours.
We don’t believe that there is an alternative political formation in Zimbabwe which can address this crisis. We are convinced that it is critically important to confront the elephant in the room which in our view is a liberation movement in Zimbabwe which is physically and hegemonically disintegrating.
In our assessment, while this disintegration is palpable, we believe it can be rescued, reversed and restored. More particularly we think the ANC can play a pivotal role in the rescue, reversal and restoration.
If this is in order, we avail ourselves to a process of engagement and discussion to pinpoint the threats and opportunities that are present.
For ease of reference, we attach herewith, a copy of the seven demands that defined the objectives of the November 2017 military coup in Zimbabwe whose consequences have been devastating on the liberation movement in the country.
Sincerely
Comrade Jonathan Moyo Former ZANU PF Politburo Member and Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development
and
Comrade Patrick Zhuwao Former ZANU PF Politburo Member and Minister of Labour, Public Service and Social Welfare
Kenyan professor PLO Lumumba has joined the many voices running the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter campaign talking to human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
In a video that has gone viral, Lumumba appealed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to constitute a government of national unity to rescue the country.
“When Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, Africa rejoiced because we had a chance to write the obituary of the regime of Ian Smith. I remember Julius Nyerere of Tanzania telling Robert Mugabe that he has inherited a gem and he should keep it as such lest Ian Smith looks back and laugh at us. Now the world hears such things as ZimbabweanLivesMatter it pains us. This is my appeal and i believe the appeal of many Africans to the administration of Emmerson Mnangagwa that the time has come to make true the promises of independence. Over 4 million Zimbabweans are living in the diaspora because the environment is hostile. This is the time to constitute a government of national unity. This is the time to make Zimbabweans proud of their once happy nations. This is my appeal to you President Mnangagwa, ask yourself questions thy Africans are speaking to you via hashtags. The leadership of SADC move in and do what is right. The African Union should mediate the Zimbabwe situation. The AU and SADC should send people to fact find.”
Noxolo Maphosa, niece to Josphat Mzaca Ngulube, Bulawayo political activist who went missing on Friday morning was later dumped at her family home tortured and sexually assaulted.
FOLLOWING another five deaths from Covid-19 reported yesterday, Zimbabwe’s death toll has passed the century mark to reach 102.
The two men and two women in Harare and a three-week-old baby in Matabeleland North all died between Monday and Wednesday in the casualty department of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals or other hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said last night, in the daily report.
The Covid-19 infections were discovered during investigations and post-mortems. All five had respiratory symptoms compatible with Covid-19.
The Health Ministry records all deaths where Covid-19 infection is confirmed as a death due to the disease unless there is a clear alternative, such a car crash, diabetes, asthma, cancer or hypertension. If a person has been infected with Covid-19, counted as recovered and then dies, the cause of death will be attributed to whatever did kill the patient later.
Just 56 new infections were confirmed yesterday, two being returning residents from South Africa and the other 54 being infected within Zimbabwe, 21 of them in Manicaland and 20 in Harare.
The total number of confirmed Zimbabwe infections is now 4 451 with 3 353 infected within Zimbabwean communities. Of these local infections Harare accounts for 1 412 with 55 deaths, Bulawayo for 1 044 and 23 deaths, Midlands for 283 and five deaths and Manicaland for 152 and seven deaths.
The number of recoveries continues to rise and is now 1 345 although some provinces, including Harare, have yet to see all recoveries enter the official statistics.
South Africa, the fifth most severely hit country in the world by number of confirmed cases, has now recorded 9 604 deaths from 538 184 confirmed cases, but with 387 316 recoveries.
The global total is now 716 083 deaths from 19 160 806 confirmed cases with 11 605 114 recoveries. However, compilers of statistics stress that while the death toll is reasonably accurate, the number of cases and recoveries is almost certainly understated as not all infections were ever confirmed.
MDC Alliance Deputy President Tendai Biti has claimed that incacerated duo of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume were moved from Harare Remand prison to Chikurubi Maximum Prison before they are even tried or convicted.
Posting on Twitter, Biti said;
The regime has moved Hope and Jacob to Chikurubi Maximum They have not been tried nor convicted .Chikurubi is a vicious colonial relic that should have been shut down in 1980.Emmerson is vindictive malicious &cruel .Once a genocidiare always a genocidiare #ZimbabaweanLivesMatter.
Police in Bindura have arrested Tendai Phiri (42) of Kazungula Village under Chief Chiweshe in Centenary for killing her husband Kingston Chitsinde (60) during a domestic dispute before trying to burn the body with the help of her lover, Givemore Chipata (50).
Chipata was Chitsinde’s friend.
Provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Milton Mundembe said the incident occurred on August 3 at around 6pm.
“The couple had a heated argument after Phiri consulted a prophet over their daughter’s disability,” he said.
“They started fighting and she overpowered her husband, who fell to the ground unconscious.”
On realising that her husband had died, Phiri is said to have covered his body with a blanket before consulting Chipata for assistance.
He said they then connived to burn the body to cover up the offence.
