Farai Dziva|Police in Masvingo raided Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development official, Brighton Ramusi’s house on Sunday morning.

The overzealous police details also harassed Ramusi’s wife.

Ramusi and
Ephraim Mtombeni have since surrendered themselves to the Police CID Masvingo.They were accompanied to Masvingo Central Police Station by their lawyer Martin Mureri.

“Police officers violently broke into Ramusi’s house and they threatened his wife in the process,” A COTRAD official told ZimEye.com

Former Police Commissioner August Chihuri has dropped a bombshell on his successor Gideon Matanga whom he accused of being uneducated and rising through the police ranks through persecuting him.

In his affidavit to the court, Chihuri alleged that Matanga was using “all tactics” to persecute him as a result of his “incompetence, which is due to lack of education”.

He claimed the police boss does not have O’Level qualifications.

“He realises that as a mere ZIPAM diploma holder on behest of ZRP (sic), having been promoted to the post of the country’s police chief is a vulnerable position because his deputies are more educated than him, with Masters and even PhD degrees,” Chihuri said.

“He does not even hold an O’ Level certificate, which is a basic requirement for a constable to join the police.

“It goes on to show that he was rewarded for being a willing participant in the coup process and not on merit.”

Chihuri said Matanga lied to then Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander and now Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga that he (Chihuri) wanted to arrest him upon his return from China at Robert Mugabe International Airport just before the coup.

By A Correspondent- A Chegutu Town council employee Love Chengeni (35) drowned yesterday while fixing  sewage pipes it has emerged.

Sources familiar with the incident alleged that a trench collapsed while Chengeni was changing dilapidated pipes.

It could however not be immediately established whether the deceased was on duty or not.

Said a source privy to developments:

“He drowned when a trench he was fixing collapsed. No-one was able to rescue him.”

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

MDC Alliance Goromonzi South Youth Chairperson Davison Chamisa and Mashonaland East Provincial executive member Ishmael Jeke have been arrested and are currently detained at Ruwa Police station.

According to the MDC Alliance information, they have been arrested in connection with the Goromonzi Whistle protest that took place last night.

News Of The South

Lilongwe|Embattled, deposed Malawi leader Peter Mutharika could not race against time and finish the construction of his home despite having all the resources at his disposal.

Despite being warned by a number of surveys that he will lose the election, the out going Malawi leader could not do the needful by preparing his retirement home.

Upon being informed to vacate the state residences, embattled Mutharika had no choice but to occupy his unfinished mansion which is still under construction in the Lakeshore district of Mangochi.

A source close to Mutharika told this reporter that the immediate past Malawi president could not make a proper decision on a house to occupy until Friday morning.

“It was terrible, Mr Mutharika had no idea as to where to go up to this date, it was until he was told to leave Sanjika Palace when he arrived at a decision to occupy this unfinished house here in Mangochi,” he said

A week ago Mutharika was on record being accused of abusing the duty free privilege after he procured tonnes of building cement from Zimbabwe despite local companies having the capacity to supply any quantity of the product.

According to another reliable source, this publication has established that, Mutharika has acquired houses in South Africa which used to be property of Malawi government.

Meanwhile, Mr Mutharika has applied for a temporary leave for South Africa which clearly confirmed earlier reports that he settled to live in the rainbow nation when retired.

News Of The South

Lilongwe|Embattled, deposed Malawi leader Peter Mutharika could not race against time and finish the construction of his home despite having all the resources at his disposal.

Despite being warned by a number of surveys that he will lose the election, the out going Malawi leader could not do the needful by preparing his retirement home.

Upon being informed to vacate the state residences, embattled Mutharika had no choice but to occupy his unfinished mansion which is still under construction in the Lakeshore district of Mangochi.

A source close to Mutharika told this reporter that the immediate past Malawi president could not make a proper decision on a house to occupy until Friday morning.

“It was terrible, Mr Mutharika had no idea as to where to go up to this date, it was until he was told to leave Sanjika Palace when he arrived at a decision to occupy this unfinished house here in Mangochi,” he said

A week a go Mutharika was on record being accused of abusing the duty free privilege after he procured tonnes of building cement from Zimbabwe despite local companies having the capacity to supply any quantity of the product.

According to another reliable source, this publication has established that, Mutharika has acquired houses in South Africa which used to be property of Malawi government.

Meanwhile, Mr Mutharika has applied for a temporary leave for South Africa which clearly confirmed earlier reports that he settled to live in the rainbow nation when retired.

By A Correspondent- The City Of Kings and Queens has been hit by a typhoid outbreak after tests at private laboratories showed that the 12 people who died in Luveve were suffering from typhoid and dysentery.

The same tests also showed that the 1500+ people who were sick were also suffering from typhoid and dysentery.

Speaking to the publication, BCC Health Director Dr Edwin Sibanda said:

We had tests done at a Cimas lab and National University of Science and Technology for both water quality and rectal swabs. While the stool samples came out positive for salmonella typhi and shigella, the six water samples from various sources that include tap water, home containers, wells and streams came out negative. The patients were exhibiting different symptoms with some vomiting while others had bloody diarrhoea.

The two diseases have different incubation periods, with shigella’s being 12-96 hours while salmonella typhi is between eight to 14 days. A person could have been infected elsewhere only to show symptoms here and start spreading the disease.

Again, maybe the water source could have been infected before we tested and then the bacteria were washed out by the time we were doing tests.

Meanwhile, Bulawayo residents have filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court compelling BCC to release the information about the outbreak as they content that if BCC is given more time it will conceal the information.

-StateMedia

Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 cases have risen to 567 after six (6) more people tested positive for the virus on the 27th of June 2020.

The number includes 142 recoveries and six (6) deaths.

All the new infections are returnees from South Africa.
The country also recorded 7 recoveries.-Health Ministry

https://twitter.com/DMwonzora/status/1277105081410863104?s=20

Farai Dziva|Former police boss Augustine Chihuri has accused Emmerson Mnangagwa of snatching his wife during the liberation struggle.

Chihuri claimed Mnangagwa forced himself on his wife.

Chihuri is on the verge of losing his $30 Million empire as his assets could be forfeited by the state.

This was revealed by journalist Brezhnev Malaba in a tweet:

“Former police boss Augustine Chihuri, whose US$30m real estate empire could soon be forfeited to the state, alleges that President Mnangagwa harbours a vendetta against him dating back to the liberation struggle when ED allegedly forced himself upon Chihuri’s wife.”

Chihuri is accused of looting state funds amounting to over $32 Million.

State Media

A 42-YEAR-OLD man from Fort Rixon in Matabeleland South was found dead in his place of residence and it is suspected he was poisoned during a drinking spree.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred on Sunday at Claremont in Fort Rixon. He said the man who could not be named, as his next of kin had not been advised, was found dead at his place of residence by a workmate on Monday morning.

“I can confirm that we recorded a sudden death case which occurred at E Links stamp mill, Claremont in Fort Rixon. The deceased, who cannot be named as his next of kin have not been advised, was found dead at his place of residence at the mining area where he was staying. He was last seen the previous night drinking beer with his friends at Claremont Business Centre. Investigations are underway to ascertain the cause of his death. We appeal to anyone with information that could assist in the investigations to contact the police,” he said.

A source close to the investigations who preferred anonymity said the now deceased was drinking with his friends at a bottle store at Claremont Business Centre when he started complaining of stomach pains. He said his condition worsened as he started vomiting and they took him to his place of residence at around 10pm where they left him to sleep. The source said the man was found dead the following morning by his workmate who had gone to check on him.

“The now deceased is suspected to have died as a result of poisoning because when he arrived at the bottle store at around 7pm after work he appeared fine. He drank with his friends for about two hours and started complaining of stomach pains. He later started vomiting and requested to be taken home in order to get some rest. It’s suspected that he could have been poisoned while they were drinking,” said the source.

State Media

GOVERNMENT faces an unenviable task of testing over 136 000 teachers in 29 days if it is to satisfy World Health Organisation (WHO) Covid-19 guidelines for the safe reopening of schools.

Schools reopen on July 28 and the Government was faced with the challenge to test and screen teachers and ensure learners were safe.

Zimbabwe has 4,6 million learners, 136 000 teachers and 9 625 schools, including satellite facilities.

This comes as boarding schools start receiving pupils today in preparation for June/July examinations which begin on Tuesday.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema told The Sunday Mail that preparations for the reopening of schools would proceed as scheduled.

“We are going to do everything that is required by WHO to ensure the safety of teachers and learners,” he said.

“There is going to be thorough screening and testing of teachers and learners to ensure they are safe.”

Minister Mathema said most schools that will be used as examination centres had already put in place measures to ensure the process runs smoothly.

“Our main aim is not to expose our learners and invigilators to Covid-19, hence our commitment to adhere to the High Court order,” he said.

Asked about the modalities to be followed for learners at boarding schools, the minister said the Government had given ample time to schools to make the necessary arrangements for the sitting of examinations.

‘We expect the forex exchange rate to stabilise’

‘We expect the forex exchange rate to stabilise’

“This is an issue that was not announced overnight. Instead, the President made the proclamation about a month ago and this caters for all schools be it public, private or the boarding schools, so school authorities were thus expected to have made the necessary arrangements for their learners.”

Acting Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Gibson Mhlanga said they were working with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to ensure the safe reopening of schools.

“We are working with the Ministry of Education to ensure that there is safe reopening of schools. However, the Ministry of Education can give you more details on that issue,” he said.

Dr Mhlanga could, however, not explain how the Government intends to conduct 136 000 tests in one month when the country has cumulatively done 65 704 tests (36 527 RDT and 29 177 PCR) since March.

Teachers’ unions said schools do not have enough resources to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), therefore, it was not possible to reopen them.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president, Dr Takavafira Zhou said the reopening of schools was premature as resources were not yet in place.

“There is a need for Government to shelve schools reopening for now until they have enough PPEs for both teachers and learners,” he said.

“Government has been ordering schools to come up with masks and sanitisers, but it is clear that schools do not have the resources. Our main concern is the provision that headmasters are supposed to ensure the availability of face masks, which in some cases, mainly in rural schools, might not be possible.

“We have seen in some cases headmasters transferring the burden to learners to bring these PPEs, which is a concern. As teachers we are maintaining that our safety comes first, if we realise that nothing has been done we will call for the further postponement of exams. We will be making a final decision on Monday (tomorrow),” said Dr Zhou.

He said if schools are reopened next month as scheduled, then Zimbabwe would go the South African route, where some schools are now closing because of a rise in Covid-19 infections.

South Africa reopened schools on June 1, however, more than 200 schools have since closed after teachers and learners tested positive for Covid-19.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer, Dr Sifiso Ndlovu said while teachers commend the efforts that were being put in place, they were concerned about poor schools, especially in rural areas.

“I commend Government for the commitment that they are showing, this weekend will be very critical and by Monday (tomorrow) we will have a clearer picture.

