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.

State Media

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.

The Zimbabwean

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.

VOA

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…

Read MDC Alliance statement on special envoys seconded to Zimbabwe by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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

 04:35

 Comercials

 06:30

 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.

Misred: Likewise see you soon

Presenter: see you soon byeee

[END]

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#FreeZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/M7soi4OfJK

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) August 7, 2020

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

2/2 Noxolo is traumatized!#ZimbabaweanLivesMatter #FreeZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/CR7kizROrV

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) August 7, 2020

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.

-State Media

“You can’t call you citizens rogue; you can’t call your citizens terrorists, you have to make sure that you unify instead of dividing,” said President Nelson Chamisa speaking to the SABC’s Peter Ndoro on Friday night, and below was the interview:

THE end of a relationship can expose many raw emotions and it becomes worse when someone feels like they have been robbed in the name of culture.

That could be perfectly true for a Bulawayo man who could not stomach being divorced by his wife of 12 years when he reportedly followed her to her rural home where upon arrival, he stormed into his mother-in-law’s bedroom while she was stark naked and demanded that she pays him back his lobola money.

As if that was not enough, the disgruntled man, Artwell Homera, from Gwabalanda, before he forcibly walked on his estranged wife Sekai Timothy’s mother in her birthday suit he had also threatened to commit suicide at their homestead.

What reportedly ticked him off was that, Sekai dumped him after he became jobless despite the fact that she (Sekai) was the one who allegedly got him fired from one of the leading supermarket chain stores in the city where he was a supervisor.

According to evidence led at the Bulawayo Civil Court, where Sekai was seeking a restraining order against Homera, the couple broke up because of the latter’s abusive behaviour.

“I was customarily married to Artwell Homera and we have two children together.

He assaults and insults me in front of our children calling me a prostitute. When we were still staying together, he was not paying rentals, school fees for the children or even caring for them. He would come home very drunk and started being violent such that it was no longer safe for me to stay with him.

The children were also living in fear of their father,” protested Sekai.
She said they tried to involve relatives and church elders to solve their marital disputes but to no avail.

Explaining how Homera started reclaiming his lobola money back, Sekai said: “I need a protection order against him because when I left for my rural home in Mutorashanga together with the children he followed us.

“He was also sending abusive text messages while, threatening to commit suicide at our homestead because he paid lobola for me and that he could not lose me just like that.

He even forcibly went into my mother’s bedroom while she was naked and my mother had to scream and plead with him to leave and he refused. I had to call his brother to calm the situation.”

In his response, Homera accused Sekai of cheating on him adding that she dumped him because he was no longer employed.
“I am not opposed to her application.

When I went to her rural home, I was following my children. I even stayed there for two months. She is making this application because I found love messages in her phone which she was exchanging with her boyfriend.

What also pains me is that she is the one who got me fired from my job. She is also abusing our children by forcing them to walk more than three kilometres from their homestead to sell tomatoes,” said a livid Homera.

In her judgment presiding magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu ordered Homera not to insult, assault his ex-wife and visit her rural home or where she is now staying with her aunt- B-Metro

Friday 07 August 2020

MDC Alliance Students Council Secretary General, Hither Rujeko Mpambwa has been granted $5000 bail by a Kariba magistrate.

She had appeared in court on charges of undermining the authority of the president after she sent a message in a Whats App group saying “ED has failed”.

She was also facing charges of violating the Postal and Telecommunications Act.

Tamuka Gurure

MDC Alliance Students Council Spokesperson

His Excellency the President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has, in terms of Section 16 (1) (a) read together with Section 16 (1) (d) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, suspended the Executive Chairman of the ZESA Holdings, Dr Sydney Gata and the entire ZESA Board Members with immediate effect.

His Excellency the President has also directed the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo to immediately undertake thorough investigations into the following issues:

1. The allegations leveled against the Executive Chairman by Honourable Minister of Energy and Power Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi.

2. Any other underlying corrupt activities bedeviling ZESA Board Members and the electricity sector as a whole.

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet

Dr Misheck J. M Sibanda

His Excellency the President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has, in terms of Section 16 (1) (a) read together with Section 16 (1) (d) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, suspended the Executive Chairman of the ZESA Holdings, Dr Sydney Gata and the entire ZESA Board Members with immediate effect.

His Excellency the President has also directed the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo to immediately undertake thorough investigations into the following issues:

1. The allegations leveled against the Executive Chairman by Honourable Minister of Energy and Power Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi.

2. Any other underlying corrupt activities bedeviling ZESA Board Members and the electricity sector as a whole.

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet

Dr Misheck J. M Sibanda

As top ZANU PF officials desert Mnangagwa, it's clear he has proven beyond number that he was never a President from the start, and noone is going to tolerate the tortures, jailing of journos, citizens, I hereby say the term "President" Mnangagwa must be criminalised worldover.

— Simba Chikanza (@schikanza) August 7, 2020

Prof PLO Lumumba to President Emmerson Mnangagwa on the current situation in Zimbabwe.#ZimbabweanLivesMatter
Full statement : https://t.co/sM2Aq5jMu6 pic.twitter.com/zgpHeWn84a

— PLO Lumumba (@ProfPLOLumumba) August 7, 2020

VIDEO LOADING BELOW

We received info that Hopewell & Jacob were going to be transferred to Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison this evening. Jacob’s lawyer Moses Nkomo went to Remand Prison to verify. He was denied access to them; they were put in leg-irons & put in the truck to be taken to Chikurubi.

— Doug Coltart ✊??? (@DougColtart) August 7, 2020

Opposition Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume was on Friday denied bail again when he appeared before High Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi.

Ngarivhume was arrested on 20 July and charged with inciting public violence after rallying the citizenry to participate in anti-corruption protests that he had scheduled for the 31st of July.

He was arrested on the same day as corruption whistleblower Hopewell Chin’ono who was also denied bail this Friday.

Lawyer Moses Nkomo said Ngarivhume and Chin’ono are being transferred from Harare Remand Prison to Chikurubi Maximum Prison today.

Their arrest and continued detention have attracted the attention of the international community which is now calling upon Harare to uphold human rights enshrined in the constitution.

The democratic space in the Southern African country has been decreasing since the ascension to power of President Mnangagwa in 2017 with reports of the government crackdown on dissent on the rise lately.

The unfolding is not so good for the Mnangagwa-led administration that recently embarked on an engagement and re-engagement agenda.

Authorities, in strong terms, deny any form of human rights violations in the country.

They rather argue that the alleged abuses are coined by the country’s detractors to dirt Zimbabwe’s image.

Watch video downloading below:

VIDEO LOADING BELOW

We received info that Hopewell & Jacob were going to be transferred to Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison this evening. Jacob’s lawyer Moses Nkomo went to Remand Prison to verify. He was denied access to them; they were put in leg-irons & put in the truck to be taken to Chikurubi.

— Doug Coltart ✊??? (@DougColtart) August 7, 2020

WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO LOADING BELOW…….

The European Union in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom in Zimbabwe have expressed concern over the denial of bail to Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono.

The award-winning journalist who was arrested on 20 July was again denied bail this Friday. Posting on Twitter, EU in Zimbabwe said:

Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was again denied bail: we are concerned about the instrumentalisation of the law against citizens exercising their constitutional rights, including freedom of opinion and expression & the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. #EU4HumanRights

The UK in Zimbabwe also posted on Twitter urging the Zimbabwean government to uphold human rights. The tweet reads:

We note with concern that Hopewell Chingono has once again been denied bail. We urge authorities to respect and not compromise the rights to freedom of speech, expression and peaceful assembly during this #COVID19 pandemic.

Chin’ono was arrested for inciting public violence after he rallied members of the public to participate in anti-government protests that were slated for the 31st of July.