“She kept the body in the house and the following day at around 7pm they took it to a banana field, covered it with logs and grass and set it ablaze before going back home,” he said.
Phiri then allegedly went to the village head to report that her husband was missing.
“A search party, comprising all villagers was organised. While people were searching for Chitsinde, Phiri went towards the banana field leading to the discovery of her husband’s half burnt body. The villagers accompanied Phiri to the police to report the matter.
“During interrogations Phiri confessed to killing her husband and implicated Chipata in the attempt to dispose of the body.”
Asst Insp Mundembe said it was worrisome that despite awareness campaigns, cases of domestic violence were on the increase.
“Violence does not solve anything but creates a lot of problems. We encourage couples to dialogue when they are faced with challenges.
“Make use of relatives or public relations officers at police stations for advice and guidance,” he said.
In an unrelated case, a three-week-old baby was found dumped in a pit toilet at Redlands Farm in Bindura.
Maidei Manyika (33) and Taizivei Kasinamunda (37) found the baby on July 4, this year at around 6pm.
They heard baby cries in the toilet and went to investigate only to find the baby almost covered by worms.
The toilet was almost full and the two women fished the baby out, bathed it and went to the police.
Asst Insp Mundembe said the baby was taken to Bindura Hospital and they are appealing to anyone with information on the identity of the baby’s mother to come forward.
Political activist Hopewell Chin’ono’s fresh bid for freedom on the basis of changed circumstances failed yesterday after a Harare magistrate turned his request down and ordered him to submit his bid next week.
Harare regional magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna said he will hear Chin’ono’s fresh bail application on Wednesday next week.
The State, led by Mr Michael Reza, had indicated that it was ready to hear his application.
On Thursday, High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi threw out Chin’ono’s appeal for bail, saying the trial magistrate’s decision was properly made when he initially made the application.
Chin’ono is being charged with incitement to commit public violence after he allegedly called for the flopped July 31 protests through his Twitter handle.
In denying him bail, Mr Nduna noted that Chin’ono had shown some defiance in the face of the State, which was calling for banning of protests.
Justice Chitapi in his decision to deny Chin’ono bail said: “In disposing of the matter, I determine that the appellant (Chin’ono) has failed to demonstrate any misdirection of fact, law or both made by the learned magistrate in the court a quo (lower court) as would justify interference with his judgment.
“In consequence, therefore, the order I make is as follows . . .The appeal be and is hereby dismissed.”
Justice Chitapi said releasing Chin’ono might enable him to continue with his campaign as there was no condition discernible capable of restraining him if he was granted bail.
“The attitude of the appellant was, therefore, one of defiance of State authority on the basis of a claim of right,” he said.
“In such circumstances, the learned magistrate cannot be faulted in his reasoning.”
Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) spokesperson Colonel Overson Mugwisi died last week allegedly due to COVID-19 complications.
A member of the Mugwisi family, captured on an audio, has however disputed that the long serving soldier died of Covid-19 but claims he was murdered together with his former boss, Perence Shiri.
Mugwisi reportedly died at an army hospital at the Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks, formerly KGV1 Barracks in Harare.
The family speaks in the video downloading below. Please be patient while the video downloads.
The Senate still has time to vote on the Constitutional Amendment Bill (Number 1 of 2017), which would give the President power to appoint Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice and High Court Judge President after receiving recommendations, after the Constitutional Court found a miscalculation on the needed Senate majority nullified the original vote.
In April this year, the Constitutional Court led by Chief Justice Luke Malaba ruled that passage of the Bill was not consistent with Section 328(5) of the Constitution that required that a Constitutional Bill be passed by two-thirds of the membership of each House present and voting in order to be considered as duly passed.
While the Constitutional Court found the National Assembly vote was valid, the majority in the Senate was inadequate once correct calculations had been performed.
In an interview, Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda said Senate will soon consider the Bill and attend to issues raised by the Constitutional Court. He dismissed claims from some quarters that Senators were failing to meet because they were failing to constitute a quorum.
“We are well within the timelines. We were given 180 days and these will end sometime in September or October. Senate has not yet considered the Bill, but it was not due to lack of quorum. The quorum was there. What is required to carry through a Constitutional Amendment is a two thirds majority. There is no point in moving for its third reading when the House is not sure of getting the two thirds required. Moving for the Third Reading will only happen when Government is assured on its side of the two thirds majority,” said Mr Chokuda.
The Constitutional Court’s decision to nullify the process leading to the passage of the Bill followed an application filed by Mutare Central MP Mr Innocent Gonese (MDC Alliance) and former MDC-A legislator, Ms Jessie Majome .
The two had sought a ruling that both Houses had failed to abide by the dictates of section 328(5) of the Constitution, but the Constitutional Court found that the applicants had not proved on a balance of probabilities that the National Assembly had failed to discharge its onus.
It was subsequently ruled that the invalidity of the proceedings of the Senate did not affect the validity of the proceedings of the National Assembly.
Before the court ruling, the President had been empowered with the responsibility of appointing and promoting judges after a Constitutional clause that allows the selection of judges, including the Chief Justice, through the Judicial Service Commission’s (JSC) public interviews, was amended.
After the public interviews, the JSC would send a list of recommended interviewees to the President, who may assent to the names or ask the JSC to submit a fresh set of names.
In its ruling, the Constitutional Court noted that the then Senate President Cde Edna Madzongwe had calculated the two-thirds requirement from a total Senate membership of 79, rather than the true 80.
The court said the proceedings were conducted on the understanding that 53 votes in favour of the proposed amendment of the Constitution would be enough. Chief Justice Malaba said the Senate should be afforded an opportunity to conduct the vote with a full appreciation of what was required for a Constitutional Bill to be passed.
A virtual meeting between Zanu PF secretary for Administration Cde Obert Mpofu and his South African counterpart Ace Magashule saw the two parties pledging to work together.
Mpofu said the two parties were constantly in cordial contact at an inter-party level to confront the cross-sectional attempts to annihilate the standing successes towards entrenching democracy in the SADC region.
“Following regular fraternal engagements with my counterpart Cde Magashule, we have established that there are concerted efforts to attack the gains of the Second-Republic in Zimbabwe as well as the whole region and the continent at large.
“In my intense discussion with him this morning (yesterday), we shared a mutual position that liberation movements must be on the guard against efforts to divide the region,” said Mpofu.
“Our interactions as FLM are not only diplomatic, but they are premised on sound ideological brotherhood and a history of massive sacrifice. We are connected by our dedication to African Unity and not organised ploys by imperialists to misdirect our unity.
“Therefore, it must be known that we are cordially in contact at an inter-party level to confront the cross-sectional attempts to annihilate the standing successes of our democracy in the SADC,” he said.
“What has been presented as the violation of human rights in Zimbabwe is part of the exhausted script of the MDC Alliance’s failure to come to terms with its defeat in the 2018 Harmonised Elections. Moreover, we are aware that the purported instability in Zimbabwe is precipitated by disgruntled fugitives and ejected elements from the revolutionary party, ZANU PF.”
He further said the leaders of the two parties President Mnangagwa and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa enjoy cordial relations.
“I am aware of the profound relations between President Mnangagwa and President Ramaphosa of South Africa. Equally, the two Heads of State are constantly exchanging notes on issues affecting Zimbabwe and South Africa. Contrary to the unpopular misrepresentation of issues, there have been no cases of State incentivised human rights abuses. Given the international lockdown measures, all that the Government of Zimbabwe has done is to contain the breaching of lockdown protocols.
“This is because we are sensitive to the severe effects of the Covid-19 pandemic to human life.
“The misplaced anti-Zimbabwe campaign on social media aligns with retrogressive regime change elements backed by their external neo-colonial handlers.
“In fact, the pictures and video clips being circulated in the mainstream and social media are old footages which are not reflective of the current state of peace and tranquillity in Zimbabwe,” expressed Mpofu.
A GROUP of South Africa based Zimbabweans and some sympathetic locals Friday clashed with local police at the Zimbabwean Embassy in Pretoria.
They were protesting against rampant human rights abuses in Zimbabwe under the Zanu PF led government.
The protesters were initially granted permission to demonstrate at the embassy Friday but later found themselves being targets of rubber bullets fired by police.
AN Air India Express plane with 191 people on board has crashed at an airport in the southern state of Kerala, officials say.
The aircraft, en route from Dubai, skidded off the runway and broke in two at Calicut airport upon landing, India’s aviation authority said.
Rescue operations are underway, with emergency services at the scene.
At least seventeen people, including the pilot, have died. H
The airline said there were 184 passengers – including 10 children and seven crew members, of which two were pilots – onboard flight IX-1344 when it crashed at Calicut, also known as Kozhikode.
The incident happened at around 19:00 local time (14:30 BST) amid heavy rainfall in the region.
members of the scheme arrested for breaching Covid-19 regulations
Police are hunting down three directors of KWD Digital Marketing, a company running a suspected ponzi scheme in Harare, although two are thought to have already fled to South Africa after taking in huge sums in US dollar cash from gullible people hoping to double their money in four weeks.
Scores of people have over the past weeks been flocking to 147 Freedom Legacy Way (formerly Borrowdale Road) in Gunhill to deposit up to US$10 000 each after being promised that they would receive twice as much back after four weeks, something that is impossible with normal investment activity.
Detectives, working with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), have launched an investigation into the operation, with initial charges being contravening the Banking Act as they were offering banking services without a licence, but if, as suspected, the directors were simply paying off original investors with money brought by new investors, while taking a large cut for themselves, then they could face fraud charges as well.
KWD employees, including managers, were picked up by the police for questioning on Thursday, resulting in the closure of the offices and the start of the manhunt for the directors.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said two of the directors are reportedly in South Africa while the other one, Mpumelelo Dube, who was local, is nowhere to be found.
“I can confirm that we are looking for Mpumelelo Dube, who is a director of a company involved in the Borrowdale Road investment. We seek to interview him regarding the operations of the company but we are failing to locate him,” he said.
Asst Comm Nyathi said two other directors were reportedly in South Africa and police were also keen to interview them in connection with the same case.
RBZ has issued a statement saying KWD and another company operating along Lawson Avenue in Harare, Bevern Capital, were not authorised by the central bank to offer banking services taking deposits from the public.
Investment schemes of that nature require a banking licence and the bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit and other law enforcement agents have since launched investigations into both entities.
The central bank has urged potential investors to carry out a due diligence exercise before giving away their money.
“In the past, the bank has issued press statements warning the public not to fall prey to pyramid and ponzi schemes that come in various forms and guises, luring people to invest their hard-earned money, promising unrealistic and unsustainable investment returns.
“These are fraudulent investment schemes under which existing investors are paid returns, not from genuine market investment of their funds, but from contributions made by new investors, until a point when the scheme can no longer attract new investors and collapses.
“Members of the public should always do basic due diligence before they are hoodwinked to part with their hard-earned money. No one should ever conduct financial business with an institution until they have confirmed its regulatory status.
“When someone promises you unrealistically lucrative financial returns within a short period of time, it is likely to be a fraudulent scheme and further due diligence is always advisable, including checking with the authorities,” reads the statement.
Lawyers and experts warn the schemes are either a con, since there is no investment that can double the value of foreign currency in a few weeks, or are the start of Ponzi schemes, where early investors are paid out from the money received from newer investors until the whole scheme crashes.
Both schemes are attracting cross border traders and money changers whose businesses were affected by Covid-19.
The dealers’ premises are not labelled and there are no billboards advertising their businesses.
There has been scarce parking for vehicles at the premises where the owners were trying their luck on instant cash
The daily crowds at KWD were seen jostling to be listed among the first 300 people who are served daily with hundreds going back home grumbling after failing to make it into the top 300.
Most of the potential investors do not know the actual name of the company they deal with.
The forms they fill in before giving away their money, are written in Arabic, which cannot be understood by the majority of Zimbabweans.
Throughout a week-long investigation, The Herald established that none of the investors were aware of the name of the company.
Some said it was “Kuwait Dinar” others said Kuwait Dinar Africa while others only called it “KDW”.
None of those interviewed had bothered to check on the ownership of the company despite having the zeal to invest.
The “agreement”, according to legal experts, does not protect the investors in the event of collapse of business or the disappearance of the company owners.
Top Harare lawyer Mr Wellington Pasipanodya described the document as “a voluntary assumption of risk” on the part of the potential investors.
At Bevern Capital in Milton Park, motorists park their vehicles at Blakiston School car park before walking in a single file to the premises along Lawson Avenue.
The company accepts minimum deposit of US$100 and each investor is expected to pay an administration fee of US$10 for the first US$1 000.
After six weeks, the investors are promised 50 percent interest.
At Bevern, the depositors do not sign any documents. Their names are only captured in the system and they are issued with receipts to be presented on the day they withdraw the money.
A long-standing tiff between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and former Tourism and Hospitality Industry minister Walter Mzembi has resulted in the fugitive ex-Zanu PF stalwart pleading with South Africa not to extradite him to Zimbabwe where he is wanted by the police in connection with charges of criminal abuse of office and theft of trust funds totalling to US$847 000.
Mzembi, in turn, denies the charges being levelled against him and emotionally narrated how dethroned late president Robert Mugabe and incumbent Vice President Constantino Chiwenga saved him from assailants sent by the Zimbabwe septuagenarian.
He further claims that the requested extradition is a filthy scheme by Mnangagwa to have him back home and kill him.
The former cabinet minister told one online publication in a wide-ranging interview in downtown Johannesburg that he survived three assassination attempts at the hands of assailants hired by Mnangagwa to kill him.
Mzembi, who skipped the country two years ago while on bail, said he would be slaughtered like a sheep should President Cyril Ramaphosa’s South African government extradite him.
This comes at a time when the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has requested the South African Government to extradite Mzembi so that he stands trial to the criminal abuse of office and theft charges he is facing, back home.
According to Mzembi, his hostile relations with Mnangagwa were birthed during the 2005 Tsholotsho Declaration- an intraparty scheme of factionalists who wanted the current Zimbabwe leader to be appointed deputy president ahead of Joice Mujuru in former president Mugabe’s government.
The VP post had, then, been left vacant following the demise of Simon Muzenda, a long-serving understudy of the late Mugabe.
Mzembi had allegedly thwarted efforts by an establishment loyal to Mnangagwa angling for the later’s appointment.
“Remember Zanu PF operates along tribal lines. So my fellow Karangas who included Mudenge and Josaya Hungwe tried to rope me into the team that was lobbying for Mnangagwa. So, when I refused, all hell broke loose,” the former minister told the online Zimbabwe Observer.
Mzembi also narrated how former education minister Stan Mudenge summoned him to his parliamentary office, on the eve of the infamous Tsholotsho Declaration, and openly warned that he would die in the event that he continued to thwart Masvingo region’s quest to wrestle power from the Zezurus.
Ironically, Mzembi hails from the Karanga-speaking Masvingo region.
The fugitive former minister also recalled that, a few minutes after walking into parliament, Mnangagwa, who was then Speaker, beckoned him to his high chair and told him not to worry about what Mudenge had told him as he would protect him.
“I wondered how Mnangagwa had, in such a short space of time, come to know about Mudenge’s threats,” said Mzembi.
“This is not fiction. Lucky Hakata, a freelance photographer, I had hired to take pictures of my projects in my constituency, was shot dead, execution-style in my brand new Pajero by assassins who mistook him for me. I was supposed to have gone with him but remained in Harare, owing to other commitments. About 45 minutes later, I received a call from Featherstone Police telling me my car had been involved in an accident and Hakata was dead.”
When he arrived at the scene of the accident, Mzembi said, the wreckage had already been taken away.
the late Robert Mugabe
Dethroned late dictator Mugabe is also alleged to have told Mzembi that he should be wary of Mnangagwa whose ‘cruelty knows no bounds and will avenge even at the slightest of provocations’.
On how (Rtd) General Chiwenga assisted him to foil another attempt on his life, the former Zanu PF minister said:
“Chiwenga called me to find out where I was and when I told him I was driving back to Harare, he told me to make a U-turn or catch a bus as there were assassins waiting for me on the Masvingo-Harare Road”.
He also claimed that a self-confessed assassin, Munyaradzi Mupazviripo, was allegedly promised US$50 000 if he executed him. Mzembi subsequently filed a report at Borrowdale Police Station on January 24, 2015, exposing the plot.
“I have been in the system and I know how these guys operate. I never had this problem of colon cancer before my arrest. I walked out of custody only to be diagnosed with a rare condition which doctors could not explain. My affected colon was cut away, but doctors couldn’t detect how that portion got cancer as there was no tracing whatsoever,” Mzembi said.
The ruling Zanu PF party has described Julius Malema, leader of South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, as an “absolute political nonentity, following his campaign dubbed #ZimbabweLivesMatter, which has generated international debate on alleged human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
Responding to calls by Malema for the South African government to shutdown the country’s embassy in Pretoria over human rights abuses, Zanu PF acting deputy Youth League secretary, Tendai Chirau, said the EFF leader’s remarks are misguided sentiments of a person, who is looking for international recognition.
In a statement, Chirau said Malema is struggling for significance in his native South Africa and therefore lacks any qualifications to authoritatively comment on Zimbabwean issues.
“By our standards, Mr. Malema is a puny, absolute political nonentity whose nostalgia for his wasted glory days with the ANC (African National Congress) has pushed him into bed with the equally disgraced G40 (Generation 40) clique of charlattans, whose narcissistic penchant for publicity is well documented.
“It is no secret that he is the latest, albeit ill-chosen, front for the furtherance of the self-exiled cabal’s counter-revolutionary pursuits. Malema’s continued senseless attacks on the Zimbabwean government and ZANU-PF, and the threats to close the Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa only confirm his ill-advised futile objective of undermining the strong and healthy diplomatic relations between Zimbabwe and her sovereign neighbor, South Africa, and the binding revolutionary ties, sealed with the blood of patriots, between ZANU-PF and the ANC. ZANU-PF has, from its very foundation, been at the heart of Zimbabwean lives.”
G40 is a faction of the ruling party, which campaigned for the elevation of former State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramai to succeed the late former president Robert Mugabe. The faction, said to be the brain-child of former Information Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo, former Youth Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and several others, was sent packing when Mugabe was toppled in a defacto military coup.
Chirau said Malema should not interfere with the affairs of a sovereign state like Zimbabwe, whose president was democratically-elected in 2018.
“By waging a bitter and protracted liberation struggle, wherein patriot cadres made the capital sacrifice, losing precious lives and limbs in the process, the revolutionary Party proved its fullest commitment to Zimbabwean lives. Under the current Second Republic, captained by the shrewd Cde ED Mnangagwa, the ZANU-PF led administration has embarked on various pro-people economic policies, such as Vision 2030, which are steadily yielding fruit,” he added.
“If Malema is truly more concerned about Zimbabwean lives than the Zimbabwean government, as he would have his gullible audience believe, then he should be at the forefront in defending them from the poisonous culture of targeted xenophobia endemic in his own country.”
In a tweet, Malema recently said, “We call for the removal of the Zimbabwean Embassy in SA until they restore the human rights in that country. Failure to do so, we will prevent any official from the Zimbabwean government from participating in any gathering in SA until they respect ordinary Zimbabweans.”
Other top South African political leaders and celebrities retweeted Malema’s #ZimbabweLivesMatter campaign post before it caught world attention.
With the rise in Covid-19 cases, the Government has ordered ministries to have just 15 percent of their staff on duty at any one time, but the rest staying at home on standby and being available to help cope with surges in work and being given more work to do at home.
Units that provide essential services will have higher percentages of staff on duty.
The thinning of staff on duty will boost safety, making it far easier to enforce social distancing and other protocols to minimise risk of infections.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has directed that only 15 percent must be at their work stations but those who remain at home have been ordered to be on standby, remain in the towns and cities they are employed and be ready to be called in to provide help if the 15 percent of staff on duty is overwhelmed.
With an estimated 300 000 public servants, Government is the biggest employer and an estimated 45 000 have been recommended to report for work, which will substantially reduce the number of those coming to work.
“We want 15 percent of the public service to be at their respective workplaces. We want to decongest the workplaces. Others will be on call and might be told to report for duty if those at work are overwhelmed or need to rest,” said PSC Secretary Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe.
“It is not every ministry where it is possible, where there are essential services that you cannot manage with 15 percent but those are exceptions.”
Ambassador Wutawunashe said the safety of workers was a priority and measures to protect the public servants would continue to be reviewed.
He said as they protected their workers, they would not negate the provision of essential services, which are needed by the public or cannot afford to be put on hold.
“The Government is mindful of the safety of its workers and as such it continues to review the situation relating to Covid-19, which at the moment seems to be escalating in terms of incidents of local infections. “It is Government to continue reviewing measures that protect the workers. While we continue to affirm that, essential services must be provided to the citizenry at the same time, the Government has taken the strategic role to reduce the number of civil servants reporting for duty at work stations to reduce the risk of exposure.”
Ambassador Wutawunashe said the position had already been communicated to all the ministries and had counselled the ministries to invest in technology so that those at home can remain useful during this crisis.
“The Public Service Commission has sent out a circular announcing to all heads of ministries that they needed to further reduce quite drastically the number those coming to work, and to ensure that those who are at home are working,” he said.
At the directive of President Mnangagwa, the Government is paying salary increases of 50 percent and the temporary US$75 monthly Covid-19 relief allowances, while waiting for the completion of negotiations on salary adjustments.
Ambassador Wutawunashe said the negotiations will continue, adding that the Government’s position was to take care of its staff, which includes those who get sick or infected by Covid-19 in the line of duty.
“The provision of essential services cannot be stopped, and the Government is very appreciative of the dedication that the workers have shown. Government would like to thank its employees sincerely for the effort.
“For its part Government continues to support the livelihoods of its workers including the salary grant while awaiting the usual negotiations between Government and its worker representatives.
“Government has come up with measures that support any worker who falls ill in the line of duty,” said Ambassador Wutawunashe.
Opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa on Saturday held a virtual interview with the SABC and gave a detailed analysis of the Zimbabwean situation in the wake of government’s gross human rights abuses. The youthful leader also gave a possible way forward for the country.
Watch video of the full interview downloading below. Please be patient while the video downloads…
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s corrupt regime this week reached a new low by denying bail to MDC Alliance Youth Organizer, Godfrey Kurauone, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.
Kurauone is currently languishing at Masvingo Remand Prison while Chin’ono and Ngarivhume have been condemned to Chikurubi Maximum Prison as if they are dangerous criminals.
We all know Chin’ono is being punished for exposing Mnangagwa’s corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo who looted Covid-19 funds.
By firing his corrupt appointee, Obadiah Moyo, ED confirmed exactly what Chin’ono brought to light but relieving a thief of his duties without sending him to jail is not enough.
By sending those that speak against corruption to jail, it is clear that the unrepentant regime is consenting to looting of state coffers.
From Kariba to Chiredzi, the regime without shame besieged homes, arrested, abducted and tortured all those who dared to speak against stinking corruption that is reigning supreme inside Mnangagwa’s government.
Our fight against corruption is a just cause hence it knows no political party and as such we are going to stop at nothing until our voices are heard.
We shall never relent until justice is served.
Silence and folding hands at this juncture whilst our country is burning is akin to consenting to looting.
Let Monday, the 10th of August to Friday, the 15th of August be our defining moment.
If we love our country, then we must be prepared to take head on those who are running it down.
Let those that are eating on our behalf know no peace until justice is served!
We deserve to be heard!
A corrupt free government is possible in our lifetime.
Our lives matter fellow citizens!
ZimbabweanLivesMatter!
KushingaMberi!*
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDCAllianceYouthAssemblyNationalSpokesperson
Presenter: [music plays in background] So coming up wew are going to be having Zimbabwean radio personality and social influencer, philanthropist, digital entreprener, and brand ambassador, events MC and host shes so many things as well as a TV presenter, her name is Samantha Musa and we’re gonna be talking about whats happening currently in Zimbabwe. I’m sure you’ve seen the trend #ZimbabweanLivesMatter we’re going to be finding out whats happening so don’t go nowhere its happening right after this
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Comercials
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Presenter: Alrighty welcome back 56 past the hour of 7 and as I promised you we got Misred on the line who also just tuned in Misred is Zimbabwean radio personality, social influencer, philanthropist, digital entreprenuer, umm shes an events MC and host as well as a TV presenter best known for anchoring uh ZiFM Stereo drivetime show and the Rush drivetime and was named one of the most. one of the 15 most influencial Zimbabweans its an honour to have you here on the Y lounge Misred good evening.
