THE City of UMhlathuze in Richards Bay, north of KZN have decided to disconnect all their public WIFI hotspot until the end of the lockdown.
The decision came after they noticed that lots of young people are still gathering in these spots regardless of the regulation place in action.
The city has more than 30 WIFI hot spots areas. The city spokesman Mdu Ncalane said as the city they are trying all means to play their part in making sure that people stay home and obey the regulation of lockdown.
He said they decided to disconnect their WIFI as people still gather in these spots for internet access.
“So gathering in a same spot under lockdown is breaking the regulation of it, so by disconnecting the connection is one of the way they are trying to comply with the regulations” he said.
Ncalane said they will reconnect once everything is back to normal as the main aim of the hotspot areas is to assist young people to be connected in the internet so that they will be able to apply for jobs and do school work.
“People need to adhere to regulations. We call on them to stay indoors to curb the spread of the virus,” said Ncalane.
Popular Nigerian prophet, TB Joshua has broken his silence and came up with an explanation on his botched prophecy about coronavirus ending on the 27th of March 2020.
TB Joshua claimed that his prophecy related to the disease ending only in Wuhan, China and not the rest of the world. His statement however comes at a time when Coronavirus continues to ravage China, the latest development which has seen a wave of xenophobic attacks on blacks. Revelations as at today were that the virus has not at all left China and other regions are now experiencing new outbreaks. This is contrary to his prophecy in which he said, it would literally “roll back to where it came.”
On Sunday, the Nigerian preacher had an exclusive interview with his own media company, Emmanuel TV and responded to questions sent from all over the world.
He said he was led by the Holy Spirit.
“I am not a politician, I just have to give you the message as the Spirit gave it to me,” he said.
He said world leaders and scientists keep promoting fear and panic.
“They know what they have done. Now innocent people are dying, especially the elderly. We can’t go near them because of fear and panic. Nothing is worth the blood of innocent people. There is no acceptable excuse for doing this,” said Joshua
In February last year, Joshua for the first time prophesied to his congregation that there will be a time where there will be no church service and his followers will listen to his preaching through TV.
He said he could do nothing to stop it.
“We prayed to know God’s opinion but it was unchangeable. The whole thing was unchangeable. I am just a servant,” he said.
By A Correspondent- The document sought to announce a decentralised mealie meal distribution schedule.
The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe has issued a public apology over a leaked document which contained spelling errors.
The spelling errors attracted criticism from the Matabeleland community who felt aggrieved.
The program is a welcome development which has been hailed by many as a welcome development because it seeks to address the critical shortage of maize meal during the perilous times of Coronavirus. R
ead the full statement by the GMAZ Public Relations manager below:
Harare, 11 April 2020
The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe would like to unreservedly apologize for the document which has some spelling mistakes which is circulating on social media platforms. We would like to inform the public that the internal document leaked before it was edited.
The spelling mistakes were in all the English, Shona, and Ndebele languages ( documents), and there was not intention whatsoever, to offend any particular grouping.
The corrected document is now available. We, however, take the blame given the fact that the leaked and unedited document unintentionally ended up in the public domain and was consumed by innocent citizens.
One again we would like to unreservedly apologize for this unfortunate eventuality. The decision to announce the maize meal zoning measure was urgent and it was meant for the benefit of our citizens, during the difficult time we are faced with.
Farai Dziva|Former Zanu PF political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere has said lying to the nation is the worst crime one can commit.
Kasukuwere subtly attacked Emmerson Mnangagwa while responding to questions on good governance from Masvingo based, church leader, lsaac Makomichi of Calvary Prayer Group.
“In the event that you assume power and one of your favourite Ministers lies to the nation, how will you react?” Makomichi asked Kasukuwere.
“It’s important to have serious discipline among leaders.Lying and misleading the nation is the worst crime one can ever commit,”Kasukuwere responded.
Kasukuwere is expected to lead a team of G-40 members in the supposed fight against Mnangagwa in the 2023 elections.
Kasukuwere is also seen as an integral component of the much anticipated political negotiations in the country.
Commenting on his conversation with Kasukuwere, Makomichi said:
“Kasukuwere is a good leader with people at heart but I’m sure he needs to join hands with President Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa to build our nation.”
A 28-YEAR -OLD Bindura man was sentenced to 30 days in prison by Bindura magistrate Tinashe Ndokera today.
Shingirai Guzha of Trojan mine, Bindura pleaded guilty to the charge and was lucky to escape jail after the magistrate suspended the sentence on condition that he pays $3000 fine.
Prosecutor Samson Chamunorwa told the court that on April 10 Guzha was travelling in Mazda B1800 registration number AAT-6875 owned by Bernard Takaendesa when they were intercepted by the police at a roadblock in Bindura.
Guzha was ordered to disembark from the vehicle after he failed to give a satisfactory answer and told to go back home.
He insisted that he wanted to get in town and he wrestled with the police when they tried to handcuff him.
By A Correspondent- Another Zimbabwean woman, Rutendo Mukotsanjera died yesterday from coronavirus in the UK.
Her passing on was confirmed by socialite Cindy Munyavi.
Said Cindy Munyavi:
“Zorora murugare Rutendo Mukotsanjera..ndarwadziwa…thank u for your prayers. Mwari vaita kuda kwavo meaning Rest In peace Rutendo Mukotsanjera. I am hurt…. The Lord’s will has been fulfilled.”
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe police officers who are enforcing the 21-day lockdown have revealed that they no longer have food.
They claim that they were promised food to sustain them for the duration of the lockdown but their bosses are not sending them any.
One officer who spoke to a local publication on condition of anonymity said:We were promised to be fed throughout the lockdown.
The food ran out after only two days and the bosses had hope that government, through the Ministry of Health, was going to allocate funds to cater for the food and our protection but that was never the case.
My wife has to pack rice and soup that I carry to work daily.
Sources privy to developments also revealed that the police procurement department fulfilled its obligation of raising requisition invoices for food, but some suppliers had no commodities or had closed due to the lockdown.
The source said:
I hear that because of the lockdown the guys responsible for buying food changed traditional suppliers and enlisted services of unreliable suppliers and their friends.
As a result of the mismanagement, the quartermaster only distributed the rations that were available.-ZimMorningPost
By A Correspondent- Rwanda’s Minister of Health Dr Daniel Ngamije has announced that eleven (11) people will this Saturday be discharged after they have “fully recovered” from the deadly coronavirus.
Posting on Twitter this Saturday, Rwanda Embassy in South Africa said:
BREAKING: Rwanda’s Health Minister, Dr. Daniel Ngamije has revealed that 11 people will be discharged today, bringing the number of fully recovered #COVID-19 patients to 18
This comes after China, where the virus emerged last year, had reported that about fourteen percent (14 %) of people who had tested positive for the virus have tested positive again.
Zimbabwe also reported that its first case, a Victoria man, who was recovering from the virus has tested positive again.
Health experts say that there is currently no cure to the virus adding that the recovery of those who would have contracted it depends on a number of variables including the strength of one’s immune system and the absence or presence thereof of a preexisting health condition.
They also allege that young people are less vulnerable to the virus and have high chances of recovering from the virus but this does not mean they are immune to the virus as a number of young people have contracted the virus.-Online
Soldiers reportedly forced mapostori to consume alcohol at their shrine after finding them conducting a prayer, which was in defiance to the 21 day LOCKDOWN as announced by President Mnangagwa. Do you think that the soldiers' action/punishment was fair or not?
By A Correspondent- Soldiers in Harare reportedly forced mapositori to drink the alcohol they had confiscated from bars for defying lockdown regulations, according to a social media message doing the rounds on whatsapp.
The message alleges that the soldiers, instead of beating up the worshipers forced them to drink alcohol which is considered taboo by the sect.
Read the whatsapp message:
“Please avoid night prayers and stay home.Yesterday in Dzivarasekwa vanamukoma (the soldiers) were busy making their rounds confiscating beer from bars that had defied the Lockdown and opened for business. On their way back to the barracks, there were apostolic sect members and other female worshipers who had gathered for their night prayers.
The soldiers did not beat them up but they just took the crates of beers that they had confiscated and told the worshipers to drink the beer all night while singing their church hymns. The worshipers could not defy the order and they drank beer all night against the belief that beer cannot be consumed at their apostolic sect shrines. The belief is only applicable before you are given a directive by the soldiers.”
Below is the shona version of the circulating message:
By A Correspondent- Social media is awash with a collated image which suggests that President Mnangagwa was handed either $5 or $6 million dollars by Delta Corporation as a donation to fight coronavirus.
The circulating image creates confusion as it purports that the government received $6 million but claims it received $5 million.
See the image below.
Delta donation
This resonates with what Delta who posted on Twitter saying:
As a response to the H. E’s appeal to business leaders today Delta made a cash donation of ZW$5,000,000 to the Government of Zimbabwe’s COVID – 19 Disaster Fund. This will be augmented by a further ZW$1 million worth of medical accessories which will be channelled directly.
National police commissioner General Khehla Sitole said 12 police officers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
He however revealed that the officers were receiving care and support. He said:
“We are looking after them. As and when that occurs, we then give them the necessary attention. So the 12 that I was referring to, are part and parcel of our own testing processes that take place.”
Sitole declined to give any information about which provinces the police officers were based in. He also refused to state if the infections happened while on duty.
“What is important to us is that we take care of our members. We make sure they receive the necessary care and treatment,” he said.
This came as Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the COVID-19 death toll rose to 24, with the number of cases at 2 003. Mkhize said deaths had only happened in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Free State.
The youngest COVID-19 victim was 41, Mkhize said. He noted that the majority of deaths were people with pre-existing ailments, and the real cause of death may have been that pre-existing condition, News24 reported.
At our MDC headquarters now. The police refused that l enter the premises saying we should wait for a court judgement. Intersection of Nelson Mandela and Angwa roads closed. pic.twitter.com/rVQLZ7Lb8j
…Ziyambi Ziyambi named in plot but denies knowledge or involvement
Godwin Matanga
TOP SECURITY ALLOCATED FOR MDC-T LEADER.
…Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but….
Opposition MDC-T President Thokozani Khupe’s “Holy Alliance” with Zanu Pf has been exposed amid revelations from a leaked memo that she has been allocated Police Protection Unit (PPU) with effect from 8 April 2020.
The memo which has been confirmed by 2 officers, says:
‘A request to deploy the PPU to the recently confirmed opposition leader was made to Home Affairs Minister Hon Kazembe Kazembe by Minister of Justice Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi so as to make it possible for her to lead the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on MDC versus Mashavire.
“PPU Officers are deployed to provide escort services and residence security for Dr Khuphe.
“Other MDC T officials will be allocated plain clothe police officers.
“The programme submitted to Officer Commanding PPU by Comm Gen Matanga states that on 24 April 2020, Dr Khuphe and other MDC-T officials will be escorted by PPU to Morgan Tsvangirai House for a Congress preparation meeting.”
A ZRP whistleblower commenting on the development said, “Clearly this is an extention of ZANU PF.
‘To all MDC Alliance faithfuls, please don’t allow your Headquarters to be a playing ground of ZANU PF.
“By Concerned Police Officer (PPU)”
An analyst told ZimEye while she can get PPU, Khupe will need a second court order in order to take over the Harvest House building.
When contacted by ZimEye, Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but after being grilled further, said “I will have to check with my officers tomorrow and come back to you.”
Also contacted for a comment was the Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi who vehemently denied as he said, “can you send me the memo. In what capacity would I instruct a police protection unit? ”
He added, “perhaps you are just looking for a story to write. How can I as a minister instruct the police?”
The development comes as suggestions were speculated by Khupe’s party that she now has powers to recall Nelson Chamisa’s MPs. It also comes as a hoarde of police officers were last week seen barricading the office building on the day of the Supreme Court ruling as one of them told the MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General Gift Ostallos Siziba, he is not allowed inside the building until after the Supreme Court has ruled on who the legitimate MDC leader is.
“At our MDC headquarters now. The police refused that l enter the premises saying we should wait for a court judgement.
“Intersection of Nelson Mandela and Angwa roads closed.’
But analysts have said Khupe is hopeless in her attempts to take over the MDC, and below was an analysis by legal expert, Tapiwa Shumba.
By Dr Tapiwa Shumba | The recall of MDC Alliance MPs and Councillors by the MDC-T is legally and procedurally impossible.
All the MPs and Councillors who contested under the MDC Alliance belong to the MDC Alliance, in total. There is no such a thing such as that there are MPs under the jurisdiction of some distinct political parties that don’t exist at ZEC or in Parliament.
Our electoral law does not provide for the system of coalitions. No one can register a coalition to contest an election. ZEC only registers political parties. Which is the same reason why the MDC Alliance had to be a political party and not a coalition in order to register at ZEC, that is, the MDC-T alone would not be able to recall a member of the Alliance. All they would do is to make a resolution and ask the Alliance to write to parliament recalling a deployee.
For example, there are only ANC MPs in the South African Parliament. Parliament doesn’t listen to COSATU or SACP because they all contest under the ANC. The SACP cannot recall Hon Blade Mzimande from Parliament. Only the ANC (coalition) leadership can do so.
Indeed even the then Alliance coalition MOU was alert to this reality. Parliament has no business involving itself in electoral pacts that are not provided for under our law.
In fact apart from the record at ZEC which culmimates into the Parliamentary register after election results, Parliament has no other means of identifying which of the many parties in a coalition, an MP belongs. Such means just don’t exist because they are not needed.
Secondly, in other jurisdictions there is a parliamentary system called FLOOR-CROSSING where Mps are allowed to move with their seats from the political party they contested under to another party. The Zimbabwe Constitution abhors that system.
The purpose of s129 (1) (k) & (l) of the Zimbabwe Constitution is to specifically prohibit floor-crossing. Even a person who won as an independent is prohibited from crossing the floor. (Hon Themba Mliswa probably wants to rejoin ZANU-PF but he can’t, he will lose his seat).
Anyone who contested for a seat under MDC Alliance but claims to now belong to another party and relinquishes their membership of the Alliance floor-crosses and therefore offends the Constitution.
It also follows that no MP can claim to belong to two different political parties. In parliament, you cannot say I ran under the ANC but I am a SACP Mp. i.e You cannot say I ran under the MDC Alliance but I’m a PDP or MDC-T Mp. That’s just nonsense in Parliamentary terms. – CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW DR SHUMBA
For the entire electoral cycle, an MP must belong to the political Party he contested under. The party whose manifesto you sold to the electorate. If you don’t belong to the MDC Alliance anymore, its you who has crossed the floor and you must recalled immediately.
Again, this is deliberate under our Constitution to protect the electorate who elected members believing that they will carry the mandate and manifesto of the MDC Alliance they sold to them. This protection should be respected.
In truth, only the MDC Alliance will have jurisdiction over Mps who ran under the MDC Alliance. You risk embarrassing yourself and any Speaker of Parliament who listens to you if you write to Parliament and say I am the MDC-T leader, I want to recall an MDC Alliance MP.
No parliament should entertain such a letter, that is, currently, only the leadership of the MDC Alliance, through its Secretary Hon Chalton Hwende can legally, procedurally and officially converse with Parliament on matters concerning MDC Alliance MPs.
Lastly, I am sorry but this is the reality of the coronaboys and all flies that follow their corpses to the grave.
By A Correspondent- In an unconfirmed dramatic twist of events, a message is circulating on WhatsApp alleging that soldiers in Harare forced mapositori to drink the alcohol they had confiscated from bars for defying lockdown regulations.
The message alleges that the soldiers, instead of beating up the worshipers forced them to drink alcohol which is considered taboo by the sect.
Read the whatsapp message:
“Please avoid night prayers and stay home.Yesterday in Dzivarasekwa vanamukoma (the soldiers) were busy making their rounds confiscating beer from bars that had defied the Lockdown and opened for business. On their way back to the barracks, there were apostolic sect members and other female worshipers who had gathered for their night prayers.
The soldiers did not beat them up but they just took the crates of beers that they had confiscated and told the worshipers to drink the beer all night while singing their church hymns. The worshipers could not defy the order and they drank beer all night against the belief that beer cannot be consumed at their apostolic sect shrines. The belief is only applicable before you are given a directive by the soldiers.”
Below is the shona version of the circulating message:
The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) zero-tolerance approach to alcohol during the lockdown period has extended to the home brewing of liquor and traditional beer.
Police Minister Bheki Cele was not joking when he said that South Africans will have “no accesses to alcohol” during the national lockdown. With the closure of liquor stores, taverns, pubs and clubs, thirsty South Africans have turned to traditional methods of home brewing.
While the Disaster Management Act explicitly forbids the sale and movement of alcohol it does not make note of liquor brewed within the confines of one’s own home. Still, Cele — who has been criticised for his ’personal’ attacks on booze and cigarettes — has instructed that only alcohol purchased prior to the lockdown may be consumed.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent announcement, confirming the lockdown’s extension, has done little to quench South Africa’s insatiable thirst.
As police officers, with help from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), mobilise across the country to force adherence to lockdown regulations, many rural communities feel they have been unfairly victimised after having their traditional practices desecrated.
In the Eastern Cape, intensified law enforcement operations saw police swoop on homesteads at the start of the long Easter weekend, scattering crowds, dumping cooked meat on the ground and emptying barrels of freshly-brewed umqombothi.
Police actions — while technically justified under the confines of the Disaster Management Act and Cele’s direct instructions — have been met with mixed emotions. While some have supported the law’s approach, arguing that the brewing of alcohol in rural areas was akin to a gathering call in contravention of the social distancing directive, others have lashed out at the police’s ‘disrespect’.
On Friday, Cele conducted site visits to numerous law enforcement operations in Engcobo Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape. While there, he praised SAPS’ enforcement efforts and reiterated his no-nonsense approach in dealing with defiance of lockdown laws.
Similarly, members of the SANDF descended on an undisclosed area in the Eastern Cape, seizing commercial alcohol, homemade beer and ingredients used for brewing umqombothi.-TheSouthAfrican
Former Newcastle United boss Kenny Dalglish (69) has been hospitalised after contracting the coronavirus.
Dalglish was in charge at St James Park from January 1997 to August 1998, replacing Kevin Keegan and followed by Ruud Gullit.
Liverpool Football Club released a statement on behalf of the former player/manager’s family.
The statement comes following revelations that Sir Kenny Dalglish was in hospital for treatment on another matter and a routine test discovered he has the virus.
At the moment, the club revealed that he remained asymptomatic, expressing hope that he would not start showing signs of the virus presenting more of a threat to his health.
Dalglish had an eventful time in his 20 months at St James Park, including an FA Cup final in 1998 (see photo above) and that 3-2 win over Barcelona in 1997. Taking over Keegan’s team, he impressed when guiding Newcastle to the runners-up spot in his first four months in the job, only to nosedive to 13th the following season.
As well as making a number of shockingly bad signings, Kenny Dalglish also brought the likes of Shay Given, Nobby Solano and Gary Speed to St James Park.
Said the club:
The Dalglish family have tonight released the following statement to supporters regarding Sir Kenny Dalglish.
Sir Kenny was admitted to hospital on Wednesday April 8 for treatment of an infection which required intravenous antibiotics.
In keeping with current procedures, he was subsequently tested for COVID-19 despite having previously displayed no symptoms of the illness. Unexpectedly, the test result was positive but he remains asymptomatic.
Prior to his admission to hospital, Sir Kenny had chosen to voluntarily self-isolate for longer than the advised period together with his family. He would urge everyone to follow the relevant government and expert guidance in the days and weeks ahead.
He would like to take this opportunity to thank the brilliant NHS staff, whose dedication, bravery and sacrifice should be the focus of the nation’s attention at this extraordinary time.
He would also ask that they are given the space to do their jobs during what is an extremely challenging time for them and that his own family’s privacy is respected.
He looks forward to being home soon. We will provide further updates as and when it is appropriate.’-Online
At our MDC headquarters now. The police refused that l enter the premises saying we should wait for a court judgement. Intersection of Nelson Mandela and Angwa roads closed. pic.twitter.com/rVQLZ7Lb8j
…Ziyambi Ziyambi named in plot but denies knowledge or involvement
Godwin Matanga
TOP SECURITY ALLOCATED FOR MDC-T LEADER.
…Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but….
In what has been described as a clearly “Zanu Pf” move, MDC-T President Thokozani Khupe has been allocated Police Protection Unit (PPU) with effect from 8 April 2020, a leaked memo reads.
The memo which has been confirmed by 2 officers, says:
‘A request to deploy the PPU to the recently confirmed opposition leader was made to Home Affairs Minister Hon Kazembe Kazembe by Minister of Justice Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi so as to make it possible for her to lead the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on MDC versus Mashavire.
“PPU Officers are deployed to provide escort services and residence security for Dr Khuphe.
“Other MDC T officials will be allocated plain clothe police officers.
“The programme submitted to Officer Commanding PPU by Comm Gen Matanga states that on 24 April 2020, Dr Khuphe and other MDC-T officials will be escorted by PPU to Morgan Tsvangirai House for a Congress preparation meeting.”
A ZRP whistleblower commenting on the development said, “Clearly this is an extention of ZANU PF.
‘To all MDC Alliance faithfuls, please don’t allow your Headquarters to be a playing ground of ZANU PF.
“By Concerned Police Officer (PPU)”
An analyst told ZimEye while she can get PPU, Khupe will need a second court order in order to take over the Harvest House building.
When contacted by ZimEye, Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but after being grilled further, said “I will have to check with my officers tomorrow and come back to you.”
Also contacted for a comment was the Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi who vehemently denied as he said, “can you send me the memo. In what capacity would I instruct a police protection unit? ”
He added, “perhaps you are just looking for a story to write. How can I as a minister instruct the police?”
The development comes as suggestions were speculated by Khupe’s party that she now has powers to recall Nelson Chamisa’s MPs. It also comes as a hoarde of police officers were last week seen barricading the office building on the day of the Supreme Court ruling as one of them told the MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General Gift Ostallos Siziba, he is not allowed inside the building until after the Supreme Court has ruled on who the legitimate MDC leader is.
“At our MDC headquarters now. The police refused that l enter the premises saying we should wait for a court judgement.
“Intersection of Nelson Mandela and Angwa roads closed.’
But analysts have said Khupe is hopeless in her attempts to take over the MDC, and below was an analysis by legal expert, Tapiwa Shumba.
By Dr Tapiwa Shumba | The recall of MDC Alliance MPs and Councillors by the MDC-T is legally and procedurally impossible.
All the MPs and Councillors who contested under the MDC Alliance belong to the MDC Alliance, in total. There is no such a thing such as that there are MPs under the jurisdiction of some distinct political parties that don’t exist at ZEC or in Parliament.
Our electoral law does not provide for the system of coalitions. No one can register a coalition to contest an election. ZEC only registers political parties. Which is the same reason why the MDC Alliance had to be a political party and not a coalition in order to register at ZEC, that is, the MDC-T alone would not be able to recall a member of the Alliance. All they would do is to make a resolution and ask the Alliance to write to parliament recalling a deployee.
For example, there are only ANC MPs in the South African Parliament. Parliament doesn’t listen to COSATU or SACP because they all contest under the ANC. The SACP cannot recall Hon Blade Mzimande from Parliament. Only the ANC (coalition) leadership can do so.
Indeed even the then Alliance coalition MOU was alert to this reality. Parliament has no business involving itself in electoral pacts that are not provided for under our law.
In fact apart from the record at ZEC which culmimates into the Parliamentary register after election results, Parliament has no other means of identifying which of the many parties in a coalition, an MP belongs. Such means just don’t exist because they are not needed.
Secondly, in other jurisdictions there is a parliamentary system called FLOOR-CROSSING where Mps are allowed to move with their seats from the political party they contested under to another party. The Zimbabwe Constitution abhors that system.
The purpose of s129 (1) (k) & (l) of the Zimbabwe Constitution is to specifically prohibit floor-crossing. Even a person who won as an independent is prohibited from crossing the floor. (Hon Themba Mliswa probably wants to rejoin ZANU-PF but he can’t, he will lose his seat).
Anyone who contested for a seat under MDC Alliance but claims to now belong to another party and relinquishes their membership of the Alliance floor-crosses and therefore offends the Constitution.
It also follows that no MP can claim to belong to two different political parties. In parliament, you cannot say I ran under the ANC but I am a SACP Mp. i.e You cannot say I ran under the MDC Alliance but I’m a PDP or MDC-T Mp. That’s just nonsense in Parliamentary terms. – CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW DR SHUMBA
For the entire electoral cycle, an MP must belong to the political Party he contested under. The party whose manifesto you sold to the electorate. If you don’t belong to the MDC Alliance anymore, its you who has crossed the floor and you must recalled immediately.
Again, this is deliberate under our Constitution to protect the electorate who elected members believing that they will carry the mandate and manifesto of the MDC Alliance they sold to them. This protection should be respected.
In truth, only the MDC Alliance will have jurisdiction over Mps who ran under the MDC Alliance. You risk embarrassing yourself and any Speaker of Parliament who listens to you if you write to Parliament and say I am the MDC-T leader, I want to recall an MDC Alliance MP.
No parliament should entertain such a letter, that is, currently, only the leadership of the MDC Alliance, through its Secretary Hon Chalton Hwende can legally, procedurally and officially converse with Parliament on matters concerning MDC Alliance MPs.
Lastly, I am sorry but this is the reality of the coronaboys and all flies that follow their corpses to the grave.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has noted with concern the proliferation of illegal forex exchange syndicates during the COVID-19 lockdown. Some of the groups or individuals are using vehicles, backyard offices and some homes to engage in the criminal acts.
Whilst the Government has allowed the operation of money transfer services during the COVID-19 lockdown, Police urges members of the public to receive their money from authorised dealers and then go to the shops which have been authorised to transact in both local and forex to buy basic commodities or access medication from pharmacies. There is no need therefore for people to queue to change money in some shops especially in the Central Business Districts or engage illegal foreign currency dealers, while in the process exposing themselves to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police will arrest all illegal foreign currency dealers who are committing such criminal acts whilst at the same time disregarding the Governments COVID-19 lockdown measures.
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) have demanded that authorities probe prominent medical practitioners who are allegedly running parallel coronavirus treatment programmes
The association wrote to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Agnes Mahomva on April 9, 2020, citing Trauma Centre Borrowdale owner Vivek Solanki as one such medical practitioner involved in private testing of the virus.
ZADHR board secretary Norman Matara said Solanki was reportedly involved in the setting up of a COVID-19 designated facility at the Rock Foundation Medical Centre in Mt Pleasant, Harare.
He said:
In that regard, we kindly request your office to conduct an investigation into the operations of Dr Vivek Solanki with regards to the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Matara said that the official position was that COVID-19 patients are being managed in State and local authority-run facilities in Zimbabwe hence the need to probe into the matter.
Zimbabwe has so far recorded 11 confirmed positive cases of the deadly pandemic including three deaths, but reports of parallel testing cast official report in doubt.
Others also believe that massive testing can result in more cases being recorded. As of Thursday, only 438 tests had been conducted.-Standard
At our MDC headquarters now. The police refused that l enter the premises saying we should wait for a court judgement. Intersection of Nelson Mandela and Angwa roads closed. pic.twitter.com/rVQLZ7Lb8j
…Ziyambi Ziyambi named in plot but denies knowledge or involvement
Godwin Matanga
TOP SECURITY ALLOCATED FOR MDC-T LEADER.
…Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but….
MDC-T President Thokozani Khupe has been allocated Police Protection Unit (PPU) with effect from 8 April 2020, a leaked memo reads.
The memo which has been confirmed by 2 officers, says, ‘A request to deploy the PPU to the recently confirmed opposition leader was made to Home Affairs Minister Hon Kazembe Kazembe by Minister of Justice Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi so as to make it possible for her to lead the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on MDC versus Mashavire.
“PPU Officers are deployed to provide escort services and residence security for Dr Khuphe.
“Other MDC T officials will be allocated plain clothe police officers.
“The programme submitted to Officer Commanding PPU by Comm Gen Matanga states that on 24 April 2020, Dr Khuphe and other MDC-T officials will be escorted by PPU to Morgan Tsvangirai House for a Congress preparation meeting.”
A ZRP whistleblower commenting on the development said, “Clearly this is an extention of ZANU PF.
‘To all MDC Alliance faithfuls, please don’t allow your Headquarters to be a playing ground of ZANU PF.
“By Concerned Police Officer (PPU)”
An analyst told ZimEye while she can get PPU, Khupe will need a second court order in order to take over the Harvest House building.
When contacted by ZimEye, Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but after being grilled further, said “I will have to check with my officers tomorrow and come back to you.”
Also contacted for a comment was the Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi who vehemently denied as he said, “can you send me the memo. In what capacity would I instruct a police protection unit? ”
He added, “perhaps you are just looking for a story to write. How can I as a minister instruct the police?”
The development comes as suggestions were speculated by Khupe’s party that she now has powers to recall Nelson Chamisa’s MPs. It also comes as a hoarde of police officers were last week seen barricading the office building on the day of the Supreme Court ruling as one of them told the MDC Youth Assembly Secretary General Gift Ostallos Siziba, he is not allowed inside the building until after the Supreme Court has ruled on who the legitimate MDC leader is.
“At our MDC headquarters now. The police refused that l enter the premises saying we should wait for a court judgement.
“Intersection of Nelson Mandela and Angwa roads closed.’
But analysts have said Khupe is hopeless in her attempts to take over the MDC, and below was an analysis by legal expert, Tapiwa Shumba.
By Dr Tapiwa Shumba | The recall of MDC Alliance MPs and Councillors by the MDC-T is legally and procedurally impossible.
All the MPs and Councillors who contested under the MDC Alliance belong to the MDC Alliance, in total. There is no such a thing such as that there are MPs under the jurisdiction of some distinct political parties that don’t exist at ZEC or in Parliament.
Our electoral law does not provide for the system of coalitions. No one can register a coalition to contest an election. ZEC only registers political parties. Which is the same reason why the MDC Alliance had to be a political party and not a coalition in order to register at ZEC, that is, the MDC-T alone would not be able to recall a member of the Alliance. All they would do is to make a resolution and ask the Alliance to write to parliament recalling a deployee.
For example, there are only ANC MPs in the South African Parliament. Parliament doesn’t listen to COSATU or SACP because they all contest under the ANC. The SACP cannot recall Hon Blade Mzimande from Parliament. Only the ANC (coalition) leadership can do so.
Indeed even the then Alliance coalition MOU was alert to this reality. Parliament has no business involving itself in electoral pacts that are not provided for under our law.
In fact apart from the record at ZEC which culmimates into the Parliamentary register after election results, Parliament has no other means of identifying which of the many parties in a coalition, an MP belongs. Such means just don’t exist because they are not needed.
Secondly, in other jurisdictions there is a parliamentary system called FLOOR-CROSSING where Mps are allowed to move with their seats from the political party they contested under to another party. The Zimbabwe Constitution abhors that system.
The purpose of s129 (1) (k) & (l) of the Zimbabwe Constitution is to specifically prohibit floor-crossing. Even a person who won as an independent is prohibited from crossing the floor. (Hon Themba Mliswa probably wants to rejoin ZANU-PF but he can’t, he will lose his seat).
Anyone who contested for a seat under MDC Alliance but claims to now belong to another party and relinquishes their membership of the Alliance floor-crosses and therefore offends the Constitution.
It also follows that no MP can claim to belong to two different political parties. In parliament, you cannot say I ran under the ANC but I am a SACP Mp. i.e You cannot say I ran under the MDC Alliance but I’m a PDP or MDC-T Mp. That’s just nonsense in Parliamentary terms. – CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW DR SHUMBA
For the entire electoral cycle, an MP must belong to the political Party he contested under. The party whose manifesto you sold to the electorate. If you don’t belong to the MDC Alliance anymore, its you who has crossed the floor and you must recalled immediately.
Again, this is deliberate under our Constitution to protect the electorate who elected members believing that they will carry the mandate and manifesto of the MDC Alliance they sold to them. This protection should be respected.
In truth, only the MDC Alliance will have jurisdiction over Mps who ran under the MDC Alliance. You risk embarrassing yourself and any Speaker of Parliament who listens to you if you write to Parliament and say I am the MDC-T leader, I want to recall an MDC Alliance MP.
No parliament should entertain such a letter, that is, currently, only the leadership of the MDC Alliance, through its Secretary Hon Chalton Hwende can legally, procedurally and officially converse with Parliament on matters concerning MDC Alliance MPs.
Lastly, I am sorry but this is the reality of the coronaboys and all flies that follow their corpses to the grave.
By A Correspondent- The unidentified woman told a local publication that she walked from Epworth into town unaware that people had letters to accompany them for movement during the 21 days national lockdown.
Dressed in rags and picking up plastic bottles for resale in the CBD despite the 21 day Lockdown, the woman said:
“I am just picking empty plastic bottles for sale and I am not aware that we are not allowed to carry our business in town.
I am used to walk in a way of saving money since I have two children to look after following my separation with my abusive husband. What surprised me upon arriving in town is the number of people and the closure of shops but I decided to fulfil my purpose of coming,” she said.
The woman exposed visibility of city council and police officers on day 9 in the Central Business District.
A survey by a local publication on Day nine of the 21-day national lockdown saw an increase in the volume of traffic in the CBD as compared to previous days.
Supermarkets, Banks Automated Teller Machines, government offices and few others remained the points where a number of people would be seen.-StateMedia
Traffic being turned away by police at a roadblock along the Harare-Chitungwiza road.
Police are now strictly vetting private vehicles seeking to get into Harare Central Business District at various check points.
The police is also asking motorists to produce letters showing that they are providing essential services. Several motorists whose letters could not satisfy the police turned away at the roadblocks visited by The Herald.
This comes as the law enforcement agents are enforcing the directive of a 21-day lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Sun|A NURSE has broken down in tears after walking into her ward only to find patients dead as she battles coronavirus in New York.
D’neil Schmall, a 35-year-old emergency room nurse, moved to the US state to be on the frontline helping those at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Schmall recorded a video of herself breaking down in tears in her hotel room at the end of a long shift and after delivering news to multiples families over the deaths of patients in her care.
In the clip, she says: “I am an ER ICU nurse currently in New York working a rapid response for COVID and, today was a very rough day, a real rough day.
“I just feel there is so much anyone can take. I’m tired of walking into rooms, and your patients are dead.”
She added: “You just walk into a room, and there’s a dead body there.”
The critical care nurse says one of the worst parts of her job is telling families that their loved ones have died.
“I’m tired of calling families and telling them that news,” she says.
“I feel so much sadness to my fellow nurses, sisters and brothers, that have lost their lives taking care of people.
“I cried the whole way home, I mean the driver was like are you okay? I don’t think people understand how stressful this job is. I was trained for anything in the world but this is so stressful.
“Everyone is trying hard, everyone is trying so hard. But we got so much to do. We are humans too.”
The brave nurse finishes the video by saying: “If you have ever felt any time would be appropriate to have compassion for each other, right now is the time when we should all have compassion for each other, and try to at least acknowledge what the other person is going through. I just have so much sadness.
“So the end result is you end up crying in your hotel room. Or in the bathroom. There is no one to talk to.”
“I only posted it because I feel like people should know what we’re going through here. I love my job I LOVE what I do! I’m not LEAVING! But that doesn’t mean front liners aren’t human and won’t be emotional about this experience as well.”
There have been 466,299 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,686 deaths in the US so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
New York City is still the United States’ coronavirus outbreak epicenter,
The coronavirus has now killed more people in New York City than those who died in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.
The State Governor Andrew Cuomo said he believed that things had changed irrevocably in-state and around the world as flags were lowered in tribute.
“I don’t think we [will ever] return to normal,” Cuomo said on Wednesday, after revealing coronavirus killed at least 6,268 residents versus the 2,753 lives lost in the September 11, 2001.
More than one and a half million cases have been recorded worldwide.
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care on Friday reported that the country had recorded two more coronavirus cases.
The Ministry also said that the new patients were 21-year-old males who had contact with the 10th case, a female, who they had travelled with to the United Kingdom.
In a statement released on 10 April 2020, the Ministry said:The two new cases involve 2 (two) 21-year-old male residents of Harare who travelled from the UK together with case #10. As part of contact tracing and follow-up, the local COVID-19 Rapid Response Team visited their homes, and samples were collected for COVID-19 testing. Both are clinically stable. with mild disease and under self-isolation at home.
This comes when it is alleged that the elderly and people with preexisting conditions are more vulnerable to the deadly pandemic compared to young and healthy people.
Meanwhile, the vaccine for the virus has not yet been found hence the need to adopt preventive measures to avoid the spread and transmission of the virus.
Pictures of SAPS members crashing a traditional ceremony have been doing rounds on social media, the pictures show police spilling meat and traditional beer on the floor in attempt to disperse the crowd found at the ceremony.
It is not clear as to where the pictures where taken, judging by the background it is in a rural area somewhere in South Africa, according to pictures the crowd captured at the home seems to be more than the prescribed number of people who are allowed to gather. The large number of people are pictured leaving the yard after the SAPS members confiscated the food and alcohol.
Some people came out to say the ancestors will deal with SAPS for this.
Bank workers have through Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers Union (ZIBAWU) president, Peter Mutasa, appealed to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) provide minimum safety requirements for workers before reopening banks before the end of the 21-day national lockdown.
This comes after the central bank has directed Money Transfer Agencies (MTAs) to be reopened before the end of the 21-day national lockdown that was imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus. Mutasa said:
We do not see any measures put in place to ensure all banks adhere to the minimum safety and health standards. This is critical not just for the health of the staff, but clients and the nation.
Workers are also urging RBZ to ensure that all banking halls were not overstaffed and are also demanding safe, reliable transportation, adequate personal protective clothing and equipment such as masks and gloves and reasonable life assurance cover.
ZIBAWU also demanded COVID-19 counselling for all bank workers and their families as well as regular testing of the disease.
Own Correspondent|Some Malawians living in South Africa have asked their government to consider providing them with transport for them to go back home due to challenges which they are reportedly facing in the Rainbow Nation following the 21-day Covid-19 lockdown.
A representative of the concerned Malawians, Isaac Mpango, who is in South Africa’s town of Rustenburg, said a lot of casual labourers in South Africa are being evicted from their houses for failure to pay rentals due to the lockdown.
“We are struggling because most of us earn money on a daily basis such that we are unable to get money for food and house rentals. It is hand-to-mount scenario,” Mpango said.
He further claimed that a lot of Malawians and other foreigners in South Africa who are employed in the informal sector are surviving on arms from business owners.
According to Mpango, some landlords have also started disconnecting water and electricity in flats which are rented by foreigners who are failing to pay rent due to the lockdown.
“Surviving without water is a very difficult thing. At the moment, there are indications that the lockdown will be extended because cases of Covid-19 continue to rise here,” he said.
But Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Rejoice Shumba, said they are yet to receive official communication from Malawi’s ambassador in South Africa.
Shumba said the ministry is monitoring the situation in all countries which are onlockdown to see how Malawians are living there.
“We have embassies in most countries including South Africa. And if anything happens involving a Malawian in that particular country, we usually get the information from the embassy and act on it. At the moment, there is nothing from our embassy in South African,” she said.
South Africa is home to millions of foreigners who migrate there to seek greener pastures. The country is among those that have ordered lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Botswana authorities have said that some parliamentarians who had previously been asked to self-quarantine over Coronavirus have now been placed under supervision.
The MPs have now been moved to a government facility in a ‘locked-up’ fashion to undergo quarantine after they broke instructions given to them.
On Thursday the parliamentarians including President Mokgweetsi Masisi were asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
They were to be tested for the coronavirus after a health worker within the parliamentary facility tested positive for the virus.
The country’s Health Minister Lemogang Kwape told lawmakers on Thursday that the health worker had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday night.
The health worker checked the temperatures of some of the lawmakers on Wednesday during a special sitting of parliament.
“The health worker had not shown any symptoms but had just taken a routine test. Unfortunately, the result came late on Wednesday after she was on duty at yesterday’s parliament session,” Kwape told the MPs.
But several of the MPs were caught shopping in supermarkets and instead of being in quarantine, according to a government statement.
The government statement said “Some Members of Parliament have breached their quarantine rules by going to supermarkets thus spreading the risk.”
“This is regrettable and the public is informed that the MPs have been removed from home quarantine and will be quarantined under government supervised quarantine,” the statement added.
His Excellency the President, Members of Parliament, Senior Government Officials and members of the media who attended are urged to follow home quarantine rules and not risk the spread of the disease to members of their families and the public at large.— Botswana Government (@BWGovernment) April 10, 2020
Botswana has so far reported 13 coronavirus cases and one death, as the country remains under lockdown.
BBC|The US has become the first country in the world to record more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day.
Figures from Johns Hopkins University show 2,108 people died in the past 24 hours while there are now more than half a million confirmed infections.
The US could soon surpass Italy as the country with the most coronavirus deaths worldwide.
But experts on the White House Covid-19 task force say the outbreak is starting to level off across the US.
Dr Deborah Birx said there were good signs the outbreak was stabilising, but cautioned: “As encouraging as they are, we have not reached the peak.”
President Donald Trump also said he expects the US to see a lower death toll than the initial predictions of 100,000 fatalities.
About half of the deaths were recorded in the New York area.
Italy has recorded 18,849 deaths while globally more than 100,000 people have died with the virus.
Researchers had predicted the US death toll would hit its peak on Friday and then gradually start to decline, falling to around 970 people a day by 1 May – the day members of the Trump administration have floated as a possible date to start reopening the economy.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima
Employers have been called upon to uphold fair labour standards as enshrined in the constitution, during the ongoing lockdown period.
This has been said by Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima in a statement.
The statement follows reports that some employers are considering retrenching or withholding their salaries for the period they are not at work due to the national lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
However Prof Mavima has called for dialogue to ensure the protection of employee rights and job security as well as continued business viability.
Against this backdrop, a draft paper on comprehensive labour market measure for Covid-19 has been drafted and is being subjected to virtual consultations given the limitations to convene face-to-face meetings in line with the guidelines issued by health authorities.
The ministry has also proposed workplace guidelines to properly guide employees and employers during the 21-day Covid-19 lockdown.
The guidelines are also under tripartite consultations to ensure they align with labour standards and policy developments.
Zimbabwe’s confirmed cases for Covid-19 have risen to 13, after two cases tested positive today.
The other three have since died.
Today, 25 cases were tested and the two positive cases are 21 year old males from Harare who traveled to the United Kingdom together with case 10, a 21 year old female, also from Harare.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has said as part of contact tracing and follow-up, the local Covid-19 Rapid Response Team visited their homes and collected samples for testing, and the results came out positive.
They are both in a stable, with mild diseases and under self-isolation at home.
School holidays may be scrapped in order to recover lost time as Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga contemplates the best way to salvage the 2020 academic year.
This is one of the proposals being considered by the department.
Even before the lockdown started last month, Ramaphosa announced that schools would be closed to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. With the lockdown extended to end April, schools will have been closed for over six weeks.
Motshekga’s spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, said the department is supporting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s implementation of the lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said a team of experts was currently working on a plan for how schools would eventually be reopened. The team will also determine when some or all schools would reopen once the lockdown is lifted.
“The 2020 academic year is possible and we will rescue it. We have a plan in place to rescue lost time. One of our plans might be to do away with the coming school holidays to recover lost time,” said Mhlanga.
“Once all schools are opened, there is also a recovery plan to assist our pupils to catch up on lost time.”
Mhlanga added that they have online, radio and television educational programmes that are assisting pupils during the lockdown.
The United States has counted more than 2,000 Covid-19 fatalities in the space of 24 hours, smashing all previous daily death tolls worldwide as the US outbreak shows little sign of abating, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Some 2,108 new deaths were reported in the US on Friday, data gathered by Johns Hopkins shows, putting the US total at over 18,600, just shy of Italy’s, the overall leader in fatalities globally.
After Thursday’s casualty count saw a brief drop-off, deaths again surged on Friday, the country’s deadliest day yet.
Though US President Donald Trump has stated the US’ epidemic is nearing its peak, the latest projections by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – reported by the New York Times on Friday – forecast a steep spike in cases and deaths over the summer if states and cities lift 30-day stay-at-home orders now in place, positing up to 200,000 deaths and some 100 million infections in total.
With social distancing guidelines provided by federal agencies set to expire at the end of April, the president is now mulling whether to extend them further yet again, calling it “the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make.” Trump has been eager to see all lockdown measures revoked and the US economy back up and running, but over time has become more reluctant to do so prematurely.
New York remains the hardest-hit US state, reporting nearly 800 new deaths on Friday alone among a total of over 7,800, however Governor Andrew Cuomo said the “curve” of new cases and fatalities was beginning to flatten, with the number of patients in intensive care falling on Friday for the first time in its outbreak.
“We live in times when things cannot be joked about,” transport minister Fikile Mbalula said on Friday as he opened a charge against entertainer Somizi Mhlongo at the Sandton police station in Johannesburg.
Hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that SA’s Covid-19 lockdown would be extended until the end of April, Mhlongo had asserted in an Instagram video that Mbalula had given him a heads-up on the extension. He subsequently apologised to Mbalula for his “joke,” saying: “I’m just like you, I did not know about it, I was just guessing.”
Mbalula said Mhlongo’s claim came at a time when the country is faced with a “serious” pandemic.
The charge Mbalula said he would lay against Mhlongo, related to the breaking of the regulations of the disaster management in terms of information dissemination and misinformation.
Mbalula said while he forgave Mhlongo, whom he openly admitted was his friend, he could not just let the “joke” slide.
“I have to come to the police station to report this matter because as a cabinet minister, we were sworn in secrecy.
“There must be no doubt on my bona fides in relation to information that could be disclosed to me … I’m enjoined by the constitution to protect the state’s secrets,” Mbalula told journalists outside the police station.
“The police station is the right place under the regulations because I did not break the law. I was at my place obeying the rule of law. I can’t account for what happened. If it is a joke, it is indeed a bad joke.”
Mbalula said he could not allow his name to be dropped into conversations as if it was true that he had leaked vital information.
“Things cannot be joked about willy nilly …
“It’s not personal. I’ve got a good relationship [with Somizi], he’s my friend, but the fact of the matter of that … we must not mix business with pleasure,” Mbalula said.
“I wish to make it clear I’m taking steps to address the particular matter. I will open a case and explain this particular video and leave it to the law to take its course.”
Mbalula said he had told the president about the incident and would also write to the cabinet secretariat for them to file his report.
“This is no time for jokes. We are faced with a serious pandemic and anything could be construed for anything and that will bring lawlessness.
“I’m an important [member] of the president’s command council and I’m dealing with an important matter, that is transport, and I take it seriously.
“I’m very disappointed about the turn of events but it is not something that is insurmountable that cannot be attended to. The law will do the right thing and investigate and look at what actually happened,” Mbalula said.
He said the video could have done damage to the country as it was posted hours before the announcement of the extension.
“That piece of information was leaked and it reached me 15 minutes before the president’s address. It could have caused disruption.”
Mbalula warned people against sending misinformation at the time when the country is dealing with Covid-19.
“We are fighting a virus and we are on top of it. The state of disaster we are in is not fake. Let’s stop these jokes and let’s obey the rules.”
He said Mhlongo should focus his social responsibility duty, “but act with circumspection when it comes to the law”.
“He could have said anybody. It’s in his nature. He even predicted Miss Universe. I don’t know whether the guy is a sangoma.
“He is a lovely character, he’s bubbly, but we live at times when things can’t be joked about.”
Mbalula’s message for the Easter weekend is: “Stay at home. Don’t take chances by driving anywhere else. This time is to pray and pray hard at our homes. Law enforcement will be there to make sure no-one breaks the law.”
Police in Mashonaland Central province are appealing for anyone with a missing relative to visit them following the discovery of a dead body at Galliver dam in Mvurwi.
Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe confirmed the case.
“We are appealing for people with missing relatives to visit us and inform us since we identified a dead body at Galliver dam in Mvurwi and is yet to be identified,” Mundembe said.
It is alleged the body was discovered trapped with fishing nets in the dam by Benedict Chiganga (38) on Wednesday and he alerted the police who came and retrieved the body.
The which is in an advanced stage of decomposition has been sent to Mvurwi hospital awaiting postmortem.
Police warned people to go to fishing with proper fishing gear.
CHIEFS in the three Matebeleland provinces are piling pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to allow the exhumation and reburial of victims of the 1983-1987 Gukurahundi genocide as families demand a truth-telling process, it has emerged.
Government last year acceded to requests by families of the victims to be allowed to grant their relatives decent burials. However, the exhumations were later halted at the instruction of top government officials who felt there was a need for legislation to be put in place first officialising the exhumations and reburials.
The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) chairperson, Retired Justice Selo Nare, told the Zimbabwe Independent this week traditional chiefs were keen to have the reburials resumed.
“We have engaged with chiefs in the three provinces of Matebeleland. They have been very clear that the Gukurahundi question is still far from being concluded,” Nare said. “The chiefs have told the commission that closure to the Gukurahundi issue will be realised when there is a process where families of the victims will be allowed to exhume the remains and afford them a decent burial.
“It is very clear that the chiefs are keen on this (exhumation and reburials) and we will, as part of our recommendations to the President and government, also highlight on this matter so that government can then see how best the matter can be dealt with.”
He said his commission had rolled out consultative processes throughout the country to afford Zimbabweans an opportunity to contribute to the Gukurahundi report which the commission is expected to submit to Mnangagwa.
“People have said a lot of things on the Gukurahundi issue,” Nare said. “One of the issues that have been key in the discussions we have had is that of the truth on what happened. The sentiment is that besides exhumations and reburials, there ought to be an opportunity for people to speak out about what happened and to also deal with the issues of who was involved.
“Once that truth telling process has been done, coupled with the exhumations and reburials as per the request of the affected families, we will have been able to nip the entire problem in the bud. This is when we can be assured, as a nation, that we can find closure to the Gukurahundi issue.”
The NPRC, Nare said, will soon meet the leadership of the country’s security sector to hear their input.
“We have lined up meetings with the leadership of the police and other security organs so that we can also hear their views on the Gukurahundi issue. They are part of the process. Once that is done, we will engage with the Vice-President responsible for the Gukurahundi issue (Kembo Mohadi) to also appraise him on what has been coming through,” Nare said. “These are all key institutions and people who will contribute to a wholesome picture and we are of the belief that their sentiments will be of value to the entire process.”
Asked whether there was enough government will and cooperation given that some senior government and military officials are implicated in the Gukurahundi atrocities, Nare said all government officials had expressed commitment towards the process that the NPRC had rolled out.
“We have been told that there are some (government officials) who are edgy when it comes to Gukurahundi. From our experience as a commission, we want to believe that all our government officials are, at present, committed to the process and its outcomes,” Nare said.
“We have had cooperation from all those that we have engaged with and I am sure they all want to play a role in ensuring that this matter is effectively addressed.”
The remains of thousands of Gukurahundi victims remain in shallow graves across the three Matebeleland provinces. According to civil society reports on Gukurahundi, about 20 000 civilians were killed by the North Korea-trained 5 Brigade in the Matebeleland and Midlands provinces as the then Robert Mugabe-led administration tried to crush what it called insurgents who were reportedly harboured by the predominantly Ndebele-speaking population in the three provinces.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson left intensive care on Thursday evening as he continues to recover from COVID-19, but he remains under close observation in hospital, his office said on Thursday.
Johnson, 55, was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital on Sunday evening with a persistent high temperature and cough, and was rushed to intensive care on Monday where he spent three nights receiving treatment.
“The prime minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery,” a spokesman from his office said in an emailed statement.
“He is in extremely good spirits.”
Johnson was the first world leader to be hospitalised with the coronavirus, forcing him to hand control of the world’s fifth-largest economy to foreign minister Dominic Raab just as Britain’s outbreak approaches its most deadly peak.
Raab tweeted that the improvement in Johnson’s condition was “the news we all wanted to hear”. U.S. President Donald Trump described it as “great news”.
Johnson’s ongoing recovery prompted a small rise in the value of sterling against the dollar.
However, the government statement did not give any details on when Johnson may be able to resume leadership, and Raab – speaking before the latest announcement – had stressed the importance of allowing the prime minister to focus on recovery.
No further updates on Johnson’s health were expected on Thursday.
Raab is deputising for Johnson during the most stringent shutdown in Britain’s peacetime history.
Earlier he told a news conference it was too early to end the lockdown because Britain had not reached the peak of the outbreak yet.
The UK death toll in hospitals from coronavirus now stands at 7,978, a rise of 881 on the day but a smaller increase than the 938 seen in Wednesday’s data.
With Johnson absent and the death toll still mounting, the British government is wrestling with two major issues – how to finance a vast increase in state spending to support the shuttered economy, and when to start easing lockdown measures.
With the economy facing potentially the worst hit since World War Two, the government said it had expanded its overdraft facility with the Bank of England.
The central bank has agreed temporarily to finance government borrowing in response to COVID-19 if funds cannot immediately be raised from debt markets, reviving a measure last widely used during the 2008 financial crisis.
The BoE said it was a short-term measure and both it and government said any borrowing from the Ways and Means facility – effectively the government’s overdraft with the Bank – would be repaid by the end of the year.
The government has made pledges costing tens of billions of pounds to support businesses and workers hit by the virus. On Thursday, the government said an additional 1.2 million claims for welfare payments had been filed since March 16.
Raab said the peak of the virus outbreak had yet to be reached and that the government would not be able to say more about the duration of the lockdown until late next week, once experts have had chance to analyse data on how well it is working. It was introduced last month.
“The measures will have to stay in place until we’ve got the evidence that clearly shows we’ve moved beyond the peak,” he said.
While Johnson’s condition was improving, the likely length of his recovery remained unknown, with some political commentators saying there was a power vacuum in his absence.
Raab said on Thursday he had the power to make “necessary decisions” in the prime minister’s absence and that government will continue to follow the strategy set out by Johnson. He said cabinet could take decisions collectively.
The United Kingdom is entering what scientists say is the deadliest phase of the outbreak, with deaths expected to continue to rise over the Easter weekend.
But in a sign the shutdown measures were working, health officials have said the number of coronavirus infections and hospital admissions had begun to show signs of flattening.
Police said they would be taking tougher action to do just that before the four-day Easter holiday weekend because many people were continuing to ignore the ban on social gatherings.
Zimbabwe has moved into a potentially defining moment in terms of enforcement of the 21-day lockdown, with a heavy police and army presence on all roads leading into Central Business District (CBD) of Harare today, following worryingly large numbers of people this week.
All passengers were asked to produce letters from employers indicating they are part of the skeletal staff manning offices and/ or factories during this period.
The town was literally deserted with a few people on the streets and some getting into supermarkets. Pick n Pay (Jason Moyo Branch) is one of the few shops open in the CBD.
So serious were the security forces’ operation that for the first time since the lockdown started 12 days ago, there are officers at Cnr Herbert Chitepo and Leopold Takawira Street.
The decision to man all routes into town follows reports that some citizens were using uncommon routes to sidestep security checkpoints.
There were reports early morning that some Zimpapers newspaper vendors were asked to vacate their selling points at Cnr Simon Muzenda Street and Samora Machel Avenue, and Rotten Row Street and Simon Mazorodze.
Refreshingly, security officers manning the checkpoints have face masks and gloves after concerns that they were being exposed to the deadly virus by engaging people without protective clothing.
This reporter was stopped by friendly police in anti-riot gear at NetOne Building and asked to explain his business in the CBD.
The surge in numbers of security details come on the back of concerns by Government and experts yesterday that Zimbabwe risked reversing the gains recorded last week when many citizens largely heeded the lockdown directive.
Health experts fear there could be an explosion of fresh Covid-19 cases in the next few weeks if people continued to flood the streets.
Updating journalists on the post-Covid-19 Taskforce daily meeting at State House in Harare last night, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa expressed concern over the high number of people violating the lockdown regulations.
As at yesterday, 3 251 people had been arrested for violating lockdown measures.
“It is disheartening to note that some citizens are willing to put themselves and those around them at risk by flouting the lockdown regulations,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
By Dumisani Muleya|The sad death of prominent Zimbabwe clergyman Mike Auret in Ireland this morning is a significant event in the history of human rights in the country and its predecessor Rhodesia.
Auret fought tooth and nail during the Rhodesian colonial era and after Zimbabwe’s independence for human rights; he was always on the frontline to defend the masses, the subaltern or marginalised in society, the downtrodden and oppressed when it mattered the most.
But his most significant role on the human rights front was at the height of the Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland, where, together with other bishops in Zimbabwe, churches, civil society activists, diplomats, humanitarian groups and some journalists, exposed the biggest and most vicious post-colonial killings of black people by a black government in the region led by the late President Robert Mugabe.
Auret was part of a Catholic delegation which met Mugabe, a Catholic himself educated by Jesuits, on March 16, 1983 at State House in Harare to discuss the horror killings which had taken place when the ethno-political crack military unit formed and trained in Nyanga by North Koreans (later assisted by operators from Tanzania) outside the formal structures of the Zimbabwe National Army, Fifth Brigade, was deployed in Matabeleland North on January 20, 1983, starting in the Lupane areas, before spreading to Tsholotsho, Nkayo and other surrounding districts.
Soon after that the army unit, which was purged of all ex-Zipras before deployment, rampaged through the region within three months, aggressively intimidating, beating, attacking, slaughtering, raping, maiming and torturing thousands.
The cruelty was far worse than what even colonial security forces had ever meted out on black people in Rhodesia and many other places.Alarmed and shocked by the barbarism and cruelty of the Zanu regime, Auret and other priests confronted Mugabe over the wave of killings sweeping across the south-western region like a ferocious tsunami.
Auret, the chairman of the Catholic Commisson for Justice and Peace (CCJP), was accompanied to that meeting by the other outspoken bishops Ersnt Karlen, Patrick Mutume and Helmut Reckter.
It was the second time that the bishops were meeting Mugabe over the massacres after they had delivered a report to him on November 5, 1982. Mugabe had initially responded, with the paranoia and fear he always exhibited during that time, saying that his government was “new and vulnerable”, and faced an existential threat from Zapu and Zipra, which had been integrated into the army after demobilisation, as well as the aggressive apartheid South African regime, that he ironically later ended up collaborating with. Mugabe adopted brinksmanship with apartheid; he denounced it when it suited him and collaborated with it against the ANC/Zapu alliance when it was also politically expedient. Mkhonto weSizwe guerrillas were expelled (first from Zezani Camp in Beitbridge back to Zambia) and hounded in Zimbabwe as Mugabe took a cowardly approach to avoid confrontation with apartheid leaders PW Botha and later FW De Klerk. And Mkhonto commander in Zimbabewe Joe Gqabi was killed by apartheid agents in Avondale in Harare under circumstances of collaboration by Mugabe. Just before that he had nee under surveillance by Mugabe’s intelligence services, not for his protection but to make sure MK did not have bases and fight from Zimbabwe.
According to Auret, Mugabe then perused through the dossier of killings, while current President Emmerson Mnangagwa, then State Security minister, and Sydney Sekeramayi, then assistant Defence minister (Mugabe was in charge of Defence), who were among many other senior Zanu leaders like Enos Nkala, Nathan Shamuyarira, Chris Ushewokunze, Morris Nyagumbo, and Simbi Mubako spearheading the campaign, sat silent and grim-faced in a tense environment.
After joining Zanu, Callistus Ndlovu and Mark Dube, who was Zanla, and another Zapu defector John Mbedzi became notorious agitators. Nkala and these three, assisted by Nyagumbo, then Zanu commissar, became a menace in Matabeleland.
Karlen was very straight with Mugabe in the meeting: your security forces are killing people on a massive scale and have committed grisly atrocities.
Because Mugabe’s pretext for deploying the Fifth Brigade was to fight the “dissidents” (a reference to ex-Zipra fighters who had deserted infighting in the army), Karlen asked him: “Why is the army killing civilians, not going after the dissidents?”
Mugabe said his government was very committed and would not retreat from hunting down dissidents, a line he that was to repeat many times, especially when dissidents killed people as well.
Dissidents also committed attacks and killings, although they were isolated cases. Most of their activities were acts of criminality for survival.
The dissidents later became an eclectic mix and motley group of discontents of ex-Zipras who had deserted the army fearing for their Iives, apartheid surrogate force Super-Zapu (which had nothing to do with Zapu/Zipra – it was led by Tafara Nkomo (Jack Moyo was his non de guerre) and Kaizer Makhurane) and remnants of Zimbabwe -Rhodesia auxiliaries.
Super-Zapu was the brainchild of apartheid Pretoria’s Directorate of Special Tasks – later under Directorate of of Covert Collections – run as Operation Mute. This department handled Renamo affairs in Mozambique and trained Supa-Zapu ar Entabeni, its headquarters at Southpansberg, 80km outside Musina. Apartheid also ran Operation Drama destabilise Zimbabwe.
Mugabe and his regime claimed these groups wanted to overthrow his government. He had also accused Nkomo, Zapu and ex-Zipra, as well as members of Rhodesian forces and MPs, of plotting a coup against him, a charge to be standardised as a template down in later years
Fellow Fighters, Patriots and beloved Christian brethren, it is with a heavy heart that today we begin our Easter commemorations for this year when the world is being ravaged by the Corona Virus pandemic.
Almost a hundred thousand people have perished, over a million are suffering and over 4 billion people are in quarantine and conditions that render any form of celebration are bleak and doomed. Whilst churches remain closed, EFF Zimbabwe calls upon you to reach out to each other by phone and fellowship together in these difficult and trying times.
Our very own motherland has not been spared, with 11 cases and 3 deaths having been recorded.
It is our hope, however, that this Easter’s commemorations will uplift your spirits. In such trying times, we find refuge in holding on to our faith which gives us hope for a better and brighter tomorrow.
Jesus Christ did not die in vain, death on the cross for one so blameless for our own Salvation was a heavy price to pay and quarantine pales into insignificance when one reflects on the suffering that He endured.
His Passion should move us to keep believing and hoping that a vaccine will be found and our miseries will soon be over allowing us to proclaim with Him that ‘It is finished.’
COVID-19 is but a transient misery that we have to endure and yet we have His blood to give us Hope. It is also our hope and prayer that our government will commit itself to providing for the sick and needy in such trying times in undertaking its Constitutional mandate and sworn duties as a sign of commitment and in solidarity with the nation.
As EFF Zimbabwe, we believe that an answer will be found, and it is our sworn duty to never surrender to hopelessness and give in to fear. We are Fighters.
We hold on nomatter the difficulties. We carry in our hearts the candle of hope, not only for a cure, but for better governance and improved service delivery so that our people are not needlessly placed in precarious life-threatening positions due to poor facilities and lack of critical basics.
God bless Zimbabwe, protect her people and brighten her future.
President Mnangagwa yesterday wished Zimbabweans, both at home and abroad, a happy and peaceful Easter holiday, but hinted that security arms will intensify patrols to ensure compliance with the 21-day national Covid-19 lockdown.
He said this year’s Easter holiday, which starts today, was unique in the sense that no gatherings were allowed as the country observes the lockdown aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19.
In his address on the eve of Good Friday at State House, the President said the difficulties and challenges being faced by the nation would not last forever.
“I am aware that in the past, the Easter holiday season would see most families, friends, as well as worshippers gather together to remember the gift of eternal life given to us by God through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” said President Mnangagwa.
“Sadly, this will not be possible this holiday, as we continue to observe the essential lockdown we instituted to prevent the spread of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
However, do not despair for the Bible says in Matthew 18 verse 20, where two or three gather, the Lord is present with them.
“I urge us all to continue to stay at home, as well as practising good hygiene and observing social distance.”
The President wished citizens a joyful Easter filled with blessings, peace, love and the hope of a brighter tomorrow.
He said as the nation goes through this year’s Easter holiday, citizens should find hope and strength in the words of Jesus Christ in John 16 verse 33, who reminds people that in the world, there will be many trials tribulations, but called for peace, and to be of good cheer, since He has overcome the world. “In the midst of the darkness, may the light of Jesus Christ shine,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said people should be further encouraged by the knowledge that Jesus Christ triumphed over death.
The President said as part of efforts to fight the spread of Covid-19, security arms will be intensifying patrols to ensure compliance and to curb the movement of pedestrians and vehicles.
Government plans to continue to scale up and improve its preparedness to handle the Covid-19 threat and consolidate the gains made in keeping the country safe.
President Mnangagwa applauded frontline workers that have dedicated their lives to fighting Covid-19.
“We pay tribute to the many men and women constituting the essential services and are keeping our country functional during this lockdown period.
We shall be moving with greater speed to provide the workers in the frontline with all the adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and personal protective clothing as well as the requisite training to ensure their safety in the wake of the Covid-19 threat.
In addition, I would like to commend the various stakeholders, from across the social spectrum, who are giving generously towards our fight against Covid-19. Together we are stronger,” he said.
The answer to the Covid-19 crisis, said the President, lay in people’s discipline and unity.-State media
Zimbabwe’s confirmed cases for Covid-19 have risen to 13, after two cases tested positive today.
The other three have since died.
Today, 25 cases were tested and the two positive cases are 21 year old males from Harare who traveled to the United Kingdom together with case 10, a 21 year old female, also from Harare.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has said as part of contact tracing and follow-up, the local Covid-19 Rapid Response Team visited their homes and collected samples for testing, and the results came out positive.
They are both in a stable, with mild diseases and under self-isolation at home.-State media
The two financial institutions whose operating licences have been suspended by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) over alleged illegal foreign currency dealings, were reportedly behind the sudden and drastic fall of the Zimbabwe dollar exchange rate in the last few days.
After the Zimbabwe dollar exchange rate against the United States dollar appeared to steadily strengthen since the 21 day lockdown started over a week ago, particularly on the parallel market, the exchange rate suddenly started rising again, inexplicably, over the last few days.
The RBZ had fixed the rate at 25 to the greenback just before President Mnangagwa announced the lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, as part of broad measures to ensure certainty of pricing, make transating easier and minimise the deadly impact of the pandemic.
Alert Reserve Bank officials noted the suspicious rate movement lately and traced it to illegal forex buying by Cash Twenty-Four and Crediconnect, which are licensed bureau de change and credit only microfinance entities, respectively,
prompting authorities to suspend their licences.
“The suspension of the institutions’ operating licences is with immediate effect, pending further investigations. If found guilty, the institutions will be liable to further regulatory action, which could result in cancellation of licence and / or criminal prosecution,” RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya said in a statement on Friday.
He said the bank was in possession of information showing that the two institutions have been engaging in illicit foreign currency transactions, which have been adversely affecting the economy.
As such, highly placed central bank sources further confirmed that the bank had proved that the two financial institutions were behind a hard currency buying spree that has been pushing the exchange rate up of late, possibly explaining the recent dramatic increase in the prices of basic goods.
The bank has also reportedly managed to identify registered entities on whose behalf the two financial institutions were buying the foreign currency in a manner that had serious negative impact on the domestic currency.
Due to the acute shortage of foreign currency and the limited access on the formal interbank forex market, in an imports dependent Zimbabwe, a good number of businesses, registered and informal, depend on the parallel market to get forex.
The parallel market exchange rate between the Zimbabwe dollar and US dollar has creeped up from as low as 33 last week to a high of 44 by Thursday, pushing prices up in its wake at a time the majority have either no income at all or are unable to work because of the ongoing lockdown.
This comes amid strong concerns from authorities over the spate of wanton price increases during the period of the national emergency due to Covid-19, amid fears of predatory pricing in times of a pandemic, which has killed tens od thousands and infected hundreds of thousands others. Herald
Dear Editor: Six family members from a Gwanda family are down with suspected Coronavirus. One of the family members recently visited Australia. Tests were done yesterday and samples sent to Harare overnight. Results still outstanding.
A 67-year-old Gweru woman has been suspended from her Methodist Church after she chanted the slogan of the ruling ZANU PF when she was asked to pray at a funeral.
Gogo Magrette Maphosa (67) of Mkoba 13 Gweru told The Herald that it was no secret that she was a Zanu PF supporter adding that she would remain a member of the church and would serve the suspension with no regret.
She said: I was at a funeral wake in Mkoba when I was asked to give a prayer.
I am a revolutionary and having participated in my own way in the liberation struggle, I use every platform to pray for my party and my leadership, but on the incident, I admit it was wrong for me to chant a political slogan before the mourners.
Gogo Maphosa also said that she has since appeared before a disciplinary committee held by church elders, where she was banned from putting on the church regalia during the time of suspension.
The suspension was confirmed by a Methodist Church elder, Mr Masvinure who said that the church was apolitical therefore Gogo Maphosa’s actions were misplaced.-State media
A 67-year-old Gweru woman has been suspended from her Methodist Church after she chanted the slogan of the ruling ZANU PF when she was asked to pray at a funeral.
Gogo Magrette Maphosa (67) of Mkoba 13 Gweru told The Herald that it was no secret that she was a Zanu PF supporter adding that she would remain a member of the church and would serve the suspension with no regret.
She said: I was at a funeral wake in Mkoba when I was asked to give a prayer.
I am a revolutionary and having participated in my own way in the liberation struggle, I use every platform to pray for my party and my leadership, but on the incident, I admit it was wrong for me to chant a political slogan before the mourners.
Gogo Maphosa also said that she has since appeared before a disciplinary committee held by church elders, where she was banned from putting on the church regalia during the time of suspension.
The suspension was confirmed by a Methodist Church elder, Mr Masvinure who said that the church was apolitical therefore Gogo Maphosa’s actions were misplaced.-State media
By A Correspondent| A prominent Budiriro prophet only known as Madzibaba Enock is said to have prophesied about the coming of the deadly Coronavirus scourge in a 2018 video footage.
The video clip is currently trending on social media platforms.
In the video clip, Madzibaba Enock is heard telling his congregants that there will be strange disease which will be flue- like and the whole world will be affected.
“There will be a disease which will come from the oceans and will be flue- like. It will kill back and white people like fish from the sea.
I see the disease coming soon and people will be in trouble,” Madzibaba Enock is heard saying in the video footage.
Contacted for a comment Madzibaba Enock refused to talk to the media.
However, one of his congregants confirmed the incident happened on December 29, 2018 at the Budiriro shrine in Harare.
“Yes I can confirm it’s indeed the video of Madzibaba Enock at our Shrine in Budiriro on 29 December 2018. I was there and he prophesied exactly what we are seeing today. As congregants we know most of his prophesies come to pass.We are even prepared to fight Corona virus,” said Lameck Nyoni, a congregant.
One Zimbabwean who is based in South Africa has implored Africans to respect prophets.
Unconfirmed reports indicate health officials want to get in touch with Madzibaba Enock so that they can work with him in the battle against Coronavirus.
By A Correspondent| A prominent Budiriro prophet only known as Madzibaba Enock is said to have prophesied about the coming of the deadly Coronavirus scourge in a 2018 video footage.
The video clip is currently trending on social media platforms.
In the video clip, Madzibaba Enock is heard telling his congregants that there will be strange disease which will be flue- like and the whole world will be affected.
“There will be a disease which will come from the oceans and will be flue- like. It will kill back and white people like fish from the sea.
I see the disease coming soon and people will be in trouble,” Madzibaba Enock is heard saying in the video footage.
Contacted for a comment Madzibaba Enock refused to talk to the media.
However, one of his congregants confirmed the incident happened on December 29, 2018 at the Budiriro shrine in Harare.
“Yes I can confirm it’s indeed the video of Madzibaba Enock at our Shrine in Budiriro on 29 December 2018. I was there and he prophesied exactly what we are seeing today. As congregants we know most of his prophesies come to pass.We are even prepared to fight Corona virus,” said Lameck Nyoni, a congregant.
One Zimbabwean who is based in South Africa has implored Africans to respect prophets.
Unconfirmed reports indicate health officials want to get in touch with Madzibaba Enock so that they can work with him in the battle against Coronavirus.
MATABELELAND South Province has this year recorded an increase in malaria cases with six deaths in Gwanda and Beitbridge districts.
In an interview, Matabeleland South provincial environmental health officer, Mr Notho Dube said 900 malaria cases were recorded throughout the province over the past two months.
Mr Dube said some communities were however attributing the six deaths to Covid-19 which was not true.
He said to fight malaria, they had distributed 92 000 mosquito nets in Gwanda and 82 000 in Beitbridge and the exercise was still ongoing.
“We have noted an upward trend in malaria cases that we have recorded this year as they are overshooting three-fold when compared to last year’s figures.
From February up to end of March we had recorded six malaria related deaths of which four were recorded in Beitbridge and two in Gwanda South.
“We recorded a total of 896 cases throughout the Province with Beitbridge recording 819 and Gwanda 60. These figures are roughly three-fold what we recorded last year.
Another worrisome development is that this year we recorded malaria cases in districts where we had never recorded any cases before such as Umzingwane where there are nine cases and Mangwe which has one case,” he said.
Mr Dube said Gwanda South and Beitbridge are malaria prone areas.
“One of the major causes of the increase this year is the persistent rains and flash floods we received in February which created breeding areas for mosquitoes thereby increasing the population of mosquitoes.
In Gwanda most cases have been recorded along Umzingwane River where we have people conducting a number of livelihood activities such as cattle ranching,” he said.-State media
MATABELELAND South Province has this year recorded an increase in malaria cases with six deaths in Gwanda and Beitbridge districts.
In an interview, Matabeleland South provincial environmental health officer, Mr Notho Dube said 900 malaria cases were recorded throughout the province over the past two months.
Mr Dube said some communities were however attributing the six deaths to Covid-19 which was not true.
He said to fight malaria, they had distributed 92 000 mosquito nets in Gwanda and 82 000 in Beitbridge and the exercise was still ongoing.
“We have noted an upward trend in malaria cases that we have recorded this year as they are overshooting three-fold when compared to last year’s figures.
From February up to end of March we had recorded six malaria related deaths of which four were recorded in Beitbridge and two in Gwanda South.
“We recorded a total of 896 cases throughout the Province with Beitbridge recording 819 and Gwanda 60. These figures are roughly three-fold what we recorded last year.
Another worrisome development is that this year we recorded malaria cases in districts where we had never recorded any cases before such as Umzingwane where there are nine cases and Mangwe which has one case,” he said.
Mr Dube said Gwanda South and Beitbridge are malaria prone areas.
“One of the major causes of the increase this year is the persistent rains and flash floods we received in February which created breeding areas for mosquitoes thereby increasing the population of mosquitoes.
In Gwanda most cases have been recorded along Umzingwane River where we have people conducting a number of livelihood activities such as cattle ranching,” he said.-State media
By A Correspondent- While the world has adopted various measures to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, Chinese authorities have taken a rather shocking stance of ejecting Africans from their homes and hotels over claims that they were importing the virus into the country.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
Africans in Guangdong and Fujian Provincr lamented the move by the Chinese, fearing that they could be exposed to the virus.
Africans in China, who confirmed the ejection to our correspondent, said the Chinese government was employing force to eject foreigners from their homes.
They said, “There are claims that blacks are the ones now importing Coronavirus into China.
“Foreigners and particularly black people are currently not allowed to access public places including malls, restaurants and hospitals.
“They have landlords to evict them, they chase them out of hotels and make them go through all sorts because of Coronavirus.”
To quell the ejections, a meeting was held between the African community leaders in Guangzhou and the government.
Despite resolutions and positive outcome from the meeting, it was gathered that the evictions were yet to come to an end.
“The leaders of the African community in Guangzhou had a meeting with government officials in the city two days ago and discussions centred on all those issues.
“That’s not to say the evictions have stopped. Africans are all in the open now, under the rain with nowhere to go,” one of the affected persons said.
In a letter to the Consul-General of Ghana’s Consulate Office in Guangzhou, Chinese authorities claimed that the city was making all-out efforts to prevent the spread of the disease and protect the health and safety of everyone in Guangzhou.
“I would like to keep you informed that for the good of public health, anyone (including Chinese nationals) with overseas-travel records will be required to undergo an epidemic investigation and PCR testing,” the letter to the Ghanaian Government read.
In a notice to foreigners in the affected province, the Chinese Government said, “From April 5th to April 7th, according to relevant government departments, the streets will organise African tenants within their jurisdictions to carry out nucleic acid screening at designated sites (open space in front of the neighbourhood committee). Owners/residents are requested to know and inform their families.”
Meanwhile, in a follow-up directive, the Ghana Mission implored Ghanaians to avoid taking the test if they have not had any travel history outside their current jurisdiction in the past three months.
Evicted foreigners are calling on the African Union and United Nations to intervene to stop the ongoing eviction in Guangdong and Fujian Province. Sahara/Wires
…contacted by ZimEye, Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but….
MDC-T President Thokozani Khupe has been allocated Police Protection Unit (PPU) with effect from 8 April 2020, a leaked memo reads.
The memo which has been confirmed by 2 officers, says, ‘A request to deploy the PPU to the recently confirmed opposition leader was made to Home Affairs Minister Hon Kazembe Kazembe by Minister of Justice Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi so as to make it possible for her to lead the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on MDC versus Mashavire.
“PPU Officers are deployed to provide escort services and residence security for Dr Khuphe.
“Other MDC T officials will be allocated plain clothe police officers.
“The programme submitted to Officer Commanding PPU by Comm Gen Matanga states that on 24 April 2020, Dr Khuphe and other MDC-T officials will be escorted by PPU to Morgan Tsvangirai House for a Congress preparation meeting.”
A ZRP whistleblower commenting on the development said, “Clearly this is an extention of ZANU PF.
‘To all MDC Alliance faithfuls, please don’t allow your Headquarters to be a playing ground of ZANU PF.
“By Concerned Police Officer (PPU)”
An analyst told ZimEye while she can get PPU, Khupe will need a second court order in order to take over the Harvest House building.
When contacted by ZimEye, Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga at first denied knowledge of the development, but after being grilled further, said “I will have to check with my officers tomorrow and come back to you.”
The development comes as suggestions were speculated by Khupe’s party that she now has powers to recall Nelson Chamisa’s MPs. But analysts said she is hopeless, and below was an analysis by legal expert, Tapiwa Shumba.
By Dr Tapiwa Shumba | The recall of MDC Alliance MPs and Councillors by the MDC-T is legally and procedurally impossible.
All the MPs and Councillors who contested under the MDC Alliance belong to the MDC Alliance, in total. There is no such a thing such as that there are MPs under the jurisdiction of some distinct political parties that don’t exist at ZEC or in Parliament.
Our electoral law does not provide for the system of coalitions. No one can register a coalition to contest an election. ZEC only registers political parties. Which is the same reason why the MDC Alliance had to be a political party and not a coalition in order to register at ZEC, that is, the MDC-T alone would not be able to recall a member of the Alliance. All they would do is to make a resolution and ask the Alliance to write to parliament recalling a deployee.
For example, there are only ANC MPs in the South African Parliament. Parliament doesn’t listen to COSATU or SACP because they all contest under the ANC. The SACP cannot recall Hon Blade Mzimande from Parliament. Only the ANC (coalition) leadership can do so.
Indeed even the then Alliance coalition MOU was alert to this reality. Parliament has no business involving itself in electoral pacts that are not provided for under our law.
In fact apart from the record at ZEC which culmimates into the Parliamentary register after election results, Parliament has no other means of identifying which of the many parties in a coalition, an MP belongs. Such means just don’t exist because they are not needed.
Secondly, in other jurisdictions there is a parliamentary system called FLOOR-CROSSING where Mps are allowed to move with their seats from the political party they contested under to another party. The Zimbabwe Constitution abhors that system.
The purpose of s129 (1) (k) & (l) of the Zimbabwe Constitution is to specifically prohibit floor-crossing. Even a person who won as an independent is prohibited from crossing the floor. (Hon Themba Mliswa probably wants to rejoin ZANU-PF but he can’t, he will lose his seat).
Anyone who contested for a seat under MDC Alliance but claims to now belong to another party and relinquishes their membership of the Alliance floor-crosses and therefore offends the Constitution.
It also follows that no MP can claim to belong to two different political parties. In parliament, you cannot say I ran under the ANC but I am a SACP Mp. i.e You cannot say I ran under the MDC Alliance but I’m a PDP or MDC-T Mp. That’s just nonsense in Parliamentary terms. – CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW DR SHUMBA
For the entire electoral cycle, an MP must belong to the political Party he contested under. The party whose manifesto you sold to the electorate. If you don’t belong to the MDC Alliance anymore, its you who has crossed the floor and you must recalled immediately.
Again, this is deliberate under our Constitution to protect the electorate who elected members believing that they will carry the mandate and manifesto of the MDC Alliance they sold to them. This protection should be respected.
In truth, only the MDC Alliance will have jurisdiction over Mps who ran under the MDC Alliance. You risk embarrassing yourself and any Speaker of Parliament who listens to you if you write to Parliament and say I am the MDC-T leader, I want to recall an MDC Alliance MP.
No parliament should entertain such a letter, that is, currently, only the leadership of the MDC Alliance, through its Secretary Hon Chalton Hwende can legally, procedurally and officially converse with Parliament on matters concerning MDC Alliance MPs.
Lastly, I am sorry but this is the reality of the coronaboys and all flies that follow their corpses to the grave.
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s Poverty Datum Line(PDL) has soared to $5 293, in February from $4,492 reported the previous month, a 17% increase in one month.
This means a family of 5 which needed $4492 to survive in January now need $5 293.
According to the publication, the jump in the PDL is reflective of the increase in prices of goods and services and the exchange rate volatility.
Zimstats shared the PDL statistics and said:The Food Poverty Line for one person in February 2020 was $419 while that for an average household of five persons stood at $2,097
The Total Consumption Poverty Line (also referred to as the Poverty datum line) for one person was $1,059 while for an average five person household it stood at $5,293 for the same period
The economy has not been performing better either since the turn of the new year due to a number of reasons.-StateMedia
Zimbabwean cricket players celebrate after winning against Bangladesh
MASHONALAND Eagles could be declared Logan Cup champions as Zimbabwe Cricket authorities are looking at various options to wind up the domestic season.
Cricket is currently in limbo worldwide just like many other sports that have been affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
The authorities face a dilemma as contracts for many players are set to end this April. ZC are set to make an announcement in the coming days but chances are high that the domestic league, which comprise the premier first class Logan Cup, the Pro50 Championship and the Twenty20 competition, may not be able to proceed. The association’s acting managing director, Givemore Makoni, said there was also a possibility of carrying over the remaining few games to the next season.
“Currently we are in lockdown bacause of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Givemore Makoni.
“Of course, the league has to finish but chances are now slim because we are now in April and most provincial contracts end in April. So, I don’t see us being able to finish the season.
“Nevertheless we are looking at various options. Either we can conclude now and declare the log leaders champions or we can carry it forward to the next season and try to finish early before the start of another campaign.
“It’s something that is still being looked at and once it’s finalised the director of cricket will make an announcement, probably early next week.”
If the season is abandoned, Mashonaland Eagles who are currently on top of the Logan Cup table could be declared champions while Tuskers walk away with the limited overs Pro50 championship title. The five teams are supposed to play at least eight games each in home and away round robin matches during the season to determine the finalists.
But just over half the games had been played with Eagles having featured in six Logan Cup matches and sitting on top of the table with 28 points.
They have five wins in the bag and only lost once to second-placed Mountaineers. The mountain goats, who were the Logan Cup defending champions, had played one game less and are on 23 points.
By Elder Sydney Muyambi| At a time of crisis people look for leadership, comfort, assurance and vision and hope for the future.
If we are to look at biblical examples we see Joseph leading Egypt through a length period of famine.
Moses was able to keep the nation of Israel intact for forty years at a time when they were buffeted by a number of crisis situations.
If we come to our Zimbabwean situation we see heroes and heroines like Nehanda, Kaguvi, Mapondera, Lobengula and Mashayamombe of the first Chimurenga who not only led the people but also inspired them to rise against an oppressive administration.
We also see religion playing a central role in leading and guiding the people. The Mwari and Mhondoro all played a vital role during the revolution.
This also happened during the second Chimurenga period. In both examples (Biblical and Zimbabwean) we note that during crisis times the political and spiritual leadership worked in collaboration to cause the people to believe in the nation and move forward.
It is a time of Easter, a time when the Christian community commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
According to Christian tradition, the person of Jesus represents and embodies the hope of humanity in the wake of pressures of human subsistence. His death is said to be an assurance to humanity that there is life after death.
That despite problems we face as human beings natural death does not mean an end of life but a transition to a higher existence. His resurrection represented victory over death and the grave.
The clear message of Easter then becomes that whatever problems humanity faces does not mean we are doomed.
We may appear to be defeated in this life but there is the standing hope of an eternal kingdom of Christ.
This message resonates with the hope which Nehanda gave Zimbabwe in the face of an apparent defeat by the white settlers.
These are trying times for all of us. The secular world is faced with having to give assurance to humanity that there is life beyond the COVID – 19 crisis. Scientific and political leadership have been both exposed.
The voices that are still audible are only those of political leadership yet they sound hollow, muffled, heavy and desperate.
At this time the only voice that should rise and make sense is that of the spirit man; the man of God. In the wake of an apparent defeat by the coronavirus people are waiting to hear a message of hope from God.
While governments and scientists are busy trying to fashion a way out the people should be kept under restraint by an assuring message of the cross. A message of hope from those that commune with the creator of the universe.
Apparently we seem not to hear the voice of the man of God. The prophets are apparently silent. One wonders whether God has nothing to say about our current situation.
Are they silent because God is silent? Are they silent because they can no longer hear the voice of God?
Are they silent because they, like the rest of humanity are fear stricken in the wake of the coronavirus?
Are they silent because the politicians have usurped power even over the church or religion? Apparently the church stands exposed by this crisis.
The message from governments is clear. “Stay at home because your God has no solution to our problem.”
The entire leadership of LEAD stands with the church. LEAD would like to take this opportunity to challenge those in government to enlist the help of the man of God.
Whenever Jewish leaders, in biblical times, faced a challenge beyond political and scientific leadership they did not hesitate to consult the Seers.
Its time government swallows its pride and brings in the church to LEAD us during this crisis. When there is no vision people perish. They cast away restraint. They run wild.
We, in LEAD implore the church to rise up and take its position as torch bearers to show us the way out of this crisis.
Our message to the church is clear to the church and the man of God is clear.
If you keep quiet help will come for the people from somewhere else but the God of the universe will judge you. Who knows, God might have established you as the church for such a time like this.
Governments can and may lockdown the people and established institutions but they cannot lockdown God.
In one of His teachings Jesus said men should not fear him that can only kill the flesh but not the soul.
They instead should fear Him that can kill both the body and the soul. COVID – 19 kills. Yes it’s a scientific fact but there is a God in heaven.
Nothing happens to humanity without a God ordained cause. May the God of the universe inspire the man of God to provide us with both counsel and leadership?
We are waiting for the church say “thus says the Lord God Almighty.” And we will all yield and fall in line.
An open letter to Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi:
We, as the communities from Vhembe Communal Properties’ Association under Musina municipality, would like to approach you.
The Home Affairs Department is building a fence along the border with Zimbabwe, close to our communities. It is called “The Magwa Border Fence Project”.
Our communities are at the Zimbabwean boundary under Vhembe, which represents seven villages – Bennde Mutale, Tshikuyu, Masisi, Tshedzhelani, Gumbu, Sigonde and Madimbo.
We want the department to stop the project and restart it only when most of the unskilled workers on the project are from our communities.
Nobody from our communities has been employed on the project. Our communities are poor, with high levels of youth unemployment. It is only fair that our communities enjoy some of the job opportunities.
It is clear that the contractor did not want to employ people from our communities.
This is evident because:
1. The contractor, Magwa construction, sent us a message on March 24, announcing that those who needed a job should submit their CVs by March 25. The short notice was deliberate so that none of us was able to apply.
2. In the message advertising the job opportunities, we were told that we should submit our application via email. The contractor knows full well that we do not have access to email and therefore couldn’t apply.
3. We were surprised that the contractor communicated the message via our councillor. Our traditional leaders were not consulted. There is too much secrecy regarding the project. It should have been announced to the communities with enough time to make them aware of the details, including how long it would take and the job opportunities. The only information we have comes from the media. It was reported that the minister said about R40 million was budgeted for the project.
The project would take three weeks, which came as a shock to us. Why the secrecy? Why the hurry to carry out the project during lockdown? Why not wait until afterwards? During lockdown, the police prevent us from going to see what is happening with the project? Is the border fence an essential service or there is something so fishy about it that they are trying to hide it from us? We would like clarity from the Department of Home Affairs, the municipality and the Department of Rural Development about the progress.
Again, we ask that the project be stopped so that we have enough time to submit our job applications. They should allow us to submit our job applications by hand, not by email, and at a place that is convenient for us.
We support the border fence because it is good for our security. But there should be a partnership between the government and our communities. Our communities should be involved in job opportunities.
Vic Falls man who first tested positive For COVID-19 tests positive again after 2weeks of quarantine. The Vic Falls resident who was the first person in Zimbabwe to test positive for COVID-19 on 21 March is still to recover from the virus as he tested positive again when he was tested for the virus according to the health ministry.
This was revealed in an update posted by the ministry which reads in part: The Ministry would like to report that today, the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory tested 25 samples including a sample of case #1.
This repeat sample was collected to confirm clinical recovery according to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. There were no new positive cases identified. All samples except that of case #1 tested negative for COVID-19.
The WHO recommends that patients with mild confirmed COVID-19 who are cared for at home, must be negative twice, using PRC on samples collected at least 24 hours apart , before they are released from home isolation.
Zimbabwe has recorded 3 COVID-19 deaths and 11 positive cases so far, while deaths across the world are nearing 100 000.
A ZIMBABWEAN woman is suing government, police officers and soldiers after she was bitten by dogs as the enforcement officers acted outside their mandate when they were enforcing the National Lockdown regulations.
In an urgent chamber application filed at the High Court in Harare on Thursday 9 April 2020, Lucia Masvondo of Karoi in Mashonaland West province and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) asked the High Court to issue an order protecting the 26 year-old woman against the conduct of some Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members and some Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officers, who on Friday 3 April 2020 assaulted her as she was cooking food on an open fire outside her house.
The 26 year-old Masvondo said she is worried that as a result of the police and army officers’ conduct, who invaded her home, the security officers may have brought the deadly coronavirus to her home as she does not know where they have been to, where they were coming from or whether or not anyone of them carried the deadly virus.
Masvondo and ZLHR, who listed Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister July Moyo, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe, Commissioner-General of Police Godwin Matanga, Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe and the National Prosecuting Authority as respondents, argued that the army has no business patrolling the streets and purporting to enforce the National Lockdown regulations and that ZRP members and ZNA officers are not allowed to take the law into their hands and punish people by beating them up and asking them to lie prone on the ground.
The woman protested that the ZRP members and ZNA officers, who also assaulted some people, who reside at her residence using truncheons, were not observing or practicing social distancing guidelines as they were not sitting one-metre apart from each other in a truck in which they were moving around in.
Masvondo and ZLHR also want the High Court to issue an order declaring as unconstitutional the proclamation of the National Lockdown Order by Moyo.
In exercising powers granted to him under the Regulations, Moyo on 28 March 2020 published Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020-the Public Health (COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) Order, 2020 declaring a National Lockdown to last 21 days and which commenced on 30 March 2020 and ending on 19 April 2020.
In their application, ZLHR and Masvondo argued that Moyo can only make Statutory Instruments pursuant to powers delegated to him by the Legislature in the parent Act of Parliament. By sub-delegating to himself the powers to make subsidiary legislation through section 8 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) Regulations, 2020, S1 77 of 2020, the Health and Child Care Minister had acted ultra vires the Public Health Act and therefore unconstitutionally hence the National Lockdown is null and void. ZLHR and Masvondo argued that the National Lockdown is being enforced following the issuance of an Order that is a nullity.
ZRP members, ZNA officers and some municipal officers, Masvondo and ZLHR said, had committed some acts in the name of enforcing the National Lockdown Order that impinge upon the rights and fundamental freedoms.
In an affidavit accompanying the urgent chamber application, ZLHR Executive Director Roselyn Hanzi said enforcement officers must discharge their mandates according to the law and at all times act within the confines of the law.
Hanzi charged that Moyo failed in his constitutional duty to respect and uphold the Constitution by enacting section 8 of Regulations thereby arrogating to himself the powers to publish certain orders.
Hanzi protested against the confiscation and destruction of some farmers’ produce by law enforcement officers in Mutare early this week, saying such conduct is unlawful as it is not sanctioned by any of the Statutory Instruments that have been promulgated by Moyo.
The human rights lawyer said the National Lockdown regulations do not suggest that fresh farm produce spreads coronavirus and hence the ZRP members’ act of destroying people’s farm produce is criminal and constitutes malicious damage to property.
Hanzi also argued that the ZRP members were breaching the National Lockdown measures by arresting large numbers of people from different households and crowding them in trucks and holding centres, actions which facilitate the passing on of coronavirus by putting them in close proximity of each other without providing them with any forms of protective clothing.
As frontline enforcement officers, ZRP members and municipal officers were putting not only their lives in danger but those of their families and the greater people that they will come into contact with.
Hanzi argued that there are some rights that may not be limited at all as provided in section 86(3), which include the right to human dignity and freedom from torture, or cruel and inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.
The Ministry of Health on Thursday night announced that an individual who was in contact with a Bulawayo man who recently succumbed to coronavirus was found exhibiting symptoms of the deadly pandemic.
This was revealed in a coronavirus update. The update read in part:
Active contact tracing for case #11 from Bulawayo is in progress and to date, we have identified 47 primary contacts of this case. One of these had symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. In line with our intensified surveillance and expanded testing strategy these will be followed up for 21-days and tested accordingly. The Ministry will update the nation on the outcome of these tests.
The Ministry released results of the coronavirus tests for deceased on the 7th of April when he had passed away in hospital on Saturday 4th April 2020.
The man initially presented to a General Practitioner on the 23rd of March 2020 with a history of cough, sore throat and fever but did not improve on oral antibiotic treatment, went to a local hospital on the 2 April 2020 where he was admitted and eventually died.
What is frightening is that the deceased’s contacts had their own contacts who also had a chain of contacts making it difficult to track, test and quarantine them.
The Zimbabwe Community in South Africa takes note and advises fellow Zimbabweans that the South African government has announced an extension of the lock-down to fight the corona virus pandemic by a further fourteen days.
The president took this hard decision after consultations with multiple stakeholders and after noting that since the start of the lock-down, the average daily increase in infection rates has been around 4%. The president also recognized the need to expand testing to gain a better picture of the infection rate and the need not to relax and be complacent.
We would like to acknowledge the efforts and actions taken by the South African government. While many of our compatriots are heavily affected by these measures, we urge them to stay at home and comply with the lock-down regulations.
Many issues have been raised by our fellow compatriots; From loss of income from the “no work, no pay” employers’ principle, restrictions on the remittance of goods back home where they have families heavily dependent on them, prospects of failing to meet their rental obligations, inability to secure vending permits, inability and difficulty on issues related to repatriation of their deceased during this lock-down, to issues of failing to put a meal on their tables since many live from month to month earnings and hardly can manage to save income gained from the meagre wages/salaries they make from mostly menial service industry jobs. We have some who had visited the Republic and their allowed number of days to stay have expired while locked down.
We call upon our compatriots to hang in there! Please continue to stay at home and remain in the republic. The same lock-down measures are being taken in Zimbabwe and the president of the Republic of South Africa has reiterated that joint efforts to fight the virus are being made with all other African countries. The less movement the better the chances of not spreading the virus or getting infected by it. We call on the government not to declare those who have overstayed as undesirable.
The Zimbabwe Community in South Africa calls upon all employers to facilitate the applications to the unemployment insurance fund (UIF) to assist those of our compatriots who have been and should have been making their contributions to this fund, to get their benefits. We support the statement by COSATU affiliate SACTWU (Southern African Clothing Textile Worker’s Union) calling for employers to be compelled to lodge UIF applications on behalf of employees.
We call upon business leaders and other well-wishers to support an initiative to assist our most vulnerable with food parcels and/or other essential necessities during this lock-down. The Zimbabwe Community in SA will be in liaison with all stakeholders who can assist our fellow compatriots to ease their circumstances so as to manage their stay at their homes during this difficult and unexpected situation. We therefore call on any other organisations which represent the interests of Zimbabweans to join hands and channel any initiatives to aid our fellow countrymen into a combined effort to maximise its impact and reach the breath of our Community.
We further call upon our fellow countrymen as well as our hosts to continue to adhere to preventative measures and constantly wash their hands, avoid physical contact and where possible ready their immune systems with healthy foods and home remedies (we have posted a flyer with well known home remedies that include Garlic, Cinnamon, Ginger & Turmeric as well as any other immune system supplements that are easily accessible). They must take care of their bodies so that in case of infection, they can withstand the diseases they may face.
We call upon you to keep physical distancing but to use technology (WhatsApp, Facetime, Skype etc.) to maintain social interactions and keep each other comforted and in communication and reduce anxiety and isolation. Check on each other’s welfare and assist each other past this time. And as Winston Churchill once put it;
“We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.”
Twenty-four people have died as a result of Covid-19, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Friday.
During a briefing to the nation following a meeting with CEOs from private healthcare, Mkhize said that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases now stood at 2003.
He also said 73 028 tests have been conducted and 410 people have recovered.
Breakdown of Deaths GP 3 WC 6 Kzn 12 FS 3 it is important to note, Except for two cases, Deceased are ages 63 upwards. We are also seeing people with co existing diseases succumb quicker
By A Correspondent- A former cabinet minister Walter Mzembi has urged the army to enforce lockdown compliance on loitering President Emmerson Mnangagwa adding that the country’s first citizen had become “the epicentre of deliquency and defiance”.
Said Mzembi in a series of tweets suggesting what should be done to curb the spread of coronavirus:
“SECURITY FORCES should go & enforce lockdown compliance at STATEHOUSE first , that is the epicentre of DELINQUECY & DEFIANCE. After that Security forces must deliver door to door MEALIE MEAL, WATER , COOKING OIL , SUGAR , SALT, BREAD & MEAT.”
I further propose that the 300 000++ Beneficiaries of the Land Reform pay a special " Black Tax " of ONE BEAST, ONE GOAT , THREE CHICKENS AND THREE TONNES of GRAIN towards a NATIONAL COVID NUTRITION PROGRAM for the VULNERABLE already identified by WFP
Daily News|THE government has launched an urgent local and global appeal for financial and material aid to combat the spread of coronavirus in the country, amid the rising death toll from the pandemic, the Daily News reports.
This comes as the Harare City Council revealed yesterday that its Wilkins-run hospital had taken in four people suspected to be infected by the lethal virus.
At the same time, doctors who met President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday implored him and the government to urgently embark on an expanded testing programme of citizens to avoid many people dying from the pandemic.
This came as Finance minister Mthuli Ncube announced yesterday that the government had launched the National Disaster Fund (NDF), admitting in the process that Covid-19 was likely to be “one of the worst natural disasters to befall our nation in recent times”.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is undoubtedly very likely to be one of the worst natural disasters to befall our nation in recent times.
“Government has, in response, set aside significant resources towards efforts to mitigate the immediate, medium and long term effects of this global pandemic on our people and the broader economy.
“However, the scale and seriousness of this epidemic calls upon all of us as Zimbabweans to put our best foot forward and I, therefore, wish to call upon … all stakeholders that have the capacity and wish to assist in any way to come forward with their contribution to … combat the Covid-19 pandemic,” Ncube said.
The launch of the NDF comes as Zimbabwe registered its third death from coronavirus this week, from the 11 people who have so far tested positive for the deadly disease — a development which has made the country’s Covid-19 mortality rate among the highest in the world, at 27 percent.
There are growing fears that the absence of enough rapid testing kits in the country places Zimbabwe’s ability to contain the virulent disease in jeopardy.
On its part, the government has admitted candidly that it is facing challenges with its coronavirus testing kits, with most of its stocks defective.
“We received some kits which we are not using because we found that they were defective. “We are, therefore, waiting to receive definitive testing kits because some of the rapid results testing kits we have give defective results.
“This way, one person can test negative when one is positive, and a positive person can test negative when that is not the case. So, those tests are not reliable,” Health and Child Care minister, Obadiah Moyo told our sister publication the Daily News On Sunday, earlier this week.
“The only reliable testing that is taking place in the country is being carried by the government and not private hospitals.
“As government, we are using the golden standard which is definitive, although this takes five hours for results to show.
“We hope to get more testing kits so that we come up with results early,” Moyo further told the Daily News on Sunday.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s news that Wilkins Hospital — the only certified hospital in the country for the treatment of Covid-19 patients — had taken in four suspected coranavirus patients, will likely add to fears that have gripped the nation regarding the disease.
“Initially, we had one star patient at the hospital that unfortunately passed away last night (Wednesday). Right now, we have four people that are suspected of having the virus.
“These four people came into the country from a cruise ship from the United States, and we have tested them and are waiting for their results,” Harare’s director for health, Prosper Chonzi, revealed.
He also said following the renovations that were made at the hospital, the facility now had the capacity to accommodate up to 70 patients.
“We are in a better space now and we can accommodate more people than we were able to do before the outbreak started.
“We are now able to manage some of the critically-ill patients although we are not hundred percent there. “We can at least ventilate others and also manage those that need to be nebulised. Those that need oxygen, face masks and nasal prongs, we can now manage them,” Chonzi said further.
“We are happy that we now have ICU beds and proper state-of-the-art ventilators. They are not in the numbers that we would want, but we have some and we can now save lives.
“We can now comfortably take 10 into critical care, while the rest of the 60 beds will be made up of stable and moderately ill patients,” he added.
However, and despite the improvements, health experts say the rising death toll from the few cases of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 point to worse things to come — unless the government acts quickly to avert a disaster of epic proportions.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has warned that all three patients who had died so far merely needed respiratory support, which the government had proved incapable of providing.
“Apart from the rising death toll whose percentage could be misleading, given that the number of coronavirus positive cases could be more than the 11 that have officially been confirmed owing to limited testing, what is more worrisome are the circumstances around the deaths which suggest that all the three only needed respiratory support.
“One therefore wonders what will happen when we have more cases if we cannot manage only three. “That thought sends a chill down the spine and we have said government should up its game,” ZAHDR secretary Norman Matara told the Daily News.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana urged people not to flout the 21-day lockdown measures that were announced by Mnangagwa to help combat the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
“Stay home Zimbabwe. We are not hiding numbers, but certainly we are not yet testing enough,” Mangwana said on Twitter yesterday.
The issue of how ill-prepared Zimbabwe has been to deal with Covid-19 was brought to the fore last month following the death of broadcaster Zororo Makamba — after he apparently contracted the lethal virus in the United States of America (USA).
His death and the family’s subsequent exclusive interview with the Daily News touched the hearts of many Zimbabweans and foreigners alike, generating wide debate about the government’s lack of capacity to deal with the disease.
Se_x workers throughout Zimbabwe are in dire straits because of the Covid 19 lockdown and the national chairlady of the representative body Maidei Magodi has appealed to Government for assistance.
A survey by The Mirror showed that the ladies of the night are now posting their phone numbers on durawalls, trees and road signs advertising their services.
Se_x Workers Advocacy Group (SWAG) chair, Magodi said more than 15 000 of her members have lost 100% business as a result of the lockdown. She argued that her industry is probably the most affected since all places of entertainment where they met clients including beer halls, night clubs and hotels are closed.
Magodi pleaded with Government to prioritise her members when it distributes the $600 million set aside by Government to help the vulnerable during the Covid -19 induced lockdown.
“We appeal to President Mnangagwa to consider our profession under the Covid-19 Fund because we are vulnerable and hardest hit. We have run out of food and we have children to look after,” she said.
Her organisation has over 15 000 registered members and through clinics provided by Centre for Se_xual Health and HIV/AIDS (CeSHHAR Zimbabwe) it is registering 50 to 60 new members every day.
Last week government unveiled $600m which will be extended to small businesses, vendors and the elderly as an intervention to compensate for loss of income during the 21 day lockdown.
By A Correspondent- A Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services officer is battling for life after he downed poison following a domestic dispute.
The unidentified officer was among three patients visited by ZPCS Commissioner-General Paradzai Zimondi yesterday at Zimbabwe Prison Staff Hospital in Chikurubi.
Comm-Gen Zimondi wished the three officers a speedy recovery as the sister-in charge explained to him the condition of each patient.
“This one attempted to commit suicide by downing pesticide following a domestic violence dispute but is responding well to treatment,” she was heard talking to Comm-Gen Zimondi Comm-Gen Zimondi urged business community and churches to come on board and assist them saying the hospital is in dire need of medicines and medical equipment for it to remain fully functional.
“The role played by our prison office is crucial and they need a collective responsibility in assisting them so that they discharge their duties well; said Comm-Gen Zimondi.
“With the number of inmates increasing by the day, the officers face challenges in managing the overpopulated prisons especially this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a need for churches, business community and individuals to partner us in addressing the inmate’s and officers’ needs,” said Comm-Gen Zimondi.
GOVERNMENT is committed to provide front line health workers such as doctors and nurses among others with personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure their safety as they attend to Covid-19 patients.
Speaking soon after meeting with senior doctors at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare on Friday afternoon, chairperson of the Ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19 Vice President Kembo Mohadi said:
“They (medical personnel) also raised issues of their safety. They said they don’t have enough PPE. Psychologically, it affects everybody. If they came in contact with a patient with Covid-19, you don’t know whether you have contracted or not. They need to be tested as well so that they are on the safe side. Some of them are even scared of going to their families, they end up isolating themselves. It will become difficult to isolate themselves within their own homes because they have their families.
:They are suggesting that if they could have a place such as an apartment where these doctors that deal with the pandemic can actually stay until this pandemic has been eradicated. Then they can be tested and be reunited with their families. They said this is what they want and we agree with them.
“We will have to do everything possible to protect our frontline soldiers. Our doctors and nurses need to be protected especially during the fight against the pandemic,” said VP Mohadi.
He said they had a frank discussion with senior doctors on Covid-19 matters.
“I had a meeting with senior hospital doctor’s association on Covid-19 matters. We discussed quite a number of issues.
“They raised issues on testing. The testing of the people that are suspected of having Covid-19 should be done expeditiously and that we should actually move out of Harare and go to other outlining areas.
“They did indicate that Harare should be the centre, where we should do a lot of sampling because of the airport. Most of the people that come from outside might bring the virus. There is need for sampling. People in places such as Chitungwiza and other areas should sampled using existing facilities. We need to do more testing. We are not happy. I am equally not happy myself that we have only tested about 400 people. We need to have tested more. The same will apply to Bulawayo, they have got an international airport there. There is a possibility therefore, that we might have people that might have sneaked into the country without our knowledge who may infected others. We need to do that,” he said.
A storm is reportedly brewing in the Thokozani Khupe led MDC-T with the current Secretary-General Mao Nyikadzino arguing that Douglas Mwonzora cannot assuming the office of the Secretary-General.
Nyikadzino was elected at the Congress that elected Thokozani Khupe to be the substantive President of MDC-T.
Human Rights Activist Pedzisai Runhanya posted on Twitter that, “Getting some juicy stuff from the Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi meeting on Thursday 9 April 2020 where a storm is brewing over some unconstrained, unrestrained power-hungry delinquency from the crew.
“During the 9 April 2020 meeting Hon Khupe demanded evidence from Mwonzora and Komichi that they are supported by MPs and Senators from MDC. The two asked for time after they failed to provide evidence. Khupe was very disappointed in their lies.”
Meanwhile, MDC-T Secretary General Nixon Nyikadzino says he remains in his position regardless of the Supreme Court judgment.
“In as far as I am concerned, I am a bonafide SG of MDC-T based on the 2018 Congress,” Nyikadzino said.
He added that the party needed a good lawyer to explain the judgment to the MDC-T family.
Mwonzora hit back saying he does not know Nyikadzino and what he stands for.
Dear Editor: Six family members from a Gwanda family are down with suspected Coronavirus. One of the family members recently visited Australia. Tests were done yesterday and samples sent to Harare overnight. Results still outstanding.
Own Correspondent|Reports just received indicate that a combination of police and army officers in Masvingo manhandled state media reporter George Maponga, at a roadblock near Mucheke River Bridge in Masvingo late afternoon on Good Friday.
Maponga was driving into Masvingo cbd on official business when he was stopped at the roadblock before being harassed by the soldiers and police officers in anti riot gear.
Witnesses indicated that the senior Herald Newspaper reporter was rescued by two other police officers who quickly identified him.
The officers were randomly barring everyone, no matter the reason to get into town.
Maponga is the ZUJ chairman Masvingo chapter.
According to the lockdown regulations announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, journalists are free to do their work without hindrance.
This is the third time that journalists in the Province have been harassed by the Police. Former ZUJ president, Matthew Takaona was detained for three hours this week while another reporter in Chiredzi was allegedly arrested while covering COVID 19 stories.
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa today said the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the need for government officials to stop seeking medical treatment outside the country.
Addressing a meeting of health professionals at State House, Mnangagwa said the pandemic has made him realise that the same medical expertise being sought outside the country was available locally.
“However this pandemic to me has exposed government to realise that we sometimes spend time, effort and focus going outside the country when the skills and knowledge are inside the country.
“I think from now on as a result of this pandemic, we should as government change our strategy in modernising and industrialising our country by supporting institutions in the country and have less of borrowing technology from outside,” he said.
Mnangagwa added: “There is a lot that can be done by our people if they are assisted, if they are given the necessary support to develop various needs we have as a country to push us forward.”
He said the pandemic had also tested the capacity of local institutions such as universities which are currently producing sufficient hand sanitizers and face masks.
“I am happy that whereas we were focusing outside to look for these things like sanitizers, gloves, gowns, caps- these things are now being manufactured here, our universities will be able to produce these items at almost a tenth of the prices outside the country,” he said.
“I have no doubt that inside a week from now, we shall have sufficient gowns, masks, sanitizers produced in the country,” he added.
The President said the Covid-19 pandemic had also taught government to appreciate health professionals more.
“Our frontline fighters, doctors, nurses and some other stakeholders in that field their needs are now being attended to seriously than before.
“At the end of the day we shall emerge stronger as a country, we shall emerge with a better equipped, better informed population as well as better equipped medical sector,” he said.
Mnangagwa also hinted at the possibility of extending the 21- day nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.
“We are at different levels of lockdown in the region. I cannot tell you whether at the end of 21 days we shall lift the lockdown. I only appeal that all of us observe the measures and comply. That way we save lives,” he said.
Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo said it was important to test all health professionals for Covid-19.
Zimbabwe Medical Association representative Dr Christopher Samkange said there was need to test more people for Covid-19 and reduce the waiting period for the results if the country intends to win the fight against the pandemic.-New Ziana
Founding MDC MP for Harare Central Mike Auret has died. MDC leader Nelson Chamisa posted a message on Twitter mourning his passing away.
Said Chamisa, “I’m deeply saddened to receive news about Mike Auret’s death. We shared trenches in the struggle in the then NCA in 1999. Mike was elected as MDC MP for Harare Central in 2000. A gallant fighter, an indefatigable defender of human rights. A great guy. Consistent. RIP Our HERO!”
Auret served on the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) which documented the ethnic Gukurahundi genocide.
His family circulated a moving eulogy on social media:
The passing of our Father on Good Friday
A light that shone so brightly with the humility and gentleness of the Saints he so faithfully followed, has finally dimmed. Our much-loved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and brother has gone forward to light the way for us in the dark journey ahead. While our hearts are torn asunder as we face the devastation of his leaving, we celebrate a life lived with such great compassion, activism, meaning, wisdom and above all – with such great love.
Dad was never just ours. We shared him with the Zimbabwe he so loved and fought all his life for, and ultimately with all those whose lives he touched and raised up through the power of his love.
Michael Theodore Hayes Auret was meant to be a catholic priest until he met our mum, Diana, and everything changed. Catholicism, his heroes, Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis and Father Patrick Galvin were the inspiration for his transition from young white farmer trying to make sense of the Rhodesian Civil War to human rights activist. He began by holding the Rhodesian police accountable for the torture of our farm workers, thereafter joining the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)to expose the atrocities of the senseless war. He also began to oppose the Rhodesian Front politically by standing unsuccessfully as an opposition MP in Bulawayo.
While on a CCJP trip to Rome to discuss peace efforts with the Pope, he was called up to the Rhodesian army. Knowing he could not fight for the Rhodesians he arranged for us to leave the country as refugees and he led us from Rome, through Switzerland and finally to England.
Returning to Zimbabwe at Independence, he threw himself into rebuilding the country with the church and continued his work with CCJP which led him to the work he participated in, with other great Zimbabweans, in the cataloguing of the massacres in Matabeleland contained in the book “Breaking the Silence: Building True Peace.”
Throughout his life in Zimbabwe, he continued to serve and when constitutional discussions took place he was part of the founding of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and served as its vice-chairperson in the first committee under Morgan Tsvangirai. The NCA went on to defeat Mugabe in the only democratic process the opposition was ever allowed to win, the constitutional referendum, pushing back Mugabe’s constitution in 2000.
In the same year, he stood for the opposition MDC in the 2000 elections and won his seat in Parliament for Harare Central.
After his retirement, he continued his love and service to the Catholic church in Ireland where he settled with our mum and his family. He often dwelled on the fight for Zimbabwe and wrote: “From Liberator to Dictator: An insiders account of Robert Mugabe’s descent into tyranny”.
He was always a gentleman, always loving, compassionate and humble. Married to our mum for 63 years, we are all devastated by his passing, but thank God that he chose to take him home after a long and sometimes painful journey, on this day of such significance.
Diana, Peter, Margaret, Stephen and Michael Auret and all our children
There is a heavy police and army presence on all roads leading into central Harare
State Media|Zimbabwe has moved into a potentially defining moment in terms of enforcement of the 21-day lockdown, with a heavy police and army presence on all roads leading into central Harare today, following worryingly large numbers of people this week.
All passengers are asked to produce letters from employers indicating they are part of the skeletal staff manning offices and/ or factories during this period.
The town is literally deserted with a few people seen walking on to the streets and some getting into supermarkets. Pick n Pay (Jason Moyo Branch) is one of the few shops open in the CBD.
The popular Simon Vengayi Muzenda Bus Terminus (formerly Fourth Street), which services residents from the eastern parts of Harare, is virtually empty.
A deserted southern view of Same Nujoma Avenue on Good Friday.
So serious is the security forces’ operation that for the first time since the lockdown started 12 days ago, there are officers at Cnr Herbert Chitepo/ Leopold Takawira Street.
The decision to man all routes into town follows reports that some citizens were using uncommon routes to sidestep security checkpoints.
There were reports early morning that some Zimpapers newspaper vendors were asked to leave their selling points at Cnr Simon Muzenda Street/ Samora Machel Avenue, and Rotten Row Street/ Simon Mazorodze.
A visit by The Herald news crew to the selling points revealed that the vendors were indeed not there.
However, other newspaper vendors were at their selling points.
Along Cameroon Street towards Mbare, a military vehicle is blocking two lanes, with vehicles and people being screened there.
Current situation on Good Friday in Harare as Government ups the game to ensure covid19 lockdown compliance.
Refreshingly, security officers manning the checkpoints have face masks and gloves after concerns they were exposed to the deadly virus by engaging people without protective clothing.
This reporter was stopped by friendly police in anti riot gear at NetOne Building and asked to demonstrate why he was driving into town.
The surge in numbers of security details come on the back of concerns by Government and experts yesterday that Zimbabwe risked reversing the gains recorded last week when many citizens largely heeded the lockdown directive.
Health experts fear there could be an explosion of fresh Covid-19 cases in the next few weeks if people continued to flood the streets.
Updating journalists on the post-Covid-19 Taskforce daily meeting at State House in Harare last night, Information, Publicity and
Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa expressed concern over the high number of people violating the lockdown regulations.
As at yesterday, 3 251 people had been arrested for violating lockdown measures.
“It is disheartening to note that some citizens are willing to put themselves and those around them at risk by flouting the lockdown regulations,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
The current suspension of football activities due to the coronavirus outbreak has caused an estimated €9 billion drop in market values across the globe, according to Transfermarkt, a German football statistics website.
Zimbabwean players, especially those plying their trade in European leagues, have not been spared with the likes of Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba and Lyon striker – on loan at Le Havre – Tinotenda Kadewere among the national team players who have seen their market values significantly drop in the past month.
Nakamba who joined Villa last year for €12m from Club Brugge is now priced at €8m and is the highest valued player in Zimbabwe at this moment.
Kadewere’s value plummeted to €6,5 m from €12m which Lyon paid for his signature in January while Warriors captain Knowledge Musona is now rated below the €1m mark.
Musona’s decline is hugely owed to the fact that he didn’t feature in the Belgian top-flight league during the first half of the 2019/20 season as he struggled for game time at Anderlecht.
Marshall Munetsi, Teenage Hadebe, Macauley Bonne and Alec Mudimu have all dropped below the €1m mark.
Defender Tendayi Darikwa also suffered a similar decline but this mainly due to his injury which has ruled him out of action since the eve of the campaign.
South Africa-based Khama Billiat is now valued at €1,5m, dropping from the €2m price before the outbreak.-Soccer 24
Lionel Messi has rubbished stories in his native country, Argentine, suggesting that he is leaving Barcelona and has also paid for Ronaldinho’s bail.
TNT Sport newspaper had said that Messi contributed in paying part of Ronaldinho’s US$ 1.6 million bail early in the week as the Brazilian was released from prison in Paraguay following his arrest over fake passports.
The Barcelona captain also refuted the news linking him with a move away from Barcelona, with Inter Milan being heavily touted as a possible next destination.
He posted a screenshot of the stories on Instagram on Thursday night describing the reports as fake news.
The text translated: “#FakeNews’”and “Lie 1: Messi to Inter, Lie 2: Messi gave money to Ronaldinho in jail.
“What they said about Newell’s Old Boys a few weeks ago is also false, thank God no one believed them…”- Soccer 24
Farai Dziva|Dynamos forward King Nadolo believes Highlanders will not be among the title favorites when the 2020 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season roars into life.
The commencement of the season has been temporarily put on hold owing to the escalation of the novel Coronavirus.
Nadolo, a former Bosso player himself, wrote off his former paymasters from the title picture.
”Dynamos, CAPS United and Ngezi Platinum Stars. Those (teams) are looking good.” Nadolo told NewsDay.
A 67-year-old Gweru woman has been suspended from her Methodist Church after she chanted the slogan of the ruling ZANU PF when she was asked to pray at a funeral.
Gogo Magrette Maphosa (67) of Mkoba 13 Gweru told The Herald that it was no secret that she was a Zanu PF supporter adding that she would remain a member of the church and would serve the suspension with no regret.
She said: I was at a funeral wake in Mkoba when I was asked to give a prayer.
I am a revolutionary and having participated in my own way in the liberation struggle, I use every platform to pray for my party and my leadership, but on the incident, I admit it was wrong for me to chant a political slogan before the mourners.
Gogo Maphosa also said that she has since appeared before a disciplinary committee held by church elders, where she was banned from putting on the church regalia during the time of suspension.
The suspension was confirmed by a Methodist Church elder, Mr Masvinure who said that the church was apolitical therefore Gogo Maphosa’s actions were misplaced.-State media
Dynamos captain Partson Jaure has been discharged from the hospital, the club has confirmed.
The 29-year old was involved in a car accident last month and sustained a skull fracture which required surgery. He underwent a successful head operation at Parirenyatwa hospital in Harare.
In a short statement posted on Facebook, Dynamos’ Dembare TV page said: “Captain Partson Jaure has been discharged from hospital.He is now recovering at home. Wishing a speedy recovery.”
Jaure is expected to fully recover towards the end of next month but it’s not yet known if he will be able to play this season.
His club omitted him from the squad that will kick off the campaign and there is hope he could be registered during the mid-season transfer window.-Soccer 24
The decision to extend South Africa’s lockdown until the end of April will create an economic disaster, the main opposition party has warned.
The country has already been under lockdown for two weeks and it was due to be lifted in a week.
The president has said it will be extended because evidence suggested it was already limiting Covid-19’s spread.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it was a “great mistake to think in terms of lives versus livelihoods”.
“Each death resulting from the virus is a tragedy. But so is each death resulting from caged citizens and frustrated law enforcers, and so is each victim of home violence. And each malnourished child. And each newly unemployed South African,” the party said in a statement.
In a televised address to the nation on Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the decision to extend the strict restrictions had not been taken lightly.
“I have to ask you to make even greater sacrifices so that our country may survive this crisis and so that tens of thousands of lives may be saved,” he said.
He also announced that senior politicians would donate a third of their salaries to help those worst affected by the pandemic and urged business leaders to do the same.
South Africa has recorded 1,934 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus, including 18 deaths.
The country has some of the most stringent lockdown restrictions in the world – no jogging outside, no sales of alcohol or cigarettes, no dog-walking, no leaving home except for essential trips and prison or heavy fines for law-breaking.
By A Correspondent- The Christian based civic organisation, Habakkuk Trust has expressed concerns over citizens failure to maintain social distancing requirement as one of the measures to prevent the spread of Covid 19.
In its report the trust said social distancing measures have been disregarded in most supermarkets as starving citizens queue for basic commodities.
“While some shops have instituted preventative measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, including sanitizing hands, reducing the number of people inside the shop at a given time and checking temperature for every customer at the entrance; little is being done to ensure social distancing is practiced,” said the trust.
“The presence of law enforcement officers has been noted in some shops and their role has largely involved maintenance of public order especially in mealie meal queues with limited efforts in enforcing social distancing.”
Habakkuk Trust said it has been monitoring the COVID-19 lockdown period since it began.
“The organization continues to monitor government and citizen actions during this period and has noted the following issues as requiring urgent redress:
Daily queues in nearly every suburb of Bulawayo as residents scramble and jostle to buy mealie meal. Some of the queues have over 100 people and social distancing is not practiced,” said the trust.
“Police may be present in these queues but their major role is maintaining peace and order while social distancing is not being enforced. Habakkuk Trust notes with grave concern that these mealie meal queues expose thousands of residents to the risk of Coronavirus infection.”
The trust said this concern also comes at a time when government authorities have confirmed that the nation has very few testing centres and health institutions set aside for infectious diseases in Bulawayo are not adequately equipped to deal with any COVID-19 cases.
“In light of the recent COVID-19 fatality recorded in the City of Bulawayo this week, Habakkuk Trust is calling for coordinated efforts between the police, shop owners and the public health officials to ensure social distancing is practiced in queues for essential commodities as this will assist to minimize the community spread of COVID-19. The organization is also calling for the speeding up of provision of food for the vulnerable groups and availability of subsidized mealie meal,” said the trust.
“The prevailing situation in queues around the city is threatening to undermine the worth of social distancing thus rendering the lockdown useless while sparking a public health disaster.”
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Many countries around the world have seen cases of COVID-19 and several have seen outbreaks. Authorities in China and some other countries have succeeded in slowing or stopping their outbreaks. However, the situation is unpredictable so check regularly for the latest news.
You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions:
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 hotspots (cities or local areas where COVID-19 is spreading widely). If possible, avoid traveling to places – especially if you are an older person or have diabetes, heart or lung disease.
Why? You have a higher chance of catching COVID-19 in one of these areas.
Credit: World Health Organisation
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information like/ follow our Facebook page:
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Many countries around the world have seen cases of COVID-19 and several have seen outbreaks.
Authorities in China and some other countries have succeeded in slowing or stopping their outbreaks. However, the situation is unpredictable so check regularly for the latest news.
You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions:
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 hotspots (cities or local areas where COVID-19 is spreading widely). If possible, avoid traveling to places – especially if you are an older person or have diabetes, heart or lung disease.
Why? You have a higher chance of catching COVID-19 in one of these areas.
Credit: World Health Organisation
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information like/ follow our Facebook page:
Ministry of Health and Child Care CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
UPDATE: 09 APRIL 2020
The Ministry would like to report that today, the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory tested 25 samples, including a sample from case #1.
This repeat sample was collected to confirm clinical recovery according to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
There were no new positive cases identified. All samples except that of case NI tested negative for COVID-19.
The WHO recommends that patients with mild confirmed COVID-I9 who are cared for at home, must test negative twice, using PCR.
on samples collected at least 24 hours apart, before they are released from home isolation.
Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe has eleven confirmed cases of COVID-I9, including three deaths.
Cumulative Tests Conducted: 438 COVID-19 Negative: 427 COVID-19 Positive: 11 Deaths: 3 Province: Matabeleland North 1 Bulawayo 1 Harare 5 Mashonaland East 4 Total 11 The Ministry continues to be on HIGH alert to the COVID-I9 pandemic.
Active contact tracing for case #1 1 from Bulawayo is in progress and to date, we have identified 47 primary contacts of this case. One of these had symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.
In line with our intensified surveillance and expanded testing strategy these will be followed up for 21-days and tested accordingly. The Ministry will update the nation on the outcome of these tests.
Further the Ministry 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 and exercise social distancing.
By A Correspondent- After he prophesied to his congregation and in front of international cameras, that the coronavirus will disappear, social media users have said he lied and church leaders have said he was wrong.
Speaking in his church last month, Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua said the virus would disappear on 27 March.
“It will go the way it came,” he said.
But seven days beyond that date, more than one million people are infected and thousands have died, five of them in Mzansi.
Solomon Ashmos, the founder of the Movement against Church Abuse, said Joshua is using the coronavirus to market himself by making people believe that God is speaking to him.
“He is trying to make people believe that he is a true prophet,” said Ashmos.
“There’s no justification. He is deceiving people. Instead of telling people to follow health regulations to curb the spread of the virus and support those who can’t make a living anymore, he is marketing himself,” said Ashmos.
Leader of the Incredible Happenings Ministries, Prophet Paseka Mboro Motsoeneng said when he found out about Joshua’s prophecy from people, he knew it wasn’t God who spoke to him.
“God will not lie,” he said.
“As churches, we need to pray harder but also take measures to reduce the spread of the virus.
“We need to keep church members safe and educate them about hygiene.”
Mboro is currently on a campaign donating sanitisers.
Grace Bible Church leader Bishop Mosa Sono urged church leaders not to disregard medical advice.
He said: “It’s important that we, as leaders, must admit it when we are wrong. There’s no reason a leader shouldn’t admit that they were wrong.-DailySun
South Africa health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has provided a midday update on the Covid-19 situation with the country recording 23 deaths from the 2003 confirmed cases.
Dr Mkhize says 73 028 tests have been conducted. A total of 410 people have recovered.
Ministry of Health and Child Care CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
UPDATE: 09 APRIL 2020
The Ministry would like to report that today, the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory tested 25 samples, including a sample from case #1.
This repeat sample was collected to confirm clinical recovery according to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
There were no new positive cases identified. All samples except that of case NI tested negative for COVID-19.
The WHO recommends that patients with mild confirmed COVID-I9 who are cared for at home, must test negative twice, using PCR.
on samples collected at least 24 hours apart, before they are released from home isolation.
Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe has eleven confirmed cases of COVID-I9, including three deaths.
Cumulative Tests Conducted: 438 COVID-19 Negative: 427 COVID-19 Positive: 11 Deaths: 3 Province: Matabeleland North 1 Bulawayo 1 Harare 5 Mashonaland East 4 Total 11 The Ministry continues to be on HIGH alert to the COVID-I9 pandemic.
Active contact tracing for case #1 1 from Bulawayo is in progress and to date, we have identified 47 primary contacts of this case. One of these had symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.
In line with our intensified surveillance and expanded testing strategy these will be followed up for 21-days and tested accordingly. The Ministry will update the nation on the outcome of these tests.
Further the Ministry 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 and exercise social distancing.
By A Correspondent- Zanu PF activist in Glenview Harare reportedly recorded the names of the party members only to get get subsidised mealie meal while sidelining members of the MDC Alliance.
This is contained in the Zimbabwe Peace Project latest report.
“In a report received from GlenView 1 on 29 March, Zanu PF youth political commissar Archford Mavhima went around Glenview 1 and 2 areas recording names of residents in ward 32 and informing them that Zanu PF had purchased mealie meal to cater for its supporters only during the 21 days Lockdown period,” reads the report.
“A crisis knows no political party affiliation and communities must instead come together to win the fight against a crisis like COVID19.”
By A Correspondent- The national airline Air Zimbabwe has told its workers that it has halted all the works due to the closure of airspace by the governments to avert the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.
In a Staff notice written on Thursday the company said majority of staffers will be placed on indefinite unpaid leave from the 23rd of April 2020.
The staff will be paid their full April salaries and thereafter wait for the situation to be fine.
Read the full statement below:
On the 27″ of March 2020, the Head of State. His Excellency, President E.D. Mnangagwa announced a 21 day National Lockdown as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID- 19 pandemic. Details of the National Lockdown measures are articulated in Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020. Consequently, the Airline operations have ground to a halt as most of the passenger travel destinations are on lockdown with travel restrictions, implying NIL revenue inflows.
While other revenue initiatives are being pursued. staff remuneration remains one of the largest cost drivers within the Airline and without revenue inflows and external interventions, it will be a challenge to continue funding the salaries.
Resultantly, our staff compliment shall be reduced and a skeletal team identified by the Heads of departments will be in place to ensure adhoc operations, airworthiness compliance, safety, security of aircraft and associated equipment within the Airline. Therefore, some of us will be placed on indefinite unpaid leave effective 23 April 2020 until operations normalise. However, April 2020 salaries will be paid to all staff members in full.
This decision has been made after evaluating all the available and possible options. However, : the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly appears to have far reaching consequences on the overall economy and our way of living. Nonetheless, we look forward to resuming our normal operations with the deployment of our B737 and ERJ 145 once they are available and travel restrictions have been lifted.
MATABELELAND South Province has this year recorded an increase in malaria cases with six deaths reported in Gwanda and Beitbridge districts.
Matabeleland South provincial environmental health officer Mr Notho Dube said 900 malaria cases were recorded throughout the province in the past two months.
He said some communities were attributing the six deaths to Covid-19, which was not true.
Mr Dube said under an ongoing exercise to fight malaria, they had distributed 92 000 mosquito nets in Gwanda and 82 000 in Beitbridge.
“We have noted an upward trend in malaria cases that we have recorded this year as they are overshooting three-fold when compared to last year’s figures.”
“From February up to end of March, we had recorded six malaria-related deaths four of which were recorded in Beitbridge and two in Gwanda South. We recorded a total of 896 cases throughout the province with Beitbridge recording 819 and Gwanda 60.
“These figures are roughly three-fold what we recorded last year.
“Another worrisome development is that this year we recorded malaria cases in districts where we had never recorded any cases before such as Umzingwane where there are nine cases and Mangwe which has one case,” said Mr Dube.
A 67-year-old Gweru woman has been suspended from her Methodist Church after she chanted the slogan of the ruling ZANU PF when she was asked to pray at a funeral.
Gogo Magrette Maphosa (67) of Mkoba 13 Gweru told The Herald that it was no secret that she was a Zanu PF supporter adding that she would remain a member of the church and would serve the suspension with no regret.
She said: I was at a funeral wake in Mkoba when I was asked to give a prayer.
I am a revolutionary and having participated in my own way in the liberation struggle, I use every platform to pray for my party and my leadership, but on the incident, I admit it was wrong for me to chant a political slogan before the mourners.
Gogo Maphosa also said that she has since appeared before a disciplinary committee held by church elders, where she was banned from putting on the church regalia during the time of suspension.
The suspension was confirmed by a Methodist Church elder, Mr Masvinure who said that the church was apolitical therefore Gogo Maphosa’s actions were misplaced.-State media