“There is a major concern relating to face masks and infrared thermometers. With schools being asked to provide their own face masks, we risk a situation where come examination day schools would have not been able to provide these,” said Dr Ndlovu.

He said in the last feedback reports from around the country, there was confusion at some schools with heads raising concern that they may not meet the set standards.

“A good number of centres in Chikomba, Zimondi, Madzivire, Marondamashanu, to mention but a few in Mashonaland East said they had nothing to date. I think several rural centres might just go on without,” said Dr Ndlovu.

The Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) said it is ready for the start of exams on Tuesday.

Zimsec director Dr Lazarus Nembaware said they were prepared for the examinations.

“Everything is now in place and we are ready for the June examinations,” he said.

“There has been a delay in the writing of this year’s June examinations as we all know, but we’re fully prepared,” he said.

The June exams will run from June 30 to July 23, with 66 000 students expected to sit for the examinations while being invigilated by 10 000 teachers.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela has directed all provincial offices to suspend leave applications for teachers.

In a memo dispatched to Provincial Education Directors, Mrs Thabela said leave applications would only be entertained after July 28.

“Please be advised that no leave applications shall be entertained during this period as we prepare to conduct the June/July Zimsec examinations and reopen schools.

“If members have emergencies they have to attend to, they can discuss with the permanent secretary. Otherwise all critical staff are expected to be on duty and leave applications can be considered after 28 July 2020,” she said.

State Media

CHINESE businesses are committed to working cordially with Zimbabweans in line with sound relations that exist between the two countries, China’s chief envoy to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Guo Shaochun, has said.

This follows the recent shooting of two workers by their Chinese supervisor following a salary dispute in Gweru.

Speaking at the handover of anti-Covid-19 medical donations from the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe (CCEZ) at State House in Harare on Friday, Ambassador Guo said China’s companies operating in Zimbabwe are dedicated to working well with their local counterparts.

“Today’s event is of great significance, demonstrating that China not only fully supports Zimbabwe from the government level, but our business sector is also dedicated to assisting our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters,” he said.

“Another point to mention is that today’s event shows Chinese enterprises have been more and more integrated into the local communities.

“They are here not only for business but also for tiding over the difficult times and building a better future together with their Zimbabwean friends and partners. Like passengers riding in the same boat, they have a stake in each other’s future. That’s why in the face of Covid-19, we support and care for each other like family members.”

Ambassador Guo said the shooting incident was an isolated case and the Chinese Embassy in Harare does not condone such behaviour.

“No matter what had happened to the enterprise before the incident took place, this is not what we want to see. The behaviour of the Chinese employee involved in the case does not represent China, the Chinese government and all Chinese nationals and Chinese enterprises in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Ambassador Guo said any possible illegal acts and persons who violate the law should not be shielded.

“In the meantime, we believe that it is unreasonable to attribute an individual or an isolated case to the Chinese government and all Chinese nationals in Zimbabwe, just as we cannot attribute the illegal acts of foreigners in China to the governments and people of the countries concerned,” he said.

Ambassador Guo said China and Zimbabwe have a long standing friendship and co-operation, and called upon the two nations to safeguard it jealously.

Vice Chairperson and Publicity Secretary of CCEZ, Ms Shanel Liu, said the organisation is committed to maintaining sound relations with all Zimbabweans.

“Our Chamber is committed to social welfare programmes in Zimbabwe. We support charity initiatives throughout the year. Our member companies also in their individual capacities are actively involved in charity work and social programmes.

“Tianze Tobacco is building schools in rural areas. The company that I represent, Hengshun Zhongsheng, has been sponsoring Presidential Scholarships for the past four years, providing full scholarships to over 150 Zimbabwean students pursuing tertiary education in China,” she said.

Ms Shanel revealed that the first batch of graduates sponsored by Hengshun Zhongsheng returned to Zimbabwe last week and are currently in quarantine.

“Our companies and our Chamber will continue contributing to the overall welfare of Zimbabwean people, and will continue to do our best in future,” she said.

Speaking after receiving the donations to fight the Covid-19 pandemic from the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and the CCEZ, President Mnangagwa made it clear that the mine manager would be treated in the same manner as every citizen or resident.

Savanna News

Former Zimbabwe Republic boss Augustine Chuhuri has dropped a bombshell accusing current President ED Mnangagwa for snatching his pregnant wife and prosecuting him for the same since the incident happened. 

Chihuri is about to lose his USD 32 million wealth through the controversial wealth declaration law enacted in Zimbabwe. He made the revelations through an affidavit filled with the High Court in bid to stop the confiscation of his assets.

The Robert Mugabe era top cop wants the court to set aside the unexplained wealth order it issued against him on June 20.

Justice Felistas Chatukuta granted an application by prosecutor-general Kumbirai Hodzi for an order forcing Chihuri and his wife, Isobel Halima Khan, to explain the source of their wealth in the process of seizing it.

The state claims Chihuri abused his public office to amass wealth during the period he was commissioner general.

Chihuri says his problems with Mnangagwa reached breaking point when he refused to join the coup plotters in November 2017 but chose to be loyal to Mugabe. He however doesn’t mention the part he played in stopping the coup, including the failure to arrest then army general Constantino Chiwenga at Robert Mugabe International Airport two weeks before the coup.

Chuhuri claims that Mnangagwa has always been on his case ever since he snatched his wife during the liberation struggle. 

He further went on to claim that Mnangagwa vowed to make his life ‘hell’ as long as he lived starting from the liberation struggle incident.

Cihuri says he was married the Zanu way in a ceremony officiated by then political commissar Mayor Urimbo (late), around 1976 and his wife fell pregnant the following year.

“The current president of Zimbabwe, Mr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, was aware of this union and pregnancy. Using his position, my then wife was transferred to Shai Shai in Mozambique where Mr Mnangagwa had a forced affair with her as she alleged,” he wrote in the affidavit.

“I tried to terminate the marriage, but the political commissar threatened me not to dare to do it, citing that Mr Mnangagwa [as he then was] is a dangerous man and would behead me as he was not hesitant to kill.”

Chihuri said Urimbo told him: “Do not gamble with your life, dear comrade.”

“From then my relationship with the president of Zimbabwe worsened. He went on to suggest that my then wife terminate the pregnancy,” he said.

“God was on my side, it was tried and it failed.

“The late Cde Serbia, who was working under Mr Mnangagwa in the security department, told me about the termination of the pregnancy and that Mr Mnangagwa vowed that as long as he lived, I shall pay for not giving up on my then wife to him.

“Cde Serbia warned me again to keep quiet or else I would perish and never see the light of day.”

Chihuri said the dispute between the two has since been turned into a “national spectacle for the purpose of victimisation.”

“One can clearly see how the public media in the country has been reporting about me and my family, wife and children that we have been targeted for annihilation,” he said.

MDC Alliance Goromonzi South Youth Chairperson Davison Chamisa and Mashonaland East Provincial executive member Ishmael Jeke have been arrested and are currently detained at Ruwa Police station.

According to the MDC Alliance information, they have been arrested in connection with the Goromonzi Whistle protest that took place last night.

More to follow…

Manica Post

A Rusape prophet rues the day he was caught in bed with a married congregant who was having marital problems.

On Fathers’ Day eve, June 20, 2020, the man of cloth, Travolta Dzingai’s luck ran out bringing shame not only to the youthful prophet but those surrounding him as well leaving questions to those he used to give marriage counsel.

Church members teamed up to expose Dzingai’s weaknesses for the fairer s_x and went on to reclaim donations they made to the church dissociating themselves to the disgraced Dzingai prompting him to switch base to Harare.

Dzingai, allegedly separated with his wife, is said to have taken advantage of his close friend and assistant, head of protocol in the church, Liberty Chamisa’s marital woes with his wife Moline Chamisa (20), to try and seduce her.

Chamisa and his wife are reported to have approached Dzingai for assistance and prayers since they were having marital problems.

However, Dzingai is said to have tried to convince Moline to dump her husband for him.

Moline was not flattered and informed her husband about Dzingai’s manoeuvres.

In an interview, Chamisa narrated how he managed to trap Dzingai.

“We were having marital challenges and we approached the prophet for counselling. Surprisingly he preferred dealing with my wife in my absence. He then started making s.e.xual advances on her, but my wife spurned him and informed me.

“At first I thought my wife was having an affair with him and decided to trap Dzingai. I took my wife’s phone and sent some text messages to him (which were seen by this publication).

“Dzingai thought Molline had fallen for him and he started pestering her for s_x. He had no clue he was chatting with me.

“Last week on Friday, I informed church members of my intention to trap him, but we shelved the move to Saturday.

“They wanted proper evidence to nail him so we continued talking via text messages, up to Saturday evening.

“Senior female church members came to my house that day and advised my wife on what to do upon Dzingai’s arrival. They told her that for them to believe that the prophet really wanted to sleep with her, he would have to undress for her.”

When Dzingai came around 8.30pm, he had no clue that Chamisa and the other church members were seated in the dining room. “My wife welcomed him and took him to the bedroom. Moline told him she was preparing some tea for him in the kitchen and asked him to get into the blankets. Within minutes, Dzingai had undressed, leaving only his socks and boxer short on. “She then came to the dining room and informed us that the semi-n_ked Dzingai was already in bed,” said Chamisa.

Chamisa and the church members then dashed to the bedroom. “The semi-n_ked Dzingai begged for forgiveness as we confronted him.

He had brought three condoms, but I doubt he was ever going to use them,” said Chamisa.

The [email protected] Dzingai was later on paraded on the streets of Vengere high-density suburb’s UVE section, thereby attracting the attention of hundreds of people.

In a recorded audio clip, Dzingai is heard begging for forgiveness as angry onlookers were baying for his blood.

He also promised to leave the church, saying he is no longer fit to lead it.

However, he has since dismissed the incident as the work of his detractors who wanted to grab the reins of power in the Glory of All Hope Church, which he founded four years ago.

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Dzingai said he was set up by church members. “I can’t say much on the phone, especially to reporters, but all I can tell you is that it was a set up.

On dating church members, I do not know those allegations. I can’t fight them, it is their decision, and it is their agenda to destroy the church.

“They have succeeded in executing their plan. I am also partly to blame because I allowed myself to be dragged into this mud,” said Dzingai.

UK Parliament

Britain on Friday said it was not confirmed that the remains of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi and 25 First Chimurenga fighters were in the United Kingdom.

Responding to a question from Stephen Ferry who wanted to know what progress is being made on the repatriation from the UK to Zimbabwe of the remains of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi and the 25 First Chimurenga fighters, Minister of State Carline Dinenage said: “It is not confirmed that the remains of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguve and the 25 First Chimurenga fighters are held in an UK institution. If it was determined that they were in the UK, and a request for their return was received, the decision to do so would be a matter for that institution to consider.”

Extract from the UK Parliament Hansard.

