State Media

Media and gender equality champion Dr Tikhala Chibwana has died.

Dr Chibwana, who was the director of the Women in News (WIN) died in Malawi yesterday after a short illness.

Described by colleagues as great leader, mentor, and champion of gender equality, Dr Chibwana mentored female journalists in Africa’s newsrooms through the Women In News programme.

Writing on her Twitter blog, WIN’s local programme manager Ms Molly Chimhanda said:

“Dr T, words cannot express the shock I felt when I was told. I’m still in shock… You will be missed @tkchibwana2. Irreplaceable soul. Such a great loss for our work. I learnt so much from you as my colleague, boss, father figure… I’m gutted.”

Veteran journalist Vincent Kahiya also mourned Dr Chibwana and said: ” Dr T @tkchibwana2  my dear friend, we had lots of unfinished business and conversations. Achimwene, I am gutted.”

WAN-IFRA executive director Ms Melanie Walker said,

” Dr Tikhala Chibwana was a champion of gender equality in the media industry. During his five-year tenure as head of WAN-IFRA Women in News Africa, ‘Dr. T’, as he was fondly referred to, inspired and motivated hundreds of journalists to take on greater leadership roles in the industry, and brought together dozens of media companies throughout Southern and East Central Africa in the collective pursuit of achieving greater diversity and operational excellence within their organisations. While we mourn this great loss, Dr Chibwana’s legacy will live on in the WIN community and in the future generations of journalists who will carry forward his teachings and influence in the work they do.”

Dr Chibwana also served in the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) regional board of trustees in 2011 and chaired its Audit & Finance Committee.

In Nov 2014, he was further appointed to become the Southern African Media Development Fund chairperson, which positions he was serving diligently until untimely death.

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Kirsty Coventry is reportedly grabbing a farm which belongs to Robert Zhuwao, the son of national liberation heroine, Sabina Mugabe.

Zhuwao who also a nephew of Zimbabwe’s founding leader, the man who led the land reform program, Robert Mugabe, has approached the courts seeking a spoliation and prohibitory interdict.

Coventry, the former World swimming champion and the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Perrance Shiri, in that order, were cited as 1st and 2nd respondents.

Part of the court papers reads:

RE: ROBERT ZHUWAO V KIRSTY COVENTRY And ANOR

The above matter refers.

We represent the Applicant in the matter, kindly note our concern.

We have been instructed to file an urgent chamber application on behalf of our client. Our Client is currently recovering from a brain surgery in Zambia, he has signed the founding affidavit same which was notarized and emailed to us to enable us to file the instructed urgent chamber application.

We kindly request your indulgence to file the urgent chamber application using the scanned version of the founding affidavit and submit the original at the hearing. Due to lockdown restrictions, DHL International (Zambia) Ltd has indicated that the original notarized document will be delivered on the 12th of June, 2020. We have attached the shipment receipt for reference and your information.

Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated, in the furtherance of Justice

Own Correspondent

The Supreme Court of Zimbabwe has overturned a decision by High Court which granted the controversial businessman acquittal on corruption charges.

He will now face trial in the Supreme Court.

More to follow…….

Source Zbctv news.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has issued a statement castigating the government’s use of a heavy hand on the legal profession and the opposition in the country. Below is the statement in full.

ZIMBABWEAN authorities have stepped up their crackdown against legal practitioners by questioning and arresting several lawyers and charging them with defeating or obstructing the course of justice during the execution of their professional duties.

On Sunday 7 June 2020, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members arrested and charged Harare-based lawyer Tapiwa Makanza with defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in section 184(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Makanza, who was represented by Paidamoyo Saurombe of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) and who appeared at Harare Magistrates Court on Monday 8 June 2020, was accused by prosecutors of creating a fictitious person Simbarashe Zuze, who is the person who in January 2019 filed an application in the Constitutional Court challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s appointment of Kumbirai Hodzi as Prosecutor-General as he did not score high marks during interviews conducted by Judicial Service Commission.

The 38 year-old Makanza, who was granted RTGS$20 000 bail and ordered to report at ZRP Anti-Corruption Unit and to continue residing at his given residential address, returns to court on 10 July 2020.

On Monday 8 June 2020, Joshuwa Chirambwe was also granted RTGS$20 000 bail when he appeared at Harare Magistrates Court after he was arrested and charged with defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in section 184(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. He was ordered to report at ZRP Anti-Corruption Unit and to continue residing at his given residential address.

The 28 year-old Chirambwe, who is represented by Obey Shava of ZLHR, was accused of conniving with Advocate Thabani Mpofu to obstruct any investigations into the existence of Zuze upon realising that the initial application tendered by Advocate Mpofu in the Constitutional Court was struck off the court’s roll on 6 February 2020.

He returns to court on 10 July 2020.
Advocate Choice Damiso and Harare-based lawyer Lawman Chimuriwo were also quizzed by ZRP members on Saturday 6 June 2020 and on Monday 8 June 2020 with reports that the state intends to turn them into state witnesses in the case of Advocate Mpofu, Makanza and Chirambwe.

On Saturday 6 June 2020, Bulawayo-based lawyer Dumisani Dube, who was arrested and charged with defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in section 184(1)(d) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, was granted RTGS$5 000 bail when he appeared at Bulawayo Magistrates Court.

Dube, who was represented by Prince Bhutshe-Dube and assisted by Godfrey Nyoni of ZLHR returns to court on 18 June 2020.

Charges against Dube arose from a matter wherein Dube represented his client and filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court, and obtained an order in favour of his client.

According to the state, Dube allegedly filed a fake certificate of service purporting to have served one of the Respondents in the matter, when he had not, and thereafter proceeded to obtain an order by default.

The arrest of Dube, Makanza and Chirambwe brings to four the number of lawyers who have been apprehended in just one week after Advocate Mpofu was arrested and charged on the same allegation of defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in section 184(1)(d) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.\

Advocate Mpofu, who was represented by Beatrice Mtetwa and Raymond Moyo of ZLHR, was also charged with corruptly concealing a transaction from a principal as defined in section 172(1)(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and perjury as defined in section 183(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Advocate Mpofu returns to court on 10 July 2020.

Meanwhile, Harare Magistrate Bianca Makwande on Saturday 6 June 2020 granted RTGS$1 000 bail each to six opposition MDC-Alliance party leaders, who were arrested on Friday 5 June 2020 and charged with criminal nuisance as defined in section 46 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and with contravening some national lockdown regulations.

The six MDC-Alliance party leaders, who include Vice-President Tendai Biti aged 53 years, Vice-President Lynette Karenyi aged 45 years-old, Deputy Secretary-General David Chimhini aged 70 years, Gladys Hlatshwayo aged 36 years, 34 year-old Lovemore Chinoputsa, the Deputy Secretary for International Relations, and 50 year-old Vongai Tome, the Secretary for Mobilisation in the opposition party’s Women’s Assembly were represented by Beatrice Mtetwa, Alec Muchadehama and Jeremiah Bamu of ZLHR.

Prosecutors said the six MDC-Alliance leaders contravened section 5(3)(a) as read with section 5(1) of Statutory Instrument 83/2020 as amended by section 4(a) of Statutory Instrument 99 of 2020 (COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment (National Lockdown 2020) as amended by Amendment Order number 8 of the regulation, which prohibits gatherings of more than 50 individuals in a public place during the national lockdown period declared by government.

On the alternative charge of criminal nuisance as defined in section 46 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act as read with paragraph 2(v) of the third Schedule to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, prosecutors alleged that the opposition party leaders allegedly interfered with the ordinary comfort, convenience, peace or quiet of the public.

The prosecutors alleged that the six MDC-Alliance party leaders gathered outside Morgan Tsvangirai House in Harare’s central business district and blocked Nelson Mandela Avenue and sang a protest song with the lyrics “kana ndafa nehondo”, which if loosely translated means “I am prepared to die”.

Mtetwa, Muchadehama and Bamu notified Magistrate Makwande that they will challenge the placement on remand of their clients when they return to court.

 By A Correspondent- A philandering Bulawayo church leader is in soup for being in several romantic relationships with congregants.

Nhanhla Ndhlovu was reportedly chucked out of Gospel Life Assembles for allegedly having multiple sexual affairs with congregants at the church and failing to repent despite being chastised by church leadership.

A reliable source who spoke to the publication revealed that on different occasions female youths at the churched thronged church leaders seeking to report the sex ‘abuse’. The source went on to say Nhlanhla was summoned for a hearing by the church leadership which is led by Pastor Lovemore Nyoni.

‘They told him that a number of female youths in the church had approached the pastorate complaining that Nhlanhla sexually used them and dumped them. They showed him the evidence and he apologised. He was admonished and given a chance to reform but he failed to change for the better.

‘This forced the church leadership to excommunicate him so as to save the church from a bad reputation,’ said the source.

However, the accused shot down the allegations claiming that the matter was over a marriage partner.

‘The problem started when I introduced a lady I wanted to marry to the pastor. Surprisingly the pastor shot down my choice saying she was not mature in the things of the Lord. After that my lady and her parents deserted the church. The pastor accused me of failing to convince her not to leave the church,’ he said.

‘On the second issue after several months, I introduced another lady I wanted to marry. Shockingly again they turned my request down saying she did not have breasts and she was young while the lady in question had completed her Advanced Level.  Moreover when I was away on duty in Kadoma, I heard from some church members that the pastor warned all female youths to never come to my office. After that I got shocked to learn that the pastor told youths in their WhatsApp group that he excommunicated me. But the truth of the matter is I left on my own and I was never excommunicated. Also it’s not true that I had sexual affairs with the female youths at our church.’

Reached for a comment Pastor Lovemore Nyoni said:

‘It is not true that he was prevented from marrying a lady of his choice. The church or pastor has no legal authority to force anyone to marry or not to marry. The ex-communication was in response to a string of sexual abuse or sexual immorality that he committed at our church. As leadership we have a responsibility to protect girls from all forms of abuse. This is part of our non-negotiable biblical principle.’

Nhlanhla said in one of his communications with the church leadership, which the tabloid publication has in its possession:

‘I hope somehow I will get over all my mistakes. Thank you for your patience on me, you sacrificed a lot for me and I failed you.’

This is the man the govt is denying exists leading to the arrest of Advocate Thabani Mpofu for filing an affidavit for a non existent person challenging the appointment of Hodzi as Prosecutor General… pic.twitter.com/DFCB6IAUY8

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 8, 2020

RESERVE Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor John Mangudya has warned illegal money changers and cash barons that indiscipline such as showing off cash on social media will lead to them being arrested because it is illegal.

This comes as the RBZ claims to have cornered illegal money changers, adding that it will continue to come up with measures to deal with the rampant illicit trade.

Over the past weeks, the Central Bank has come up with a number of measures to deal with illegal money dealers who have been fuelling the parallel market rates of foreign currency.

The bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) recently directed all banks to review downwards Zipit transaction limits to $20 000 a day from $100 000 following abuse of the facility by illegal foreign currency dealers.

This was a few weeks after the Apex bank also directed mobile money service providers to freeze accounts belonging to agents with transaction activity above $100 000.

On Thursday the Central Bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) issued a statement outlining that bank account holders would be allowed to make not more than two interbank transactions per day.

Mangudya said on Friday that the bank could not sit and watch dealers dragging the country into chaos. He said for the economy to move forward, illegal money changers must be stopped in their tracks and citizens have to exercise discipline.

Mangudya was clear that while the RBZ was doing all it can to address the runaway black market, it was solely the responsibility of every citizen to shun illegal money changers.

“What is lacking is self-discipline. We need to make sure we produce for the economy so that we become self-sufficient. The behaviour of selling money is not conducive for economic growth.

“There is no economy that has grown by selling money to get money. Let us have national interest. We have to be patriotic and develop national ethos that is good for the economy,” he said.

Mangudya also warned that those who post pictures of bank notes on social media risk being arrested. He said such foolhardy and unpatriotic tendencies are retrogressive and unlawful.

“It is illegal to show off cash on social media. Members of the public risk being arrested,” Mangudya has warned.

The Central Bank boss is on record as saying the only way the country can address the anomaly in the exchange rate is for citizens to desist from speculative tendencies.

“These problems are caused by behavioural issues. Zimbabweans have become very speculative in nature. As a move to block the black market, the RBZ has instituted new measures that are to put a blow on the black market.”

In the past two weeks, the monetary trading regime in the country has somewhat spiralled to record highs. Illegal money changers have fixed foreign exchange trade against the local currency at runaway rates each day.

As of Friday, black market rates for the local currency were pegged as high as 1:60 to the United States dollar, while the official bank rate stands at 1: 25.

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Internal bank transfers are popular within the black market racketeers as money changers resort to draw off huge sums of money.

Scheming money traders who have bank accounts persuade members of the public to accept trading at inflated rates in the parallel exchange rate. Bank accounts which are now conduits of illegal forex trade will be strictly monitored, the RBZ has said.

“Each bank customer shall make no more than two transactions per day by way of internal transfer, regardless of the values involved,” said RBZ.

The RBZ stated that while there would be no restrictions Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS) transfers, banks must remain on guard to monitor accounts. On 26 May, the Central Bank implemented tight measures that put paid illegal dealing by mobile money traders on the EcoCash platform.

“We have noted a trend where entities are using their bank accounts to buy foreign currency using a network of runners, some of whom have been advertising their services on social media.

“These illicit transactions manifest in the form of multiple payments from one account to beneficiaries who hold accounts in the same bank.”

The selling of cash done by illegal money changers is known to many as “burning” and is not a new phenomenon on the economy. The “burning money” practice went viral in the hyper inflationary period between 2007 and 2008. It involves the trading of hard cash on the black market for a premium.

By Own Correspondent| The High Court has barred a faction of the opposition MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe from replacing legislators who were recently recalled from parliament.

Posting on Twitter this morning, MDC Alliance Secretary General Charlton Hwende said the High Court has stopped the Khupe faction from replacing the four legislators pending the determination of the legality of calls.

“We have just won our case at the High Court before Justice Mafusire. MDC-T Khupe and Mwonzora have been bared from replacing those recalled pending the court’s determination of the legality of the recalls,” said Hwende.

The recalled MPs are Charlton Hwende, Tabitha Khumalo, Prosper Mutseyami and Lilian Timveos.

By A Correspondent- Police in Matabeleland South Province has intensified raids in mining areas in the province resulting in over 300 arrests.

339 people were arrested in mining areas of Matobo and Gwanda last week for violating COVID-19 lockdown and mining regulations.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele told the state media that the suspects had been arrested for operating without protective mining clothing.

“The offences also include unnecessary movement, failure to wear COVID-19 protective gear such as masks and failure to observe other COVID-19 safety measures such as maintaining social distancing, sanitising and checking temperatures.” Said Chief Isp. Ndebele:

We made observations that there is a lot of defiance in mining areas as people are not following operational regulations set under the Mines and Minerals Act as well as safety measures set by Government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Chief Insp Ndebele urged miners to observe the regulations as police will continue to conduct the raids.

He also said police are on the lookout for shops not observing COVID-19 safety measures such as sanitising customers upon entry, checking their temperature and maintaining social distancing

State Media|Desperate home seekers in Harare will have to wait a bit longer to get stands from council after the local authority temporarily froze new stand allocations and suspended operations of the allocation unit in the Housing Department until internal investigations into unprocedural, double and fake allocations are complete.

The process for one to acquire a stand in Harare has been raising eyebrows over the years with the local authority issuing offer letters without stamps, making it easy for officials to duplicate the document leading to double allocations.

The freeze on the allocation of stands is expected to pave way for the introduction of a Human Settlements Policy that will see land barons being cut out of Harare’s housing programme.

Under the new policy council will only allocate serviced land, preventing anyone from seizing unserviced land and later seeking regularisation.

Town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango and housing director Mr Addmore Nhekairo were yesterday reported to be holding a crunch meeting prompted by the temporary closure of the allocation unit in the department of Housing.

Harare City Council in a statement said the move to temporarily shut down the unit was prompted by desperate home seekers that were duped of their hard-earned cash.

Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said the allocations unit will remain closed until investigations are complete.

“Harare City Council is encouraging residents who feel they were short-changed in the allocation of residential stands through our Housing Department to report to the Municipal Police headquarters with evidence or proof of the transactions they did.

“Council is investigating the unprocedural allocation of housing stands, double allocations and fake allocations with a view of improving service delivery and bringing to book employees who might have been involved,” said the local authority.

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba yesterday said council has had an opaque stands allocation system for a long time.

“Desperate home seekers on the housing waiting list have always complained that they are not being allocated the stands because people with money have been bribing corrupt officials and councillors to secure stands.

“The result has been that the poor people have been paying money for renewals without receiving any joy. To make matters worse, the renewals are now being done twice a year,” he said.

Mr Shumba said it is important that all the people involved should be thoroughly investigated.

A concerned resident, Freeman Mutambara, said it is sad that council continues to parcel out prime land to land barons for a song who then go on to sell the same stands for a premium.

Another resident, Privilege Musvanhiri said the housing waiting list was not working.

“I have been on the housing list for almost 10 years and I have been to the office inquiring about infill stands in our neighbourhood in Mabelreign and Greencroft. Each time you are told there is nothing but we see new development taking place there.”

MISA Zimbabwe takes note of the chain of events that have transpired in these last few months in Zimbabwe, which seem to point to increased attempts by the government to promote and entrench mass surveillance of citizens.

The recent press statement released by the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe, on the alleged abduction of three MDC Alliance Activists Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova raised alarm on government surveillance of citizens.

In his statement, the Minister gave a detailed narration of the purported movements of the three abductees, which included their precise locations and times on the day in question.

And recently, in March 2020, the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Commander Lieutenant-General Edzai Chimonyo, addressing senior military commissioned officers at the Zimbabwe Military Academy in Gweru, said the military would soon start snooping into private communications between private citizens to “guard against subversion,” as social media has become a threat to national security.

In his post-cabinet briefing on the 21^st of April 2020, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the government used a sophisticated algorithm to select beneficiaries of the ZW$180 COVID-19 pocket money. A social media report also elaborated that the Finance Minister claimed that “they looked at how much money is in your bank account, mobile wallet, and using your cell phone number, figured out where you really stay”.

What is alarming is what appears to be a combined operation of excessive use of personal information, by public and private actors, government, and mobile network operators. This raises several issues of concern around data protection, surveillance and the right to privacy.

Surveillance laws in Zimbabwe

It is not in dispute that rights can be limited and in terms of Section 85 (2) of the Constitution. Fundamental rights and freedoms set out in the Constitution may be limited only in terms of a law of general application and to the extent that the limitation is fair, reasonable, necessary and justifiable in a democratic society based on openness, justice, human dignity, equality and freedom, taking into account all relevant factors.

Principle 8 of the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms which focuses on privacy and personal data protection also provides that:

The right to privacy on the Internet should not be subject to any restrictions, except those that are provided by law, pursue a legitimate aim as expressly listed under international human rights law, (as specified in Article 3 of this Declaration) and are necessary and proportionate in pursuance of a legitimate aim.

Meanwhile, taking note of the sensitivity of the matter at hand, being an alleged abduction, it was expected that the government would institute investigations to uncover the truth and the criminals behind that abduction.

With the advancement in technology, geo-location data of persons and call records among other tools can be relied on to track persons and their locations. Such innovations in information technology have also enabled previously unimagined forms of collecting, storing, and sharing personal data. This, therefore, poses the urgent need to jealously guard the right to privacy and to increase State obligations related to the protection of personal data.

As highlighted above, any infringement of the right to privacy should be prescribed by law, necessary to achieve a legitimate aim, and proportionate to the aim pursued. The Interceptions of Communications Act is the statute that sets out the legal basis for the government or rather State authorities to conduct communications surveillance.

In terms of the Act, an application for the lawful interception of any communication may be made by the Chief of Defence Intelligence or his or her nominee; the Director-General of the President’s department responsible for national security or his or her nominee, and in this case the Commissioner of the Zimbabwe Republic Police or his or her nominee.

As part of the application, full particulars of all the facts and circumstances alleged by the applicant in support of his or her application and also whether other investigative procedures have been applied and have failed to produce the required evidence.

Or, the reason why other investigative procedures appear to be unlikely to succeed if applied, or whether they involve undue risk to the safety of members of the public or to those wishing to obtain the required evidence.

The law also requires that the Minister should issue the warrant if there are reasonable grounds for the Minister to believe that any of the listed offences has been or is being or will probably be committed and this includes kidnapping or unlawful detention involving the infliction of grievous bodily harm.

MISA Zimbabwe position

The Executive’s access to private data of citizens, use and storage should be prescribed by law and through lawful procedures that are in line with international human rights frameworks.

MISA Zimbabwe, therefore, reiterates that the Interception of Communications Act, enacted in 2007, needs to be reviewed and aligned with the 2013 Constitution. The Act infringes on the exercise of rights and is not in keeping with international human rights standards through various aspects which include the following:

• Authorities may obtain warrants to intercept private communications through a process that is controlled by members of the Executive and not subject to independent scrutiny and oversight, whether from a judicial or other monitoring body or the public.
• The Act does not require authorities to notify individuals that they are or have been subject to surveillance and there are insufficient avenues for victims of unlawful surveillance to seek redress.
• The Act places wide-ranging duties on telecommunications providers to facilitate State surveillance.
• Key terms in the Act, such as “monitoring,” are not clearly defined, opening the door to abuse, especially in relation to the collection and analysis of metadata.

MISA Zimbabwe also takes note of the gazetting of the Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill which seeks to put in place mechanisms for the protection of data in line with the Declaration of Rights.

Having noted the extensive involvement of the executive in surveillance issues, MISA Zimbabwe also reiterates its position in the analysis of the Bill, that the proposal to make Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), the Cybersecurity Centre and Data Protection Authority, is inappropriate.

The conflation of these three institutions poses a dual crisis, with POTRAZ, on one hand, becoming the surveillance arm of the state while also having access to the large volumes of data collected by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This, therefore, compromises data protection and the right to privacy.

The proposed Bill should be reviewed to ensure that it is in keeping with the promotion of the right to privacy and data protection. A separate and independent body should also be set up to handle all cybersecurity issues, comprising stakeholders who advocate for internet freedom and protection of digital rights.

Where interception is required, there is a need for judicial oversight, protection of the metadata obtained and clearly laid out procedure on the retention of the metadata. Further, there should be parameters set on the scope of interception, rather than an open wide interception, similar to search and seizure powers, which are broad and open for abuse. In the absence of such safety nets, mass surveillance of citizens becomes a free reign for the ruling elites to abuse the vulnerable citizens. This is in violation of the constitution of Zimbabwe’s section 57, which states that: Every person has the right to privacy, which includes the right not to have:

• their home, premises or property entered without permission;
• their person, home premises or property searched;
• their possession seized;
• the privacy of communications infringed; or
• their health condition disclosed

Own Correspondent

An audio of Norton Independent Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa warning President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, Emmerson Junior, against tarnishing his father’s image through playing around with women has emerged on social media.

According to the audio, Emmerson Jnr seems to been in a relationship with Pokello Nare.

Mliswa is a cousin to the president of Zimbabwe and was heard advising Emmerson Junior to come out clean and make a statement regarding the affair. He says he was advising in his capacity as a concerned uncle.

Mliswa was being straight in the audio as he sought clarity.

You can follow the link below to listen to the audio.

08 June 2020
Joint statement by Teacher Unions in Zimbabwe concerning low salaries for teachers

▪️Perturbed about who is paying the difference when teachers are earning a meagre and starvation monthly salary of ZWL$2 800 when the cost of groceries only for a family of six is conservatively pegged at $5 551 and that of other basics at ZWL$2 666 by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe;
▪️Concerned that the level of inflation in Zimbabwe is conservatively said to have risen to around 700%;
▪️Worried that salaries of teachers have remained stagnant in an economic environment where the cost of everything else is continuously pointing northwards because of the galloping three-digit inflation ;
▪️Realising that the economy has re-dollarised and the providers of goods and services are now demanding payment in the more stable currency of United States Dollars yet teachers’ meagre salaries of less than US $34 are denominated in the less stable currency of Zimbabwean dollar;
▪️Reminding the Government that teachers’ monthly salaries were once US $550 before the introduction of bond note, which was a precursor to the the untimely return of the Zimbabwe Dollar;
▪️Noting that teachers have a dispute of right with the employer considering that their salaries were technically reduced, which is no doubt an unfair labour practice because salaries for workers providing a service to the employer as per employment contract can only be improved upon rather than reduced;
▪️Reiterating that salaries for teachers need to paid in United States Dollars than in Zimbabwean Dollars so that they can afford the basic the goods and services on the market;
▪️Stressing the importance for the employer to restore the Purchasing Power Parity of teachers ‘ salaries that obtained prior to October 2017; and
▪️Emphasizing that well paid teachers in safe schools is a must for quality public education.

We, the undersigned Teacher Unions in Zimbabwe, now therefore, urge the Employer to:

1. Urgently convene a meeting with all teacher unions only with a view to sharing ideas on the way forward before the opening of schools post the covid-19 period;
2. Engage all teacher unions with a view to urgently reviewing salaries for teachers;
3. Consider putting in place meaningful education sector-specific allowances that commensurate with their responsibilities and status;
4. De-bunch teachers’ salaries considering that teachers’ salaries must be a function of their qualifications, responsibilities and experiences;
5. Treat the issue of the review of teachers’ salaries as an urgent matter;
6. Pay teachers’ salaries in United States Dollars, which they used to earn before October 2017 in line with the Purchasing Power Parity principle;
7. Be aware that there is nothing as dangerous as having under-paid teachers in the classrooms because teachers are role models of their communities and society; and
8. Pay an acceptable covid-19 risk allowance to teachers as in essence they are frontline workers in the education system during .

Jointly signed by
ARTUZ, PTUZ, TUZ , ZDTU, ZINATU, ZINEU, ZRTU and ZIMTA

ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK

PRESS RELEASE

08-June-2020– The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) notes with concern the the continued suspension of electoral activities by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) without consulting key electoral stakeholders.

Initially, on 25 May, ZEC announced the indefinite suspension of all electoral processes. While announcing plans to resume some electoral activities, the ZEC’s Press Release dated Friday 5 June 2020 notes; “The Commission would like to remind the public that those electoral activities that require gatherings will remain suspended to avoid violating lockdown measures currently in place.”

Whilst acknowledging the risk that the novel coronavirus exposes those involved in elections to, ZESN reiterates its position that ZEC could have reached a decision after engaging key stakeholders such as political parties, CSOs, and even citizens.

Engagement with regards to whether or not to suspend electoral activities could have been done through virtual or any other means adhering to measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

In the absence of these consultations, ZEC could at least have considered postponing, rather than suspending electoral activities. But even postponement cannot be indefinite.

ZESN is the position that ZEC could proceed with by-elections and other electoral activities, ensuring COVID-19 preventative measures are in place for voters, polling officials, political party agents as well as observers.

This is particularly so because the COVID-19 pandemic may be here to stay, no one knows for how long if it is for months or years.

ZESN notes that the suspension of electoral activities was not done in terms of the law. Sections 158 (3) and 121 (a) of the Constitution provide that ZEC should conduct polling in by-elections to fill vacancies in Parliament and local authorities, fix the polling dates for local authority by-elections within 90 days after the vacancies occur.

Section 132 allows ZEC to change dates but does not mandate ZEC to change without giving notice of its decision in the Gazette and in the media and beyond 90 days.

ZESN envisages to see a comprehensive COVID-19 Electoral Practice Policy that is reflective of key electoral stakeholders’ input. Consultations and stakeholder engagement is one of the progressive provisions in the current ZEC Strategic Plan. “Electoral stakeholders play a key role in creating public confidence in ZEC and ensuring public support in its policies and programmes.

To ensure trust in the electoral process, there is need for the Commission to institutionalize stakeholder engagement and to develop an operational culture that makes it responsive to the needs of the stakeholders,” reads the ZEC Strategic Plan 2019-2024, page 23.

Recently, ZESN noted that Parliament has been engaging with stakeholders and ZEC should have taken a cue from that so as to enhance trust and confidence. Indications are that Parliament may soon embark on public hearings on Constitutional Amendment Bill No.2.

Given that a number of countries have so far held electoral activities amid COVID-19, ZEC could draw lessons to guide the conduct of elections under more or less similar circumstances so as not to quarantine democracy.

Furthermore, Zimbabweans queue on a daily basis for basic commodities, cash outs at banks and money agents, social welfare and food aid from different organisations whilst observing safety measures.

ZESN is of the view that ZEC could proceed with electoral activities including voting and consider the following measures, among others:

•In developing the COVID-19 policy, ZEC should be informed by views and inputs gathered from consultations;
•In order to accommodate additional activities in setting up polling stations due to COVID-19, polls could now commence at 8.30 am and close earlier;
•Perhaps ZEC should consider postponing by-elections if vacancies occur in areas where the incidence of COVID-19 positive cases is high.

However, ZEC should note that any postponement beyond 90 days from the date a vacancy arises as provided for in Section 158 (3) of the Constitution is potentially illegal and unconstitutional;

•ZEC could consider mandatory COVID-19 testing for ZEC staff before and after deployment for elections;
•ZEC should institute preventative measures such as body temperature screening, hand sanitizers, face masks, and safe distancing for voters, polling officials, political party agents, security personnel, and observers and provide personal protective equipment to polling officers during by–elections;
•ZEC could develop and widely disseminate ahead of election days a Code of Conduct for Voters detailing information on voting amid COVID-19;
•ZEC could ensure that, prior to the commencement of polls, the Presiding Officer or ZEC officers read out loudly to voters the contents of the Code of Conduct for Voters;
•ZEC could use tags and twines to ensure crowd control and maintenance of safe distance;
•ZEC could ensure safe distancing inside and out of polling stations by indicating using signs and marks strategically placed throughout the voting premises;
•ZEC could introduce a two-tier queuing system at polling stations where voters will be brought into the voting area periodically to prevent overcrowding;
•ZEC could ensure that the layout of polling stations complies with distancing requirements;
•ZEC could disinfect polling stations before, during and after polling and regularly disinfect voting compartments, ballot stamps and other election materials;
•ZEC could have voters temporarily lower or remove their face masks to facilitate their identification;
•Where any are close to such facilities, ZEC should move polling stations away from long term care facilities and facilities housing older persons to minimize COVID-19 exposure among older individuals and those with chronic medical conditions;
•ZEC could limit the number of people in the same room at any given time;
•ZEC could allow voters who are under COVID-19 self-isolation to vote at polling stations after the closing of polling stations for all other voters, with strict protective measures adhered to on the part of both the voters and election administration officers; and
•ZEC could ensure safe distancing amongst all in collation centres.

Besides the above proposed measures that would help ensure elections are conducted in a manner that reduces chances of spreading COVID-19, there is need to institute reforms that will ensure the credibility in elections and electoral processes.

ZESN restates the need for ZEC to ensure that electoral processes done during the COVID-19 pandemic era are conducted in a transparent, accountable, credible and verifiable manner.

There is need to strike a balance between ensuring the health and safety of all stakeholders and upholding the law. ZESN thus recommends more dialogue between ZEC and electoral stakeholders on alternative methods of conducting other electoral processes that will ensure the health and safety for all involved.

Overall, ZEC’s decision on the way forward regarding conducting electoral processes amid COVID-19 should be informed by an inclusive consultative process that taps into the views of all concerned stakeholders.// ENDS

PROMOTING DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN ZIMBABWE

PRESS STATEMENT: ZMC06/2020

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF ACCREDITATION FOR YEAR 2020

This notice serves to inform all stakeholders that the Zimbabwe Media Commission has temporarily suspended the accreditation of all media practitioners following a High Court Interdict obtained by the Zimbabwe Online Content Creators Trust (ZOCC).

The High Court judgement interdicts the Commission from proceeding with the current accreditation framework that had introduced two additional categories for filmmakers and online content creators which in the past were accredited as journalists.

It is in the spirit of upholding the Court judgement that the Commission has temporarily stopped accreditation of media practitioners. The Commission needs time to interpret and understand the judgement and its implications.

The Commission will soon be meeting with stakeholders to deliberate on the issue of accreditation of media practitioners. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the legal instrument proving for registration and accreditation, only provides for the accreditation of journalists who meet certain basic standards as contained in Statutory instrument 169C of 2002, Second Schedule (Section 2) and the requirements as per Form AP3 which is part of the schedule.

The Commission will soon issue a statement on the resumption of the accreditation process after meeting with stakeholders and the legal implications of the judgement.

Issued by the Zimbabwe Media Commission
08 June 2020

By Own Correspondent| Drax International frontman Delish Nguwaya is on the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) radar over his alleged inflation of COVID-19 medical supply prices.

The case which dominated social media last week, has left the anti-graft body with questions which they want answers from Nguwaya.

The Harare businessman who is being accused of abusing names of First Family members in a bid to evade justice, has had a brush with the law in the past five years having been arrested for extortion and drug dealing in 2017.

A ZACC official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the net was closing in on Nguwaya.

“As ZACC, we have taken keen interest in the Drax saga including the local partner, Delish Nguwaya, hence our team is on the ground to unravel circumstances regarding the inflated prices of COVID-19 medical supplies,” said the ZACC source.

Nguwaya was arrested in 2017 on allegations of extortion and possession of cocaine

A detailed Zimbabwe Republic Police memorandum revealed Nguwaya’s shenanigans.

“On the 3 March 2017, Detectives from CID Drugs, Harare received information from Bruce Blake, a consultant at Linscort Investment Private Limited, to the effect that he was being extorted money by one Delish Nguwaya who claimed to be a CIO special agent,” reads the memo.

This was one of Nguwaya’s dealings which later led to his arrest.

“On the 3rd of March 207, complainant Bruce Blake received a phone call from his South African business associate Justin Davenport who stated that he had been contacted by the accused person Delish Nguwaya who misrepresented to him that he was a CIO operative,” reads the memo.

Delish Nguwaya was later arrested after a trap was instituted by law enforcement agents.

“On the 8th day of March 2017, a team of detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics, Harare, carried out a trap on the accused person at premise number 3 Liemba Close, Borrowdale, Harare. The accused person arrived at the premise unsuspecting of the trap and received narked cash being trap money totalling US$2000 from the complainant Bruce Blake,” reads the memo

Besides Nguwaya’s past which is littered with controversy, he is currently in the headlines after his company Drax International torched a storm as the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development officials raised a red flag over inflated invoices which sought payment for the supply of medicals.

Nguwaya this week also saw his WhatsApp chat with a local journalist leaking in which he admitted to using names of President Mnangagwa’s children to shield himself from scrutiny.

In a bid to salvage his blocked tender, Nguwaya dragged the name of President Mnangagwa’s son, Collins claiming he was working with him.

Collins immediately hit back publicly telling the nation that he was not part of Nguwaya and Drax International in any way.

In the chat, he also also pleads for positive coverage from the media.

By A Correspondent- LEAD President Linda Masarira has invited opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to join rebrand, restrategise or join her party.

Masarira, who herself was once a member of the break away faction of the MDC T led by Thokozani Khupe before she fell out with her earstwhile leader leads her year old party, LEAD.

Said Masarira in an invitation to Chamisa:

Dear Nelson Chamisa

How have you been my brother? I’ve been following the events unfolding between your party and the MDC T. For your sanity, my advise to you is rebrand, restrategise and or join LEAD and let’s work togethre to Rebuild Zimbabwe. Tikabatana tinokunda, Siyambambana Siyangoba.”

Chamisa is yet to respond to the invitation.

Farai Dziva|Popular Masvingo based Cleric, Isaac Makomichi has challenged Douglas Mwonzora and Thokozani Khupe to vacate Harvest House with immediate effect.

The controversial preacher has released a strong “prophetic warning” to Mwonzora and Khupe.Makomichi, who is the leader of Calvary Prayer Group, claims he has the prophetic grace to facilitate national dialogue in the country.

Mwonzora and Khupe captured Morgan Tsvangirai House on Thursday night.

In a ” prophetic statement” released on Monday, Makomichi said:

“Many people may wonder why I am speaking about political events that are happening in the country.

It is my prophetic obligation to reveal divine revelations about what is happening in Zimbabwe.

I am not a politician and I do not belong to any political party.

By grabbing Harvest House, Khupe and Mwonzora violated spiritual laws.

The two should immediately vacate the building because as I see things in the spirit, a curse is upon them.

They should not move around the country at this juncture because of the wrath of the people.

If one violates spiritual laws, one has to seek deliverance before it is too late.

By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance youth spokesperson Womberai Nhende’s court case is set to commence this Monday afternoon at Parirenyatwa hospital where he is currently recuperating.

Nhende was brutally assaulted by the police following his arrest before he was taken to Parirenyatwa hospital following the intervention of his lawyers and his party MDC Alliance.

Said a source privy to developments:

“Nhende’s court case is set to commence any time from now from his hospital bed. He is however in pain following the brutal attack by the police.”

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa has said his main aim is to lead Zimbabwe to a phase of prosperity and national unity.

Chamisa said petty fights would not deter the wave of revolution.

Quoted by NewsDay, Chamisa said:

It’s not about me or the MDC Alliance, it is about the people of Zimbabwe, the democratic space is being choked by Zanu PF and it is time we act, draw a line in the sand or we will be choked to death
Look at how everyone has become an enemy of the State and under siege, first it was the doctors, then they came after journalists, then lawyers, human rights activists, the whole nation can’t breathe now.”

“It is a Zanu PF party culture of label and condemnation.

I am not seeking to be the president of MDC. I am already the president of MDC Alliance and I am not going to be reduced into petty fights.

I am seeking to establish national consensus for all people. I am not going to label people condemning them because of who they are. I know I am going to lead Zimbabwe including Mnangangwa and his Zanu PF, so I am going to lead the entire nation.

Why should I say I don’t want to see Mnangagwa when you are a leader you must unify people.

That is my fundamental problem with Mnangagwa.

Instead of unifying people, he is waging a gap of hatred within people.”

Chiredzi South villagers on Wednesday last week raised placards in the presence of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to protest against a lucerne grass farming project which is bound to displace over 1 000 families from their ancestral land.

The Vice President visited Chilonga communal lands with Ministers Perence Shiri (Agriculture), Fortune Chasi (Energy), Ezra Chadzamira (State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs), July Moyo (Local Government), John Mangwiro (Health deputy) and Clemence Chiduwa (Finance deputy).

However, after villagers spent the whole day waiting for the Vice President he arrived at 4pm and delivered a 10 minute speech.

After Chiwenga’s address, some villagers peacefully protested by raising placards inscribed with such messages as ‘consult us on lucerne’ and ‘takaramba investor’.

In his 10-minute address, Chiwenga promised to resuscitate Chilonga Irrigation Scheme and vowed to push through the grass project, which he said was important for the future.

Without elaborating, he warned that rural people should expect a new form of societal organization post-pandemic, arguing that the current arrangement was not sustainable.

“We need to work together now. We need you to work together with the team we are going to send back (from Harare) in order to speed up the process. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we will never get back to our traditional arrangement of living. We are going to start a new living arrangement. Are we together?” said Chiwenga.

Villagers are resisting government plans to remove them from their land, fearing a repeat of the fate thousands of villagers who were dumped in the semi-arid Chingwizi Area of Mwenezi East with no basic amenities during construction of Tungwi-Mukosi Dam.

A few years ago, hundreds of families were displaced to pave way for bio-energy company Green Fuel to grow sugarcane and set-up an ethanol plant in the Chisumbanje area of the neighbouring Chipinge District.

After enduring hardships at Chingwizi transit camp, the Tugwi-Mukosi flood victims were later allocated one-hectare plots on a portion of Nuanetsi ranch in the arid Mwenezi district as part of compensation for the relocation. Zimbabwe Bio-energy owns the ranch, a company owned by millionaire businessman Billy Rautenbach. Last year, the businessman threatened to kick the villagers out of his property. He displaced several families in Chisumbanje to pave way for Green Fuel’s ethanol project nearly two decades ago. Some of the displaced villagers are yet to receive compensation.

SOURCE: MASVINGO CENTRE FOR RESEARCH ADVOCACY AND DEVELOPMENT (MACRAD)
www.macrad.org.zw
[email protected]
+263 774 498 206
Twitter: @MACRADTrust
FACEBOOK: MACRAD TRUST

B y A Correspondent- A 33-year-old man who tested positive for coronavirus escaped from Chipadze Isolation Centre in Bindura in the early hours of today.

Tichaona Mutema from Madondo Village in Mt Darwin escaped between 2am and 6am.

The provincial  development coordinator Mr. Cosmas Chiringa confirmed the incident.

Mr. Chiringa said the isolation centre is manned by police between 2pm and 10pm only.

By A Correspondent- LEAD President Linda Masarira has invited opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to join rebrand, restrategise or join her party.

Masarira, who herself was once a member of the break away faction of the MDC T led by Thokozani Khupe before she fell out with her earstwhile leader leads her year old party, LEAD.

Said Masarira in an invitation to Chamisa:

Dear Nelson Chamisa

How have you been my brother? I’ve been following the events unfolding between your party and the MDC T. For your sanity, my advise to you is rebrand, restrategise and or join LEAD and let’s work togethre to Rebuild Zimbabwe. Tikabatana tinokunda, Siyambambana Siyangoba.”

Chamisa is yet to respond to the invitation.

By A Correspondent- LEAD President Linda Masarira has invited opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to join rebrand, restrategise or join her party.

Masarira, who herself was once a member of the break away faction of the MDC T led by Thokozani Khupe before she fell out with her earstwhile leader leads her year old party, LEAD.

Said Masarira in an invitation to Chamisa:

Dear Nelson Chamisa

How have you been my brother? I’ve been following the events unfolding between your party and the MDC T. For your sanity, my advise to you is rebrand, restrategise and or join LEAD and let’s work togethre to Rebuild Zimbabwe. Tikabatana tinokunda, Siyambambana Siyangoba.”

Chamisa is yet to respond to the invitation.

Watch live video as opposition leader Nelson Chamisa speaks on how the Supreme Court has reinstated Thokozani Khupe as the headgirl of a school in the past…..

By A Correspondent- In a heart-shattering development, a South African man met his demise at the hands of his live-in lover after an altercation over beer money. The incident occurred in KwaThema township, East Rand, on Wednesday.

The deceased, Veli Mahlangu,40, succumbed to stab wounds administered by his lover, whose identity has not been disclosed. This was allegedly after the pair had gotten into an altercation over money for liquor.

What is reported to have sparked the wrangle is that Mahlangu bought a large amount of mealie-meal and had left money insufficient to purchase beer.

In an interview with SowetanLive, the couple’s neighbour revealed that he heard noises coming from the couple’s room, with the girlfriend demanding money for alcohol.

He added that she lambasted Mahlangu for buying a big pack of mealie meal when they did not have beer to drink. Mahlangu’s girlfriend blew a gasket and stabbed him with a knife. 

In vain, Mahlangu tried to flee with his girlfriend in hot pursuit. She caught up with him and stabbed him several times until he died.

A neighbour who witnessed the fracas said that the accused had threatened Mahlangu with death over the issue. ‘Because Veli was a down to earth man who did not like violence, he just came to chill with us outside and we calmed him down. He went back to the room an hour later, hoping she had calmed down.

“I heard a noise again and then he came out of the room. He looked weak and was holding his chest. Before we could get to him, we saw him running out of the yard with his girlfriend chasing him with a knife. She stabbed him twice more in the chest, once in the neck and in his back.’ the neighbour said.

Another neighbour said Mahlangu collapsed on the pavement near his home.

“I watched him run in my direction. I walked towards him but when I got to him, he was already on the ground and was bleeding profusely and he was running out of breath,” he said.

Gauteng police spokesperson Mavela Mason confirmed the incident.

By A Correspondent- Former Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Commissioner-General Dr  Augustine Chihuri’s estranged mistress, Sithulisiwe Mthimkhulu, who in the past dominated headlines for demanding child maintenance from the former police boss, has again hogged headlines.

Assistant Commissioner Sithulisiwe Mthimkulu allegedly had an affair with one of her subordinates’ husband.

The subordinate, Assistant Inspector Happiness Lunga, recently approached the courts seeking a peace order against Mthimkulu whom she claims snatched her husband- whose name has not been revealed- ending her 16-year-old marriage.

According to a local tabloid, Lunga clashed with Mthimkhulu after a heated confrontation over her affair with her husband. She also alleged that the homewrecker visited her matrimonial house in Nketa 9 suburb, Bulawayo, and struck her with a bolt cutter before she pepper-sprayed her in the eyes. 

‘On 11 March 2020 at around 10 pm the respondent came to my house purporting to be looking for my husband. I got out and I asked her not to disturb our peace. She became violent threatening to assault me. I stood my ground and she eventually left.

‘I am employed by the Ministry of Home Affairs as a police officer and I am currently based at Nkulumane Police Station. I hold the rank of Assistant Inspector. I am married to my husband and have been married to him for 16 years and we have two minor children.

‘Sometime in August 2019, I discovered that the respondent (Sithulisiwe Mthimkhulu) was having an affair with my husband and I sent her a message telling her that was married to me and that as such she should back off.

‘She responded through a WhatsApp message saying that she knows that my husband was married and that she only needed him for sex as and when necessary.

‘In the same WhatsApp message, she indicated that she too was married and that it was not her intention to wrestle my husband away from me,” Lunga’s papers read in part.

She said from the time she asked her boss to stop having an affair with her husband she turned violent and started harassing her by sending vulgar messages via WhatsApp.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- The High Court this morning granted an interim order that has barred MDC-T from replacing recalled MDC Alliance legislators.

The development comes amid revelations that the MDC T led by Dr Thokozani Khupe seeks to replace recalled MDC Alliance legislators following the Supreme Court ruling which nullified the presidency of Nelson Chamisa.

The four MDC Alliance MPs and Senators made an application at the same court seeking to have their recall invalidated. 

The 4 MDC Alliance MPs include Secretary-General Chalton Hwende who represents Kuwadzana East, Prosper Mutseyami (Dangamvura-Chikanga) who was also the opposition party’s chief whip, Thabitha Khumalo (proportional representative for Bulawayo Province) and Senator Lillian Timveous (Midlands).

The quartet were recalled by Senator Douglas Mwonzora after the supreme court ruled that the Nelson Chamisa was not the legitimate MDC leader and restored the party’s 2014 structures.

More to follow

By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance youth leader Womberai Nhende who was arrested and brutally assaulted by the police sustained serious injuries.

The deputy national spokesperson of the youth assembly was admitted at a local hospital after being assaulted by police officers.

The party posted on Twitter suggesting that Nhende was admitted in the early hours of Saturday.

Said the party:

Around 1am Womberai Nhende was admitted in hospital under police guard. He is in bad shape and Drs are investigating to rule out head injury and chest trauma. Wombe was assaulted by @PoliceZimbabwe during his arrest outside MRT House.

On Friday, the party’s recently appointed national spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere had reported that Nhende was in bad shape.

Said Mahere:

Womberai Nhende, our Deputy Spokesperson for the Youth Assembly, was badly beaten by police outside Harvest House today for no reason.

He can’t breathe and urgently requires medical attention. Police refused to release him to be seen by his doctors.

We publish below the gruesome pictures showing Nhende’s injuries..

The mandatory percentage of ethanol blending has been restored to 20 percent after sitting at 10 percent  after ethanol production fell below market requirements..

Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi announced the restored percentage in a general notice gazetted as General Notice 926A of 2020.

Government introduced fuel blending in 2008 following the licensing of Green Fuel’s Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant, which resumed operations in 2013.

Blending of fuel is exclusively conducted by licensed blenders and currently there are 11 such licensees who abide and comply with Zera regulations.

Five of the 11 fuel dealers licensed to blend petroleum products have blending depots in Harare and Bulawayo and oil companies can acquire either already blended fuel from National Oil Infrastructure Company (NOIC) of Zimbabwe, or unblended fuel which they blend with a licensed blender.

-State Media

By A Correspondent- A 3 months old baby from Kadoma has tested positive for COVID-19, Newsday reports.

This was revealed by Kadoma health services director Daniel Chirundu who was speaking on the sidelines of the Mashonaland West Edutech Wash Project which was being commissioned by Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs minister Mary Mliswa-Chikoka on Friday.

Chirundu said:

In Zimbabwe, we have 265 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday (Thursday). Here in Kadoma district, we have had numerous suspects and we now have three confirmed cases which we are handling as a district. Among them is a three-month-old baby. With that we have broken the world record of being an area where there is the youngest person to test positive. We are not proud of that record.

Meanwhile, cases jumped to 279 positive cases yesterday according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

-Newsday

By Own Correspondent| The High Court has barred a faction of the opposition MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe from replacing legislators who were recently recalled from parliament.

Posting on Twitter this morning, MDC Alliance Secretary General Charlton Hwende said the High Court has stopped the Khupe faction from replacing the four legislators pending the determination of the legality of calls.

“We have just won our case at the High Court before Justice Mafusire. MDC-T Khupe and Mwonzora have been bared from replacing those recalled pending the court’s determination of the legality of the recalls,” said Hwende.

The recalled MPs are Charlton Hwende, Tabitha Khumalo, Prosper Mutseyami and Lilian Timveos.

Watch live video as opposition leader Nelson Chamisa speaks on how the Supreme Court has reinstated Thokozani Khupe as the headgirl of a school in the past…..

By A Correspondent- MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has said the struggle to defeat the ruling party is no longer up to the MDC Alliance only but to all Zimbabweans as he likened the current administration’s governance to a yoke choking the country’s democratic space to an extent that it could not breathe.

Said the youthful MDC leader:

It’s not about me or the MDC Alliance, it is about the people of Zimbabwe, the democratic space is being choked by Zanu PF and it is time we act, draw a line in the sand or we will be choked to death

Look at how everyone has become an enemy of the State and under siege, first it was the doctors, then they came after journalists, then lawyers, human rights activists, the whole nation can’t breathe now,

Chamisa also took the time to address rumours that he was being funded and taking advice from members of the now-defunct former Zanu PF G40 faction:

“Yes, I am G40, my age is 42, so what? It is a Zanu PF party culture of label and condemnation. I am not seeking to be the president of MDC. I am already the president of MDC Alliance and I am not going to be reduced into petty fights.

I am seeking to establish national consensus for all people. I am not going to label people condemning them because of who they are. I know I am going to lead Zimbabwe including Mnangangwa and his Zanu PF, so I am going to lead the entire nation.

Why should I say I don’t want to see Mnangagwa when you are a leader you must unify people. That is my fundamental problem with Mnangagwa. Instead of unifying people, he is waging a gap of hatred within people.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Political analyst Pedzisayi Ruhanya has accused the Zimbabwean government of using the COVID 19 Lockdown as a political tool to suppress the opposition and trample on citizens’ rights.

Ruhanya said the political incidents that have been implemented under the guise of the Lockdown are numerous calling on government to divert its efforts in fighting the coronavirus.

He said:

“The indefinite COVID-19 pandemic Lockdown has now proved clearly that its political. Just check the number of political incdents that have happened. If such efforts were put on fighting the coronavirus, Zimbabwe would be a world class success story against the pandemic.”

By A Correspondent- Lawyer Tapiwa Makanza spent the night at Rhodesville Police Station after he was charged with defeating the course of justice, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has revealed.

Makanza is alleged to have created a fictitious character, Simbarashe Zuze, who challenged the appointment of Kumbirai Hodzi as Prosecutor General.

In the case in question, he instructed Advocate Thabani Mpofu to oppose the appointment.

Makanza is being represented by ZLHR lawyer Paidamoyo Saurombe.

Two other lawyers, Advocates Mpofu and Choice Damiso were also been arrested over the same case last week.

Mpofu was granted a $20 000 bail.

Health Minister Obaddiah Moyo has said coronavirus patients would be named because the pandemic is a contagious and notifiable disease.

This also comes as the number of coronavirus patients continue going up with the number of confirmed cases now at 237 with 31 recoveries and 4 deaths.

However, naming of the patients remains illegal under the Public Health Act. But Moyo said unlike HIV which was in a different category, coronavirus patients had to be named because the disease was contagious.

Heath experts and human rights activists however say that the planned move by Government would violate people’s privacy rights and will only promote stigmatization around the patients.

Own Correspondent|The Ministry of Health and Child Care has declared that 2 South African and 1 South Sudan returnees tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday bringing the national figure up to 282.

The Ministry has also indicated that a number of returnees have escaped from quarantine centres and they pose a health scare to the nation.

The Ministry has appealed to Zimbabweans to report any escapees to the police on anonymous tip offs on Police line 0242703631, or reporr to the nearest Police station.

Below is the latest Covid-19 statistic for the country.

Own Correspondent|The court has given MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe an order to occupy Harvest House without any disturbances from the rival MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa.

A copy of a draft peace order issued by the Magistrate’s Court to bar MDC Alliance members from entering into Harvest House is making rounds in local media.

The Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai and Morgen Komichi, in that order, are cited as 1st and 2nd applicants while Charlton Hwende, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance and officer Commanding ZRP Harare District were cited as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents, respectively.

Meanwhile, some allege that MDC-T Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora used a fake stamp since a “Magistrate has no power to issue this interdict.”

Reads the draft order:

WHEREUPON, after reading documents filed of record;

IT IS ORDERED:-That a Rule Nisi be and is hereby granted calling upon the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Respondents, to show cause, if any, to this court on the 9th day of June 2020 at I11:15 am or soon thereafter as parties can be heard, why the following order should be made:

FINAL ORDER SOUGHT

1. The application be and is hereby granted.

2. 1st and 2nd Respondents and all those persons claiming through them be and are hereby permanently interdicted from disturbing Applicants’ peaceful and undisturbed use and possession of Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, No. 44 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Harare.

3. 1st and 2nd Respondents pay the costs of this application.

INTERIM RELIEF GRANTED

1. The 1st Respondent and members of the 2nd Respondent be and are hereby interdicted from coming to Applicant’s premises at No. 44 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Harare.

2, 1st and 2nd Respondents be and are hereby ordered not to harass, assault or commit any acts of violence against is’ Applicant’s members or the ed Applicant in any manner likely to lead to breach of peace.

3. The 1st and 2nd Respondents be and are hereby ordered not to take possession of the ie Applicant’s premises without a valid court order.

4. 3rd Respondent be and is hereby ordered to use all the necessary means to maintain law and order at the 1st Applicant’s premises and to enforce the provisions of this order.

BY THE MAGISTRATE

CLERK OF COURT

Former Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, who is MDC Alliance co-deputy president said that Zimbabwe urgently needs a political solution and a national transitional authority to avoid a possible upheaval.

Biti made the remarks on Friday during an interview with the
Daily News on Sunday shortly before he was arrested for “criminal nuisance” and “violating lockdown regulations”.

He said:
We urgently need a political solution in this country because if we do not do that, as (Finance minister) Mthuli Ncube admits in his letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), there is going to be an implosion.

An implosion could mean another military coup, people going into the streets and being shot … but for crying out loud we need a political solution and a national transitional authority.

The economy is arrested by a milieu of debilitating challenges, that are beyond Mnangagwa, Mthuli and the Zanu PF government.

At the centre of these challenges is the failure to resolve the deep political crisis in the country.

The country’s economic situation is deteriorating alarmingly with inflation approaching 1 000 per cent.

The majority of workers, including civil servants, earn less than US$50 per month and those employed in the informal sector are not allowed to conduct their activities as the country has been under coronavirus lockdown since March.- Daily News

State Media|As Great Zimbabwe University re-opened its doors yesterday to final year students, a new programme to train teachers and other frontline workers in the education sector on preventing Covid-19 was announced.

This is the second university to allow final year students to return after Chinhoyi University of Technology let in its first batch of final years on Friday last week.

Great Zimbabwe arranged with Zupco to start moving its students to the university yesterday. All students were interviewed on arrival, according to university spokesperson Anderson Chipatiso, to assess their risk of exposure to Covid-19.

Students were asked where they had been since they left the campus last, who they had seen and if they had been ill.

All returning students have to follow social distancing rules and wear masks outside their room. The university has rearranged desks and other furniture to ensure social distancing is observed in lecture halls, seminar rooms, dining facilities and everywhere else on campus. Students will have their temperatures scanned frequently and all visitors are banned.

All universities are permitted to re-open for final year students once they have fulfilled minimum safety conditions. Permission for other students will be granted once health authorities are satisfied that the increase in numbers will not significantly increase the health risk. With only final years, numbers are low enough to make social distancing and other measures simple to implement and manage.

Teachers who will be involved in the return of examination forms to schools are set to undergo training during the next two weeks on how to minimise health risks and prevent Covid-19 infection.

Under the educational policy, schools will re-open classes in phases starting with this year’s forms sitting public examinations. The second phase will be next year’s public examination forms. Most pupils write public examinations in November and need intense teaching in their final few months to fulfil their full potential in the exams.

However, a far smaller number will be writing mid-year and the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council has set O-Level and A-Level examinations over three weeks starting on June 30.

According to a memo written by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela to provincial education directors, the training should be completed by June 24.

The training is mainly for school heads, teachers of examination classes, school health coordinators and invigilators and will be done according to standards set by the World Health Organisation.

“Provincial education directors are requested to work with the provincial medical directors in their respective provinces with the assistance of the provincial teams that usually work with the Ministry of Health and Child Care,” reads part of the memo.

Mrs Thabela could not give further details on the training and only said: “We are planning to do that.”

However, Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive office Dr Sifiso Ndlovu welcomed the decision by Government to train teachers on preventing infection.

“This is what we have been proposing all along and it is all part of the preparations towards the re-opening of schools.

“It is a pro-active way of preparing for the re-opening. The training does not mean schools are re-opening because we believe that more should be done to ensure the safety of both teachers and pupils,” Dr Ndlovu said.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe programmes officer Mr Ladistous Zunde said the training of the education personnel was premature.

“We have made our position clear that there should be minimum conditions that should be in place before we consider re-opening of schools.

“At least 60 000 more teachers should be employed to ensure social distancing that is required is met; the conditions of service for teachers should be addressed and teachers and pupils should be tested for the diseases before classes resume,” Mr Zunde said.

He added that there was no need to rush the sitting for the June examinations if the minimum conditions had not been met.

Last week the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education advised against re-opening of schools in June saying necessary precautions were not in place, such as running water at all schools, protection for teachers and pupils, and temperature scanners at all schools. The committee criticised the plans of the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) for setting examination dates for the of this month saying no minimum standards as set out by the World Health Organisation had been met.

Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC-T proportional representative), the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education, presented the report of the committee and was supported by parliamentarians from across the political divide.

She said the interactions her committee had with various stakeholders showed that the country was not ready for the re-opening of schools.

State Media

A total of 197 health workers at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo have been placed in self-quarantine after three patients and a nurse tested positive recently for Covid-19 at the hospital.

Two of the patients were positive after they had been admitted at the hospital, while the third person was an outpatient.

It is suspected that the nurse contracted Covid-19 due to interactions with one of the patients who had come to the referral hospital.

After the confirmed cases at Mpilo Central Hospital, Bulawayo’s rapid response team was contacted to contain the potential spread of the virus.

Through contact tracing, the team identified 197 health workers who were at high risk of contracting the disease, placing them on 14-day mandatory self-quarantine, while under surveillance.

The self-quarantine process started on June 28 and is expected to end on Thursday.

The Mpilo Central Hospital staffers have undergone initial tests for Covid-19 and would be retested before being given the green light to resume normal duties.

The hospital was also fumigated and disinfected.

Mpilo Central Hospital acting chief executive Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said out of more than 2 000 health workers at the facility, 197 were placed on self-quarantine.

He commended the health workers for their commitment.

“This resulted in 197 health workers going in self-isolation at their homes including the nurse who was asymptomatic. So far all of them have tested negative for the virus. They are in self-isolation for 14 days and are supposed to complete process on Thursday. I guess we can say we were very lucky to have escaped this one,” said Dr Ngwenya.

He said the hospital had to improvise to cover for the health workers placed on self-quarantine.

Dr Ngwenya said it was critical for communities to adhere to lockdown and Covid-19 preventive measures as the hospital scare gives an impression of how the pandemic could impact on the health sector.

“If hospital staff get degraded and are unable to cope with the rising numbers, at the end of the day people will not have anyone to look after them. So, it’s extremely important that people follow lockdown regulations, wear masks properly otherwise failure to do so could cripple the health sector,” said Dr Ngwenya.

Acting Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo, said Government would continue working to improve safety of health care workers.

“It is back to the issue of personal protective equipment.

“Government is procuring the protective clothing, which is being availed to health workers including those as Mpilo. We also fumigated the hospital, while taking all precautionary measures to ensure that staff does not contract the virus. The rapid response team is following on those who need to be followed for contact tracing and they are put in isolation until they are cleared to come back,” said Dr Mlilo.

A police officer, Shungudzemoyo Kache, on Saturday appeared in court after he was arrested and charged with “insulting and undermining” Emmerson Mnangagwa by likening him to a “condom”, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has revealed.

Kache allegedly told one Stanley Mabhachi, who was wearing a scarf with the Zimbabwean flag colours, that Mnangagwa is a “used condom”.

Kache’s lawyer Jeremiah Bamu of ZLHR told the court that his client was taken to ZANU PF headquarters after he was arrested.

In his latest Big Saturday Read (BSR), renowned law expert Alex Magaisa observed that police and prosecution authorities have a strong appetite to apply provisions criminalising presidential insults, hence the rampant arrests and prosecutions.

Said Magaisa:
“… while the police and prosecution authorities have a strong appetite to apply provisions criminalising presidential insults, hence the rampant arrests and prosecutions, the Constitutional Court has been a more reluctant customer. The Constitutional Court has been more dismissive of these offences.”

The remarks by both the late Chief Justice Chidyausiku and the current Chief Justice Malaba have been highly critical of these prosecutions which do more damage to the presidency than the comments on which they are based- News24online

A police officer, Shungudzemoyo Kache, on Saturday appeared in court after he was arrested and charged with “insulting and undermining” Emmerson Mnangagwa by likening him to a “condom”, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has revealed.

Kache allegedly told one Stanley Mabhachi, who was wearing a scarf with the Zimbabwean flag colours, that Mnangagwa is a “used condom”.

Kache’s lawyer Jeremiah Bamu of ZLHR told the court that his client was taken to ZANU PF headquarters after he was arrested.

In his latest Big Saturday Read (BSR), renowned law expert Alex Magaisa observed that police and prosecution authorities have a strong appetite to apply provisions criminalising presidential insults, hence the rampant arrests and prosecutions.

Said Magaisa:
“… while the police and prosecution authorities have a strong appetite to apply provisions criminalising presidential insults, hence the rampant arrests and prosecutions, the Constitutional Court has been a more reluctant customer. The Constitutional Court has been more dismissive of these offences.”

The remarks by both the late Chief Justice Chidyausiku and the current Chief Justice Malaba have been highly critical of these prosecutions which do more damage to the presidency than the comments on which they are based- News24online

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance president, Advocate Nelson Chamisa has strongly condemned the incessant persecution of senior party officials by Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.

MDC Alliance officials Tendai Biti, Lynnette Karenyi-Kore, Gladys Hlatshwayo, Lovemore Chinoputsa, Vongai Tome and David Antony Chimhini were arrested in Harare on Friday.MDC Alliance Youth Assembly deputy spokesperson, Womberaiishe Nhende was also brutally assaulted by ZRP cops.

On Thursday night Thokozani Khupe captured Harvest House with the help of soldiers.

Advocate Thabani Mpofu and MDC Alliance Youth Assembly chairperson Obey Sithole were also arrested.

Advocate Chamisa argued:

” Instead of Mnangagwa dirty schemes to arrest people, have schemes to arrest prices.

The Opposition is not your problem but your policy positions. Bad governance and poor leadership,not MDC Alliance, is the source of national agony. ED has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing! Lead don’t Rule!”

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