Dear Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Advocate Mudenda,
You must have taken my advice serious when I told you to release the $7.5 million to the rightful party with immediate effect. Had you followed my advice, you would have spared yourself from being embarrassed in the Courts of Law which fall under your ministry. That a whole cabinet minister goes to the media to make such reckless statements is mind boggling, especially for a country which is trying to make an impression that it is reforming to the international community, whose ministers and speaker of parliament should go an extra mile to prove beyond doubt the claim that the country is changing from the past dictatorial rule of Robert Mugabe. On the contrary, people in influencial public offices are proving to be worse than those in the previous Mugabe regime.
Advocate Mudenda, I am also kindly and generously advising you to re-visit your dismissal of MDC Alliance Parliamentarians you kicked out of Parliament with immediate effect. In the first place, you are in contempt of Parliament for making the only business of the day in Parliament an item that was not on the agenda of Parliament business as per the notice sent to Parliamentarians. In fact, you just need to resign with immediate effect, and whoever becomes the next Speaker of Parliament can clean up your mess. Your handling of this issue leaves people to think that you never reformed from your Willowvale Scandal behaviour, and it is my wish if Mnangagwa could handle this scandal of yours the same way Mugabe handled the Willovale Scandal those many years ago.
It is unfortunate that many people have tried to add their own wishful thinking to the Supreme Court ruling which is a mere suggestion for people who were elected to the MDC-T structures at the 2014 Congress to hold an Extra-Ordinary Congress, should they wish to re-unite as MDC-T. Many misinterpreted that suggestion as mandatory, and the High Court judgement passed today which directs Minister Ziyambi Ziyamba not to give money due to the MDC Alliance to the MDC-T vindicates my interpretation of the ruling, simple. Of cause the Supreme Court, in my view, was right in all its observations and in its judgement. Yes, the constitution had not been followed in the appointments made by the late MDC founding President, the late Dr. Richard Morgan Tsvangirai, but the members he left behind had officially divorced after Dr. Khupe held her congress and she and Advocate Chamisa registered different parties that contested the 2018 elections.
I end this open with a request to Advocate Mudenda to re-Swear in the parliamentarians that he wrongfully dismissed by 15 May 2020. As said before, I am willing to contribute financially to a court appeal against the expulsion of the MDC Alliance Parliamentarians.
Kennedy Kaitano
Background reading
My previous post instructing Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi to release Z$7.5 million to the party that has right to it …
By A Correspondent- Police in Mashonaland Central province are looking for a Chiweshe man who allegedly strangled his wife to death in an infidelity misunderstanding.
Willard Chakaipa of Nyamawende, Mwedziwendira village in Chiweshe is on the run following the death of his wife Yeukai Chatyoka (19) who was found death with strangled marks on the neck on Thursday.
Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe confirmed the case.
“I can confirm a murder case in Chiweshe and we are hunting for the suspect who allegedly fled after committing the crime,” Mundembe said.
A witness Mike chibwe (35) who is a neighbour said he saw the two quarrelling but was subsquently called by the suspect to see the dead body.
“I saw the couple quarrelling on Wednesday night but was called by the husband the following day alleging that his wife consumed poison so when l went to file a police report he fled,” Chibwe said.
It is further alleged that a bottle of poison was discovered close to the dead body but the police also discovered strangulation marks.
Police warned people to desist from resorting to violence when ever they have differences.
By A Correspondent- Two men from Bulawayo’s Old Pumula suburb were on Friday sentenced to six years in jail for stealing a Toyota Ipsum motor vehicle which they allegedly swapped for three donkeys and a cart.
Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira, however, suspended two years for five years on condition of good behaviour.
The duo, Michael Moyo (26) and Leeroy Sibanda (22) pleaded guilty to a charge of theft. The court heard that the car was stolen from Keith Tshuma (32) who had borrowed from Jonah Muchingani.
It is the state’s case that the vehicle ran out of fuel in Pumula and Tshuma, who was drunk, left it unattended with keys on the ignition port intending to seek assistance from a nearby shopping centre.
He returned and when he could not locate the vehicle, he went home to sleep and reported the matter on the following day.
Detectives later received information that the stolen vehicle had been seen in Tsholotsho and they recovered it from Gadzirai Ncube who told them that he bought it from Moyo and Sibanda in a swap and top-up arrangement of which he was supposed to pay a R6 000 balance.
This led to the arrest of Moyo and Sibanda.-Newsday
By A Correspondent- A Harare woman on Saturday failed to observe the stop sign at a railroad level crossing in Kambuzuma and rammed into a moving goods train, leaving her badly injured.
The accident, which took place around midday Saturday, saw the unidentified woman’s Volkswagen Golf car extensively damaged.
An eyewitness to the accident, who was also among the first responders, told the Zimbabwe Voice that the woman was taken to the hospital as she was writhing in pain.
“Onlookers attended to the woman who apparently had her music on loud as she approached the railroad level crossing,” said an eyewitness.
“Police were called in after some of us had extracted her from the wreckage. She is really lucky to have survived this because the impact was huge and was heard from far away.”
By A Correspondent- An elderly woman suspected to be COVID-19 positive was today reportedly transferred to Wilkins hospital from South medical private hospital in Chitungwiza.
Sources privy to the developments alleged that the woman was immediately isolated after she was suspected to be COVID-19 positive.
Said the source:
“She was immediately isolated on Friday and the wards fumigated. The suspected elderly woman was transferred to Wilkins Infectious Hospital on Saturday.”
This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates.
By Wilbert Mukori- “HARARE Thursday recorded its first COVID-19 recovery after four patients on treatment and isolation tested negative of the virus, bringing the national figure of recoveries to nine, the Health Ministry announced Friday morning,” reported a local publication.
So, the ministry has carried out the usual 1 000 or so tests on suspected covid-19 cases including a number returnees in isolation centres, those with covid-19 like symptoms and the four above. The results were all negative!
But why is the government not telling us how many tests were carried out, where, on what group of people, etc. For the last eight days now government has pointedly refused to give any details on the tests carried out – assuming it is still testing! What is there to hid? Hiding information is something of Zanu PF mastery.
In the July 2018 elections ZEC claimed that Mnangagwa won the elections. Everyone else who observed the elections dismissed the whole process as a farce.
“The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability,” the EU Election Observer Mission final report stated.
Just to prove the point, ZEC’s own affidavit in the Constitutional Court gave three different vote tallies for Mnangagwa and admitted it did not have all the V11 forms, the summary of vote count in each of the over 11 000 Polling Stations and hence the different totals. So even ZEC could not verify and trace where its figures came from!
“As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards,” concluded the EU report.
Rigging the July 2018 elections has been a disaster for the nation because it confirmed Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs; just as it was under Mugabe. The investors and lenders, tired of dealing with pariah states, continued to shy away.
The price for rigging the covid-19 data is that the virus will continue to spread.
Indeed, the spread will be even faster and wider because people who would otherwise take extra precautions such as washing hands, wearing PPE, etc. around a covid-19 infected person will not do so because they did not know. So many, many more people will be infected with the virus, hundreds of thousands will suffer and will die!
By A Correspondent- A machete weilding Bindura man was arraigned before a Bindura magistrate on Friday for robbing a pedestrian of his US$2 and RTGS$100.
Takudzwa Mugwagwa (24) of Choma village in Bindura pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him before magistrate Maria Msika who remanded him out of custody to May 27.
Prosecutor Ndaizivei Media Gunda alleged on April 27 at Muonwe business centre the accused followed Paul Mukarakate (40) and threatened to assault him with a machete before demanding cash.
Fearing for his life Mukarakate surrendered his money to Mugwagwa and was freed.
The complanaint went and filed a police report leading to the arrest of the accused.
By A Correspondent- An anti-riot police officer in Bulawayo has been arrested for allegedly demanding a US$10 bribe from a local resident who had violated lockdown regulations by entering the Central Business District (CBD) without an exemption letter.
Phineas Mutandwa (32) who is attached to the ZRP Support Unit at Fairbridge appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing charges of criminal abuse of office. He was remanded out of custody to May 19 on his own cognizance.
The prosecutor, Mr Terrence Chakabuda said on May 4 at around 11AM, the accused person spotted the complainant walking in the CBD and he stopped him.
He demanded to see Mr Thabisani Ndlovu’s exemption letter allowing him to move around during the lockdown.
“The complainant failed to produce the letter and the accused person ordered him to follow him to Bulawayo Central Police Station where he was supposed to pay a $500 fine,” said Mr Chakabuda.
The court heard that along the way, Mutandwa solicited for a US$10 bribe from the complainant in exchange for his freedom. Mr Ndlovu allegedly gave Mutandwa the US$10 before proceeding to Bulawayo Central Police Station where he reported the matter leading to Mutandwa’s arrest.
Last month, 13 police officers in Bulawayo were arrested for allegedly soliciting and accepting a US$10 bribe from a commuter omnibus crew that had allegedly violated lockdown regulations following the interception of their vehicle.
The accused persons who are all stationed at Bulawayo Central Police Station, were arrested by a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zaac) team after an unidentified whistleblower captured them in a video while they were allegedly receiving the bribe.
The video was posted on social media. The police officers allegedly blocked and stopped the commuter omnibus at the intersection of Josiah Tongogara Street and 4th Avenue and demanded a bribe from the crew for allegedly disregarding lockdown regulations.
The unsuspecting cops were captured on video by a whistleblower while allegedly receiving US$10 from one Thulani Ndlela, a conductor of the commuter omnibus. Investigations were carried out leading to the arrest of the accused persons.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said people should report anyone soliciting for bribes. He said the police command will continue to monitor police officers on the ground to curb acts of corruption
.-Statemedia
By A Correspondent- A Zimbabwean UK based nurse traces her journey to recovery after being diagnosed of the COVID-19.
Watch the live video loading below……
SEAL OF APPROVAL . . . Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister, Kirsty Coventry (middle), flanked by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Thokozile Chitepo (left) and Sports Commission director general, Prince Mupazviriho, addresses a media conference from the newly-erected media tribune at the National Sports Stadium yesterday
THE National Sports Stadium has undergone an impressive facelift — its battered pitch has been transformed into a fresh and green surface, a new media centre has been erected while renovations of the dressing rooms have reached an advanced stage.
The Government, which is bankrolling the exercise, has received reports that work on most of the targeted areas is now between 70 percent and 100 percent complete.
The bucket seats are unlikely to be installed by July 15, because of complications related to their procurement in the wake of the challenges brought about by the global lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Rather than just procure bucket seats for the National Sports Stadium alone, the Government has chosen to procure, at once, seats for Barbourfields and Sakubva because it’s cost-effective to do the process once rather than in phases.
Engineers are looking at how erecting bucket seats will affect the capacity of the stadium with Government looking at the best possible ways of carrying out the exercise without cutting the stadium’s sitting capacity by a considerable figure given doing so will ultimately be unfair to the fans.
From next week, ZIFA and the Sports Commission will compile all the work done at the National Sports Stadium and send a report to CAF, which should be received before June 15, to enable the continental football governing body to send officials to inspect the giant stadium. The country’s biggest sports stadium, the traditional home of the Warriors, was barred from hosting international matches after both CAF and FIFA ruled there were areas that needed to be fixed first.
Yesterday, Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister, Kirsty Coventry, toured the National Sports Stadium in the company of the Permanent Secretary in her Ministry, Thokozile Chitepo, Sports Commission director-general Prince Mupazviriho, officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and ZIFA spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela.
“I haven’t been here for about five or six weeks and there has been very drastic changes, especially in the team rooms, in the changing rooms, in the bathrooms, in the media centre here, it’s looking very nice, very professional,’’ she said.
“The team has been working very hard, it’s nice to see that progress has been made, I’m very happy with how things are, (there are) a few minor adjustments, on what I have told the teams, we would like to see.
“The pitch is great, the before and after pictures I’m seeing there has been huge change. I think what we would ideally want to see, I think in the next 12 months and this will be budget-dependent, will be to redo the entire pitch, get a fresh pitch in.
“But, we have to say thank you to Royal Harare Golf Club who have stepped in to come in and lend their advice, lend their expertise and even some of their machinery and equipment.
“They have been very understanding and a big thank you to them for standing up and coming to help another sport, they are still assisting, the pitch is looking remarkable, I know we have a few areas where there were some army worms and ants and they have all been taken care of.
“You can notice even the colour of the pitch and the vibrancy, how good it’s looking.
“We have been given the opportunity to upgrade our facilities and we are obviously working towards that for CAF and FIFA but also to recognise that the stadium is also there for track and field, multi-sport, so — as much as we are staying in line with CAF recommendations — we also want to ensure that we are falling in line with what will be needed for, let’s say, the World Athletics (Games).’’
Coventry said there was still work that needed to be done.
“I have asked the team to look into a few things, in terms of the doping room, what is needed if we ever were to host an international competition for track and field, what is needed for that, if we doing the renovations we must ensure that the stadium is multi-sport, multi-purpose, across the board,’’ she said.
“These are things we would be looking at to ensure we are covered, I think it’s a good opportunity to ensure that it’s all being encompassed.
“The percentages we can share with you guys, most of them are sitting between 85 percent, 100 percent, 80 percent, I see a 75 percent, I think we are looking very good,’’ she said.
“What the process is, I think we need to be more clear, is we will ask the ZIFA liaison to come and write their update and send that report to CAF.
“CAF will then give a designated time, we have been told between June 15th and July 15th, so it’s a whole month, it’s not like by June 15th but, obviously, we have to have communicated to CAF before June 15th and that must be done and ZIFA have been told in advance of the way it should be done.
“They are working with the DG (Mupazviriho), this next week, to make sure that communication is going, especially the upgrades and my understanding is that once CAF have received that report from the ZIFA reporting mechanism, they will come back to us to say at some point, a date between June 15th and July 15th, a date when they would then send a team to do their inspections.’’
She said procurement of bucket seats, especially the cost-effective ones from China, could be a challenge now because of the complications related to COVID-19, which has paralysed not only industries but how imported material is transported from one country to another.
However, she said the process would be done, since this was a requirement, and there would be feasibility studies undertaken to ensure they get the best seats, which suit our stadiums, while engineers will also have to check how such a makeover will affect the sitting capacity at Barbourfields.
The procurement of electronic turnstiles could be affected by the challenges related to getting equipment from foreign countries.
“But, I must thank ZIFA and CAF and FIFA for all their understanding from a sports perspective,’’ said Coventry.
“Understanding that there are a lot of restrictions, in terms of procurement when it comes to non-essential goods and non-essential Covid items and, that being said, I think everything else on the list will definitely be completed in time for the inspection, aside for the those two (bucket seats and turnstiles).
“That is why we are now asking for a little bit of flexibility because it’s out of our hands, in terms of procurement, otherwise everything else is on track and should be done ahead of time.’’
Watford have joined Brighton and Aston Villa in opposing the use of closed door matches in the Premier League proposed plan.
This Premier League giant is number 17 on the standings.This is a very dangerous zone as they have to fight relegation.
It is understood that Premier League clubs (20 in total) are not planning whether to use neutral venues at a Monday 11 May meeting.
While the above three have now made their stand,it’s understood others have similar thoughts.
The Premier League had been suspended since March 13 but it’s aiming to return by June as each team has nine games each inorder to finish the season.
Watford Chief Executive Officer Scott Duxbury has raised his concerns over the neutral venues as this would compromise the fairness and integrity of sports.
Duxbury have added that some clubs are happy to sign up the proposal because there there is only an upside in participating in the compromised formats.
This means that Livery can win the title,other book their place in Europa and champions league and others be relegated.
WHO has said that it is willing to work with Madagascar in fighting corona virus. According to the tweet sent by @MoetiTshidi, to WHO African Region official Twitter handle, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti has made it known that they are willing to work with Madagascar if they let their coronavirus herbal drink undergo clinical tests to see if it is safe to be used for corona virus treatment or not.
South Africa's Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize. Photo: Rodger Bosch/ AFPHealth Minister Zweli Mkhize, on Saturday 9 May, announced that the confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa have risen to 9 420.
This is an increase of 525, as the total number of confirmed cases stood at 8 895 on Friday 8 May.
Mkhize also announced the latest death toll of 186 — an increase of eight as it stood at 178 on Friday.
There have been 3153 recoveries in South Africa thus far and a total of 324 079 tests have been conducted.
The following confirmed COVID-19 cases have been detected in each province as of Saturday:
The Western Cape is still the COVID-19 epicentre with the most positive cases in the country.
The latest COVID-19 death toll in each province, according to Mkhize is as follows:
This comes to a total of 186 deaths. The highest number of deaths was found in the Western Cape.
The following COVID-19 recoveries have been made in each province:
Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba says the decision by the main MDC faction led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa to withdraw its members from parliament was disenfranchising the voters who mandated the MPs to lead them.
Charamba said, “What is the effect on constituencies of an MP withdrawing from parliamentary processes? Doesn’t that disenfranchise the concerned constituency, thus breaking the explicit contract between a voter and his MP?”
MDC announced that its members will boycott any platform that makes them interact with ZANU PF. The statement was delivered on Thursday by Job Sikhala.