Misred: Hey thats like a really long profile, [inaudible, laughter]
Presenter: Cause you just did so much I mean how can we not [laughter in studio]
Misred: Thanks for having me
Presenter: is it is it [sic] uuh evening whats the timezone, I guess you’re like two hours ahead of us or ?
Misred: So [pause] yeah we’re 2 hours ahead of you guys so its uhh just 3 minute before 10 oclock
Presenter: Ok ok alright its great to have you here I mean uumm we’ve all in Ghana at least uuh we started to hear about whats happening with the #zimbabweanlivesmatter and for people who know a little about what been happening uum is there anything you can, can you tell us, you know a little background umm of events uumm you know and context for everything thats happening currently?
Misred: [Inaudible] uh I think thats the most important thing because a lot of people don’t actually understand the context of what being spoken about by ZImbabweans
[Presenter interjects: Yes]
so I’m just gonna backtrack sightly to what #ZimabweanLivesMatter is all about [Presenter interjects: Yeah]
so basically`the protest umm is birthed from allegations of umm abduction and torture uuh of Zimbabwean citizens of uuh government opponents and they’ve been saying that umm there some what of umm eeh of of of [sic] a compromised judiciary a justice system is just messed up according to them umm there rampant corruption theres a an ailling economy dilapidated public health system and its literally on the verge of collapsing theres also high unemployment umm things like eeh survire food shortages and just generally an unhappy youth populace umm who feel robbed of their dreams of their future so for them I think umm it was one of the biggest umm nxxa things that has come out of all of this is that uh you hear a lot of uh young people it doesnt matter which political party you support but its almost like uhh like a collective citizen movement to just say government we want human rights to be umm to be respected we want to have our dreams back we want you to look at different things and to hear us when we speak and right now we’re not speaking as uhh the ruling party which is ZANUPF or th e main opposition which is MDC but we are just speaking as Zimbabwean citizens
Presenter: and and whats been the response I mean we’re reading headlines that the presidents says things hes going to flush out `opponents and you know it doesnt seem like he being receptive to whats being demanded
Misred: I mean I.. I.. its a very difficult one and i always says to people that its so difficult to understand the Zimbabwean situation unless if you are in Zimbabwe because theres very big disconnect between what happens on social media versus whats happening on the ground. So if you are to read the social media uhh you’d probably think we’re like in the middle of a warzone
[Presenter interjects: Yeah]
and its like bagdhad or one of those countries with like crazy war happening but it actually not like that
[Presenter interjects: Okay]
what happens in Zimbabwe is that uhh social media is a lot of young people, a lot of people in diaspora, who have been disgruntled over the years because they’ve had to come out of the country for different reasons mainly being the fact that the economy has been so terrible for them they’ve had to move to other countries, families have been seperated, so you find that the population of people on social media they’re more of the urban Zimbabweans who have access to internet, who have access to more information than the people in the rural areas, if you were to go to rural zimbabwe today they’ll probably tell you that they don’t know anything about ZimbabweanLiveMatter. So there is a very big disconnect between whats actually on the ground and whats on social media, however I feel that theres also a very big conversation around human rights that hasn’t been umm looked into and this the reason why you find people doing this very thing and now when the president comes out I think he also looks at the complete uumm population and unfortunately the majority of the people are not online even when you look at the numbers of Zimbabweans on twitter for example on instagram it very little as compared to the entire population so he may be speaking to that other demographic thats not online and doesnt know whats happening but they may be feeling the hardships of the economy but then don’t necessarily have a voice and this is why social media has become so important because in as much as on the ground everything may peaceful but a lot of people are disgruntled and they will tell you that they’re unhappy with a lot of things mainly being the fact that our economy is just dead and theres a lot of thing that need to be spoken about that arent being spoken about
Presenter: Wow honestly you’ve given me very very rich perspective on whats happen esspecially even in the discussion on the disconnect on social media thank you so so much Misred umm I hear you’ve been to Ghana before
Misred: I’m I’mma a citizen of Ghana man like I love this country so much [Presenter in Background: Oh Wow]
Presenter: Honestly
Misred: Ghana is almost like Zimbabwe the people [presenter in backgroung: Yup] the people are warm they’re loving they’re umm you know receptive to new people [presenter in backgroung: Facts] I love that about Ghana so I’m literally about to by a house in Ghana.
Presenter: You know in every fellowship I go to right with other Africans its the ZImbabweans I actually connect with the most the [inaudible] Nigerians you know what I’m saying. So i get it 100 percent. It was great speaking to you.
Misred: Lemme say something before I go, umm I think from my perspective I think the events umm of the next 4 weeks will have a long a long lasting impact on the uh say the political and the social landscape of the country which is Zimbabwe and I think there a big conversation that needs to happen from the countries leadership because there have to ensure that they create an environment that is free and supportive to the population, the social obviously business and judical which is what people are talking about and you know theres a lot of different arguements around that but business people want an environment thats conducive for business uhh government wants a populace that is governable, peaceful and supportive and you know the great challenge is actually finding the balance for all these demands and satisfying these different need without the whole system collapsing so this is what we’re praying for our beautiful country Zimbabwe
Presenter: We hope you get it and how can Ghanians doing the listening also be apart of building this? we also have our own problems but i mean umm how do we you know stretch pan-african hands together you know
Misred: I think its important that we understand the context like what you did its a beautiful thing that you reach out and say we wanna understand and see how best we can help. I think tonight umm the president of south africa uh Cyril Ramaphosa uh appointed a special envoy to actually come into Zimbabwe and just figure out whats going with all these reports of umm that people are saying that human rights are being abused etc so it goes to show that in as much as social media may seem like an unimportant thing to the general populace of Zimbabwe but theres a demographic which is speaking on social media and its got impact, because everybody is talking about it I mean I’ve seen all these celebrities talking about it Burna Boy was talking about it American celebrities were talking about it [Inaudible] Ice Cube etc so it means that its an important conversation that we look into this and the government will definately feel the presure because the world is now looking, its an important time for us and its a beautiful thing where we have people wanting to understand what is actually going on
Presenter : Yes, definately and thank you so much for helping share more of that perspective with us over here thank you have a great evening for your time.
By Jane Mlambo| International human rights lobby group Amnesty International Zimbabwe has expressed concern over the denial of bail to incarcerated duo of Jacon Ngarivhume and Jacob Ngarivhume saying it is a violation of their right to liberty and presumption of innocence.
In a statement, Amnesty International urged the Judiciary to release the duo on reasonable bail.
“Amnesty International Zimbabwe notes with concern the denial of bail by the courts in the cases of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.
This is a violation of their right to liberty and presumption of innocence. We call upon the judiciary to release the two activists on reasonable bail conditions pending fair trial,” said Amnesty International.
US Embassy in Zimbabwe also condemned the denial of bail to Chin’ono and Ngarivhume sayinf it undermines democracy and free speech.
“Denying bail and using the legal system to jail journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume, and others for exercising their rights undermines democracy and freedom of speech,” US noted on Twitter.
A young woman in Bulawayo was found dumped after being sexually assaulted in a case of rising cases in the second capital city. The development is revealed in video footage that shows some of the wounds endured. SEE BELOW:
1/2 Noxolo Maphosa was abducted this morning & dumped later in the day outside her home after she was tortured & sexually assaulted in Byo. Abductions & torture cases in Byo have intensified. Lawyer Nqobani Sithole is handling Noxolo’s case!#ZimbabaweanLivesMatter#FreeZimbabwepic.twitter.com/M7soi4OfJK
Noxolo Maphosa was abducted this morning & dumped later in the day outside her home after she was tortured & sexually assaulted in Byo. Abductions & torture cases in Byo have intensified. Lawyer Nqobani Sithole is handling Noxolo’s case! #ZimbabaweanLivesMatter
By A Correspondent| Lawyers representing journalist Hopewell Chin’ono on 7 August 2020 said they will be making a fresh application for bail following denial of his appeal for bail by High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi.
Beatrice Mtetwa, who is representing Chin’ono, said they intend to make a fresh application for bail based on changed circumstances following the journalist’s appearance before Magistrate Ngoni Nduna in Harare on 7 August 2020 on remand.
He was further remanded in custody and will appear in court on 12 August 2020 during which the fresh application for bail will be made.
On 6 August 2020 Justice Chitapi dismissed the appeal for bail saying Chin’ono had failed to prove any misdirection of fact, law or both by the magistrate that had earlier denied him bail. The appeal for bail had been filed with the High Court after Chino’ono was denied bail by Magistrate Nduna.
He is being charged with incitement to participate in a gathering with intent to promote public violence, breaches of peace or bigotry or alternatively incitement to commit public violence and has been in custody since the 20 July 2020.
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday called on Zimbabweans to unite towards the development of the country and ignore rumblings of fugitives engaged in attempts to destabilise the nation.
Speaking as he commissioned the first phase of the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge Road project in Bubi, Beitbridge, President Mnangagwa said development can only be achieved in a peaceful and tranquil environment.
“Let me reiterate that my Government will not tolerate corruption neither will we hesitate to terminate underperforming contracts. The days of holding national development at ransom are over.
“All this will be achieved under an environment of peace, tranquility, stability, unity and love in the country. That is the basis that provides development in our country,” said President Mnangagwa.
“We must remain united; we must ignore the rumblings of the fugitives who ran away from this country and focus on developing our country for the benefit of our people.”
President Mnangagwa’s calls come amid frenzied attacks on Zimbabwe perpetrated by the tripartite alliance of the opposition, the notorious G40 cabal and some hostile Western embassies.
The G40 cabal has also roped in South African opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters led by Mr Julius Malema in its assault on Zimbabwe.
So far, however, attempts to effect illegal regime change through demonstrations disguised as protests against corruption have failed as they found no takers from peace loving Zimbabweans.
The planned violent demonstrations on July 31 which the merchants of violence wanted to use to oust a democratically elected Government failed as it was ignored by the people.
After the failed attempts, they then adopted the #ZimbabweLivesMatter, a campaign to tarnish the image of Government and the security services.