He has since then applied for bail on numerous occasions with courts turning the applications down.

Some argue that Chin’ono is being victimised for exposing grand corruption by some government officials and departments.

Calls for his release have intensified lately following his continued detention.

With reports of arrests, beatings and abductions in Zimbabwe, The Elders call for an immediate end to violence, and emphasise the fight against the coronavirus (Covid-19) should be rooted in respect for human rights.

As the scale of #ZimbabweanLivesMatter shows, dialogue and reform are urgently needed.

Watch the live video loading below…..

Two individuals at the National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ), an employee and one from a service provider have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The development was announced by NBSZ public affairs manager, Esther Massundah who said they duo tested positive following random testing of staff. In a statement released on Friday,  Massundah said:

NBSZ advises the public that as part of our routine random testing for staff, there were COVID-19 PCR tests done on employees and one service provider. There were two positives recorded; one positive from an employee and another positive from one of our service providers. The two who tested positive are self-isolating at home.

THE end of a relationship can expose many raw emotions and it becomes worse when someone feels like they have been robbed in the name of culture.

That could be perfectly true for a Bulawayo man who could not stomach being divorced by his wife of 12 years when he reportedly followed her to her rural home where upon arrival, he stormed into his mother-in-law’s bedroom while she was stark naked and demanded that she pays him back his lobola money.

As if that was not enough, the disgruntled man, Artwell Homera, from Gwabalanda, before he forcibly walked on his estranged wife Sekai Timothy’s mother in her birthday suit he had also threatened to commit suicide at their homestead.

What reportedly ticked him off was that, Sekai dumped him after he became jobless despite the fact that she (Sekai) was the one who allegedly got him fired from one of the leading supermarket chain stores in the city where he was a supervisor.

According to evidence led at the Bulawayo Civil Court, where Sekai was seeking a restraining order against Homera, the couple broke up because of the latter’s abusive behaviour.

“I was customarily married to Artwell Homera and we have two children together.

He assaults and insults me in front of our children calling me a prostitute. When we were still staying together, he was not paying rentals, school fees for the children or even caring for them. He would come home very drunk and started being violent such that it was no longer safe for me to stay with him.

The children were also living in fear of their father,” protested Sekai.
She said they tried to involve relatives and church elders to solve their marital disputes but to no avail.

Explaining how Homera started reclaiming his lobola money back, Sekai said: “I need a protection order against him because when I left for my rural home in Mutorashanga together with the children he followed us.

“He was also sending abusive text messages while, threatening to commit suicide at our homestead because he paid lobola for me and that he could not lose me just like that.

He even forcibly went into my mother’s bedroom while she was naked and my mother had to scream and plead with him to leave and he refused. I had to call his brother to calm the situation.”

In his response, Homera accused Sekai of cheating on him adding that she dumped him because he was no longer employed.
“I am not opposed to her application.

When I went to her rural home, I was following my children. I even stayed there for two months. She is making this application because I found love messages in her phone which she was exchanging with her boyfriend.

What also pains me is that she is the one who got me fired from my job. She is also abusing our children by forcing them to walk more than three kilometres from their homestead to sell tomatoes,” said a livid Homera.

In her judgment presiding magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu ordered Homera not to insult, assault his ex-wife and visit her rural home or where she is now staying with her aunt- B-Metro

BREAKING- Jacob ngarivhume denied bail #ZimbabweanLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/IE0UBeUGeY

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) August 7, 2020

Yesterday, Zimbabwe official launched its 2020 World Breastfeeding Week commemorations under the theme; Promoting breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet!

As a mother, I am taking part in these commemorations because I understand and value breastfeeding’s positive impact to our nation. Not only is it a sustainable feeding option. It plays a crucial role in protecting the climate and environment.

Climate change and environmental degradation are some of the most urgent challenges facing our world today. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) – including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and others due to human activity – have increased global temperatures by over 1℃ since pre-industrial times. Our food production systems and consumption patterns are significant contributors to climate change and environmental degradation.

We now understand that for us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, breastfeeding should be at the core of our efforts aimed at achieving these targets by 2030.

Breastfeeding has been shown to save over 800,000 children’s lives a year worldwide, equivalent to 13% of all deaths in children under two, and prevent an extra 20,000 deaths from breast cancer every year. Breastfeeding also acts as a cornerstone for economic growth and development for nations.

I want you to imagine the amount of air pollution that takes place during production, packaging, distribution and preparation methods of infant formula. On the other hand, breastmilk production only requires the additional food that a mother needs to consume, therefore using fewer natural resources and resulting in almost no waste.

Let us work together towards a Zimbabwe free from hunger, poverty and malnutrition.

Let us promote breastfeeding for a healthier planet!

We publish below the statement by the First lady Auxilia Mnangagwa on facebook:

Yesterday, Zimbabwe official launched its 2020 World Breastfeeding Week commemorations under the theme; Promoting breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet!

As a mother, I am taking part in these commemorations because I understand and value breastfeeding’s positive impact to our nation. Not only is it a sustainable feeding option. It plays a crucial role in protecting the climate and environment.

Climate change and environmental degradation are some of the most urgent challenges facing our world today. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) – including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and others due to human activity – have increased global temperatures by over 1℃ since pre-industrial times. Our food production systems and consumption patterns are significant contributors to climate change and environmental degradation.

We now understand that for us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, breastfeeding should be at the core of our efforts aimed at achieving these targets by 2030.

Breastfeeding has been shown to save over 800,000 children’s lives a year worldwide, equivalent to 13% of all deaths in children under two, and prevent an extra 20,000 deaths from breast cancer every year. Breastfeeding also acts as a cornerstone for economic growth and development for nations.

I want you to imagine the amount of air pollution that takes place during production, packaging, distribution and preparation methods of infant formula. On the other hand, breastmilk production only requires the additional food that a mother needs to consume, therefore using fewer natural resources and resulting in almost no waste.

Let us work together towards a Zimbabwe free from hunger, poverty and malnutrition.

Let us promote breastfeeding for a healthier planet!

THE end of a relationship can expose many raw emotions and it becomes worse when someone feels like they have been robbed in the name of culture.

That could be perfectly true for a Bulawayo man who could not stomach being divorced by his wife of 12 years when he reportedly followed her to her rural home where upon arrival, he stormed into his mother-in-law’s bedroom while she was stark naked and demanded that she pays him back his lobola money.

As if that was not enough, the disgruntled man, Artwell Homera, from Gwabalanda, before he forcibly walked on his estranged wife Sekai Timothy’s mother in her birthday suit he had also threatened to commit suicide at their homestead.

What reportedly ticked him off was that, Sekai dumped him after he became jobless despite the fact that she (Sekai) was the one who allegedly got him fired from one of the leading supermarket chain stores in the city where he was a supervisor.

According to evidence led at the Bulawayo Civil Court, where Sekai was seeking a restraining order against Homera, the couple broke up because of the latter’s abusive behaviour.

“I was customarily married to Artwell Homera and we have two children together.

He assaults and insults me in front of our children calling me a prostitute. When we were still staying together, he was not paying rentals, school fees for the children or even caring for them. He would come home very drunk and started being violent such that it was no longer safe for me to stay with him.

The children were also living in fear of their father,” protested Sekai.
She said they tried to involve relatives and church elders to solve their marital disputes but to no avail.

Explaining how Homera started reclaiming his lobola money back, Sekai said: “I need a protection order against him because when I left for my rural home in Mutorashanga together with the children he followed us.

“He was also sending abusive text messages while, threatening to commit suicide at our homestead because he paid lobola for me and that he could not lose me just like that.

He even forcibly went into my mother’s bedroom while she was naked and my mother had to scream and plead with him to leave and he refused. I had to call his brother to calm the situation.”

In his response, Homera accused Sekai of cheating on him adding that she dumped him because he was no longer employed.
“I am not opposed to her application.

When I went to her rural home, I was following my children. I even stayed there for two months. She is making this application because I found love messages in her phone which she was exchanging with her boyfriend.

What also pains me is that she is the one who got me fired from my job. She is also abusing our children by forcing them to walk more than three kilometres from their homestead to sell tomatoes,” said a livid Homera.

In her judgment presiding magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu ordered Homera not to insult, assault his ex-wife and visit her rural home or where she is now staying with her aunt- B-Metro

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has received praises from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ Troika Summit plus Force Intervention Brigade Troop Contributing Countries (FIB – TCCs) on how he has led the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation displaying outstanding leadership.

The praises were made after the recently held summit which included SADC Troika members, United Nations and the DRC.

Read the full communique below:

The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC commended H.E President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the Chairperson of SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation for his outstanding leadership and for a fruitful Summit.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ Troika Summit plus Force Intervention Brigade Troop Contributing Countries (FIB – TCCs) and the DRC (The OTS Plus meeting) was held, virtually, on 05 August 2020.

2.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC was officially opened by H.E President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation.

3.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC was attended by the following Heads of State and Government:

Zimbabwe: H.E. President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation.

Botswana:  H.E. President Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana, and the In-coming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

Zambia:   H.E. President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, The President of the Republic of Zambia, and the Outgoing Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

DRC:        H.E. President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Malawi:    H.E. President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, The President of the Republic of Malawi.

South Africa:   H.E. President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, The President of Republic of South Africa.

Tanzania:    Prof. Palamagamba John Aidan Mwaluko Kabudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Representing H.E. President Dr. John Pombe Magufuli the President of United Republic of Tanzania.

4.        The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC was also attended by the Executive Secretary of SADC, H.E Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax.

5.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC noted the strategic review of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) that was conducted in October 2019, and the subsequent adoption of Resolution 2502 of December 2019 that renewed the MONUSCO mandate for the period of one year.

6          The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC commended the Force Intervention Brigade Troop Contributing Countries for their tremendous commitment, and continued deployment of their troops in fighting the negative forces in DRC.

7.        The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC, expressed gratitude to the United Nations for the continued support to the SADC Region and the DRC, while noting with concern the unilateral decision by the United Nations to reconfigure the Force Intervention Brigade contrary to SADC position.

8.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC reiterated SADC position as was submitted to the UN Secretary General which, among others, appealed that the Force Intervention Brigade should not be tampered with.

9.        The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB– TCCs and the DRC welcomed the position of the Government of the DRC that it fully supports the SADC position regarding the reconfiguration of the FIB.

10       The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC called upon the United Nations Secretary General to convene a consultative meeting with SADC to engage on the SADC position on the reconfiguration of the FIB.

11.      The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC commended H.E President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the Chairperson of SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation for his outstanding leadership and for a fruitful Summit.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has received praises form the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ Troika Summit plus Force Intervention Brigade Troop Contributing Countries (FIB – TCCs) on how he has led the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation displaying outstanding leadership.

The praises were made after the recently held summit which included SADC Troika members, United Nations and the DRC.

Read the full communique below:

The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC commended H.E President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the Chairperson of SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation for his outstanding leadership and for a fruitful Summit.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ Troika Summit plus Force Intervention Brigade Troop Contributing Countries (FIB – TCCs) and the DRC (The OTS Plus meeting) was held, virtually, on 05 August 2020.

2.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC was officially opened by H.E President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation.

3.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC was attended by the following Heads of State and Government:

Zimbabwe: H.E. President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation.

Botswana:  H.E. President Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana, and the In-coming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

Zambia:   H.E. President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, The President of the Republic of Zambia, and the Outgoing Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

DRC:        H.E. President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Malawi:    H.E. President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, The President of the Republic of Malawi.

South Africa:   H.E. President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, The President of Republic of South Africa.

Tanzania:    Prof. Palamagamba John Aidan Mwaluko Kabudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Representing H.E. President Dr. John Pombe Magufuli the President of United Republic of Tanzania.

4.        The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC was also attended by the Executive Secretary of SADC, H.E Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax.

5.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC noted the strategic review of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) that was conducted in October 2019, and the subsequent adoption of Resolution 2502 of December 2019 that renewed the MONUSCO mandate for the period of one year.

6          The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC commended the Force Intervention Brigade Troop Contributing Countries for their tremendous commitment, and continued deployment of their troops in fighting the negative forces in DRC.

7.        The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC, expressed gratitude to the United Nations for the continued support to the SADC Region and the DRC, while noting with concern the unilateral decision by the United Nations to reconfigure the Force Intervention Brigade contrary to SADC position.

8.         The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC reiterated SADC position as was submitted to the UN Secretary General which, among others, appealed that the Force Intervention Brigade should not be tampered with.

9.        The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB– TCCs and the DRC welcomed the position of the Government of the DRC that it fully supports the SADC position regarding the reconfiguration of the FIB.

10       The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC called upon the United Nations Secretary General to convene a consultative meeting with SADC to engage on the SADC position on the reconfiguration of the FIB.

11.      The Organ Troika Summit plus FIB – TCCs and the DRC commended H.E President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the Chairperson of SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation for his outstanding leadership and for a fruitful Summit.

Yesterday, Zimbabwe official launched its 2020 World Breastfeeding Week commemorations under the theme; Promoting breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet!

As a mother, I am taking part in these commemorations because I understand and value breastfeeding’s positive impact to our nation. Not only is it a sustainable feeding option. It plays a crucial role in protecting the climate and environment.

Climate change and environmental degradation are some of the most urgent challenges facing our world today. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) – including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and others due to human activity – have increased global temperatures by over 1℃ since pre-industrial times. Our food production systems and consumption patterns are significant contributors to climate change and environmental degradation.

We now understand that for us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, breastfeeding should be at the core of our efforts aimed at achieving these targets by 2030. Breastfeeding has been shown to save over 800,000 children’s lives a year worldwide, equivalent to 13% of all deaths in children under two, and prevent an extra 20,000 deaths from breast cancer every year. Breastfeeding also acts as a cornerstone for economic growth and development for nations.

I want you to imagine the amount of air pollution that takes place during production, packaging, distribution and preparation methods of infant formula. On the other hand, breastmilk production only requires the additional food that a mother needs to consume, therefore using fewer natural resources and resulting in almost no waste.

Let us work together towards a Zimbabwe free from hunger, poverty and malnutrition.

Let us promote breastfeeding for a healthier planet!

At High Court, we are waiting for Justice Chitapi to hand down his judgment on Transform Zimbabwe party leader Jacob Ngarivhume, who is in prison after he was arrested & charged with inciting people to commit public violence. pic.twitter.com/cKGtSbJi1u

— ZLHR (@ZLHRLawyers) August 7, 2020

By A Correspondent- The United States Embassy in Harare has welcomed the New Director for the USAID Zimbabwe Mission Mr Art Brown.

The Embassy posted on its social media pages saying the new director possessed leadership experience that will is needed in the implementation of USAID programmes. The post reads:

His Excellency the President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has, in terms of Section 16 (1) (a) read together with Section 16 (1) (d) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, suspended the Executive Chairman of the ZESA Holdings, Dr Sydney Gata and the entire ZESA Board Members with immediate effect.

His Excellency the President has also directed the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo to immediately undertake thorough investigations into the following issues:

1. The allegations leveled against the Executive Chairman by Honourable Minister of Energy and Power Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi.

2. Any other underlying corrupt activities bedeviling ZESA Board Members and the electricity sector as a whole.

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet

Dr Misheck J. M Sibanda

By A Correspondent- A family from Newton West suburb in Bulawayo is lucky to be alive after they woke up to a thick cloud of smoke and broke down a door to escape after a thief set their storeroom on fire.

The incident which left Emilly Muzarurwa and her family shell-shocked happened last week on Thursday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity a neighbour said Muzarurwa was in deep sleep when she was choked by smoke and woke up to find her storeroom which is adjacent to her bedroom in flames.

The source said: “She woke her daughter up. At the time the whole house was engulfed by a thick cloud of smoke. They had to break down the door and screamed for help.”

The source said a neighbour rushed to the house and helped to put out the fire.

“A door mat in the living room was in flames .While they were putting out the fire, Muzarurwa’s daughter spotted a male adult scaling over a pre-cast wall with a 3kg gas cylinder and an adaptor. In fear she retreated while screaming. The suspect showed a clean pair of heels with the gadgets,” said the source.

They reported the matter to the police.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident: “It is suspected that diesel which was kept in the storeroom caught fire while a suspected thief was busy stealing. Luckily no one was injured. The suspect who is on the run took an adaptor and a 3kg gas cylinder. We would like to urge members of the public not to keep diesel or petrol or any flammable liquid in the house.”

-BMetro

Watch the live video loading below…..

By A Correspondent- The end of a relationship can expose many raw emotions and it becomes worse when someone feels like they have been robbed in the name of culture.

That could be perfectly true for a Bulawayo man who could not stomach being divorced by his wife of 12 years when he reportedly followed her to her rural home where upon arrival, he stormed into his mother-in-law’s bedroom while she was stark naked and demanded that she pays him back his lobola money.

As if that was not enough, the disgruntled man, Artwell Homera, from Gwabalanda, before he forcibly walked on his estranged wife Sekai Timothy’s mother in her birthday suit he had also threatened to commit suicide at their homestead.

What reportedly ticked him off was that, Sekai dumped him after he became jobless despite the fact that she (Sekai) was the one who allegedly got him fired from one of the leading supermarket chain stores in the city where he was a supervisor.

According to evidence led at the Bulawayo Civil Court, where Sekai was seeking a restraining order against Homera, the couple broke up because of the latter’s abusive behaviour.

“I was customarily married to Artwell Homera and we have two children together. He assaults and insults me in front of our children calling me a prostitute. When we were still staying together, he was not paying rentals, school fees for the children or even caring for them. He would come home very drunk and started being violent such that it was no longer safe for me to stay with him. The children were also living in fear of their father,” protested Sekai.

She said they tried to involve relatives and church elders to solve their marital disputes but to no avail.

Explaining how Homera started reclaiming his lobola money back, Sekai said: “I need a protection order against him because when I left for my rural home in Mutorashanga together with the children he followed us.

“He was also sending abusive text messages while, threatening to commit suicide at our homestead because he paid lobola for me and that he could not lose me just like that. He even forcibly went into my mother’s bedroom while she was naked and my mother had to scream and plead with him to leave and he refused. I had to call his brother to calm the situation.”

In his response, Homera accused Sekai of cheating on him adding that she dumped him because he was no longer employed.

“I am not opposed to her application. When I went to her rural home, I was following my children. I even stayed there for two months. She is making this application because I found love messages in her phone which she was exchanging with her boyfriend. What also pains me is that she is the one who got me fired from my job. She is also abusing our children by forcing them to walk more than three kilometres from their homestead to sell tomatoes,” said a livid Homera.

In her judgment presiding magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu ordered Homera not to insult, assault his ex-wife and visit her rural home or where she is now staying with her aunt.

By A Correspondent- In a disturbing incident, a 41-year-old man from Bulawayo’s Buena Vista suburb who was employed as a domestic worker was caught red-handed having sex with his master’s dog.

The pervert Pholani Mkhwebu was caught romping with the dog by his horrified co-worker Shayne Ngwenya who alerted their boss and a report was made at Hillside Police Station.

Unbelievably, upon his arrest Mkhwebu, a married father of a four-year-old child, admitted to having a nice time with the dog saying it was a temptation too good to ignore since he was sex-starved.

Facts of the session are that on 31 July at around 10 am, Mkhwebu and his co-worker were seated in the house before Mkhwebu told the latter that he wanted some fresh air and he went to sit outside.

It was proved that after sometime when a seemingly suspicious Ngwenya went outside the house to check on Mkhwebu, he was horrified when he found him holding a dog with his pair of trousers dropped to kneel level and having sex with it.

In the process he was also groaning with pleasure while sexually assaulting his boss’ dog. It is said that in a bid to stop the animal from howling he tied it around its neck with a wire. Seeing that he had been busted, Mkhwebu in a swank of shame pulled up his pair of trousers as if nothing had happened. The matter was reported to the police leading to his arrest.

For the offence Mkhwebu was brought before Bulawayo magistrate Shepherd Mjanja charged with bestiality as defined in section 74 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

Mkhwebu didn’t waste the court’s time when he pleaded guilty to the offence of performing a sexual act with his boss’ dog.

Asked why he committed the offence, a remorseful Mkhwebu told the court that he was “very” sorry for his shameful actions.

“I just misbehaved, I am sorry,” he said.

Mkhwebu, who was remanded out of custody to 3 August on free bail, however, betrayed the court’s trust when he didn’t turn up for sentencing leading the magistrate to issue a warrant for his arrest.
-BMetro

7 August 2020

Patrick Chinamasa, acting secretary for information and publicity in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF government, has announced that, through the signing of the government’s “Global Compensation Agreement” on 29 July 2020, there is now acceptance from white commercial farmers that there will be no compensation for land from the Zimbabwe government.

Chinamasa emphasised that by agreeing on the amount of compensation for improvements, the time frame for payment and the modalities for raising the resources, ZANU-PF wished it to be known that it no longer considered the Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU) and the Southern African Commercial Farmers’ Alliance- Zimbabwe (SACFA-Z) to be anti the land redistribution programme.

Further to these comments published in the state-owned Herald newspaper on 5 August 2020, Chinamasa stated that white farmer organisations were now no longer against the taking of their members’ farms. He called for the Commercial Farmers’ Union and other farmers organisations to demand the unconditional lifting of sanctions imposed by the United States.

“As we go into the future, ZANU PF expects the voice of the two organisations in calling for the unconditional lifting of the sanctions to be loud, clear and unambiguous,” he said.

Chinamasa noted that the conclusion of the Global Compensation Agreement was “an acceptance by white commercial farmers that with respect to compensation for land, they should look elsewhere and not to the people of Zimbabwe nor to the Zimbabwe government.

“In terms of section 72(7) of our Constitution, the obligation to pay compensation for land was placed squarely on the shoulders of the former colonial power, the British,” Chinamasa added.

As SADC Tribunal Rights Watch (SADC-TRW), we wish to distance ourselves from the Global Compensation Agreement that the CFU, SACFA-Z and the Valuation Consortium were under extreme pressure to sign – and within a minimal time frame.

However, in the government’s apparent haste to have the agreement signed, even Zimbabwe’s own constitution has been violated in the laid down procedure for the compensation process.

Although the reasons for the pressure were not clear, numerous legal experts and dispossessed farmers, many of them living in dire straits in Zimbabwe or scattered around the world, urged caution and highlighted legal shortcomings in the proposed draft agreement.

SADC-TRW was also concerned that dispossessed farmers were not given prior sight of the actual agreement document before being asked to vote in a referendum on whether or not to accept the agreement, which was presented to them as the last option for compensation from the government.

The reality is that the government is broke and although the parties have agreed to a sum of US$3.5 billion, there is no money available or pledged, and the farming organisations are expected to work with the government to raise it internationally.

Chinamasa is a lawyer and was former Justice Minister during the landmark Campbell case (Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd et al. v. Republic of Zimbabwe), which was lodged with the SADC Tribunal in 2007. He has been trying to find ways to circumvent the 2008 SADC Tribunal judgment for the last 12 years.