Armed Conflict: Zimbabwe: Written question – 62701

QAsked by Stephen Farry(North Down)Asked on: 22 June 2020Department for Digital, Culture, Media and SportArmed Conflict: Zimbabwe 62701 To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress is being made on the repatriation from the UK to Zimbabwe of the remains of (a) Mbuya Nehanda, (b) Sekuru Kaguvi and (c) the 25 First Chimurenga fighters.AAnswered by: Caroline Dinenage Answered on: 26 June 2020

It is not confirmed that the remains of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguve and the 25 First Chimurenga fighters are held in an UK institution. If it was determined that they were in the UK, and a request for their return was received, the decision to do so would be a matter for that institution to consider.

Reports in February this year said that the remains of Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi -heroes of Zimbabwe’s revolution- were expected to be repatriated to Zimbabwe in April from the United Kingdom, where they are being kept as war trophies in London museums.

ZBC

THE only surviving member of the Dare Rechimurenga, Rugare Gumbo is on his way to bounce back into the revolutionary party, Zanu PF.

Announcing the comeback, Zanu PF Acting National Spokesperson, Patrick Chinamasa, said following the recommendation by the Zanu PF Midlands province to admit the former stalwart into the party, they have no reservations about welcoming him back into the fold.

In a statement this Saturday, Chinamasa said while the final considerations shall be made by the Politburo in its next sitting, as a party they congratulate Cde Gumbo for his decision to return.

“There is no doubt that the party, being the oldest political organization founded by the people for the people would welcome heartily Gumbo back to the revolutionary family he helped to found and to which he was part of at a senior level in the prosecution of the liberation struggle,” read Chinamasa’s statement.

The readmission follows the return of another Zanu PF party stalwart, Didymus Mutasa recently.

Chinamasa said Gumbo is a tried and tested cadre of the party who has matured and come of age, developing both capacity and culture to deal with its internal contradictions.

“Zanu PF is not like any other mushrooming parties that are busy splitting, rather the party is busy uniting its cadres and its people and the nation at large in fighting colonialism, imperialism, and neo-colonialism under the leadership of His Excellency, President Cde ED Mnangagwa,” said the party’s Acting Spokesperson.

Rugare Gumbo, a former ZANU PF politburo member and party’s National Spokesperson, left ZANU PF alongside Joice Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa, Ray Kaukonde among others in 2014.

They were shown the exit door after their Gamatox faction was accused of plotting to unseat the then President, the late Robert Mugabe.

Chinamasa highlighted that though times are difficult in Zimbabwe, Zanu PF will not relent in its promise to achieve its goals as enshrined in the 2018 People’s manifesto to economically empower its people.

He added that the party will not allow temporary disruptions to divert its focus from the social contract that created its symbiotic relationship with the masses.

“We encourage other progressive stalwarts of the party scattered all over to come back to their home, Zanu PF, and redouble our efforts towards realizing the goals of the liberation struggle as encompassed in vision 2030,” he said.

LEAKED- #ZBC trio Robson Mhandu, Tendai Munengwa and Gilbert Nyambabvu awarded 5 pigs each after covering state media event pic.twitter.com/UEk8tSjBsn

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 28, 2020

State Media

BOARDING schools will open today to receive pupils who will be writing June/ July examinations that start on Tuesday.

As part of ensuring the smooth running of examinations, the Government has also directed that leave applications for teachers have been suspended in preparation for the examinations and subsequent re-opening of schools. As of yesterday, provinces were also making last minute attempts to ensure that adequate preventive measures were put in place at all the centres.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema told Sunday News yesterday that most schools that will be used as examination centres have already put in place measures to ensure the process runs smoothly.

“As a ministry we are preparing as normal for the examinations, we are putting in place the preventive measures as guided by the World Health Organisation and we are confident that all will be in place by the time the examinations start. Our main aim is not to expose our learners and invigilators to Covid-19 hence our commitment to adhering to the High Court order,” said Minister Mathema.

Asked on the modalities to be followed for learners at boarding schools, the Minister said Government had given ample time to schools to make the necessary arrangements for the sitting of the examinations.

“This is an issue that was not announced overnight, instead the President made the proclamation about a month ago and this caters for all schools be it public, private or boarding schools, so school authorities were thus expected to have made the necessary arrangements for their learners,” said Minister Mathema.

Minister Mathema’s assertions come at a time when the Permanent Secretary in his ministry, Mrs Tumisang Thabela, has also directed all provincial offices to suspend leave applications for teachers. In a letter dispatched to provincial education directors (PEDs), Mrs Thabela said leave applications will only be entertained after 28 July.

“Please be advised that no leave applications shall be entertained during this period as we prepare to conduct the June/July Zimsec examinations and re-open schools. If members have emergencies they have to attend to, they can discuss with the Permanent Secretary.

Otherwise all critical staff are expected to be on duty and leave applications can be considered after 28 July 2020,” she said.

Provincial education directors in the Matabeleland region also reiterated that they were making last minute checks to ensure that the examinations run as expected. Matabeleland North provincial education director Mr Jabulani Mpofu said so far, all the 42 Zimsec centres for the June examinations have been disinfected as per the guidelines to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

“All the centres have been disinfected using chemicals donated by the National University of Science and Technology, while Lupane State University provided us with 1 000 litres of sanitisers,” said Mr Mpofu.

He said most of the June candidates were private candidates with pupils who are borders expected to be at the centres by today (Sunday). Bulawayo PED, Mrs Olicah Kaira and her Matabeleland South counterpart, Mr Bernard Mazambane also concurred saying they were on the ground overseeing preparations. Matabeleland South has 81 examination centres while Bulawayo has 47. However, teacher representatives said they were waiting to see weekend preparations and will have a proper position by tomorrow.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer Dr Sifiso Ndlovu said while teachers commend the efforts that were being put in place by the Government, they were concerned about the poorly resourced schools especially in rural schools. He said it was unfortunate that the schools were being told to produce and provide their own face masks, a huge task especially for schools in rural areas.

“We appreciate the role played by universities that have provided sanitisers to all examination centres but that is just a fraction of what is required. I must, however, commend the Government for the commitment that they are showing, this weekend will be very critical and by Monday (tomorrow) we will have a clearer picture. There is a major concern relating to face masks and infrared thermometers, with schools being asked to provide their own face masks, we risk a situation where come examination day schools would have not been able to provide these,” said Dr Ndlovu.

He said in the last feedback reports from around the country there were some headmasters raising concern that they may not meet the set standards.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Dr Takavafira Zhou said teachers were consulting their members over concerns on the actual fulfillment of commitment to ensure adherence to the World Health Organisation regulations.

He said it was critical for the Government and all relevant stakeholders to have first established a taskforce to oversee the June/July examinations rather than leaving it to the Government alone.

“The main concern is the provision that headmasters are supposed to ensure the availability of the face masks, which in some cases, mainly in the rural schools this might not be possible. We have seen in some cases headmasters now transferring the burden to learners to bring these Personal Protective Equipment, which is in itself a concern. As teachers we are maintaining that our safety comes first, if we realise that nothing has been done we will call for the further postponement of the exams, we will therefore be making a final decision on Monday (tomorrow),” said Dr Zhou.

Schools closed early as the country went into lockdown that started on 30 March to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Normal lessons are expected to resume at the end of July for final year examination writing classes. University final year students went back to class three weeks ago.

The Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) said it is ready for the start of exams on Tuesday.

Zimsec Director Dr Lazarus Nembaware said they were prepared for the examinations.

“Everything is now in place and we are ready for the June examinations,” he said.

“There has been a delay in the writing of this year’s June examinations as we all know but we’re fully prepared,” he said.

The June exams will run from June 30 to July 23 with 66 000 students expected to sit for the examinations while being invigilated by 10 000 teachers

Zimbabwean socialite, Felistas Murata Edwards known in the social circles as Mai Titi has torn into Passion Java describing him as a conman who has fleeced a lot of people of their hard earned cash.

Watch the live video loading below………..

We commend @MoHCCZim leadership during #COVID19 for continuing to offer essential health care services across Zimbabwe and adopting a community based approach in their service delivery #UHC #HealthForAll pic.twitter.com/GRp7MrFrdt

— WHO Zimbabwe (@WHO_Zimbabwe) June 27, 2020

MDC Alliance president, Nelson Chamisa has praised Malawian state institutions for defending the country’s constitution through a presidential poll rerun that has seen opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera cruise to victory.

Sources close to the Malawian presidential elect revealed the the Zimbabwean opposition leader wrote to Chakwera expressing his admiration for the principled stance taken by the Malawian military and judiciary.

“We equally salute the national institutions in Malawi, in particular the judiciary and security services for acting as a bulwark against authoritarianism and defending the constitution of Malawi both in letter and spirit.

“It must be a source of pride to Malawians that these institutions have consistently demonstrated a commitment to professionalism, respect for the rule of law and defence of the constitution,” said Chamisa.

The letter written by the opposition leader was part of correspondence obtained from a highly placed source in Malawi’s political circles.

The MDC Alliance leader said Chakwera’s victory was also triumph for democracy and a demonstration of the strength of Malawian institutions and the people’s determination.

He said the resilience and tenacity in pushing back electoral manipulation was “a source of inspiration to democrats across Africa and a reminder to those with determined leadership, people power, unity of purpose and an undying commitment to democratic values that no barrier is insurmountable”.

“We remember how these institutions defended the Constitution of Malawi upon the succession of the late president, His Excellency Bingu waMutharika in 2012 when there was an attempt to subvert it,” Chamisa said.

By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance organising secretary Amos Chibaya says all party MPs recently recalled by the Thokozani Khupe-led MDC-T remain resolute and unshaken by the purges.

Speaking to The Standard yesterday, Chibaya also urged other party MPs to remain loyal to leader Nelson Chamisa emphasising the need to respect the people who voted them into Parliament by resisting to join Khupe.

“The unprecedented move by Khupe and cabal to recall us from Parliament will not deter our commitment to the people’s struggle,” Chibaya said.

“This cowardly act defies logic and defeats the democratic will of the people who clearly voted for their preferred representatives in Parliament in the 2018 elections.

“We, however, remain resolute and committed to the people’s struggle and shall not sell our souls for a few pieces of silver. The liberation of the Zimbabwean masses remains our guiding compass in the democratic struggle until we deliver a people’s government under President Advocate Nelson Chamisa.”

Chibaya, together with 12 others, were recalled by Khupe from Parliament after they insisted on laying their allegiance on Chamisa and refused to follow the Supreme Court ruling that adjudged Khupe the new interim leader of MDC-T.

“I would like to urge all MDC Alliance Members of Parliament, recalled or not, to remain vigilant and work hard in their respective party portfolios and constituencies. These sideshows meant to derail the people’s movement will pass,” said Chibaya.

“We will take the fight to the enemy and will never get tired. Ours is a conviction to fight for good governance and constitutionalism in Zimbabwe, a fight to eradicate corruption, a fight for better remuneration and respect for our civil servants, a fight for affordable and accessible basic healthcare and education services.

“It is never about selfish individual interests, but the livelihoods of all Zimbabweans.”

He also thanked the people of Mkoba “for the unwavering support and solidarity you have given me throughout the years I have served and represented our beloved constituency in Parliament”.

By A Correspondent- ZUPCO buses conductors have been caught in yet another scam this time involving under-declaring their daily takings and pocketing the balance, The Sunday Mail reports.

According to the publication, the parastatal staffers have corrupted the electronic payment system and they are conniving to under-declare their daily takings and both drivers, conductors and cashiers are part of the scheme.

The scandal was confirmed by the ZUPCO CEO Mr Evaristo Madangwa who said they have fired some conductors over the scandal:

It is true. Many conductors have since been relieved of their duties because of this shocking scandal. Investigations are ongoing as we try to establish the chain involved,

We do not have figures of the potential revenue that we have been prejudiced. However, indications are that we might have lost millions of dollars since the introduction of the cashless system last year. The final audit results will give us a clear indication.

ZUPCO was rocked by a similar scandal last year.

-Statemedia

By A Correspondent- Authorities in Matebeleland South have called on the Government to urgently avail more Covid-19 quarantine and isolation centres and to upgrade existing facilities to enhance their capacity to handle Zimbabweans returning from Botswana and South Africa.

Those that are coming from Botswana are being handled in Plumtree, while those coming from South Africa are kept in Beitbridge and Esigodini. The Plumtree centre carries 200 people while the Beitbridge and Esigodini centres can accommodate 150 and 100 at any given time.

The provincial Covid-19 Taskforce chairperson, Ms Sithandiwe Ncube pleaded with Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube that they needed more capacity and centres.

“We are running out of quarantining space and resources with many Zimbabweans arriving from Botswana and South Africa. The state of affairs here is not pleasing, we are on the frontline of carrying the national burden and we have limited space and resources.

We appeal through your office to ensure that we have more quarantine and isolation centres, more Covid-19 test kits to deal with those at the centres and the communities living along the border areas.

At times we are having shortages of test kits and this presents challenges when it comes to accommodating all the unscreened people before transferring them to their respective provincial centres.”

Ms Ncube said in Beitbridge they were handling close to 500 returnees on transit from South Africa daily while Plumtree was receiving 200 Zimbabweans.

Upon arrival at the borders, the returnees are screened, fed, accommodated or transferred to various Covid-19 centres in the country.

The official said the quarantine space had been worsened by the fact that they may not use learning facilities as quarantine and isolation centres considering the imminent opening of schools.

“If we don’t up our game, we risk being the epicentre as a province. The few that we are testing are coming through the formal borders, but are having others crossing through illegal entry points from Botswana and South Africa. So, we wish to maximise our testing capacity and educating communities in the borderline areas on health and safety issues, and these need the Government to capacitate us,” said Ms Ncube.

She said the Government should also consider including returnees in its saving livelihoods programmes. The official said most of the returnees had no sources of income.

However, Prof Ncube said Treasury had since availed $200 million for the upgrading of quarantine and isolation centres and that the task team should benefit from the initiative to address their challenges.

“The concerns are valid and well noted. I will engage my colleagues in Government especially those from the Ministry of Health and Child Care so that we look into availing more testing equipment to critical ports of entries.

Recently we released $200 million to upgrade quarantine centres and enhance capacities. These are the funds we need to direct to areas in urgent need including Beitbridge and Plumtree towns,” said Prof Ncube.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Former police boss Augustine Chihuri has accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of hounding him to settle scores after they clashed over a woman.

Chihuri, who is on the verge of losing his sprawling business empire and properties to the state after allegations that he amassed the wealth through corrupt means, made the startling allegations in an affidavit filed at the High Court on Friday.

The ex-police commissioner-general wants the court to set aside the unexplained wealth order it issued against him on June 20.

Chihuri said he was being persecuted because of his strained relationship with Mnangagwa dating back to the liberation struggle where the president allegedly snatched his then-pregnant wife.

Justice Felistas Chatukuta granted an application by prosecutor-general Kumbirai Hodzi for an order forcing Chihuri and his wife, Isobel Halima Khan, to explain how they acquired their properties as part of a process to seize them.

Chihuri is accused of pilfering US$32 million in public funds that he used to buy a large swathe of properties.

The long-serving ex-top cop, however, said the allegation was part of a victimisation crusade by Mnangagwa that intensified after the 2017 coup.

He narrated how Mnangagwa allegedly snatched his then-wife before vowing to make his life “hell” as long as he lived.

Chihuri said his problems started when he got married the “Zanu way” in Chimoio in Mozambique before the then political commissar, mayor Urimbo (late), around 1976 and the following year, his wife became pregnant.

“The current president of Zimbabwe, Mr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, was aware of this union and pregnancy. Using his position, my then-wife was transferred to Shai Shai in Mozambique where Mr Mnangagwa had a forced affair with her as she alleged,” he wrote in the affidavit.

“I tried to terminate the marriage, but the political commissar threatened me not to dare to do it, citing that Mr Mnangagwa [as he then was] is a dangerous man and would behead me as he was not hesitant to kill.”

Chihuri said Urimbo told him: “Do not gamble with your life, dear comrade.”

“From then my relationship with the president of Zimbabwe worsened. He went on to suggest that my then-wife terminate the pregnancy,” he said.

“God was on my side, it was tried and it failed.

“The late Serbia, who was working under Mr Mnangagwa in the security department, told me about the termination of the pregnancy and that Mr Mnangagwa vowed that as long as he lived, I shall pay for not giving up on my then-wife to him.

“Serbia warned me again to keep quiet or else I would perish and never see the light of day.” Chihuri said the dispute between the two has since been turned into a “national spectacle for the purpose of victimisation.”

“One can clearly see how the public media in the country has been reporting about me and my family, wife and children that we have been targeted for annihilation,” he said.

Chihuri said the November 2017 coup saw the intensification of the onslaught by Mnangagwa after he refused to turn against the late president Robert Mugabe and join the coup plotters. He was forced to retire a month after the coup.

He alleged that in December 2017, his successor Godwin Matanga instructed a police constable to shoot him and burn his Greystone Park house.

“My family home was burnt beyond recognition,” he said.

“The fire was started in my home office burning all files, records, 15 bibles, etc were destroyed. “To make sure that the records and files were destroyed, he took a 20-litre diesel container and another container with oil.

“He sprayed both in the office, the main bedroom as the major target and so he did the rest of the house except the guest wing.

“Maukazuva [the constable] is facing serious criminal charges, two attempted murder charges and one of arson and malicious injury to property.”

Chihuri accuses Matanga of doing Mnangagwa’s bidding by pursuing criminal cases against him.

Chihuri alleged Matanga systematically engaged in a strategy of harassing his family, relatives and workers, threatening and beating his workers at gunpoint.

“The harassment was made worse when my young children would be threatened by police with guns to produce their father and said that they had been sent by Matanga,” he claimed.

“My children are suffering emotional trauma and they started having nightmares, refusing to go to school as unmarked vehicles would be following them going to and coming back from school.”

Chihuri alleged Matanga was using “all tactics” to persecute him as a result of his “incompetence, which is due to lack of education”.

He claimed the police boss does not have O’ Level qualifications.

“He is doing all that he can in order to secure his post,” Chihuri claimed.

“He realises that as a mere ZiPam diploma holder on behest of ZRP (sic), having been promoted to the post of the country’s police chief is a vulnerable position because his deputies are more educated than him, with masters and even PhD degrees,” Chihuri said.

“He does not even hold an O’ Level certificate, which is a basic requirement for a constable to join the police.

“It goes on to show that he was rewarded for being a willing participant in the coup process and not on merit.”

Chihuri said Matanga lied to then Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander and now Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga that he (Chihuri) wanted to arrest him upon his return from China at Robert Mugabe international airport just before the coup.

“This was not so, but a blatant lie to sow the seeds of division and hate between me and the then CDF. Godwin Matanga did all this to secure his position,” he said.

At the time of the coup, it was alleged that attempts to arrest Chiwenga forced the military to move against Mugabe.

Chihuri said what surprises him was that all allegations against him were to do with the administration department, which Matanga used to head.

“By way of emphasis, i bring it to the attention of this honourable court that a lot of senior officers across the rank and file and my then deputies, including Godwin Matanga and his wife, supplied a wide range of vegetables and meat to ZRP amenities,” he said.

“These officers supplied large quantities of beef, chicken, vegetables, fruits and goods according to their ability as a general practice in support of indigenisation.

“The former SAC (Senior assistant Commissioner) Charles Makono and his wife Abigail Makono, owners of Rewstand Pvt Ltd, also supplied uniform fabrics for over $10 million to ZRP ordinance.

“This company was also chosen by Godwin Matanga as many others he chose out of the 200 companies that were cleared by the procurement board to supply ZRP.”

He said the ZRP Retention Fund was not a creation of the police, but government.

as for the source of his wealth, Chihuri said besides salaries, bonus, conditions of service and savings from foreign trips over a period of 37 years, he was also a delegate and vice-president for Africa in Interpol.

“I was remunerated in foreign currency for serving in those organisations for six years,” he said, adding that he built his empire through “hard work and diligence.”

Chihuri skipped the country after he was fired and remains in self-imposed exile.

-Standard

Yesterday in Chinhoyi our MDC Alliance Chinhoyi District Coordinating Committee had a routine meeting, to evaluate, plan, energize & solidify the base.The constituency remains unshaken & is solidly behind President @nelsonchamisa @NicolaWatson13 @uk_mdca #Zimbabwe @hwendec pic.twitter.com/rISEIyyGt7

— CCC Mash West (@cccmashwest) June 28, 2020

ZANU PF MP claims credit for Hospital #Covid equipment sourced by @Mutami_susan for St Michaels And Ngezi Hospitals, donated by Australia Govt. pic.twitter.com/1J0d4NY7Da

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 28, 2020

"Government is on course and has implemented the recommendations made by the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry into the August 1 2018 murders" a senior govt official has claimed. FACT OR UTTER LIES?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 28, 2020

By A Correspondent- Government has fully complied with recommendations of the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry into the August 1, 2018 post-election violence, the state media has reported.

We publish below the full report by The Sunday Mail:

The Commission of Inquiry —which was chaired by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe — gave four broad recommendations which included compensation of the victims’ families, electoral reforms, political co-existence and security sector reforms.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Mrs Virginia Mabhiza, who was also the Commission’s secretary, told The Sunday Mail that the commission’s recommendations had been implemented.

“Four key issues ranging from compensation of the victims’ families, electoral reforms, political dialogue and security sector reforms came out as the key recommendations from the Motlanthe Commission,” said Mrs Mabhiza.

