By A Correspondent- Two Bulawayo armed robbers have appeared in court facing charges of stealing property and cash worth $1 041 996 in two house raids.
Peter Ngwenya (52) and Thulani Ncube (39) were not asked to plead to armed robbery when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Shephard Mjanja on Thursday last week.
They were remanded in custody to May 21.
The court was told that on January 8 at 2pm, Ngwenya, Ncube and accomplice Oliver Mahlangu, currently on remand for another robbery case, and others who are still at large, went to Kuda Savanhu’s house in Njube high-density suburb armed with firearms, machetes and an axe.
They allegedly forced open the door to gain entry, attacked Savanhu and her son with machetes and an axe demanding money.
Savanhu surrendered US$200, R3 000 and $3 400 to Ngwenya and Ncube.
On October 30, 2019 at 7pm, Ngwenya and accomplices broke into a house in Morningside and forced three occupants to lie down before robbing them of US$39 346, R118 840, two cellphones, a power bank and a Nissan Bluebird vehicle.
It is alleged that the vehicle was later found dumped at Skittle Inn.
The value of the stolen property was $1 041 996 and property valued at $91 000 was recovered.
Ncube is facing another charge of possession of articles for criminal use as he was found with 19 national identity cards (IDs) belonging to different people.
The court heard that on May 5 at 7pm, detectives following a tip-off raided Ncube’s place of residence where upon search they found the IDs.
It is alleged that four of the identity cards bore the same face, but different particulars.
Ncube failed to give a reasonable explanation, giving rise to suspicion that the documents were being used for fraudulent activities.-StateMedia
By A Correspondent- The Chief Accountant in the office of Registrar-General Clement Masango faces a disciplinary hearing for allegedly forcing a subordinate to resign at gunpoint.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Aaron Nhepera on Monday confirmed that Peter Bwanya – who is a key witness against Masango, who is facing two counts of criminal abuse of office – faces a hearing.
Nhepera said he had received a report of the alleged forced resignation following investigations but denied that Bwanya was also facing allegations of misappropriation of funds.
Said Nhepera:
It is true that these are part of some of the allegations that are being levelled against Mr Bwanya. I called for an investigation into the allegations and there is a report, which was recently submitted to me.
I am yet to go through it to get to the findings, but basically it is true that he will be going through a board disciplinary hearing over the allegations.
The woman who was allegedly forced to resign at gunpoint was stationed at Makombe Building and her Zorodzai Dumbura said that efforts to engage the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare for her reinstatement after the incident were fruitless.-Statemedia
Nigeria-based Zimbabwean television personality, actress and model Vimbai Mutinhiri last weekend tied the knot with her Nigerian lover Andrew “Dru” Ekpenyong from Calabar, Cross River State.
The former Big Brother Africa Zimbabwean representative expressed joy over the new development through various posts on social media.
Ekpenyong (33) runs a family hotel in Nigeria’s tourist hotspot of Calabar and is the youngest son of Chief Asuquo Ekpenyong, a tribal leader from Cross River State. Ekpenyong and Vimbai have been in love for more than two years.
Friends and most relatives witnessed the wedding through video conferencing as they could not gather for the ceremony due to Covid-19-induced restrictions. The wedding, which took place in Nigeria, was attended by a few close relatives and the pictures have been splashed on social media platforms.
But indications are that a big ceremony is on the cards and an exquisite gathering could light up the Southern part of Nigeria when restrictions on gatherings are relaxed. In posts evidencing her exuding joy on Twitter, Vimbai shared videos and pictures of the wedding. On one of the videos, she dances jubilantly with her husband and a third person.
Accompanying the video were her words: “Court registry done. Waiting for the coast to clear for our celebrations to go ahead #Godsplan.” On Instagram Vimbai also exhibited her excitement with photo posts. On one of the posts she wrote: “What shall I render to Jehovah, for He has done so very much for me.”
She gave a hint of the upcoming ceremony in the same post. “Part 1/Court Registry done – social distancing compliant, but you know we had to add our touch to it . . . While we watch and wait for the coast to clear for us to have the dream celebrations we spent months planning.
“Thank you to all who have shared their words of encouragement, their prayers and their well wishes!! We are so grateful to be blessed with so much love #TheEkpenyongs#ForeverYong2020” The wedding follows a surprise engagement ceremony that Dru pulled for Vimbai in October last year during their trip to South Africa.
Vimbai is mainly known as a television host who has been outstanding in her trade. Her role as a Zimbabwean representative in BBA saw her attracting attention in the area of film and television. In 2011, she was part of Big Brother Africa season 6 (Amplified). After BBA she got a role as presenter of entertainment and lifestyle show, “Star Gist” on Africa Magic Entertainment. She relocated to Nigeria when Dstv moved the show to that country.
She has gone on to host major African events, notably the first ever Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. Her acting career dates back to her teenage years when she had a role in a short film titled “Who’s in Charge” that was screened at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival.
She had several other roles in a number of productions, including “Studio 263”.
Vimbai has held various commercial roles including being the face of Castle Milk Stout (Cameroon). As a model, she has also been on the runway at the SA Fashion Week and the Zimbabwe Fashion Week. In addition to her arts and entertainment achievements, Vimbai holds a degree in politics, philosophy and economics from the University of Cape Town.-StateMedia
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) says it is not involved in any moves regarding doing away with by-elections and allow political parties to choose a replacement in the event a legislator is recalled from Parliament or dies.
Reports say Government is angling to do away with by-elections saying its coffers were empty, a move which critics said was designed to put MDC-T acting leader Thokozani Khupe and her supporters in Parliament through the back door.
ZEC chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana said he was not aware of any moves to close out by-elections, saying legally, the position was that any vacancy that arose at council or House of Assembly level would be filled through a by-election.
“From the side of Zec, we have not made any such proposal. As it stands, any vacancy that arises will be filled in through a by-election and we are ready to fulfil our mandate. But, as you are aware, Zec has issued a statement that we have suspended the holding of by-elections because of the COVID-19,” Silaigwana said.
Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi claimed last week that there was public sentiment to abolish by-elections soon after MDC-T recalled four MDC Alliance legislators from Parliament.
“Views from the masses indicate recalled MDC-T MPs must be replaced by nominees from their party.
By-elections will plunge the nation into election mood (sic) prematurely and derail government from focusing on economic recovery,” he posted on his Twitter handle.
Sources said moves were afoot to fast-track a law which gives parties the right of recall and to nominate a replacement without need for a by-election.
“A by-election in one constituency can take up to $2 million to run, now imagine if we are going to have by-elections in close to 50 constituencies in the event the MDC Alliance legislators, who have decided to boycott Parliament, are recalled? That would be over $100 million which could have been used to revive the economy,” a government official said.
MDC Alliance wants by elections to settle the battle for legitimacy against Khupe and her camp after she recalled Alliance legislators Chalton Hwende (Kuwadzana East), chief whip Prosper Mutseyami (Chikanga-Dangamvura), Lillian Timveous (Midlands senator) and Tabitha Khumalo (Bulawayo proportional representation).
MDC Alliance deputy secretary general Jameson Timba said the party had disengaged from Parliament and begun consultations with structures.
“We are heading to a mass resignation of our parliamentarians and this will force us to a by-election, where the people will decide. We decided that as leaders we can’t impose our decisions on the people. They are the ones who elected us, so they should define our next step,” he said.
Last week, lawyer and political analyst Alex Magaisa said the chaos in the opposition party was being orchestrated by the ruling Zanu PF party, which he alleges wants to force through a government of national unity (GNU) with a weak opposition.
“The regime wants a GNU with a weak and submissive opposition it can control. They can tell the world that they are now working with the MDC,” he said.
With two-thirds majority in Parliament, Zanu PF would amend the law in order to get rid of by-elections, while a GNU agreement would include a constitutional amendment to avoid elections for seven years on the grounds of focusing on the economy, he said.
The seats held by MDC Alliance MPs who were recalled would be awarded to Khupe’s party to eliminate the risk of losing at the polls, he added.
If the by-elections are banned, Khupe and Mwonzora will have control of all parliamentarians from the MDC Alliance and will be able to put her own people in the National Assembly.
On 31st March, the Supreme Court declared that Chamisa was illegitimate, appointed Khupe an interim leader and ordered the party to hold an extra-ordinary congress to replace him within three months.
By A Correspondent- At least 129 criminals and suspects who fled the country after committing various offences are among the returnees from Botswana, South Africa and other countries.
The returnees are being sent to various isolation centres across the country where they will be quarantined for 21 days, as a measure to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Police have already started profiling fugitives and suspects who fled the country.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the fugitives and suspects would be taken to various courts once they are released.
“They have been taken to various isolation centres where they will be managed during the 21 days of quarantine. As you know there is a lot of information, which is filtering in relation to the nature of the crimes they could have committed either in this country or Botswana and South Africa where they are coming from. The profiling process will also give us direction on how to manage them during and after their quarantine period,” he said.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said 16 suspects were as of yesterday isolated in Matabeleland South while 20 were sent to Matabeleland North. Bulawayo province received 30, Manicaland seven, Midlands got 15 while two others were quarantined in Mashonaland Central. Masvingo and Midlands provinces received 15 each, while one was isolated in Mashonaland East. Two people had been sent to Mashonaland Central as of yesterday.
By A Correspondent- The Government is reportedly mulling plans to do away with by-elections and allow political parties to choose a replacement in the event a legislator is recalled from Parliament or dies, under the pretext of the huge cost involved in running them.
An unnamed government official revealed that if MDC Alliance MPs boycott Parliament en masse, over $100 million will be required to hold by-elections.
Said the official:
A by-election in one constituency can take up to $2 million to run, now imagine if we are going to have by-elections in close to 50 constituencies in the event the MDC Alliance legislators, who have decided to boycott Parliament, are recalled? That would be over $100 million which could have been used to revive the economy.
However, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said it has not proposed the scrapping of by-elections. ZEC chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana said:
From the side of Zec, we have not made any such proposal. As it stands, any vacancy that arises will be filled in through a by-election and we are ready to fulfil our mandate. But, as you are aware, Zec has issued a statement that we have suspended the holding of by-elections because of the COVID-19.
Critics consider the plan to scrap by-elections a ZANU PF ploy to put MDC-T acting leader Thokozani Khupe and her supporters in Parliament through the back door.
Khupe’s MDC-T has already recalled four MDC Alliance MPs from Parliament.-Newsday
LONG winding queues have resurfaced at fuel stations in Bulawayo with motorists expressing frustration over the situation during the lockdown.
Service station staffers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday said they had been instructed to sell limited quantities of fuel as they were hoarding the rest of their supplies in anticipation of a rumoured fuel price hike.
An attendant in Belmont said his boss had told him to only sell 5 000 litres out of 47 000 litres which was available.
“We have more than 33 000 litres petrol and about 14 000 litres of diesel now although we are expecting more deliveries. So, my bosses have said we must not sell more than a combined 5 000 litres of both petrol and diesel as fuel is expected to go up. If it goes up and we sell at the new price, we will make a profit, so right now, we are only using one pump for petrol and one pump for diesel. On a normal day we use three or four pumps for each,” he said.
On Tuesday last week, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) reduced the price of petrol and diesel by 77 cents and 68 cents respectively owing to a fall in Free on Board (FOB) prices and the revised duty regime.
Zera said the new prices would see a litre of blend petrol (E5) retailing at $21 while diesel would sell at $20,84 per litre. Prior to the review, the price of petrol was pegged at $21,77 while diesel was at $21, 52 per litre.
Chronicle observed yesterday that there were long queues at most service stations, which had petrol and were selling in local currency. Service stations that sold in forex had few vehicles waiting for service.
Motorists said they feared that the pre-lockdown fuel queues were back as more vehicles returned on the roads following a slight relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Some said they feared a fuel price increase, which was the norm after fuel shortages.
A motorist, Mr Sitshoni Donga, who was in a queue along Luveve Road in Entumbane suburb said he was puzzled about what caused the fuel shortage and long queues during the lockdown when there were few vehicles on the roads. “I have been in the queue for more than four hours now. There were more than 50 cars ahead of me but the queue is moving slowly. I wonder why we are having queues during lockdown. Kombis which are always blamed for chaos and confusion are not even there and we usually say they are the reason for fuel queues. They are not on the road but we still have long queues,” he said.
Mr Nqobani Mthunzi from Nkulumane 12 suburb said Government must make a provision for essential services workers to access fuel without having to queue at service stations.
“I cannot be rushing for a patient and also be expected to wait in line with everyone else. There is nothing special about me as a person, but that patient waiting to be attended to is special. All life is precious and every hour I spend in a queue may be the defining moment of whether she lives or not,” he said.
Ms Patience Nkomo from Southwold Suburb, said the lockdown provided an opportunity for Government to sort out the fuel sector so that when normalcy returned, fuel woes would be a thing of the past.
“Government must use the lockdown period to ensure that it fixes what usually creates chaos. At some point they said public service vehicles will have to have their own service stations to avoid queues. Right now kombis are parked but we are in queues. It shows that kombis were not the problem,” said Ms Nkomo.
Ms Nicola Ncube said:
“There was a rumour that the fuel price will go up. Maybe service stations are planning to hoard that fuel so that they start selling only when the fuel goes up.”
In an interview, Minister of Energy and Power Development, Fortune Chasi said:
“We are looking into the matter. Unfortunately, I cannot give a response now but after engagements with my team, I will be able to respond tomorrow.”
By A Correspondent- The ruling ZANU PF party has summoned two of its officials for a disciplinary hearing over allegations of stealing maize availed by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Muzarabani Rural District Council chairperson Ashton Chiweshe and Mount Darwin councillor John Chakare (Zanu PF) allegedly stole the maize which was supposed to be distributed to vulnerable members of the community.
Mashonaland Central provincial party spokesperson Alfred Mufunga confirmed the pending disciplinary hearing for the officials.
He said:
We have summoned the two for hearing this week and for now I cannot say much as we are waiting for the hearing.
Chiweshe, Muzarabani ward 25 councillor and accomplices Joseph Makaza (39), Ronald Mushango (22) and Jacob Chihuni (30) appeared before a magistrate in Mount Darwin in April over the matter.
They were however released after prosecutors revealed there were mistakes in their docket.
Reports allege that Chakare received 300 bags of maize from the GMB, but could not account for five bags valued at $1 025.
By A Correspondent- The MDC fiasco continues as 2 Mayors are reinstated in Victoria Falls.
The mayors are Ward 9 councillor Somveli Dlamini who had been sacked by Mr Chamisa’s faction before being reinstated by Government on the request of MDC-T secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora.
Victoria Falls municipality is now being run by two mayors belonging to the squabbling MDC-T factions, one led by Dr Thokozani Khupe and the other by Mr Nelson Chamisa. Newly-elected Ward 5 councillor Richard Mguni is the other mayor who was reportedly elected under unclear circumstances.
The elections were conducted despite the municipality’s management has insisted that they be deferred pending finalisation of Clr Dlamini’s case. Clr Dlamini said elections held to elect Mr Mguni were illegal and the process was flawed. “I did not resign as mayor of Victoria Falls as purported by some quarters and I don’t intend to do so,” he said.
“I am still the bonafide mayor of Victoria Falls. “The resignee has to put his or her notice of resignation in writing to the town clerk as provided for in the Urban Councils Act, section 103 (3) (iii). That was not the case in my situation.
“I was reinstated by my parent ministry on the orders of the MDC party. With all this, I want to put it clear that I am the legitimate mayor of Victoria Falls.” Clr Mguni yesterday insisted he was the rightful mayor.
“For now, I am the only mayor and I can say Clr Dlamini is wrong to claim as such,” he said.
“I am actually at council offices now doing my duties. I am not fighting with him. He is my brother and we grew up together in Victoria Falls.”
Asked who was running the municipality, town clerk Mr Ronnie Dube refused to be drawn into the matter.
“At the moment, l cannot comment as the issue is in the public domain,” he said. Mr Mwonzora recently informed the Minister of Local Government and Public Works that the party had reversed Clr Dlamini’s recall.-Statemedia
Reinstated Victoria Falls Mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini has disowned a letter he reportedly wrote resigning from the mayor’s position, saying the MDC Alliance leadership drafted it and forced him to append his signature.
Cllr Dlamini, who had been in the doldrums of politics since February 24 when the MDC Alliance leadership expelled him on allegations of violating party rules and disrespecting protocol, said he never resigned.
Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo reinstated Cllr Dlamini as a councillor for Ward 9 last Tuesday.
Minister Moyo took the decision on the basis of a letter written to him by Mr Douglas Mwonzora who is secretary general of the MDC-T as per the recent Supreme Court ruling which recognised Dr Thokozani Khupe as the party leader.
While the local authority’s other 10 councillors welcomed his reinstatement, they quickly replaced him with Ward 5 Councillor Richard Mguni in the mayor’s office saying he comes back as an ordinary councillor because he resigned.
But in an interview yesterday, Cllr Dlamini said he is still the legitimate mayor of Victoria Falls and the election of Cllr Mguni as his replacement on Thursday is a nullity.
“I didn’t write that letter. The last part of the letter states that I would write to the Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube and I didn’t do that either which means that I haven’t resigned from council as mayor. If you look at that letter it was addressed to Charlton Hwende (MDC Alliance secretary) and not to the Town Clerk or the Minister hence I didn’t notify the Town Clerk of my resignation in terms of the Urban Councils Act. The party leadership brought the letters and asked me to sign under duress. That election (of Cllr Mguni) is null and void because of the Supreme Court ruling and because I didn’t write a resignation letter. I would say that council meeting was a bogus meeting and the person who was elected is unlawfully in office. He is illegitimate as I was elected and sworn in”, said Cllr Dlamini.
His purported resignation letter dated 20 March reads:
“Following extensive consultation with the national leadership of the party, I hereby give notice of my resignation from the position of Mayor of Victoria Falls with effect from 31 July 2020. I would like to thank the party and councillors of Victoria Falls for giving me the opportunity to have served the people of Victoria Falls as a Mayor for the last two years. I will also be withdrawing the High Court application I had filed. I am grateful to the leadership of the party for the kind and candid guidance given to me and for the amicable settlement of this matter…. I will be writing the formal letter of resignation addressed to the Town Clerk upon my return to Victoria Falls next week.”
It was copied to Messrs Nelson Chamisa, Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Elias Mudzuri and Victoria Falls Town Clerk Mr Dube.
Cllr Dlamini accused the MDC Alliance of duping him, saying he agreed to withdraw the court case in which he was suing the party for firing him in a deal with his superiors where they would have lifted his expulsion and reinstated him but the leadership later reneged after his withdrawal of the case.
Mr Hwende dismissed Cllr Dlamini’s claims saying he signed the letter and also withdrew the court case on his own accord.
“It’s not true. How is that possible? He signed the letter and went on to withdraw the court application on his own accord. His reinstatement is illegal in this case as well,” said Mr Hwende.
Minister Moyo reinstated Cllr Dlamini to the mayor’s position in a letter dated May 5.
Cllr Dlamini said the letter was enough to return him to the office as its contents were similar to the one that expelled him which he said was silent about the position of mayor.
“I am the legitimate mayor of this town because I have been reinstated. What was written in the letter of recall is what was written in the reinstatement letter. They will not swear him (Cllr Mguni) in because they are aware they acted illegally, “ said Cllr Dlamini.
He said even if the seat had been declared vacant, it was wrong for the councillors to allow a person other than an outgoing mayor or deputy mayor to preside over the election.
Cllr Prince Thuso Moyo presided over the election as Deputy Mayor Cllr Patricia Mwale who had been acting mayor, had declared interest in the position.
Cllr Dlamini said for an election of mayor to have gone ahead, Government should have declared the seat vacant.
Asked if he had crossed the floor to the Khupe-led MDC-T, Cllr Dlamini said: “I can’t comment on that now. I will work with whoever wants to work with me for our people. Some of the councillors have openly expressed that they won’t work with me. It’s unfortunate that there is no independent thinking among councillors. This is a matter that affects policy making at local level but you find the party using the whipping system which is not proper. “
Mr Dube said the local authority will be guided by the Ministry.
He said no date has been set to swear in Cllr Mguni.
On Thursday the municipal management had insisted that the election be deferred to allow for time to consult.
On international nurses day, we thank all the nurses in Zimbabwe who work under trying conditions. We ask how a government that is able to hire private jets, willy nilly, is unable to provide personal protective equipment to nurses and other medical personnel. #FixTheFoundation
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has transferred 110 officers between the rank of inspector and commissioner, in a development expected to improve efficiency in the police service.
Inspectors, chief inspectors, superintendents, chief superintendents, assistant commissioners and commissioners were reshuffled effective last Friday. Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, who was in Mashonaland East Province, is now the commander for Harare Province.
He replaces Comm Bernard Dumbura, who is now at Police General Headquarters (PGHQ). Comm Conneli Dube, who was head of the National Lands Inspectorate, has taken over as the new commander for Mashonaland East Province. Chief Superintendent Richard Chitondwe is now the acting head of the National Lands Inspectorate.
Assistant Commissioner Arnold Makomo was moved from Mashonaland East to Mashonaland West, while Assistant Commissioner Francis Maserwe, who was in Mashonaland West, is now based in Bulawayo.
Assistant Commissioner Sithulisiwe Mthimkhulu, who was also in Mashonaland East, is now based in Bulawayo. Assistant Commissioner Felistas Musvipa was transferred to PGHQ from Harare. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the developments, saying the movements were meant to improve efficiency.
“There is nothing unusual. ZRP’s routine transfers are meant to strengthen the operational effectiveness of the organisation.
“Transfers are also part of the measures of improving performance,” he said.
In 2018, ZRP reshuffled at least 700 senior officers from ranks between superintendent and commissioner.
Of the 700, 128 were assistant commissioners and senior assistant commissioners while the rest were superintendents and chief superintendents.
Some of the senior officers were moved from different departments within the ZRP and the force was on record saying the ongoing restructuring of the police was not a witch-hunt, but a deliberate exercise to improve service delivery.
The incoming Harare commander, Comm Makodza spent over 23 years with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and was once attached to the CID Special Investigations Unit which dealt with serious crimes countrywide and also as officer commanding CID Minerals and Border Control Unit. He also served as the regional commander for Bulawayo CID, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces, acting chief staff officer operations and in 2018 he was the Commander Harmonised Elections, among others.
Last year, ZRP underwent major transformation as it adopted a new structure and rebrands to win back public confidence.
The Zimbabwe Health Apex Council says about 40 nurses have been placed on quarantine at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals after exposure to a Covid-19 patient.
The patient was admitted as a malaria patient but tests later revealed that he had contracted coronavirus.
In a letter addressed to the Health Service Board, the Zimbabwe Health Apex Council blamed shortages of personal protective equipment (PPEs) in most hospitals for the exposure of health workers. The Council wrote:
The PPEs that are currently being provided are inadequate to give necessary protection to employees.
For example, health workers are not wearing N95 respirator masks, but instead are being provided with surgical masks.
Not only this, instead of wearing a gown, but they are also provided with plastic aprons which are totally incapable of offering any protection against Covid-19.
Currently, we have an approximate number of 40 nurses who had to undergo quarantine after it was deemed they had been in contact with a Covid-19 patient at Parirenyatwa.
Meanwhile, as of 11 May 2020, Zimbabwe had recorded 37 COVI9-19 cases including 12 recoveries and 4 deaths.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has released the latest Covid-19 statistic showing that a new case was picked up in Harare on Monday taking the tally to 37.
Good news is that the number of recovering patients has also increased from nine to twelve.
There is drama unfolding in Bindura Tuesday morning: a clash between a Small House and the real wife over the corpse of their shared husband, after the Small House repatriated the wrong body from Parirenyatwa Hospital and brought it for burial in Bindura.
This could be the result of the government strict guidelines following the COVID19 pandemic where relatives of the deceased are not allowed how to conduct body viewing, that might lead to the wrong body being retrieved from the mortuary.
The supposed burial of late Double Husband was eventually conducted at Makusha Cemetery, Bindura on Sunday.
Chaos has however since erupted after the family of the corpse taken from Parirenyatwa arrived yesterday to claim the body. The two families where at the time of writing embroiled in bitter fighting over the body intending to exhume it.
What if the deceased died of Covid-19 and everyone could get infected upon retrieval from the ground? In all this fighting in social distancing being practiced?
The warring families are on Tuesday camped at Village House number 18B Batanai (address released in the public interest).
ZimEye could not ascertain the number of family members inside the property at the time of writing. It could be that be established if an exhumation order had been granted at the time of printing.
Zimbabwe’s level two COVID-19-induced lockdown entered the second and final week Monday amid concerns the first week has been marred by challenges ranging from transport scarcity to some companies failing to reopen.
Upon the expiry of the initial 21-day lockdown, which had been extended by a further two weeks, President Emmerson Mnangagwa moved Zimbabwe’s shut down to level two, asserting regulations would now be reviewed on a fortnight basis.
Level two, more relaxed than the previous, began last Monday and is due for review on May 17.
Under level two all companies in the industrial and commercial sectors are allowed to resume operations.
The government had initially instructed that companies needed to first test employees for COVID-19 at their own cost before resuming operations but later backtracked after it emerged corporates were facing challenges in securing rapid testing kits, while some felt it was the government’s responsibility to do so.
Companies were then allowed to postpone the testing of employees until they would have secured testing kits.
Owing to the relaxation of lockdown regulations, there has been an influx of people in Bulawayo wanting to get into the city centre, pilling pressure on ZUPCO, which is failing to cope with demand due to its depleted fleet of buses.
Some people are spending hours queuing to get into a ZUPCO bus and travel to town and the same applies when they want to leave town for their residential areas.
As part of level two conditions, Zimbabweans are required to wear masks while outside their homes to curb the spread of COVID 19.
A few days before the commencement of level two lockdown unscrupulous business persons profiteered on masks with some selling non-reusable masks for US$2.
Mkhululi Tshuma, a Bulawayo resident told CITE that for him there has not been any major difference between level two lockdown and the initial 21-day national lockdown which kicked-in on March 30.
“There was no transport [last week] and the government seemed unmoved to redress the situation,” he said.
“The so-called economic stimulus package is still missing and the government keeps shifting goalposts. This is so bad. People are hungry but our government seems more preoccupied with destroying the opposition than attending to COVID issues.”
He said while it was a good thing for citizens to wear masks as part of preventive measures but the conditions of some of the masses leave a lot to be desired.
“Some masks are just sorry pieces of cloth; more should be done to improve compliance and quality of masks,” added Tshuma.
LOCAL NGOs say they were not surprised by the recent blacklisting of Zimbabwe as a posing financial risk to the EU Commission through anti-money laundering and terrorism financing shortfalls.
The rich bloc blacklisted the country together with Botswana, Mauritius, Ghana and Uganda which was already on the list which now has 22 countries.
The EU said more needed to be done to contain illicit practices on the countries.
In a statement, EU Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc was keen on putting “to an end to dirty money into our financial system”.
He added, “Today, we are further bolstering our defences to fight money laundering and terrorist financing, with a comprehensive and far reaching Action Plan.”
The controversial move elicited strong protests by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya who said the accusation were not buttressed by any specific examples of the alleged terrorism funding.
However, Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG) director Farai Maguwu said the decision by EU was not surprising in a country whose economic activities were mostly outside formal systems.
“There are hundreds of unregistered Chinese criminals aided by ruling elites all over the country who also happen to be involved in poaching and wildlife organs,” said the environmental activist.
He added, “Whilst poaching and illicit activities are not peculiar to Zimbabwe, the worrying thing is how government is partaking in these activities instead of fighting them.
“There are so much economic activities and yet government is perennially broke, mainly because the country has become land of organised crime.”
Similarly, James Mupfumi, Centre for Research and Development (CRD) director cited the opaque mining of diamonds in diamond rich Marange, Manicaland as one case that exposed Zimbabwe’s lack of transparency.
Mupfumi said the EU legal framework on anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing requires information sharing on beneficial ownership registers of companies, origin, jurisdiction and central bank account registers.
“Considering the murkiness in Marange diamonds mining only, the inclusion of Zimbabwe as a financial risk to the EU is not a surprise to us,” he said.
The government of Zimbabwe has dismissed reports which suggest that South African Immigration officers at the Beitbridge Border Post were issuing a 5-year ban to Zimbabwean citizens returning from South Africa (SA).
Some returnees recently told NewsDay recently that they had been issued with a 5-year travel ban by SA immigration officers who did not explain why.
Responding to these reports, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana said:
Not everybody that is coming from South Africa has their passport endorsed with a five-year ban but only those people who would have overstayed have some endorsements put in their passports, they would have flouted South Africa’s immigration laws so that is primarily the problem, the breaking of South African laws.
If you have been in South Africa legally, there will be no endorsement on your passport, on those occasions where people could not renew their permits to stay in South Africa because there was a lockdown, they also get an exception to the immigration laws
The alleged bans had shocked some including Beitbridge East legislator Albert Nguluvhe who had described them as an overreaction considering that some of the returnees were shoppers caught up when the coronavirus-induced lockdown commenced.
The Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) is seeking to add more private transport operators to join its franchise in a bid to ease the challenges being faced by commuters in urban areas.
Under lockdown regulations that were imposed by the government on March 30 for an initial 21 days but have since been extended by a further two weeks on two different occasions, ZUPCO buses are required to adhere to social distancing guidelines and this has severely affected the busses’ carrying capacity.
ZUPCO acting chief executive Evaristo Madangwa revealed that the parastatal is looking to double kombis under the ZUPCO franchise. He said:
We have 507 conventional buses and 500 commuter omnibuses (kombis), but they have not been enough to match the demand because the buses are not carrying to capacity.
Conventional buses are carrying 32 people per trip while kombis are managing nine.
We are working to add another 500 kombis and more conventional buses to ease the pressure on the fleet servicing passengers currently.
Kombis and unregistered conventional buses are banned from operating during the lockdown period as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Earlier this month the Government eased the conditions to allow licensed private conventional buses to resume operations in towns but the operators have been reluctant to take the offer as they are forced to cut their carrying capacity by over 50 per cent.
State Media|A lucrative deal that promised to generate business worth millions of US dollars to the beleaguered national airline, Air Zimbabwe, is tottering on the brink following demands by Beijing authorities that the airline’s charter flights must apply for special operations permits before being allowed to undertake any flights in Chinese air space.
Baffled Air Zimbabwe officials had first met with red tape at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade when they were refused by officials a diplomatic Note Vebale to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs supporting request for permission for the flights to be undertaken.
Air Zimbabwe only got the note following the personal intervention of Permanent Secretary Ambassador James Manzou.
Immediately upon receiving the note, Air Zimbabwe made the necessary representations to the Chinese authorities directly with copies to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Harare and the Zimbabwe Embassy in Beijing. Two days ago Air Zimbabwe was told their request had been turned down.
However, there is a glimmer of hope that an application for “traffic rights” to China may rescue the potentially multi-million-dollar charter flights if granted.
That notwithstanding, Air Zimbabwe will still have to apply for a landing permit even if they were granted the traffic rights to fly in Chinese air space.
A South African company is reported to already have deposited more than US$1 million into the Air Zimbabwe account in Johannesburg initially for two charter flights to collect tonnes of coronavirus testing and PPEs, among others, for South Africa. It is reliably understood that other companies had hoped to also charter the aircraft, also to Beijing, to collect their own equipment.
Last week, The Herald was told that “a number” of companies based in the Democratic Republic of Congo” had also made inquiries to Air Zimbabwe regarding charter flights to Beijing for the same purpose.
Air Zimbabwe have already operated a charter flight to Beijing for the Government and crews have acquired valuable experience on how to operate under current restrictive situations flying into and out of Changi Airport in Singapore where they have to make a technical stopover, and into and out of Beijing where they collect cargo.
Crew members told The Herald that conditions for the flight were that they were not allowed to step outside the aircraft at the two airports. As a result, the flight crew that would normally take over the flight at Changi for the 12-hour round trip to Beijing had to fly “dead head” as passengers and the aircraft also had to take catering cabin crew since the handling agents at the two airports were not allowed to bring food to the crew.
The Chinese are arguing that they were happy to swiftly permit the first flight because it had been chartered by the Zimbabwe Government.
“They are arguing that the conditions are different now,” a Air Zimbabwe official told The Herald yesterday. “They are claiming this is a commercial flight although the Government paid for the charter in a normal commercial transaction.”
Air Zimbabwe officials are optimistic they can still rescue this deal thereby sending strong signal to other potential customers in South Africa that they are up to the challenges. Air Zimbabwe flights are all grounded. It normally operates just this one aircraft, an aging B767. However, two other aircraft, a B737-200 and a Brazil-built short range Embraer ERJ145, which has only recently been cleared to fly.
The business of ferrying equipment from the main manufacturing source to Africa is dominated by Ethiopian Airlines. The airline, by far the biggest and most successful in the continent, has also been operating special charters ferrying stranded nationals from abroad to various African countries. While most airlines in Africa, notably South African Airways and Kenya Airways, have grounded their fleets, Ethiopian Airline have partially opened its passenger flights.
The High Court of Zimbabwe has barred Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Air Chief Marshal Perence Shiri from interfering with the citrus farming land belonging former ZANU PF heavyweight Savior Kasukuwere.
Justice Chinhamora said Shiri is barred from withdrawing the offer letter given to Kasukuwere.
Shiri had written to Kasukuwere on December 17 2019, indicating his ministry’s intention to withdraw and revoke his land offer citing that the development was on basis of downsizing and re-planning purposes.
According to sources in Mashonaland Central, looters led by one Chipango arrived at the farm in truck loads claiming they had been instructed by Shiri to invade the farm.
A source close to Kasukuwere’s camp said, “On the 9th of April 2020, the high court issued an order against the minister of agriculture Perence Shiri, stopping him from actioning any invasion or repossessing Kasukuwere’s farm. No one is above the law, Shiri stance further relegates the judiciary system to the dogs. Who will protect citizens and how will Zimbabwe attract the much needed investment with such barbaric behaviour.”
Own Correspondent|Lesotho is to swear-in a new Prime Minister on May 22 after the incumbent, Thomas Thabane’s coalition collapsed in parliament on Monday
Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s coalition collapsed in parliament on Monday, leaving him without enough seats to continue governing, the speaker said, adding that Thabane must leave office by May 22 (Reuters)
The implication of the coalition collapse means that the embattled Thomas Thabane is now governing without enough seats, The speaker said Thabane must now leave office by May 22.
“We have verified that the four-party coalition agreement has been terminated and there is a formation of a new government,” National Assembly Speaker Sephiri Motanyane announced in parliament.
Thomas Thabane’s ex wife, Lipolelo Thabane was shot dead in 2017
Sam Rapapa, the deputy chairman of Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, said all parties had provisionally agreed on Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro will replace Thabane.
“Thabane is now a caretaker Prime Minister until 22 May when a new Prime Minister is sworn in,” Rapapa said.
Thabane has been under pressure to resign over suspicions he was involved in the killing of his estranged wife in 2017.
His current wife has been charged. Both deny any involvement in the murder.
Gunmen shot and killed Mr Thabane’s then-wife Lipolelo Thabane on 14 June 2017.
Officials charged Mr Thabane’s current wife Maesaiah with the murder this year, and also named Mr Thabane as a suspect – although he has not yet been formally charged.
Thabane appeared in court in February, where his lawyer argued that his position granted him immunity from prosecution.
MDC-T on Monday set July 31 as the date for the congress following Supreme Court judgment last month ordering that the congress be held 90 days from the date of the ruling.
The Supreme Court ruled that Nelson Chamisa was not the legitimate leader of the MDC, affirming a ruling of the High Court passed last year.
Chamisa had been embroiled in a leadership tussle with Thokozani Khupe, the leader of a faction of the MDC, who claimed she was the legitimate leader of the MDC and that the party should revert to its 2014 constitution.
Khupe approached the High Court, where she won her case, leading to Chamisa’s appeal at the Supreme Court.
Douglas Mwonzora, who assumed the post of MDC-T secretary-general following the Supreme Court ruling, has reportedly started campaigning for the party presidency against two other contenders, Morgen Komichi and Gift Chimanikire.
Mwonzora is in charge of organising an extra-ordinary congress (EOC) to choose the MDC-T’s substantive executive.
“The structures are clear that Khupe can’t be our president because she is too compromised, she is seen as a Zanu PF project and they don’t even want her to remain acting president for three months, they want the EOC to be done faster,” a Mwonzora aide said.
“Khupe has never been in the contention for MDC presidency, she was vice at (founding leader) Morgan (Tsvangirai)’s death, that entitled her to act pending EOC.
But it ended there. She has to be realistic. The moment is not hers,” the source said.
Malawi President Peter Mutharika and former Malawi President Joyce Banda.
Malawian Former president Joyce Banda has said she wants the younger generation to take up leadership, taunting President Peter Mutharika that at 80-years he should be retiring like her husband former Chief Justice Richard Banda – his age mate.
She was speaking on Sunday at a rally in Mzuzu before Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Lazarus Chakwera, who is Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president and his running mate Saulos Chilima–who is UTM Party leader and the country’s estranged Vice-President addressed the crowds.
Mutharika, 80, is seeking a fresh mandate in the July 2 fresh presidential election and has picked 41-year-old Atupele Muluzi, son of former president Bakili Muluzi as his running mate.
Banda, who is 70, said she doesn’t even want to contest for presidency in future but is backing Chakwera.
She wondered how someone in the 80s – an octogenarian – would still be contesting for presidency and rallied his supporters to back the Chakwera presidential ticket in the July 2 election.
“My husband Ada Richard Banda has been Chief Justice in Malawi and Swaziland and is retired. He is 80 years. Now I hear someone of his age still wants to be President,” said Banda, who governed Malawi in 2012 to 2014.
She said Malawi should not be saddled with leaders who ought to be enjoying their retirement in peace and quiet.
Banda said the political top is disturbingly a greying lot.
She has since called for clean politics, stressing that political party leaders should sell their agenda as opposed to perpetuating violence.
During the Mzuzu rally, Chakwera and Chilima said their parties–which contested in the annulled elections as rivals–will merge and blend manifestos to serve people better.
Chegutu reported Covid-19 case #36 has been confirmed to be a small scale miner. Sources told Mining Zimbabwe the mine worker tested positive to Covid-19 after being tested at his workplace in the Pickstone area of Chegutu district.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MHCC) in its daily reports yesterday stated that a 30-year-old male resident of Chegutu district had no recent history of travel or any known contact with a person with respiratory symptoms. The man was referred for (Polymerase Chain Reaction) PCR testing after testing positive on a screening test conducted at his workplace using a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT).
Sources who are mine owners confirmed the aforementioned was a worker from one of the claims close to them. They reported the 30-year old tested positive and had to be referred to MHCC for more tests.
Zimbabwe Miners Federation President Ms Henrietta Rushwaya applauded efforts by mine owners for carrying out RDT tests on their workforce and advised miners to adhere to stipulated WHO guidelines.
“We encourage mine employers to take it upon themselves in ensuring that lockdown stipulated rules are adhered to and all WHO guidelines are followed. We are not out of the woods yet and we need to continue maintaining the social distance, wash hands with soap, wear masks and stay at our workplaces. We applaud the efforts made by fellow miners who are carrying out RDT tests at workplaces. We are in this together and we can only overcome this novel pandemic by adhering to regulations”.
MHCC reported that the man is asymptomatic, self-isolating at home with mild disease. Following the Covid-19 diagnosis, the Ministry said that it is now seized with contact tracing being assisted by the patient himself. The Ministry identified 7 of his contacts and these will be tested for Covid-19 in line with MHCC intensified surveillance strategy.
The Pickstone area is an active mining zone with one of Zimbabwe biggest gold producers Pickstone Peerless. The gold-rich area also has a lot of small-scale gold miners.
The English Premier League will be allowed to resume the 2019-20 season from June 1 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A report Monday from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson states that “cultural and sporting events [can] take place behind closed doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact.”
That permits the league to begin without spectators starting in June.
The Premier League’s clubs will vote on an official return within the next few days.
France’s Ligue 1 wiped out the remainder of the 2019-20 season in April and named Paris Saint-Germain the champions. The Bundesliga in Germany is set to return Saturday behind closed doors, while Spain’s La Liga is planning a return in June.
Financial considerations were likely a determining factor for the Premier League in attempting to finish out the campaign rather than focus on 2020-21.
The Athletic reported in March that a failure to complete the season would constitute a breach of contract with its television partners, resulting in a £762 million hit.
The competition has been on hold since March 13. Leicester City defeated Aston Villa 4-0 in the last match played. Many have wondered about the fate of the 2019-20 campaign, particularly as it regards the state of the table.
Liverpool have a commanding lead in first place, but handing them the title in the same fashion as PSG would be a somewhat deflating outcome for supporters, who have waited 30 years to see their side win the league. Meanwhile, relegating Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich City would be unfair since they wouldn’t have had the luxury of a full season to retain their places in the Premier League.
BBC Sport’s Simon Stone reported some clubs were expressing the belief that relegation should be eliminated if matches had to be staged in empty stadiums.
Brighton & Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber was among those concerned about the adverse effect of losing any home-ground advantage.
“The disadvantages of us not playing the league’s top teams in our home stadium and in familiar surroundings, even with 27,000 Albion fans very unlikely to be present at the Amex, are very obvious,” Barber said.
West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady proposed in March to void the entire season, an idea that gained little traction.
She subsequently backtracked slightly on the position.
Still, there appeared to be little in the way of progress throughout spring.
The Premier League issued a statement April 5 to say it wouldn’t kick off in early May and would “only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so.” It added:
“The restart date is under constant review with all stakeholders, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic develops and we work together through this very challenging time. The Premier League is working closely with the whole of professional football in this country, as well as with the Government, public agencies and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the game achieves a collaborative solution.”
UEFA postponed Euro 2020 for one year, which opened up the summer months for domestic competitions to draw to a close.
The Mirror’s David Maddock reported April 5 the Premier League had been in discussions with government officials about a returning in June. Games would be staged behind closed doors, and television partners would agree to broadcast more games to appease supporters.
Maddock also alluded to “extensive measures to keep the players in a sterile environment as much as possible, limiting contact with the wider public.”
The domino effect of such a lengthy delay presents obvious logistical hurdles to resolve. ESPN FC’s Mark Ogden reported clubs were concerned next season won’t start until at least mid-September, which would require significant changes to the fixture calendar.
Ogden wrote the involved parties were hopeful of having a week or two between the end of this season and the start of the next one by late August or early September. In addition, games behind closed doors might have to be a reality for the entire 2020-21 campaign.
Monday’s development represents a step toward the Premier League’s return, yet the matter is far from resolved.
The Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Energy Mutodi
The Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Energy Mutodi has verbally attacked his boss, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa after ZBC News posted an article which read “Government distances self from Mutodi’s COVID-19 statements.”
Mutodi responded saying:
This shows gross incompetence at the ZBC and it also goes on to show how Monica and her husband Chris are abusing the state media.
ZBC later deleted the post and posted another one titled “Government distances self from Deputy Minister’s COVID-19 statements.”
The article was a response by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr Sibusiso Moyo, to Mutodi’s mockery of Tanzania’s response to COVID-19.
Moyo said that Mutodi’s statement was said in his personal capacity and did not represent the position of the Zimbabwean government adding that all countries were sovereign hence entitled to choosing courses of action which were appropriate to them.
The July Moyo reinstated MDC Victoria Falls Mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini has disowned a letter he reportedly wrote resigning from the mayor’s position, saying the MDC Alliance leadership drafted it and forced him to append his signature.
Cllr Dlamini, who had been in the doldrums of politics since February 24 when the MDC Alliance leadership expelled him on allegations of violating party rules and disrespecting protocol, said he never resigned.
Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo reinstated Cllr Dlamini as a councillor for Ward 9 last Tuesday.
Minister Moyo took the decision on the basis of a letter written to him by Mr Douglas Mwonzora who is secretary general of the MDC-T as per the recent Supreme Court ruling which recognised Dr Thokozani Khupe as the party leader.
While the local authority’s other 10 councillors welcomed his reinstatement, they quickly replaced him with Ward 5 Councillor Richard Mguni in the mayor’s office saying he comes back as an ordinary councillor because he resigned.
But in an interview yesterday, Cllr Dlamini said he is still the legitimate mayor of Victoria Falls and the election of Cllr Mguni as his replacement on Thursday is a nullity.
“I didn’t write that letter. The last part of the letter states that I would write to the Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube and I didn’t do that either which means that I haven’t resigned from council as mayor. If you look at that letter it was addressed to Charlton Hwende (MDC Alliance secretary) and not to the Town Clerk or the Minister hence I didn’t notify the Town Clerk of my resignation in terms of the Urban Councils Act. The party leadership brought the letters and asked me to sign under duress. That election (of Cllr Mguni) is null and void because of the Supreme Court ruling and because I didn’t write a resignation letter. I would say that council meeting was a bogus meeting and the person who was elected is unlawfully in office. He is illegitimate as I was elected and sworn in”, said Cllr Dlamini.
His purported resignation letter dated 20 March reads:
“Following extensive consultation with the national leadership of the party, I hereby give notice of my resignation from the position of Mayor of Victoria Falls with effect from 31 July 2020. I would like to thank the party and councillors of Victoria Falls for giving me the opportunity to have served the people of Victoria Falls as a Mayor for the last two years. I will also be withdrawing the High Court application I had filed. I am grateful to the leadership of the party for the kind and candid guidance given to me and for the amicable settlement of this matter…. I will be writing the formal letter of resignation addressed to the Town Clerk upon my return to Victoria Falls next week.”
It was copied to Messrs Nelson Chamisa, Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Elias Mudzuri and Victoria Falls Town Clerk Mr Dube.
Cllr Dlamini accused the MDC Alliance of duping him, saying he agreed to withdraw the court case in which he was suing the party for firing him in a deal with his superiors where they would have lifted his expulsion and reinstated him but the leadership later reneged after his withdrawal of the case.
Mr Hwende dismissed Cllr Dlamini’s claims saying he signed the letter and also withdrew the court case on his own accord.
“It’s not true. How is that possible? He signed the letter and went on to withdraw the court application on his own accord. His reinstatement is illegal in this case as well,” said Mr Hwende.
Minister Moyo reinstated Cllr Dlamini to the mayor’s position in a letter dated May 5.
Cllr Dlamini said the letter was enough to return him to the office as its contents were similar to the one that expelled him which he said was silent about the position of mayor.
“I am the legitimate mayor of this town because I have been reinstated. What was written in the letter of recall is what was written in the reinstatement letter. They will not swear him (Cllr Mguni) in because they are aware they acted illegally, “ said Cllr Dlamini.
He said even if the seat had been declared vacant, it was wrong for the councillors to allow a person other than an outgoing mayor or deputy mayor to preside over the election.
Cllr Prince Thuso Moyo presided over the election as Deputy Mayor Cllr Patricia Mwale who had been acting mayor, had declared interest in the position.
Cllr Dlamini said for an election of mayor to have gone ahead, Government should have declared the seat vacant.
Asked if he had crossed the floor to the Khupe-led MDC-T, Cllr Dlamini said: “I can’t comment on that now. I will work with whoever wants to work with me for our people. Some of the councillors have openly expressed that they won’t work with me. It’s unfortunate that there is no independent thinking among councillors. This is a matter that affects policy making at local level but you find the party using the whipping system which is not proper. “
Mr Dube said the local authority will be guided by the Ministry.
He said no date has been set to swear in Cllr Mguni.
On Thursday the municipal management had insisted that the election be deferred to allow for time to consult.
President Mnangagwa welcomes Democratic Republic of Congo special envoy and Foreign Affairs Minister Marie Tumba Nzeza at State House in Harare yesterday.
State Media|The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has approached President Mnangagwa to mediate in its long-standing border dispute with Zambia in his capacity as chairman of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
DRC and Zambia have had misunderstandings over one part of their common 1 600km border, the latest arising from a late 1980s attempt to demarcate the frontier with beacons.
Zimbabwe was mandated by Sadc to ensure maintenance of peace, security and rule of law within the region.
DRC special envoy Marie Nzeza yesterday met President Mnangagwa at State House to brief him on the situation.
Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo, Commander Defence Forces Phillip Valerio Sibanda and other senior Government officials attended the meeting.
Addressing the media after the meeting, President Mnangagwa said both countries were seeking Sadc’s intervention.
“A special envoy from my brother Tshisekedi of the DRC briefed me on the situation in DRC, in particular in relation to the current Covid-19 pandemic and how they are tackling it. There is also the security situation where DRC and Zambia want the organ on Defence and Politics to look at a small matter which is existing between the Republic of Zambia and DRC,” President Mnangagwa said.
The DRC envoy, who is the country’s Foreign Affairs minister, refused to shed finer details on the matter, saying she was not at liberty to share what was discussed.
Minister Moyo explained dynamics informing the special envoy’s visit.
“Zambia and DRC have got a border line which is 1 600 kilometres long and as a result of that, it has had some different forms of misinterpretation of where Zambia was and ends. There was a treaty which was signed in 1989 by the then Presidents Kenneth Kaunda and Mobutu Sese Seko where there were beacons put along the border.
‘‘There was a conflict at one of the border areas and they have decided to approach the organ on Defence and Security so that this can be resolved peacefully in the spirit of Sadc,” Minister Moyo said. The Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation is established under the Sadc Treaty and Article 4 of the Sadc Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security.
It stipulates that the chairperson of the organ, in consultation with the Troika of Sadc, is responsible for the overall policy direction and achievement of the objectives of the organ, of promoting peace and security in the Sadc region.
Under a strict and founding African Union policy, colonial frontiers remain in place unless otherwise agreed without dissent. The occasional border disputes, such as between Nigeria and Cameroon and between Botswana and Namibia, have all arisen because of ambiguities or incomplete information in a colonial treaty.
GOVERNMENT has distanced itself from statements purportedly made by the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Energy Mutodi on measures taken by Tanzania to contain Covid-19.
The said statement, said the Government, does not reflect its position nor policy.
In a statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Dr Sibusiso Moyo said the Government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that were adopted by President John Magufuli to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Tanzania.
“I make reference to the message of 4 May 2020 purported to have been posted on Twitter by the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Honourable Dr E. Mutodi in which he compared the measures against Covid-19 adopted by the head of state of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
“I wish to make it clear that this statement does not reflect the Government’s position nor policy.
“The Government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that the President of United Republic of Tanzania His Excellency John Magufuli adopted to contain the spread of Covid-19 in his country.
“Taking into account the unique domestic environment and other factors prevailing on the ground, indeed, no two individual countries have the same set of environment and conditions to warrant the adopting of a uniform response to disease outbreaks and other crises,” he said.
Dr Moyo said Zimbabwe is not in competition with any member state.
“Each government is implementing policies that best suit their unique domestic environments in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“The Government is working in close partnership with SADC and African Union Member States as well as with other interested international co-operating partners to fight this global pandemic. In this context, there was no basis whatsoever, to compare the policies of the two Presidents.
VICTORIA Falls municipality is now being run by two mayors belonging to the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe and the MDC led by Nelson Chamisa.
The mayors are Ward 9 councillor Somveli Dlamini who had been sacked by Mr Chamisa before being reinstated by Government on the request of MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora.
Newly-elected Ward 5 councillor Richard Mguni is the other mayor who was duely elected by the MDC dominated council after Dlamini was recalled by his party, the Chamisa led MDC.
The elections were conducted despite the municipality’s management having insisted that they be deferred pending finalisation of Clr Dlamini’s case.
Clr Dlamini said elections held to elect Mr Mguni were illegal and the process was flawed.
“I did not resign as mayor of Victoria Falls as purported by some quarters and I don’t intend to do so,” he said.
“I am still the bona fide mayor of Victoria Falls.
“The resignee has to put his or her notice of resignation in writing to the town clerk as provided for in the Urban Councils Act, section 103 (3) (iii). That was not the case in my situation.
“I was reinstated by my parent ministry on the orders of MDC party. With all this I want to put it clearly that I am the legitimate mayor of Victoria Falls.”
Clr Mguni yesterday insisted he was the rightful mayor.
“For now, I am the only mayor and I can say Clr Dlamini is wrong to claim as such,” he said.
“I am actually at council offices now doing my duties. I am not fighting with him. He is my brother and we grew up together in Victoria Falls.”
Asked who was running the municipality, town clerk Mr Ronnie Dube refused to be drawn into the matter.
“At the moment, l cannot comment as the issue is in the public domain,” he said.
Mwonzora recently informed the Minister of Local Government and Public Works that the party had reversed Clr Dlamini’s recall.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi
AT least 129 criminals and suspects who fled the country after committing various offences are among the returnees from Botswana, South Africa and other countries.
The returnees are being sent to various isolation centres across the country where they will be quarantined for 21 days, as a measure to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Police have already started profiling fugitives and suspects who fled the country.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the fugitives and suspects would be taken to various courts once they are released.
“They have been taken to various isolation centres where they will be managed during the 21 days of quarantine.
“As you know there is a lot of information, which is filtering in relation to the nature of the crimes they could have committed either in this country or Botswana and South Africa where they are coming from.
“The profiling process will also give us direction on how to manage them during and after their quarantine period,” he said.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said 16 suspects were as of yesterday isolated in Matabeleland South while 20 were sent to Matabeleland North. Bulawayo province received 30, Manicaland seven, Midlands got 15 while two others were quarantined in Mashonaland Central.
Masvingo and Midlands provinces received 15 each, while one was isolated in Mashonaland East.
Two people had been sent to Mashonaland Central as of yesterday.
“These people are continuing to return into the country and the police will also continue to provide security at these isolation centres,” said Assistant Commissioner Nyathi.
As of yesterday 1 400 people returned into the country from Botswana, while 1 607 came from South Africa.
About 36 people from various countries who returned into the country through the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport are isolated at Courtney Hotel, while 12 are at Prince Edward School in Harare.
A cumulative number of 160 people who also came through the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport are also quarantined at ZIPAM.
Dendera High School in Mashonaland East has 21 people who passed through Nyamapanda Border Post with 51 people who came through the Chirundu Border Post being kept at Vuti isolation centre.
A cumulative number of 363 who came from various countries are being held at Belvedere Teachers’ College.
There are 137 people who came into the country through Kazungula in Victoria Falls.
Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Clifford Motera said Government was ready to receive all people who are returning into the country.
Mr Motera said Government is also prepared to assist with medication for returning people with medical conditions.
“We are ready to provide everything that is expected to sustain the lives of the people, that is, providing three meals a day.
“The Government is also prepared to provide assistance to people who might have medical problems.
“We will facilitate access to medication and any other things that they might require.
“There are enough facilities for these people,” he said.
Mr Motera said there were some development partners, business people and individuals who were coming forward to assist the Government.
He also said people willing to assist were welcome.
A 25-YEAR-OLD Gwanda man has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed his friend, leaving him severely wounded for slaughtering his dog.
Obvious Maphala from Zendele Village in Colleen Bawn was not asked to plead when he appeared before Gwanda provincial magistrate, Ms Charity Maphosa facing an attempted murder charge. He was remanded in custody to May 19.
Prosecuting, Mr Silent Shoko said Maphala stabbed Mr Khumbulani Ndlovu who is his friend and also neighbour with an Okapi knife.
“On 2 May at around 7AM, Maphala discovered that his male dog was missing and he went around the neighbourhood looking for it.
He went to Mr Khumbulani Ndlovu who is his friend and neighbour’s home and discovered that he had slaughtered the dog and had hanged it up to dry,” he said.
“Maphala confronted Mr Ndlovu over the matter and demanded to know why he had slaughtered his dog resulting in a misunderstanding. Maphala then drew an Okapi knife from his pocket and stabbed Mr Ndlovu once in the neck, once on the left ear and once in the back.”-State media
A 12-member Chinese medical team of experienced experts in management of Covid-19 arrived yesterday with a consignment of test kits and protective gear to help Zimbabwe respond effectively to the pandemic.
The team was received at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Deputy Minister David Musabayana and Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Guo Shaochun The medical team comes from Hunan Province in south central China, which borders Hubei Province where Covid-19 patients were first diagnosed, and so was involved in China’s successful battle against the pandemic almost from the start.
They will be in the country for the next 14 days and brought a consignment of PCR test kits, personal protective equipment and other supplies.
During the 14 days, the team is expected to meet President Mnangagwa and others involved in the national Covid-19 response initiative, including medical professionals, with whom they will share experiences, and will visit isolation centres.
China has been resuming production without renewing the pandemic and so the team will hold seminars with Chinese businesspeople on how to resume production within the recommended guidelines and standards.
The Chinese medical team leader, Dr Yimin Zhu, said their mission was not only sharing experiences and helping medical professionals in Zimbabwe, but would also strengthen the already existing diplomatic relations between China and Zimbabwe.
“The Chinese medical team is not only here to share experiences and exchange ideas with our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters but also to convey a message of our commitment and strong friendship” said Dr Zhu.-State media
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has transferred 110 officers between the rank of inspector and commissioner, in a development expected to improve efficiency in the police service.
Inspectors, chief inspectors, superintendents, chief superintendents, assistant commissioners and commissioners were reshuffled effective last Friday.
Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, who was in Mashonaland East Province, is now the commander for Harare Province.
He replaces Comm Bernard Dumbura, who is now at Police General Headquarters (PGHQ).
Comm Conneli Dube, who was head of the National Lands Inspectorate, has taken over as the new commander for Mashonaland East Province.
Chief Superintendent Richard Chitondwe is now the acting head of the National Lands Inspectorate.
Assistant Commissioner Arnold Makomo was moved from Mashonaland East to Mashonaland West, while Assistant Commissioner Francis Maserwe, who was in Mashonaland West, is now based in Bulawayo.
Assistant Commissioner Sithulisiwe Mthimkhulu, who was also in Mashonaland East, is now based in Bulawayo.
Assistant Commissioner Felistas Musvipa was transferred to PGHQ from Harare.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the developments, saying the movements were meant to improve efficiency.
“There is nothing unusual.
ZRP’s routine transfers are meant to strengthen the operational effectiveness of the organisation. “Transfers are also part of the measures of improving performance,” he said.
In 2018, ZRP reshuffled at least 700 senior officers from ranks between superintendent and commissioner.
Of the 700, 128 were assistant commissioners and senior assistant commissioners while the rest were superintendents and chief superintendents.
Some of the senior officers were moved from different departments within the ZRP and the force was on record saying the ongoing restructuring of the police was not a witch-hunt, but a deliberate exercise to improve service delivery.
The incoming Harare commander, Comm Makodza spent over 23 years with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and was once attached to the CID Special Investigations Unit which dealt with serious crimes countrywide and also as officer commanding CID Minerals and Border Control Unit.
He also served as the regional commander for Bulawayo CID, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces, acting chief staff officer operations and in 2018 he was the Commander Harmonised Elections, among others.-State media
GOVERNMENT has distanced itself from statements purportedly made by the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Energy Mutodi on measures taken by Tanzania to contain Covid-19.
The said statement, said the Government, does not reflect its position nor policy.
In a statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Dr Sibusiso Moyo said the Government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that were adopted by President John Magufuli to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Tanzania.
“I make reference to the message of 4 May 2020 purported to have been posted on Twitter by the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Honourable Dr E. Mutodi in which he compared the measures against Covid-19 adopted by the head of state of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
“I wish to make it clear that this statement does not reflect the Government’s position nor policy.
“The Government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that the President of United Republic of Tanzania His Excellency John Magufuli adopted to contain the spread of Covid-19 in his country.
“Taking into account the unique domestic environment and other factors prevailing on the ground, indeed, no two individual countries have the same set of environment and conditions to warrant the adopting of a uniform response to disease outbreaks and other crises,” he said.
Dr Moyo said Zimbabwe is not in competition with any member state.
“Each government is implementing policies that best suit their unique domestic environments in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“The Government is working in close partnership with SADC and African Union Member States as well as with other interested international co-operating partners to fight this global pandemic.
In this context, there was no basis whatsoever, to compare the policies of the two Presidents. — ZBC News Online.
Zambia has recorded 100 cases of the novel coronavirus within the past twenty-four hours a development which comes immediately after that country’s president, Edgar Lungu had reopened the economy.
Lungu cited the adverse economic and humanitarian effects of the coronavirus-induced lockdown as justification for reopening the economy.
As of May 10, 2020, 11:34 GMT, Zambia had recorded a total of 252 coronavirus cases including 7 deaths and 112 recoveries.
Developments in Zambia are undoubtedly going to affect the region’s efforts to curb the spread and transmission of the virus.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean and South African governments are under immense pressure from the citizenry and business as well as opposition parties to ease or totally remove the lockdowns, in the case of South Africa due to their socio-economic effects.
It has also been reported that the same pressure is on the United States’ government where it is reported that some states are mulling slowly reopening markets as the unemployment rate has reached the highest level in 70 years.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has often discouraged the lifting of lockdowns saying that the effects of such a move outweigh economic and humanitarian gains associated with it.- Zambian Observer
Long winding queues have resurfaced at fuel stations in Bulawayo with motorists expressing frustration over the situation during the lockdown.
Service station staffers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday said they had been instructed to sell limited quantities of fuel as they were hoarding the rest of their supplies in anticipation of a rumoured fuel price hike.
An attendant in Belmont said his boss had told him to only sell 5 000 litres out of 47 000 litres which was available.
“We have more than 33 000 litres petrol and about 14 000 litres of diesel now although we are expecting more deliveries. So, my bosses have said we must not sell more than a combined 5 000 litres of both petrol and diesel as fuel is expected to go up. If it goes up and we sell at the new price, we will make a profit, so right now, we are only using one pump for petrol and one pump for diesel. On a normal day we use three or four pumps for each,” he said.
On Tuesday last week, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) reduced the price of petrol and diesel by 77 cents and 68 cents respectively owing to a fall in Free on Board (FOB) prices and the revised duty regime.
Zera said the new prices would see a litre of blend petrol (E5) retailing at $21 while diesel would sell at $20,84 per litre. Prior to the review, the price of petrol was pegged at $21,77 while diesel was at $21, 52 per litre.
Chronicle observed yesterday that there were long queues at most service stations, which had petrol and were selling in local currency. Service stations that sold in forex had few vehicles waiting for service.
Motorists said they feared that the pre-lockdown fuel queues were back as more vehicles returned on the roads following a slight relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Some said they feared a fuel price increase, which was the norm after fuel shortages.
A motorist, Mr Sitshoni Donga, who was in a queue along Luveve Road in Entumbane suburb said he was puzzled about what caused the fuel shortage and long queues during the lockdown when there were few vehicles on the roads. “I have been in the queue for more than four hours now. There were more than 50 cars ahead of me but the queue is moving slowly. I wonder why we are having queues during lockdown. Kombis which are always blamed for chaos and confusion are not even there and we usually say they are the reason for fuel queues. They are not on the road but we still have long queues,” he said.
Mr Nqobani Mthunzi from Nkulumane 12 suburb said Government must make a provision for essential services workers to access fuel without having to queue at service stations.
“I cannot be rushing for a patient and also be expected to wait in line with everyone else. There is nothing special about me as a person, but that patient waiting to be attended to is special. All life is precious and every hour I spend in a queue may be the defining moment of whether she lives or not,” he said.
Ms Patience Nkomo from Southwold Suburb, said the lockdown provided an opportunity for Government to sort out the fuel sector so that when normalcy returned, fuel woes would be a thing of the past.
“Government must use the lockdown period to ensure that it fixes what usually creates chaos. At some point they said public service vehicles will have to have their own service stations to avoid queues. Right now kombis are parked but we are in queues. It shows that kombis were not the problem,” said Ms Nkomo.
Ms Nicola Ncube said: “There was a rumour that the fuel price will go up. Maybe service stations are planning to hoard that fuel so that they start selling only when the fuel goes up.”
In an interview, Minister of Energy and Power Development, Fortune Chasi said:
“We are looking into the matter. Unfortunately, I cannot give a response now but after engagements with my team, I will be able to respond tomorrow.”-Chronicle/state media
Four Zimbabweans have been arrested for smuggling alcohol into South Africa.
The quartet separately crossed into South Africa with bottles of whisky through the Beitbridge port, but after a tip-off.
Smuggling has reportedly worsened in Beitbridge after a boundary fence was vandalised by criminals. The latest arrests followed South Africa’s recent ban on alcohol sales to curb Covid-19.
According to the South African Police Services (SAPS), the suspects will face charges relating to contravention of the Covid-19 regulations in the neighbouring country.
“The Covid-19 operations which were conducted in the Musina and Makhado policing areas yielded positive results for arresting three Zimbabwean nationals after they were found trying to smuggle alcohol into the Republic of South Africa through Beitbridge Port of entry,” SAPS said in a statement.
“The law enforcement agencies vowed that there will be no stone that will be left unturned. After receiving the information about the smuggled alcohol, the Makhado Cluster Crime Intelligence with the assistance of SAPS Makhado and Musina put in place a sting joint operation that led to the arrest of these suspects while travelling in a Mercedes Benz which was abruptly stopped, searched and alcohol to the value of R6 000 was recovered and confiscated and the vehicle was impounded.”
In another incident, a woman was arrested at the same place after being found in possession of alcohol worth R6 000 which was also to be smuggled into South Africa.
The alcohol was confiscated.
Large numbers of people continue to cross the border at Beitbridge despite the erection of a 40 kilometre stretch of fence.
The fence has cost R37 million so far and is aimed at stopping criminals and Zimbabweans from crossing to South Africa.
According to media reports, smugglers on foot and using donkey carts brave the murky and crocodile-infested Limpopo River to illegally take goods across the border.
Some of them are as young as 12-years-old. They operate from an informal settlement near the banks of the river.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo was quoted on Saturday, saying they informed their Zimbabwean counterparts about such activities.
“During the joint operations they detected people trying to cross the river from Zimbabwe coming into South Africa,” he said.
“As a result of this, seven people were arrested. They are currently in police custody. We are busy processing them. There were others who escaped back into Zimbabwe and the authorities in Zimbabwe have been alerted.”
Some of the people staying at that informal settlement are South Africans. -Herald/state media
EFF ZIM CONDEMNS BRUTALITY OF TWO WOMEN IN COWDRAY PARK BY POLICE
Is our nation haunted by the after-effects of the liberation struggle where violence during the war was justified as a means to an end and had become a modus operandi for the liberation warfighters? Sad that we witness the manifestation of this generational curse today in our country.
Those who hold the levers of power which they acquired through hook and crook have become the agents of oppression of our people, the perpetrators and presiding officers of moral, social and legal decay that continue to eat through the fabric of our society. Our people appear to have surrendered themselves to fate and hopelessness.
Suffice to say that our people are resilient and are inherent fighters for their own justice and their own liberation.
Time is coming when our people will reclaim that dignity, their rights and their country. Some have asked what kind of citizens have we become by allowing such monstrosity and abuse to happen in our midst? Police brutality is endemic and flourishing in our country. There is no end in sight.
The recent incident in Cowdray Park where the police acting on behalf of the state allegedly brutalized two defenceless women proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the police are now law themselves. Who will police the police?
The Economic Freedom Fighters Zimbabwe unequivocally condemns the alleged savage attack on the innocent and defenceless women in Cowdray Park. The women were allegedly arrested, assaulted and detained for no apparent reason.
More alarming is that, it is alleged the police were barbarically insulting the women for being beautiful and for being Ndebele.
EFF Zimbabwe categorically condemns tribalism wherever it happens and by whoever perpetrates it.
We are Zimbabweans first and foremost, and our tribes are the beacons of nationhood and national unity. The diversity of our tribes and cultures must unite us as a people and never be used to divide us. We advocate for ONE NATION and a borderless continent.
The ruling and ruining Zanu PF regime has over the years used the men and women in uniform for selfish political and propaganda purposes to continue to cling onto power. It is clearly evident that the police have adopted this unconstitutional role and they are practising it with impunity.
Police have become the enemies of citizens they are meant to serve and protect from lawlessness and disorder and EFF Zimbabwe demands nothing short of justice for Cowdray Park women.
We demand the immediate suspension from work of the arrested police suspects pending a full investigation by an independent body. Justice must be done as a matter of urgency.
EFF Zimbabwe stands boldly with victims of police brutality. We reaffirm our condemnation of this tribalistic nature and deed by state agents.
We call upon the Minister of Home Affairs and police commissioner to immediately issue a statement condemning the criminal and tribalistic acts perpetrated by some members of the police in Cowdray Park.
EFF Zimbabwe demands action to address this endemic professional decay in the police force.
We stand resolute in our demands and we will fight, push and collectively expose the evil hand of the political discourse that promotes divisions amongst our people.
EFF Zimbabwe fights for every Zimbabwean, in particular, the suffering masses regardless of tribe, creed, skin colour, race, gender and sexual orientation.
We are ONE NATION and ONE PEOPLE. We demand justice for all, we demand it now.
Farai Dziva|Deputy Information Minister and Goromonzi West MP Energy Mutodi was “annoyed” by hungry villagers who literally camped at his house, seeking food aid.
Mutodi said the villagers interrupted his sleep as they literally cried for assistance.
“These families in Domboshava interrupted my sleep in the chilly Sunday morning as they jostled and shoved each other by the gate to the MP’s house, expecting anything they to take home to save starving children…
Help someone during this lockdown.
Donate food. The little I got they took it all. I am appealing to well-wishers to help me feed these people,” Mutodi wrote on Twitter.
Farai Dziva|Deputy Information Minister and Goromonzi West MP Energy Mutodi was “annoyed” by hungry villagers who literally camped at his house, seeking food aid.
Mutodi said the villagers interrupted his sleep as they literally cried for assistance.
“These families in Domboshava interrupted my sleep in the chilly Sunday morning as they jostled and shoved each other by the gate to the MP’s house, expecting anything they to take home to save starving children…
Help someone during this lockdown.
Donate food. The little I got they took it all. I am appealing to well-wishers to help me feed these people,” Mutodi wrote on Twitter.
Own Correspondent |leader of Nyenyedzi Nomwe Apostolic Church, Madzibaba Enoch has claimed that Great Zimbabwe was built by angels, not humans.
Contrary to beliefs that the national shrine was built by the Shona people, Madzibaba Enoch said angels constructed the imposing structures.
” Great Zimbabwe was not built by people, rather angels constructed the shrine.
Actually Great Zimbabwe was not built by the Shona people.
It was built by angels before the creation of humans on earth.I know that prophetic revelations are difficult to comprehend but time will tell,” said Madzibaba Enoch.
Madzibaba Enoch, of Budiriro 4, Harare, leads more than 300 shrines.
He is also said to have predicted the coming of the deadly Coronavirus scourge in a 2018 video footage.
Own Correspondent |leader of Nyenyedzi Nomwe Apostolic Church, Madzibaba Enoch has claimed that Great Zimbabwe was built by angels, not humans.
Contrary to beliefs that the national shrine was built by the Shona people, Madzibaba Enoch said angels constructed the imposing structures.
” Great Zimbabwe was not built by people, rather angels constructed the shrine.
Actually Great Zimbabwe was not built by the Shona people.
It was built by angels before the creation of humans on earth.I know that prophetic revelations are difficult to comprehend but time will tell,” said Madzibaba Enoch.
Madzibaba Enoch, of Budiriro 4, Harare, leads more than 300 shrines.
He is also said to have predicted the coming of the deadly Coronavirus scourge in a 2018 video footage.
By A Correspondents- Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Retired Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo has distanced President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government from statement uttered by Deputy Government Spokesperson Dr Energy Mutodi mocking Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli for his lackadaisical approach in dealing with the deadly Coronavirus.
Magufuli recently called on citizens to turn to God and to keep the economy turning. While countries across Africa have imposed curfews, partial and full lockdowns, Tanzania has resisted such measures. Schools and universities have been shut but markets, bus stops and shops bustle as usual.
Mutodi had said on Twitter, “HE John Pombe Magafuli’s Tanzania now has 630 COVID-19 cases with prayers but without a lockdown while His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa’s Zimbabwe only got 31 cases with a lockdown & masks. An insight into how managers can be game changers.”
In a statement issued on Monday General Moyo said, “I make reference to the message of 4 May 2020 purported to have been posted on twitter by the deputy Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Honourable Dr E. Mutodi in which he compared the measures against COVID-19 adopted by the head of state of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
“I wish to make it clear that this statement does not reflect the government’s position nor policy. The government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that the President of United Republic of Tanzania His Excellency John Magufuli adopted to contain the spread of COVID-19 in his country. Taking into account the unique domestic environment and other factors prevailing on the ground, indeed, no two individual countries have the same set of environment and conditions to warrant the adopting of a uniform response to disease outbreaks and other crises.
“Each government is implementing policies that best suit their unique domestic environments in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The government is working in close partnership with SADC and African Union Member States as well as with other interested international co-operating partners to fight this global pandemic. In this context, there was no basis whatsoever, to compare the policies of the two Presidents.”
The new parliament building located in Mount Hampden is nearing completing.
A 3d image of the interior part of the building has surfaced on the internet.
The parliament is being funded by the Communist government of China.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony in November 2018,President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the current situation where 350 legislators (including the Senate and National Assembly), and 248 secretariat staff are crammed in a space meant for 100 representatives, does not augur well with principles of parliamentarism.
About 18 863 hectares was then set aside for the envisioned new city, three-tier site adjoining Mazowe and Zvimba Rural District councils and the City of Harare.
The envisaged highway that will lead to the New Parliament Building already has a name. It is called Chairman Mao Boulevard, in honour of a great friend of Zimbabwe.
Despite not having have the best of times at Belgian side RSC Anderlecht, Warriors captain Knowledge Musona is still one of the highest paid players at the club, it has emerged.
The ‘Smilling Assassin’ arrived at Anderlecht from KV Oostende in 2018, and signed a four-year-contract but has been deemed surplus to requirements and was even loaned to another Belgian side KAS Eupen.
Despite that, Anderlecht still pay the bulk of Musona’s wages, which according to Belgian publication Nieuwsblad, ammount to €950 000 (US $1 09623) per year.
The aforementioned ammount means the 29-year-old is taking home €80 000 (US$87 670) per month.
It is also stated by the publication that the highest earning player at Anderlecht is French midfielder Adrien Trebel, who pockets €2,61 million gross per year followed by Bosnian defender Ognjen Vranjes (€1,28 million) while Swedish forward Isaac Kiese-Thelin is third with an annual salary of €1,17 million while Musona is fourth on €950 000.- Soccer 24
Johannesburg – South Africa now has over 9420 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus and 8 more deaths, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Saturday.
Mkhize said there were 525 new infections, taking the total cases to 9420, while there were also 8 more deaths, taking the death toll to 186. The total number of tests conducted to date is 32 4079.
Mkhize made the announcement in Cape Town where he was meeting with Premier Alan Winde and other provincial officials to discuss the high rate of Covid-19 fatalities and infections in the country.
“The Western Cape, in particular Cape Town, is a hot spot, (and) this means higher rates of infection.
Other hotspots include Johannesburg, Tshwanelo, Ekhurhuleni, eThekwini, Gingindlovu and Buffalo City,” Mkhize said.
The country is currently in Day 44 of its national lockdown which was instituted to curb the spread of the virus.
Last Friday, South Africa eased into level 4 of the national lockdown and allowed just over one million workers to return to work, after instituting the strict level 5 lockdown for 35 days.
In easing into level 4 of the lockdown, the wearing of cloth masks became compulsory for all who were in public. Shops are refusing to serve those who do not cover their faces.
On the last week of the level 5 lockdown, South Africa saw 1 694 new infections – between April 24 and April 30. In the same period, there were 24 Covid-19 related deaths.Credit: IOL
Komichi says ED is now legitimate: "we recognise that he's the president. Legally he's legitimate…he's legitimate in terms of the courts of Zim. If we have to stick to the rule of law, and to stick to the courts of Zim…" – credit @NewZimbabweCompic.twitter.com/ILazUUstyx
It’s been over a month since the southern African country, Zimbabwe initiated a nationwide lockdown which has seen many being locked indoors.
Although, the country’s government has argued that the lockdown is a measure which is meant to flatten the COVID-19 curve which it seems to be doing as evidenced by the low number of infections and mortality rate, the social spectrum of the country has been greatly affected.
To date, more than 1 500 cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases have been recorded by GBV organizations such as Musasa and Padare.
“This lockdown has come as a heavy blow to the safety of many women and girls. This is because perpetrators and victims are staying under one roof all day long. Women and girls are not only exposed or vulnerable but they are actually being abused. The homes become an incubation hub of violence.
The high number of gender-based violence cases against women and girls that we are getting is a clear indication of the existence of inequality amongst our society. Musasa has received a total of 1 312 cases of gender based violence as of 30 April 2020 since the beginning of the lockdown.
The inequality is mainly caused by the difference in physical strength and financial capacity between men and women. Generally, men are the breadwinners and also naturally, they are physically strong. As such, women and girls are in most cases subjected to violence as a result of the above-mentioned few factors.
GBV threats continue to intensify in scale and scope while the population is exposed to cumulative food insecurity. The lockdown’s restrictive measures have impacted on the women and girls’ ability to access basic family resources thereby generating an increase of tensions within the household. This is also leading to increased risks of exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) as well as to sexual exploitation and abuse,” said Precious Taru, director of Musasa.
Co-director of Adult Rape Clinic Memory Pamela Kadau said there was urgent need for government to intervene in the issue of GBV, “the lockdown has exacerbated GBV in Zimbabwe. Most cases of GBV that are reported take place within the home.
In addition, lockdown measures such as confinement and restricted movement are making it difficult for some survivors to access services. It is unfortunate that for some home is not a safe place.
There is an urgent need for government to acknowledge that GBV is a public health emergency and public policy issue. The government must increase the stimulus package to address GBV by ensuring that more support goes to shelters, law enforcement and provision of medical and psycho-social support services. The private sector must also be engaged and involved to provide platforms for discussing GBV issues.
Law enforcement agencies must convey a strong message that violence will not be tolerated, and perpetrators will be punished. All stakeholders including national institutions must be vigilant and take additional measures responsive to the lived realities of women and girls in Zimbabwe.”
Abigail Mawonde information and advocacy officer for youths lobby group, SAYWHAT also acknowledged the heightened number of GBV cases, “the COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown has created a number of challenges on youths in Zimbabwe.
Given the lockdown, youths have little or no access to youth friendly services where they can get psychosocial support like counseling, and edutainment. The lockdown has created more stress amongst youths who live in abusive environments.”
For LEAD president, Linda Masarira who is a former victim of GBV, little is being done to curb GBV cases in the country, “I feel like I have broken barriers, if I was a weak character I would have broken down and quit activism and politics.
Fortunately, I no longer view myself as a victim, when I look at what I have been through from rape, torture, GBV and being a target for hate speech,
I realize that women are failing to occupy spaces because of fear of the unknown, fear of being insulted, ridiculed or shamed. Our situation becomes complex because women in our country are patriarchal gatekeepers and in most cases are more patriarchal than the men themselves.
Unfortunately our government and civic societies havent done enough to curb GBV. Our civic society is hypocritical, unending workshops in hotels don’t curb GBV, they meet time and again in hotels with the same people, yet GBV cases continue to escalate.
The tragedy in our country is that GBV issues have been commercialized and used by some civic society to make money. More needs to be done to reach out to the grassroots and empower women to know their rights and protect them. We need stiff penalties for GBV perpetrators.” For any GBV cases please contact:
Harare MDC Alliance MPs in Full Support of Nelson Chamisa
Today the 11th of May 2020, MDC Alliance Leadership had a consultative meeting with the MDC A Parliamentary caucus at Harvest House. Of note was the clear message from Harare MPs to the rebels and their resolute position behind the party leadership as elected in Gweru. The following are the Harare Members of Parliament who attended the meeting:
1. Hon W. Chikombo Glen Norah 2. Hon . G Chimbaira Zengeza East 3. Hon . Peter Moyo Southerton 4. Hon M Mavunga Chitungwiza South 5. HonTendai Biti Harare East. 6. Hon J. Sikhala Zengeza West 7. Hon H. Chidziva Highfield West 8. Hon Murayi Highfield East 9. Hon Hon Tarusenga St Mary’s 10. Hon Murisi Zwizwai Harare Central 11. Hon Markham Harare North 12. Hon Joana Mamombe Harare West 13. Hon C. Hwende Kuwadzana East. 14. Hon. M. Mushayi Kuwadzana 15. Hon Mushoriwa Dzivaresekwa 16. Hon Madzimure Kambuzuma 17. Hon Matsunga M. Mufakose 18. Hon P. Moyo Southerton 19. Hon Starman Chamisa Mbare 20. Hon S. HAMAUSWA Warren Park 21. Hon J Chidhakwa Mabvuku Tafara 22. Hon G Sithole Chitungwiza North 23. Hon K. Dinnar Glenview North 24. Hon E. Kureva Epworth m 25. Hon V. Muradzikwa PR 26. Hon J Jaja PR. 27. Hon Mpariwa PR 28. Hon Mpofu PR 29. Hon Femai Senator 30. Hon Dewa Senator
APOLOGIES • Hon S Banda Mount Pleasant. • Hon. Kankuni Sunningdale. • Hon T Makone Senator
ABSENTEES • Hon Vincent TSVANGIRAI. Glenview South • Hon Mudzuri Senator. • Hon. Mashakada Hatfield
The MPs were given a platform to express their views and fears as per threats from the rebels.
The MPs were clear on that they will follow the decision of the party and that they will not surrender the people’s project to Zanu PF.
In solidarity with the four MPs who were wrongfully withdrawn from Parliament, the MPs agreed to disengage from Parliament pending conclusion of the ongoing consultation processes.
The Members of Parliament also agreed to be involved in the ongoing consultation processes with the structures and the general electorate.
The MPs also conveyed to the leadership the clear message from their constituencies that they are ready to defend the people’s project.
The meeting was attended by over 85 MPs from across the country including VP Kore, National Chairperson Hon T Khumalo among other national leaders.
This was an unambiguous message that the MPs are solidly behind the MDC A led by the People’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
S. HAMAUSWA Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs (Harare Province).
By A Correspondent| Government has distanced itself from statements purported to have been made by the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Energy Mutodi saying the statement does not reflect the government’s position nor policy.
In a statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Retired Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo said the government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that were adopted by Tanzania President John Magufuli to contain the spread of COVID-19 in that country.
I make reference to the message of 4 May 2020 purported to have been posted on twitter by the deputy Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Honourable Dr E. Mutodi in which he compared the measures against COVID-19 adopted by the head of state of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
I wish to make it clear that this statement does not reflect the government’s position nor policy. The government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that the President of United Republic of Tanzania His Excellence John Magufuli adopted to contain the spread of COVID-19 in his country.
Taking into account the unique domestic environment and other factors prevailing on the ground, indeed, no two individual countries have the same set of environment and conditions to warrant the adopting of a uniform response to disease outbreaks and other crises,” he said
Dr Moyo said Zimbabwe is not in competition with any member state.
“Each government is implementing policies that best suit their unique domestic environments in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The government is working in close partnership with SADC and African Union Member States as well as with other interested international co-operating partners to fight this global pandemic. In this context, there was no basis whatsoever, to compare the policies of the two Presidents.”-statemedia
Before President Tsvangirai passed on he left us this song Terera murairo we Chinja. During our Meeting today with the MPs we had to sing that song. Komichi and Mwonzora varasika they are now working with Zanupf to undermine the people’s struggle. @nelsonchamisa@daddyhopepic.twitter.com/mfvvX9nj8q
— Chalton Hwende MP Chairperson Public Accounts (@hwendec) May 11, 2020
By A Correspondent- MDC-T deputy chairperson Morgen Komichi claimed that party supporters across the country are keen on attending the pending extra-ordinary congress (EOC) to choose the opposition party’s substantive executive.
Komichi however, refused to reveal the position he is aiming for, saying it was up to God and the people to decide for him. He said:
In Gwanda, people are phoning me, in Binga, they are also calling me. They are committing themselves to come, they are prepared even to sell their goats and cattle to come and attend this congress.
They are prepared to come and sleep outside for the sake of this congress. Some people are saying to me ‘Morgan Tsvangirai has risen from the dead’. They are saying our party is back on track.
… It is up to God and the people to decide the position they want for me. That question is, therefore, really difficult for me to answer, it is up to the people.
Meanwhile, MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa’s close confidant, Jameson Timba said his party is not worried about “small boy” Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC-T secretary-general.
A woman who recently returned from Botswana and is quarantined at Allen Redfern Primary School in Plumtree town gave birth to a baby girl.
She was reportedly rushed to Plumtree District Hospital where she delivered with no complications.
This was confirmed by Mangwe District Social Welfare Officer Sicelo Nyathi, who said the woman will be be sent back into quarantine where she will be checked regularly. Said Nyathi:
We received a new baby on Friday. The woman gave birth to a bouncing baby girl and that brings the number of people quarantined at the primary school to 141.
She is expected to return to the quarantine centre and health personnel will be checking on her and the baby regularly.
Nyathi further revealed that between May 6 and 8, the department received more than 300 returnees from Botswana with 80 per cent of the returnees coming voluntarily.
On Saturday, other returnees were transferred to Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central provinces.
According to Nyathi, Plumtree High School now has 287 returnees while Allen Redfern Primary School has 141 bringing the total number of returnees quarantined in Plumtree to 428.
FOUR people were seriously injured last week when a device found by a child in the bush exploded at a homestead in Tsholotsho.
The four were rushed to Tsholotsho Hospital where they are receiving treatment.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police were still to establish just what had exploded.
A 13-year-old boy picked up the metal object from a nearby bush thinking it was toy and it exploded while he was holding it at his parents’ home in Gotshane Village, Chief Mahlathini.
This is not the first time that people have either been killed or injured following an explosion, usually from ordinance left over from the liberation war.
Even 40 years after the end of the conflict that led to Zimbabwe’s independence, leftover ordinance sometimes turn up. In this Zimbabwe is not unusual.
Farmers in eastern France and southern Belgium still come across the odd unexploded shell from the First World War more than a century ago when these come to the surface as a result of normal earth movement and erosion and unexploded bombs from the Second World War turn up now and again in European cities, especially during new construction.
In March 2014, a welder was killed in Harare’s Sunningdale suburb by an 80mm mortar bomb. The bomb was brought to him by four people travelling in a Pajero Mini that was parked a few metres way from the now late Moses Mudefi’s house along Second Street.
The three people – two men and a woman — approached Mudefi at his workplace with the bomb and offered him US$100 before he used a grinder to grind the device in order to extract a mercury compound used in the detonator.
In January 2013, a blast killed six people in Chitungwiza and destroyed 12 houses and investigations pointed to the use of explosives. Police believed that the blast was caused by an anti-tank landmine with speculation in the area that a traditional healer and his clients were trying to extract the detonator.
South African Law enforcement agencies vowed to leave no stone unturned with regards to cross-border crimes.
This follows the arrests of three Zimbabwean men who attempted to smuggle alcohol into South Africa through the Beit Bridge Port entry in Limpopo.
The arrest was part of the Covid-19 lockdown operation which were conducted by Musina and Makhado police stations.
“ After receiving the information about the smuggled alcohol, the Makhado Cluster Crime intelligence with the assistance of Makhado and Musina police stations put in place a sting joint operation that led to the arrest of these suspects while travelling in a Mercedes Benz which was abruptly stopped, searched and alcohol to the value of R6000.00 was recovered and confiscated and the vehicle was impounded, the police statement read.
In another incident, a woman was also arrested at the same place and found in possession of alcohol to the value of R 6000.00 which was also to be smuggled into the Republic of South Africa.
The four suspects will face charges relating to contravention of the COVID-19 regulations.
263chat|After flexing their muscle in Parliament by recalling four legislators aligned to Nelson Chamisa, the Thokozani Khupe led MDC-T is planning to recall suspected corrupt councillors.
A source close to developments in MDC says those targeted are councilors aligned to MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa but corruption is just a decoy.
“While it is not MDCT’s policy to recall councillors who were controversially imposed onto the electorate by Chamisa and his henchmen, the MDC is going to make sure that all councillors aligned to Chamisa are recalled and corruption will be used as a bait to flush them out and face the law. In Harare alone, we have over ten councillors who the party wishes to probe before handing the same to ZACC for further investigations and possible prosecution.” said the source
He said Mwonzora’s camp was targeting all MDC run councils as a way of restoring sanity.
“They are going to leave no stone unturned in bringing all the culprits to book and restore sanity in all MDC run councils.”
Among those targeted are Councillors Denford Ngaadzore (Ward 16), Girisoti Mandere (45), Jason Kautsa (Ward 37), Happymore Gotora (Ward 7), Tonderai Chakaredza (Ward 31), Lovemore Makuwerere (Ward 31), Hammy Madzingira (Ward 10), Gilbert Hadebe (Ward 39), Costa Mande (14) and Kudzai Kadzombe (Ward 41).
MDC Alliance shadow Minister for Local Government, Clifford Hlatywayo dismissed the recalling of councilors as a farce.
“As you are aware we no longer have anything to do with Mwonzora and company. We are MDC led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa and nothing links us to the recall of councilors. We are touring all councils listening to what the people are saying. The movement is for the people not individuals, the movement was not created for positions but for the betterment of the people.
“So for Mr. Mwonzora to say we are recalling councilors it is greediness on his part, so as you are aware he was expelled from the MDC Alliance for his rebellious actions of working with Zanu PF and MDC-T which is not our party. We are MDC Alliance,” said Hlatywayo.
Hlatywayo said what Mwonzora and Zanu PF are doing is an abuse of power therefore it is against the people’s will.
Reports suggest that they will be charged with illegal allocation of wetlands and other open spaces in their respective wards.
MISA Zimbabwe is calling for a reduction of data prices and engaging various stakeholders to promote the constitutional right to access to information which plays a crucial role in promoting public health during this time.
Following the declaration of a national lockdown which started on 30 March 2020, many people have been forced to conduct business online as well as working and studying from home.
Internet access key to keeping citizens informed on COVID-19
As highlighted in our previous statement, internet access is key in keeping citizens informed on developments pertaining to the Coronavirus pandemic and measures being put in place to combat the virus. It is also a fundamental human right central to the exercise of free expression and access to information that empowers citizens to make informed choices and decisions on socio-economic and political matters that affect their daily lives.
As such, internet affordability becomes an urgent issue that the government, service providers and other critical stakeholders, should address to give effect to the constitutional provision that provides for the right to access to information.
The World Wide Web Foundation has also noted that the Web “is both a lifeline and a critical force in helping to curb the spread of the virus, providing vital public health information and helping us live virtually when meeting physically threatens human lives.”
#DataMustFallZim
MISA Zimbabwe under the auspices of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, together with various other stakeholders, has mounted the #DataMustFallZim campaign and the signing of a petition urging the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), and various mobile and internet service providers in Zimbabwe, to reduce data costs.
Internet access is not a luxury for the rich, but a fundamental human right critical in the fight against Covid-19.
It is, therefore, worrying that despite MISA Zimbabwe’s calls for the reduction of data prices, contrary developments have been noted. On 5 May 2020, Econet Zimbabwe, the nation’s largest mobile network provider, increased its data prices by up to 225%.
This development resulted in 25-gigabytes of mobile data being increased from ZW$400,00 to ZW$1,300.00. Ironically, in a letter dated 28 April 2020, Econet appealed to its suppliers to consider slashing prices by 20% due to increased operating costs.
However, it still proceeded to increase data tariffs by 10 times more, less than a week later! NetOne, the second-largest network, also increased its data prices on 6 May this year by between 12 and 100%. Although the third and smallest network provider Telecel, has not yet increased the prices of its data offerings, it would not be surprising for such a development to take place although the percentage increases are not likely to be as astronomic as those of the other two.
Broadband affordability
It has been noted that generally on the continent, the average price for one gigabyte of data ranges between 7.12% and 20% of the average monthly salary which is much higher than the defined affordability benchmark of 2% of average income.
Regarding the Zimbabwean context, it should be noted that the average salary in Zimbabwe is about $3,000 a month. According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Affairs section at the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, the food basket for a family of four rose from $4,656 in February to $6, 660 as of 11 April.
In light of the above, internet access has been reduced to becoming a luxury. The Affordability Drivers Index 2019 ranked Zimbabwe second, from Malawi, and being among the worst-ranked countries in Africa as far as broadband affordability is concerned.
Amendments to the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms
These developments are contrary to Principle 2 of the Revised African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms which notes that access to the internet should be available and affordable to all persons in Africa without discrimination on any grounds such as status, of which this status can be economic.
The Human Rights Watch has also stated that “reliable and unfettered access to the internet should be maintained and steps should be taken to ensure internet access be available to people with low incomes.”
The Declaration also notes further that access to the internet plays a vital role in the full realisation of human development, and facilitates the exercise and enjoyment of a number of human rights and freedoms, including the right to freedom of expression and information.
In South Africa, Vodacom and MTN have decreased data prices for lower volume data bundles by up to 40% and 50% respectively. This is designed to ensure that more people than ever before are brought on board to access the internet. Additionally, the South African Coronavirus Resource Portal, is now zero-rated on all mobile networks.
Such steps are commendable and Zimbabwean operators could learn from these.
Reduction of data prices should be universal
Meanwhile, MISA Zimbabwe takes note of Econet’s E-Learning Data Bundle package offer which seeks to ensure that learners have access to discounted data which is necessary to facilitate online learning for students that have been affected by the pandemic.
However, MISA Zimbabwe is of the view that the reduction in data prices should be universal and applicable to all content instead of restricting it to educational information only.
It is commendable that POTRAZ has allocated the three mobile network operators in Zimbabwe free frequencies until the end of the year as part of its measures to ensure affordable data to internet users in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is, however, urgent need to develop a holistic framework that takes into account the principles laid out in the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms and also caters for long term universal internet access.
The pandemic has already shown us that the provision of internet access services should not be determined solely for profit-making, but for the promotion of the exercise and enjoyment of human freedoms, including digital rights.
The government should also play a key role in that regard by promoting transparency on the state of the Universal Services Fund. We, therefore, urge various stakeholders in the telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe to develop a sustainable model that ensures universal internet access.
MISA Zimbabwe, through its #DataMustFallZim campaign, reiterates its call for the implementation of the Three As, namely: (Internet) Access, Availability and Affordability, to enhance citizens’ access to information and participation online.
Internet access is a fundamental human right! #DataMustFallZim.
EFF Zimbabwe is irreversibly shocked and appalled by the news coming from Chiredzi South where it is alleged that villagers are being forcibly removed from their ancestral land to pave way for a Chinese investor.
As EFF Zimbabwe, we categorically state that we strongly condemn this gross disregard of our people’s birth right to reside on the land of their forefathers. The brutal eviction of our people from the land which they connect with spiritually and physically is not only an attack on their fundamental rights but also an attack to human dignity.
We have for a long time known that Zanu PF sold out the soul and spirit of our people to the highest bidders and today Chiredzi South is yet another reminder of this grand betrayal of our people. This is not the first time that our people have been displaced without proper planning and due compensation.
The Tokwe-Mukosi project is a reminder of the government’s blunder. EFF Zimbabwe calls upon all stakeholders to convene and engage frankly for an amicable solution to this problem. We take this
Email: commanderinchief@effzim.com ; Cell number: 00447506490998 ILGN
opportunity to promise the people of Chiredzi South that, EFF Zimbabwe will be with them in their struggle to remain on their land and promise to have all their grievances addressed before they are moved to a new place if they so wish.
EFF Zimbabwe will not allow a haphazard and dehumanizing dispossession of our people to proceed without following due processes. Our land will never be parcelled to the former coloniser or the new colonisers from the East. EFF Zimbabwe will stand guard against those who want to reverse the gains of the agrarian land reform program for selfish gains.
MDCT legislator Joana Mamombe has threatened to resign from Parliament at a time her Harare West supporters are surviving on insects and worms. Is this not good riddance?
Today the 11th of May 2020, MDC Alliance Leadership had a consultative meeting with the MDC A Parliamentary caucus at Harvest House. Of note was the clear message from Harare MPs to the rebels and their resolute position behind the party leadership as elected in Gweru. The following are the Harare Members of Parliament who attended the meeting:
Hon W. Chikombo Glen Norah
Hon . G Chimbaira Zengeza East
Hon . Peter Moyo Southerton
Hon M Mavunga Chitungwiza South
Hon Tendai Biti Harare East.
Hon J. Sikhala Zengeza West
Hon H. Chidziva Highfield West
Hon Murayi Highfield East
Hon Hon Tarusenga St Mary’s
Hon Murisi Zwizwai Harare Central
Hon Markham Harare North
Hon Joana Mamombe Harare West
Hon C. Hwende Kuwadzana East.
Hon. M. Mushayi Kuwadzana
Hon Mushoriwa Dzivaresekwa
Hon Madzimure Kambuzuma
Hon Matsunga M. Mufakose
Hon P. Moyo Southerton
Hon Starman Chamisa Mbare
Hon S. HAMAUSWA Warren Park
Hon J Chidhakwa Mabvuku Tafara
Hon G Sithole Chitungwiza North
Hon K. Dinnar Glenview North
Hon E. Kureva Epworth m
Hon V. Muradzikwa PR
Hon J Jaja PR.
Hon Mpariwa PR
Hon Mpofu PR
Hon Femai Senator
Hon Dewa Senator APOLOGIES • Hon S Banda Mount Pleasant. • Hon. Kankuni Sunningdale. • Hon T Makone Senator ABSENTEES • Hon Vincent TSVANGIRAI. Glenview South • Hon Mudzuri Senator. • Hon. Mashakada Hatfield
The MPs were given a platform to express their views and fears as per threats from the rebels.
The MPs were clear on that they will follow the decision of the party and that they will not surrender the people’s project to Zanu PF.
In solidarity with the four MPs who were wrongfully withdrawn from Parliament, the MPs agreed to disengage from Parliament pending conclusion of the ongoing consultation processes.
The Members of Parliament also agreed to be involved in the ongoing consultation processes with the structures and the general electorate.
The MPs also conveyed to the leadership the clear message from their constituencies that they are ready to defend the people’s project.
The meeting was attended by over 85 MPs from across the country including VP Kore, National Chairperson Hon T Khumalo among other national leaders.
This was an unambiguous message that the MPs are solidly behind the MDC A led by the People’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
S. HAMAUSWA Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs (Harare Province).
The government of Zimbabwe has distanced itself from remarks that were made by the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Energy Mutodi with regards to Tanzania President, John Magufuli’s response to the novel coronavirus.
Mutodi had posted on Twitter suggesting that Magufuli had made a blunder by keeping churches in Tanzania open as that had resulted in the rise of coronavirus cases. He tweeted:
His Excellency John Pombe Magafuli’s Tanzania now has 630 COVID-19 cases with prayers but without a lockdown while His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa’s Zimbabwe only got 31 cases with lockdown and masks. An insight into how managers can be game-changers.
The tweet attracted several diverging views prompting the government to respond clearly stating its position. In response to the tweet, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr SB Moyo said:
I make reference to the message of 4 May 2020 purported to have been posted on twitter by the deputy Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Honourable Dr E. Mutodi in which he compared the measures against COVID-19 adopted by the head of state of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
I wish to make it clear that this statement does not reflect the government’s position nor policy. The government of Zimbabwe fully respects the sovereign measures that the President of United Republic of Tanzania His Excellence John Magufuli adopted to contain the spread of COVID-19 in his country. Taking into account the unique domestic environment and other factors prevailing on the ground, indeed, no two individual countries have the same set of environment and conditions to warrant the adopting of a uniform response to disease outbreaks and other crises.
Each government is implementing policies that best suit their unique domestic environments in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The government is working in close partnership with SADC and African Union Member States as well as with other interested international co-operating partners to fight this global pandemic. In this context, there was no basis whatsoever, to compare the policies of the two Presidents.
Zimbabwe is ruled by a “toxic and oppressive political system” but it will soon self-destruct, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s adviser, the cleric and businessman Shingi Munyeza, said on Sunday as his position in the 77-year-old leader’s advisory panel increasingly looked untenable.
Without naming him, Munyeza compared Mnangagwa to the Egyptian Pharaoh, saying the Zanu PF leader sees Zimbabweans as “slaves”. He warned that Zimbabweans would soon “rise up” and bring an end to his rule.
“At a national level, Zimbabwe has been ruled by a toxic and oppressive political system. Enough is enough! The occult cannot continue to subjugate, abuse and oppress us as a people anymore because God wants to deliver us as a nation,” Munyeza said in a sermon to his Borrowdale Community Church streamed online.
Invoking popular musician Winky D whose searing political commentary through his lyrics has earned him cult status, Munyeza said Zimbabwe today was similar to the time of Pharaoh and Moses.
“The Egyptians of old had a system of slavery in the days of Moses, they had a system of how they had to put the entire children of Israel under subjugation, under abuse, under brutality. We have the same system even in our time, in our nation, we have an Egyptian system,” Munyeza said.
“Winky D once sang ‘Ijipita’ (Shona name for Egypt), that is a cry of a society that knows bondage. That is a cry of communities that have suffered immensely under a system of subjugation, brutality, corruption and lack of leadership to take them out of their squalor and poverty.”
Mnangagwa came to power through a military coup in November 2017, ending Robert Mugabe’s 37-year iron fist rule. Initially offering himself up as a candidate of reform, rights groups say repression under Mnangagwa has worsened.
Munyeza was appointed to a 26-member Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) by Mnangagwa in January 2019, but he has in recent weeks publicly voiced disquiet as an economic and political paralysis continues to envelope the country.
“When systems of brutality and oppression are in place, the strongmen and women running them don’t think the day will end. Pharaoh didn’t know that this system was about to end when Moses arrived on the scene. When the enemy is seeing us as slaves, as those that are down and out, God in his sovereignty is going to start seeing us as a mighty army. As a people, as communities, as families and indeed as a nation, we are going to rise up as a mighty army of God,” Munyeza said.
Munyeza said young people would be the catalyst for “this change, dismantling of the system, the disgorging of the strongmen.”
He added: “It’s going to happen because of the younger generation. Our young people need to rise-up. I’m praying that the strongmen and strongwomen who have sustained evil and brutality will fall on their own sword, like Haman who had orchestrated the annihilation of Jews (in the Book of Esther).
“Haman had prepared gallows for Mordecai, because he was the leader of the Jews. But the tables turned overnight, and guess who was found hanging in a not-so-distant future, overnight? It was Haman himself. I would like to say these strongmen and strongwomen must hang from their own gallows, the gallows they prepared for others.”
Describing Mnangagwa’s regime as “oppressive, corrupt, inhumane, brutal and ruthless”, Munyeza said the system he was presiding over cannot be rehabilitated.
“They have no point of return because they are satanic, and eventually they go into self-destruction. They don’t turn back. They continue to go forward to their end, to self-destroy. We’re going to see the same thing in our time, even in our very nation, we’re going to start seeing the brutality, agents of darkness, agents of strongholds of brutality falling one by one. This is what God says,” Munyeza continued.
“They are going to start collapsing one-by-one because they know no repentance. These are agents who have no heart to repent, who have no desire of remorse and yet God in his wisdom is going to use the same things they think they have got to self-destroy themselves. This is what happened to Pharaoh and his army.”
Mnangagwa and his shock troops “are unlikely to repent because they see themselves as invincible, they sit on almighty power,” the pastor said. “They are demigods. But God is going to turn the tables around.”
Mnangagwa is reportedly facing growing opposition within his Zanu PF party over his mishandling of the economy, particularly from his ambitious deputy Constantino Chiwenga, the former army general who led the 2017 coup.
The 77-year-old has so far managed to contain the rebellion, strategically shuffling out Chiwenga’s allies from the military and other strategic government agencies.
Chiwenga and his allies fear a popular uprising could also consume them, and are reportedly stepping up their efforts to ease Mnangagwa out of power, although he is determined to resist his removal before seeing out his first term which runs until 2023.
Reinstated MDC-T chairperson, Morgan Komichi has claimed that individuals in the opposition MDC Alliance were abused for advising leaders about the need to respect the party constitution.
Speaking in Harare today, Komichi said they tried to rectify the issues internally but faced resistance from some party members. He likened his stay in the MDC Alliance to an abuse ravaged marriage.
“Can we blame men and women that stay in marriage for 2-3 years whilst they are being abused? Yet you do not know that those men and women would have tried their best to resolve the problems using engagements and advices.
“The people in the MDC were being abused. When people were advising to follow the constitution they were not listened to but they were abused until the court had to intervene and call for justice. That is what we are talking about. We are not talking about individuals, we are looking at systems that do not disturb rule of law and constitutionalism.” said Komichi.
He said they were not going to recall legislators as long as they do the correct thing of not following other political parties.
“We are making sure that people will follow the law. We are not going to wield the axe or put them on the guillotine. If we were careless we could have expelled half of the MPs. We won’t do that, we will engage them and tell them that they need to respect the law,” he said
On why they had recalled legislators at the expense of voters Komichi said they could not fold hands as Charlton Hwende wanted to expel them from the August house.
“It’s like someone is trying to shoot you. What do you do?” asked Komichi adding that he was threatened after the Supreme Court ruling to the extent that certain people wanted to eliminate him.
A member of the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), Patrick Mugadza, was last week evicted from his lodgings in Glen Norah high-density suburb, Harare after he failed to pay US$40 rent.
Mugadza is the vice-president of Violet Mariyacha’s United Democratic Movement.
He told NewsDay that his family was given the notice to vacate their lodgings and he is currently in Mutare “hustling”. Said Mugadza:
What really happened is that, yes, because of the lockdown I still have to struggle to pay my rentals, which I did for March and for April.
My landlord said I must pay the rentals, which I didn’t as of now and as a result, he said I must leave.
Mugadza is not happy that his landlord has ignored the government’s recent directive deferring payment of rentals and stopping tenant evictions during the lockdown period. He said:
But what is of concern is that the government said people should not be evicted during this lockdown, but landlords seem to be ignoring the directive.
I have a few days to move my family, but because of the lockdown, it will be difficult and I may report to the police to get a reprieve.
People’s favourite opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa has ramped up his MDC Alliance party structures to ring-fence his position and those of his allies, with his close confidante Jameson Timba saying they would stop Mwonzora’s machinations.
“We are not worried about Mwonzora, he is a small boy. He will be stopped politically. We are looking for solutions that will change the country and not to satisfy a few individuals who are power hungry. This matter will be decided by the people,” Timba said.
On Saturday, Chamisa’s loyalists gathered at the party headquarters in Harare with legislator Johanna Mamombe where they vowed to defend their youthful leader as lawyers brainstormed over a legal solution to the leadership wrangle in the MDC camp.
Timeslive|ZIMBABWE has begun printing new notes in $10 and $20 denominations at a time when annual inflation stands at 926%, according to a state media report.
Citing Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) monetary policy committee member Eddie Cross, the Sunday Mail report said the decision was “imminent” to increase liquidity in the market.
“The plans are advanced and higher denomination notes will be made available to the public sometime later this month. The Reserve Bank will make the announcement. They are being printed and the appropriate date will be announced soon,” Cross said.
He added: “We are moving cautiously because we don’t want to disturb the monetary balance and we are insisting that banks pay for the currency when they draw it so that there is no money creation.”
The RBZ, like most of Zimbabwe’s public institutions, is faced with a bad transparency reputation. The first hint that the bank was already printing money was revealed in a social media video that went viral last week.
In the video a man suspected to be in his 20s is seen showing off bundles of packaged bank notes that have not been distributed. In a statement the bank said it was investigating the matter.
“The bank is offering a financial reward to the first person who will provide information leading to the positive identification and location of the man in the video,” the RBZ said.
Last week, finance minister Mthuli Ncube hinted that government would be forced to print more money to raise the ZW$18bn bailout for industry because of the economic paralysis caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
In April, Harare wrote to international finance institutions for a bailout, but nothing came out of it.
Only last week Zimbabwe was assured it would receive a US$7m World Bank bailout to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, despite being in arrears with the Washington-based lender.
However, the US said there was need to carefully trace how the money would be used in Zimbabwe considering that there are high levels of corruption in handling public funds.
US chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee Senator Jim Risch said: “The US$7m World Bank grant for Zimbabwe reported today should come with strict transparency and accountability measures to ensure Zimbabweans receive services and support during Covid-19 and that these funds aren’t lost to ongoing mismanagement by the Zimbabwean government.”
Meanwhile, Mozambique received US$309m and Kenya got US$739m from the same fund.
State Media|HIGHLANDERS’ new veteran forward Michelle Katsvairo might find himself in trouble after allegedly breaching national lockdown rules imposed by the Government as part of the Covid-19 containment measures.
Mitchell Katsvairo
The player, who is not new to controversy, was spotted in the company of another bad boy of Zimbabwean football Roderick Mutuma at a social football match in Harare’s Budiriro suburb last Wednesday despite a ban on sporting and recreational activities in the country. Mutuma now plies his trade in the DR Congo.
Bosso described the alleged breach as ‘unfortunate’ and said investigations are already underway to establish the authenticity of the breach as the club instructed its players to religiously adhere to the lockdown orders.
“We have been seeing a picture circulating on social media. The welfare manager is engaging the player to find out its authenticity. If it’s true, that will be most unfortunate because players were told to adhere to lockdown regulations. The club does not tolerate breaching of lockdown regulations by players for whatever purposes,” Highlanders media relations officer Ronald Moyo said.
Katsvairo, who had a short and unsuccessful stint with South African glamour side Kaizer Chiefs before returning home and signing for Ngezi Platinum Stars, had a warrant of arrest issued against him by Mbare provincial magistrate Stanford Mambanje after he failed to appear in court for commencement of his domestic violence case.
Katsvairo was taken to court for reportedly bashing his pregnant wife after she had gone out without notifying him. He appeared in court and was granted $300 bail, and the trial set for November 29, 2019.
He was also ordered to report once every Friday at the nearest police station. He, however, failed to turn up in court for trial, prompting the magistrate to issue an arrest warrant.
Watch the video loading below as ZimEye interogates the recently announced statement by a Zanu Pf stalwart calling on opposition legislators to salute their president Emmerson Mnangagwa or have their parliamentary benefits withdrawn and suffer from “hunger”.
A CHEGUTU man aged 30 tested positive for COVID-19 Saturday during screening at his workplace, Health Ministry Secretary, Agnes Mahomva confirmed in her daily coronavirus update released Sunday.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 36, including five recoveries and four deaths.
“Case #36 reported yesterday (Saturday) is a 30-year-old male resident of Chegutu district, with no recent history of travel, or any known contact with a person with respiratory symptoms,” Mahomwa said.
“He was referred for PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing after testing positive on a screening test conducted at his workplace using Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). He is asymptomatic, self-isolating at home, with mild disease.
“Following the COVID-19 diagnosis, the ministry is seized with contact tracing being assisted by the patient himself. Today (Sunday), surveillance teams from the ministry identified seven of his contacts and these will be tested for COVID-19 in line with our surveillance strategy.”
On Friday, a 50-year-old Harare woman also tested coronavirus positive. According to Mahomva, the woman also has no history of recent travel or coming into contact with a person with respiratory symptoms.
“She was admitted at a private hospital on the 27th of April 2020 with a history of vomiting, general body weakness and shortness of breath on a background of comorbidities. Following the COVID-19 diagnosis, she has since been transferred to Wilkins Hospital for management under isolation,” she said.
Rulani Mokwena has admitted that he regrets the comment he made about Willard Katsande’s performance in the Soweto Derby last November.
Mokwena who was the interim coach of Orlando Pirates at that time described the strong challenges from the Kaizer Chiefs anchor-man as thuggish and felt the 34-year old should have earned a red card.
He also criticized other Chiefs players and coach Ernst Middendorp for their approach to the game.
In an interview on Marawa TV, the gaffer said emotions got the better of him when he made those comments during his post-match reaction.
“There is power in emotional intelligence or in being able to keep your cool in the public domain,” he said.
“For example, in the game against Chiefs where we lost 3-2 to a penalty that shouldn’t have been a penalty.
“The Katsande tackle, I termed that thuggish behaviour and I will never live that down. It is a moment I look back at and laugh and say is that me.
“These are some of the moments you look back on and say they could have handled it better … with a bit more emotional control.”-Soccer 24
A third Brighton player has tested positive for coronavirus following a test conducted on Saturday.
The unnamed individual will self isolate for 14 days. The EPL side had two other players tested positive earlier in the pandemic.
“It is a concern,” Brighton chief executive Paul Barber told Sky Sports. “Despite all of the measures that we’ve been taking over the past few weeks, where the players haven’t been involved in any significant training at all, we’ve still suffered another player testing positive for the virus.”
The club will continue conducting individual session at the training ground.-Soccer 24
Farai Dziva|La Liga president Javier Tebas has confirmed the possible date when the 2019-20 season will resume following a break due to the coronavirus crisis.
Spanish football has been on hold since mid-March but teams started training last week with a view to resuming the competition next month.
According to Tebas, the campaign is likely to return on June 12 depending on the country’s government’s lockdown regulations.
“It will depend on the [government] phases. I hope it’s on 12 June. It will depend on the waves of the virus…,” Tebas told AS.
“The Primera and the Segunda divisions will complete at the same time. There will be football every day for 35 days.”
EFF ZIM CONDEMNS BRUTALITY OF TWO WOMEN IN COWDRAY PARK BY POLICE
Is our nation haunted by the after-effects of the liberation struggle where violence during the war was justified as a means to an end and had become a modus operandi for the liberation warfighters? Sad that we witness the manifestation of this generational curse today in our country.
Those who hold the levers of power which they acquired through hook and crook have become the agents of oppression of our people, the perpetrators and presiding officers of moral, social and legal decay that continue to eat through the fabric of our society. Our people appear to have surrendered themselves to fate and hopelessness.
Suffice to say that our people are resilient and are inherent fighters for their own justice and their own liberation.
Time is coming when our people will reclaim that dignity, their rights and their country. Some have asked what kind of citizens have we become by allowing such monstrosity and abuse to happen in our midst? Police brutality is endemic and flourishing in our country. There is no end in sight.
The recent incident in Cowdray Park where the police acting on behalf of the state allegedly brutalized two defenceless women proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the police are now law themselves. Who will police the police?
The Economic Freedom Fighters Zimbabwe unequivocally condemns the alleged savage attack on the innocent and defenceless women in Cowdray Park. The women were allegedly arrested, assaulted and detained for no apparent reason.
More alarming is that, it is alleged the police were barbarically insulting the women for being beautiful and for being Ndebele.
EFF Zimbabwe categorically condemns tribalism wherever it happens and by whoever perpetrates it.
We are Zimbabweans first and foremost, and our tribes are the beacons of nationhood and national unity. The diversity of our tribes and cultures must unite us as a people and never be used to divide us. We advocate for ONE NATION and a borderless continent.
The ruling and ruining Zanu PF regime has over the years used the men and women in uniform for selfish political and propaganda purposes to continue to cling onto power. It is clearly evident that the police have adopted this unconstitutional role and they are practising it with impunity.
Police have become the enemies of citizens they are meant to serve and protect from lawlessness and disorder and EFF Zimbabwe demands nothing short of justice for Cowdray Park women.
We demand the immediate suspension from work of the arrested police suspects pending a full investigation by an independent body. Justice must be done as a matter of urgency.
EFF Zimbabwe stands boldly with victims of police brutality. We reaffirm our condemnation of this tribalistic nature and deed by state agents.
We call upon the Minister of Home Affairs and police commissioner to immediately issue a statement condemning the criminal and tribalistic acts perpetrated by some members of the police in Cowdray Park.
EFF Zimbabwe demands action to address this endemic professional decay in the police force.
We stand resolute in our demands and we will fight, push and collectively expose the evil hand of the political discourse that promotes divisions amongst our people.
EFF Zimbabwe fights for every Zimbabwean, in particular, the suffering masses regardless of tribe, creed, skin colour, race, gender and sexual orientation.
We are ONE NATION and ONE PEOPLE. We demand justice for all, we demand it now.
Farai Dziva|ZIFA is waiting for FIFA to respond to their request for relief funds to cushion its affiliates from the effects of coronavirus crisis.
The association has acknowledged that domestic football has been crippled by the crippled and wants some financial assistance.
Zifa spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela told state media that they wrote to the world football body this month and are hopeful of getting a response in the coming days.
“We are still waiting, probably next week (this week) we should get some responses.
“The situation is dire for football. So, we approached them on behalf of our affiliates who are suffering from the effects of this coronavirus lockdown.
“It has not spared anyone, so as a member of the FIFA football family we also applied for assistance,” said Gwesela.
Opposition MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa has accused the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation of targeting his Organising Secretary Amos Chibaya who was involved in a freak accident along Zvishavane road yesterday.
Chibaya escaped with minor scars while an alleged CIO operative Norman Kujoka sustained a leg injury.
Posting on Twitter, Chamisa wished Chibaya well but was quick to highlight that he was targeted because they feared him.
He also took a dig at his former allies, Douglas Mwonzora, Elias Mudzuri, Thokozani Khupe and Morgan Komichi, saying the state is promoting them because they are weak.
“Old tactics…Old habits! Get well soon People’s National Organiser, Hon Amos Chibaya.They target & eliminate whom they fear most, they promote whom they fear least.Stand strong,” said Chamisa.
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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People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus.
The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person.
Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick.
WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is spread and will continue to share updated findings.
Can the virus that causes COVID-19 be transmitted through the air?
Studies to date suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air.
Can COVID-19 be caught from a person who has no symptoms?
The main way the disease spreads is through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is coughing. The risk of catching COVID-19 from someone with no symptoms at all is very low. However, many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms.
This is particularly true at the early stages of the disease. It is therefore possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has, for example, just a mild cough and does not feel ill.
WHO is assessing ongoing research on the period of transmission of COVID-19 and will continue to share updated findings.
Credit:WHO
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
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We are neither shocked nor surprised by the recent events in our motherland.
From the recalling of our MPs, the attempt to take over Morgan Tsvangirai House and not forgetting the court ruling by the Supreme Court a few weeks ago whilst the country was supposed to be in lockdown.
The regime and its puppets are working overtime to exterminate MDC Alliance, but we are vowing that Zimbabwe will never be a one party state!
We will never be deterred, we remain focused as we are the only credible political party in Zimbabwe, and we will restore our country to its former Glory.
Change is inevitable, MDC Alliance is the People’s movement that can truly deliver the people of Zimbabwe from the hands of this evil cartel.
As we maintain our unwavering support for President Nelson Chamisa we continue to engage with all branches within UK & Ireland to strengthen our Party.
The struggle ahead of us is huge & it requires us to work in peace, love & harmony #Haticheuke until we reach Canaan.
ThePeople’sPresident
Hellena Gusinyu MDC Alliance, UK & Ireland Province Women’s Assembly Chairperson
MDC Alliance Women’s Assembly behind President Chamisa
Komichi says @nelsonchamisa was an illegitimate MDC leader when he contested in 2018 elections, "yes of course, because he knew, and he knew… He is a lawyer, very intelligent enough, he knew that we should have followed the constitution… " – video credit @NewZimbabweCompic.twitter.com/QBnmW3EIE1
Zambia has recorded 100 cases of the novel coronavirus within the past twenty-four hours a development which comes immediately after that country’s president, Edgar Lungu had reopened the economy.
Lungu cited the adverse economic and humanitarian effects of the coronavirus-induced lockdown as justification for reopening the economy.
As of May 10, 2020, 11:34 GMT, Zambia had recorded a total of 252 coronavirus cases including 7 deaths and 112 recoveries.
Developments in Zambia are undoubtedly going to affect the region’s efforts to curb the spread and transmission of the virus.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean and South African governments are under immense pressure from the citizenry and business as well as opposition parties to ease or totally remove the lockdowns, in the case of South Africa due to their socio-economic effects.
It has also been reported that the same pressure is on the United States’ government where it is reported that some states are mulling slowly reopening markets as the unemployment rate has reached the highest level in 70 years.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has often discouraged the lifting of lockdowns saying that the effects of such a move outweigh economic and humanitarian gains associated with it.- Zambian Observer
Farai Dziva|In its latest report, the Ministry of Health and Childcare has revealed that Zimbabwe’ s case number 36 has no known contact with a person with respiratory problems.
See the Health Ministry’s latest report:
To date, more than 4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 270 000 deaths have been reported from more than 210 countries/ territories globally.
The Ministry would like to report that today [10 May 2020], 720 rapid screening tests and 279 PCR tests were done in the public sector.
All the PCR tests done in Harare today were negative for COVID-19.
Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe has thirty-six confirmed cases, including nine recoveries and four deaths.
Cumulatively, a total of 11 664 rapid screening tests and 9 872 PCR diagnostic tests have been done to date…
Case #36 reported yesterday is a 30-year-old male resident of Chegutu district, with no recent history of travel, or any known contact with a person with respiratory symptoms.
He was referred for PCR testing after testing positive on a screening test conducted at his workplace using a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT).
He is asymptomatic, self-isolating at home, with mild disease.
Following the COVID-19 diagnosis, the Ministry is now seized with contact tracing being assisted by the patient himself.
Today, surveillance teams from the Ministry identified 7 of his contacts and these will be tested for COVID-19 in line with our intensified surveillance strategy.
The Ministry continues to be on HIGH alert to the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to remind the nation that 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.
For assistance, please call the COVID-19 tollfree hotline number: 2019.
By A Correspondent- The President of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, Mr Tafadzwa Musarara has said that maize stocks in the country remain at stressed levels.
Musarara said in a recent interview during which he indicated that country needs to adopt drought-busting measures to address the current food shortages.
Said Musarara:
Stocks remain below requirement, but not very critical. I am unable to mention figures at the moment since it’s a national security issue.
Following the government dispensation we got in December 2019, we have imported more than 150 000 metric tonnes. To date, we have in hold 40 000 metric tonnes. This importation programme complements government maize imports.
Musarara also indicated that the price moratorium which was announced by Vice President Kembo Mohadi ends at the end of this month.
The government had directed businesses and millers to price their commodities using the 25 March 2020 prices in a bid to cushion members of the public from the effects of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.-newsday
By A Correspondent- Socialite Olinda Chapel had some kind and heart melting words for her ex husband, Stunner which left social media users worried if it was just a birthday message or something else.
Some social media users were excited about it and were actually saying Olinda is Ex Wife goals.
Said Olinda:
HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY MUTSIKAPANOTINHIRA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAVE VARIDIZI VEMVURA. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DZIVA. I WISH YOU SO MANY MORE YEARS OF HAPPINESS AND GROWTH.
By Jane Mlambo| Opposition MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa has accused the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation of targeting his Organising Secretary Amos Chibaya who was involved in a freak accident along Zvishavane road yesterday.
Chibaya escaped with minor scars while an alleged CIO operative Norman Kujoka sustained a leg injury.
Posting on Twitter, Chamisa wished Chibaya well but was quick to highlight that he was targeted because they feared him.
He also took a dig at his former allies, Douglas Mwonzora, Elias Mudzuri, Thokozani Khupe and Morgan Komichi, saying the state is promoting them because they are weak.
“Old tactics…Old habits! Get well soon People’s National Organiser, Hon Amos Chibaya.They target & eliminate whom they fear most, they promote whom they fear least.Stand strong,” said Chamisa.
Own Correspondent |leader of Nyenyedzi Nomwe Apostolic Church, Madzibaba Enoch has claimed that Great Zimbabwe was built by angels, not humans.
Contrary to beliefs that the national shrine was built by the Shona people, Madzibaba Enoch said angels constructed the imposing structures.
” Great Zimbabwe was not built by people, rather angels constructed the shrine.
Actually Great Zimbabwe was not built by the Shona people.
It was built by angels before the creation of humans on earth.I know that prophetic revelations are difficult to comprehend but time will tell,” said Madzibaba Enoch.
Madzibaba Enoch, of Budiriro 4, Harare, leads more than 300 shrines.
He is also said to have predicted the coming of the deadly Coronavirus scourge in a 2018 video footage.
By A Correspondent- Police in Zimbabwe say they have a list of wanted criminals who evaded justice by fleeing to Botswana and South Africa, and are now targeting various quarantine centres where the fugitives are being fished out from among the returnees.
South Africa last week deported some of its convicts back to Zimbabwe in order to deal with the issue of coronavirus spreading in jails, and police are already looking to arrest suspected criminals who would be taken to court and prosecuted.
However, some of the returnees are returning voluntarily after having lost their sources of livelihoods due to the lockdowns in countries they were living in. Others had just visited those countries for holiday, business or to seek treatment, and were just caught by circumstances while abroad.
National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyati told the State-owned media that one suspected criminal from Plumtree who returned a few days ago had since been taken to court to answer to his charges.
Yesterday about 135 people who were returning into the country from Botswana and South Africa arrived in Harare where they were taken to Harare Polytechnic for quarantine.
Out of the 135 people, who arrived at Harare Polytechnic yesterday afternoon, some would be continuing their journeys to Mashonaland East and West since the policy is to quarantine people as close to home as possible.
The exercise to quarantine all returning residents is part of the measures put in place by Government to reduce the spread of the deadly Covid-19.
Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Clifford Motera said they had prepared a number of quarantine centres around the capital.