Chinamasa has made it clear that he believes the Global Compensation Agreement is a great triumph in undermining this historic and binding judgment of the Tribunal.

SADC Tribunal judgment – key points

The Tribunal held that the Zimbabwe government had violated the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s Treaty by denying access to the courts and engaging in racial discrimination against white farmers whose lands had been confiscated under the land reform program.

The Tribunal also held that the Zimbabwe government had violated the SADC Treaty by denying access to local courts and engaging in racial discrimination in the confiscation of the land.

With respect to the question of who should pay compensation, the Tribunal stated that in international law it is the expropriating state that should pay compensation.

Regarding compensation for the land, the Tribunal noted: “It is difficult for us to understand the rationale behind excluding compensation for such land, given the clear legal position in international law. It is the right of the Applicants under international law to be paid, and the correlative duty of the Respondent [the Zimbabwe government] to pay fair compensation.”

The Tribunal stressed that [the Zimbabwe government] cannot rely on its national law and its Constitution to avoid an international law obligation to pay compensation. The Tribunal was unanimous in its decision that fair compensation should be paid by the Zimbabwe government for land it had unilaterally taken.

It is important to note that more than 75 percent of title deeds were transferred after independence in 1980, after the government had issued “certificates of no present interest”.  This meant that government had the first option on any sale. If it did not want a farm for resettlement, it issued a certificate and the farmer could sell his land on the open market.

The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA)

The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) requires that the Zimbabwe government compensates farmers fairly according to the SADC Tribunal judgments, the rule of law and international precedents, guidelines and norms.

Chinamasa claims that President Mnangagwa is leading the way in adhering to the Constitution, particularly Chapter 1, Section 295, subsection 3 (a) that obliges the State to pay compensation for the improvements that were on the land when such land was acquired.

However, the Constitutional Provisions that Chinamasa says President Mnangagwa is respecting in the “deal” are the very same Constitutional Provisions struck down by the SADC Tribunal judgment.

Indeed, if individual farmers do sign up to this “deal” over the next nine months – the time line agreed to – those farmers will be locked into a process which strips them of any further claims or rights that are derived from the landmark SADC Tribunal judgment of 28 November 2008.

This will be tragic given that everything farmers and their families had worked for and invested in over decades – some cases for up to four generations – was taken from them. They lost their entire farming enterprises and livelihoods, including expensive equipment and machinery, standing crops in the ground, livestock and wildlife.

In addition, they lost their homes, household possessions and in many cases cottages built for elderly parents for whom the farms were their source of retirement income. Even the very lives of farmers, family members and farm workers were taken during the frequently brutal land nationalisation process.

Despite the fact that the SADC Tribunal regional human rights court was shut down by the SADC heads of state in 2012 at the instigation of President Mugabe, all judgments made by the Tribunal remain in force and are legally binding.

Should farmers heed the minister’s call to lobby for the dismantling of the sanctions measures and the stipulations of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA), they will be siding with a government that is steeped in corruption and continues to perpetrate shocking human rights abuses and to violate the rule of law and property rights.

Ironically, the dispossessed farmers will find themselves in the invidious position of supporting the very tyranny that has left them and their fellow Zimbabweans in the dire position that the majority are currently enduring.

In closing, we highly recommend that you watch the following interview of a brave colleague and valued friend, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, spokesperson for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, who has just been released from prison and speaks for the suffering people in Zimbabwe.  https://youtu.be/4Rg5AGQ6scY

ENDS

Ben Freeth

Spokesperson for SADC Tribunal Rights Watch, Zimbabwe

E-mail:  [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS

ZDERA : The Mugabe administration’s undemocratic practices, human rights abuses, and economic mismanagement prompted the U.S. Congress to pass in 2001 (and amend in 2018 under Mnangagwa) the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA), which restricts U.S. support for multilateral financing to Zimbabwe until Zimbabwe makes specified political and economic reforms. /….

In 2003, the U.S. Department of the Treasury enacted targeted financial sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for undemocratic practices, human rights abuses related to political repression, and public corruption.  The U.S. also placed travel restrictions against selected individuals, a ban on transfers of defence items and services, and a suspension of non-humanitarian government-to-government assistance.

Sanctions Facts from the US Embassy website

U.S. targeted sanctions apply to only 84 Zimbabwean individuals and 56 entities (mostly farms and legal entities owned by the 85 individuals) as of February 5, 2019.  For an up-to-date list, please go to http://sdnsearch.ofac.treas.gov/ and select “Zimbabwe” from the list on the Program menu.

Complete information on the U.S. targeted sanctions program is available at the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) website. Click on the “Overview of Sanctions” link for a summary of the sanctions program.

[On 5 August 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced new sanctions against businessman Kudakwashe Tagwire and Sakunda Holdings.]

Note: U.S. sanctions do not block the Government of Zimbabwe as a whole, nor do they prohibit all business with Zimbabwe or transactions involving that jurisdiction.  The United States has imported goods from Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe has imported goods from the United States on an ongoing basis both before and after the targeted sanctions commenced.  For current United States-Zimbabwe trade statistics, please go to: https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c7960.html

BREAKING- Zimbabweans in Pretoria demonstrate at Zimbabwean Embassy #ZimbabweanLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/c6Ho9cpU7D

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) August 7, 2020

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa instructed all Cabinet Ministers who were in contact with the late Perrance Shiri to self-isolate at home in order to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.

According to a report by The Zimbabwe Independent, a number of ministers and officials who came into contact with Shiri during the last days of his life are now in isolation at home.

Shiri, who was Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement died last week on Wednesday after he contracted COVID-19.

Reports suggest that Shiri held several meetings in the few days leading to his demise, including with serving army chiefs.

Among those absent at the Cabinet meeting were Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Mines and Mining Development minister Winston Chitando and Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe who reportedly met with Shiri before his death.

A top official told ZimInd:

He (Mnangagwa) made it very clear that he expected anyone who could have been in contact with Shiri to self-isolate at home and avoid spreading the virus.

… They did not attend the cabinet meeting. They were in contact with Shiri a few days before he died.

Women’s Affairs minister Sithembiso Nyoni took over Mutsvangwa’s usual role of addressing the post-cabinet press conference on Wednesday morning.

By A Correspondent- Secretary General of the Dr Thokozani Khupe led MDC T faction Douglas Mwonzora has added his voice on the trending harshtag #ZimbabweanLivesMatter.

In a tweet posted Friday morning, Mwonzora lamented the deteriorating democracy, high poverty levels and inadequate medical facilities visa vis that effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

He said:

“The Covid 19 pandemic is devastating Zimbabwe at such an alarming rate. Our communities do not have access to adequate medical facilities. The poverty is debilitating. Corruption is rife. Democracy is in the intensive care unit. #ZimbabweanslivesMatter

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday officially reopened the Victoria Falls rainforest which had been temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus crisis.

Pictures from the “event” were shared on Twitter by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development captioned with the words:

HE President ED Mnangagwa also Officially reopened the Victoria Falls rainforest which has been temporarily shut down owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is however not clear what the “official reopening” of the rainforest meant.

See the pictures below:

By A Correspondent- Three women in Gweru were reportedly detained by Mkoba 1 Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) after they attempted to fetch water at the police camp.

According to CommutTalk, the three women were forced to sit in the sun throughout the day as punishment.

They were also denied food, access to medication and water from morning until nightfall. CommuTalk said in a statement:

Mkoba 1 police detained 3 ladies for seeking water at the police camp. The women were subject to direct sunlight, no food, water and denial to access medication from morning to dusk. Gweru is facing acute water shortages and extreme rationing by Council.

Gweru, like most urban settlements in Zimbabwe, is currently facing severe water shortages which are generally attributed to dilapidated infrastructure resulting in the leakage of treated water and a prolonged drought.

In April this year, the Gweru Residents and Ratepayers’ Association pleaded with Council to stop the tight water rationing introduced last year, at least during the lockdown period.

The plea was however dismissed by mayor Josiah Makombe who was quoted by NewsDay’s Brenna Matendere as having said:

Firstly the reason for the water rationing was to ensure that we preserve the little water in our dams so that it lasts to the next rainy season.

Secondly, technically we cannot afford to pump water to all areas at once. So yes the water rationing continues despite issues of the COVID-19.

By A Correspondent- Veteran journalist Brezhnev Malaba has announced that he is leaving The Zimbabwe Independent (ZimInd), a weekly publication under the Trevor Ncube-owned Alpha Media Holdings (AMH).

Malaba is the publication’s deputy editor and he was previously editor of the Sunday News, The Chronicle and The Sunday Mail.

He also worked as a foreign correspondent for the African Independent and The Star (South Africa) newspaper.

Malaba posted on Twitter:

“Folks, when I was asked by my brother Dumisani Muleya in 2016 to join the Zimbabwe Independent, I thought I would come on board for only 6 months, get a feel of things and exit. Months turned into years. I’m leaving the ZimInd. Journalism has changed forever and we must change with it.”

Malaba leaves The Zimbabwe Independent after three years and his departure comes after the newspaper’s former editor Dumisani Muleya quit in October last year after rejecting a lesser role.

AMH’s digital head Nqaba Matshazi quit last month to join the Media Institute for Southern Africa.

Government has taken note of false allegations of human rights abuse and ‘crisis’ in the country being peddled by known political activists and misinformed individuals and global actors. To set the record straight, there is no crisis or implosion in Zimbabwe. Neither has there been any abduction or ‘war’ on citizens Like any other country in the world. Zimbabwe has been enforcing Covid-19 Lockdown regulations intended to safeguard and protect the lives of all citizens. Where necessary, the law has been rattly applied.

The deliberate attempt to smear the Country’s image is betrayed by the use of doctored images, old video clips and highly exaggerated claims on social media, all intended to paint a picture of a “burning Zimbabwe.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Zimbabwe today, is peaceful and all citizens are free to go about their business as usual, within the boundaries set by the Lockdown regulations His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Second Republic believes in upholding the rule of law and freedom of speech. Indeed, it is this freedom of speech that is, unfortunately, being abused by those who seek to push a sinister political agenda.

Government calls on its counterparts in the region and internationally, not to lose perspective of the fact that Zimbabwe has for long, suffered efforts to destabilize it by external forces that have a bone to chew with the country since the historic Land Reform Programme. These efforts have in the past taken many forms, from attempted insurgency to the current organized smear campaign, using blatantly false claims. Such smear campaigns are not unique to Zimbabwe and have been employed in other countries over the years.

We urge those who wish us well to continue to partner us in developing our Count On our part, we will continue on the reform pathway that we are on to ensure a prosperous and democratic Zimbabwe for all citizens.

Nick Mangwana

PRESS RELEASE

The directions stipulate that contact training, and matches can be played in empty stadiums, with only limited people allowed to attend games.

CEO Jurie Roux welcomed the news from the South African Government that rugby has been given the green light to return to the playing field, under certain conditions.

The news was gazetted by Mr Nathi Mthethwa, the Minister for Sports, Arts and Culture, on Thursday. It allows for a return to competitive action subject to compliance with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The directions stipulate that contact training, and matches can be played in empty stadiums, with only limited people allowed to attend games as part of essential services to make these events possible and from within a “bio safe environment”.

“Since the start of this pandemic, we have been working hard at ensuring we get back on the field and we’ve kept the Government informed on our plans throughout the process,” said Roux.

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to move to the next phase of our return-to-play plans and will provide the Department with all the necessary information required, such as venues for matches, to ensure a smooth transition to competitive rugby.

“Having said that, our eight franchise teams that returned to the training field recently still need a few more weeks of preparation before they will be ready for matches, and from SA Rugby’s side we will assist them with whatever is necessary.

“At this stage, we hope to have our first matches by early to mid-September and our plans on the structure of the planned competition will be announced in due course, as we have various options to consider.”

The Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions, Cell C Sharks, DHL Stormers, Toyota Cheetahs, Southern Kings, Tafel Lager Griquas and Phakisa Pumas all started with non-contact training a few weeks ago.

The return to international competition is not permitted under the new regulations, but Roux said he understood the Government’s need to phase any return to normality.

“We know the World Rugby window for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship is only in November and December, so we’re hopeful that in due course the government will be in a position to further relax the restrictions,” said Roux.

“For now, it’s the most important thing is to ensure we get the action underway as we have many stakeholders, such as our broadcast partner, competition and team sponsors and our supporters, who are keen to see rugby again.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby Union.

ZANU PF has responded to the South African, African National Congress, ANC, Secretary General Acie Magashule who accused the party of gross human rights violations.

The party said “Our solidarity with the ANC should be built on trust and not on rumors, gossip and conspiracy.

Below is the full statement:

ZANU PF’S RESPONSE TO ANC’S ACE MAGASHULE REMARKS

ZANU PF takes strong exception to the utterances that have been attributed to Cde Ace Magashule, the Secretary-General of the ANC where he appeared hoodwinked by those seeking to destabilize Zimbabwe through peddling social media falsehoods.

As a revolutionary sister, it has never been in our tradition to censure a fellow revolutionary movement or Leaders using megaphone approaches, more so when such utterances are misinformed and baseless, to say the least.

Appearing on an interview with eNCA, Cde Magashule said in response to Fake News alleging brutality, “We have talked to some of the people who were exiled from Zimbabwe, who ran away from Zimbabwe, we have interacted with them, we know their story, we have heard them. What we see there on Television is uncalled for …. and that Zimbabwean Lives Matter.”

We note that this is not the first time when a senior ANC leader has sought to speak like Zimbabwe’s prefect in similar fashion Cde Lindiwe Zulu’s similar utterances in 2013.

ZANU PF categorically states that Cde 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 and our Ministry of Health and Child Care, and what has become common practice on #Covid19.

Secondly, there is no Zimbabwean who was exiled to South Africa by our Government nor the Party. Referring to fugitives of justice who escaped this country to find a safe haven in South Africa as exiles, when they dodged various corruption crimes committed during the previous administration is not only hypocritical but absolute hogwash.

To find, therefore, a person of the stature of the Secretary-General of the ANC making such deplorable utterances on the basis of old videos some of which have been imported from situations outside Zimbabwe but attributed to Zimbabwe in the past, being resurrected by keyboard activists is an embarrassment not only to himself but the organisation he represents.

ZANU PF reminds Cde Magashule that different countries have employed different measures and tactics to enforce Covid19 lockdown measures to a non-compliant public to protect their lives.

It is in this light that 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 killed 8 citizens in the streets during enforcement operations. ZANU PF has not uttered a word in public.

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.

We, however, are taken aback by these latest irresponsible utterances by Cde Magashule, who by all means should have sought clarifications from his counter-part Cde Dr Obert Mpofu, the Secretary for Administration for ZANU-PF.

Honestly, for Magashule to rely on a fortune-seeking organisation like Tajamuka or faceless social media posts on matters of Zimbabwe is disturbing as it is shocking.

We have seen our people being victims of systematic xenophobic attacks with some ANC leaders spreading hostile messages that worsened those attacks against our people but we have sought to address that using the normal diplomatic channels.

ZANU PF has also seen reported issues of rampant corruption allegations against various ANC leaders, where Cde Magashule himself has been implicated, not mentioning the Gupta’s yoke that hovers around his neck and shortened President Zuma’s term of office but we have not sought to interfere on such issues which are foundationally internal by all standards.

The Nkandla-gate came and ended with re-payments without Zimbabwe uttering a single word, knowing fully well that our brothers and sisters in the ANC are capable of handling their own internal matters.

This we have done, in the spirit of respect for states’ sovereignty in dealing and handling internal matters whenever they arise.

ZANU PF is extremely disappointed that Cde Magashule has sought to become a collusive player in support of those working to undermine this Republic and its constitutionally elected government.

ZANU PF is extremely disappointed that as secretary-general of a sister revolutionary party keeps company with fugitives from justice.

We remind Cde Magashule, that the ANC is pretty aware of the standoff between Zimbabwe and the USA and its allies following our successful land reform program which has seen the US and its allies imposing illegal sanctions on this country.

We also bring to his attention that the USA has earmarked and primed this pandemic to increase its onslaught on our people and their government, having falsely caused regrettable publications that Zimbabwe’s government was hiding Covid19 causalities despite us releasing statistics daily.

We further bring to his attention, the fact that the USA is now running a variety of media houses, faceless twitter accounts and paid journalists for the sole purpose of demonising this country and its leadership in its desperate attempt to bring about illegal regime change.

State Media

Sithembiso Nyoni

UNDOCUMENTED Zimbabweans dying in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic period can be buried home after Cabinet resolved to grant the Zimbabwe Mission in that country a special waiver to repatriate the bodies.

However, the process can only take place on the basis of submitted affidavits from the chief/village head and relatives in the country.

There are thousands of undocumented Zimbabweans living and working across the Limpopo River.

Families were finding it difficult to repatriate the bodies of their loved ones for burial back home resulting in the smuggling of bodies for secret burials.

In a post- Cabinet Press Briefing on Tuesday, Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said time storage of bodies in South Africa has been reduced because of Covid-19.

“Following recent developments in South Africa, where the time of storage of bodies has been reduced, Cabinet resolved to grant the Zimbabwe Mission in South Africa a special waiver during the Covid-19 pandemic period to clear the repatriation of undocumented Zimbabwean bodies for burial back home on the basis of submitted affidavits from the chief/village head and relatives in Zimbabwe,” she said.

The Minister said social media abusers must desist from posting or peddling falsehoods on Covid-19 that may cause despondency and alarm in the nation.

She said peddling of falsehoods is a punishable offence in terms of Covid-19 regulations.

Minister Nyoni said Cabinet has directed that all hospitals should admit patients without demanding a prior Covid-19 test result and proceed to do a PCR test on admission.

“To that end, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has already directed all public and private health institutions to establish Patient-Under-Investigation (PUI) zones to ensure that no patients are turned away,” she said.

In terms of preparedness, she said Wilkins and United Bulawayo Hospitals are now admitting mild to moderate Covid-19 cases.

Minister Nyoni said the recruitment of nursing staff is already underway.

“In the same vein, His Excellency the President has appealed to the striking nursing personnel to return to work such that the loss of lives can be minimised,” said Minister Nyoni.

State Media

Newly appointed Health and Child Care Minister Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has an immediate challenge on his table as striking health workers did not receive their July salaries after the Health Services Board (HSB) implemented the no-work-no-pay principle.

The nurses have been on strike since June, a critical time when their services are required in the fight against Covid-19.

The striking nurses were left counting their losses last month as they did not benefit from the US$75 Covid-19 allowances that Government paid others who were reporting for duty.

In an interview yesterday, HSB deputy director public relations, Ms Tryfine Rachael Dzvukutu confirmed the development saying the nurses who have been striking didn’t get their June salaries plus increment and the US$75 allowance.

“The striking nurses didn’t receive their July salaries and it’s because they were removed from the payroll by the Health Services Board on a no-work-no-pay basis,” she said.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) president Mr Enock Dongo said members of his association who were on strike were not paid last month after they were removed from the payroll.

He said after declaring incapacitation at the beginning of June, some nurses reacted by not reporting for duty.

Mr Dongo said in May, they received $3 400 as basic salary, an amount he said wasn’t enough to cover their monthly demands such as rentals, food and transport costs.

“Following the May salary, we declared incapacitation in June and spontaneously, nurses just reacted because they were expecting a salary increase and didn’t report for work. They were surprised in July when they received no salary, the 50 percent salary increase and even the US$75 allowances which were received by all the civil servants,” he said.

Mr Dongo said the nurses are dejected and are willing to return to work but are still incapacitated. He urged Government to reinstate the striking workers on the salary schedule so that they are able to report for duty.

“We hear the plea for the health workers to return to work and save lives, we want to and appreciate his call but we are incapacitated. We feel neglected by all this,” said Mr Dongo.

On Wednesday, Finance and Economic Development Minister Prof Mthuli Ncube said negotiations for an annual cost of living adjustment between Government and its employees under the National Joint Negotiating Council had started and will end within the next two months.

Prof Ncube said there would be recognition of the work that health workers do.

“We have started negotiations for annual normal cost of living adjustments, that process will take us to around September or October there will be further adjustments in that regard. There will be special programmes that recognise the health work they do and the risk that they take,” he said. “There will be a special health sector allowance and then there is a special Covid-19 risk allowance, then there is a US$75 wage balance. So, there is a layer of additional benefits and these benefits are tax free.”

State Media

A record 13 new deaths from Covid-19 were reported yesterday, but all were patients who died over the weekend or on Monday in the community or on admission to casualty at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals or other hospitals with the Covid-19 infection only established in post-mortems.

In its daily report last night, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said

The 13 deaths were nine men and four women from Harare and Mashonaland West, with 12 of the deaths coming from Harare.

On Wednesday three new deaths were reported, a 66-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman from Bualwayo and a 79-year-old man from Manicaland.

The number of new cases confirmed yesterday was 56, the lowest daily addition in recent days, with 54 of these within the community and two among quarantined returning residents. This takes the total to 4 395 confirmed cases with 3 299, more than three quarters, being people infected within Zimbabwe.

Wednesday saw 118 new cases, down moderately on recent averages, with 117 being infections within Zimbabwe.

Of the 3 299 local infections, 1 392 were in Harare with 51 deaths, over half the total, and 1 041 in Bulawayo with 23 deaths.

Midlands remains in third place with 283 cases and five deaths.

Gweru is regarded as the Midlands epicentre.

The growing seriousness of the pandemic in Harare is seeing far more adherence to public masking rules, although social distancing in queues is still variable.

South Africa has now ratcheted up 9 298 deaths from 529 877 confirmed cases with the global totals reaching yesterday 706 342 deaths and 18 752 917 confirmed cases.

Independent

The late Perence Shiri

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has been thrown into disarray after a number of ministers and senior bureaucrats were placed in isolation in the past week after either contracting the highly infectious Covid-19 or coming into contact with infected persons.

In terms of World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on the control and management of the pandemic, which had as of yesterday claimed 97 lives from 4 395 infections around the country, any infected person should be placed in quarantine until they recover while anyone who has come into contact with an infected individual should be quarantined for at least 14 days until they test negative.

The development comes just a week after the death of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement minister Perrance Shiri last week on Wednesday.

Shiri succumbed to Covid-19.

Coronavirus cases have surged dramatically in the country in the past month amid a shambolic health delivery system brought to its knees by poor state funding and an ongoing strike by doctors and nurses at public hospitals.

Information at hand indicates that a number of ministers and officials who came into contact with Shiri during the last days of his life are now in isolation at home.

Officials said Mnangagwa, at the start of the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, asked anyone who had been in contact with Shiri to go into self-isolation pending testing.

This came after it had been revealed that Shiri, an energetic former military chief, had held several meetings in the few days leading to his demise, including with serving army chiefs.

“He (Mnangagwa) made it very clear that he expected anyone who could have been in contact with Shiri to self-isolate at home and avoid spreading the virus,” a top official said.

Among those absent at the meeting, sources said, were Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Mines and Mining Development minister Winston Chitando and Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe who reportedly met with Shiri before his death.

“They did not attend the cabinet meeting. They were in contact with Shiri a few days before he died,” the source said.

Women’s Affairs minister Sithembiso Nyoni took over Mutsvangwa’s usual role of addressing the post-cabinet press conference on Wednesday morning.

The Information minister’s husband, Chris Mutsvangwa, is also said to be one of those who has gone into quarantine as he was also a contact of Shiri. He even missed Zanu PF’s politburo meeting on Wednesday last week.

Sources also said deputy Defence minister Victor Matemadanda, who is also the Zanu PF national political commissar, is also in isolation.However, he said: “I’m not in quarantine, I am not sick. Those who are saying I’m sick will be shamed.”

Contacted for comment, Mutsvangwa said: “I am absolutely fine. My husband is fine. The issue is that everyone is just taking precautionary measures and you should also be doing that.”

Kazembe said yesterday was his 13th day in self-isolation and would be out today.

“Yes that’s correct. I decided to self-quarantine as a precaution. We had a meeting with the late retired Air Chief Marshal Shiri on Thursday 23 July. Prior to that, I obviously met him frequently. I decided to self-quarantine. So far everything is okay, the results are good and I’m very fit, but I just did not want to take chances. Since then I have been working from home,” Kazembe said.

“I urge fellow Zimbabweans to take this pandemic seriously and act responsibly. Together we can win this war against this invisible enemy.”

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement is now virtually crippled after co-deputy ministers Vangelis Haritatos and Douglas Karoro have also gone into self-isolation, while a total of 40 employees at the ministry’s Ngungunyana Building offices tested positive for Covid-19. The building has since been shut down.

“Both deputy ministers and some very senior officials at the ministry are now in isolation. Some have contracted the virus, but others are doing it as a matter of precaution,” a government source said yesterday.

Haritatos said: “I am following very strict WHO guidelines in order to protect my family and those who work close to me. It was an extremely difficult decision given that now that we have lost our commander in the late Minister Shiri that the workload has increased ever so much, but it was certainly a must.

“After I come out of self-isolation … I need to continue the vision of our late minister of making Zimbabwe food and nutrition self-sufficient and the breadbasket of Africa once again.”

Karoro and Chitando were not reachable and had not responded to enquiries sent to them at the time of going to print.Youth, Arts, Sport and Recreation deputy minister Tino Machakaire is also in isolation after contracting the virus.

The youthful Wedza South legislator made the announcement on his Facebook page on Tuesday.“I have also tested positive for Covid-19 and I have since self-isolated. In times of a pandemic, privacy concerns must be balanced with efforts to protect others. l have decided to be responsible and I am appealing to everyone l have been in contact with recently to go and get tested, self-isolate and seek necessary help,” he wrote. “This is a painful journey; it separates you from your loved ones. Self-isolation is not easy at all. The kids want to play with you, but you can’t entertain them. I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being. I do not wish this for anyone. For those who are already affected, let’s continue to pray together and hope for a better tomorrow. Our health will soon be restored.”

But even as some of the infected individuals openly revealed their health status, Information permanent secretary Nick Mangwana professed ignorance about the quarantine of cabinet ministers.

“I am not aware of any cabinet minister in either quarantine or isolation,” Mangwana said. “Cabinet ministers are being tested regularly for the protection of the President, their colleagues, ministry officials and their families.”

The Parliament of Zimbabwe suspended business two days before Shiri’s death after eight legislators tested positive, resorting to holding virtual sessions. The former Air Force commander, who died at 61, had recently attended a number of sessions in parliament where he interacted with various legislators from across the political divide.

This week, Harare South National Assembly representative Tongai Mnangagwa publicly announced via Twitter handle that he had tested positive for Covid-19. He encouraged those he had come in contact with to be tested.

The ruling Zanu PF party has also announced that 26 of its employees at its national headquarters have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Sources also said Shiri, who still enjoyed deep loyalties within the army despite having been retired nearly three years ago, attended a meeting of military commanders at the Zimbabwe National Army headquarters in Harare on July 15, which was meant to devise strategies for containing street protests that had been scheduled for July 31.

A number of them, including the now late army spokesperson Colonel Overson Mugwisi, who attended the meeting are reported to have tested positive for Covid-19.

Mugwisi died in a military hospital at the Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks on Friday morning.

“Mugiwisi already had flu-like symptoms by the time of Shiri’s death. They had a meeting earlier as they planned on how to contain the demonstrations of July 31. So, subsequently, he went for a Covid-19 test in the afternoon of July 29. The results came the next day when his condition had seriously deteriorated as he also had a heart problem,” a family source said

Independent

ZIMBABWE has lost in excess of US$32,179 billion through illicit financial flows (IFFs) in the last two decades, posing a major challenge to development financing for the whole of the southern African region.

A policy brief on IFFs in Africa by Africa Growth Initiative shows that 13,9% of total trade during that period was lost this way.

According to the report, Southern Africa was prejudiced of a staggering US$1,3 trillion during the period as a result of IFFs. The brief also notes that illicit financial outflows from Africa are concentrated in a few countries and a few sectors — in particular, the extractive and mining industries and fuel exporters being responsible for nearly half of the IFFs.

Zimbabwe has undergone a number of policy changes that have pushed up smuggling and money laundering as people try to remit their funds out of the country, which has given rise to corrupt tendencies.

“We find a positive and significant relationship between real GDP (gross domestic product) and illicit financial flows (aggregate). Inflation is also positively correlated with aggregate illicit financial flows. These findings could indicate that macro-economic fluctuations, such as inflation, weaken confidence in a country’s macro-economic environment and encourage people to send their capital abroad.

“We further find a positive and significant correlation between illicit flows as a share of trade and tax revenue as a share of GDP. Likewise, we find a positive and significant correlation between illicit flows as a share of GDP and tax revenue as a share of GDP. When governments collect a large share of taxes, individuals and corporations have incentives to store capital abroad, away from government appropriation,” read the report.

In June last year, the government resuscitated the Zimbabwean dollar, which had been abandoned a decade ago due to unsustainable levels of hyperinflation caused by excessive printing of money. This brought about a multi-currency regime in 2009, which was then outlawed last year through Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019. However, the local unit has been in rapid free-fall which has stoked hyperinflation that stood at 737% for the month of June.

The report also found a significant relationship between poor governance and illicit financial outflows with export of illicit funds often requiring the use of illegal means that involve corruption.

“Developed by the World Bank, the six indicators measure control of corruption, government effectiveness, political stability, rule of law, regulatory quality, and voice and accountability,” the report said.

Zimbabwe recorded 13 coronavirus deaths posthumously between 1 and 3 August with 12 of them in Harare, the Ministry of Health has said in its daily updates.

This has pushed the death toll to 97.

Harare now has 51 deaths and Bulawayo, 23.

The country also recorded 56 new cases today bringing the total to 4 395.

It has tested 144 490 people so far and has 3 040 active cases.

The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres is following developments in Zimbabwe with “concern,” his office said.

Hundreds of innocent citizens have been arrested in recent months, including journalists, lawyers, opposition politicians, doctors and nurses, for protesting against the government or striking for better pay as tensions rise in the troubled southern African country.

In his daily updates issued on Thursday’s noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General about the situation in Zimbawe;

“The Secretary-General has been following with concern recent developments in Zimbabwe.

He urges the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure the protection of all fundamental human rights, notably the freedom of opinion and expression and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, in accordance with Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations.

He also calls on all political actors and civil society to resolve issues peacefully through inclusive dialogue.”

Read the UN Secretary General daily update in the link below.

https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/db200805.doc.htm