“There has been a lot of compliance. We have complied fully with the Motlanthe Commission, but some of the processes are still ongoing. Though the Covid-19 lockdown has delayed implementation of some of the recommendations, we have covered a lot of ground.

“To a large extent, we have complied with recommendations of the commission though some of the issues remain work in progress.”

She said the establishment of the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) was in fulfilment of the recommendation on initiating civil political co-existence, adding that several parties outside the dialogue platform were requesting to be included.

“For political co-existence you can see that POLAD is very much on the ground,” Mrs Mabhiza said.

“One major recommendation from the Motlanthe Commission was that political parties should dialogue. All political parties have converged and are dialoguing progressively. Only a few are not part of the dialogue.

“POLAD is also getting a lot of applications from other parties that want to be part of the platform, which means on the ground dialogue is taking place.”

She said in terms of legislative reforms, laws such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) have already been repealed while others that were considered undemocratic are in theprocess of being dismantled.

These include the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), whose successor laws are at different stages of legislation in Parliament.

“In terms of laws, Parliament is working on a number of issues that are pertinent, especially for electoral processes.”

Mrs Mabhiza said on compensation, some of the victims’ families had not approached the Department of Social Welfare for assistance.

Compensation for the families of the victims of the violence includes school fees support for minor children and medical bills. Some of the businesses that were damaged have received financial support from Government.

“When the report came out we had physical communication with the victims’ relatives and families whom we told of the procedures to follow through social welfare in order to get compensation,” said Mrs Mabhiza.

“As the Ministry of Justice we are not responsible for payments; payments are processed through (Ministry of Public Service, Labour and) Social Welfare. What has happened is that we have not really received much feedback from the families to ascertain the sort of assistance they have received.

“We had planned for assistance with payment of school fees for minor children and handouts to assist other elderly dependants with ordinary expenses.”

Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Simon Masanga did not respond to a request for a comment from The Sunday Mail.

Mrs Mabhiza said security sector reforms were taking place through retraining programmes for the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

“In terms of security sector reforms, you can see that there is a lot of training and retraining in the key security institutions. As the Justice Ministry we are also sharing with them on what the Constitution provides.”

The Motlanthe Commission concluded that the death of six people: Brian Zhuwawo, Challenge Tauro, Jealous Chikandira, Gavin Dean Charles, Ishmael Kumire and Silvia Maphosa and the injuries sustained by 35 others arose from the actions of the security services.

The commission also nailed several senior officials from the MDC Alliance for incendiary rhetoric during the campaigns which resulted in the street riots.

My heart broke today , we are losing babies needlessly ???they are rushed to the hospital in need of ICU and the ICU is LOCKED??there’s no one !and no one is saying anything about this! I’m tired of being a bad news bearer to parents ????

— PT (@mamoe1203) June 27, 2020

watch the live video loading below….

By A Correspondent- Embattled former police boss Augustine Chihuri who is on the verge of losing his $30+ Million empire as his assets could be forfeited by the state, has reportedly claimed that the president harbours a grudge against him dating back to the war when President Mnangagwa allegedly forced himself on Chihuri’s wife.

This was revealed by journalist Brezh Malaba who tweeted:

Former police boss Augustine Chihuri, whose US$30m real estate empire could soon be forfeited to the state, alleges that President Mnangagwa harbours a vendetta against him dating back to the liberation struggle when ED allegedly forced himself upon Chihuri’s wife.

Chihuri is accused of siphoning public funds amounting to over $32 Million and awarding ZRP tenders to companies owned by his relatives while he was still the ZRP Commissioner-General.

Source: Twitter 

By A Correspondent- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) yesterday issued a watered-down ban on some services offered by mobile money transfer (MMT) platforms, a day after government announced a blanket suspension.

RBZ governor John Mangudya said people could still do certain transactions as he moved in to correct a statement by Information ministry permanent secretary Nick Mangwana that had ordered the freezing of all mobile money services.

Mangudya said money agents were banned from facilitating mobile financial transactions and that merchant transactions were suspended except for receiving payments for goods and services with a $5 000 daily limit.

He described the measures as unprecedented and necessitated by the need to protect consumers on mobile money platforms.

“Following the government press release on the suspension of monetary transactions on mobile-based money platforms (One Money, MyCash, Ecocash and Telecash) dated 26 June 2020, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe wishes to advise the public as follows: All mobile money agents are suspended from facilitating mobile financial transactions with immediate effect,” Mangudya said.

“All merchant transactions are suspended except for receiving payments for goods and services as well as payment of utilities (water, power and airtime), which have been limited up to ZW$5 000 per day for the convenience of the transacting public.”

He added:

“All mobile money liquidations should be done through the banking system (and) all bulk payer transactions have been suspended with immediate effect.

“These unprecedented measures have been necessitated by the need to protect consumers on mobile money platforms which have been abused by unscrupulous and unpatriotic individuals and entities to create instability and indiscipline in the economy.”

He said bona-fide transactions would be processed normally.

Payments to utilities and the purchase of airtime are not affected. Similarly, person-to-person transfers are not affected. Analysts also noted that the statement was conspicuously silent on bank-to-wallet and wallet-to-bank transfers, meaning they have not been affected.

Mangwana’s Friday statement also banned trading on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.

A senior executive at one of the affected mobile phone operators, however, said the RBZ directive was a huge climbdown from Mangwana’s shock Friday announcement.

“What happened is that a secretary for information and publicity, the government propagandist, wrote a statement — attributed to himself — directing a whole financial services sector to shut down. He does not have the authority to do that as that is the responsibility of the respective regulators, such as the RBZ [for MMT companies] and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (for the ZSE),” the official told The Standard last night.

“The statement, announcing a blanket ban or suspension of all MMTs, was littered with unsubstantiated allegations, which sounded like a charge sheet. These again can only be levelled by bodies such as the Financial Intelligence Unit which has already been doing this.”

Other analysts reached for comment yesterday said neither the RBZ nor the SEC were aware of Mangwana’s statement, suggesting it had not originated from them.

-Online

ZANU-PF youth in Bulawayo have put greedy fuel stations and retailers on notice, saying they would soon be moving against businesses that were inflaming public opinion against Government through unethical practices.

Speaking to Sunday News yesterday, the Zanu-PF Bulawayo Central Youth chairperson, Cde Mayibongwe Zvigadza, said they had taken note of businesses that seemed hellbent on tarnishing the image of the Government and would thus be soon moving to rectify the situation.

“The main thrust is that we have been tasked to fight corruption and make sure that every business operates within the bounds of the law and they observe honest business ethics.

“We can’t sit back as the youth and let the President fight corruption on his own because the country is ours too. It is now time to stand up and make sure that the people behind these artificial shortages are dealt with once and for all,” Cde Zvigadza said.

He said they were particularly concerned by actions of major retailers and fuel stations that did not seem interested in doing business in a manner that was above board.

“We have taken on this task because Bulawayo Central is the main part of the province where all of this is happening. We can’t have a situation where 20 000 litres is delivered to a fuel station, yet a person who is number 50 in the queue, a person who has been queuing the whole day, is told that there is no longer any fuel remaining. These are people that are trying to fight Government by frustrating the people.

We have a situation in retail outlets where sugar disappears off the shelves and yet we see people moving out with it through back doors. That is what we want to fight,” he said.

When the youth starts moving against errant retailers, Cde Zvigadza said, even businesspeople hiding behind the party’s banner would not be spared.

“This is why as the youth in the party we are saying we are putting all these fuel stations and big retailers on notice. We are saying this to even those businesspeople that come to the party and try to hide behind it, knowing that they’re unscrupulous.

“We implore the youth everywhere to take charge and not allow corruption to happen in their presence. It is now abundantly clear that these people are doing this deliberately because I can assure you that there is no Government in the world that wants its people to starve,” he said.

With President Mnangagwa fighting the battle against corruption on other fronts, it was a duty of the youth to handle local corruption, Cde Zvigadza said.

-State Media

Zimbabwe recorded six more COVID-19 cases to take the country total to 567, according to ministry of health and child care daily update shared yesterday.

The country also recorded seven new recoveries to take the total to 142.

Below is the full update;

Government has fully complied with recommendations of the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry into the August 1, 2018 post-election violence, a senior official has shockingly said.

The Commission of Inquiry —which was chaired by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe — gave four broad recommendations which included compensation of the victims’ families, electoral reforms, political co-existence and security sector reforms.

President Mnangagwa immediately set up a high-level Inter-Ministerial Committee on Political and Electoral reforms to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Mrs Virginia Mabhiza, who was also the Commission’s secretary, told The Sunday Mail that the commission’s recommendations had been implemented.

“Four key issues ranging from compensation of the victims’ families, electoral reforms, political dialogue and security sector reforms came out as the key recommendations from the Motlanthe Commission,” said Mrs Mabhiza.

“There has been a lot of compliance. We have complied fully with the Motlanthe Commission, but some of the processes are still ongoing. Though the Covid-19 lockdown has delayed implementation of some of the recommendations, we have covered a lot of ground.

“To a large extent, we have complied with recommendations of the commission though some of the issues remain work in progress.”

She said the establishment of the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) was in fulfilment of the recommendation on initiating civil political co-existence, adding that several parties outside the dialogue platform were requesting to be included.

“For political co-existence you can see that POLAD is very much on the ground,” Mrs Mabhiza said.

“One major recommendation from the Motlanthe Commission was that political parties should dialogue. All political parties have converged and are dialoguing progressively. Only a few are not part of the dialogue.

“POLAD is also getting a lot of applications from other parties that want to be part of the platform, which means on the ground dialogue is taking place.”

She said in terms of legislative reforms, laws such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) have already been repealed while others that were considered undemocratic are in theprocess of being dismantled.

These include the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), whose successor laws are at different stages of legislation in Parliament.

“In terms of laws, Parliament is working on a number of issues that are pertinent, especially for electoral processes.”

Mrs Mabhiza said on compensation, some of the victims’ families had not approached the Department of Social Welfare for assistance.

Compensation for the families of the victims of the violence includes school fees support for minor children and medical bills. Some of the businesses that were damaged have received financial support from Government.

“When the report came out we had physical communication with the victims’ relatives and families whom we told of the procedures to follow through social welfare in order to get compensation,” said Mrs Mabhiza.

“As the Ministry of Justice we are not responsible for payments; payments are processed through (Ministry of Public Service, Labour and) Social Welfare. What has happened is that we have not really received much feedback from the families to ascertain the sort of assistance they have received.

“We had planned for assistance with payment of school fees for minor children and handouts to assist other elderly dependants with ordinary expenses.”

Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Simon Masanga did not respond to a request for a comment from The Sunday Mail.

Mrs Mabhiza said security sector reforms were taking place through retraining programmes for the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

“In terms of security sector reforms, you can see that there is a lot of training and retraining in the key security institutions. As the Justice Ministry we are also sharing with them on what the Constitution provides.”

The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is investigating reports that soldiers indiscriminately assaulted residents of Harare’s Warren Park suburb and looted their goods on Wednesday night.

This was said by ZNA deputy public relations director, Alex Zuva, during an interview with the Daily News.

“We are investigating the issue and this also requires that we check with Harare Central Police Station records.

“Currently, our people are in Warren Park carrying out investigations and once we are through we will advise all relevant parties,” said Zuva.

Reports claim that the soldiers assaulted residents and looted goods from vendors, including potatoes and vegetables.

Two journalists, Tinashe Chokodza and Leopold Munhende were also assaulted and injured while on their way home from work.

Speaking in Parliament in response to opposition legislators a day before the Warren Park incidents, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri called on members of the public to report abuses by armed forces during the course of their work.

“If there are such cases (of abuse), we will be more than happy to investigate them. I am hoping and also appealing to you to bring forward or to report such individuals if you know them or if some of your informers have information.

“Everyone is free to come forward to our offices. We will definitely investigate the cases,” said Muchinguri.

Zanu PF has re-admitted Rugare Gumbo into the party following recommendations by the party’s Midlands Province.

Gumbo who is a founding member of the Dare reChimurenga War Command was expelled from Zanu PF in 2013 together with Didymus Mutasa and Joice Mujuru among others.

His re-admission follows Mutasa’s move back into the party sometime last year.

More to follow…

TESTS done at private laboratories to ascertain the cause of 12 deaths and illness to more than 1 500 residents of Luveve in Bulawayo have revealed that they suffered from typhoid and dysentery.

The revelations come after the city council last week said patients suffered from gastrointestinal diseases. Gastrointestinal disease is a broad term that refers to diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, namely the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum, and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.

Residents have already filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court compelling council to release key information relating to the outbreak and further allow residents to engage independent experts to assess the situation. City Health Director Dr Edwin Sibanda said stool tests that were done at a Cimas laboratory came out positive for salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid and shigella which causes dysentery.

He said council initially did random sampling of testing one in five cases but as the number of cases grew, they resorted to only collecting one in 20 infected people. Dr Sibanda said it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact source of the disease as water tests also done at the same laboratory did not have any traces of the two bacteria.

“We had tests done at a Cimas lab and National University of Science and Technology for both water quality and rectal swabs. While the stool samples came out positive for salmonella typhi and shigella, the six water samples from various sources that include tap water, home containers, wells and streams came out negative. The patients were exhibiting different symptoms with some vomiting while others had bloody diarrhoea,” he said.

Dr Sibanda said with the source yet to be pinpointed it was critical for people to wash hands frequently with soap to reduce chances of infection.

“The two diseases have different incubation periods, with shigella’s being 12-96 hours while salmonella typhi is between eight to 14 days. A person could have been infected elsewhere only to show symptoms here and start spreading the disease. Again, maybe the water source could have been infected before we tested and then the bacteria were washed out by the time we were doing tests,” said Dr Sibanda.

Meanwhile, Bulawayo residents under the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) have filed an urgent chamber application compelling the local authority to release key information relating to the outbreak. The residents in their application note that the information is vital as they intend on embarking on a class action civil suit against the local authority, alleging that further delays in the release of the information will result in the local authority concealing key evidence. According to court papers the application is set to be heard at the High Court tomorrow.

The residents, through BPRA co-ordinator, Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu and Mr Chrispen Ngulube, a Luveve resident who is among those that have been affected by the outbreak, also seek to have an independent expert appointed to collect samples of the water and pipe system to determine the cause of the outbreak.

The residents accuse BCC of attempting to cover their tracks by embarking on a rushed exercise to lay new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water pipes in Luveve hence their request to have the court grant them access to take samples at the old pipes.

“Most residents reported falling ill after drinking tap water provided by the respondent. Without exception, all affected residents collected, and most used the water after one of the regulation five days of water cuts imposed on most of the city by the respondent. Most people began falling sick two days after the return, as it were, of the water.

“They reported that the water, when pumped from the tape, was discoloured, with particles of solid matter, greyish brownish, dark green in colour. Residents also reported that the water was odoriferous with a suggestion of raw sewer in the odour,” reads part of the application.
BPRA further accused the local authority of denying responsibility for the outbreak, declaring instead that their water was satisfactory, with the city’s Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni announcing that they had found bacterial presence in containers some residents used to store water.

“The respondent did not reveal to the public the nature of the bacteria found in the water and did not particularise what standards were used to pass the tap water as satisfactory. The respondent has reported repeatedly that it tested water held by residents and found bacterial presence. The respondent has not disclosed what bacteria was found in this potted water.

“The diagnosis published by the Mayor, according to advice from medical personnel advising our legal team, and according to internet sources simply points to some other underlying problems of bacterial infection in the affected patients. It seems to be a life-threatening condition resulting from some bacterial infection,” reads the application.

The residents justify the urgency of the matter, adding the local authority may destroy or conceal the evidence relating to their responsibility of the outbreak.

“Further the Applicant requests urgent access to the routine plumbing maintenance schedule for any part of Luveve for the past six months. It is our belief that the respondent carries out, or should, routine maintenance and inspection of its water infrastructure. The application is made without notice on the grounds of fear of adverse action by the respondent. I verily entertain a fear that the respondent will destroy or conceal the evidence. The fear arises out of the combative and denialist attitude that has been exhibited by the respondent thus far. The respondent may conceal or do away with evidence to perpetuate its denial,” read the application.

TESTS done at private laboratories to ascertain the cause of 12 deaths and illness to more than 1 500 residents of Luveve in Bulawayo have revealed that they suffered from typhoid and dysentery.

The revelations come after the city council last week said patients suffered from gastrointestinal diseases.

Gastrointestinal disease is a broad term that refers to diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, namely the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum, and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.

Residents have already filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court compelling council to release key information relating to the outbreak and further allow residents to engage independent experts to assess the situation.

City Health Director Dr Edwin Sibanda said stool tests that were done at a Cimas laboratory came out positive for salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid and shigella which causes dysentery.

He said council initially did random sampling of testing one in five cases but as the number of cases grew, they resorted to only collecting one in 20 infected people. Dr Sibanda said it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact source of the disease as water tests also done at the same laboratory did not have any traces of the two bacteria.

“We had tests done at a Cimas lab and National University of Science and Technology for both water quality and rectal swabs. While the stool samples came out positive for salmonella typhi and shigella, the six water samples from various sources that include tap water, home containers, wells and streams came out negative.

The patients were exhibiting different symptoms with some vomiting while others had bloody diarrhoea,” he said.

Dr Sibanda said with the source yet to be pinpointed it was critical for people to wash hands frequently with soap to reduce chances of infection.

“The two diseases have different incubation periods, with shigella’s being 12-96 hours while salmonella typhi is between eight to 14 days.

A person could have been infected elsewhere only to show symptoms here and start spreading the disease. Again, maybe the water source could have been infected before we tested and then the bacteria were washed out by the time we were doing tests,” said Dr Sibanda.

Meanwhile, Bulawayo residents under the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) have filed an urgent chamber application compelling the local authority to release key information relating to the outbreak.

The residents in their application note that the information is vital as they intend on embarking on a class action civil suit against the local authority, alleging that further delays in the release of the information will result in the local authority concealing key evidence.

According to court papers the application is set to be heard at the High Court-The Sunday News

BOARDING schools will open today to receive pupils who will be writing June/ July examinations that start on Tuesday.

As part of ensuring the smooth running of examinations, the Government has also directed that leave applications for teachers have been suspended in preparation for the examinations and subsequent re-opening of schools. As of yesterday, provinces were also making last minute attempts to ensure that adequate preventive measures were put in place at all the centres.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema told Sunday News yesterday that most schools that will be used as examination centres have already put in place measures to ensure the process runs smoothly.

“As a ministry we are preparing as normal for the examinations, we are putting in place the preventive measures as guided by the World Health Organisation and we are confident that all will be in place by the time the examinations start. Our main aim is not to expose our learners and invigilators to Covid-19 hence our commitment to adhering to the High Court order,” said Minister Mathema.

Asked on the modalities to be followed for learners at boarding schools, the Minister said Government had given ample time to schools to make the necessary arrangements for the sitting of the examinations.

“This is an issue that was not announced overnight, instead the President made the proclamation about a month ago and this caters for all schools be it public, private or boarding schools, so school authorities were thus expected to have made the necessary arrangements for their learners,” said Minister Mathema.

Minister Mathema’s assertions come at a time when the Permanent Secretary in his ministry, Mrs Tumisang Thabela, has also directed all provincial offices to suspend leave applications for teachers. In a letter dispatched to provincial education directors (PEDs), Mrs Thabela said leave applications will only be entertained after 28 July.

“Please be advised that no leave applications shall be entertained during this period as we prepare to conduct the June/July Zimsec examinations and re-open schools. If members have emergencies they have to attend to, they can discuss with the Permanent Secretary.

Otherwise all critical staff are expected to be on duty and leave applications can be considered after 28 July 2020,” she said.

Provincial education directors in the Matabeleland region also reiterated that they were making last minute checks to ensure that the examinations run as expected. Matabeleland North provincial education director Mr Jabulani Mpofu said so far, all the 42 Zimsec centres for the June examinations have been disinfected as per the guidelines to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

“All the centres have been disinfected using chemicals donated by the National University of Science and Technology, while Lupane State University provided us with 1 000 litres of sanitisers,” said Mr Mpofu.

He said most of the June candidates were private candidates with pupils who are borders expected to be at the centres by today (Sunday). Bulawayo PED, Mrs Olicah Kaira and her Matabeleland South counterpart, Mr Bernard Mazambane also concurred saying they were on the ground overseeing preparations. Matabeleland South has 81 examination centres while Bulawayo has 47. However, teacher representatives said they were waiting to see weekend preparations and will have a proper position by tomorrow.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer Dr Sifiso Ndlovu said while teachers commend the efforts that were being put in place by the Government, they were concerned about the poorly resourced schools especially in rural schools. He said it was unfortunate that the schools were being told to produce and provide their own face masks, a huge task especially for schools in rural areas.

“We appreciate the role played by universities that have provided sanitisers to all examination centres but that is just a fraction of what is required. I must, however, commend the Government for the commitment that they are showing, this weekend will be very critical and by Monday (tomorrow) we will have a clearer picture. There is a major concern relating to face masks and infrared thermometers, with schools being asked to provide their own face masks, we risk a situation where come examination day schools would have not been able to provide these,” said Dr Ndlovu.

He said in the last feedback reports from around the country there were some headmasters raising concern that they may not meet the set standards.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Dr Takavafira Zhou said teachers were consulting their members over concerns on the actual fulfillment of commitment to ensure adherence to the World Health Organisation regulations.

He said it was critical for the Government and all relevant stakeholders to have first established a taskforce to oversee the June/July examinations rather than leaving it to the Government alone.