Read Charamba’s response below:
DECISION BY CHAMISA AND TEAM raises quite some interesting issues of party constitutionality and general propriety. Do you suspend involvement in parliamentary business and then consult?? And if you have that latitude – and legal basis of it has to be established – why not go the whole hog and then consult on a substantive decision, namely disengaging wholly?
Secondly and more fundamentally, is an MP’s availability for parliamentary business/role a matter for a political party and its members?? Or is he bound by wishes of all who reside in a constituency to whom he offers surrogate presence in Parliament, itself a National – not Party – Institution??
In other words, are MPs in Parliament for themselves and their parties, or for whole constituencies regardless of individual political membership of constitutive electorate?? What is the effect on constituencies of an MP withdrawing from parliamentary processes? Doesn’t that disenfranchise the concerned constituency, thus breaking the explicit contract between a voter and his MP?
If so, what recourse does a voter have, singly and in concert with fellow voters registered under, and residing in a constituency??
Does that not provide a sound legal basis for class action well before we even wait or parliamentary rules sanctioning such (mis)conduct?? Should such a case be brought before a competent court, what are its chances??
Assuming there are good chances – and that’s my hunch – would an MP go by his/her party’s wishes, or submit to court decision? Will courts be (mis)construed as interfering with affairs of a voluntary organisation? Just a thought!!! Ndini hangu
Zimbabwe needs US$800 million to address its on going humanitarian crisis.
Watch South African Broadcasting Services break down the crisis in the video downloading below:
Registrar General Clemence MasangoRegistrar General Clemence Masango who was arrested on Thursday last week for criminal abuse of office and flouting tender procedures in purchase of five service vehicles faces fifteen years in jail.
Representing the State this Friday, Prosecutor Francisca Mukumburi told the court that in 2018, Masango sought authority to purchase vehicles he said were to be used to improve access to district registries and sub-offices.
The Home Affairs ministry secretary Melusi Matshiya to purchase two Toyota Land Cruiser 200LC but the approval was later cancelled.
The prosecutor added that last year, Masango unlawfully and corruptly originated a memorandum to the accountant, Ndamukanei Gota, instructing him to buy the Land Cruisers despite the cancellation of the approval.
He also allegedly instructed the transfer of US$78 505 towards the purchase of a Ford Ranger and US$95 291 for the purchase of five Isuzu Lite vehicles without Cabinet authority and approval from the ministry as well as from the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
The transactions went through without binding contracts and the six vehicles were delivered to Civil Registry Department.
Harare regional magistrate Bianca Makwande yesterday granted him a $10 000 bail also ordered him to report twice at Waterfalls Police Station, not travel beyond a 40km radius of Harare, barred from visiting the Registrar-General’s Office, surrender title deeds to his Borrowdale property and surrender his passport.
He was remanded to June 4.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW….
Football’s rule-making body International Football Association Board (IFAB) has approved a change on substitition rule which will allow teams to make five subs per match.
Fifa proposed that teams should be allowed to make up to five substitutions per match, instead of the usual three, to help cope with the return to action amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The substitutions will be allowed at a maximum of three slots plus the half-time interval to avoid unnecessary stoppages.
IFAB says the amendment currently applies to competitions that are scheduled to finish before the end of the year, and a review will be conducted at a “later stage” over whether to carry the rule into next season.
In addition, the board has tweaked its rules around VAR to allow competitions that were using the technology to stop doing so, if and when they resume their seasons.-Soccer 24
Farai Dziva|Elias Mudzuri has claimed Zanu PF has nothing to do with the internal battles in the country’s main opposition party, MDC.
Mudzuri echoed discredited Zanu PF heavyweight Obert Mpofu’ s remarks about the same matter.
Political observers argue Zanu PF is using disgruntled elements in a desperate attempt to annihilate the opposition party.
Mudzuri, Douglas Mwonzora, Thokozani Khupe and Morgen Komichi are widely viewed as Zanu PF fosterlings.
Mudzuri argued: “Assertions that ZANU PF is involved in the affairs of MDC are mere hallucinations triggered by denialism and refusal to accept responsibility for what we have done wrong.
Extraordinary Congress is the only remedy.”
On Thursday Mudzuri wrote on Twitter : How can I be fired from Parliament by a non – existent political party? Ncube fired Tsvangirai (2005) but the party remained Biti (2014) did the same but left the party intact Today(2020) Sikhala fires us but still the party shall remain- let’s go for the Extraordinary.”
“We can no longer continue to make policy for ourselves, for our country, and our region and our continent, on the basis of whatever support the Western world or France or the European Union can give us it will not work it has not worked and it will not work. Our responsibility is to charter a path which is about how we can can develop our nations ourselves; it is not right for a country like Ghana 60 years after independence to still have its health and education budget being financed by the basis of the generosity and charity of European taxpayers. By now we should have been able to finance our basic needs ourselves, and if we’re going to look at the next 60 years as a period of transition a period whereby we can stand on her own feet… “
United States-based former Warriors and Dynamos goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva has credited his former club for his incredible rise to stardom.
A teenage Mkuruva became one of the youngest goalkeepers to ever play for DeMbare in 2013 when he was still at Prince Edward School and went on to keep goal for the Warriors at AFCON 2017.
The 24-year old, now with National Independent Soccer Association (NASA) side Michigan Stars, recalls how his journey started.
“Where it all started, I will be forever grateful to the Dynamos family, Coaches Kalitso Pasuwa, Tonderai Ndiraya and Tichaona Diya for my first professional contract.
I appreciate your determination in showing me I can do it! Thanking you for your perseverance, support, and love,” he wrote on his Facebook page- Soccer 24
By Dr Takavafira Zhou
8 May 2020
Perturbed by the shrinking democratic space in Zimbabwe.
Realising that MDC Alliance and MDC-T contested as two distinct political parties in 2018 elections and both had subsequent Congresses in 2019 and 2018, respectively
Noting Zanu PF consented efforts to decimate a credible political opposition in Zimbabwe, in the form of MDC Alliance.
Baffled by deliberate attempts to conflate MDC, MDC-T and MDC Alliance for Zanu pf political expediency.
Recognising the SC judgement which although moot and academic, is restricted to MDC-T and not MDC Alliance
Concerned by the monumental injustice where MDC-T has been assisted by its masters, viz, Zanu pf to recall three MDC Alliance Mps (Hon Tabitha Khumalo, Hon Mutseyami and Hon Hwende), and a Senator (Hon Timveous)
Now therefore as MDC Veterans and custodians of our institutionary memory:
-Deplore and denounce the recall of MDC Alliance deployees as heinous, malodorous, an act of provocation, if not open declaration of war by Zanu PF through its proxies.
-Declare that the recall has no locus standi and must be resisted by all democratic means possible.
-Amplify that the name MDC does not belong to Khupeists, Mwonzoraists or Komichists (who are currently abusing it), but to many democrats who are dead, many democrats who are still living, and many other democrats who are yet to be born. It is in the courts of the people that the name must be contested. That contest has long been determined, sealed and consummated in the May 2019 Gweru MDC Alliance National Congress.
-Urge the MDC Alliance to realise fully the act of provocation and declaration of war by Zanu pf and be ready to engage in war of attrition in defence of their democratic space and egalitarianism.
-Commit our services at the disposal of the party in navigating the landmined democratic path that we embarked on in 1999.
-Reiterate our long held view that those who wish MDC Alliance away are in for a rude awakening, as it is here to stay and grow by leaps and bounds.
The blood of our departed veterans, and in particular that of our iconic founder leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, will continue to water our spirit of liberty and egalitarianism.
No amount of classical diversionary device of dictators, chicanery, brutality and force can stop an idea whose moment is up.
The MDC Alliance must remain vigilant and resilient every time. The people’s project must be fulfilled in our life time. Life is too short to spend it in misery. At any rate the darkest hour is just before dawn.
Dr Takavafira M. Zhou (VAA DSG)
For and on Behalf of MDC Veterans.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has condemned rogue police officers who battered and bruised two women in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb for allegedly violating the ongoing national lockdown.
The women, who are sisters, were arrested on April 16 at a supermarket in the suburb where they had gone to buy food for their children.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi on Friday said six people had been arrested over the incident and will appear in court this Saturday.
He said:
We have six suspects who are appearing in court tomorrow. That is what we can say for now.
We will release more information soon but what we can assure the public is that the case has been investigated and is being well handled. Nothing has been swept under the carpet. That is why we are taking the case to court.
They should not get carried away when they perform their duties.
They should stick to the mandate which the police have in terms of the constitution of the country, in terms of the deployment which would have been done by their commanders.
So, anyone who goes outside the deployment order and does their own things will face the full the wrath of the law.
The women were picked out from a queue at the supermarket and had their hands cuffed behind their backs by three police officers who then brutally assaulted them for hours with batons on their backs, hips and legs.
They were then force-marched through a bush to Cowdray Park Police Base, with the officers making frequent stops along the way to beat them with the batons.-State media
It is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared or angry during a crisis. Talking to people you trust can help. Contact your friends and family.
If you must stay at home, maintain a healthy lifestyle – including proper diet, sleep, exercise and social contacts with loved ones at home and by email and phone with other family and friends.
Don’t use smoking, alcohol or other drugs to deal with your emotions. If you feel overwhelmed, talk to a health worker or counsellor. Have a plan, where to go to and how to seek help for physical and mental health needs if required.
Get the facts.
Gather information that will help you accurately determine your risk so that you can take reasonable precautions. Find a credible source you can trust such as WHO website or, a local or state public health agency.
Limit worry and agitation by lessening the time you and your family spend watching or listening to media coverage that you perceive as upsetting.
Draw on skills you have used in the past that have helped you to manage previous life’s adversities and use those skills to help you manage your emotions during the challenging time of this outbreak.
Credit: WHO
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
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The Ministry would like to report that today [8 May 2020], 624 rapid screening tests and 460 PCR tests were done in the public sector.
Additionally, 140 PCR tests were done in the private sector giving a total of 600 PCR tests done today.
One of the PCR tests done in Harare today was positive for COVID-19, whilst the National TB Reference Lab in Bulawayo is expected to resume PCR testing on the 9th May 2020.
More details on the latest confirmed case to be given in tomorrow’s update.
Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe now has thirty-five confirmed cases, including nine recoveries and four deaths.
Cumulatively, a total of 10 218 rapid screening tests and 8 741 PCR diagnostic tests have been done to date…
The Ministry continues to be on HIGH alert to the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to remind the nation the most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to practise good personal hygiene, always wear a face mask in public places and exercise social distancing.
By Tinashe Gumbo
Rev Themba Siwela is no more, that soft spoken, jovial and harding working ZCC Cadre and Local Ecumenical Fellowship (LEF) leader is gone. He passed on last night in Masvingo after a very short illness. I am still shocked. His friends in the ZCC LEF leadership are still shocked too. Yet, this is the new but sad reality that we now have to live with. Below, I try to summarise my very personal (not necessarily that of ZCC) long interaction with Rev Siwela.
I cannot do it perfectly well because the man was complicated but also very simple as far as I am concerned.
The LEFs are a basic organizing and mobilizing unit of ZCC member churches operating at local, sub-national and national levels. They essentially represent the manner in which ZCC member churches are mobilized and organized to execute ecumenical initiatives and programmatic work. This is the most important structure of ZCC which implements the aspirations of the ZCC Advisory Board, The Supervisory Council and the General Assembly. Thus, ZCC authority, credibility and visibility are hinged on the shoulders of the LEFs. The LEFs are made up of the women, the youths, the men and the Ministers of Religion in the Church. These are dotted across the country at very local, district and provincial levels. Indeed, here lies the engine of ZCC.
Rev Siwela was in the driving seat of one of the Provincial LEF structures in Masvingo. He drove the structure with distinction.
What a complicated man? He was the ZCC LEF leader in various capacities: as the Local Peace Council Chairperson, a Researcher and a key ZCC representative in many platforms.
He represented the Church in the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) as the Provincial Vice Chairperson. Rev Siwela was also the ZCC representative in the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) Provincial Taskforce and indeed, the ZCC election technical partner has lost a hard working member.
He was also very active in all Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) work and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) National Coordinator, Mukoma Paul Muchena has expressed shock at this loss.
Rev Siwela was well networked such that executing ZCC work in Masvingo was as smooth as eating sadza with derere because of his networking, organizing and mobilizing skills. He could link you up with anyone at any level of society: from politicians, government departments, media, civic organizations, traditional leaders, academia, war veterans, farmers and vendors to Church leaders.
Yet, he remained very simple in his conduct. It was extremely dangerous to judge the capabilities of Rev Siwela based on his physical stature. If you attempted to do so, you would be embarrassed by the outcome. He was not what he manifested physically. He was more, morally, socially, in terms of ability and the results he would produce for you.
I personally enjoyed working with Rev Siwela. I joined the ZCC in 2003, together with my sekuru friend, Owen Murozvi. Owen called last night expressing his disbelief of this sad but new reality. We worked with Rev Siwela until I briefly left the Council in 2010, only to come back in 2017 ( kuita pengaudzoke kumusha chaiko ). From 2017 to date, I worked with Rev Siwela to “rebuild the walls of Jerusalem”, the Council needed our collective effort to ensure that it reoccupies its rightful position in the social, political and economic life of the country.
Rev Siwela was my point man in Masvingo. If it was not Rev Siwela, it would be Rev Edgar Ziramba in Mashonaland Central, Lt Yeukai Mudzamba in Matebeleland North, Pastor Nobert Nyoni in Matebeland South, Rev KT Mpofu in Bulawayo, Rev Clement Matulanga in Mashonaland East, Captain Emmanuel Moyo in Mashonaland West, Rev Canon Abel Waziweyi from the East (Manicaland), Rev Lizvelonke Nyoni and Pastor Tawanda Sibanda from the Midlands and a couple of Ministers of Religion in Harare.
This was the team that I set down with to revive the machine. Together, we reviewed how we conducted business as the Council at local level. Rev Siwela and Captain Moyo decide to give me a special name that I had to run with to this day-they called me “ Commissar or Organising Secreatry ” (of course depending on which house you come from, either of the names applied). The team activated the ZCC local urgency in nation building. Today we advocate for a broad based and comprehensive national dialogue in Zimbabwe out of the sweat of cadres like Rev Siwela. By the way, I called my men and women on the ground, ZCC Cadres -indeed, with or without financial support from the Secretariat, the LEF leaders worked for the country. They were more than just supporters of the Church work but they were Cadres.
Rev Siwela, with his Masvingo team made up of his friend Rev ( Mudhara )Misheck Mastara and my own vibrant brother, Rev Kurauone Mutimwi, raised the name of the Council to greater heights. ZCC work in Gutu, Zaka, Bikita, Chiredzi (where another vibrant Cadre leads-Rev Francis Mariki), Mwenezi and Chivi was hinged on the shoulders of Mukoma Themba, as I sometimes called him kana takafarisa hedu . Annual and ongoing ZCC processes such as the Alternative Mining Indaba, the Household Care Burden Survey, National Budget Consultations and other stakeholder engagements, were all led by Rev Siwela, making him a versatile man. The ZCC’s I Pray I Vote Campaign was a huge success in Masvingo because of a combination of skills of Rev Siwela as the mobiliser and organizer, charismatic Rev (and Mrs) Mutimwi, Rev Mastara as the chief strategist among many more Masvingo Cadres. Rev Siwela and team rocked the Hevoi FM with the peace campaign sermons every day of July 2018. The man is gone, but we continue to pray and encourage the leadership of Rev Kidson Maponga and Rev Kennedy Gora to push forward the work of the Church.
Rev Siwela, a United Methodist Church Pastor, leaves behind a wife, Mrs Dorcas Sewela and two children (boys).
He holds a Masters Degree and as far as I know, he always discussed with me possibilities for enrolling for a PhD process. He was Pastor at various circuits: Kwekwe West, Mutoko West, Kadoma, Highfields, Masvingo Inner City, Runyararo, Chiredzi and Gutu Mpandawanda between 1995 and 2020 after leaving the United Theological College in 1995.
The ZCC has lost a cadre! The ZCC networks have lost a reliable stakeholder! While we cannot question God’s plans, this particular development has forced us to still ask the questions: Why? Why at this trying moment of COVID-19-induced lock down? Multitudes of Rev Siwela’s friends would have loved to be there, to be there when his sacred body is being laid to rest. Anyway, we say, Go Well Commissioner! Go Well my Cadre! Go Well Mukoma Themba! Till we meet again!
Tinashe Gumbo(“The Commissar/Organising Secrvetary”) is ZCC Program Officer responsible for ZCC structures. Contained here are my personal views which are not held by ZCC in its official capacity.
A highly disturbing video shows the dramatic scenes when a Zimbabwean father was caught by British police allegedly speeding near Manchester.
The man, Mr Desmond Mombeyarara who has been slapped with several charges, was shot with a taser gun after physically tussling a police officer demanding that his child must not be touched.
Mombeyarara appeared as if resisting arrest and police ended up subduimg him using a taser gun.
Mombeyarara, of Old Trafford, was charged with the following:
He was remanded in custody by a Manchester Magistrates Court to Friday, 8th May, for continuation of trial.
The government of the Republic of Zimbabwe takes this opportunity to congratulate the citizens and member states of the European Union on the ocassion of the 70th Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration which set the European Integration project in motion on the 9th of May 1950. Zimbabwe applauds the EU for time-tested evolution into a major cooperating partner, sharing its ideals and providing development support to fight poverty and promote peace and good governance.
In the context of the on-going Political Dialogue with the EU, Zimbabwe reaffirms its commitment to constructive reengagement based on mutual respect and determination to overcome the challenges that have restricted the full restoration of mutually beneficial relations, key among them the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe that should lifted. The removal of the remaining sanctions will enable Zimbabwe to be fully integrated in the interantional community.
Both sides can attest that cooperation to date in the promotion of health, food security and good governance under the 11th European Development Fund EDF has yielded positive results. This should be consolidation and intensified towards new investment initiatives, trade development and supporting Zimbabwe’s industrial capacity utilization.
Commemorations for Europe Day, like Zimbabwe’s 40th independence anniversary a month earlier have been bloated by the impact of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic which globally continues to claim thousands of lives, infect millions of people, destroy livelihoods and severely damage our economies.
Zimbabwe commends the EU for it timely response and channelling additional humanitarian assistance to countries such as Zimbabwe to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. With a shared vision for a better life to all our citizens. It is incumbent upon Zimbabwe and the EU along with the entire international community to redouble their efforts and cooperation towards the mobilization of resources in support of economic stimuli and sustainable development for all countries
Lt. Gen (Rtd) Dr S.B Moyo
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
By A Correspondent- A UK based Zimbabwean nurse who was LIVE on ZimEye 2 weeks ago today after being diagnosed of coronavirus shares her journey to recovery.
The nurse, a front line health worker was on video praising God despite being confirmed COVID-19 positive urging others in the same ordeal to be strong.
WATCH THE VIDEO LOADING BELOW………….
A UK based Zimbabwean nurse who was LIVE on ZimEye 2 weeks ago today narrates her account on how she has successfully recovered from the deadly disease after being diagnosed positive. VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
DOMESTIC violence cases have increased by more than 100 percent during the ongoing Covid-19 induced national lockdown with men among the affected, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) report states.
Cases have shot up to about 1 200 in April, compared to an average of 500 usually reported in a month.
Institutions that fight against abuse have reported that psychological, emotional, verbal, physical, economical and other kinds of abuse have increased against both sexes as perpetrators spend every hour of the day locked down with their victims.
Police have, however, recorded a huge decrease in reported cases.
This has been attributed to the lockdown which requires everyone to stay at home, except for essential service providers and those seeking vital services like medical attention.
Violating the lockdown attracts a fine of up to $500 or in default 12 months in prison.
Government imposed a national lockdown on March 30 before extending it by a further 14 days for the second time last week.
In a report released this week titled: “A gender crisis within the Covid-19 pandemic one month after national lockdown,” the commission says the lockdown has had severe socio-economic impact on the nation.
ZGC’s report was compiled in consultations with Government, private sector, civic society, faith-based organisations and development agencies.
The report touches on how the lockdown has affected public service delivery, health matters, the economic sectors and families.
The commission has called on Government to address gendered socio-economic problems especially targeting the most vulnerable in society.
ZGC noted with concern the increase in gender-based violence (GBV) cases.
“Media and reports by institutions such as Musasa and Padare show an unprecedented increase in GBV namely domestic violence manifesting in physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse among family members. Musasa, for example, reports that they have attended to more than 1 200 reports by end of
April, more than double the usual per month,” reads the report.
“Enkundleni (Padare), the Men’s Forum on Gender Equality, reports that during the same period, they had received more than 50 reports of domestic violence on men since the lockdown started, a sharp increase.”
The report states that while organisations dealing with GBV recorded increase in abuse cases, police registered reduced cases.
It says police acknowledged that the decrease in cases could be a result of few people being mobile.
“The situation for survivors, mainly women and girls, becomes desperate, as abusers are locked-up with their victims while limited mobility reduces the usual access to external assistance. Children are also trapped in this vicious cycle of violence as witnesses or victims. Women and girls are the worst affected in these circumstances. While schools generally provide safe shelter for children, these have been closed indefinitely further locking them within homes,” the report states.
ZGC said indefinite schools’ closure also presents new challenges for learners as it widens social gaps between the rich and poor when considering online learning.
It states that while home learning is being considered, its effectiveness is highly compromised as it is a new phenomenon in the country.
“Spending more time online also exposes children to cyber-bulling, sex-predators, pornographic material and all other online vices. Reports show that out of the school pupils, girls are in a more precarious situation as they risk falling pregnant and dropping out of school indefinitely,” reads the report.
ZGC also warns of increased food insecurity among vulnerable members of the society, some who lost their source of livelihoods as a result of measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
It said the national lockdown has impacted heavily on the players in the informal sector while Government safety nets were not reaching intended beneficiaries on time due to cumbersome screening processes.
“While we acknowledge the scale of the pandemic and the strain it has put on all sectors, we call upon Government, civil society organisations, private sector, development agencies and other stakeholders to: recognise the gender dynamics in emergencies and ensure that respective response mechanisms are gender responsive and enhance respective social protection systems. There should be robust safety nets with a deliberate emphasis on giving preference to the vulnerable members of the society, which includes women, children, elderly and persons with disabilities, among other groups,” reads the report.
-State Media
By A Correspondent- A mobile banking transaction alert message gave away a National University of Science and Technology (NUST) student who had allegedly stolen more than US$6 000 from Cimas Medical Aid Society which holds an account with BancABC where he is on attachment.
Irvine Chikoto (22) a Banking and Investment student allegedly used the money to buy laptops, mobile phones and software online among other items.
The court heard that Chikoto was attached to the bank’s head-office in the corporate banking department where his duties involved solving client queries and sending account statements to clients.
Chikoto appeared in court before Harare Magistrate Mr Richard Ramaboa today who freed him on $800 bail coupled with some conditions among them reporting once a week to the police.-StateMedia
African Union, which is co-ordinating the continent’s Covid-19 response, has rejected claim by Tanzania president John Magufuli that test kits for the virus are faulty.
AU on Thursday, in a statement, criticised president Magufuli for his approach to dealing with the coronavirus, terming it as lackluster.
The statement comes after Magufuli on Sunday claimed Tanzania’s Covid-19 test kits were defective and that a goat and a pawpaw fruit had returned positive results.
Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC), Dr John Nkengasong, said Tanzania and other African states were using test kits supplied by the Africa CDC in collaboration with the Jack Ma Foundation and met international standards.
“Tanzania is using the same test that everyone is using,” Dr Nkengasong said, noting that it was improbable the tests were faulty.
He went on to say that co-operation, co-ordination and collaboration were crucial if the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic was to be successful in the continent.
“No country in Africa is an island when it comes to dealing with the virus. What is needed is a coherent message right from the leadership of the continent down to the local level,” Dr Nkengasong added.
Tanzania on Monday suspended the director and quality control manager of its national laboratory pending a probe after the alleged faulty results, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Magufuli’s response to the pandemic has received much criticism, as the East African country has implemented few measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Social distancing is hardly practised in Tanzania, where mosques and churches remain open.
The head of state also suggested praying and herbal steam baths could allegedly help prevent infection.
Almost all other African countries release daily reports on the latest Covid-19 tallies on infections, fatalities and recoveries.
Tanzania’s sluggish response has attracted criticism from the country’s opposition, which accused the Magufuli government of being secretive.
By last week, Tanzania had reported 480 coronavirus cases.
-Nairobi News
Watch live video loading below….
By A Correspondent- A UK based Zimbabwean woman has opened up on how a US scammer robbed her of £3.500.
Fundai Chiname allegedly used another woman’s name to get a loan from Amigo loans
“She has done the same scam to several others and took a loan which she never serviced. She is being selfish despite that i helped her “.
Watch the Live video loading above……
The sentencing to death of a Nigerian driver via Zoom is “inherently cruel and inhumane”, Human Rights Watch has said.
It comes after Nigeria issued a death penalty ruling using the video chat app because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lagos judge Mojisola Dada sentenced Olalekan Hameed to death by hanging for the murder of his employer’s mother.
The hearing lasted almost three hours and was virtually attended by lawyers, including the attorney general.
They all participated in Monday’s session from different locations as part of efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.
It was the first day of the easing of lockdown restrictions in Lagos, allowing people to go back to work – although all but urgent court sittings have been suspended.
The judge was in the Lagos High Court in Ikeja, Hameed was at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, and the lawyers joined from elsewhere.
Hameed had pleaded not guilty to killing 76-year-old Jolasun Okunsanya in December 2018.
“The sentence of this court upon you, Olalekan Hameed, is that you be hanged by the neck until you be pronounced dead and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul. This is the virtual judgment of the court,” Justice Dada is quoted as saying.
It is not clear if Hameed will appeal against the sentence.
The BBC’s Celestina Olulode says under Nigerian law, state governors must approve death sentences before they can be carried out.
The death penalty is not commonly carried out in Nigeria – although courts continue to impose the sentence.
According to Amnesty International, there are still more than 2,000 people on death row and the last three executions took place in 2016.
Human Rights Watch told the BBC the creation of the virtual court during the coronavirus outbreak showed a commitment to accessing justice.
However, the judiciary was moving in the wrong direction by sentencing a person to death by hanging, it said.
“The irreversible punishment is archaic, inherently cruel and inhuman, it should be abolished,” Human Rights Watch said.
Nigeria has recorded just under 3,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 100 deaths.
-BBC
Ministry of Finance has raised alarm after it emerged that officials were looting funds meant for COVID-19 relief.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance George Guvamatanga this week wrote to directors and other top ranking officials advising them that only sanctioned travel should be allowed to draw domestic allowances, while the rest should go to deserving people in the country’s COVID-19 response which had been sustained, largely by donors.
“Treasury has noted with concern an increase in payment runs requesting for funds for processing domestic allowances, narrated as COVID-19 payments for staff on duty during the lockdown period,” reads Guvamatanga’s circular dated April 28.
“As you are aware of pronouncement of lockdown throughout Statutory instrument 81 and 82 clearly called for mitigatory measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and involved limited or no movement across cities and towns and hence reduces domestic travel expenses.”
Guvamatanga said instead of government departments focusing on coronavirus interventions, they were now pushing more for allowances than delivering to the needy.
“However, line ministries are now prioritising payment of allowances despite the call by Treasury in its later dated March 20, requesting accounting officers to identify none wage savings from their respective votes to be ring fenced for coronavirus interventions,” he wrote.
Sources have disclosed to NewsDay that top government workers were taking the biggest part of funds allocated to coronavirus response in the form of travel and subsistence allowances while frontline health workers work go without risk allowances or personal protective equipment.
“You have those in higher offices, the principal directors, finance directors and their peers looting fuel, accommodation allowances as they crisis cross the country on errands that don’t even make sense, while those who are actually doing the work get nothing,” said a senior government official.
The official added that poorly paid top civil servants were beginning to feel the pinch owing to the closure of workshops, travel opportunities especially foreign trips which gave them access to huge allowances. They have now resorted to looking for opportunities in the coronavirus response.
“You would notice that government does not pay huge salaries even to your permanent secretaries and directors, however they have always had allowances when attending workshops and travel, this has all been put on Ice by coronavirus and for them to fill this gap they are now digging into the coronavirus budget,” said the source.
Government is struggling to buy protective clothing for doctors, even after a court order compelling it to do so.
Due to lack of resources, government has also left the purchase of critical items towards the fight against the virus such as test kits to donors.
Zimbabwe so far has 40 cases, but observers think the number is probably huger because of low testing levels. Zimbabwe has carried out just over 7 000 tests.
-Newsday
By Jane Mlambo| Hotel giant, African Sun has announced that it is reopening four of its business units with effect from Monday on a phased approach.
The hotels have been closed since 30 March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
African Sun said it will re-open Holiday Inn Harare, Holiday Inn Bulawayo, Holiday Inn Mutare and Great Zimbabwe Hotel under its phase one.
The four units, according to African Sun will be disinfected and sanitized and conduct regular temperature checks of all staff and guests at entry points on top of contactless check in and check out protocols.
“Staff members will wear face masks at all times, guests accessible hand sanitizer at entrance and high traffic areas, extra disinfection of high touch areas in guest rooms including light switches and door handles,” reads the notice to clients.
African Sun added that gyms and swimming pools at its hotels will remain closed while social distancing of upto two meters will be observed and maintained.
A UK based Zimbabwean woman speaks narrating how she was scammed over 3500 British pounds. VIDEO LOADING BELOW
By A Correspondent- The Covid-19 National Lockdown in Zimbabwe, has stalled the police’s plans to travel to South Africa, in order to investigate and gather evidence which ties VP Chiwenga’s ex wife Marry Mubaiwa, to charges of attempted murder.
VP Chiwenga claimed that Marry Mubaiwa wanted to kill him, while he was incapacitated in a hospital in South Africa.
The lockdown has seen the proceedings in Mubaiwa’s much anticipated trial failing to take off.
Marry Mubaiwa is facing several charges, which include attempted murder,money laundering, externalizing foreign currency and fraud.
Mubaiwa was arrested in December under the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission’s directive, on allegations of money laundering and externalizing foreign currency, before VP Chiwenga came forward pressing attempted murder charges.
According to the state, Mubaiwa attempted to kill VP Chiwenga in a South African hospital, by allegedly disconnecting his life supporting machines and denying him access to critical medical care.
Part of investigations involving the attempted murder charges, have to be carried out in South Africa where the incident is alleged to have taken place.
The travel bans and lockdown restrictions enacted by both the Zimbabwean and South African government, have brought the procedure to a halt.“The State is making an application for a postponement of the attempted murder case and money laundering to July 31,” said the leading prosecutor.
“The reason we are seeking a postponement is because we intend to carry out extraterritorial investigations in South Africa and we haven’t been able to do so due to the outbreak of COVID-19 which has seen all countries switching to a lockdown.
The state said it hopes that by the end of July, investigations will resume .
The case was postponed to the 31st of July 2020, with consent from Mubaiwa who was self-acting.
Mubaiwa is currently on a $50 000 bail.
By A Correspondent- A woman who was allegedly used as a bait to lure a married Gweru man into the hands of his murderers has been arrested.
Precious Moyo, the court heard, was allegedly used to make a phone call to Mr Walter Mutombwera pretending to be Ms Nyaradzo Chigagure, his girlfriend based in South Africa.
Mr Mutombwera allegedly fell into the trap and went to a house in Gweru at round 11PM thinking that his girlfriend was back in town and wanted to spend some quality time with him.
Brandy Sifanjani, Ms Chigagure’s husband and Darlington Chigagure, her brother lay in ambush at the house where they allegedly assaulted Mr Mutombwera for five hours leading to his death.
Chigazuze (26) of Mkoba 17 suburb is already in custody following his arrest last month while Moyo appeared yesterday before Gweru magistrate Mr Edwin Marecha. Sifanjani is on the run.
Chigazuze and Moyo are both facing charges of murdering Mutombwera (36) popularly known as Japan. Moyo was remanded in custody to May 28.
The court heard that Moyo went into hiding following the murder before she was later arrested. Police are now looking for Sifanjani.
Prosecutor Ms Connie Madzudzu told the court that on March 11 Chigagure, Sifanjani and Moyo allegedly connived to lure Mr Mutombwera to visit their place of residence in Mkoba 17 suburb.
The court heard that Moyo pretended to be Sifanjani’s wife who was allegedly having an affair with Mr Mutombwera. When Mr Mutombwera got into the house, Sifanjani allegedly struck him with a wooden hoe handle but he fought back and the fight continued outside the house.
Mr Mutombwera allegedly tried to escape but Chigagure blocked him by the gate where Sifanjani hit him on the head and legs with the hoe handle and he fell down.
Mr Mutombwera allegedly cried for help but no one came to his rescue. The court heard that Chigagure and Sifanjani took electrical codes which they used to tie Mr Mutombwera’s hands from the back and continued assaulting him with the wooden hoe handle and a knife.
At around 3AM, Mr Mutombwera was now groaning in pain as he had sustained serious injuries all over his body.
In a bid to conceal the matter, Chigagure and Sifanjani allegedly bundled Mr Mutombwera into their vehicle and drove off for about 500m before dumping him. Mr Mutombwera was rescued by a taxi driver but died on the way to hospital.
-statemedia
By A Correspondent- An anti-riot police officer in Bulawayo has been arrested for allegedly demanding a US$10 bribe from a local resident who had violated lockdown regulations by entering the Central Business District (CBD) without an exemption letter.
Phineas Mutandwa (32) who is attached to the ZRP Support Unit at Fairbridge appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing charges of criminal abuse of office. He was remanded out of custody to May 19 on his own cognizance.
The prosecutor, Mr Terrence Chakabuda said on May 4 at around 11AM, the accused person spotted the complainant walking in the CBD and he stopped him.
He demanded to see Mr Thabisani Ndlovu’s exemption letter allowing him to move around during the lockdown.
“The complainant failed to produce the letter and the accused person ordered him to follow him to Bulawayo Central Police Station where he was supposed to pay a $500 fine,” said Mr Chakabuda.
The court heard that along the way, Mutandwa solicited for a US$10 bribe from the complainant in exchange for his freedom. Mr Ndlovu allegedly gave Mutandwa the US$10 before proceeding to Bulawayo Central Police Station where he reported the matter leading to Mutandwa’s arrest.
Last month, 13 police officers in Bulawayo were arrested for allegedly soliciting and accepting a US$10 bribe from a commuter omnibus crew that had allegedly violated lockdown regulations following the interception of their vehicle.
The accused persons who are all stationed at Bulawayo Central Police Station, were arrested by a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zaac) team after an unidentified whistleblower captured them in a video while they were allegedly receiving the bribe.
The video was posted on social media. The police officers allegedly blocked and stopped the commuter omnibus at the intersection of Josiah Tongogara Street and 4th Avenue and demanded a bribe from the crew for allegedly disregarding lockdown regulations.
The unsuspecting cops were captured on video by a whistleblower while allegedly receiving US$10 from one Thulani Ndlela, a conductor of the commuter omnibus. Investigations were carried out leading to the arrest of the accused persons.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said people should report anyone soliciting for bribes. He said the police command will continue to monitor police officers on the ground to curb acts of corruption.-Statemedia
By A Correspondent- South African immigration officials at Beitbridge Border Post were yesterday reportedly imposing five-year bans on returning Zimbabweans without explanation.
This was revealed yesterday when 141 returnees arrived aboard three buses from Johannesburg.
Immigration officials at Beitbridge were not immediately available for comment.
Beitbridge east legislator Albert Nguluvhe said imposing bans on returnees might have been an overreaction considering that some of the returnees were shoppers caught up when the lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus commenced.
“I am not sure if this is the international arrangement, but I think South African immigration officials at Beitbridge are overreacting,” Nguluvhe said.
Sharon Sibanda (27) of Filabusi said all those aboard the bus she was on had a five-year ban imposed.
“They did not explain, but just banned us. They seemed cheeky,” she said.
Of the 141 who arrived, 51 were from Cape Town, who arrived earlier in the morning while the remainder arrived after midday. They were screened by health officials and profiled by Social Welfare Department officials who immediately separated them according to their destinations.
At least four Zupco buses were on standby to ferry them to their various provinces while some will be quarantined in Gwanda, Masvingo, Harare, Gweru, Bulawayo and Mutare.
By A Correspondent- Desperate imbibers are injecting hand sanitizer liquid directly into their veins to get a quick fix because of the ban on the sale of alcohol, revealed Dr. Gerhard Verdoorn from the Griffon Poison Information Center.
The institutionalized ban on alcohol and cigarettes worldwide amid the pandemic has seen South African booze hankers unable to please their alcohol buds.
They have since resorted to injecting themselves with alcohol-based hand sanitizers to quench the alcohol ‘thirst.’
“It makes me feel numb. Someone could pinch me and I wouldn’t feel a thing”, a hand sanitizer ‘user’ reported to SABC News.
He alleges the sanitizer substance was mostly being used by drug addicts to clean up their wounds after injecting drugs, but with its abundant availability nowadays more than drugs, most people were now injecting sanitizers instead.
Even though the hand sanitizers do work to get people a quick fix, it doesn’t last long in the system, and the consequences after the uptake are often severe.
“It also makes me feel sick and causes what we call downs when the high is over, it causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and makes me feel weak,” Mojafela told SABC News.
By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday the government is also now focusing on post-Covid-19 programs such as ensuring that the country is food secure.
In an opening address to the Zanu PF Politburo meeting, he said as the nation continues to grapple with challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was also equally important to be preparing for the post-Covid-19 phase.
“As such, the government continues to monitor progress on all the programs we had outlined in our 2020 national budget statement and the Transitional Stabilisation Programme. Our agriculture must continue to produce to ensure food security through climate change mitigation strategies,” he said.
In recognition of the importance of agriculture, President Mnangagwa said he had tasked Vice President Constantine Chiwenga to supervise the sector.
“I asked VP Chiwenga to spearhead resuscitation, modernization and mechanization of that sector,” he said, adding that government had availed enough resources towards the success of winter wheat farming.
“In the immediate term, we have availed the resources for a successful winter wheat season. In the medium to long term, the irrigation development strategy will continue to be rolled out to mitigate the impact of climate change,” he added.
President Mnangagwa urged small to medium entrepreneurs (SMES) and the manufacturing sector to harness the potential of homegrown innovative solutions to drive the country’s modernisation agenda.
“In this regard, there should be closer co-operation between the manufacturing sector, SMEs and our educational institutions,” he said.
He said government would also accelerate the implementation of infrastructure projects such as dualisation of the Beitbridge-Harare Chirundu highway.
He commended the international community for assisting Zimbabwe with Covid-19 response materials.
“On behalf of the party, allow me to express my profound appreciation to all individuals, corporates, churches, humanitarian organisations and friendly countries and international institutions such as the People’s Republic of China, United Kingdom, India, United States of America, United Arab Emirates, European Union, Japan and the African Union who have given towards our national response needs to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are as a nation truly grateful for their generosity and goodwill,” he said.
By A Correspondent- Eight suspects were arrested for illegal mining by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in Limpopo on Thursday after being caught processing gold.
Police also seized equipment and material believed to be worth millions of rand.
The suspects, aged between 31 and 65, were due to appear in the Giyani magistrate’s court on Friday for contravening the Precious Metal Act.They are alleged to have been mining illegally in Hlaneki, Mapuve and Mavalani villages, just outside Giyani.
“The Hawks, the SAPS Public Order Police, Tactical Response Team, National Intervention unit, Local Criminal Record Centre, Explosives Unit, Crime Intelligence, Air Wing, K9, SANDF, department of home affairs, department of mineral resources & energy, department of water & sanitation conducted simultaneous disruptive operations focusing on illegal mining at the three villages, where the integrated team confiscated a generator, hose pipes, saws, electric cables, hammers, 9mm live ammunition, gold nuggets, bags full of gold bearing material, pendukas, grinder and an app gas.
“The confiscated goods are yet to be valued but they are expected to run into millions. The suspects were found processing gold when they were apprehended,” Limpopo police said.
Limpopo DPCI provincial head Maj-Gen Thobeka Jozi welcomed the arrests and assured the public that police would continue to intensify operations to “decisively deal with illegal mining which is contributing to serious and violent crime in the province”.-TimesLives
By A Correspondent- The spokesperson of the National Patriotic Front Jealousy Mawarire has urged the MDC Alliance to do away with its name and form a new movement that will not be subjected to unending challenges.
On the 30th of March, the Supreme Court made a ruling in the MDC leadership dispute, declaring congresses held by Dr Thokozani Khupe and Nelson Chamisa as null and void while ordering the party to go for an extra-ordinary congress to replace the late founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
The Supreme Court ruling was followed by the dismissal of four legislators aligned to Chamisa by Douglas Mwonzora who was confirmed as the Secretary-General according to the 2014 status.
The MDC led by Chamisa has come out to say the ruling does not involve them as they formed a new movement named MDC Alliance soon after the July 30 harmonised elections.
But Mawarire felt the name MDC had its own problems that will keep coming and haunting Chamisa.
“Cde,while there is the people’s struggle to defend, there is no party to defend, wake up,smell the coffee & work towards a new instrument under which the people’s struggle can be executed, simple. U can’t continue wearing perfume when in a soiled diaper, get out of it,” said Mawarire while responding to MDC Alliance Secretary General Charlton Hwende on Twitter.
Hwende is among the four legislators recalled by Mwonzora together with the party chief whips Prosper Mutseyami and Lilian Timveos as well as leader of the opposition in parliament Tabitha Khumalo.
By A Correspondent- An artisanal miner at Gasela homestead in Hope Fountain allegedly fatally axed a colleague following a dispute over money.
This was heard by Bulawayo magistrate Shepherd Mjanja on Wednesday when Samson Ncube (29) appeared in his court charged with murder.
He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to May 20.
The court was told that Andrea Moyo (36), now deceased, and Ncube were employed at Central Sourdale Mine, Douglasdale in Bulawayo.
It is alleged that sometime in April this year, the two had a misunderstanding over sharing money, resulting in a fist-fight.
On May 3, Ncube and Andrea were in the company of five workmates and went to Siphilazima shops to convert US$20 into local currency so that they could share.
Andrea and Future Moyo later returned to the mining site and retired.
Ncube and the four co-workers followed the duo to the mining site. Ncube axed Andrea once on the head, killing him instantly. Future, who was sharing the cabin with the deceased reported the matter to the police, leading to Ncube’s arrest.-Newsday
By A Correspondent- Two deportees from Botswana who escaped from Bulawayo Polytechnic isolation centre a few days before the end of their mandatory 21-day quarantine period, have each been fined $800.
The two were part of a group of 456 returnees and deportees who were recently brought from Plumtree High School to provide them with better living conditions and ease crowding.
They were deported through Plumtree Border Post from Botswana where they were staying illegally. The two were arrested while on their way back to Botswana.
Silas Zimunya (44) of Masere Village in Bindura and Moses Gondo (41) of Matapi Flats in Mbare, Harare were convicted by Bulawayo magistrate Mr Shepherd Mjanja on their own plea to violating quarantine regulations. They were fined $800 each or in default three months in jail.
Prosecuting, Mr Patson Muchingani said Zimunya and Gondo were on quarantine at Bulawayo Polytechnic following their deportation from Botswana last month. The court heard that on May 1 at around 8.30AM, the two accused persons connived to escape from the quarantine centre.
They then scaled a precast wall before jumping out of the quarantine centre.
“The two accused persons jumped out of the quarantine centre after climbing the precast wall and escaped,” said Mr Zimunya.
One of the returnees spotted them and alerted a security guard who in turn reported the matter to the police. Police tracked down the two men and arrested them along the Bulawayo-Plumtree road near Bellevue suburb while waiting for transport to Botswana.-StateMedia
By A Correspondent- Marondera District COVID-19 taskforce on Wednesday besieged a Johane Marange apostolic shrine before destroying the tents and ordering the inhabitants to return to their homes.
The shrine, belonging to Ezekiel Chikoto (35), is situated in the Masomera area, about 25km from Marondera Town.
The taskforce destroyed 43 tents before ordering those who were at the shrine, including expecting mothers to leave.
There were about 110 people at the shrine with 66 of them being the family of the sect leader.
Chikoto has 30 wives and 23 children.
Addressing the sect members during the raid, Marondera District.
Development Coordinator (DDC) Clemence Masawi, who is the chairperson of the taskforce said those being evicted can only return after the pandemic.
“We are here because of this pandemic and we are saying, go back to your homes. We will only allow the family to remain. Those remaining here are advised to practice social distancing among other hygienic rules. Once the pandemic is over, those who need spiritual assistance will always come back,” said Masawi.
The demolitions were effected with the assistance of the police.
Mashonaland East Province has recorded five COVID-19 cases with four victims already recovered.
Apostolic sects are traditionally known for shunning modern health practices.
By A Correspondent- The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance parliamentary caucus is set to meet in Harare on Monday for a crisis meeting to map the way forward following the shock expulsion of four party legislators by the Speaker of Parliament last Tuesday.
The expelled MPs are Charlton Hwende, party secretary-general and Kuwadzana MP; Prosper Mutseyami, Chikanga/Dangamvura; the party’s national chairperson, Thabitha Khumalo; and Senator Lilian Timveous.
This follows a letter that reinstated MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora wrote to Parliament recalling the four legislators.
However, MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka in an interview confirmed that the parliamentary caucus would meet Monday to map the way forward.
“The caucus itself is solid and united behind the people’s President, Nelson Chamisa and I know they (MPs) are meeting Monday to decide on the future of opposition parliamentarians in the National Assembly,” he said.
Tamborinyoka said the party was also in marathon meetings following the expulsion of the MPs with other relevant stakeholders.
“We are engaging everyone, the MPs themselves, and the relevant party organs. I am certain that the MDC Alliance MPs are true party cadres who will not drink from this poisoned Zanu-PF chalice.
“I doubt if there is anyone who will join these Zanu-PF surrogates,” he said dispelling reports that some MPs are willing to dump the MDC Alliance and join the MDC-T to save their political careers.
Senior MDC Alliance officials have described the expulsions of its MPs as part of a broader plot by State President and Zanu-PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa to destabilise the operations of the main opposition party in Zimbabwe.-Online
By Own Correspondent| World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the novel coronavirus could kill approximately 190 000 people in Africa in a new infections blitz.
This comes when 4 033 286 coronavirus cases including 276 682 deaths and 1 399 898 recoveries have been confirmed globally as of May 09, 2020, 11:22 GMT.
Africa is currently the least affected continent since the emergence of the virus in China in December last year with some attributing the trend to warm weather on the continent.
The virus is however rapidly spreading across the continent and fears abound as Winter is fast approaching.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health Obadiah Moyo told a local publication that the country was on high alert. He said:
“We are on guard, and we are wary of the second phase of Covid-19. There is a high possibility of a second phase called a recurrence. Should people relax, we could have a second phase of the disease and we should thus continue to be on our guard because there are people who are infected who haven’t recovered yet.”
He urged the citizenry to continue wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and high hygiene levels adding that the country cannot afford to relax the current measures now.
Zimbabwe has 35 cases including 4 deaths.-DailyNews
VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
File picture of Zimbabwean exiles in South AfricaThe South African Home Affairs ministry says more than 500 Zimbabweans who are being deported from Lindela repatriation centre will be handed over to Zimbabwean officials at Beit Bridge border post in Musina, Limpopo today.
66 of the 538 being deported are from correctional facilities in Gauteng.
The number is regarded as a drop in an ocean as there are more than 2 million undocumented Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
This comes after some foreign nationals from Lesotho who did not have proper documentation got deported a few days ago.
The home affairs ministry is on a move to de-congest repatriation centres across the nation to mitigate the possible effects of the coronavirus.
Deportations of foreign nationals only seem good on paper as they seem to be on their way back to South Africa as soon as they get deported.
Home affairs ministry is being advised to adapt more advanced technologies such as the fingerprint during the deportation process. This enables them to create a proper database with information on all lawbreakers and deportees so that the banking sector and potential employers will make informed decisions.
EU Executive Vice President of the European Commission for An Economy that Works for People Valdis Dombrovskis is talking to media about the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing at the Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarters on May 7, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. )Own Correspondent|The European Commission added four African countries to a new list of countries that pose financial risks to the European Union due to anti-money laundering and terrorism financing shortfalls.
The four countries are Botswana, Ghana, Mauritius and Zimbabwe. Uganda was already on the list which now has a total of 22 countries. The EU said all countries on the list with the exception of North Korea pledged to change their rules in order to address the problem.
The Commission says more needs to be done to contain the practice of money-laundering in those countries.
According to a document seen by Reuters, the countries on the list “pose significant threats to the financial system of the Union”.
The European Commission on Thursday said that it is looking into the possibility of creating a new authority to tackle financial crime and keep an eye on banks more strictly.
“We need to put an end to dirty money infiltrating our financial system. Today we are further bolstering our defences to fight money laundering and terrorist financing, with a comprehensive and far-reaching Action Plan,” EU Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis said.
The addition of the countries means that companies in any of them are prohibited from receiving new funding from the European Union. The updated list is set to come into force in October this year.
Banks and other financial and tax firms are obligated to inspect more closely their clients who have any dealings with countries on the list, according to EU law.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia and Tunisia have been removed from the list owing to progress they have made in tackling money laundering and terrorism financing.
Transparency International has called for urgent action during the COVID-19 pandemic which could lead to a marked increase in criminal activity involving cross-border financial flows.
Own Correspondent|The MDC Alliance has called for an urgent meeting of all its members of parliamentary on Monday to decide the future of Alliance MPs in the National Assembly.
The meeting comes after the party’s Standing Committee met on Wednesday and resolved to withdraw all its parliamentarians from both houses after four of their colleagues were withdrawn from parliament.
On Tuesday, National Assembly and Senate Speakers, Jacob Mudenda and Mabel Chinomona, respectively, expelled four MDC Alliance MPs, Charlton Hwende, Kuwadzana MP; Prosper Mutseyami, Chikanga/Dangamvura; the party’s national chairperson, Thabitha Khumalo; and Senator Lilian Timveous.
The expulsion followed a letter that reinstated MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora wrote to Parliament recalling the four legislators.
Senior MDC Alliance officials have described the expulsions of its MPs as part of a broader plot by State President and Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa to destabilise the operations of the main opposition party in Zimbabwe.
Party sources though said that the MPs are solid and united behind the party President, Nelson Chamisa.
South African Minister of Health, Dr Zweli MkhizeOwn Correspondent|South Africa has recorded 663 new cases of COVID-19 and 17 new COVID-19 related deaths. This is the highest record of both new cases and deaths yet.
According to the latest press release by The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, there had been 663 new cases of COVID-19. This means there is a total of 8895 cases. A provincial breakdown can be found below,
The Western Cape has now hit the 4000 a mark, with 4497 reported cases. Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape are ranked second, third and forth. The Northern Cape remains the most under control province.
Today there has been 17 new COVID-19 related deaths reported. This means the total deaths toll is now 178. These are from the following provinces, Eastern Cape (3),Gauteng (3), KwaZulu-Natal (2), Western Cape (9). A provincial breakdown can be found below,
As of 5 May 2020 has been 8 216 605 citizens screened. As of May 7, 435 patients have been hospitalized and 45 are in high care. 77 are in ICU and 40 are being ventilated. There has been 307 752 tests conducted. 15 599 were done in the past 24 hours. Below is a data testing table,
There will be presidential visits to both the Eastern and Western Cape next week because of these provinces both being huge concerns.
Zambian President Edgar LunguOwn Correspondent|Zambian President Edgar Lungu has directed the opening of restaurants, cinemas, gymnasiums, and casinos. However bars and taverns remain closed until further notice. President Lungu has also reopened examination classes in schools beginning 1st June 2020.
President Lungu has said all these measures should comply with public health measures.
And President Lungu has called on Zambian scientists to help find local solution to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said Zambia should not always rely on foreign solutions when it has well educated professionals in various fields. Meanwhile President Lungu announced that Zambia has 14 new cases out of 683 tests done overnight.
Watch video in the link below:
The government of Zimbabwe has exempted foreign diplomats coming into the country from mandatory quarantine saying that is the position consistent with international law.
This was said by government in a statement recently.
We present the statement in full below.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe presents as compliments to all the Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations accredited to the Republic of Zimbabwe and has the honour to clarify to the latter some issues pertaining to the application of the lockdown regulations following the announcement of the two-week extension by His Excellency the President on 19 April 2020.
The Ministry wishes to advise that according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, all diplomats are largely exempted from restrictions applicable to locals due to the, special status protected under International Law though they are, however, expected to observe the laws and regulations of the host country. In this regard, all diplomats who have resident permits, upon arrival from outside the country, should be screened and if they exhibit manifest symptoms of COVID-19, have to be tested and isolated pending final results. Those diplomats who have no symptoms will be left to proceed home to undergo self-quarantine at their private residences for the required mandatory period. In the event that the screening indicates a problem (rise in temperature), they will be subjected to a PCR test and then allowed to go into self-quarantine at the place of residence. However, the Heads of Missions will be expected to ensure that the, returning diplomats comply with self-quarantine measures.
During the course of self-quarantine, the Health authorities and law enforcing agencies may pay a visit to verify compliance. The verification visits will be scheduled through the Protocol Department.
The Ministry further wishes to advise all Diplomatic ‘,fissions and International Organisations that there will be no blanket exemption from testing requirements.
Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations will be required to notify the Ministry in advance of any returning member of their staff or dependents for the relevant authorities to ensure that they enter with minimal disruptions. In the event that a member of a Diplomatic Mission or International Organisation is quarantined, the Ministry will communicate with the concerned organisation to that effect for purposes of information and Consular access as per laid down procedures.
Missions will be informed in the event that their citizens are put in quarantine so that consular access can be granted.
The diplomatic community shall be bound by the laws and regulations made during the lockdown period in so far as the regulations are made to reduce the spread and enhance the containment of the COVID-19 virus while recognizing the need to guarantee the execution of essential functions of Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations.
All Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations are advised that the Ministry’s contact points are: Legal and Consular Directorate on [email protected] and Protocol Directorate on protocoldirectorateqmail.com
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe avails itself of this opportunity to renew to all Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations accredited to Zimbabwe the assurances of its highest consideration.
Harare 4 May 2020
All Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations Harare
MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe has to withdraw her membership to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) as she has not been given the mandate by the party, national chairperson Morgen Komichi has said.
Khupe – who had formed her own MDC-T outfit after falling out with MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa following the death of the opposition party’s founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018, had joined Polad at Mnangagwa’s invitation.
But with the recent Supreme Court ruling dislodging Chamisa and reinstating Khupe as the party’s legitimate leader, Komichi told the Daily News yesterday that she has to seek the MDC-T mandate to remain in Polad.
“What we know is that we are not a member of Polad and Khupe has not been mandated to represent the party. That issue will have to be considered after the extra-ordinary congress if there is need to do so. At the moment, Khupe is not a member of Polad,” Komichi said.
Khupe and her spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni were not available to comment on the matter and were not taking calls yesterday.
This comes as Khupe has been at the forefront in calling on her rival, Chamisa, to join the group and stop demonstrations to avoid his supporters from being beaten up by the police.
She became a member of Polad by virtue of being a presidential candidate for the MDC-T in the 2018 elections, which she lost dismally. Chamisa narrowly lost to Mnangagwa in the same elections.
Chamisa snubbed the call to join Polad, refusing to endorse Mnangagwa whom he accused of rigging the 2018 general elections.
In March, while addressing the media on the sidelines of a Polad meeting, Khupe also pleaded with the Western countries that have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe to forgive Mnangagwa, who is accused of human rights abuses, give him a second chance, and treat him the way the United States and European countries treated other governments.
“We were still going to engage, to go to the United States to meet those people who actually are involved, but we can’t because of Covid-19, but we are appealing to the Americans to say as Zimbabweans, give us a second chance as a country. Zimbabwe requires assistance; we need a bailout to restart our economy,” Khupe said.
Zimbabwe’s human rights record has seen the country continue to suffer isolation, with Western countries demanding reforms from Mnangagwa before sanctions imposed on the country at the turn of the century can be lifted.
Khupe, who is head of a Polad sub-committee on international re-engagement, said only dialogue can save the MDC from police beatings and arrests.
“I am not saying people should not demonstrate,” Khupe said.
“I am saying people must use demonstrations as a last resort, but now, there is an opportunity for us to come together and dialogue about those same issues our colleagues are raising.
“For me, it is better for us to dialogue than to subject our members to police beatings, police brutality and to arrests because if you do demonstrations, those are the after-effects of demonstrations.”
She added: “If you sit around the table and you dialogue, it is leaders talking to each other to say no, Your Excellency, the route you are taking is not the right one; please take this way.
“For me, I would like to urge all my colleagues to say, for us to avoid these human rights abuses, let us talk to each other instead of doing all these other things.”
Daily News
Malawians on Thursday, May 7, 2020 took a dig at First lady Gertrude Mutharika for poor dressing code during his husband Peter Mutharika’s presentation of nomination papers for July 2, 2020′ fresh presidential elections at mount Soche in Blantyre.
First Lady who dressed in blue and yellow gown dress which looked like a maternity dress for an expecting woman (pregnant woman) did not please viewers on live TV broadcast.
Malawians were comparing Malawi Vice President Saulo Chilima’s wife Marry Chilima who dresses smart and presentable in public and private functions.
Mary Chilima on the left-hand side and Gertrude Mutharika on the right-hand side“Pliz Mayi wafuko aphunzire kuvala sure (Please The First lady must learn to dress properly),” rebukes Feli Chiwaula.
Zaman chips in; “Chaka choyipa Mulumu olo akazi ako amatha kukuonetsa chitsiru ku gulu povala gown mmalo mwa dress (When God wants to shame you, even your wife make you fool to the public by dressing a gown instead of proper dress”.
Confidence adds, “Koma designer wa aunt Getu sakaona kumwamba, (Honestly, First lady Gertrude’s designer will not enter into heaven)”.
“Koma mwati a First lady amalakwa chani kuti mpaka alandire chilango cha dress imeneyi (What crime has the first lady committed to be punished for this type of dress)”, Chigo worried.
They have also insulted Mrs Mutharika’s dress designers who most of the time attract public anger and insults on types of dresses that the first lady puts on.
Malawi Media
The famous television whistleblower of the 2008 election rigging, Shepherd Yuda speaks concerning a leak he reports he’s received from military sources on alleged plans by ZANU PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW….
LEAKED – YUDA SPILLS THE BEANS ON MNANGAGWA'S ALLEGED MILITARY PLOT IN MOZAMBIQUE https://t.co/FG98hMkICP
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) May 8, 2020
– ORIGINAL ARTICLE –
Terrorists in Mozambique Investigated.
By Simba Chikanza| ANALYSIS | There are digital footprints from within as well as from outside Mozambique that suggest there are some other terrorists currently operating in that country who were created by Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa so he can unleash military rule over the Beira corridor: it’s all about money and getting it by blood. He’s been doing this since 1983. He created Richard Gwesela (who was later killed by a newspaper article, literally), and up to as late as 2018 when we finally witnessed the Terrorist game played before our eyes on LIVE video. It’s a well known game by the politicians and innocent people die.
In recent weeks, we have been told of Christians being killed by so-called Islamic militants in Mozambique. Are they real terrorists and not mere political agents on a special assignment? Let’s hear from the Mozambicans themselves what they are both seeing and saying.
Of the 59 tweets published by ‘the Mozambican Islamic militant group,’ on a Twitter handle, 90% of them are attacking Zimbabwe; their very first one on the 29th April 2020, is a direct message to Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the last one, late Monday evening 9pm, refers to Zimbabwe. Why are these “terrorists” so obsessed with Zimbabwe beginning with their very first tweet?
Of the pictures published of the terrorists lately and on their Twitter account, FranceAlRasa, one is unmasked as a 2015 photo, and the second (used by a South African publication, Daily Maverick, which claims they got it via Telegram from the group last year, has its first citing way back in June 2018 over in Europe, Turkey, nowhere near Africa.
The Twitter account FranceAlRasa, was created on the 29th April 2020, well in advance of Mnangagwa’s visit there (just a day before).
The correlation of timing as well as the desperation to rebuild the economy using military metal all point to one thing – a brute politician’s methods repeated for over 37 years since the 4th of May 1983.
One possibility suggests that the Twitter account was created by a merely malicious person who is seeking to agitate war against Emmerson Mnangagwa. This is a very strong likely, and many citizens are known for doing these things in the past as they vent their anger against the government. If this is the case however how did the individual (s) know that Mnangagwa would fly over to Mozambique at the end of the week? The person who did this could thus only be an insider, or at least one possessing insider state-knowledge.
Furthermore if that is true, on Sunday, the nation witnessed ZANU PF’s most prolific pressure group, screaming on social networks that the Zimbabwe National Army must be deployed to Mozambique with immediate effect, today. They said they must do this in order to crush ISIS. They are confident that they will win this war. Very soon ZANU PF will throw a party telling the whole world that Emmerson Mnangagwa is the only politician who can crush ISIS. He has done it in Mozambique! Perfect. We will all believe them, because we did not care to investigate.
And why is ZANU PF suddenly agitated for war?
Does Mozambique have Islamic militants? Who is funding them?
Since Mnangagwa created fake polling stations in Masvingo for Phillip Nyusi 7 months ago, and someone printed fake IDs for scores of Zimbabweans who have never set foot in Mozambique to vote for Nyusi, what is his next move? The current Chairman of the SADC Politics, Defence And Security, is well known for creating terrorists who work for him and his story is documented for a long 37 year period. It brings up the question of what SADC is all about when it appoints someone who has killed more blacks than apartheid South Africa to head its defence and security, but well this is a very very long discussion for another day. A very long one.
Local agencies in Mozambique quote the opposition in that country complaining that the state is murdering civilians.
Mozambique’s interior minister, Amade Miquidade, last month attacked what he described as dis-information spread by independent journalists who are calling into question the credibility of Mozambique’s security forces.
He also blasted Jose Manteigas, a spokesman for Renamo, the main opposition party, who has accused the country’s security forces of “murdering” civilians.
Miquidade said the security forces “will not tolerate these acts of subversion.”
Zitimar news agency, quotes Manteigas alleging that Mozambique’s security forces killed 12 civilians — including two Renamo members — when they attacked boats at jetties on Ibo island in mid-April.
In another report, the interior minister has claimed that security forces have since put the situation in Cabo Delgado under control.
“The situation in Cabo Delgado, at this moment, is under control. What does that mean? We have identified where the enemy is, what are their bases, what are their camps and their movements; while, the defence and security forces are strategically preparing for yet another offensive,” said Miquidade.
Seeing that Mnangagwa is officially assisting Nyusi with political direction, what kind of mentorship is Emmerson Mnangagwa giving the Mozambican leader, a professional one? How is the story unfolding?
So far, the report begins on the 4th May 1983, when Mnangagwa created fake terrorists having abducted and killed 6 western tourists. The victims were: Brett Baldwin, 23, of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Kevin Ellis, 24, of Bellevue, Wash.; Britons James Greenwell and Martyn Hodgeson; and Australians Tony Bajzeli and William Butler.
ZIFA’s spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela has in recent days responded to allegations by some quarters in Matebeleland who attack him saying that he is the son of the notorious so called dissident, Ranson or Richard Gwesela, a terrorist Mnangagwa created in the 1980s.
Gwesela is the infamous “immortal” character who the Zimbabwean military claimed they were after between 1983 and 1987 when they continued to kill civilians until more than 22,000 people were massacred. He was immortal for a whole 4 years and only “killed” when ZANU PF now wanted to sign a unity accord with Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU party in 1987.
Thousands of people sensationally flocked to a police station in Gweru on the 18th November 1987 for a glimpse of the bullet-riddled corpse of Zimbabwe’s most wanted “fugitive.”
Zimbabwe Republic Police say Richard Gwesela, a former guerrilla fighter, was a gang leader who terrorized the people of two provinces for four years.
Gwesela was alleged to have murdered 20 people in the Midlands and neighbouring Matabeleland provinces. He also was said to have raped women and robbed villagers.
In silence, onlookers walked past his body sprawled beneath a wanted poster offering $30,000 for him, dead or alive.
The state media said Gwesela was the country’s most wanted man, and was killed in a gunbattle with Zimbabwean security forces near Gweru “on Sunday,” earlier.
His death was reported for the first time three days later, on the Wednesday. There were no independent investigations to confirm the state media report.
His mother and an uncle identified the corpse as Gwesela, and police fingerprints confirmed the identity, according to the state media report.
″Gwesela had killed more than 20 people since he started operating in the area,″ Enos Nkala, home affairs minister in charge of police, told reporters. ″Now he is going to join them, whether in heaven or hell, we don’t know,” he said.
NEW TWIST.
33 years later, some Mthwakazi activists have begun claiming ZIFA’s Gwesela was rewarded the sports job for a sterling role the supposed father played as an insider who staged for Emmerson Mnangagwa during Gukurahundi in order to kill civilians, pursuing Emmerson Mnangagwa’s terror operation to kill people under the guise of flushing out dissidents.
One activist makes the above chilling allegations (pic).
Responding however, ZIFA’s Mr Xolisani Gwesa told ZimEye, the so called Gwesela was not even a real Gwesela.
He said: “This writer is waffling. I am shocked by these ghastly falsehoods.
“I am the son of the late Chief Gwesela whose real name was Cornelius Nobody Gwesela Ndebele who died in 1996.He was never a dissident. The so called “dissident Gwesela” was never a Gwesela and his real name was Zedious Mangena.
“I am holder of a Masters Degree in Media and Society studies, Post grad Diploma in Media , Bsc Honours degree , Diploma in Management and Diploma in Sport Management.
“I have over 15 years experience in media management and sport management and events coordination. I joined Zifa purely on merit.
“The Gweselas are also from Zhombe and not Lower Gweru. The Gweselas are also from Zhombe and not Lower Gweru.”
ZIMBABWE, THE WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING CROP ECONOMY SUDDENLY CRASHED FOLLOWING MNANGAGWA’S PRONOUNCEMENTS
Rhodesia, was once the worst hit African economy by both United Nations sanctions and a debilitating 14 year running civil war from within, and yet by 1976, it had been hailed as the world’s fastest growing crop economy. So what really went wrong? Soon after 1980, it was handed over to Robert Mugabe and his state security minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, who less than 3 years later launched a military crackdown against civilians who he personally described as cockroaches who must be wiped out using DDT. That operation destroyed the economy in ways exactly similar to the recent 1 Aug 2018 military crackdown (which the Finance Ministry has told The Motlanthe Commission has cost the nation USD16 billion.) Zimbabwe’s economy began crumbling following Mnangagwa’s words on the 4th April 1983:
“Blessed are they who will follow the path of the Government laws, for their days on earth will be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents for we will certainly shorten their stay on earth.”
As Minister of State Security, Mnangagwa was in charge of the brutal massacre of more than 22 000 Ndebele. He labeled dissidents ‘cockroaches’ and the killers of the Fifth Brigade army unit as ‘DDT,’ an insecticide.
Economy data shows how the country’s GDP crashed down following the operation, and effects were immediately felt from 1983 all the way to 1985.
Fast forward to the period 2004 – 2018 more evidence shows the correlation between economic performance and the rule of law, specifically human rights adherence.
MNANGAGWA’S METHOD.
But Mnangagwa’s method is different. He operates on the belief that an economy is only built by killing people, and his appetite for shedding blood is evident for 40 years to date during which he has killed more blacks than apartheid South Africa. On the 2nd January, 2020, he told residents of Kuwadzana, Harare that he will send the army after them once he suspects them to have stopped the rain. This came barely 2 years after he deployed the military to change election results and citizens for the first time witnessed soldiers opening fire against shoppers going about the day-to-day business.
What kind of mentorship is Emmerson Mnangagwa giving the Mozambican leader, a professional one?
There is no doubt that Mnangagwa will deny all this evidence even to the Mozambicans. But his file is now full and fat, a whole 37 years full.
Tech Zim|Most people were surprised by the Zimbabwe central bank moves to instruct EcoCash to freeze the accounts of all agents that process transactions above ZW$100,000 (about USD2,000 or USD4,000 when you use the generous official exchange rate) per month.
The problem with this directive is that it is just a blanket punishment. Effectively, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is saying that if you are not a listed company, a bank, an international organisation or the government, then you are not allowed to transact above this arbitrary figure of $100k.
Even if there is just one legitimate business in this class, common sense tells you that it is not right nor fair to cut the service for that one business just to ‘catch’ the rest. It’s even worse. The central bank could have applied more targeted sanctions without punishing businesses for having high transactions. They had information on which accounts to target.
A letter that was attached to the papers submitted to the High Court seeking reversal of the RBZ directive reveals that the central bank has not been acting on flagged accounts. The letter written to the Financial Intelligence Unit by EcoCash CEO, Natalie Jabangwe on the 24th of April 2020 says:
We note that, as shown in Table 2 below, since implementation of the new limits we submitted 17 STRs* and only five have been responded to with requests for additional information, the rest (12) we have not heard anything from you with some getting to a month old since submission. Prior to implementation of the new limits, since beginning of the year we submitted 68 STRs and got 22 responses with 1 case being referred to the police. In 2019 we submitted 100 and got 50 responses. Whilst we are fully aware of our obligation to detect and report and we will continue to do so, the low response rate can be disheartening and cause for concern to us especially when you then keep accusing us of not detecting and reporting cases of abuse of the platform.
*STR: Suspicious Transaction Report
Here’s an example of one of the reports ignored by the Financial Intelligence Unit:
All the example transactions that Jabangwe cites in her letter appear suspicious indeed. It’s surprising that the majority of them did not get as much as a follow up from the authorities. Of the 85 transactions flagged by EcoCash from January 1 up to the time of sending the letter, 32% had some sort of follow up and only one was reported to the police.
Is it that there are some untouchable individuals and businesses that can only be ‘accidentally’ caught up in a blanket drag net but not individually investigated without political or other consequence? I wonder what we will uncover if we thoroughly trace the final beneficiaries of some of these companies.
In the same letter, the EcoCash boss wrote:
On 15th September last year, we were invited for a meeting at Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters (CID HQ) to discuss ways of ensuring that channel partners who were abusing the EcoCash platform were brought to book. We advised them the process that we follow in terms of reporting STRs to your office and we gave them statistics of STRs that we had submitted to your offices. They were impressed with the number of STRs we had submitted but expressed shock at the small number of Compliance Orders that they had received from your office.
The other major challenge they mentioned was the requirement of serving Compliance Orders as notices to offenders before any criminal proceedings could be done. The notice periods were 7 and 14 days depending with the offence. These requirements were affecting the effectiveness of the AML/CFT measures. We thus call on the relevant institutions to play their respective roles to ensure that there is combined effective collaboration in implementing the AML/CFT measures.
It’s curious that holders of very suspicious accounts were given up to 14 days notice to comply yet the RBZ issues an ‘with immediate effect’ directive that affects any business that has high transaction volumes.
When inconsistencies like these surface we are left to conclude that the RBZ lacks much moral authority to direct the freezing of accounts more so in a blanket manner as they have done.
John MagufuliOwn Correspondent|African Union in a statement has rejected John Magufuli’s claims that the testing kits for testing Coronavirus were faulty.The union also criticized the country’s president in the way it’s handling COVID-19 crisis in his country.
This comes just after President Magufuli’s, on Sunday said in a statement that the COVID-19 testing kits were faulty after showing positive results on the tests done on a goat and a pawpaw fruit.
Dr. John Ngengasong, who is the Director of African Centres for Disease Control said the tests kits all African nations are using were supplied by it in a collaboration with the Jack Ma foundation. He added that the kits had been tested and complied with the international standards.
“No country in Africa is an island when it comes to dealing with the virus. What is needed is a coherent message right from the leadership of the continent down to the local level,” The director noted.
Tanzania has been on watch by the rest of the world due to its poor response to the disease. The country is still allowing flouting the rules of social distancing among the citizens and churches and mosques are still open.
As of last week, Tanzania had recorded 480 cases of Coronavirus.
Paul Nyathi|The Ministry of Health and Child Care on Saturday reported one more COVID-19 positive case to take the number of confirmed cases to 35.
The latest case comes after the country had gone an unprecedented eight days without recording any new cases.
In its coronavirus (COVID-19) update for 8 May 2020 released on Saturday morning, the Ministry of Health said more details on the latest confirmed case will be given in next update. The latest update reads in part:
To date, more than 3.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 250 000 deaths have been reported from 210 countries and territories globally.
The Ministry would like to report that today, 624 rapid screening tests and 460 PCR tests were done in the public sector. Additionally, 140 PCR tests were done in the private sector giving a total of 600 PCR tests done today.
One of the PCR tests done in Harare today was positive for COVID-19, whilst the National TB Reference Lab in Bulawayo is expected to resume PCR testing on the 9th May 2020. More details on the latest confirmed case to be given in tomorrow’s update.
Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe now has thirty-five confirmed cases, including nine recoveries and four deaths.
Cumulatively, a total of 10 218 rapid screening tests and 8 741 PCR diagnostic tests have been done to date…
The Ministry continues to be on HIGH alert to the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to remind the nation the most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to practise good personal hygiene, always wear a face mask in public places and exercise social distancing.
GVT ‘achievements’ during lockdown:
Add more in the comments.
Festus Dumbu Paul Nyathi |Former MDC parliamentarian for Zaka West claims that the umbrella political party, the MDC Alliance, did not field any candidate in the 2018 general election but instead candidates were seconded to contest by their respective parties.
Festus Dumbu, who contested and lost the 2018 elections in the constituency, said he contested in that election representing the MDC but under the MDC Alliance pact.
His arguments follow this week’s shock expulsion of four MDC Alliance MPs from Parliament after reinstated MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora wrote to Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda claiming the legislators were no longer his party members.
Dumbu was MP for Zaka constituency between 2005 and 2013 before he lost to a Zanu PF candidate in 2013.
Dumbu wrote as follows on his social media platforms:
“CLEARING THE DUST.
The MDC Alliance did not field even a single candidate in the 2018 Harmonised Elections. Attached below is the Application Form which I, and each MDC member filled for consideration to be included on the panel to represent the MDC during the 2018 Parliamentary Elections. I contested in Zaka West clearly representing the MDC, under the MDC Alliance Electoral Pact. Even our Declaration of Loyalty Forms were MDC Forms not Alliance forms. PDP had its own systems, Ncube had his own systems but we converged on the Alliance Front.
It’s surprising to see lawyers of repute choosing to lie and mislead the Nation on issues which are straightforward. The MDC must take responsibility of their mistakes and regularise every omission, for good of the People’s Democratic Revolution. Lies have short legs but the truth remains durable. God bless Zimbabwe.
Victor MatemadandaZANU PF Political Commissar, Victor Matemadanda has said that the ruling party enjoys having the opposition MDC as the opposition but does not wish to see the party go extinct.
He said that reason must prevail within the MDC so that they resolve their issues amicably without pointing fingers at the ruling party which “is not the source of the MDC’s problems.”
Matemadanda was speaking after MDC and Zengeza West legislator, Job Sikhala on Thursday vowed to “deal with President Mnangagwa for interfering with MDC’s internal affairs.”
Watch video downloading below:
Minister Paul MavimaGOVERNMENT yesterday confirmed that it is working with social partners including business and labour on a new salary structure for workers following the erosion of wages and salaries by inflation.
Government has repeatedly said it is alive to the fact that workers’ wages and salaries including that of civil servants which were last reviewed early this year, have been eroded by inflation.
The wages and salaries are as a result lagging far behind the prices of even basic commodities hence workers are finding it difficult to fend for their families.
The process of aligning wages and prices has been affected by currency instability and the three-tier pricing system used by some businesses.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima said in an interview on Thursday that there are on-going salary and wages negotiations in a bid to come up with a more stable salary structure to cushion workers against rising inflation.
“We would really want to see a macro-economic stability whereby salary negotiations are done once a year or even after two years. At the moment we have to constantly review salaries and wages to keep up with rising inflation. If we don’t do that we will be shooting ourselves in the foot as salaries and wages will be eroded by inflation,” he said.
Prof Mavima said Government and other members of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) were working together to address the issue of wages and salaries.
“You know the National Joint Negotiating Council reached an agreement in February this year. There was a compromise where they said Minister go ahead and set what can be considered a minimum wage and I think we have just gazetted a minimum wage for people in the unclassified sectors including domestic workers. So, we have to continuously review. The Government is really alive to the fact that there is ongoing erosion of wages and salaries and we need to continue to review,” he said.
Sibusiso Busi Moyo Minister of Foreign AffairsState Media|AN estimated 4 000 Zimbabweans in South Africa have registered with the embassy for food aid as many have become desperate due to that country’s prolonged lockdown.
The lockdown has resulted in loss of incomes, particularly to those who are on temporary employment.
The Zimbabweans registered for food assistance through a web-link opened by the Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa, with some of them expressing their willingness to return home.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Busi Moyo yesterday told The Herald that the Department of Social Welfare was working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to assist the distressed citizens.
“We are currently engaged in negotiation regarding our nationals in South Africa who wish to return home. Our diplomatic mission there has opened a web-link for all distressed nationals who wish to return home to register.
“As at May 1, 2020, we were expecting to repatriate around 3 000 from South Africa,” said Dr Moyo.
In addition to those arriving from South Africa, over 700 citizens have arrived in the country from Botswana.
The first batch of 20 Zimbabwean nationals from Namibia arrived through the Victoria Falls border last week.
The returnees from Namibia are currently quarantined at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School in the resort town.
“Repatriation from our neighbouring countries continues and efforts are underway to improve the communication and coordination channels with authorities in Botswana to ensure that at least we organise the return of our citizens.”
Dr Moyo said some distress calls have come from as far as China where about 300 nationals have registered for repatriation.
Other nationals needing assistance, Dr Moyo said, are in the United Arab Emirates and in India where some Zimbabweans had gone for medical treatment and business.
India’s nationwide coronavirus lockdown, which started at midnight on March 25, was scheduled to end on May 3 but was extended by another two weeks.
“We also have a lot of Zimbabweans who are working on ships and are stranded. We received distress calls from our nationals who are currently at sea working for various international cruise liners and are seeking to return home. One such ship from the US is currently heading to Cape Town and we have about 30 or so Zimbabweans aboard,” said Dr Moyo.
He said a second ship was on its way to Cape Town, but he was still determining the total number of Zimbabweans aboard.
The United Kingdom also has a large number of Zimbabwean citizens seeking to return home, but the challenge has been the lack of airlines due to travel bans worldwide.
Given the challenge of airlines, governments have had to act on reciprocal basis by allowing repatriation of foreign citizens in the country.
Khama Billiat KHAMA Billiat is heading for arguably his worst season in the Absa Premiership and apart from injuries hampering his form, there have been questions about the player’s mentality.
While Samir Nurkovic has been consistently hitting the back of the net for Kaizer Chiefs; Billiat scoring just once in the entire 2019/20 campaign led the Amakhosi fans to question the reason for the Zimbabwean’s poor form, suggesting that the player might not suit Ernst Middendorp’s current system.
Billiat has made just 16 appearances in all competitions for Chiefs this season, missing the entire month of January’s fixtures due to a hamstring injury.
Speaking to the Siya crew this week, former Kaizer Chiefs striker, Mark Williams was of the opinion that maybe Billiat and Head coach Middendorp may not be seeing eye-to-eye and the player’s mentality may be affecting his form.
“If I am the CEO and the boss of Kaizer Chiefs and I pay almost a billion for somebody and he is not playing, I am going to be a bit frustrated and would ask the coach, why is it that one of my most expensive players that I am paying R800 000 to a R1 million a month, is not playing?
“So meaning that the investment that the club is doing is not good because the coach and the player don’t see eye-to-eye. Is it because of Billiat’s mentality?
Because we all know, at the end of the day, Billiat is a good player if he is fit and his mind is right,” he added.
– Soccer Laduma
By Jane Mlambo| Following the resignation of Walter Mzembi and his deputy Godfrey Gandawa from the newly formed People’s Party, the movement has been plunged into serious infighting over leadership with Secretary General Lloyd Msipa and Agrippa Bopela Masiyakurima engaging in counter dismissals.
In their resignation statement, Mzembi and Gandawa said they had left the party in the hands of Msipa who suspended Masiyakurima, the Treasurer General.
Masiyakurima has since issued an open letter to Msipa claiming that he is now in control of the movement while also suspending him from the movement.
Mzembi and Gandawa after failing to solve internal party disputes amid reports that Msipa was a Zanu PF mole send to spy on the party.
Msipa was also accused of refusing to heed a decision by the party to dissociate and unfollow a twitter account linked the Mozambique terrorists activities.
THE absence of Bulawayo artistes on the radar at a time the world is embracing virtual shows has become a serious cause for concern for many who would love to see artistes, especially musicians from the country’s arts hub come to the party.
Ever since the hosting of shows was banned in most countries as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, artistes started hosting virtual shows (online) to keep their fans entertained while also seeking to remain relevant.
Locally, Zimdancehall artistes through various music promoters in Harare, have been hosting these online shows on Facebook and Instagram almost daily.
This has seen up-and-coming artistes such as Van Choga rising to fame because of his antics at the shows. This has kept the Zimdancehall genre alive.
Other artistes such as Tammy Moyo, Janet Manyowa and Ammara Brown have also staged individual shows on their social media pages.
After watching Zimdancehall artistes shine at the recently held Gara Mumba Iwe show on Facebook where Winky D stole the show, fans could not help but ask why other genres were not included. Conspicuous by their absence were Bulawayo artistes.
It would have been great to see artistes from different genres but the show organiser, Passion Java who has a bias towards Zimdancehall, simply said they invite those who would have been suggested by people to their shows.
The big question is: Why are Bulawayo musicians not hosting virtual shows?
Is it an issue of the high costs of data, lack of sponsorship/ funding, lack of knowledge on the hosting of the shows, general lack of confidence or what?
Saturday Leisure this week had a chat with some of the city’s artistes to hear their side of the story.
Many said they had no resources to host such shows. Aeiou hit-maker Novuyo Seagirl, who seemed to be coming up very well on the national scene after making a mark at the Zimbabwe Music Awards earlier this year, said most artistes cannot afford data for the live streams.
“For one to be online, they need data and data is expensive these days. Some artistes depend on music for a living and with this whole situation (lockdown), it’s likely to be a hassle to even afford data enough to power a whole concert online.
“Also, my assumption is that even the artistes who had side businesses have been affected somehow as most businesses were closed as a result of the lockdown,” said Seagirl.
The award-winning house sensation said the little money that artistes are getting is now going towards putting food on the table as they have families to fend for.
“The little we have is being spent on food and other basics. We know fans are looking up to us for entertainment but we also have families to look after,” said Seagirl.
Arts guru, Raisedon Baya who is one of the Intwasa Festival and Bulawayo Arts Awards organisers, said the online presence of artistes in Bulawayo is almost zero because most are living from hand to mouth.
“I think it (absence of artistes online) basically speaks to our poverty. Online presence itself for Bulawayo artistes is almost zero. This is because most have no access to equipment and the Internet.
“I think expecting them to just suddenly switch to online shows is expecting too much,” said Baya.
He said the artistes should be empowered so that their presence online during the lockdown is felt.
Mzoe 7 who recently released an awareness song on the pandemic said most online shows have sponsors, a privilege Bulawayo artistes are not enjoying.
“If we look at what’s happening worldwide and locally, most of the online shows are being organised by the corporate world, for example the dancehall ones which are being hosted by Nash Events (with support from Nash Paints).
“The biggest problem we’re having is that we cannot afford to hold such shows.”
Umkhathi Theatre Works director Matesu Dube said as much as they would love to stream live skits online, they are incapacitated because they have no resources.
“We have no resources to work on something at the moment and remember, every product we do needs resources. It’s difficult to work on something to put online without getting any income.
“Streaming also needs resources and at the end of the day, the artistes don’t benefit,” said Dube.
Bolamba Culture Birds director Mthabisi Dube said they have not been able to put out their dances to the public through online platforms as they are failing to secure sponsors for the shows.
“As artistes, we’re affected and we don’t have funds to do such activities as we’re having a challenge of sponsorship and funding.
“The issue is different compared to Harare as the artistes are getting sponsorship deals to host the online shows.”
Musician and actor Madlela Skhobokhobo said he has tried to post some of his skits on Facebook but is unable to stream live.
“I share my skits every time on my Facebook pages although I am failing to stream them live.
“What we need as artistes is the corporate world’s support and those with willing hearts and pockets to help us do that,” said Madlela.
Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts director Nkululeko Dube said all hope was not lost as creativity will eventually come to the party.
“The creativity and content in the city is abundant and the new audiences are there. I trust that local creatives will catch up and it’s not as if nothing is happening totally,” said Dube.
Veteran musician, Jeys Marabini who performed at the Switch On Zimbabwe virtual concert last week said he is working on something.
A show being organised by Common Roots today will also feature the city’s artistes, Seagirl and Qeqe Mntambo.
After all is said and done, artistes from the region have expressed willingness to come to the party but are incapacitated. Nkululeko Nkala, who has been working closely with artistes for years, challenged the region’s business community to support artistes.
Artistes in Beitbridge are also crying for sponsorship.
-State Media
WORK to rehabilitate the Harare-Beitbridge highway is progressing well as most contractors are on course to meet their targets, Government has said.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza said this in an interview yesterday.
“The rehabilitation and dualisation works are going on very well and two of the contractors have since completed about 20km each and we have already given them extensions of 20km each,” he said.
“Overall they are all on target. On Monday I will be visiting three areas — two in Masvingo province and one in Matabeleland South province to assess progress,” Minister Matiza said.
Minister Matiza said roads were the arteries through which the economy pulses.
He said Government, under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, valued development of roads as they linked producers to markets, workers to jobs, students to schools and the sick to hospitals.
The Cabinet minister added that the Harare-Beitbridge highway dualisation project was part of a US$2,7 billion Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu venture covering 971km divided into three sections.
The sections are Beitbridge-Harare with 570km of road and eight toll plazas, Harare-Chirundu section consisting of 342km road and six toll plazas and the Harare ring road covering 59km with three toll plazas.
Road works for the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu highway consist of phased dualisation, rehabilitation and widening of the existing road from the current seven metres width to Southern Africa Transport and Communications Commission (SATTC) standard of 12,5 metres width, and adding climbing lanes where necessary.
It is estimated that the project will be complete by 2022.
Government is upgrading roads across the country as they are key enablers of economic development as Zimbabwe angles for upper middle income economy status by 2030.
-State Media
The number of police officers infected with Covid-19 has more than doubled in just eight days.
Last Thursday, 103 police officers had tested positive for the virus.
On Friday, Police Minister Bheki Cele said 253 were infected with “this invisible enemy that is attacking our members”.
He was addressing a joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Police and the Select Committee on Security and Justice.
“It is going to be much darker before it is bright. We hope our members will survive this time, we hope our members are going to be there to be part of the frontline to defend the rest of South Africa,” Cele said.
He added police officers were highly mobile, often moving between provinces, but this might need to change as it could harm their health.
“Things will never be the same after Covid-19. Indeed, life has changed. Never thought criminals would transport drugs and alcohol in the coffins,” Cele said.
Earlier on Friday, he told the committees the police have arrested a lot of people for smuggling cigarettes and alcohol, saying he had seen cases where people said they were crossing provincial borders to attend funerals, but then the police find alcohol and drugs in the coffins.
On Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced 19 000 inmates convicted of petty crimes would be released on parole to combat the spread of Covid-19 in prisons.
National police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khehla Sitole said the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) had proposed a “multi-disciplinary approach” to monitor the parolees.
“From the South African Police Service side, we have established some avenues to monitor these particular prisoners, how they progress, in particular some intelligence,” Sitole added.
They have also proposed a community-based reintegration programme “so that these people don’t find themselves rejected and go back”, he said.
-News24
By Jane Mlambo| After over a week without recording new infections, Zimbabwe has recorded one more COVID-19 case taking the total number to 35.
From the 624 rapid screening tests done yesterday, one test in Harare tested positive though the ministry of health and child care is yet to give more details on the case.
“The Ministry would like to report that today, 624 rapid screening tests and 460 PCR tests were done in the public sector. Additionally, 140 PCR tests were done in the private sector giving a total of 600 PCR tests done today.
“One of the PCR tests done in Harare today was positive for COVID-19, whilst the National TB Reference Lab in Bulawayo is expected to resume PCR testing on the 9th May 2020,” reads the statement from the ministry of health.
As the opposition MDC saga rages on, chairman of the Dr Thokozani Khupe led grouping has castigated MDC Alliance deputy presidents Tendai Biti and Professor Welshman Ncube saying they joined the Alliance for personal gains.
In an exclusive interview with 263Chat, MDC Senator for Midlands Morgan Komichi said Biti joined the Alliance for his personal convenience and gains.
This follows Biti’s remarks in which he criticized the recalling of four members of the MDC Alliance from parliament at the instigation.
“It is his own choice, he is free to say what he wants legal or illegal, wrong or right. He is doing it for his personal convenience he knows what he wants to achieve. He knows MDC Alliance is not a party. He did not dissolve PDP which still exists under Lucia Matibenga,” said Komichi.
He said it was only Welshman Ncube who dissolved his MDC party to join the main MDC-T but is trying to run away and is unprepared to engage.
“Actually it is Ncube who wrote a letter to dissolve his MDC party to join the MDC (T). He did not join the MDC alliance but he joined main MDC-T that is there on record. He is trying to run away, he is not prepared to engage because he has his own personal ambitions. Ncube knows MDC Alliance is not a party.
“He (Ncube) is trying to run away from the truth by telling lies. When people benefit from an illegal process they benefit something tangible in their lives. Unfortunately the Supreme Court and High Court judgments have nullified the benefits. Definitely they will appear unreasonable but when they are in their bedrooms and with friends they will be telling the truth that they have been thrown under the bus,” said Komichi
Komichi also dismissed allegations that he was being sponsored by Zanu PF to destroy the MDC saying he was a victim of the regime as he was jailed for declaring Chamisa the winner of 2018 elections.
-263Chat
By Jane Mlambo| Following the resignation of Walter Mzembi and his deputy Godfrey Gandawa from the newly formed People’s Party, the movement has been plunged into serious infighting over leadership with Secretary General Lloyd Msipa and Agrippa Bopela Masiyakurima engaging in counter dismissals.
In their resignation statement, Mzembi and Gandawa said they had left the party in the hands of Msipa who suspended Masiyakurima, the Treasurer General.
Masiyakurima has since issued an open letter to Msipa claiming that he is now in control of the movement while also suspending him from the movement.
Mzembi and Gandawa after failing to solve internal party disputes amid reports that Msipa was a Zanu PF mole send to spy on the party.
Msipa was also accused of refusing to heed a decision by the party to dissociate and unfollow a twitter account linked the Mozambique terrorists activities.
Ecocash, a subsidiary of ZSE-listed Cassava Smartech, is engaging in shadow banking and is a Ponzi scheme that is creating fictitious money and balances in the system, FinX can report.
According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Ecocash has agents who have an overdraft on their Ecocash accounts in excess of ZW$39 million, funds the central bank believes are then used to buy foreign currency and inflate the exchange rate.
In its notice of opposition in respect of the urgent application for a final interdict made by Ecocash, the RBZ governor John Mangudya said that the effect of the rapidly devaluing exchange rate on the Ecocash Platform is what is not only destroying the livelihood of the Ecocash users but also the economy of Zimbabwe.
RBZ is being represented by Kantor and Immerman while the case is is filed under HC30007 of 2020.
Ecocash wanted the High Court to stop the RBZ from suspending mobile money agents from conducting financial transactions and restore full functionality to those affected. RBZ froze all agents accounts that transacted for more than $100 000 per month with the exceptions of select categories. However the payment platform argued that this had crippled its business and said that the measures were not the solutions to the problems that the country was trying to solve.
The Financial Intelligence Unit had also directed that Ecocash undertakes the re-licencing and KYC enhancement exercise as it had shown it did not have in its custody all the required KYC documentation and information for all its agents. In a statement released today, Ecocash said it was not consulted on this directive which will impact its 11 million customers as well as to affect the services the platform offers.
According to the opposition affidavit, it has been discovered that unlike other electronic e-money platforms, Ecocash does not engage in immediate settlement of payments. This means that, on the Ecocash Platform, payments can remain outstanding for periods of between three to seven days, which Mangudya said unduly prejudices the same population that the platform purports to protect.
“What the general public does not know is what happens in the interim. The funds that have not been credited to the vendor or the recipient are then available for trading on the Ecocash Platform in the foreign currency market. In effect, the delays allow a certain person, who was the subject matter of an investigation, to buy and sell foreign currency in the intervening period.”
Mangudya said investigations have established that there are some Ecocash agents who have an overdraft on their Ecocash accounts in excess of $39 million. This begs the question: “How can an entity or individual have an overdraft on an electronic payment platform such as Ecocash?”
A schedule attached by the RBZ confirms that the agents are over drawn in excess of $39 million dollars. “Applicant has failed to proffer an explanation and is challenged to do so under oath.”
Mangudya said on this basis, Ecocash had breached the law thereby negating any rights that it has. “The applicant can only operate the payment systems in a lawful way. Operating the payment systems unlawfully through a Ponzi Scheme and shadow banking amounts to a violation of the law and does not give rise to any rights that the applicant can seek to enforce in the manner sought.
The governor said that the threshold of $100,000-00 set by FIU eliminates the risk or the claim for irreparable harm that Ecocash is referring to. “It is telling that the applicant has not been candid with this Honourable Court by setting out in detail the so-called affected agents, their identity and their KYC documentation. This is because the applicant has not been complying with the law and is unable to produce this information. Without the information the applicant has not made out a case for an interdict.”
He added that Econet had also failed to disclose to the court the ratio of the top 100 agents in volume and monetary terms, to show that the concern of the Financial Intelligence Unit in respect of illicit money flow is well-founded. “The Applicant, through this application shows that it is abdicating its responsibility of ensuring that its system and its identified agents operate in terms of the law. This is a blatant display of arrogance, defiance and impunity.
Ecocash was set up in 2011 premised on the condition that it observes proper risk management practises and internal controls on an ongoing basis.
-FinX
Registrar-General Clement Masango yesterday denied any wrongdoing during his bail application before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Bianca Makwande.
Mrs Makwende granted Masango $10 000 bail plus a surety of his Borrowdale home title deeds.
Masango is facing two counts of criminal abuse of office as a public officer after he allegedly instructed CMED to buy a double cab and six single cab pick-ups without Cabinet approval and using the vehicles at his farm.
Masango, who was represented by Nembo Attorneys, said the process of buying the cars started long before he assumed duty as Registrar-General and that payments were made within 10 days of him assuming duty on September 24, 2018.
He said he found no reason to seek authority from accounting officers as CMED is mandated to procure vehicles on behalf of the Government.
Masango also denied misusing Government vehicles at his farm saying he only acquired the land in December last year.
He was not asked to plead.
Prosecutors Francisca Mukumbiri, Netsai Mushayabasa and Sheilla Mupindu argued that Masango exhibited propensity to interfere with State witnesses, as he had already threatened their key witness, the chief accountant at the Registry Office, Mr Peter Bwanya.
The State alleges that Masango instructed Bwanya not to assist Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) with documents.
“After he learnt of the investigations he called a meeting in his office where he accused Bwanya of leaking information to ZACC.
“He also instructed that no duplicate copies should be given to ZACC officials. Accused went on to confiscate a firearm from Bwanya and kept it although it is not the accused’s duty to keep the firearm,” said Mrs Mukumbiri.
She told the court that Masango failed to explore all the available options which he could have pursued for him to acquire the vehicles and that he was a flight risk.
“He had an option of seeking authority from Permanent Secretary in Home Affairs specifying reasons and justifications why he needed the cars.
“He could have written to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport to seek permission on his behalf from Cabinet.
“Cabinet would then approve or turn it down.
“He had another option of going through the CMED tender procedure,” she said.
The State also said ZACC officers had to use force to apprehend Masango after he instructed an office orderly to block them from entering his office.
“If he had the audacity to do that, what more if he is granted bail?” she asked.
However, Masango said he harboured no intentions to evade trial.
He said he would have fled when he came to know of the allegations on March 3 this year if he wished to flee.
“The document which ZACC are using is a copy of a letter I wrote responding to the Permanent Secretary (of Home Affairs) after he instructed me to answer the allegations. If I wanted to escape I would have done that before lockdown,” he said.
He also denied ever threatening Bwanya telling the court that the meeting was part of their daily work routines.
“I gave him Bwanya instructions to fully comply with ZACC officers and call me whenever they require my assistance,” he said.
In her ruling magistrate Makwande said the State failed to give enough evidence to support their reasons to deny Masango bail.
Magistrate Makwande ordered Masango to deposit $10 000 bail plus the title deeds of his property in Borrowdale, Harare.
He was also ordered not to travel 40km outside Harare and barred from visiting his workplace.
-State Media
By Tinashe Gumbo
Rev Themba Siwela is no more, that soft spoken, jovial and harding working ZCC Cadre and Local Ecumenical Fellowship (LEF) leader is gone. He passed on last night in Masvingo after a very short illness.
I am still shocked. His friends in the ZCC LEF leadership are still shocked too. Yet, this is the new but sad reality that we now have to live with. Below, I try to summarise my very personal (not necessarily that of ZCC) long interaction with Rev Siwela. I cannot do it perfectly well because the man was complicated but also very simple as far as I am concerned.
The LEFs are a basic organizing and mobilizing unit of ZCC member churches operating at local, sub-national and national levels. They essentially represent the manner in which ZCC member churches are mobilized and organized to execute ecumenical initiatives and programmatic work. This is the most important structure of ZCC which implements the aspirations of the ZCC Advisory Board, The Supervisory Council and the General Assembly. Thus, ZCC authority, credibility and visibility are hinged on the shoulders of the LEFs. The LEFs are made up of the women, the youths, the men and the Ministers of Religion in the Church. These are dotted across the country at very local, district and provincial levels. Indeed, here lies the engine of ZCC. Rev Siwela was in the driving seat of one of the Provincial LEF structures in Masvingo. He drove the structure with distinction.
What a complicated man? He was the ZCC LEF leader in various capacities: as the Local Peace Council Chairperson, a Researcher and a key ZCC representative in many platforms. He represented the Church in the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) as the Provincial Vice Chairperson. Rev Siwela was also the ZCC representative in the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) Provincial Taskforce and indeed, the ZCC election technical partner has lost a hard working member. He was also very active in all Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) work and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) National Coordinator, Mukoma Paul Muchena has expressed shock at this loss.
Rev Siwela was well networked such that executing ZCC work in Masvingo was as smooth as eating sadza with derere because of his networking, organizing and mobilizing skills. He could link you up with anyone at any level of society: from politicians, government departments, media, civic organizations, traditional leaders, academia, war veterans, farmers and vendors to Church leaders. Yet, he remained very simple in his conduct. It was extremely dangerous to judge the capabilities of Rev Siwela based on his physical stature. If you attempted to do so, you would be embarrassed by the outcome. He was not what he manifested physically. He was more, morally, socially, in terms of ability and the results he would produce for you.
I personally enjoyed working with Rev Siwela. I joined the ZCC in 2003, together with my sekuru friend, Owen Murozvi. Owen called last night expressing his disbelief of this sad but new reality. We worked with Rev Siwela until I briefly left the Council in 2010, only to come back in 2017 ( kuita pengaudzoke kumusha chaiko ). From 2017 to date, I worked with Rev Siwela to “rebuild the walls of Jerusalem”, the Council needed our collective effort to ensure that it reoccupies its rightful position in the social, political and economic life of the country. Rev Siwela was my point man in Masvingo. If it was not Rev Siwela, it would be Rev Edgar Ziramba in Mashonaland Central, Lt Yeukai Mudzamba in Matebeleland North, Pastor Nobert Nyoni in Matebeland South, Rev KT Mpofu in Bulawayo, Rev Clement Matulanga in Mashonaland East, Captain Emmanuel Moyo in Mashonaland West, Rev Canon Abel Waziweyi from the East (Manicaland), Rev Lizvelonke Nyoni and Pastor Tawanda Sibanda from the Midlands and a couple of Ministers of Religion in Harare. This was the team that I set down with to revive the machine. Together, we reviewed how we conducted business as the Council at local level. Rev Siwela and Captain Moyo decide to give me a special name that I had to run with to this day-they called me “ Commissar or Organising Secreatry ” (of course depending on which house you come from, either of the names applied). The team activated the ZCC local urgency in nation building. Today we advocate for a broad based and comprehensive national dialogue in Zimbabwe out of the sweat of cadres like Rev Siwela. By the way, I called my men and women on the ground, ZCC Cadres -indeed, with or without financial support from the Secretariat, the LEF leaders worked for the country. They were more than just supporters of the Church work but they were Cadres.
Rev Siwela, with his Masvingo team made up of his friend Rev ( Mudhara )Misheck Mastara and my own vibrant brother, Rev Kurauone Mutimwi, raised the name of the Council to greater heights. ZCC work in Gutu, Zaka, Bikita, Chiredzi (where another vibrant Cadre leads-Rev Francis Mariki), Mwenezi and Chivi was hinged on the shoulders of Mukoma Themba, as I sometimes called him kana takafarisa hedu . Annual and ongoing ZCC processes such as the Alternative Mining Indaba, the Household Care Burden Survey, National Budget Consultations and other stakeholder engagements, were all led by Rev Siwela, making him a versatile man. The ZCC’s I Pray I Vote Campaign was a huge success in Masvingo because of a combination of skills of Rev Siwela as the mobiliser and organizer, charismatic Rev (and Mrs) Mutimwi, Rev Mastara as the chief strategist among many more Masvingo Cadres. Rev Siwela and team rocked the Hevoi FM with the peace campaign sermons every day of July 2018. The man is gone, but we continue to pray and encourage the leadership of Rev Kidson Maponga and Rev Kennedy Gora to push forward the work of the Church.
Rev Siwela, a United Methodist Church Pastor, leaves behind a wife, Mrs Dorcas Sewela and two children (boys).He holds a Masters Degree and as far as I know, he always discussed with me possibilities for enrolling for a PhD process. He was Pastor at various circuits: Kwekwe West, Mutoko West, Kadoma, Highfields, Masvingo Inner City, Runyararo, Chiredzi and Gutu Mpandawanda between 1995 and 2020 after leaving the United Theological College in 1995.
The ZCC has lost a cadre! The ZCC networks have lost a reliable stakeholder! While we cannot question God’s plans, this particular development has forced us to still ask the questions: Why? Why at this trying moment of COVID-19-induced lock down? Multitudes of Rev Siwela’s friends would have loved to be there, to be there when his sacred body is being laid to rest. Anyway, we say, Go Well Commissioner! Go Well my Cadre! Go Well Mukoma Themba! Till we meet again!
Tinashe Gumbo (“The Commissar/Organising Secrvetary”) is ZCC Program Officer responsible for ZCC structures. Contained here are my personal views which are not held by ZCC in its official capacity.
JOHANNESBURG. — Khama Billiat is heading for arguably his worst season in the South African Absa Premiership football and apart from injuries hampering his form, there have been questions about the player’s mentality.
While Samir Nurkovic has been consistently hitting the back of the net for Kaizer Chiefs; Billiat scoring just once in the entire 2019/20 campaign led the Amakhosi fans to question the reason for the Zimbabwean’s poor form, suggesting that the player might not suit Ernst Middendorp’s current system.
Billiat has made just 16 appearances in all competitions for Chiefs this season, missing the entire month of January’s fixtures due to a hamstring injury.
Speaking to the Siya crew this week, former Kaizer Chiefs striker, Mark Williams was of the opinion that maybe Billiat and Head Coach Middendorp may not be seeing eye-to-eye and the player’s mentality may be affecting his form.
“If I am the CEO and the boss of Kaizer Chiefs and I pay almost a billion for somebody and he is not playing, I am going to be a bit frustrated and would ask the coach, why isn’t that one of my most expensive players that I am paying R800 thousand to a R1 million a month, is not playing?
“So meaning that the investment that the club is doing is not good because the coach and the player don’t see eye-to-eye. Is it because of Billiat’s mentality?
Because we all know, at the end of the day, Billiat is a good player if he is fit and his mind is right,” he added. — Soccer Laduma.
The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) has provisional plans to delay June examinations by four weeks pending the announcement of schools opening dates by Government, an official has said.
Zimsec has encouraged candidates to continue preparing for the examinations.
This comes after Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema said the setting of the dates for the second term will be done by the President when the conditions are safe for learners and teachers to prevent exposure to Covid-19.
On May 8, Zimsec director Dr Lazarus Nembaware sent out a circular to heads of examination centres, candidates, parents and stakeholders that the timetable had been moved by four weeks as a precautionary measure, but “revised examination dates will be issued out as soon as confirmation of the reopening of schools is announced”, reads the circular.
According to the circular, the table of numbers and entry listings for all June 2020 candidates were dispatched to all examination centres during the course of the week in preparation for the examinations.
It further reads that heads of examination centres should advise all registered candidates to continue preparing for the writing of the examinations.-State media
Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has urged Zimbabweans to remain vigilant as the struggle for real change reaches the twilight zone.
Said Chamisa:
“Hello Zimbabwe..I’m prompted to remind you that the darkest hour is before dawn.
A breakthrough is often preceded by the hardest point.
Our tears of sorrow shall soon be tears of joy.Good people always defeat the bad and evil ones.Cease your weeping..
Dare mighty things and be legendary!Stand up, Man up!!We shall soon overcome and celebrate.
By God’s Grace, we will get there.We are getting there! Mark my words! Be strong and be blessed this day”
Farai Dziva|Former Zanu PF spindoctor Jonathan has warned Emmerson Mnangagwa that a major revolution is looming in Zimbabwe.
The former Information Minister accused the Zanu PF leader of using disgruntled elements in the MDC to destroy the popular movement.
” Four Zanu PF Boomerangs- History shall shine a spotlight on the sad fact that these are the four faces that Mnangagwa used to try to undo the electoral choices of the people for their representatives in Parliament but ended up throwing four boomerangs that hit Zanu PF!”
“Leaders and representatives are chosen by the people; not imposed by Mnangagwa, declared by Chief Justice Malaba, recalled by Speaker Mudenda or Senate President Chinomona, or withdrawn by
@DMwonzora
@DrThoko_Khupe
The people decide and this time it is a revolution! ZanupfMustGo,” Moyo posted on Twitter.
Farai Dziva|Respected analyst Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya has pointed out that Emmerson Mnangagwa is using the current lockdown to close democratic space in country, gaining political ground in the process.
According to Ruhanya, Mnangagwa is using the lockdown to outfox his political rivals.
“They are using a disease, a world pandemic to lockdown democracy in Zimbabwe.
They think it’s a political strategy but it’s the uncivilized misrule that exposes Mnangagwa’s regime as authoritarian and allergic to reform.
Lies about new dispensation are unraveling,” argued Ruhanya.
Farai Dziva|Respected analyst Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya has pointed out that Emmerson Mnangagwa is using the current lockdown to close democratic space in country, gaining political ground in the process.
According to Ruhanya, Mnangagwa is using the lockdown to outfox his political rivals.
“They are using a disease, a world pandemic to lockdown democracy in Zimbabwe.
They think it’s a political strategy but it’s the uncivilized misrule that exposes Mnangagwa’s regime as authoritarian and allergic to reform.
Lies about new dispensation are unraveling,” argued Ruhanya.
By Simba Chikanza | The following is a summary of what ZANU PF leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa has said in public between 1983 and 2020, and it is all about unleashing terror against civilians and then blaming opposition political parties for it.
What do you think he is advising other countries like Mozambique, especially Philip Nyusi who Mnangagwa assisted in vote rigging in 2019?
The following is a summary of everything Mnangagwa has done between 1983 and 2020,
and it all about sending terrorists to kill people, and then blame opposition members.
Today as SADC Chair For Defence and Security, what do you think he is advising other countries
like Mozambique, especially Philip Nyusi who Mnangagwa assisted in vote rigging in 2019?
The video below contains live footage from a polling station in Masvingo where over 500 Zimbabweans who’ve never stepped a foot in Mozambique, were bused on Zim government ZUPCO buses to vote for Nyusi.
So far Mozambique’s interior minister, Amade Miquidade, has attacked independent journalists who are calling into question the credibility of Mozambique’s security forces.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
He accused them for alleged “dis-information.”
He also blasted Jose Manteigas, a spokesman for Renamo, the main opposition party, who has accused the country’s security forces of “murdering” civilians.
Miquidade said the security forces “will not tolerate these acts of subversion.”
In other news, the Zitimar news agency, quotes Manteigas alleging that Mozambique’s security forces killed 12 civilians — including two Renamo members — when they attacked boats at jetties on Ibo island in mid-April.
The interior minister last month claimed that security forces have put the situation in Cabo Delgado under control.
“The situation in Cabo Delgado, at this moment, is under control. What does that mean? We have identified where the enemy is, what are their bases, what are their camps and their movements; while, the defence and security forces are strategically preparing for yet another offensive,” said Miquidade.
Form No. 29C/Provisional Order/Rule 246
0277250
IN THE HIGH COURT OF ZIMBABWE CASE NO: HC 2199/20
HELD AT HARARE
In the matter between:-
MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE ALLIANCE (MDC ALLIANCE) APPLICANT
And
MINISTER OF JUSTICE LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS RESPONDENT
MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 2nd RESPONDENT
RESPONDENT PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE 3rd RESPONDENT
PROVISIONAL ORDER
TO: THE RESPONDENTS
TAKE NOTE that, on the 7th day of May 2020 the Honourable Mrs Justice Munangati-Manongwa sitting at Harare issued a provisional order.
The annexed Chamber application, affidavit/s and documents were issued in support of the application for this provisional order.
If you intend to oppose the confirmation of this provisional order, you will have to file a notice of Opposition in Form No. 29B, together with one or more opposing affidavit’s, with the Registrar, of the High Court at Harare within ten (10) days after the date of which this provisional order was served upon you.
You will also have to serve a copy of the Notice of Opposition and affidavits on the applicant at the address for service specified in the application.
If you do not file an opposing affidavit within the period specified above, this matter will be set down for hearing in the High Court at Harare without further notice to you and will be dealt with as an unopposed application for confirmation of the provisional order.
If you wish to have the provisional order changes or set aside sooner than the rules of Court normally allow and can show good cause for this, you should approach the applicant/applicant’s legal practitioner to agree, in consultation with the Registrar, on a suitable hearing date. If this cannot be agreed or there is a great urgency, you make a Chamber application, on notice to the applicant, for directions from a judge as to when the matter can be argued.
TERMS OF FINAL ORDER SOUGHT That you show cause to this Honourable Court why a final order should not be made in the following terms:- 1. It is ordered that:-
i. Within 7 days from the date of service of this order, the It respondent, shall pay into the applicant’s account number 1036938297 held A Steward Bank, All amounts due to the applicant in terms of the Political Parties Finance Act Chapter 2:11 in the sum of $7 492 500.00.
ii. 3rd and 2nd respondents shall pay cost of suit.
TERMS OF INTERIM RELIEF
The respondents be and are hereby interdicted, stopped and barred from disbursing the sum of $7 492 500.00 due to the applicant in terms of the Political Party Finance Act or any other amount thereof, to any party other than the MDC Alliance.
SERVICE OF THE ORDER
That the applicant’s legal practitioners are given authority to serve the order by way of delivery to the respondent’s legal practitioners.
BY THE JUDGE
Farai Dziva|Outspoken Masvingo based preacher, Isaac Makomichi insists dialogue will happen between rivals Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC Alliance president Advocate Nelson Chamisa despite the political turmoil in the country.
Last week Makomichi claimed he was ready to facilitate dialogue between the two leaders.
Makomichi is the leader of Calvary Prayer Group and
the president of Vulnerable Youth Support Network Trust.
Commenting on the political turmoil in the country Makomichi said:
The problem is that you are looking at it(political situation) from a natural viewpoint – yet I am seeing it from a spiritual perspective.
I have read about the battles in the opposition party, MDC and as I have always said, national unity is unavoidable.
Don’t worry about the storm in a cup of tea.
The two men, President Mnangagwa and Mr Nelson Chamisa and will find each other very soon.
You will be surprised because very soon things will start happening,” said Makomichi.
He added:”I have been praying for national unity and very soon I will invite President Mnangagwa and Mr Chamisa to my house for key discussions.Once that happens national unity shall be attained.”
Makomichi also claimed former Zanu PF Political Commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere would be part of vital nation building processes.
However, an MDC official ruled out possible dialogue with Zanu PF:
“Given the current political tension, I don’t see that happening.As things stand we will not interact with Zanu PF at any level or platform. The space for dialogue is not available at the moment.”
Farai Dziva|Outspoken Masvingo based preacher, Isaac Makomichi insists dialogue will happen between rivals Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC Alliance president Advocate Nelson Chamisa despite the political turmoil in the country.
Last week Makomichi claimed he was ready to facilitate dialogue between the two leaders.
Makomichi is the leader of Calvary Prayer Group and
the president of Vulnerable Youth Support Network Trust.
Commenting on the political turmoil in the country Makomichi said:
The problem is that you are looking at it(political situation) from a natural viewpoint – yet I am seeing it from a spiritual perspective.
I have read about the battles in the opposition party, MDC and as I have always said, national unity is unavoidable.
Don’t worry about the storm in a cup of tea.
The two men, President Mnangagwa and Mr Nelson Chamisa and will find each other very soon.
You will be surprised because very soon things will start happening,” said Makomichi.
He added:”I have been praying for national unity and very soon I will invite President Mnangagwa and Mr Chamisa to my house for key discussions.Once that happens national unity shall be attained.”
Makomichi also claimed former Zanu PF Political Commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere would be part of vital nation building processes.
However, an MDC official ruled out possible dialogue with Zanu PF:
“Given the current political tension, I don’t see that happening.As things stand we will not interact with Zanu PF at any level or platform. The space for dialogue is not available at the moment.”
The succession row pitting the sons of ageing African Apostolic Church leader, Archbishop Paul Mwazha, popularly known as Mudzidzisi, has deepened with the matter being reported to police, setting the stage for it ending in court.
Archbishop Mwazha turns 102 this year and he has reportedly indicated his intention to step down and let one of his sons succeed him.
Alfred Kushamisa Mwazha and Tawanda Mwazha are at the centre of the succession wrangle.
On Monday, things turned nasty when Alfred, his other brothers and sympathisers visited Archbishop Mwazha’s residence in Hatfield, Harare, to initiate a succession ceremony.
They were however, stopped by other family members, Nyasha and Malcom Chapfunga, who argued that the Archbishop preferred his youngest son, Tawanda, to succeed him.
Tawanda is reportedly holed up in South Africa due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Monday clashes occurred in full view of the African Apostolic Church leader.
Irked by Alfred’s actions, Tawanda’s nephew, Nyasha, took the matter to Hatfield Police Station where it was reported under RRB4382864.
Nyasha said Alfred violated their peace and destroyed property at the clergyman’s house after they forced entry into the premises.
Nyasha reportedly told the police that Alfred and his brothers broke the gate’s lock to gain entry into the yard, violating Covid-19 national lockdown rules that restrict movement of people, gatherings and observance of social distancing.
Police yesterday could neither confirm nor deny the development.
However, sources close to the goings-on said Tawanda had since instructed his legal team to file a suit against Alfred, his other brothers and sympathisers.
“Lawyers have been instructed to prepare a suit against Alfred and his followers.
Indications are that Tawanda wants to file for a peace order against Alfred and his team.
“They want to bar Alfred from hurriedly claiming the reigns and speeding the process, especially when people’s movements are restricted because of coronavirus.
“Their question is on why he is rushing to claim power and failing to wait until when all the people are in place?” he said.-State media
EcoCash wants the High Court to stop the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) from suspending mobile money agents from conducting financial transactions and restore full functionality to those affected.
EcoCash is the leading mobile payment platform, and while direct payments and bill payments have not been affected, the suspension of a large number of agents has hit transactions involving cash-in and out.
The lawsuit follows the central bank’s move on Monday to freeze transactions of an unspecified number of mobile money agent lines from EcoCash and suspected to have been behind fuelling recent exchange rate volatility by using their agent status to buy and sell foreign currency.
The RBZ directive issued on Monday suspended and froze EcoCash accounts and NetOne One Money accounts of agents with a monthly transactional threshold of $100 000 after transactions totalling $75 million were recorded.
The suspension of the mobile money agent lines and accounts across all networks was to facilitate investigations into potential illegal foreign currency activities.
In an urgent chamber application filed at the High Court on Wednesday, EcoCash, represented by Mtetwa and Nyambirai law firm, wants an interdict prohibiting the enforcement of the RBZ’s directive issued on Monday.
The chief executive officer of EcoCash’s parent, Cassava Smartech, Mr Eddie Chibi, argued in his affadavit that EcoCash has 11 million subscribers and benefits people from all parts of the country.
The RBZ action had the effect of limiting Ecocash customers from accessing its services through its agents as most of them have been suspended.
“Because of the legality of the suspension is challenged, a delay in dealing with the matter will result in prejudice not only to the applicant but also ordinary members of the public,” said Mr Chibi.-State media
By A Correspondent| Former Zanu PF Youth League boss, Godfrey Tsenengamu has warned opposition MDC officials against dining with the ruling party which he equated to a hyena.
His remarks come when some allege that the reinstated MDC leadership (Thokozanu Khupe, Douglas Mwonzora, Morgen Komichi, Elias Mudzuri and others) is working hand-in-glove with the ruling party to dislodge Nelson Chamisa from power.
Tsenengamu who was recently expelled from ZANU PF for ‘violating party code of conduct,’ said:
The goat that embarks on a journey to the mountains in the company of a hyena must leave a WILL before departure.
Mwonzora & Co Beware
The power wrangle in the MDC has spilt into the courts which (Supreme Court) ordered the party to convene an extraordinary congress to choose a successor to the late party founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai.