State Media

THE MDC-T led by Dr Thokozani Khupe has approached the Supreme Court seeking guidance on the dates to hold its extra-ordinary congress as it cannot proceed on the set dates due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In March this year, the Supreme Court ruled that the MDC-T should hold its extraordinary congress by July 31 but due to the lockdown the party says it can no longer proceed to have the congress within the stipulated period.

Acting MDC-T spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni confirmed the latest developments.

“We have instructed our legal team to approach the Supreme Court so that they can give us a variation on the dates. As of now, we are waiting for the advice from the Supreme Court to give us an appropriate date for the congress,” said Mr Phugeni

Mr Phugeni said they will stand guided by updates from the Ministry of Health and Child Care on the best way forward.

“I would also want to say having come up with the dates, we are going to be consulting the health authorities because there is a public health imperative which we dare not to ignore.

“We are going through a pandemic, so we want to be guided. No one must lose their lives because of politics. The lives of our members are more precious than elective congress,” said Mr Phugeni.

The elective congress is meant to elect a substantive leader of the party following the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018.

State Media

THE gazetted legal statutory instrument amending lockdown regulations by setting the 6PM to 6AM curfew, now requires church gatherings, jogging, walking and cycling to take place not earlier than 8AM or later than 3PM.

The definition of “wearing a face mask” in a public place now means that wearers must “securely” cover their nose and mouth with the mask.

Acting Minister of Health and Child Care Prof Amon Murwira gazetted Statutory Instrument 174/20 under the Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) (Amendment) Order, 2020 (No. 14) on Wednesday.

The new law stipulates that those who fail to comply face hefty penalties of up to $36 000 or a year in jail. The curfew definition of essential services includes all services already defined as essential for other purposes with six deletions.

While the production, supply, delivery and distribution of food, fuel and coal is permitted during the curfew hours, supermarkets and food shops cannot operate during the curfew. Banks, bureaux de change and the like have to obey the curfew, except their security staff can work at night. Courts, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, public examinations and Parliament remain essential services for all other purposes, but have to obey the curfew.

The amendment to the lockdown regulations adds mining and the operations of designated tobacco auction floors to the list of services that are exempted and can operate during the curfew.

Under the curfew all travel by those who are in non-essential services, in or out of vehicles, is prohibited during the curfew hours and they must stay at home.

However, there are five categories of exemption from the movement ban, but the onus is on the person moving outside curfew hours to satisfy the officer enforcing the curfew.

People are allowed to “break” curfew to buy medicine, move to and from work if they are employed in the essential services, seek medical attention, go to the home of a relative who needs medical help, or if they are a member of staff of a foreign mission or agency and are going to that mission.

Besides the essential services and businesses, there are also exempted businesses. These remain the same with no change of definition and so can continue operating, but their hours have been shortened back to 8am to 3pm. This means all industrial and commercial businesses, including those in the informal sector that have been already exempted, can continue.

Supermarkets, food shops, fuel outlets, restaurants, and safari and hunting operations have, however, for the purposes of operating times been added to the list of non-essential businesses that can operate only between 8am and 3pm.

Some of these, especially restaurants and service stations, had been able to operate outside the previous restrictions on hours, but no longer.

The amended regulations now lay down the rules for what happens when a member of staff of a non-essential, but exempted business, which for this purpose now includes the food shops, restaurants, service stations and safari operations, tests positive or is confirmed to have died from Covid-19.

The relevant premises have to be closed and disinfected before reopening and immediately before the reopening every other member of staff who could have been in contact with the affected member of staff must be tested.

Police also urged members of the public to comply with the new measures announced by President Mnangagwa on Tuesday.

Correspondent

Some Econet customers are still having issues with the network in accessing the internet, making calls and accessing USSD services such as Ecocash, recharging airtime and sending messages according to reports on social media.

The network challenges started on Thursday evening with wide spread speculation that this was a deliberate attempt to frustrate 31 July protests being lobbied by some activists.

This however appears to be baseless speculation as there is no evidence this is the case and Econet themselves have said they are investigating the cause.

NetOne and Telecel don’t appear to be having any issues further pouring water on the deliberate shutdown theory. In anycase, the authorities would be more interested in disrupting social media communication as they have done in times past rather than calls.

This is not the first time Econet has experienced issues. The telecom giant’s national services have gone down twice on separate occasions. These were blamed on central computers that manage access to the network. Again there is no evidence or word from Zimbabwe’s largest mobile network operator that this is the case.

Own Correspondent

Returnees housed at Townsend High School in Bulawayo have raised concerns on the conditions at the quarantine centre which they claim to be uninhabitable.

Speaking to ZimEye.com in confidence, one of the returnees at the centre indicated that they are being kept at the centre under squalid conditions with no water and very poor food provisions.

“The issue is that human rights are not being observed at Townsend High School quarantine centre in Bulawayo. The main problem is that there is no running water yet we are in the middle of a pandemic,” said a source at the centre.

According to the source, a total of twenty eight people including five children have been housed at the centre since the 20th of July despite goverment claims that all schools have been cleared of being Covid-19 quarantine centres.

Amongst the twenty three adults, one of the returnees is said to be a heavily pregnant woman who is due to deliver any time soon.

“The food is different from the rest of the other quarantine centres where others that we travelled with are placed,” said the source.

“We are being fed Soya Chunks, cabbage and beans on a daily basis while our colleagues at Khumalo hotel are being given a five star treatment.”

The source further complained that since they arrived at the centre they have not been tested having only been tested at Beitbridge Border Post on arrival.

“The other returnees in other centres have been tested again after Beitbridge tests but nothing has happened here,” she said. “We are still waiting to have our second testing.”

Schools being used as quarantined centres were expected to be vacated over three weeks ago. Announcing the developments at a press briefing on the outcome of the National Taskforce on Covid-19 meeting last month, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, said provincial task forces had to quickly move to find alternative accommodation for the returnees.

Efforts to get a comment from Bulawayo Minister of Provincial Affairs on the situation at Townsend High School were not successful at the time of this article.

State Media

Four National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) board members were yesterday arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) on allegations of abuse of office.

The arrested board members are: Dr Billy Rugava, Advocate Racheal Chibaya, Dr Johnson Shonhe and Dr Harunavamwe Chifamba.

Zacc spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure confirmed the arrests last night and said they should appear in court today. But he declined to outline the allegations they are facing.

In June, three former top NatPharm bosses appeared in court facing allegations of approving Drax International LLC to supply and deliver medicines and surgical sundries to Government without following procurement procedures. Florah Nancy Sifeku (67), Charles Mwaramba (78) and Rolland Mlalazi (55), have since appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts charged with criminal abuse of office.

Sifeku was the NatPharm managing director, Mlalazi was the finance manager while Mwaramba was the operations manager. They were all not asked to plead to the charges when they separately appeared before magistrate Ms Vongai Guriro, and were remanded out of custody on $10 000 bail each.

Sifeku and Mwaramba are jointly charged on one of the offences where the State alleges that sometime in December 2019, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care gave a directive to NatPharm to issue a tender. Drax Consult SAGL had written a letter of interest to supply Zimbabwe with medicine and surgical sundries under a US$20 million facility.

Allegations are that Sifeku and Mwaramba allegedly disregarded the Permanent Secretary’s directive and went on to award a direct purchase to Drax Consult SAGL, saying there was extreme

emergency. Sifeku and Mwaramba are alleged to have fast-tracked the awarding of the order to Drax Consult SAGL to supply the medicines and surgical sundries.

The duo allegedly withheld the tender documents for a month, while they were processing another tender for the same company.

Sifeku and Mwaramba are alleged to have used the two tenders to award and sign a contract for Drax Consult SAGL under the credit facility of US$20 million to supply medicines and surgical sundries.

After realising that Drax Consult SAGL had failed to supply the medicine and sundries within three months as stated by the agreed contract, Sifeku and Mwaramba allegedly deliberately failed to cancel the contract for non-performance.

On another matter in which Sifeku and Mlalazi are jointly charged, the State alleges that sometime early this year, former Health Minister Obadiah Moyo was approached by Delish Nguwaya and Ilir Dedja, who introduced themselves to him as Drax International LLC’s country representative and legal representative.

Nguwaya and Dedja are said to have tendered an expression of interest, saying their company could supply medicines to Zimbabwe through a US$40 million facility.

The State alleges that knowing that Drax International LLC had changed its name to Drax Consult SAGL and previously known as Papi Pharma and had also failed the vetting, Sifeku and Mlalazi went on to offer it another tender to supply US$13 351 071 worth of medicines.

On April 9, 2020, Secretary for Finance Mr George Guvamatanga wrote a letter to Dr Mahomva after noting that Sifeku and Mlalazi had entered into an agreement with Drax International LLC.

The following day, Dr Mahomva responded to the letter saying the ministry had not given NatPharm the greenlight to sign the contract.

Acting on the contract, Drax International LLC is said to have supplied 3 740 coveralls, CatIII type 6B worth US$336 600, 5 040 masks worth US$141 120 and 15 000 test kits for US$510 000.

In another case where Sifeku is appearing on her own, the State alleges that sometime in March 2019, Minister Moyo was approached by Nguwaya with a letter of interest to supply the country with medicines through a US$15 million facility.

Minister Moyo is said to have referred the letter to the former permanent secretary Dr Gerald Gwinji.

On April 11, 2019, Dr Gwinji is said to have written to Sifeku recommending NatPharm to work with 65 product lines of medicines worth US$9,4 million and negotiate the prices downwards.

In the same letter, NatPharm was directed to come up with comparative international prices for the products and apply for necessary waiver from the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.

Sifeku, without drawing the comparative international price schedule and waiting for due vetting process for PAPI Pharma, allegedly went on to sign the agreement to supply medicines worth US$6 306 115.

Own Correspondent

Zimbabwe’s total of confirmed Covid-19 cases rose to 2 296 yesterday, with four more deaths, taking the number of fatalities to 32, according to the daily report from the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

The number of new cases was 172, with 152 of them local infections and 79 of these from the Midlands, now a third focus of infection after Bulawayo and Harare. But of these 152 local cases, the source is known in 90.

Both Bulawayo deaths were men with other illnesses. The Harare death is a person testing positive on July 14 and dying from respiratory failure and acute kidney injury on July 17, while the Midlands death was a man with other medical conditions.

Bulawayo remains the hardest hit province with 569 known local infections and 15 deaths, followed by Harare with 283 confirmed infections and 10 deaths and Midlands now with 147 confirmed local infections and three deaths.

Acting Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo recently said lockdown fatigue may be behind the increase in Covid-19 cases in the city.

“There are a number of factors that we can attribute to the increase in the number of recorded cases. Certainly, we are witnessing what may be called ‘lockdown fatigue’, with residents no longer observing lockdown laws and the infection, prevention and control measures articulated by the Ministry of Health. Zimbabwe as well doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The number of cases recorded across the border has remained high,” he said.

“Factor in that we are now in peak winter season, and we did expect to see the peak number of cases sometime in winter. These are but some of the contributing factors to the recent surge in number of cases in Bulawayo. But it is also testament to the quality of contact tracing efforts done by the Bulawayo health services department. Most of our cases are asymptomatic and yet we are able to detect them.”

Dr Mlilo said the message to people remains the same: treat everyone as a potential Covid- 19 case. He said over 80 percent of cases will be asymptomatic or show mild symptoms.

“So, approach everyone as a possible source of Covid-19 infection. The government measures in place will not protect us without the community buy in.

Let’s all take personal responsibility for ourselves and the next person. Wear a well-fitting mask in public spaces, practice social distancing at every opportunity and let’s practice good hygiene, wash and iron our masks, wash our hands. These are simple but yet effective measures that stop the transmission of the virus,” said Dr Mlilo.

Zimbabwe Medical Association president Dr Francis Chiwora said porous borders and the country’s proximity to South Africa was the chief contributor to the high numbers being recorded.

“We are very close to the borders, there is a lot of illegal unaccounted travel. People are crossing illegally into the country. No one is testing them. Some families are harbouring them, then obviously with such scenarios, cases are expected to skyrocket. What we need is a heavier lockdown, which will ensure limited movement, hence reducing the chances of people infecting each other. Remember that the virus does not move, but people move and carry it around, so the more we stay in one place, the less we spread it,” said Dr Chiwora.

Mpilo Central Hospital clinical director and acting chief executive officer Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said epicentres in the country were shifting partly due to relaxed lockdowns in both South Africa and Zimbabwe, which made it easier for people to sneak into the country undetected.

He said imported goods from truckers brought legally, and those brought by border jumpers were also possible carriers of the virus, which can stay on some surfaces for up to eight days.

“Our geographical link with South Africa, Africa’s epicentre is problematic. It is now in the top 10 worldwide, and its lockdown was laxed, meaning people could move and come closer to the illegal crossing points. It’s even more convenient for such travel as the lockdown measures in the country were also laxed. Dead bodies of relatives are crossing into the country. Infections from bodies cannot be ruled out too. These porous borders are yet to bring even more doom,” said Dr Ngwenya.

“More people will die, if they do not listen. We have reached a dangerous point in the history of the virus. For every case you see, there could be three more cases unreported, and probably three more. If you do the math, it is not good. We need a hard lockdown.”

South Africa has now confirmed 6 093 deaths from 408 052 confirmed infections.

State Media

GOVERNMENT has expressed concern over reports that bodies of Zimbabweans who could have died from Covid-19 in neighbouring countries are being smuggled into the country, saying that could be a source of the spike in local spread of the virus.

Police have since activated its officers on the country’s borders to be on high alert to detect such illicit practices.

International truckers and the cross-border couriers known as “omalayitsha”, who remit money and commodities across the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe are allegedly at the centre of the scandal.

They are reportedly transporting the corpses for a fee.

Reports are that some of the corpses are wrapped in plain sheets and bundled together with groceries, exposing recipients to the deadly Covid19 pandemic.

Social media platforms are awash with videos, audios and pictures showing the smuggled coffins with the remains of a suspected Covid-19 victim.

In one of the videos, a truck allegedly belonging to “omalayitsha” is seen offloading groceries and a coffin at an unknown home where a funeral was being conducted.

The coffin and groceries were loaded in the same trailer.

In another picture also circulating on social media, a coffin laden with groceries and a corpse can be clearly seen with unconfirmed reports linked the body to Covid-19.

In another incident, there was drama at the burial of a Coronavirus victim after family members of the deceased buried the body with four bags containing goods that were smuggled and destined to the funeral service company driver’s client thinking they belonged to their departed person.

According to a video circulated on social media, the driver was sleeping during the funeral service and the relatives saw the bags and put them together in the grave according to their tradition.

When the driver woke up, he realized what was happening and quickly stopped the burial process and retrieved the bags.

Watch the video downloading below.

In a tweet, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana said the rot could be the reason for the spike in local Covid-19 transmissions.

“The smuggling of goods hidden as contraband in a coffin carrying the remains of a Covid-19 victim is a concern. The people that handle, use or eat such goods are being exposed to the virus.

“One never knows how prevalent the practice is but this may explain some local transmissions,” he said.

Mr Mangwana said this kind of smuggling is possible because borders are porous.

“The porousness of our long border has become a cliché. People are smuggling human bodies through undesignated crossing points, putting themselves and others at risk from Covid19 infection. In some cases, there is corrupt collusion with those who are supposed to apprehend them.”

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi warned people against smuggling bodies although he indicated no such reports had been officially received by the police.

He said police, Zimra and immigration officers at the borders were now on high alert and any such practices would be detected.

“We want to urge members of the public to report to the police if they see such things happening so that investigations can be conducted. But at the moment we do not have any concrete evidence to what is being alleged.

“We have alerted all officers who are policing at the borders so that they work together with officers from the Immigration and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA). They should remain alert,” Asst Comm Nyathi said.

State Media

A BULAWAYO self-proclaimed prophet, allegedly applied some substance on his female client’s private parts and inserted one of his fingers into her genitals before raping her under the guise of conducting cleansing rituals.

Soul Ndonga (30) of Mzilikazi suburb allegedly raped the victim (18) under the pretext that he was exorcising evil spirits that were affecting her love life.

Ndonga appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya on Wednesday facing rape charges. He was remanded in custody to August 6 pending trial at the regional court.

Prosecuting, Mr Leonard Chile said on June 27 at around 2pm, the complainant went to the accused person’s home in the company of her two cousins for a prayer session.

Upon arrival at Ndonga’s house, the accused told the trio that he wanted to pray for them separately.

“After the accused person had finished praying for the complainant’s cousins, he ordered the two women to leave the room so that he could pray for the complainant.

The accused prayed for the victim and told her that she was being tormented by evil spirits which were affecting her love relationship,” said Mr Chile.

The court heard that Ndonga told the complainant that he wanted to exorcise the evil spirits and asked her to remove her undergarments.

The girl refused, but the accused person assured her that it was part of the process of conducting the rituals and she complied.

“The accused person ordered the complainant to sit on the bed before he lifted her skirt and rubbed some strange substance on her private parts and stomach,” said Mr Chile.

Ndonga then inserted his fingers into the complainant’s private parts and smeared the substance before he pushed her to the bed and raped her once.

After committing the offence, Ndonga ordered the girl not to tell anyone about what had transpired.

The complainant informed her two cousins and the matter was reported to the police leading to Ndonga’s arrest

Own Correspondent

Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba was denied bail when he appeared before a Harare magistrate on Friday.

Gomba appeared before regional magistrate Mrs Bianca Makwande who ruled there was high risk he would interfere with evidence if released on bail.

The court also noted that once the State proves that he was the author of a letter that gave green light to development of the piece of land he allegedly awarded to Taringa Housing Scheme, chances of a prison term were high.

“This would induce him to escape the jurisdiction of the court,” said Mrs Makwande, before dismissing his bail application.

Circumstances leading to Gomba’s arrest are that sometime last year, he allegedly connived with his accomplices, who are yet to be accounted for by police, and altered an approved layout plan belonging to Youth in Business Housing Trust.

In doing so, Gomba and his accomplices, allegedly converted State land into council land and allocated it to Taringana Housing Scheme, with the same plan number that was allocated to Youths in Business Trust.

It is said, Gomba, in his capacity as the ceremonial mayor, originated a memorandum dated February 18, 2020 saying that the Plan for Taringana Housing Scheme had been approaved and council should survey the said piece of land.

The court heard that the letter was misleading and inaccurate since the same plan had been issued and approved by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to the Youths in Business Housing Scheme.

Plans to proceed with the piece of land in question had also been set aside by the Town Clerk, but Gomba disregarded such advice, a court heard.

The State alleges that Gomba acted beyond his powers as a ceremonial mayor.

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) inspected the piece of land and noted that 40 percent of it was a wetland and recommended that the part be left out.

But Gomba allegedly went ahead to demarcate the wetland, in violation of the EMA recommendations.

His actions were said to have shown favour to Taringana Housing Trust and disfavour to Youths in Business Housing Scheme.

Zimbabwe’s first black Comptroller and Auditor-General, Mr Abdulman Eric Harid a former Commissioner of Taxes, has died.

Mr Harid died at West End Hospital in Harare on Monday this week. He was 82.

The family said he had been unwell for some time and that when he was hospitalised, it was discovered that he had cancer.

He was buried on Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Cemetery, in Harare, next to his parents and his brother, Mr Abraham Harid, who was one of the country’s first black surgeons.

In 1987, Mr Abdulman Eric Harid was appointed the first black Comptroller and Auditor-General. He remained in office until 2004, when the first female black Comptroller and Auditor-General, Mrs Mildred Chiri, was appointed.

Abdulman Eric Harid is popular for his report on the 1999 goverment audit where he exposed how then President Robert Mugabe’s office was wantonly abusing state funds without control.

In his report, dated 22 September 2002 and submitted to Parliament Eric Harid, said his inquiry into the general state of Zimbabwe’s financial transactions had revealed the government’s flagrant disrespect for Parliament and standing Treasury rules for expenditure of public funds especially in the presidency.

Owing to growing concern over corruption, the country’s Anti-Corruption Act came into operation in 2005 and Mr Harid’s next public appointment was as the first chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

He was succeeded at the Commission by a team led Dr Job Whabira.

Mr Harid’s next public appointment was in 2014, when Dr Obert Mpofu, then Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, appointed him Chairman of the Board of Air Zimbabwe. After Air Zimbabwe, Mr Harid concentrated on farming in Bindura.

He is survived by four sons and three daughters.

A family spokesperson described him as “a practical hard-working man”.

FINANCE and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has reiterated that there was no going back on the use of the Zimbabwe dollar, adding that the future of the local currency was “bright”.

Responding to questions during a meeting with Bulawayo businesspeople at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre on Friday, Prof Ncube said people should remember that the country allowed the use of the United States dollar a few months ago, to address the challenges of currency volatility induced by Covid-19 pandemic.

“The future of the Zimbabwe dollar is bright. You are abusing it, we will use it. And as Government and together with you the private sector, I believe we are on the right track,” he said. Prof Ncube said despite efforts by the saboteurs to destroy the economy, Government will continue implementing measures aimed at promoting economic growth and development.

“Fiscal discipline is critical as an ingredient for macro stability because once you have a deficit, you have to monetise it through money supply growth and that again we will weaken the currency,” he said.

Last month, Government introduced the weekly Foreign Currency Auction Trading System in a rushed bid to try to promote currency stability.

The coming on board of the forex auction trading system saw the exchange rate reach US$1:72,14 this week.

Own Correspondent

Harare regional magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna says that journalist Hopewell Chin’ono is likely to continue posting statements on social media that have the effect of instigating public violence if freed on bail.

Chin’ono, who was being represented by lawyer Ms Beatrice Mtetwa, was denied bail on Friday and is expected back in court on August 7 for routine remand.

He is being charged with incitement to commit public violence or alternatively incitement to participate in a gathering with the intent to promote public violence.

In his ruling, Mr Nduna refused to attend to the interpretation of Chin’ono’s tweets saying that they would be dealt with during trial, but the State presently fears that he was likely to re-offend once released on bail.

Through his lawyer, Chin’ono had argued that there was no reference to violence in his tweets.

Chin’ono’s case arose after he allegedly posted messages through his Twitter handle between March 1 and July 20, calling for mass demonstrations by any means against Government on July 31.

Getting into a waiting prison vehicle Friday, Chin’ono had this to say to waiting reporters.

“We are being persecuted for talking about corruption and we won’t be bowed. (Coco: “And your spirits?”) I am fine,” said Chin’ono.

In Geneva Friday, UNHCR spokesperson Liz Throssell in a statement said that Zimbabweans have a right to protest corruption or anything else.

“Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights,” said Throssell. “We are also concerned at reports of police using force to disperse and arrest nurses and health workers for infringing lockdown restrictions as they were trying to protest for better salaries and conditions of work… While recognizing the government’s efforts to contain the pandemic, it is important to remind the authorities that any lockdown measures and restrictions should be necessary, proportionate and time-limited, and enforced humanely without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force.”

Another activist, Jacob Ngarivhume was also denied bail on similar charges and is expected back in court on August 6.

Own Correspondent

Opposition National People’s Party Spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire has called on the parliament to impeach President Emmerson Mnangagwa for failing to effectively run the country’s health system in the middle of the ravaging Covid-19 era.

Read below full thread of tweets by Mawarire:

(1)With Covid-19 cases on the increase Zimbabwe has a President who does have a minister of health in cabinet, no health perm sec, all referal hospitals have no medical directors, Natpharm, the central medical store has no directors, hospitals have no doctors & nurses.

(2) Without all those medical response variables pertinent in the face of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, President Mnangagwa only thinks about locking citizens at home in the foolish hope that staying at home without a concomitant robust medical response will combat Covid-19

(3) It is time that every Zimbabwean demand their elected MPs to move a motion to IMPEACH President Mnangagwa. He has failed. Which leader can go to war without any army commander, without field marshals, without a fighting force & still believe people will take him seriously?

4) President Mnangagwa is pretending to lead us into battle against Covid-19 without an army commander (Minister of Health), without a Chief of Staff (Perm Sec), without field marshals (Medical Directors at hospitals) without fighting forces (doctors & nurses),

5) without a functional armoury (Natpharm), without ammunition (medication & PPEs).A leader who does that is not only endangering his army but the citizens that the army is supposed to protect. Any Pres who exhibits such nonchalance & extreme derelection of duty shld be IMPEACHED

6) It is worse when the same Pres, in the face of such a serious health challenge like Covid-19, believes there humour derived from his confession that he used to steal medical supplies meant for freedom fighters during the war so he could sell & buy himself beer.

7) What are we supposed to think when he shows extreme nonchalance in the face of Covid-19 & when allegations fly around that individuals linked to him or his family are capitalising on the pandemic to make business for themselves? What are we supposed to believe when

8)State House is turned into a medical store where every medical donation is made? Shld we be forced to believe an indiv who finds humour in the fact that he used to steal medical supplies for sick & injured freedom fighters,can look after medical supplies meant 4 Covid-19?

9) Fellow Zimbabweans, lets demand that our MPs take the President to task over his response to Covid-19 especially the fact that he is running a health sector without a health minister, perm sec, hospitals medical directors, doctors, nurses and a central medical store.

10) Our MPs (Senate & National Assembly) shld, for the benefit of our citizens, IMPEACH the President on account of his response to Covid-19. Our Constitution has a provision for that in Section 97

11)Pres Mnangagwa’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic,epitomised by his careless leadership whereupon he is running a govt without a substantive Health Minister,a health ministry Perm Sec, no medical directors in referal hospitals, no doctors, no nurses is “serious misconduct”.

12)Such “serious misconduct ” warrants the removal of the President as provided for under section 97 of the constitution. His derelection of duty, seen by his attitude of running a govt without substantive health personnel in the face of Covid-19 pandemic calls 4 his IMPEACHMENT.

13)The Pres,caz of his actions,is endangering lives of citizens he is supposed 2protect as provided in sec 29 of the const.Citizens’ right to life is provided 4 in sec 48 of the const & the Pres,or any other person,shldnt take away that right thru errors of omission or comission

14)It shldnt matter your MP is Zanu-PF, MDC-A or NPF, if your MP doesn’t see the need & pertinence of IMPEACHING ED now, on account of his lack of seriousness in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, don’t vote for that MP again in 2023 caz they don’t care about you #ImpeachEDNow

Own Correspondent

Investigative journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono, was late Friday denied bail by the Magistrate Courts after his bail hearing was cut short on two consecutive days.

In postponing the hearings, court officials said they wanted to leave early to ensure they comply with a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday as part of new restrictions to contain COVID-19.

Beatrice Mtetwa, who is representing Chin’ono, was not amused.

“We find this extremely frustrating because constitutional rights like the right to liberty have now been suspended through failure to make appropriate arrangements,” said Mtetwa.

“Surely, they should make arrangements such as bail to take staff home so that constitutionally guaranteed rights like liberty are not unnecessarily infringed. It’s extremely frustrating. It makes a mockery of the need to come to court within 48 hours. It makes a mockery of the requirement that bail (application) be heard urgently.”

Announcing the curfew, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he was aware that some rights would be infringed upon. But Mtetwa is not convinced.

“If you want to make excuses for trampling on people’s rights, you are absolutely free to do so but it is not what the constitution provides for,” said Mtetwa. “Bail matters are always heard on an urgent basis. You can sit right into the night as long as you make arrangements to take the court staff home. So it cannot be an excuse that the president has decreed. The president has no power to suspend constitutional rights.”

Own Correspondent

The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights says it is concerned that the Zimbabwean government may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

In a statement issued on Friday, the UN High Commission for Human Rights blasted President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s goverment for the arrest of Journalist Hopewell Chinono and opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume.

“Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights. We are concerned at reports of police using force to disperse and arrest nurses and health workers for infringing lockdown restrictions as they were trying to protest for better salaries and conditions of work,” the commissioner said.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa – highlighting an increase of 600 COVID-19 cases in a week to a total of 1,713 – on Tuesday announced a series of measures that he said were necessary to curb the spread of the disease, including a dusk to dawn curfew and the curtailment and suspension of freedoms that, as he put it, Zimbabweans “have always enjoyed”.

The United States and several other countries have expressed similar sentiments, saying the Zimbabwean government should stop intimidating journalists and political opponents.

In a tweet, Tibo Nagy, Assistant Secretary for U.S Department of State’s Bereau of African Affairs, said,

Below is the statement by the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights.

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:  Liz Throssell  
Location: Geneva 
Date: 24 July 2020
Subject:Zimbabwe

We are concerned at allegations in Zimbabwe, which suggest that the authorities may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Among the latest incidents, investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was arrested on 20 July and charged with inciting public violence, after he tweeted his support for nationwide protests against government corruption and worsening economic conditions. Jacob Ngarivhume, an opposition leader who has been calling for the protests on 31 July, was also detained and similarly charged.

Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights.

We are concerned at reports of police using force to disperse and arrest nurses and health workers for infringing lockdown restrictions as they were trying to protest for better salaries and conditions of work.

This pattern of intimidation echoes the events in May when three members of the main opposition party were arbitrarily arrested and detained for taking part in a protest.  The women – Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova – alleged that state agents abducted them from the police station, tortured and sexually assaulted them.  The women were then formally arrested in June, charged with participating in the protests and faking their abduction. They were recently released on bail.

It is clear that COVID-19 has added greatly to the challenges Zimbabwe faces amid a deteriorating economy and placed a further burden on an already struggling health sector.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa – highlighting an increase of 600 COVID-19 cases in a week to a total of 1,713 – on Tuesday announced a series of measures that he said were necessary to curb the spread of the disease, including a dusk to dawn curfew and the curtailment and suspension of freedoms that, as he put it, Zimbabweans “have always enjoyed”.

While recognizing the Government’s efforts to contain the pandemic, it is important to remind the authorities that any lockdown measures and restrictions should be necessary, proportionate and time-limited, and enforced humanely without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force.

We encourage the Government to engage with civil society and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to grievances while ensuring that people’s rights and freedoms are protected in accordance with Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations.  These include the responsibility of the State to guarantee economic, social and cultural rights.

Avenues clinic has with immediate effect suspended patient visiting hours due to the continued rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, a circular from the medical centre has confirmed.

The hospital said relatives and friends will be able to continue communicating with patients using cellphones with the facility extending Internet connection to those admitted to aid communication.

Read the full circular below….

Farai Dziva|Tajamuka leader Promise Mkwananzi has said the July 31 protests are about sacrifices meant to emancipate the people of Zimbabwe from poverty and corruption.

In a strong warning to the Zanu PF regime, the former MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General said no form of ammunition would stop the protests.

“This is the time for the people of Zimbabwe to unite and fight for total emancipation.The demo is not about political parties, rather it is about the people of Zimbabwe.

Nobody is supposed to go to work, for once let us unite as Zimbabweans.

We know they want to suppress the protests but our message to them is clear- no form of ammunition will stop us from fighting for freedom.

Those who want to buy food please do so in time because this is not a joke,” said Mkwananzi.

MDC Alliance Secretary General and former Kuwadzana East legislator, Charlton Hwende has accused clerk of parliament, Kennedy Chokuda of playing politics following his announcement that all recalled opposition parliamentarians should return vehicles allocated to them or face legal action.

In an interview with 263Chat, Hwende accused Chokuda of helping MDC-T Acting President Thokozani Khupe and Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora to bring down MDC Alliance leader Chamisa, whom he said is loved by many people than them.

“Mr Chokuda is playing politics, he is being used by Mwonzora and Khupe to abuse Parliament in order to put pressure on our MPs to dump our President Advocate Nelson Chamisa. The good news is that our MPs and the struggle for Democratic Change has never been about material things or self aggrandizement,” he said.

In an interview with a local newspaper, Chokuda said Parliament wrote to the recalled MDC Alliance legislators telling them to return vehicles allocated to them or face legal action.

“Members who have been recalled from Parliament have an option to fully pay for their vehicles or surrender them to Parliament. If they surrender them, they will have to pay any differences between the valuation of the vehicle.”

“As required by the law, we have already written to affected MPs to make a decision on the matter. We are simply guided by the law on this,” said Mr Chokuda.

–263Chat

Opposition politician Linda Masarira has warned that the country’s detractors are behind the planned July 31 demonstrations and want to use cover of corruption to subvert the Government.

In a detailed statement, Ms Musarira, an active member of country’s civil society movement with inside information on its modus operandi, said the advent of the New Dispensation in 2017, opened floodgates for the country’s detractors to come in as freedoms flourished.

Presently, she said, merchants of regime change seem to have found a voice in activists such as Hopewell Chin’ono, some churches and the country’s troubled opposition led by Mr Nelson Chamisa.

Massive funding from rich sources such as George Soros of the Open Society Initiative and the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the said organisations want to use July 31 to defeat democracy and foist on Zimbabwe a National Transitional Authority (NTA), Ms Masarira said.

“The impending 31 July revolt by citizens will play into the strategy of the US of instigating the fall of the Zanu PF Government, replace it with a “technocratic” neo-liberal National Transitional Authority (NTA).”

“The NTA is a US imposed idea that will see the Americans pour millions of dollars into Zimbabwe for the resuscitation of the economy, provided the NTA reverses some nationalistic policies such as the land reform and liberalise the economy to allow their companies to freely loot Zimbabwe’s natural resources,” said Ms Masarira.

She said the strategy originates from Henry Kissinger’s foreign policy plan premised US dominance and exploitation of resources of weaker rich nations.

The NTA proposal, she said, seeks to suspend democracy by suspending elections for a period of seven years, focus on rebuilding the economy through reversing ZANU PF nationalistic and populist policies to allow multi-national corporations to invest in Zimbabwe, create jobs and loot strategic minerals like uranium, lithium, gold, diamonds, natural gas.

Armed with skills learnt from the notorious Centre for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies (CANVAS), an international organisation based in Belgrade, Serbia, whose track record is littered with success stories of bringing down governments in several countries, civil society and opposition activists want to create “dilemma scenarios where they score normative leverage through public sympathy”.

“Canvas Group leaders led the Otpor revolution in Serbia that brought down the ‘dictator’, Slobodan Milosevic and worked with activists in Egypt, Libya, Syria in the Arab Spring and their latest project was in Sudan.

“In short we are under attack as a nation. They are tirelessly working to bring down one of the most entrenched governments that is hated by the United States of America for its radical stance in empowering its citizens.”

The organisation, that targets governments that do not pander to the whims and caprices of the United States is funded by the US International Republican Institute (IRI), an organisation that continues to fund some clandestine regime change agents in Zimbabwe, Ms Musarira said.

Ms Musarira, an insider in the country’s well-oiled civic society, also exposes organisations that are actively working with a selected few activists in order to effect regime change in Zimbabwe and install a puppet administration with handlers in the US.

“Otpor was funded by the US International Republican Institute (IRI) that is also funding some activists’ groups in Zimbabwe alongside the National Endowment for Democracy and other smaller US Embassy grants as well as organisations like George Soros’ OSISA among others. Pursuant to the regime change agenda, the United States has trained over 200 activists from Zimbabwe through its Young African Leadership Initiative Programme (YALI) and most of these leaders are deployed into organisations to influence a neo-colonialism agenda. Zimbabwe had been a target of the United States since the land reform programme and the US scaled up funding for the Civic Society Space,” read part of Ms Musarira statement.

Zimbabwe’s civic organisations are among the most highly funded non-governmental organisations on the continent, leaders of the organisations that consorts with Western embassies live flashy lives and often pay people to demonstrate.

Although civil society organisations bleat about good governance and harp about fighting corruption, a closer look reveals a web of deceit and dishonesty. Last year, Amnesty International was forced to close its offices in Zimbabwe due to rampant fraud.

Ms Masarira claims that various organisations that are being funded to destabilise the country that include; Zimrights, Election Resource Centre, Combined Harare Residents’ Association and Crisis Coalition and from outside the country’s borders there are organisations such as the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, which is funded by George Soros, the Human Rights Watch and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, which are all allegedly linked to the CIA to create “international relations war zone for Zimbabwe and stifle the government’s capacity to engage”.

“These organisations influence international perception about a country and the regime change proponents are strategically positioned to influence the international community against Zimbabwe. Their concerted and unrelenting efforts to demonise Zimbabwe, backed by a legion of Diaspora based fake asylum seekers who want the country to become a failed state so as to justify their asylum status, have been vehemently attacking Zimbabwe, instigating instability and sabotage activities being carried out by activists at home.

“The local activists are bent on generating fake news that are alarming, sensational and disturbing with an objective of causing public alarm, panic and despondence using social media and make financial gains in return from naïve donors.”

The violent demonstrations that rocked the country on August 1, 2018 and also the January 2019 protests can all be traced to the trainings that were done by the Canvas Group.

-State Media

THE gazetted legal statutory instrument amending lockdown regulations by setting the 6PM to 6AM curfew, now requires church gatherings, jogging, walking and cycling to take place not earlier than 8AM or later than 3PM.

The definition of “wearing a face mask” in a public place now means that wearers must “securely” cover their nose and mouth with the mask.

Acting Minister of Health and Child Care Prof Amon Murwira gazetted Statutory Instrument 174/20 under the Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) (Amendment) Order, 2020 (No. 14) on Wednesday.

The new law stipulates that those who fail to comply face hefty penalties of up to $36 000 or a year in jail. The curfew definition of essential services includes all services already defined as essential for other purposes with six deletions.

While the production, supply, delivery and distribution of food, fuel and coal is permitted during the curfew hours, supermarkets and food shops cannot operate during the curfew. Banks, bureaux de change and the like have to obey the curfew, except their security staff can work at night. Courts, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, public examinations and Parliament remain essential services for all other purposes, but have to obey the curfew.

The amendment to the lockdown regulations adds mining and the operations of designated tobacco auction floors to the list of services that are exempted and can operate during the curfew.

Under the curfew all travel by those who are in non-essential services, in or out of vehicles, is prohibited during the curfew hours and they must stay at home.

However, there are five categories of exemption from the movement ban, but the onus is on the person moving outside curfew hours to satisfy the officer enforcing the curfew.

People are allowed to “break” curfew to buy medicine, move to and from work if they are employed in the essential services, seek medical attention, go to the home of a relative who needs medical help, or if they are a member of staff of a foreign mission or agency and are going to that mission.

Besides the essential services and businesses, there are also exempted businesses. These remain the same with no change of definition and so can continue operating, but their hours have been shortened back to 8am to 3pm. This means all industrial and commercial businesses, including those in the informal sector that have been already exempted, can continue.

Supermarkets, food shops, fuel outlets, restaurants, and safari and hunting operations have, however, for the purposes of operating times been added to the list of non-essential businesses that can operate only between 8am and 3pm.

Some of these, especially restaurants and service stations, had been able to operate outside the previous restrictions on hours, but no longer.

The amended regulations now lay down the rules for what happens when a member of staff of a non-essential, but exempted business, which for this purpose now includes the food shops, restaurants, service stations and safari operations, tests positive or is confirmed to have died from Covid-19.

The relevant premises have to be closed and disinfected before reopening and immediately before the reopening every other member of staff who could have been in contact with the affected member of staff must be tested.

Police also urged members of the public to comply with the new measures announced by President Mnangagwa on Tuesday.

In a statement yesterday, Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga said police and other security agents will ensure that the Covid-19 preventive measures are complied with countrywide to ensure the health and safety of Zimbabweans.

“The public should co-operate with law enforcement agents to enable the maintenance of law and order in the country to proceed smoothly. Non-working sections of our population required to stay at home should do so and put their health first in order to fight Covid-19,” he said. “In this vein I urge the public to secure food from their nearest shopping centres and this should be done by selected family members to curtail public gatherings. Those accessing health services and water should do so in an orderly manner, which promotes safety and security for all.”

Comm-Gen Matanga said they will ensure that there is no non-essential human and vehicular traffic movement during the curfew hours.

He said those who those who defy curfew orders will be charged in terms of Section 17(3) (4) of Statutory Instrument 174/20 as read with SI83/20.

Comm-Gen Matanga also warned errant kombi drivers, bottle store and shebeen operators against violating curfew regulations.

“Kombis which are moving around without number plates and carrying passengers in violation of Covid-19 lockdown regulations will be impounded with owners facing stern action. All commercial and manufacturing enterprises should stick to the stipulated business operation hours from 8am to 3pm to avoid hassles with law enforcement officers,” he said.

“This includes supermarkets, vegetable markets, banks, food retail shops and those in the informal sector with the relevant permits.”

Comm-Gen Matanga said no intercity public transport and rural areas movement will be allowed to proceed beyond checkpoints and roadblocks. He also warned motorists who are in the habit of travelling at night to evade police, saying they risk being arrested and charged for violating Covid-19 regulations.

He said they have intensified patrols and deployments in checkpoints across the country.

A total of 2 654 people have been arrested between Wednesday and Thursday for violating Covid-19 lockdown regulations. Of those arrested, 1 273 were arrested for unnecessary movement and 661 for failure to wear masks.

Comm-Gen Matanga said yesterday 284 people escaped from isolation and quarantine centres and 30 have been arrested.

“We have stepped up security at points of entry and exit in the country and acts of smuggling and border jumping will not be tolerated. Members of the public are free to reports acts of corruption by police and security services members on 0242-748836/703631 or WhatsApp number 0712800197,” he said.

Comm-Gen Matanga said police will continue to monitor church gatherings to ensure that they adhere to strict World Health Organisation (WHO) Covid-19 protocols.

“Religious gatherings should have at least 50 congregants or less and services should be conducted between 8am and 3pm with strict adherence to WHO health guidelines and Covid-19 protocols. families conducting funerals throughout the country are urged to observe Covid-19 lockdown regulations by ensuring that 50 people or less attend burial,” said Comm-Gen Matanga.

-State Media

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has paid tribute to former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa who passed on yesterday at the age of 81.

In a letter to his Tanzanian counterpart President John Magufuli, the President saluted the late Cde Mkapa for his peace building efforts not only in the East African region but across the continent.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Zimbabwe, and indeed on my own behalf, I wish our deepest condolences to you, and through you, to the family and to the people of the United Republic of Tanzania, on the death of the former President of United Republic of Tanzania, Mzee Benjamin William Mkapa, on 23 July 2020,” read the letter in part.

The late Cde Mkapa served as the Tanzanian President from 1995 to 2005.

“Our prayers are with the Mkapa family and the people of the United Republic of Tanzania during this period of mourning. We hope that the nation will find solace in the legacy that the late former President leaves behind him, including his immense contribution to the achievement of peace, stability and economic development of the United Republic of Tanzania, the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community, and indeed the whole African continent,” the President said.

Cde Magufuli early today announced the death of the former Head of State after a short illness, which forced him to be admitted at a Dar es Salaam hospital.

-State Media

By A Correspondent| The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) and Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) have dragged government and Zupco to court over shortage of public transportation that has seen residents in Harare being harassed by police due to government imposed dusk to dawn curfew.

The case is being represented by Women and Law in Southern Africa(WILSA).

More to follow….

A BULAWAYO self-proclaimed prophet, allegedly applied some substance on his female client’s private parts and inserted one of his fingers into her genitals before raping her under the guise of conducting cleansing rituals.

Soul Ndonga (30) of Mzilikazi suburb allegedly raped the victim (18) under the pretext that he was exorcising evil spirits that were affecting her love life.

Ndonga appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya on Wednesday facing rape charges. He was remanded in custody to August 6 pending trial at the regional court.

Prosecuting, Mr Leonard Chile said on June 27 at around 2pm, the complainant went to the accused person’s home in the company of her two cousins for a prayer session.

Upon arrival at Ndonga’s house, the accused told the trio that he wanted to pray for them separately.

“After the accused person had finished praying for the complainant’s cousins, he ordered the two women to leave the room so that he could pray for the complainant.

The accused prayed for the victim and told her that she was being tormented by evil spirits which were affecting her love relationship,” said Mr Chile.

The court heard that Ndonga told the complainant that he wanted to exorcise the evil spirits and asked her to remove her undergarments.

The girl refused, but the accused person assured her that it was part of the process of conducting the rituals and she complied.

“The accused person ordered the complainant to sit on the bed before he lifted her skirt and rubbed some strange substance on her private parts and stomach,” said Mr Chile.

Ndonga then inserted his fingers into the complainant’s private parts and smeared the substance before he pushed her to the bed and raped her once.

After committing the offence, Ndonga ordered the girl not to tell anyone about what had transpired.

The complainant informed her two cousins and the matter was reported to the police leading to Ndonga’s arrest-Chronicle

By A Correspondent| Yesterday, a vendors organisation VISET conducted a “Meet The Traders” Tour in Harare’s Hopley surburb as part of its COVID19 Comprehensive Informal Sector Response Initiative launched in March this year.

The initiative has seen the organisation Touring nearly all the major cities and towns in the country.

During the tour, VISET received disturbing reports of harassment of Traders by some overzealous law enforcement officers who are taking advantage of the lockdown to violate the right of Informal Sector Workers to earn a living.

“The Traders also bemoaned the lack of information with regards to the process of registering Informal Traders and called upon authorities to ensure that the process is transparent and inclusive,” said VISET.

Furthermore, the Traders urged the city fathers to expedite the process of refurbishing markets so that Traders who are moving in to occupy these new markets work from safe spaces and are not exposed to the deadly COVID19 virus.

VISET also donated 150 face masks, a box of 100-200ml hand sanitizers and some COVID19 IEC materials.

Below is the link to join a WhatsApp group that is discussing the topic of a Chiwenga Presidency. Below is the poster and the URL:

Follow this link to join the WhatsApp group:

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says it is “concerned” that authorities in Zimbabwe may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on citizens’ freedoms.  This week, police arrested a prominent investigative journalist and an opposition leader, accusing them of inciting public violence.  

Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and politician Jacob Ngarivhume have been jailed since Monday on allegations of inciting public violence — through social media — ahead of a planned July 31 government corruption protest.  Both men have denied the charges.

In Geneva Friday, OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell said Zimbabweans have a right to protest corruption or anything else.

“Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights,” said Throssell. “We are also concerned at reports of police using force to disperse and arrest nurses and health workers for infringing lockdown restrictions as they were trying to protest for better salaries and conditions of work… While recognizing the government’s efforts to contain the pandemic, it is important to remind the authorities that any lockdown measures and restrictions should be necessary, proportionate and time-limited, and enforced humanely without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force.”  

Late Friday, Chin’ono was denied bail by the Magistrate Courts, one day after the courts denied bail to Ngarivhume.  Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said it would appeal  the rulings to the High Court next week.

Earlier in the week, bail hearings for Chin’ono and Ngarivhume were cut short on two consecutive days.  Officials said they wanted to leave early to ensure they comply with a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed in Harare Wednesday as part of new restrictions to contain COVID-19. 

Beatrice Mtetwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, who is representing Chin’ono, was not amused.

“We find this extremely frustrating because constitutional rights like the right to liberty have now been suspended through failure to make appropriate arrangements,” said Mtetwa. “Surely, they should make arrangements such as bail to take staff home so that constitutionally guaranteed rights like liberty are not unnecessarily infringed. It’s extremely frustrating. It makes a mockery of the need to come to court within 48 hours. It makes a mockery of the requirement that bail (application) be heard urgently.”

Announcing the curfew, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he was aware that some rights would be infringed upon. But Mtetwa is not convinced.

“If you want to make excuses for trampling on people’s rights, you are absolutely free to do so but it is not what the constitution provides for,” said Mtetwa. “Bail matters are always heard on an urgent basis. You can sit right into the night as long as you make arrangements to take the court staff home. So it cannot be an excuse that the president has decreed. The president has no power to suspend constitutional rights.”

Getting into a waiting prison vehicle Friday, Chin’ono had this to say to waiting reporters.

“We are being persecuted for talking about corruption and we won’t be bowed. (Coco: “And your spirits?”) I am fine,” said Chin’ono.

Nick Mangwana, the secretary of Zimbabwe’s ministry of information, did not answer phone calls from VOA.

-VOA

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Liz Throssell
Location: Geneva
Date: 24 July 2020
Subject:Zimbabwe

We are concerned at allegations in Zimbabwe, which suggest that the authorities may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Among the latest incidents, investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was arrested on 20 July and charged with inciting public violence, after he tweeted his support for nationwide protests against government corruption and worsening economic conditions.

Jacob Ngarivhume, an opposition leader who has been calling for the protests on 31 July, was also detained and similarly charged.
Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights.

We are concerned at reports of police using force to disperse and arrest nurses and health workers for infringing lockdown restrictions as they were trying to protest for better salaries and conditions of work.

This pattern of intimidation echoes the events in May when three members of the main opposition party were arbitrarily arrested and detained for taking part in a protest.

The women – Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova – alleged that state agents abducted them from the police station, tortured and sexually assaulted them.

The women were then formally arrested in June, charged with participating in the protests and faking their abduction. They were recently released on bail.

It is clear that COVID-19 has added greatly to the challenges Zimbabwe faces amid a deteriorating economy and placed a further burden on an already struggling health sector.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa – highlighting an increase of 600 COVID-19 cases in a week to a total of 1,713 – on Tuesday announced a series of measures that he said were necessary to curb the spread of the disease, including a dusk to dawn curfew and the curtailment and suspension of freedoms that, as he put it, Zimbabweans “have always enjoyed”.

While recognizing the Government’s efforts to contain the pandemic, it is important to remind the authorities that any lockdown measures and restrictions should be necessary, proportionate and time-limited, and enforced humanely without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force.

We encourage the Government to engage with civil society and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to grievances while ensuring that people’s rights and freedoms are protected in accordance with Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations.

These include the responsibility of the State to guarantee economic, social and cultural rights.

Farai Dziva|The COVID-19 death toll has risen to 28 in Zimbabwe.

See statement below:

Ninety (90) cases tested positive for COVD-29 today. These include returnees from South Africa (7) and (83) local cases who are isolated.

Nine (9) of the local cases are contacts of known confirmed cases. Investigations are underway to establish the source of infection for the other 74.

Today we regret to report (2) deaths from Harare and Bulawayo Provinces.

The death from Harare is a patient who tested positive for COVO-19 on 20 July 2020 and was symptomatic and with other comorbidities.

The death from Bulawayo is patient who was admitted today with COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19.
Today 1525 RDT screening tests and 1248 PCR diagnostic tests were done.

The cumulative number of tests done to date is 110 560 (65 704 RDT and 44 856 PCR).

Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak on 20 March 2020, the total number of confirmed cases 2 124; recovered 510; active cases 1586 and 28 deaths.

A BULAWAYO female police officer was arrested for allegedly whipping her nine-year-old stepdaughter with an electric cord.

Shelita Zulu from Mahatshula North and stationed at Queens Park Police Station is being accused of repeatedly beating her stepdaughter and inflicting injury.

Records say on an unknown date but sometime in June this year a fight ensued between Zulu’s stepdaughter and another minor child who also stays at the same house.

It is reported that Zulu intervened and instead of disciplining the two, she allegedly assaulted her stepdaughter several times all over the body with an electric cord.

It is yet to be proven that the alleged brutal assault was committed on top of the numerous abuses that she was perpetrating on the minor child.

After the alleged abuse the minor child reportedly sustained injuries and it was later discovered by her mother who took her to the hospital for treatment.

The matter was reported to the police leading to Zulu’s arrest.

Zulu has since appeared in court facing a charge of ill-treating a child as defined in section (7) (1) of the Children’s Act Chapter 5:06.

She, however, pleaded not guilty when she appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Marygold Ndlovu. The matter was postponed to 22 July for trial.

This was also after Zulu’s lawyer indicated to the court, that he was not served with State papers including witnesses’ statements:B-Metro

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has revealed the names of state security agents who are behind the torture of citizens.

Sikhala also urged Zimbabweans to unite in the fight for total freedom from repression.

See statement below:

LETTER TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD :

By Hon Job Wiwa Sikhala :
July 31 Movement Operative

Dear Zimbabweans :

It is with great boldness dear Zimbabweans to share with you that despite oppressive circumstances we are in, never should we give in to the suffocation of our right to speak out against the excesses of the State against its citizens.

Giving in to oppression is rewarding and burying our future to the oppressor. The arrest and incarceration of our colleagues Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume for simply speaking against looting and corruption has never been witnessed in modern civilization. It is now clear even to the most daft that the world was sold a charade of the so called new dispensation. Criminalising a cry against looting is bringing our country to the world of the wildlife. Oppressors enjoy looting and all the luxuries of life when they are silencing everyone. 40 years of independence we have suffered indurable oppression in our own country.

From Monday this week the oppressors created a barrack of all its security agencies around my house. The Feret team was deployed at my house, as if speaking against looting and corruption is a crime. The most desperation was the tracking and chasing of my wife on her way to the Church with 3 motor vehicles, two unmarked and the other one a Double Cab Nissan NP300 with false number plates. The Feret team comprises of members of the CIO, MID, PISI and Law and Order. Their purpose is generally abduction, torture and assassinations. Tobaiwa and Javangwe were the PISI members leading the forces of darkness. Our team on the ground kept surveillance on all their movements. Curious cars frequented past my house.

This is exactly what oppressors enjoy. This can not be accepted in modern civilization. It is the duty of all of us as Zimbabweans to speak out on the 31st of July. Wherever you will be just carry your placard and go to the nearest place of the representative of the looters. Whether you are a member of ZANU PF who is not a benefiary of looters, People First, ZANU Ndonga, National Patriotic Front, MDC or Christian Democrats please speak out. Whether you are in Juba, Toronto, Dubai, Nairobi, Qatar, New Delhi, Pretoria, Cape Town, New York, Washington, Francistown, Gaborone, Moscow, Berlin, London, Sydney carry your placard to the Zimbabwe Embassy and speak out. Speaking against looting and corruption is sancronsact. Whether you are a Doctor, Engineer, nurse, teacher, soldier or police just look at your pay slip.

To the Pastors, Prophets, Apostles and all Men and Women of God speak out. The flock you are shepherding on behalf of God is suffering. They need redemption. Let the cry be head. Ooh Lord hear your children.

Speak out Zimbabwe Speak.
Tinotenda
Siyabonga
I Thank you.

Farai Dziva|Tajamuka leader Promise Mkwananzi has said the July 31 protests are about sacrifices meant to emancipate the people of Zimbabwe from poverty and corruption.

In a strong warning to the Zanu PF regime, the former MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General said no form of ammunition would stop the protests.

“This is the time for the people of Zimbabwe to unite and fight for total emancipation.The demo is not about political parties, rather it is about the people of Zimbabwe.

Nobody is supposed to go to work, for once let us unite as Zimbabweans.

We know they want to suppress the protests but our message to them is clear- no form of ammunition will stop us from fighting for freedom.

Those who want to buy food please do so in time because this is not a joke.Nobody should be left out of the programme.We are going to confront the regime,” said Mkwananzi.

Farai Dziva|Tajamuka leader Promise Mkwananzi has said the July 31 protests are about sacrifices meant to emancipate the people of Zimbabwe from poverty and corruption.

In a strong warning to the Zanu PF regime, the former MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General said no form of ammunition would stop the protests.

“This is the time for the people of Zimbabwe to unite and fight for total emancipation.The demo is not about political parties, rather it is about the people of Zimbabwe.

Nobody is supposed to go to work, for once let us unite as Zimbabweans.

We know they want to suppress the protests but our message to them is clear- no form of ammunition will stop us from fighting for freedom.

Those who want to buy food please do so in time because this is not a joke.Nobody should be left out of the programme.We are going to confront the regime,” said Mkwananzi.

Own Correspondent|MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has castigated Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration for harassing those who are determined to fight corruption.

Sikhala also condemned the persecution of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.

Watch video below :

Own Correspondent

Econet Wireless has started restoring service to most of its customers, as at 10pm on Friday, after the network broke down at around midnight on Thursday.

The giant mobile phone service provider on Friday afternoon acknowledged that it had been experiencing issues which are affecting voice calls on its network.

Contrary to the statement by the company, much of the Southern region of the country had a complete blackout on the network as all services including internet access were down.

Read the statement:

PUBLIC NOTICE

Dear Valued Customer

We regret to inform you that we are currently experiencing a technical challenge that has affected some voice calls. As a result, some of our customers are failing to initiate calls. However, services such as data, SMS and EcoCash are working well.

Our technical teams are working to resolve the issue and we will inform you once it has been resolved.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Econet Wireless

inspired to change your world

ECONET

Media Statement

The Patriotic Front (TPF) would like to take this time to unreservedly apologize to victims and survivors of Gukurahundi, the people of Zimbabwe’s western region, victims of all past and present attrocities and all progressive and peace-loving Zimbabweans for the comments made by TPF President, Mr Darryl Collet during his address to journalists at the Bulawayo Media Centre earlier during the week.

TPF stance on Gukurahundi and all past attrocities is fully explained in our Founding Document in that there must be a victim-centred approach which affords people a chance to get closure, mourn their loved ones and get the kind of recourse in a way defined by them with the view of allowing for reconciliation with justice.

We cannot as a party hope or suggest that people should just forget about painful experiences, especially those in which they lost their loved ones.

We’re currently reviewing the context of the statement made by TPF President, himself a victim who lost his own blood – a daughter and a brother-in-law during that dark period in our country.

It is possible that Mr Collet made this comment about himself as a victim of Gukurahundi.

A full statement will be made in due course once we get the full context.

Mxolisi Ncube
Secretary for Information and Publicity
The Patriotic Front
www.tpfz.org

CITE

A newly formed political party, The Patriotic Front, says Zimbabweans must break from the past, forget wrongdoings and instead focus on the country’s future.

The party formed by expatriates mostly based in South Africa two months ago describes its political vision as futuristic and dwelling on past ills such as colonialism or Gukurahundi would not fix the country.

Addressing Bulawayo journalists recently, leader of the party, Darryl Grey Collett, said the country can move into the future by uniting people and forgetting the past.

“Let’s move to the future and fix things. Forget about colonialism, forget about all those things. There’s Gukurahundi, if that is to live in our minds forever, we are not going to move forward. I lost a 16-year-old daughter and brother in law, at that time. We have to move on, we can’t keep on digging up those graves if we want to fix the country,” he said.

“People out there are struggling. There are bank and fuel queues and people are tired. The only way to fix this is to put the past behind, realise where we are now and see if we cannot move together. We must collect every brain that can think, be it White, Coloured, Black, let’s come together and stop the peoples’ suffering.”

Collet, who will turn 74 at the end of this year, said The Patriotic Front, was a multiracial movement born out of a desire and vision for a better future of the country.

“It has been a milestone in the country’s politics, we can’t be proud of the state and history people find itself in. We are indeed navigating through difficult times filled with fear, economic hardships and Covid-19 making things even worse. Uncertainties of the future dominate the minds of all. My message is one of encouragement and hope as we strive together with your support to convince all that hold authority the need for change and a different approach,” he said.

Collett, elected on an interim basis, said expatriates wanted to return to a better home.

“These are people whose prime objective is trying to change things in their mother country so they can return. People have phoned me as far as Russia, France, the United Kingdom and other European countries. The party has a constitution and is yet to be launched in Zimbabwe,” he said.

The Patriotic Front is self-funded by its members, said Collett, who noted he was a farmer who started farming in the Plumtree area at Ingwizi ranch until the government bought the land after independence.

He then bought another ranch in Mwenezi West constituency, farmed there for 27 years but lost it.

The Patriotic Front has, however, been criticised for lacking logic and coherence while others have castigated the party’s name, saying it sounds familiar to the ruling party.

ZAPU, one of the parties pushing the government to account for its atrocities, dismissed The Patriotic Front.

“We cannot be bound by compromised persons, who benefitted from an oppressive system brought about by their ancestors. They must not tell us to forget sins of the past. We need accountability, reparations, truth and accountability. How can we forget when Gukurahundi graves are still open,” said the party’s southern region communications director, Patrick Ndlovu.

He added the country could not move ahead without putting in systems of good governance.

“We are still fresh from colonisation and its oppressive system was inherited by the post-independence government who have done wrongs that have to be accounted for,” Ndlovu said.

Kwekwe town council housing director Edson Chiyangwa has been hurled before the court facing murder charges after he reportedly shot and killed a member of a machete-wielding gang (MaShurugwi) that invaded his mine in Totororo, Zhombe on Tuesday evening.

Kwekwe magistrate denied Chiyangwa bail and advised him to apply for bail at the High court before remanding him in custody till 6 August 2020.
It is the state’s case that:

On 21 July around 11PM, Chiyangwa was at his Forever Mine in Zhombe with Mr Cornelius Dube where they were overseeing their mining operations.

While they were conducting mining operations, a gang armed with machetes and axes among an assortment of weapons attacked the pair and the mine employees.

While Dube escaped and hid himself in a car, Chiyangwa, the court heard, tripped and fell and the gang continued advancing intending to hack him with machetes.
He then produced a 357 Taurus Pistol and fired a warning shot in the air.

The gang however continued advancing leading to Chiyangwa firing another shot towards the gang, killing one of them instantly.

The gang left him and charged towards the Toyota D4D Hilux where Dube had locked himself inside.

The gang hit the vehicle with machetes and forced open the car, dragged Dube outside the vehicle and attacked him all over the body with machetes leaving him for dead and in a pool of blood.

Sensing danger, Chiyangwa vanished from the scene and made a report to the police. The following day Chiyangwa was picked up by police detectives leading to his appearance in court.

MaShurugwi wreaked havoc in gold-rich areas in Zimbabwe earlier this year-Chronicle

Own Correspondent|MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has castigated Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration for harassing those who are determined to fight corruption.

Sikhala also condemned the persecution of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.

Watch video below :

Customers of Econet Wireless were left stranded on Friday after the service provider experienced dificulties in conducting phone calls and sending SMS.

The Telecoms company attributed the blackout to a technical fault.

The company has since issued the below statement:

Dear Valued Customer

We regret to inform you that we are currently experiencing a technical challenge that has affected some voice calls. As a result some of our customers are failing to imitate calls. However, services such as data, SMS and EcoCash are working well.

Our technical teams are working to resolve the issue and we wall inform you once it has been resolved.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.

He was remanded in custody to August 7 2020.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest details.

Farai Dziva|Tajamuka leader Promise Mkwananzi has said the July 31 protests are about sacrifices meant to emancipate the people of Zimbabwe from poverty and corruption.

In a strong warning to the Zanu PF regime, the former MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General said no form of ammunition would stop the protests.

“This is the time for the people of Zimbabwe to unite and fight for total emancipation.The demo is not about political parties, rather it is about the people of Zimbabwe.

Nobody is supposed to go to work, for once let us unite as Zimbabweans.

We know they want to suppress the protests but our message to them is clear- no form of ammunition will stop us from fighting for freedom.

Those who want to buy food please do so in time because this is not a joke.Nobody should be left out of the programme.We are going to confront the regime,” said Mkwananzi.

Farai Dziva|Tajamuka leader Promise Mkwananzi has said the July 31 protests are about sacrifices meant to emancipate the people of Zimbabwe from poverty and corruption.

In a strong warning to the Zanu PF regime, the former MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General said no form of ammunition would stop the protests.

“This is the time for the people of Zimbabwe to unite and fight for total emancipation.The demo is not about political parties, rather it is about the people of Zimbabwe.

Nobody is supposed to go to work, for once let us unite as Zimbabweans.

We know they want to suppress the protests but our message to them is clear- no form of ammunition will stop us from fighting for freedom.

Those who want to buy food please do so in time because this is not a joke.Nobody should be left out of the programme.We are going to confront the regime,” said Mkwananzi.

Own Correspondent|MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has castigated Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration for harassing those who are determined to fight corruption.

Sikhala also condemned the persecution of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.

Watch video below :

Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Gideon Gono, said MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa was not among people who benefited from the controversial Farm Mechanisation Programme, which largely benefitted ZANU PF-aligned people between 2007 and 2008.

Gono said this while speaking during a live program on Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN) on Thursday. He mentioned several MDC officials who benefitted from the scheme in response to claims that Alex Magaisa, a Kent University lecturer, had conveniently omitted some names when he listed the beneficiaries in his Big Saturday Read last week. Said Gono:

Very senior members from MDC were beneficiaries of the programme in question. It is unfortunate that Alex’s list omits some names of people from the party that he was advising at the time.

I’m not here to spell out all the names of beneficiaries neither am I aware of Chamisa benefiting from the program, but I can surely confirm that Welshman Ncube benefited.

In 2019, Ncube, who is the MDC Alliance co-vice president, donated 10 heifers to feed delegates at the MDC congress which was held in the Midlands capital, Gweru.

Ncube is said to be a successful farmer and has a thriving cattle ranching venture in Lower Gweru.

By A Correspondent- More than 1 000 people were arrested on Wednesday countrywide for flouting Covid-19 national lockdown regulations while in Bulawayo, police arrested 170 people and impounded 90 vehicles for lockdown defiance.

President Mnangagwa on Tuesday announced new measures which include cutting operating hours for businesses from 8am to 3pm as well as the introduction of a 6pm to 6am curfew following a surge in new infections and deaths due to Covid-19.

Also arrested the same day were 11 people at Nyamapanda and at Beitbridge border posts for illegal border crossing and smuggling of goods. The police also reported that one deportee escaped from Standard Hotel quarantine centre in Bulawayo.

People escaping from quarantine centres have been accused of fuelling local infections which today are at 1 046 against imports which are at 988. Police have launched several operations targeting those operating public transport without exemption letters.

In a statement yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said to date 111 979 people have been arrested for contravening the national lockdown regulations.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested 1 363 people throughout the country on 22 July for various offences related to contravention of the national lockdown regulations, bringing the total accumulative arrest to 111 979.”

Scene from Gweru with police patrolling the CBD enforcing lockdown rules and regulations

“One deportee escaped from Standard Hotel quarantine centre in Bulawayo province on July 22 bringing cumulative number of escapees throughout the country to 284,” he said.

Ass Comm Nyathi said those who escaped and were accounted for remain at 30. He said eight people were arrested at Nyamapanda Border Post for border jumping while three were arrested at Beitbridge Border Post for smuggling. “Total number of arrests made at the two border posts since 16 May is now 574,” he said.

Ass Comm Nyathi said in other operations 305 people were arrested for refusing to accept the local currency.

“To date 305 people have been arrested for contravening Section 4 (1) of Statutory Instrument 175/2008 in terms of Section 48 of the Bank use promotion and suppression of money laundering Act, chapter 24: 04 in the ongoing operation (accept Zimbabwe currency as legal tender),” he said.

Ass Comm Nyathi said 4 382 motorists were arrested for illegally operating public transport.

“These operations will continue as the nation fights the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube, said 170 people were arrested on Wednesday for violation lockdown regulations while 90 vehicles were impounded after motorists were found driving aimlessly. The impounded vehicles are being kept at Ross Camp Police Station.

“A number of police officers have been deployed and we are also conducting road campaigns because we have realised that there is a lot of defiance and motorists in particular think the Covid-19 lockdown is for pedestrians. It is worrying that people are disregarding the rules that have been set for their own safety,” said Insp Ncube.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Gideon Gono, said MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa was not among people who benefited from the controversial Farm Mechanisation Programme, which largely benefitted ZANU PF-aligned people between 2007 and 2008.

Gono said this while speaking during a live program on Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN) on Thursday. He mentioned several MDC officials who benefitted from the scheme in response to claims that Alex Magaisa, a Kent University lecturer, had conveniently omitted some names when he listed the beneficiaries in his Big Saturday Read last week.

Said Gono:

Very senior members from MDC were beneficiaries of the programme in question. It is unfortunate that Alex’s list omits some names of people from the party that he was advising at the time.

I’m not here to spell out all the names of beneficiaries neither am I aware of Chamisa benefiting from the program, but I can surely confirm that Welshman Ncube benefited.

In 2019, Ncube, who is the MDC Alliance co-vice president, donated 10 heifers to feed delegates at the MDC congress which was held in the Midlands capital, Gweru.

Ncube is said to be a successful farmer and has a thriving cattle ranching venture in Lower Gweru

Dear Editor

Vagari vemuHatfield ndatibatanei, pane truck ZRP registration number 3263M ikuita corruption meaning Hatfield residents let us unite against police officers engaging in corruption using a truCk whose registration number is 3263M

Amana vanhu kusungirwa kumaraini edu tanzwa pachitaurwa zita rekuti Manjoro not sure but zvanyanya meaning people are being arrested without a cause . The name that is being mentioned is one Manjoro but i am not sure if this is the correct name for the officer.

Please Forward this to everyone

Please make it go viral.

By A Correspondent- Four Gweru City Council nurses have tested positive for Covid-19 and are now in self-isolation as the municipality is working to convert its vacant mayoral mansion into an isolation centre.

Three of the nurses who tested positive work at Mkoba 1 Clinic and the fourth one is from Senga Clinic.

All the nurses were in contact with known Covid- 19 patients. Plans are underway to trace the nurses’ close contacts at home and at work to prevent the further spread of Covid- 19.

In an interview on Wednesday, Gweru Mayor Councillor Josiah Makombe said the nurses were in a stable condition.

He said the local authority is now in the process of testing all its workers for Covid- 19.

“This Covid- 19 is real and people must be careful. We urge our residents to abide by the lockdown rules and regulations which are aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. As we speak, four council employees, all nurses have tested positive to Covid -19.

“Three are nurses working at Mkoba 1 Clinic while the other one is from Senga Clinic and have been in contact with Covid- 19 cases. Remember we turned our clinics into Covid- 19 isolation centres and these are some of our nurses who were attending to the cases,” said Cllr Makombe.

He said these were the first cases of Covid -19 to be recorded among the local authority’s employees.

Clr Makombe said council is working on converting the 20-roomed mayoral mansion, which has been a white elephant, into an isolation centre for council employees.

He said some employees were staying in homes which were not conducive to be used for self-isolation.

“The mayoral mansion is lying idle. It’s a white elephant and we have seen it fit to convert it in the meantime into an isolation centre for our employees. It’s only prudent that we have a decent place for them. Some like these four nurses have been working hard in attending to imported and local Covid-19 cases,” said Clr Makombe.

On Sunday, 25 nurses and three Registrar General’s (RG) department officers stationed at Zvishavane District Hospital tested Covid-19 positive. The RG’s department has a sub-office at the hospital. The positive cases have been put under isolation to curb the spread of the virus.

The nurses and the RG’s officers tested positive at a time when about 25 nurses who attended to a Covid-19 positive case at Claybank Private Hospital in Gweru have been isolated as test results are awaited. A doctor who attended to the same patient tested negative.

-Statemedia

By A Correspondent- MDC- T acting leader Thokozani Khupe and several party leaders including acting secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora and acting national chairperson Morgen Komichi had physical contact with reportedly a patient who later succumbed to COVID-19 early this week.

Gardener Mukoyi, father to MDCT national youth chairperson Shakespeare Mukoyi, died at a local hospital in Harare on Monday and post-mortem results released on Wednesday, revealed that his death was COVID-19-related.

During his illness, Khupe, Mwonzora and Komichi as well as several other party leaders and some supporters paid numerous visits to the Mukoyis in Kuwadzana 3, Harare last week.

When his health deteriorated, Shakespeare drove his father to a local private hospital in Harare where he later died.

Sources told a loal publication that Khupe and the entire party leadership also visited Mukoyi’s residence to pay their last respects and had physiacl contact with relatives of the deceased who were nursing him. He was buried yesterday in Rukweza village, Rusape.

On Wednesday, ZimEye published a story exposing the whatsapp chat revealing that party stalwarts had been alerted of the development by the MDC-T Harare province on Wednesday.

The message read:

“… Mourners are still gathered at 3506 Kuwadzana 3. Postmortem results are out and it is sad to note that our baba succumbed to COVID-19. The body will leave Harare tomorrow Thursday 23/07/2020 for Rukweza in Rusape for burial the same day.”

Highly-placed sources in the party yesterday said anxiety had gripped the leadership after the post-mortem results were made public.

“The trio of president Khupe and other top officials like Mwonzora and Komichi together with other senior cadres from the women’s assembly, standing committee and youth assembly all took turns to visit the home of “General” Shaky when his father was unwell. However, we have all now been startled that he later died and results of post-mortem say it was COVID-19,” the source said.

“All along people never suspected that the old man had COVID-19. So it’s now a panicky situation in our party. Even “General” Shaky himself may soon be in danger because he took care of his father before he passed on.”

Other officials said the situation could have been worse if the party’s July 31 extraordinary congress had not been deferred as that event could have triggered hundreds of local transmissions in Harare since about 4 500 people were expected to attend.

MDC-T deputy spokesperson, Khalipani Phugeni denied that Khupe had close contact with the deceased.

“Please note that I am not aware of the said post-mortem results,” he said.

“I am not sure about the secretarygeneral (Mwonzora) and national chairman (Komichi), but MDC-T president Thokozani Khupe never had contact with the deceased before death. She only visited the house to pay her condolences, but she did not last more than five minutes there,” Phugeni said.

But insiders accused Phugeni of micro-managing information to avoid panic in the opposition top leadership.

-newsday/ zimeye

Own Correspondent|MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has castigated Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration for harassing those who are determined to fight corruption.

Sikhala also condemned the persecution of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume.

Watch video below :

By A Correspondent| Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) on Thursday 23 July 2020 filed an application at the High Court seeking an order to set aside government’s decision to rename some streets in the country’s second largest city as this was illegal.

Government through Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo on 17 July 2020 purportedly approved the issuance of Statutory Instrument 167/20, called Names (Alteration) (Amendment of Schedule) Notice whose purpose was to alter the names of some
streets or roads in Bulawayo.

The Statutory Instrument stated in its preamble that in exercising his powers under section 4(1) of the Alteration of Names Act (Chapter 10:14), Moyo had issued a Notice altering the names of certain streets by amending Part VII of the Act by the repeal of certain names of roads and substituting them with new ones.

But in an urgent chamber application filed by BPRA represented by Job Sibanda of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, BPRA argued that Moyo’s actions in passing Statutory Instrument 167/20 runs counter the clear provisions of the Alteration of Names Act, are illegal and go against the grain of what is accepted in a normal society.

BPRA said Moyo did not consider the provisions of section 4(2) of the Alteration of Names Act, before coming up with the raft of names that he sought to impose on Bulawayo City Council (BCC), which was also cited as a respondent to the application and the residents of Bulawayo.

BPRA argued that Section 4(2) of the Alteration of Names Act states that Moyo should not alter any names in terms of subsection (1) unless he has consulted the owner of the land where the alteration is to take place of which BCC owns the land that forms the basis of the alteration.

BPRA protested that Moyo ignored some proposals made by BCC some time ago on street name changes and came up with a list of names that are totally different from the ones the local authority had suggested to the Minister.

BPRA wants Moyo’s actions and Statutory Instrument 167/20 to be nullified and to be declared to be of no legal effect whatsoever for violating section 4(2) of the Alteration of Names Act.

The residents association also wants Statutory Instrument 167/20 to be set aside.

We are concerned at allegations in Zimbabwe, which suggest that the authorities may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Among the latest incidents, investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was arrested on 20 July and charged with inciting public violence, after he tweeted his support for nationwide protests against government corruption and worsening economic conditions. Jacob Ngarivhume, an opposition leader who has been calling for the protests on 31 July, was also detained and similarly charged.

Merely calling for a peaceful protest or participating in a peaceful protest are an exercise of recognized human rights.

We are concerned at reports of police using force to disperse and arrest nurses and health workers for infringing lockdown restrictions as they were trying to protest for better salaries and conditions of work.

This pattern of intimidation echoes the events in May when three members of the main opposition party were arbitrarily arrested and detained for taking part in a protest. The women – Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova – alleged that state agents abducted them from the police station, tortured and sexually assaulted them. The women were then formally arrested in June, charged with participating in the protests and faking their abduction. They were recently released on bail.

It is clear that COVID-19 has added greatly to the challenges Zimbabwe faces amid a deteriorating economy and placed a further burden on an already struggling health sector.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa – highlighting an increase of 600 COVID-19 cases in a week to a total of 1,713 – on Tuesday announced a series of measures that he said were necessary to curb the spread of the disease, including a dusk to dawn curfew and the curtailment and suspension of freedoms that, as he put it, Zimbabweans “have always enjoyed”.

While recognizing the Government’s efforts to contain the pandemic, it is important to remind the authorities that any lockdown measures and restrictions should be necessary, proportionate and time-limited, and enforced humanely without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force.

We encourage the Government to engage with civil society and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to grievances while ensuring that people’s rights and freedoms are protected in accordance with Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations. These include the responsibility of the State to guarantee economic, social and cultural rights.

By A Correspondent| The Chinese Embassy in Harare has spoken on last month’s shooting incident by a Chinese national at Reeden Mine in Gweru.

Chinese top envoy to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Ambassador Guo Shaochun said the shooter should be prosecuted while stressing that this isolated incident should not soil the good relations between Zimbabwe and China.

“We have made it clear that the shooter should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The isolated incident must not affect the good relations between Zimbabwe and China. We have proposed to the Zimbabwean government that there should be a law to govern operations in the mining sector, we are here not to exploit the resources of this country, our relationship is mutually beneficial,” he explained.

By A Correspondent- MDC-T acting leader Thokozani Khupe and several party leaders including acting secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora and acting national chairperson Morgen Komichi had physical contact with reportedly a patient who later succumbed to COVID-19 early this week.

Gardener Mukoyi, father to MDCT national youth chairperson Shakespeare Mukoyi, died at a local hospital in Harare on Monday and post-mortem results released on Wednesday, revealed that his death was COVID-19-related.

During his illness, Khupe, Mwonzora and Komichi as well as several other party leaders and some supporters paid numerous visits to the Mukoyis in Kuwadzana 3, Harare last week.

When his health deteriorated, Shakespeare drove his father to a local private hospital in Harare where he later died.

Sources told NewsDay that Khupe and the entire party leadership also visited Mukoyi’s residence to pay their last respects and had physiacl contact with relatives of the deceased who were nursing him. He was buried yesterday in Rukweza village, Rusape.

A message to confirm that Mukoyi died of COVID-19 was conveyed to party leaders in their social media group by the MDC-T Harare province on Wednesday.

The message read: “… Mourners are still gathered at 3506 Kuwadzana 3. Postmortem results are out and it is sad to note that our baba succumbed to COVID-19. The body will leave Harare tomorrow Thursday 23/07/2020 for Rukweza in Rusape for burial the same day.”

Highly-placed sources in the party yesterday said anxiety had gripped the leadership after the post-mortem results were made public.

“The trio of president Khupe and other top officials like Mwonzora and Komichi together with other senior cadres from the women’s assembly, standing committee and youth assembly all took turns to visit the home of “General” Shaky when his father was unwell. However, we have all now been startled that he later died and results of post-mortem say it was COVID-19,” the source said.

“All along people never suspected that the old man had COVID-19. So it’s now a panicky situation in our party. Even “General” Shaky himself may soon be in danger because he took care of his father before he passed on.”

Other officials said the situation could have been worse if the party’s July 31 extraordinary congress had not been deferred as that event could have triggered hundreds of local transmissions in Harare since about 4 500 people were expected to attend.

MDC-T deputy spokesperson, Khalipani Phugeni denied that Khupe had close contact with the deceased.

“Please note that I am not aware of the said post-mortem results,” he said.

“I am not sure about the secretarygeneral (Mwonzora) and national chairman (Komichi), but MDC-T president Thokozani Khupe never had contact with the deceased before death. She only visited the house to pay her condolences, but she did not last more than five minutes there,” Phugeni said.

But insiders accused Phugeni of micro-managing information to avoid panic in the opposition top leadership.

By A Correspondent- A Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative based in Bindura allegedly broke a suspected maize thief’s arm before forcing her to eat 10 raw maize cobs.

The matter came to light yesterday when the State spy agent Shemi Mushambe appeared before Concession magistrate Nixon Mangoti who granted him $10 000 bail and remanded the matter to July 30.

The State alleged that on June 12, the complainant Thokozani Maheu (55) went to Mushambe’s maize field in Glendale to steal maize.

Mushambe’s guards caught her and took her to their employer.

Mushambe allegedly assaulted Maheu with a rifle, forced her to eat raw maize before breaking her arm.

He then ordered the complainant to go. Mushambe later followed her and assaulted her all over the body with switches.

A police report was filed, leading to Mushambe’s arrest.

Last week, a top Zanu-PF official from Mashonaland West province appeared in court on similar allegations.-newsday

By A Correspondent- More than 200 Air Zimbabwe passengers are stranded in Wuhan, China, several weeks after paying airfares to be flown home, while the flag carrier replaces a Boeing 767 engine which developed a fault mid-flight.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which will see the global economy shrink by 7,4%, the travel and tourism industry has been the hardest hit, with most airlines grounded.

The passengers, who include Zimbabweans and South Africans, paid airfares a month ago and were promised to be chartered to their destinations by July 15. However, they are stuck at a hotel in Wuhan.

Some of the stranded travellers told the Zimbabwe Independent that they have not received adequate feedback as to when they will be flown home.

Officials are said to have told the group that the plane was being serviced in Bangkok, Thailand.

“After we paid for the airfares, we were told that the airline will ferry us home on 15 July. But, surprisingly, we were later told that the plane is having its engine serviced in Thailand.

“We came from different cities and gathered here in Wuhan since July 8 where we are booked at a hotel. We are stuck here. We really need to go home,” the source said.

Air Zimbabwe spokesperson Firstme Vhitori said the delay arose from the challenges presented by Covid-19.

“It is important to clarify that Air Zimbabwe is not booking any passenger flights due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. We are strictly operating only repatriation and cargo flights on behalf of charterers,” Vhitori said.

“Dates of the charter in question will only be available once all logistical issues have been addressed. We do bear with the concerned charterer and all the passengers who have been affected by the Covid-19 restrictions on movement.”

Vhitori would not divulge the logistical issues experienced by the airline. But an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767 plane on July 1 experienced a mid-air emergency from Bangkok to Pakistan and was forced to make a u-turn, after one of its engines shut down. Flight uM462 was 40km from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Thailand, with 17 crew and two passengers onboard the Boeing 767200. The aircraft was scheduled to fly to Islamabad, Pakistan, where it was due to pick up 180 passengers for a special repatriation flight to South Africa and Zimbabwe, Air Zimbabwe said then.

“However, shortly after leaving Bangkok, the flight crew sent an emergency signal (squawk 7700). The Boeing 767-200 left engine reported an abnormal parameter, therefore the pilots were forced to shut it down, as established standard operating procedures require,” the airline explained in a statement later on the same day.

On February 25 last year, the same Air Zimbabwe plane delayed a Johannesburg-bound flight from Harare as engineers worked on the left engine.

Two months later, on April 26, last year, the same left engine was affected after a bird strike on take-off from Bulawayo.

Two days later, the same aircraft had a tailpipe fire incident in Johannesburg with its left engine emitting flames.

-Independent

By A Correspondent| Opposition MDC Alliance MP Joana Mamombe and fellow party activists Cecelia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova have been denied access to Harare Magistrates court on the grounds that they were wearing face masks with their party logo.

The visibly angry trio could be heard shouting in disapproval of the police action whom they accused of harassing opposition supporters for no reason.

More to follow…

Former cabinet minister and Zanu PF heavyweight, Professor Jonathan Moyo has revealed that the state is behing all the high profile yet unsolved atrocities in the country.

Moyo said that the Zimbabwean government has created a culture of impunity where serious crimes have been committed without anyone having to account for them.

Speaking to the media this week, Moyo said Zimbabwe’s police force has an impressive record of solving crimes, so when a crime remains unresolved, State agents will be the perpetrators.

He said:

… our police force has an impressive record of solving crimes, murder especially crimes committed by individuals and so forth, but when you find a very serious crime, atrocities committed in Zimbabwe, you don’t have to guess who committed that crime.

All you need to look at is whether the authorities resolve or solve that crime or not. Where they don’t, is without exception, the state would have committed that crime.

If a person is abducted or you don’t get to know who abducted them and if a facility is bombed and you don’t know who bombed it, the answer is very clear; agents of the states would have done it.”