“The main concern is the provision that headmasters are supposed to ensure the availability of the face masks, which in some cases, mainly in the rural schools this might not be possible. We have seen in some cases headmasters now transferring the burden to learners to bring these Personal Protective Equipment, which is in itself a concern. As teachers we are maintaining that our safety comes first, if we realise that nothing has been done we will call for the further postponement of the exams, we will therefore be making a final decision on Monday (tomorrow),” said Dr Zhou.

Schools closed early as the country went into lockdown that started on 30 March to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Normal lessons are expected to resume at the end of July for final year examination writing classes. University final year students went back to class three weeks ago.

The Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) said it is ready for the start of exams on Tuesday.

Zimsec Director Dr Lazarus Nembaware said they were prepared for the examinations.

“Everything is now in place and we are ready for the June examinations,” he said.

“There has been a delay in the writing of this year’s June examinations as we all know but we’re fully prepared,” he said.

The June exams will run from June 30 to July 23 with 66 000 students expected to sit for the examinations while being invigilated by 10 000 teachers.

-State Media

Farai Dziva|CIO operatives attempted to abduct MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Chairperson Obey Sithole, Youth Assembly National Organising Secretary Godfrey Kurauone and one Mutombeni on Friday night in Masvingo.

Sithole, Kurauone and Mutombeni were chased by CIOs driving a white Toyota Prado without registration plates and they were forced to abandon their vehicle in the process.

Sithole said:
Last night they attempted to abduct us once again in Masvingo.

In Zimbabwe, even clapping using our hands can be considered a crime that warrants an abduction.

However, we remain resolute in our quest to bring a new Zimbabwe.

One day Zimbabwe shall be free and never again shall Zimbabweans be subjected to degrading treatment for their political choices.

I lost my phones in the process so I am currently not available on WhatsApp.

Many thanks to some brave Mucheke residents who facilitated our safe escape from the scene. Action is the only solution to the Zimbabwean equation.
ZanupfMustGo…

Things not looking good for Idhii as military & close associates accuse him of being captured by son, wife & a fuel mogul. Decisions made by cabinet are being overturned at the behest of the garullous spouse & randy oil mogul. Things falling apart, the centre no longer holding. pic.twitter.com/HrqlxcZRoB

— mawarire mbizvo jealousy (@mawarirej) June 27, 2020

By Nomusa Garikai- In Christian legend the wandering Jew is a character doomed to live until the end of the world because he taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion.

He is doomed to wander, looking for something he is doomed never to find because he does not know what it is he is looking for.

Nelson Chamisa is the “wandering Jew” of Zimbabwe politics.

“Going forward, as we alluded to in our independence speech, 40 is a sacred number – life begins at 40, the children of Israel took 40 years to cross into Canaan and Jesus Christ spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. Zimbabwe turned 40 this year! Hope is our portion!” said Chamisa in his latest epistle.

“Let us prepare for the new independence as we claim back all that was stolen and demand a people’s government through citizens’ peaceful protests per section 59 of the constitution. People of Zimbabwe deserve a legitimate capable state. The change we demand! None but ourselves!”

This is just nonsense! MDC has had many golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. The party has failed to implement even one reform. Not one! To make matters worse, MDC has continued to participate in these flawed and illegal elections, ignoring the repeated advice not to, and giving Zanu PF legitimacy.

Is Chamisa suggesting MDC did not implementing reforms, etc. to end the Zanu PF dictatorship deliberately because the nation was waiting to reach this magic number – 40 years. Now the nation has reached the magic age we can finally enter our Promised Land – a healthy and functioning democratic Zimbabwe!

Except that Zimbabwe is still a pariah state, a Banana Republic, ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs and not a democratic country. Chamisa, who envisages himself as the Biblical Joshua, has failed to lead the nation across the imaginary River Jordan! Indeed, the people of Zimbabwe will be very foolish to continue to follow this wandering Jew!

Chamisa and his MDC friends are corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs. The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect these MDC leaders to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. Instead of implementing the reforms the MDC leaders have sold-out big time and are now Zanu PF acolytes. They are running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.

The only way out of this economic and political mess is for Zimbabwe to find someone who will implement the democratic reforms since MDC have failed to do it.

As long as MDC continues to give Zanu PF political legitimacy by participating in flawed elections; Zanu PF thugs use this ill-gotten legitimacy to resist pressure for the regime to step down. The solution is to expose MDC leaders for what they are – corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs with no political credibility.

By failing to implement any reform in 20 years, participating in flawed elections and now by denying Chamisa’s unconstitutional succession was anything but MDC leaders have but stripped themselves of all political credibility. Zanu PF will now find the party cannot derive political legitimacy from a discredited opposition party. Zanu PF will be compelled to step down.

Nelson Chamisa and his corrupt, incompetent and sell-out MDC friends have no clue what the democratic reforms needed to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship are much less how they are to be implemented.

It is therefore no surprise that they have failed to implement even one reform in 20 years. All these Zimbabweans out there who continue to follow and support MDC, no questions asked, must know in Chamisa they have the wandering Jew personified.

“Zimbabwean must protest to demand legitimate state!” But it was your participation in the flawed elections against repeated warning not to that gave vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy!

By A Correspondent- Small scale gold miners in Gwanda have arrested suspected robbers who attacked Muzenda Mine near Coleen Bawn, 20km south of the Matabeleland South provincial capital.

The suspected robbers, travelling in a small Honda Fit car, raided the mine wielding an assortment of weapons.

Provincial police spokesman Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident, but distanced the police from the robbers following the recovery of a truncheon, mostly used by the police.

“We are holding two men who are assisting with investigations. We are charging them with unlawful entry. Two others are still at large. The four are suspected of having broken into Muzenda Mine, but they did not use machetes,” Ndebele said.

Police recovered a truncheon, a knife and a small axe in the suspects’ getaway vehicle.

One of the small-scale miners alleged yesterday the suspects were using a vehicle registered in the name of a police officer stationed in Bulawayo.

“We apprehended the suspects and took them to the police station before 8pm on Tuesday, but police took their time recording the details and almost released the suspects. Being the only incident, we don’t see why we had to leave the police station at 2am. This raised our suspicions,” the official said.

The two were expected to appear in court yesterday. The hunt for the outstanding two is still on.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Authorities are probing cases of alleged army brutality in Harare and at the country’s borders, after soldiers are said to have gone on a rampage on Wednesday night – assaulting people and looting their goods.

This comes as the country’s security forces have been accused by human rights groups and ordinary Zimbabweans of cracking down on citizens using excessive force, to enforce the current coronavirus national lockdown.

Zimbabwe National Army deputy public relations director, Alex Zuva, confirmed to the Daily News yesterday that they were investigating reports that soldiers had indiscriminately assaulted residents of Harare’s Warren Park suburb on Wednesday night.

“We are investigating the issue and this also requires that we check with Harare Central Police Station records.

“Currently, our people are in Warren Park carrying out investigations and once we are through we will advise all relevant parties,” he said.

According to eye-witnesses who spoke to the Daily News, the soldiers descended on Warren Park 1 on the day and allegedly assaulted residents and looted goods from vendors, including potatoes and vegetables.

Two journalists, Munashe Chokodza and Leopold Munhende — who were in the area — were caught in the melee and injured by the soldiers.

Chokodza and Munhende’s lawyer, Chris Mhike, also said yesterday that his clients had been assaulted by the soldiers.

“I confirm that the two journalists were assaulted by persons who appeared to be members of the armed forces.

“We filed a report at Warren Park Police Station and we were referred to Harare Central Police Station,” Mhike told the Daily News.

“We could not complete the process as my clients had to seek medical attention. They were treated at a local hospital and this treatment continues.

“Since the matter is still under investigation, we are not — at this stage — able to give a more comprehensive statement,” he added.

The Warren Park incidents happened a day after opposition legislators had quizzed Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri on what the government was doing regarding reports that soldiers at the country’s ports of entry were involved in human rights abuses.

In response, Muchinguri-Kashiri said that authorities were investigating the claims.

“This is a very serious allegation which requires that we undertake some serious investigations. We expect our forces to be very professional and disciplined,” she said.

The minister further called on members of the public to come forward and report abuses by armed forces during the course of their work.

“When it comes to disciplinary issues, the army is home to martial courts, where we do thorough investigations and we do not leave any stone unturned.

“There is high discipline when you consider our responsibility and duty to protect the people of Zimbabwe and also to protect Zimbabwean assets.

“If there are such cases, we will be more than happy to investigate them,” Muchinguri-Kashiri said.

“I am hoping and also appealing to you to bring forward or to report such individuals if you know them or if some of your informers have information.

“Everyone is free to come forward to our offices. We will definitely investigate the cases,” she added.

This comes as the Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, is to make a ruling on a point raised in the august House demanding that President Emmerson Mnangagwa comes to Parliament to explain the deployment of soldiers throughout the country to enforce the national corona lockdown, which was imposed to curb the spread of the disease in the country.

It also comes as Mnangagwa’s administration has been accused by critics of mimicking the previous one of the late former president Robert Mugabe, which was notorious for clamping down savagely on dissenting voices.

Among other things, Mnangagwa’s government has courted serious criticism for the August 2018 and January 2019 killings of civilians by security forces — following violent demonstrations by agitated citizens.

Recently, the government’s commitment to observing and upholding human rights in the country was also brought into sharp focus following allegations of repression — including the alleged abduction and torture of opponents.

Zimbabwe is currently under level two of the national coronavirus lockdown, which was first introduced by Mnangagwa at the end of March, as part of the government’s efforts to combat the local spread of the virus.

As part of further efforts to fortify the lockdown, the government has put in place several new regulations which — among other things — criminalise public gatherings and the non-wearing of face masks in public.

Recently Mnangagwa eased the lockdown further, allowing more sectors of the economy to resume business.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the coronavirus comes from a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.

Its symptoms include pneumonia, high fever, flu, shortness of breath and diarrhoea — and the precautions that have to be taken include covering the mouth when coughing and sneezing, and continuously washing one’s hands.

-DailyNews

By A Correspondent- A woman who claimed to be sex starved because her husband is advanced in age will soon appear in court after she allegedly forced a farm labourer to have sex with her.

State papers seen by The Mirror show that Maidei Mugwagwa (43) begged for sex from Brighton Hohodza (29) who stays at Stand 3, Eyrie Farm in Chatsworth but the complainant turned down the offer.

After turning down the offer, Hohodza allegedly moved away leaving the accused in the yard while he went away into his living room.

The State says Mugwagwa who is from Ripley Farm, Chatsworth followed the complainant into the living room, closed the door behind her before stripping naked in front of the complainant.

She allegedly grabbed Hohodza (29)’s manhood and caressed it until it was erect.  She laid the complainant on the ground, mounted herself on top of him and had sex with the complainant without a condom or his consent.

The incident happened on 6 May, 2020 at around 10am.

The State says the complainant was at his homestead where he resides and employed as a caretaker and the accused approached him to have sexual intercourse with her.

The accused is expected to appear before Magistrate Dambudzo Malunga.

– masvingomirror

By A Correspondent- An attempt to bribe police detectives by four armed robbers landed them in soup.

The matter came to light at Guruve magistrates courts on Friday where Never Zendelani (34), Patson Doro (33),Paul Baison (21) and Robson Doro all from Chiwaridzo,Bindura appeared before magistrate Shingirai Mutiro facing robbery charges.

They were remanded in custody to July 2.

The state led by Albert Mazhindu alleged on June 9 at Beris post the quartet armed with pistols pounced on three homesteads fired warning shots and robbed them of their money, two motor vehicle and a cell phone.

Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Mvurwi arm bushed the suspects and arrested them before recovering the stolen vehicles.

Upon their arrest the suspects tried to bribe the cops with US$15 and the police turned the bribe down.

Further investigations revealed that the suspects had evaded a police road block using an unregistered motor vehicle.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Matabeleland North stakeholders have called for the further suspension of the opening of schools and postponement of June examinations until it is safe to do so.

They threatened to withhold their children if the government continues to open the schools.

Stakeholders made the remarks during a virtual dialogue organised by the Rural Communities Empowerment Trust (Rucet).

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) representatives were guest speakers.

The meeting was moderated by Rucet Coordinator Vumani Ndlovu.

PTUZ Matabeleland North Secretary for Young Teachers Thabani Tshuma said it was proper to ensure safety of both learners and teachers before schools are opened.

“PTUZ therefore urges the government to desist from an impulse opening of schools without ensuring that it is very safe to do so,” he said.

“The government should ensure that Coronavirus is under control before opening schools.”

ARTUZ Matabeleland North Chairperson Sukoluhle Ndlovu said it is a risk for  to open schools  when  Covid 19 cases are still increasing.

“Schools are not yet safely prepared now and government must suspend their opening for now,” she said.

Bayanda Moyo said  the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Tumisang Thabela said $20 billion is needed to open schools and provide with most of the materials needed.

Mthokozisi Mbuyazwe said it was sad that the government is currently failing to cater for the quarantine centres and how will it be able to cater for thousands of school children and teachers.

Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) on Tuesday announced that the June examinations will begin on June 30 and end on July 23.

Zimsec board chair Eddie Mwenje said the revised examination timetable was done in accordance with COVID-19 mitigatory measures.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure was arrested in Harare on Friday and immediately transferred to Masvingo, where he was granted $500 bail by a magistrate this Saturday.

ARTUZ spokesperson Nation Mudzitirwa said human rights lawyer Tonderai Bhatasara would represent him in Masvingo.

He said:

The arrest follows the June 22 demonstration by Artuz members in Masvingo, demanding US dollar salaries.

It’s shocking that the State would criminalise genuine union activities guaranteed by the law and basic labour rights.

We maintain that president Obert Masaraure is not a criminal, but unionist fighting for labour justice.

FORMER Zanu PF legislator Goodwills Masimirembwa has been dragged to court over a botched residential stand sale involving US$72 500.

In an application, Donald and Sharon Makanyanga want the High Court to order Divine Homes to transfer all rights and title of the stand and sign the documents for the transfer and alternatively for the sheriff to be empowered to sign all documents necessary to effect transfer of rights and title of the said property.

The court heard that Masimirembwa bought number 826 Gletwyn Township from Divine Homes and an agreement of sale was signed to that effect.

However, Masimirembwa had nominated Divine Homes to process transfer of the property but before that was done, the land was also sold to Makanyanga and an agreement of sale was signed with Charles, Tadiwanashe and Cleopas Chibhanguza on September 5, 2018.
Makanyanga paid

US$72 500 only for the respondents to refuse to sign the documents for the transfer of the rights.

“It is a settled position in terms of the law of contract that if parties enter into an agreement of sale, if obligations and rights arise, parties have to fulfil their obligations,” reads the application.

“Further, the agreement becomes binding on the parties and the court can be approached to enforce it. The court can thus compel the performance of contractual obligations by a party in default.

“I have fulfilled my obligation to pay the purchase price; however, the respondents have neglected their obligation to deliver the same.

“They are withholding the transfer in which case this court is petitioned to compel them to transfer the property and all rights as agreed.”

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2. MDC ALLIANCE launched a new website two weeks ago,with a joining fee of ZWL$60 payable with Ecocash. Rumor has it that around 1.5milion people have already registered with MDC ALLIANCE, paying with Ecocash. Calculate the figures? The military government is panicking.

— Pedzisai Ruhanya (@PedzisaiRuhanya) June 27, 2020

Standard

Traditional musician Last Chiangwa, aka Tambaoga, has distanced himself from the Twitter account handle @Tambaoga7, which recently posted an apology for his yesteryear affiliation to Zanu PF.

Tambaoga wants the account to be “taken down” despite partially agreeing that he regrets some of the politically-charged lyrics in his music then.

In an interview, the Rambai Makashinga singer, who recently signalled a return to the music scene through a solid set on the NASH TV Facebook live show, admitted that associating with the ruling party had affected his work immensely.

“The biggest problem we have is that our everyday lives are intertwined with politics, for one to put food on the table it’s politics and so to turn a blind eye to what guarantees survival is very hard,” he told Standard Style.

“However, it is wrong to lean towards one side as I had done, but we all know that is freedom of expression.”

At the turn of the millennium, Tambaoga gained popularity for his songs that were filled with pro-Zanu PF propaganda and praises for the late former president Robert Mugabe.

As a result, he enjoyed lots of airplay at state-run broadcasters and slots to perform at national events while his fan base shrank considerably beyond the opportunities, particularly in urban areas.

But, describing musicians as vessels of a message from the spiritual realm, Tambaoga said the next generation of musicians should strive to chant the truth.

“I would like to advise young musicians that it is not wise to be inclined to political parties. As an influencer, one should be neutral,” he said.

“If musicians do not sing about what is happening in the country or what is being shown, they would have diverted from the truth and if anyone stops them, it is an injustice as such prophecy can help better our lives on earth.”

Tambaoga pledged to release more music this year, starting with a single titled Mutemo Wavirima that was produced by Hanif Bhika at HB Studios in Belvedere, Harare.

“Albums are being prepared from this studio as well as from Chill Spot. We are also looking forward to work with Nash TV and come up with a live album from their stable,” he said.

It remains to be seen if he will win the hearts of fans or continue to languish like other individuals and groups blacklisted for associating with political parties over the years.

A HIGH Court Judge on Friday 26 June 2020 set free three victims of abduction and torture, who had been languishing in prison for close to two weeks, after they were denied bail by Harare Magistrate Bianca Makwande on Monday 15 June 2020.

High Court Judge Justice Davison Foroma ordered the release from Chikurubi Maximum Prison of Harare West legislator Hon. Joana Mamombe aged 27 years, Cecelia Chimbiri aged 31 years and Netsai Marova aged 25 years, after presiding over the hearing and determination of a bail appeal filed by their lawyers Alec Muchadehama, Jeremiah Bamu, Tinomuda Shoko and Roselyn Hanzi of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

Hon. Mamombe, Chimbiri and Marova were arrested by Zimbabwe Republic Police members on 11 June 2020 and charged with publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the state as defined in section 31(a)(ii) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the state as defined in section 31(a)(iii) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. The trio was also charged with defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in section 184(1)(f) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

The trio’s freedom bid had been dismissed by Magistrate Makwande who on 15 June 2020 told Hon. Mamombe, Chimbiri and Marova that she vetoed their bail application after being convinced that there were compelling reasons not to admit them to bail as they were likely to abscond from trial.

But Justice Foroma on Friday 26 June 2020 set free Hon. Mamombe, Chimbiri and Marova after ruling that Magistrate Makwande had misdirected herself when she denied bail to Hon. Mamombe, Chimbiri and Marova.

The Judge ordered the trio to pay RTGS$10 000 each as bail money, to report at the Criminal Investigations Department’s Law and Order Section at Harare Central Police Station on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays, to continue residing at their given residential addresses, not to interfere with state witnesses and to keep their passports in the possession and custody of the Clerk of Court at Harare Magistrates Court until their matter is finalised.

Justice Foroma also barred the trio from communicating whether directly or otherwise with any of the public and or private media including on social media in connection with their matter.

Hon. Mamombe, Chimbiri and Marova went missing on 13 May 2020, when they were abducted in Harare by some unidentified people and were later found on 15 May 2020 after being dumped in Bindura in Mashonaland Central province.

They have already been charged with committing public violence after they were arrested on 26 May 2020 for allegedly participating in an anti-government protest against hunger during the national lockdown period as defined in section 37 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and for contravening section 5(3) (a) as read with section 5(1) of Statutory Instrument 99 of 2020 of Public Health (COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) Order, 2020 and will stand trial in August.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

Own Correspondent

Expelled Zanu PF national youth political Commissar, Godfrey Tsenengamu said that his pressure group, the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (FEEZ) is ready to take action against economic injustices, especially corruption.

Tsenengamu accused Zimbabwe’s rulers of allowing their children to grab mines across the country at the expense of the general citizenry.

He said that unlike the late former President Robert Mugabe’s sons, Robert Jr and Chatunga, the children of Zimbabwe’s current rulers are very corrupt.

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The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has clarified which mobile money transactions have been suspended following yesterday’s government statement.

It said:

1. All mobile money agents are suspended from facilitating mobile fi­nancial transactions with immediate effect;
2. All merchant transactions are suspended except for receiving payments for goods and services as well as payment of utilities (water, power and airtime), which have been limited up to $5000 per day for the convenience of the transacting public;
3. All mobile money liquidations should be done through the banking system;
4. All bulk payer transactions have been suspended with immediate effect.

Central bank governor John Mangudya said : “These unprecedented measures have been necessitated by the need to protect consumers on mobile money platforms which have been abused by unscrupulous and unpartisan individuals and entities to create instability and inefficiencies in the economy.”

He assured members of the pubic that their bona-­de transactions will be processed normally.

There had been an outcry on why the directive had come from the government instead of the central bank.

The statement reads:

Following the Government Press Release on the Suspension of Monetary Transactions on Mobile Based Money Platforms (One Money, MyCash, Ecocash and Telecash) dated 26 June 2020, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (the Bank) wishes to advise the public as follows:

a) All mobile money agents are suspended from facilitating mobile financial transactions with immediate effect.

b) All merchant transactions are suspended except for receiving payments for goods and services as well as payment of utilities (water, power and airtime), which have been limited up to ZW$5000 per day for the

convenience of the transacting public.

c) All mobile money liquidations should be done through the banking system.

d) All bulk payer transactions have been suspended with immediate effect.

These unprecedented measures have been necessitated by the need to protect consumers on mobile money platforms which have been abused by unscrupulous and nonpartisan individuals and entities to create instability and inefficiencies in the economy.

Members of the public are assured that their bonafide transactions will be processed normally.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe