TWO soldiers, who allegedly led armed robbery gangs in incidences that occurred in Kuwadzana and Chitungwiza last week appeared in court yesterday.
The soldiers, Emmanuel Tafirenyika Kambanje, 28, who is employed at 53 Infantry Battalion, Kwekwe and Rwatirera Zunde, 40, of Msasa Base Workshops appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko yesterday.
Kambanje is being charged with robbery while Zunde faces armed robbery charges and he was advised to approach the High Court for bail. Kambanje will be back in court tomorrow for his bail application.
The first complainants are Percy Kureva and Universe Mapati of Chitungwiza. Prosecutor Sabastian Mutizirwa alleged that on February 17 around 9pm Kureva arrived home from work and left the kitchen door unlocked.
Zunde and his three accomplices, who are still at large, followed Kureva into the house and manhandled him at gun point.
They allegedly demanded US$200 000 and ordered complainants to lie before they were tied hands and legs with electric cables.
The court heard that Kureva surrendered US$150 and $100 and told them that that was the only money he had before they dragged his wife to the bedroom and threatened to rape her.
It was alleged that she reached for her purse and surrendered $20 but Zunde continued insisting that there was US$200 000 hidden somewhere in that house.
They allegedly ransacked the house and stole the couple’s clothes, three cell phones and various other valuables valued US$1 350.
At that moment, detectives at Chitungwiza Police Station received an anonymous call alerting them of the robbery and swiftly rushed to the scene.
They fired warning shots on arrival and the gang managed to flee from the scene but left their Toyota Premio which had been parked in the yard.
The car was searched and police recovered a cell phone with an Econet line and had a screen saver of Zunde’s picture and he was subsequently arrested on February 20.
Searches conducted at Zunde’s house led to the recovery two Emulites tubes and Ignitor code explosives hidden under his bed.
He was positively identified by Kureva and Mapati during a parade.
The other incident occurred on February 22 at Sifra Shopping Centre, Kuwadzana in Harare.
Kambanje was in the company of his four accomplices Tatenda Nyakudyano and one Richard and Silas, who are still at large.
They approached the complainant (name not supplied) who was seated in his car, a silver Toyota Allion and began assaulting him accusing him of illegally dealing in foreign currency.
The court heard that Kambanje dragged the complainant out of his car and teamed up with his accomplices to assault him.
They allegedly searched him and stole US$20 000 and $420 before the complainant fired a warning shot causing the gang to flee.
However, Kambanje was apprehended with the assistance of the public and was taken to Kuwadzana Police Station.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s desire to amend the Constitution continues to face resistance as legal and political experts have called upon citizens to reject the proposed Constitutional Amendments during public hearings which are expected to be conducted by parliament between 29 March and 4 April 2020.
They argue that the proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 is largely about enhancing the power of the executive, consolidating dictatorship, weakening parliament oversight and negatively impacting on the independence of the judiciary and the principle of separation of powers-a view that is shared by several stakeholders across the country.
Speaking at a recent public dialogue meeting organised by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Election Resource Centre and the Heal Zimbabwe Trust, the experts accused Mnangagwa of hurriedly proposing amendments to the Constitution before its full implementation.
The development has also left Mnangagwa isolated as key members of his Political Actors Dialogue forum (POLAD), which has been accused of singing praise to Mnangagwa, dismissed in totality his proposed amendments. So grave is the matter that some of the POLAD members have threatened to pull out of the dialogue forum if Mnangagwa proceeds with his proposed amendments.
Professor Lovemore Madhuku, a law expert and President of the National Constitutional Assembly and also POLAD member accused Mnangagwa and his ZANU PF party for proposing amendments “for nothing less than to show that they are in power and control of the government.” He added: “A Constitution is not a simple document that can just be amended at will. “It must be somewhat sacred. “Now it does not mean that it must not be changed but simply that it must be a fairly respectable document which you ordinarily ought not to interfere with.
“And when you visit it, you ought to realise that this document has nothing to do with the government of the day, that these set of rules go beyond the government of the day. “It will be extremely rare for those that you elect for a five-year term to think about amending the Constitution.” Madhuku also reminded citizens that what Mnangagwa is doing is not new as his ZANU PF party has been securing its interests through amending the Constitution. “We have a problem with the government that has been running our country since 1980.
“They don’t respect the view that a constitution is higher than other laws. “They take the view that a constitution is like any other law and if elected (their) my first target is the constitution just to show that they are in power and in control of the government.” The professor also clarified that the reason why the constitutional amendments should be rejected is that they are being driven by the government of the day of which has no business in amending the Constitution as the amendment process should be people-driven.
“We are saying no to an amendment that is dominated by the government of the day but yes to an amendment that is dominated by the people”, said Madhuku in closing. Jealousy Mawarire, a political analyst and Spokesperson of National Patriotric Front indicated that there is no basis for Mnangagwa’s proposed amendments hence they should be rejected. “In refusing the amendments being promulgated by Amendment no.2 Bill, you look at some of the issues around the appointment of judges.
“The president wants powers to appoint and even appoint beyond the prescribed age of 70 years.
“It is very clear why they are doing that, they have compromised the judiciary even after the coup. “They do not want the burden of starting to compromise new people, so they would rather carry on with those that are already compromised. “So the easiest way is to amend the Constitution so that they remain with Malaba and all the other judges that are compromised. “We have judges that presided over an application that the coup was constitutional. “I have never seen a constitutional coup because what I know in any coup that I have read about is that the first thing that you subvert is a constitution.
“We have heard honourable (Job) Sikhala being arrested for suggesting that we should remove ED (President Mnangagwa) and some of the people that are saying you can not remove a constitutionally elected President were the ones that were at the forefront in November 2017 removing a constitutionally elected president and you wonder, do we read the same constitution? “…let us take the opportunity, seize the opportunity that has been opened up about these purported amendments to discuss the discourse on amending the constitution that we have but let us not allow ZANU PF to run with the agenda of amending the constitution. Let us resist that. “We do not want a situation where if someone is afraid of Chiwenga (VP), he says no I do not want a running mate because if we win Chiwenga would kill me and take over me.
“So in order for me to circumvent that let me change the Constitution from the current running mate clause and give myself powers to appoint. “That is not a principle that I think we should entertain as citizens and political players,” said Mawarire.
MDC Alliance Legislator Hon Khucaca Phulu argued that there is no basis for Mnangagwa’s proposed amendments except that of weakening all other institutions and strengthening the president. “If you look at the amendments, they tend to strengthen the president and weaken the judiciary. “They weaken everyone else. “So this amendment is a symptom of an illegitimate president who is attacking the constitution.
“A legitimate president will not attack the constitution. “So we are seeing the evidence of the illegitimacy in the manner how he treats the constitution. “We are consolidating the coup, there was also the stolen election and now we are consolidating the power of the stolen election. “We, therefore, reject Constitutional Amendment No2 hook line and sinker.
“If there are any journeying amendments that we feel ought to come back then those amendments must come respectfully. “Our message is to let us implement, learn lessons and come back to talk about these amendments.” He added: “This (Constitutional Amendment Bill No.2) document I characterise it as a dangerous document, a document formulated by someone who is illegitimate and who is trying to deflect from the crises of governance that we have as a country.
Representing MDC-T, Ms Priscilla Misihairambwi said:“We can not go for this amendment without changing the electoral system. “These are the conversations that we need to begin making. “If this amendment is going to come back, let it be the answer to the electoral system.”
More than 115 touts have been arrested in Harare and are today set to appear at the Harare magistrates court following a blitz carried out yesterday.
Harare City Council (HCC) is struggling to control traffic in the capital, resulting in the sprouting of illegal ranks and an increase in the number of touts.
Some of the touts even drive the kombis while searching for passengers on behalf of the transport crews at undesignated sites.
The touts are expected to appear in batches before Harare province magistrates charged with touting.
A tussle between Harare City Council and Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) holdings has reached alarming levels as council is set to repossess all its buildings occupied by the power utility.
The buildings include Wynne Street offices, National Control Centre, Zesa Metering Section and Harare Thermal Station among others. The plan by the local authority to repossess its buildings comes at a time when the two service providers last year publicly traded barbs with Zesa demanding that Harare settles its debt while the latter demanded the same.
Zesa handed over a list of its creditors to Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi who urged mining, commercial, agriculture, domestic and local authorities (Harare included) to clear their debts which had accrued to over $1 billion. Harare Mayor councillor Herbert Gomba responded saying the power utility owed them over $135 million for rentals, royalties and way-leaves.
According to recent council minutes, Harare now wants to repossess its buildings under Zesa occupation.
“The Acting Chamber Secretary reported that the (City Valuer and Estates Manager) under the Finance Department was seized with the matter regarding the repossession of buildings from ZESA and as soon as that was resolved, council would take necessary action to repossess its buildings from ZESA.
“During discussion, the Committee agreed to refer the matter to the Finance and Development Committee to look into issues of repossessing the buildings and that of outstanding payment,” read the minutes.
TEACHERS and learners at Valaban College in Ward 16 in Chiwundura area are operating in fear of attacks by machete gangs, who invade the school going after female learners, school authorities have said.
In an interview, the institution’s director — Micah Chirau, said machete gangs were invading the school pursuing female students.
“They come here holding machetes going after female students to propose love to them. In fear of being attacked by machetes, the students agree to the proposal.
“So, when they date a girl from school, they will come everyday to take her during school time and go with her. The female students who turn down their proposals are victimised during classes. If teachers try to stop them, they are also terrorised with machetes,” he said.
College Principal Nomore Nhamoinesu said some teachers had resorted to leaving the school in fear of the machete violence.
“We have a number of female teachers who have since left the school following a spate of such incidents as they fear for their lives,” he said.
Nhamoinesu said the matter had been reported countless times to the police but nothing had been done to date.
“We reported all the incidents to the police but they haven’t done anything until now. They promised to come but up to now we haven’t seen them. We are therefore appealing to the Government and responsible authorities to make sure that this issue is dealt with,” he said.
He also said the school was concerned with the welfare of learners, as they were also targeted.
Nhamoinesu appealed to the Zimbabwe Republic Police and relevant authorities to intervene in the matter.
The school learners expressed their worry over the matter saying it was disturbing their learning.
“We are very scared to even go to school because we have witnessed some learners being tortured by these criminals. The school environment is no longer safe for us,” said one learner.
Harare City Council is under scrutiny for allegedly abusing US$9,3 million availed to it by Government last year for urgent works at Manyame and Warren Control Pump stations that should have been completed last month.
Government released the funds for purchase of new pumps to replace those at Manyame and Warren Control pumps stations.
According to acting director of water works Engineer Mabhena Moyo the purchased pumps are being manufactured in South Africa while City spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said they are being manufactured in Germany.
Apart from conflicting statements on where the pumps are being manufactured, Harare City Council is also failing to give a complete breakdown of how the money was used.
Correspondent|The wives of traditional leaders from Matabeleland and the Midlands on Thursday literally bowed down to First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa begging her to increase their husband’s allowances and other perks.
The wife to Chief Sikhobokhobo of Nkayi, Ntombizodwa, said their income is not enough to cater for their family needs.
“The income we get is very little, we have families and school children who are supposed to be going to school but the money is very little,” she lamented.
“Our allowances are very little we are failing to send our children to school, as I am speaking some children are not going to school because as chiefs we are failing to send them to school. Usually, children are not allowed entrance to the school when we have not paid their school fees, sometimes the situation is very hard for us as we wont be having means to send them to school.”
Chief Sikhokhokhobo`s wife added that they want a separate fund so that they are able to take care of certain projects in their areas.
“Even when it comes to donor aid in the area, as chiefs’ wives we are often sidelined, the chief is not given anything, you just hear them saying your community should recommend your name,” she said.
“We also want donor aid specifically directed for us chiefs, we receive visitors as chiefs’ wives and I have to ensure that they eat but at times you find that I will be drowning in my own poverty hence they have to sleep hungry,” she said.
Chief Siphoso`s wife said they were not immune to the challenges faced by the country.
“We have people in communities looking up to us, even children who want to be assisted but we are also suffering, donors are not taking care of us as the Chiefs’ wives, they think we have money but we do not have it,” she said.
“We try as women to sell this and that but when we do that we have to abandon our household duties so that our children can go to school,” she said.
MDC President Nelson Chamisa has told President Emmerson Mnangagwa to reform or deform.
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa and President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Chamisa was addressing members of the western diplomatic core and party members at the launch of the 20 Principles for reliable Inclusive and Credible Elections In Zimbabwe (PRICE).
Chamisa said ZANU PF and Mnangagwa cannot reform itself from power but the people of Zimbabwe will make sure that they reform or deform as they approach the 2023 plebiscite.
“Freedom is not a father Christmas affair, it is not a donation, we cannot expect ZANU PF to be the donor, they cannot donate what they do not have, they are not a source of freedom,ZANU PF and Mnangagwa must reform or deform.
“If you do not reform you will deform and when you deform you are out,” Chamisa said.
The MDC has been calling for reforms since time immemorial without getting an ear from ZANU PF.
Political analyst Tafadzwa Makuya told Zim Morning Post that researches and policy documents which are being launched by the MDC were necessary but there is high need of advocacy especially in Parliament.
“The researches and policy papers are good especially for academic purposes I expect the MDC to push for reforms from Parliament thus the only place where they can win this war,” Makuya.
Spotlight Zimbabwe Opinion|Vice President, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga, is reportedly preparing to take Zimbabwe power either this year, or no later than August 2021, amid new reports that the military has agreed to a transitional takeover by the VP, to ease President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of office for his dismal economic failure, Spotlight Zimbabwe, can exclusively reveal.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), this week warned that “a major humanitarian crisis” threatens Zimbabwe, together with “a prolonged and severe food insecurity” situation, at a time the Bretton Woods Institution is forecasting almost zero growth in Harare’s topsy-turvy economy.
So help me God: Vice President Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga
According to high level military and diplomatic sources, the country’s security chiefs under the auspices of the Joint Operations Command (JOC), recently agreed to elevate their former boss Chiwenga to the presidency, and expect him to run the country for about two to two and a half years on a transitional accord, before Zimbabwe’s next presidential and parliamentary elections slated for around July 2023.
Under the brewing military dispensation designed to save the nation from utter economic and political disaster, to usher in a civilian government post July 2023, Mnangagwa is expected to tender his resignation and pave way for Chiwenga to finish off his term, in a fashion reminiscent of how Mnangagwa himself finished former President Robert Mugabe’s incomplete office tenure between 24 November 2017- 30 July 2018.
The VP is also said to have received the political support and endorsement of three world powers namely: China, Russia and India. In a symbolic gesture, the European Union (EU) a fortnight ago suspended sanctions on Chiwenga, as it now looks increasingly a done deal that the former Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, might be taking power soon.
This publication and reporter, was the first to report about VP Chiwenga’s ascendancy to his current position on 18 March 2016, when he was still then the defence forces boss. Our same informants maintain that Chiwenga, is now poised to become president at a moment’s notice.
Former cabinet minister, Jonathan Moyo, on Wednesday told Spotlight Zimbabwe, in a wide ranging interview, that army generals are pushing a multi-million dollar deal for Mnangagwa to resign. Moyo said Mnangagwa is ready to accept the deal, since the message was relayed to him by Chiwenga during a surprise visit he made to his farm in Kwekwe on vacation, when the VP was acting president early last month.
The former higher and tertiary education minister has promised to post a twitter thread today, which is a follow up on his January 29 tweet which said that “this February is threatening to replace November as the month of momentous events!”
Moyo’s twitter thread will unpack the tweet and developments that took place in the country in February.
“JOC met soon after VP Chiwenga returned from China last November to deal with the urgent Mnangagwa replacement issue,” senior officials in the ministry of defence said last week.
“The meeting took place at the defence college just before the ruling Zanu PF’s 18th National People’s Conference in Goromonzi. A group of army commanders had actually wanted Mnangagwa to announce his departure date during that party conference in Mashonaland East, but a final deal for his exit had not been put together and he had asked for more time to prepare for his eventual resignation once an exit package had been finalised. It is during this time, December 2019 to be specific that the generals reached an agreement for Chiwenga to takeover from Mnangagwa for a transitional period of two to two and a half years, before power is handed over to a new civilian administration.”
Last month officials in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), told this publication that they believe a “partial putsch” has already taken place, as the country is now thought to be completely run by JOC on a day to day basis, with a new administrative command center based at the military’s defence college in Harare, from where Chiwenga, now works and is based.
Chiwenga is seldom at his Munhumutapa offices, where he goes mainly for official government meetings and engagements, while politically running the country from the defence college, the OPC officials said.
Sources close to ZDF Commander, General Philip Sibanda’s office, said the hold up in Mnangagwa’s resignation and departure was due to Chiwenga’s ill health, as key decisions could only be made after Chiwenga’s full recovery, since he was the chosen successor.
“Mnangagwa could have already given Zanu PF and the nation a time frame of when he will leave office, but everything was affected by VP Chiwenga’s health problems last year and the fact that he was away from home seeking treatment for more than three months.”
Diplomats in the capital, this week said Chiwenga is on his way to become president, because he has now received the full backing of Beijing, Moscow and New Delhi, who all have strong military ties with Harare, which have grown to include massive economic partnerships.
“There is a cable we have seen to that effect, but we cannot reveal the mission who wrote it,” said the diplomats.
“It highlights that China, Russia and India are leaning towards your vice president for their own strategic economic and political interests in Zimbabwe. There are numerous economic deals between Zimbabwe and those three foreign powers, to which your country’s military industrial complex is a silent facilitator. Continuity of their foreign policy on Zimbabwe, can easily be guaranteed under the presidency of the current vice president. China is aware of all this and is playing a lead role in the vice president’s ascendancy. VP Chiwenga was back in China in December 2019, barely a month after returning home from the same destination. We gather he was there to brief the Chinese about your country’s army takeover plans for him, and he was assured of short-term financial and economic support for his incoming government, possibly through Brics.”
BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, where China has strong influence because of the size of her economy.
The military under Chiwenga’s supervision, is thought to be orchestrating multi-billion dollar economic deals with China and Russia.
One such deal with Russia mooted at last year’s Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, is government’s plan to build a US$1.5 billion second fuel pipeline fully funded by Moscow, and in partnership with three other Southern African countries namely, Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana.
Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri’s mobile phone went unanswered yesterday when we sought an official comment from her ministry.
Own Correspondent|MDC leader Nelson Chamisa is set to join POLAD after allegedly dumping the idea of an external mediator in Zimbabwe’s political dialogue, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Spokesperson George Charamba has said.
On Thursday Chamisa said the country could not out-source solutions as local leaders had to sit down and find home-grown solutions.
“We are there to solve our own problems. We have the answers to our problems. We can’t have South Africa solving our problems, it has its own problems to take care of,” said Chamisa. “Americans can’t have a solution for this country as it has its own domestic problems to solve. We can’t out-source solutions for this country. I have heard people talking of President Mbeki saying this and that. We should solve our own problems.”
Highlanders have confirmed their first high profile pre-season friendly pitting top-flight side Black Rhinos.
The match will be played at Barbourfield Stadium in Bulawayo on Sunday. Kick-off is at 3 pm.
The gate charges have been pegged at $30 for the cheapest ticket, $50 for the Wings and $100 for the VIP.
Bosso who have been quieter in the transfer business as compared to their traditional rivals – Dynamos and CAPS United – will use the encounter to fine-tune their squad and will give new coach Mark Harrison a platform to assess his players on a broader perspective.-Soccer 24
By A Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Republic Police have banned the Zengeza MP Job Sikhala’s upcoming constituency meeting.
The ban comes short in the heels of Sikhala’s win against the state for treason earlier this month. The meeting was slated for next week 7th March. The ZRP in their refusal, said the meeting does not meet the requirements of a public meeting according to the MOPA legislation.
Commenting on the development, Hon Sikhala said: “the program and plan by the regime to ban any activities related to MDC is now in full swing.
“The right to political choice is not only under threat but extinguished by the despotic regime supritending on our affairs.
“It is with shock that as a Member of Zengeza West I notified the police of my intention to convene a Constituency Feedback Rally at Zengeza 2 on the 7th of March 2020, for the Officer Commanding, Chitungwiza to inform me that my application does not meet the requirements of a public meeting. He did not disclose that which qualifies as a public meeting.
“This is an assault on the democratic rights of our citizens. Resistance to evil and authoritarianism is our calling.”
The much-awaited Africa Cup of Nations Group H qualifier between Algeria and Zimbabwe in the North African country has had some doubt cast over it following a case of the deadly coronavirus there.
The Desert Foxes are schedued to host the Warriors in the first of back to back clashes on March 23 before playing them again at a neutral venue 6 days later following CAF’s decision to bar all stadiums in the Southern Africa country from hosting international matches.
Coronavirus has for the past two days been confirmed in countries like Algeria, Romania, Norway, Georgia, New Zealand and Greece with a reported 80 000 people said to be affected.
The Algerian Health Ministry confirmed a case of the deadly disease in the country this week, meaning CAF might consider to also stage the first clash at a neutral venue outside Algeria.-Soccer 24
The 45-seater luxury coach which Nyasha Mushekwi bought for CAPS United has been returned to the Harare giants by ZIMRA.
Mushekwi, whose football career can be traced back to the Green Machine, bought the coach as a way of appreciating the 2016 league champions and spent a reported US$120 000 on the coach but it was confiscated by the revenue authority citing inadequate customs duty fee.-Soccer 24
FC PLATINUM chairperson Evans Mtombeni has described the Confederation of African Football decision to ban all local stadiums from hosting international matches as “harsh” but remains confident that it will be rectified soon.
The continental football mother body on Tuesday dropped a bombshell when they added Barbourfields Stadium to the list of banned local Stadiums that include National Sports, Rufaro Stadium and Mandava Stadium.
The decision by CAF means FC Platinum will also not be able to play in the country when they return to Africa for their Champions League matches in August this year.
The reigning Zimbabwean champions have been using Barbourfields to host their home matches in the previous edition after their home ground Mandava Stadium was deemed unfit.
“I think it was a harsh decision. It’s not a welcome development I must say. We have been playing in stadiums that are worse than those we have in Zimbabwe but they had to ban ours. Maybe it is because we couldn’t meet their standards but it’s worrisome,” said Mtombeni.
The platinum miners will be forced to find a neutral venue if the local Stadiums are not fixed by August.
Mtombeni, however, expect everything to be sorted by the time they resume their Champions League engagements.-H-Metro
Farai Dziva|A government official has claimed efforts are being made to ensure that international matches are played in the country.
The Permanent Secretary in the Information Ministry Nick Mangwana has assured citizens of the soccer- crazy nation international games will be played in the country.
Mangwana was evasive in claiming frantic efforts to rectify the matter were in progress.
“Regarding the stadia that have been deemed fit not for purpose; Govt has already come up with a plan to ensure that Zimbabweans will watch international matches at home.
An announcement will be made within the next few days,”claimed Mangwana.
QUIZ: How come Walter Magaya, Shepherd Bushiri, TB Joshua etc don't travel to Wuhan and do their powerful 'miracles' there ??? like John G Lake who used to travel into danger cities & touch froth infected with the Bubonic plague, according to Roberts Liardon?
Ptuz will mobilise teachers across union divide in particular and civil servants in general to resist the introduction of 2.5% to feed the army.
For the Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, let alone Cabinet to agree to tax civil servants 2.5% to set up shops that will sell subsidised commodities to members of the army is the worst lunacy ever seen in human history.
Mthuli Ncube is a human epidemic bent on entrenching poverty and misery among teachers and the earlier we mobilise, organise rather than agonise, the better.
Such thuggery, thievery and robbery of $10.5 million from starvation wages of teachers per month and $18.750 million per month from civil servants is not only callous, vapid, vague and vacuous but monumental injustice that can never be accepted by any civilised nation 40 years after independence.
That the army has guns is inconsequential, and even if it means picking up arms against Cabinet in order to be respected, so be it. We cannot be treated as if we are of no a count.
We want to make it categorically clear, without any equivocation or ambiguity, that taking up arms against any obnoxious issue and injustice is no vice.
It is even a mockery to a real national army that protects the territorial integrity and security of the nation to be treated in such an insultive manner, baffling common sense and logic.
The Cabinet must be reminded that if they are so much interested in uplifting the image of the army, they must pay the army well so that individuals are able to buy from shops of their choice.
Reducing soldiers to ridicule and subsidisation by civil servants, is dangerous, a security threat and compromises civil-military relations. It is clear that economic bandits masquerading as leaders have integrated soldiers to share their plunder and loot as a safety valve that may all the way trigger a revolution from those marginalised, exploited and disarticulated.
In a meeting held on 26 February 2020, Ptuz National Executive members resolved to urgently mobilise teachers to resist the grinding 2.5% tax by any means necessary.
Ptuz NEC also agreed to engage a high gear in clamouring for the restoration of their purchasing power parity.
This call has further been vindicated by unofficial dollarisation of Zimbabwean economy in which rentals, medication, fuel, school fees are paid in US$ or pegged against US$. The only way forward is going forward in advancing the interests of teachers and defending any gains made.
Mthuli Ncube and Cabinet must never underestimate the power of teachers in particular and civil servants in general in their numbers. No amount of brutality and pampering of the army will stop an idea whose time has come. When real winds of discontent blow, no amount of threats can continue to bottle up pent up forces and legitimate demands of a living wage, that resonate with inter-bank rate.
Aluta Continua
Dr Takavafira M. Zhou (PTUZ President)
Farai Dziva|Teachers have vowed to resist the 2.5% tax imposed on them by government.
In a statement PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said teachers were not prepared to pay money to feed soldiers.
See full statement :
Ptuz will mobilise teachers across union divide in particular and civil servants in general to resist the introduction of 2.5% to feed the army.
For the Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, let alone Cabinet to agree to tax civil servants 2.5% to set up shops that will sell subsidised commodities to members of the army is the worst lunacy ever seen in human history.
Mthuli Ncube is a human epidemic bent on entrenching poverty and misery among teachers and the earlier we mobilise, organise rather than agonise, the better.
Such thuggery, thievery and robbery of $10.5 million from starvation wages of teachers per month and $18.750 million per month from civil servants is not only callous, vapid, vague and vacuous but monumental injustice that can never be accepted by any civilised nation 40 years after independence.
That the army has guns is inconsequential, and even if it means picking up arms against Cabinet in order to be respected, so be it. We cannot be treated as if we are of no a count.
We want to make it categorically clear, without any equivocation or ambiguity, that taking up arms against any obnoxious issue and injustice is no vice.
It is even a mockery to a real national army that protects the territorial integrity and security of the nation to be treated in such an insultive manner, baffling common sense and logic.
The Cabinet must be reminded that if they are so much interested in uplifting the image of the army, they must pay the army well so that individuals are able to buy from shops of their choice.
Reducing soldiers to ridicule and subsidisation by civil servants, is dangerous, a security threat and compromises civil-military relations. It is clear that economic bandits masquerading as leaders have integrated soldiers to share their plunder and loot as a safety valve that may all the way trigger a revolution from those marginalised, exploited and disarticulated.
In a meeting held on 26 February 2020, Ptuz National Executive members resolved to urgently mobilise teachers to resist the grinding 2.5% tax by any means necessary.
Ptuz NEC also agreed to engage a high gear in clamouring for the restoration of their purchasing power parity.
This call has further been vindicated by unofficial dollarisation of Zimbabwean economy in which rentals, medication, fuel, school fees are paid in US$ or pegged against US$. The only way forward is going forward in advancing the interests of teachers and defending any gains made.
Mthuli Ncube and Cabinet must never underestimate the power of teachers in particular and civil servants in general in their numbers.
No amount of brutality and pampering of the army will stop an idea whose time has come. When real winds of discontent blow, no amount of threats can continue to bottle up pent up forces and legitimate demands of a living wage, that resonate with inter-bank rate.
Aluta Continua
Dr Takavafira M. Zhou (PTUZ President)
Basic hygiene includes taking care of small areas of your body, such as your fingernails and toenails.
Unfortunately some people find it difficult to attend to their nails.
Below are six reasons factors you need to know about keeping your nails long :
It causes bacterial infection.
Keeping your nails long can cause bacterial infection. This is because dirt can accumulate in your nails. We all know that bacteria and germs are attracted to dirt. This is especially true for your toenails. When you wear shoes, your feet produce sweat because they do not have enough space to be able to breathe. When you do not trim your nails, bacteria and germs will start growing on your toenails and this can cause bacterial infection.
It causes fungal infection.
Fungal infections are caused by fungi. One of the most common types of fungal skin infection is athlete’s foot. It affects the skin on the feet, usually between the toes. One of the risk factors that contribute to this condition is keeping your nails long. Fungi like to hide in dirty parts of the body. Dirt accumulates in your nails and same with bacteria and germs, fungi are attracted to dirt.
It causes food poisoning.
We have already established several times that dirt particles hide in your long nails. Using your hands to eat food when you have long nails can allow bacteria and other infectious organisms to enter in your system. This can result in food poisoning.
It is highly recommended that people should clean their hands and fingernails thoroughly before preparing and eating food.
It causes injury.
Keeping long nails increases your risk of injuring yourself and others as well. With long nails, there is a big chance that you will unintentionally cut yourself or other people. It can even cause serious injury as when you accidentally hit your eye (or someone else’s eye) with it.
It causes inward nail growth.
Ingrown nails usually happen to the toes. It occurs when the edges of the nail grow into the skin next to it. This causes redness, tenderness, and even bleeding in the affected area.
This is considered the most serious medical condition caused by not cutting your nails regularly.
It signifies poor hygiene.
Keeping your nails short and clean indicates that you practice good hygiene. As explained, good hygiene helps prevent diseases by getting rid of bacteria and other infectious microbes.
Credit :Prestige Health Care Services, Inc.
Compiled by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow/like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
Farai Dziva|Keeping long fingernails can result in fungal infection and food poisoning, health experts have warned.
According to a statement produced by Prestige Health Care Services Inc and compiled by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre, cutting one’s fingernails is a key component of personal hygiene.
See statement below:
Basic hygiene includes taking care of small areas of your body, such as your fingernails and toenails.
Unfortunately some people find it difficult to attend to their nails.
Below are six reasons factors you need to know about keeping your nails long :
It causes bacterial infection.
Keeping your nails long can cause bacterial infection. This is because dirt can accumulate in your nails. We all know that bacteria and germs are attracted to dirt. This is especially true for your toenails. When you wear shoes, your feet produce sweat because they do not have enough space to be able to breathe. When you do not trim your nails, bacteria and germs will start growing on your toenails and this can cause bacterial infection.
It causes fungal infection.
Fungal infections are caused by fungi. One of the most common types of fungal skin infection is athlete’s foot. It affects the skin on the feet, usually between the toes. One of the risk factors that contribute to this condition is keeping your nails long. Fungi like to hide in dirty parts of the body. Dirt accumulates in your nails and same with bacteria and germs, fungi are attracted to dirt.
It causes food poisoning.
We have already established several times that dirt particles hide in your long nails. Using your hands to eat food when you have long nails can allow bacteria and other infectious organisms to enter in your system. This can result in food poisoning.
It is highly recommended that people should clean their hands and fingernails thoroughly before preparing and eating food.
It causes injury.
Keeping long nails increases your risk of injuring yourself and others as well. With long nails, there is a big chance that you will unintentionally cut yourself or other people. It can even cause serious injury as when you accidentally hit your eye (or someone else’s eye) with it.
It causes inward nail growth.
Ingrown nails usually happen to the toes. It occurs when the edges of the nail grow into the skin next to it. This causes redness, tenderness, and even bleeding in the affected area.
This is considered the most serious medical condition caused by not cutting your nails regularly.
It signifies poor hygiene.
Keeping your nails short and clean indicates that you practice good hygiene. As explained, good hygiene helps prevent diseases by getting rid of bacteria and other infectious microbes.
Credit :Prestige Health Care Services, Inc.
Compiled by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
For more information follow/like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
SOME people will do anything possible to gain wealth, but one Gokwe man took to it to strange levels when he acted on the advice of an inyanga to have sex with a goat to make money.
When he was about to complete a sex session with a goat, Dickson Mutakati (28) ran out of luck.
A source said a villager, Trymore Mpofu — who was searching for his missing cow was disturbed by the bleating of the goat and headed where the sound was coming from. He caught Mutakati busy like a rabbit on the goat.
The incident which has become a subject of discussion at Sothile Village in Gokwe ward 25, Chisina 3 — happened last week on Wednesday.
Speaking to B-Metro , Mpofu said at first he assumed the goat had been attacked by wild animals.
“I was disturbed by the
bleating of the goat, as such I had to swiftly move in the direction where the sound was coming from and I got shocked when I found Mutakati having sex with Charles Simbi’s goat.
Upon seeing me he fled into the bush leaving his belt and a pair of shoes,” said Mpofu.
Mpofu said he reported the matter to village head Madison Masendu.
Masendu who also
doubles up as Chief Njelele’s personal assistant confirmed
the incident: “We launched a manhunt and arrested Mutakati at Gokwe Business Centre last week on Friday.
When asked why he had sex with a goat he said he was instructed by an inyanga to have sex with it so as to get money since he was leading a life of abject poverty.”
Ward 25 councillor Shungu Maruza said: “I would like to advise villagers to always keep a watchful eye on their livestock and I would like to condemn in the strongest terms acts of bestiality.
I would like to warn community members that whoever is caught will be punished severely,” he said.-B-Metro
SOME people will do anything possible to gain wealth, but one Gokwe man took to it to strange levels when he acted on the advice of an inyanga to have sex with a goat to make money.
When he was about to complete a sex session with a goat, Dickson Mutakati (28) ran out of luck.
A source said a villager, Trymore Mpofu — who was searching for his missing cow was disturbed by the bleating of the goat and headed where the sound was coming from. He caught Mutakati busy like a rabbit on the goat.
The incident which has become a subject of discussion at Sothile Village in Gokwe ward 25, Chisina 3 — happened last week on Wednesday.
Speaking to B-Metro , Mpofu said at first he assumed the goat had been attacked by wild animals.
“I was disturbed by the
bleating of the goat, as such I had to swiftly move in the direction where the sound was coming from and I got shocked when I found Mutakati having sex with Charles Simbi’s goat.
Upon seeing me he fled into the bush leaving his belt and a pair of shoes,” said Mpofu.
Mpofu said he reported the matter to village head Madison Masendu.
Masendu who also
doubles up as Chief Njelele’s personal assistant confirmed
the incident: “We launched a manhunt and arrested Mutakati at Gokwe Business Centre last week on Friday.
When asked why he had sex with a goat he said he was instructed by an inyanga to have sex with it so as to get money since he was leading a life of abject poverty.”
Ward 25 councillor Shungu Maruza said: “I would like to advise villagers to always keep a watchful eye on their livestock and I would like to condemn in the strongest terms acts of bestiality.
I would like to warn community members that whoever is caught will be punished severely,” he said.-B-Metro
AN angry man who was accusing his wife of allegedly leasing his sexual goodies to another man bashed his wife and his mother-in-law before seizing his wife’s bag and throwing her clothes all over the yard.
The drama-filled incident which left village head Vasco Chiyangwa shocked happened last week on Thursday at his homestead, in Chiyangwa Village in Gokwe.
According to a source Denis Churo (25) was dragged to village head Vasco Chiyangwa’s homestead by his wife Charlotte Moyo for being in the habit of physically abusing her.
Moyo went to the village head’s traditional court in the company of her mother.
“A meeting was held at the village head’s homestead, from the onset tempers were high, the village head faced a tough time in controlling Churo who was seething with anger,” said the source.
The source further said Churo interjected when his wife was relating her physical abuse at the hands of her husband.
“Drama ensued as Churo accused his wife of telling lies and further accused her of cheating on him with a man from the village,” said the source.
Village head Chiyangwa watched in disbelief as the drama unfolded right before him.
In a fit of rage Churo bashed his wife.
“It happened so fast as the fuming Churo stood up before grabbing his wife by the neck and punching her on the face with a fist.
Her mother tried to intervene but he could not respect her as he violently pushed her away and hit her with an open hand while hurling obscenities at her,” said the source.
He was not yet done. He threw his wife’s clothes on the ground.
“He grabbed his wife’s bag and threw her clothes on the ground.
Thanks to the village head’s aides who intervened and stopped him from further causing drama. They took him to a police station,” said the source.
Village head Chiyangwa confirmed the incident: “I was shocked to see Churo behaving in such an unbecoming manner.
I have since written a letter to headman Nyamupiya notifying him about the incident and in due course action will be taken against him.”-B-Metro
The trumped-up treason case against the people’s Secretary-General Hon. Chalton Hwende has been postponed to Monday 2nd March at 2.15 pm.
A million thanks to all those who managed to come out in full solidarity with our esteemed MDC Secretary-General this morning.
Special thanks to the people’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa who was also at the court today.
When the case resumes on 2 March, the court is expected to make a ruling on a strong request from the defence lawyers for the case not to be postponed again and for Hon. Hwende to be placed off remand.
The trumped-up treason case against the people’s Secretary-General Hon. Chalton Hwende has been postponed to Monday 2nd March at 2.15 pm.
A million thanks to all those who managed to come out in full solidarity with our esteemed MDC Secretary-General this morning.
Special thanks to the people’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa who was also at the court today.
When the case resumes on 2 March, the court is expected to make a ruling on a strong request from the defence lawyers for the case not to be postponed again and for Hon. Hwende to be placed off remand.
By A Correspondent- The national broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooporation owns only four vehicles the parliamentary portfolio committee on Media, Information and Publicity was told on Friday.
Appearing before the Committee ZBC Board Chairperson Josiah Tayi said, “We don’t have cars at ZBC. If I’m to be honest chairman, we only have 4 vehicles. Only 4. Allow me to stress further on vehicles. News cannot be gathered by non mobile vehicles. Something has to be done.”
Concurring with his senior, ZBC Current Affairs Director Gilbert Nyambabvu added that, “Our bereau chiefs have no vehicles. This impacts on their work.”
On the welfare of the ZBC employees Tayi said, “Some of our workers have not been eating. So we decided that our workers be provided with lunch but the management pays for their meal.”
Tayi further told the committee that the broadcaster was failing to purchase content because of lack of finances.
“In 2020, it is one of our key objectives to turn ZBC into a viable commercial entity. We also need foreign currency to buy content from other producers. Right now we can’t screen sports because we can’t subscribe.
“Licensing at the moment contributes only 5 percent. That is not the only problem, the non-payment of ZBC operations by government arms is further crippling the public broadcaster operations.”
The leader of a gang of illegal gold panners, whose group recently stormed Redwing Mine in Penhalonga and attacked security guards with machetes and axes, has been slapped with a three-year jail sentence.
Zondai Urayayi (24), was found guilty of public violence and theft by Senior Mutare magistrate Tendai Mahwe, who acquitted three other suspects as there was no incriminating evidence against them.
Urayayi will, however, serve 30 months behind bars after six months of the sentence were set aside on condition of good behaviour.
Theophilus Gapara (28), Godfrey Dzingirayi (42) and Darlington Mutsingo (26), who where Urayayi’s alleged accomplices — were acquitted.-State media
QUIZ: How come Walter Magaya, Shepherd Bushiri, TB Joshua etc don't travel to Wuhan and do their powerful 'miracles' there ??? like John G Lake who used to travel into danger cities & touch froth infected with the Bubonic plague, according to Roberts Liardon?
By A Correspondent- The leader of a gang of illegal gold panners, whose group recently stormed Redwing Mine in Penhalonga and attacked security guards with machetes and axes, has been slapped with a three-year jail sentence.
Zondai Urayayi (24), was found guilty of public violence and theft by Senior Mutare magistrate Tendai Mahwe, who acquitted three other suspects as there was no incriminating evidence against them.
Urayayi will, however, serve 30 months behind bars after six months of the sentence were set aside on condition of good behaviour.
Theophilus Gapara (28), Godfrey Dzingirayi (42) and Darlington Mutsingo (26), who where Urayayi’s alleged accomplices — were acquitted.
By A Correspondent- A Bulawayo woman Seabale Sibanda from the Tshabalala suburb claims that her husband Mandlenkosi Sibanda has been abusing her since they got married in 2006 and beats her with a belt in front of the children.
Sibanda her husband’s abuse in her application for a protection order at the Bulawayo Civil Court saying at one time he locked her outside the house at night while she was in her nightgown.
“I am legally married to Mandlenkosi Sibanda since August 2006. He has been aggressive and violent throughout our marriage.
He is physically abusive in that he slaps me and beats me up with a belt. He abuses me in front of our children. He is also emotionally abusing me.
“He also neglects me and is no longer involving me in any family issues.
Recently he locked me out of our house at night while in my nightgown and I had to go to the police station in that state. He is also constantly fighting with our eldest child.
“As a result of his abusive behavior, I hereby pray that he should be ordered not to verbally and physically abuse me,” begged Sibanda.
In response, Mandlenkosi dismissed his wife’s claims saying she was the one who was abusing him by not cooking and washing for him.
“I last assaulted her in 2009. All was well in our marriage until she started disrespecting me. She is very stubborn. She doesn’t listen to me and she wants all things to be done her way. She does not cook or wash for me and she delegates all those duties to the children. She also doesn’t want to go to our rural home,” complained Mandlenkosi.
He said his wife did not want to talk to him as she was always on the phone.
Turning to allegations that he locked her outside the house at night and he was always fighting with their eldest child, Mandlenkosi said:
“My son came home late and we had a misunderstanding.
He then destroyed five windowpanes and ran away. I locked the doors before my wife who was not happy with that demanded to go outside the house and sat by the gate.
It is not true that I locked her outside at night. She went out on her own.”
In a bid to save the couple’s relationship which is seemingly on the brink of collapse, the presiding magistrate Adelaide Mbeure referred them for counseling.BMetro
By A Correspondent- A Gokwe man was caught having sex with a goat last week Wednesday after he was advised by a n’anga that the act would help him make money and became wealthy.
Dickson Mutakati (28) of Sothile Village in Gokwe was caught in the act when he was about to complete the session by Trymore Mpofu who was in search of one of his lost cow.
Mpofu said at first he assumed the goat had been attacked by wild animals when he heard noises and decided to go and check where the sound was coming from that is when he caught Mutakati making out with the goat.
“I was disturbed by the bleating of the goat, as such I had to swiftly move in the direction where the sound was coming from and I got shocked when I found Mutakati having sex with Charles Simbi’s goat.
Upon seeing me he fled into the bush leaving his belt and a pair of shoes,” said Mpofu.
Mpofu said he reported the matter to village head Madison Masendu. Masendu who also doubles up as Chief Njelele’s personal assistant confirmed the incident:
“We launched a manhunt and arrested Mutakati at Gokwe Business Centre last week on Friday. When asked why he had sex with a goat he said he was instructed by an inyangato have sex with it so as to get money since he was leading a life of abject poverty.”
Ward 25 councilor Shungu Maruza said:
“I would like to advise villagers to always keep a watchful eye on their livestock and I would like to condemn in the strongest terms acts of bestiality. I would like to warn community members that whoever is caught will be punished severely,” he said.
By A Correspondent- A South African woman who was the victim of a nasty rape and abduction incident was gunned down after having reported the case.
This follows reports that the family had received death threats after the now-deceased had reported to police that she was raped. Kutlwano is reported to have been abducted and raped 2-years ago and had only gathered the courage to confess of the traumatising ordeal recently.
After reporting the case, one of the suspects was arrested following a police investigation. No details were mentioned on how police made the arrest.
However, the family reportedly started receiving death threats which were alleged to have been coming from the suspect’s father following his son’s arrest.
The deceased’s mother, Madikgang Masilo (42) who also narrowly escaped death after the attacker fired a barrage of bullets at her, narrated the blood bath.
‘The man shot her three times. As she was lying on the ground, he fired five more shots. The man also fired shots in my direction. I ran into the shack and he fled,” said the distraught mum.
Kutlwano’s father Thulani Nkosi said he got to the scene not long after the shots were fired and rushed his daughter to a clinic where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Gauteng police spokesman Captain Kay Makhubele said a case of murder was opened. “There are no arrests so far and the motive for the shooting is currently unknown. Police are still investigating.-DailySun
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s power company, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), has said a number of Bulawayo suburbs have been thrown into total darkness owing to vandalism of electricity equipment.
Zimbabweans are going for hours without power almost on a daily basis after the introduction of load-shedding by ZETDC which is failing to generate enough electricity.
In Bulawayo, some suburbs such as sections of Njube, Pumula North, among others, face another crisis, where the ZETDC is failing to replace blown-up or burnt transformers, vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure.
ZETDC western region manager Lovemore Chinaka admitted that the power utility was struggling to keep pace with replacing the vandalised infrastructure.
“We are basically incapacitated to keep pace with the theft and vandalism of our infrastructure, that is why there is no power in some suburbs. The spate of vandalism has taken a huge knock on our operations. It is bad, it’s sheer madness. They (vandals) have sent us back to Stone Age,” Chinaka said.
Last year, Energy minister Fortune Chasi proposed a 30-year mandatory prison sentence for those convicted of vandalising Zesa infrastructure amid reports that the power utility was losing millions of dollars annually to the criminal activities.
Last year, the ZETDC said it lost close to US$5 million to vandalism of its infrastructure, with Chasi adding that this was an act of sabotage against the country.
In a statement on its official Twitter handle last year, the power company’s subsidiary said vandalism of infrastructure had left more than 30 000 households without power countrywide.
“Up to 30 000 households are without power due to vandalism of about 4 000 transformers, cables and associated materials. ZETDC needs about US$15 million to replace the stolen materials,” ZETDC said in a statement. -Statemedia
THE catfights between former celebrity couple Tytan Skhokho and Olinda Chapel seem far from over after the two yesterday went for each other in a public spat that left social media in meltdown.
Tytan was accusing his former wife of trying to infect him with HIV and abusive behaviour while the latter rebutted the claims.
This was after Tytan lifted the lid on the alleged abuse he suffered at the hands of his estranged wife, whom he accused of physical violence and narrated how he had to put up at a friend’s house after he had been locked out of their home.
Tytan, who filed for divorce at the High Court in Harare early this month, said at first he tolerated the abuse as he thought Olinda was just doing so out of jealous.
In a recorded interview with his lawyer, Rumbidzayi Bvunzawabaya on the Rumbidzai Show, posted on various social media sites yesterday, Tytan shared his experiences while living with Olinda in the United Kingdom, in which he claimed they had arguments during which the latter would push him, provoke fights and lock him out.
“I tried to get back in and she refused to open the door for me and asked me to go away. I didn’t understand that, I couldn’t go to our neighbours because I didn’t want them to know what’s going on so I had to rush to a nearby park to find solace,” he said.
“I was kicked out of the house eight times for different reasons and I got to know that it was, not because of the preg_nancy because even before she was, I could get those episodes.”
He said she told him that she wanted him out of the United Kingdom and back in Zimbabwe.
Tytan said he wanted to end the relationship in September 2017, but they agreed to reconcile with the understanding that Olinda would have “to deal with her anger”.
“Initially, it was more of verbal abuse, especially when there are friends and relatives. A lot of people started to withdraw from working with me as I didn’t have financial freedom and didn’t have control,” he recalled.
“When I came here and went to the shops, she would just say what took you so long? I didn’t leave the relationship because I was in love and I thought love made things hard and there was a lot of compromising. We did try to solve the issue and there was a pastor who would help us, but we reached a dead end.”
Tytan said when he first made a police report, the police wanted him to press charges against Olinda, but he discounted that option because he thought her strange behaviour was linked to preg_nancy.
He, however, said he suspected Olinda was trying to infect him with HIV after going through her maternity book.
In a Facebook telephone interview with Aunty Jenny’s Lounge, Olinda, however, said Tytan always took her to hospital and made sure she took her medicine.
“He is the one who would drive me to the hospital, he is the one who would be near me but now he is using all that as a weapon against me,” she said.
“There is a time when the people at the hospital said this man is taking advantage. He is the one who used to even take me to hospital and tell me that it is time to take your medication; he has been holding me prisoner all this while and using that as a form of psychological abuse.”
She described Tytan as “a serial cheater”, who bed-hopped with other women while she was in hospital.
“If I wronged him, he must go and report to the police. How come I have not been arrested by the police? He has been using this as a weapon against me, the desperation to seek papers is really shocking,” she said, adding that she would take legal action against both Tytan and Bvunzawabaya.
By A Correspondent- A senior police officer stationed at Drill Hall’s Traffic Section in Bulawayo who made headlines over an adultery scandal with his married subordinate has been transferred to Victoria Falls.
Inspector Jamezeni Masuku was last year exposed of having an illicit sexual affair with Constable Mejury Gwangwava after the latter’s husband discovered romantic messages between the pair.
The adultery scandal saw Insp Masuku’s skeletons tumbling out after it emerged that he was abusing his position to sleep with other married subordinates.
A police source who recently spoke to the local tabloid paper, revealed that the philandering police officer was recently demoted and transferred to Victoria Falls after news of his shenanigans got into the ears of his superiors. His estranged wife, Assistant Inspector Constance Mugomeza-Masuku, was given possession of the two cars they own.
iHarare reported last year that there was a fracas after Insp Masuku’s wife stormed the police station and assaulted him together with one of his alleged mistresses. His wife Ass Insp Magomeza-Masuku who is stationed at Entumbane Police Station’s community relations department was so violent that people failed to restrain her.
Surprisingly this is not the first time the philanderer has been transferred over adultery allegations, his estranged wife revealed prior to his demotion.
‘He is a womaniser. Five years ago, he was transferred from Harare after it was discovered that he was in love with someone’s wife. It took me over a year to come and join him here in Bulawayo. Sometimes I wonder what is really pushing him to engage in extra-marital relationships,’ lamented Ass Insp Magomeza-Masuku after her husband’s affair was exposed.-BMetro
By A Correspondent- Two soldiers, who allegedly led armed robbery gangs in incidences that occurred in Kuwadzana and Chitungwiza last week appeared in court yesterday.
The soldiers, Emmanuel Tafirenyika Kambanje, 28, who is employed at 53 Infantry Battalion, Kwekwe and Rwatirera Zunde, 40, of Msasa Base Workshops appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko yesterday.
Kambanje and Zunde are facing armed robbery charges and were advised to approach the High Court for bail. Kambanje will be back in court tomorrow for his bail application.
The first complainants are Percy Kureva and Universe Mapati of Chitungwiza. Prosecutor Sabastian Mutizirwa alleged that on February 17 around 9 pm Kureva arrived home from work and left the kitchen door unlocked.
Zunde and his three accomplices, who are still at large, followed Kureva into the house and manhandled him at gunpoint.
They allegedly demanded US$200 000 and ordered complainants to lie before they were tied hands and legs with electric cables.
The court heard that Kureva surrendered US$150 and $100 and told them that that was the only money he had before they dragged his wife to the bedroom and threatened to rape her.
It was alleged that she reached for her purse and surrendered $20 but Zunde continued insisting that there was US$200 000 hidden somewhere in that house.
They allegedly ransacked the house and stole the couple’s clothes, three cell phones, and various other valuables valued US$1 350.
At that moment, detectives at Chitungwiza Police Station received an anonymous call alerting them of the robbery and swiftly rushed to the scene.
They fired warning shots on arrival and the gang managed to flee from the scene but left their Toyota Premio which had been parked in the yard.
The car was searched and police recovered a cell phone with an Econet line and had a screen saver of Zunde’s picture and he was subsequently arrested on February 20.
Searches conducted at Zunde’s house led to the recovery of two Emulites tubes and Ignitor code explosives hidden under his bed.
He was positively identified by Kureva and Mapati during a parade.
The other incident occurred on February 22 at Sifra Shopping Centre, Kuwadzana in Harare.
Kambanje was in the company of his four accomplices Tatenda Nyakudyano and one Richard and Silas, who are still at large.
They approached the complainant (name not supplied) who was seated in his car, a silver Toyota Allion and began assaulting him accusing him of illegally dealing in foreign currency.
The court heard that Kambanje dragged the complainant out of his car and teamed up with his accomplices to assault him.
They allegedly searched him and stole US$20 000 and $420 before the complainant fired a warning shot causing the gang to flee.
However, Kambanje was apprehended with the assistance of the public and was taken to Kuwadzana Police Station.
By A Correspondent- An eight-month pregnant woman and mother of seven gave a crowd the fright at the Tredgold Court pavement when she threatened to kill both herself and her unborn baby on the spot by jumping into the busy Fort Street on Wednesday.
Not only did the small crowd fear for her life, but they feared she was going to induce early labour for her unborn baby.
Thabitha Mutizira was drawn to court that morning to seek legal advice after she learned that her baby daddy Raymond M Stoddart had taken their two-year-old daughter without her permission, defying a 2019 court ruling.
“We separated around 2018 and the court gave me custody of our daughter last year in February. He could only see the child on weekends and he was supposed to be paying maintenance. He never did any of that. When I asked for money, his friends would harass me. I ended up selling firewood and everything I could with the baby strapped on my back,” said the weeping Mutizira.
Mutizira said she met a new man and got married last year. They stay in Cowdray Park and when her pregnancy started getting bigger, she took her daughter to her mother in Gutu and her other six children to their respective fathers who agreed to co-parent.
“I called my mother over the weekend to tell her that I was going to send food for my child but she told me that Stoddart had come with police officers to her house on Thursday and snatched my daughter away from her,” she said in between sobs.
The people who were gathered around the distraught mother advised her to report to the police as they feared she was going to harm her unborn baby. As people gave up and began to disperse, Mutizira got up from the pavement in between parked cars and ran to the road in a bid to jump in front of a moving vehicle. However, she was quickly apprehended by people who were able to notice her motives.
That didn’t sit well with the heavily pregnant mother of seven as she hastily threw down her belongings and dramatically fell to the ground where she started rolling and hysterically crying even louder.
Police officers from the Tredgold Court came to the scene and escorted her inside the building. She was advised to gather and bring all her documents from the previous cases that she had with Stoddart so that they could try to assist her. She was also told to contact Stoddart and understand how he got to take the baby without informing her.
“Later on I saw her sitting at that pavement (different side) calmly eating bananas before she got up and went towards the taxi rank,” said one of the guards that was on duty on Wednesday. -Statemedia
Jane Mlambo| At least 1350 people are arrested every month trying to skip the border into South Africa, the parliamentary committee on defence, home affairs and security services has said.
Reporting before parliament yesterday, the committee said 16187 people were arrested trying to skip the border into South Africa between January to June last year.
“Statistics submitted to the Committee showed that a total of 16 187 have been arrested for illegal crossing from January to June 2019. This is a significant number and it can be quantified that on average 1 350 people are being arrested on monthly basis,” the committee reported.
Zimbabwe is currently experience an economic haemorhage that has caused untold suffering to citizens.
In such cases, citizens end up leaving the country for greener pastures and South Africa is usually an easy route out due to the porous nature of the border.
The trumped-up treason case against the people’s Secretary-General Hon. Chalton Hwende has been postponed to Monday 2nd March at 2.15 pm.
A million thanks to all those who managed to come out in full solidarity with our esteemed MDC Secretary-General this morning.
Special thanks to the people’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa who was also at the court today.
When the case resumes on 2 March, the court is expected to make a ruling on a strong request from the defence lawyers for the case not to be postponed again and for Hon. Hwende to be placed off remand.
President ED Mnangagwa shares the dance floor with Botswana's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Unity Dow, whilst President Masisi dances with Zimbabwe's Minister of Defence, Hon OCZ Muchinguri-Kashiri during a Cocktail Reception held in honour of President ED by his counterpart pic.twitter.com/f15Oqq5AYP
By A Correspondent- Upon failure to fathom the fact that her ex-husband had moved on, when she deserted him for over a year after he lost his job, an unashamed woman has approached the courts begging for intervention.
The Dangamvura woman, Renia Marange, begged the court that Chaya Chikumu’s new wife be evicted from her matrimonial home and that she be allowed to get back with him..
Mutare magistrate Ms Nyasha Kuture presided over the matter.
Marange also told the court that Chikumu had been a violent husband thus her need for a protection order. She begged that she be let back at her Dangamvura house and that she lives peacefully with him and their children as a family, as they had been before.
“Your Worship, when the child is at fault, Chikumu takes out all the anger on me and assaults me. If an order is granted, I believe that he will be peaceful and I can then be allowed to go back to my matrimonial home.
“I was in Marange when I found that he had married a new wife. I want the court to order him to evict her so that I can go back to my house and live peacefully with my family,” explained Marange.
Chikumu, however, would not hear of Marange’s request as he told the court that it had been a year since she had abandoned him and left her matrimonial home without notice.
He denied the fact that Marange was his wife and told the court that she had since left him earlier last year after he had lost his job, claiming that he was too poor for her.
“I have already moved on, Your Worship. Marange is now my ex-wife not my current wife like she wants the court to believe.
“Your Worship, this woman left me a year ago and I begged her on countless times to come back home yet she refused. I moved on and married a new wife last month. After hearing this, Marange now wants to come back home, this is just pure jealousy,” he said.
“I lost my job and could not pay up the United States dollar debts that she had and that is when she just left without saying anything to me. Aneta nekunakirwa nenyika ochifunga imba yake (She is now tired of enjoying life elsewhere and wants back her husband). I will not have her back,” he said.
Ms Kuture granted the protection order to Marange against Chikumu. She, however, told the former that her application was not an eviction application and so she would not help her in seeking for the eviction of the latter’s wife.
Ms Kuture advised Marange to make an eviction application before the courts if she still wanted the new wife to be evicted.-Manicapost
By A Correspondent- Nkayi district in Matabeleland North is experiencing a severe drought, with over 100 000 villagers facing starvation.
Addressing journalists during a tour, district development co-ordinator Matilda Mlothswa said:
We are one of the poorest districts in the country. Our sandy soils are not good for farming and the dryness makes it difficult to access water. People are just surviving under very difficult conditions.
… The people here are hardworking when NGOs come they are eager to be helped. As a district, we are very grateful for the NGOs. We hope more will come to train us on how to empower ourselves.
Mlotshwa added that 28 out of 30 wards in Nkayi district were affected by drought.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF)-Matabeleland Enhanced Livelihoods Agriculture and Nutrition Adaptation (MELANA) project has been launched to work with communities in Nkayi, Bubi, Umguza and Umzingwane districts.
By A Correspondent- Former Zanu-PF Manicaland youth leader Mubuso Chinguno is facing criminal insult charges for allegedly broadcasting an audio message on social media, which impaired the reputation of Cabinet ministers and some party officials.
Chinguno (40) is being charged for contravening Section 95 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
He was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before senior Mutare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe.
District public prosecutor Mr Tirivanhu Mutyasira said the suspect recorded himself and shared the demeaning message on social media.
He said the message impaired the dignity of officials who include Defence Minister and Zanu PF national chairperson Oppah Muchinguri; Minister of Provincial Affairs for Manicaland Ellen Gwaradzimba; Chipinge South legislator Enock Porusingazi; former Zanu-PF Manicaland Political Commissar Simon Mapfumo and Zanu-PF Manicaland Women’s League chairperson Happiness Nyakuedzwa.
Allegations were that on a date unknown to the State, Chinguno broadcast the audio message which alleged that the quartet was working together with former Zanu-PF political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere to influence the outcome of the district coordinating committee elections.
The suspect also alleged that the complainants were planning to remove the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mike Madiro, from his post.
“Chinguno also alleged that the complainants were planning to replace Mike Madiro with people aligned to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
“His actions portrayed the complainants as factionalists thereby seriously impairing their dignity,” said Mr Mutyasira.
Chinguno was remanded out of custody to March 4.-Statemedia
By A Correspondent- Tocky Vibes has rubbished claims by a Glendale man that he is his father.
Born John Vashico, the self-confessed HIV positive grandpa, has become the talk of the farming community in Glendale and surrounding farms for his miserable lifestyle amid claims that he is Tocky’s father.
Known for hopping from place to place, begging for leftovers in homes, funerals and even public places, Vashico is in serious need of help even psychological help, if Tocky’s story is anything to go by.
A Local publication spoke to the old man to hear the story that he has preached as gospel truth to the whole of Glendale. He claimed to have fathered 10 other children beside Tocky and also confessed to neglecting them.
Speaking at his compound at Fox Farm, which is on the verge of decimation following the encroaching of East-view suburb, Vashico said misery was now his middle name.
“I have been living in poverty for the greater part of my life despite being blessed with n biological children who are living large.
Some are in Harare, Mazowe, and Chitungwiza, but they are no longer care for me. I know I neglected them at some point, but I’m really sorry for what happened,” he said.
Asked how he was surviving, the frail-looking Vashico said:
“I move around collecting leftovers at funerals, homes and public places like bars and even at the bus terminus in bins.
“ sell some of the leftovers like sadza to those breeding pigs for ZWL10 a bucket. If I get nice stuff from the leftovers, I also eat some for survival. I have been leading this life for a while and when I heard that you were coming here, I said ‘the Lord has heard my prayers but to be honest, it’s not easy for an old man with 11 children and of course, several grandchildren to be leading such a shameful life.”
CULTURAL EFFECT Asked why he neglected his children, he blamed it on cultural beliefs which give mothers full control of the children. Originally, I am from Malawi and full responsibility of children used to be given to mothers. We were only there to give them children and provide here and there, but things have changed now.
During our time when we were very religious, we used to take some of the beliefs seriously, but it’s no longer the same as compared to the old days when the culture was still culture,” he said.-Statemedia
Two South African citizens working on a Japanese cruise ship have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, known as the coronavirus, the health ministry said on Friday.
“The South African government has been made aware by Japanese authorities through the South African embassy in Tokyo, that there were 12 South African crew members working on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship when it was affected by Covid-19.
“On 25 February 2020, we were informed by the Japanese authorities that two of these South Africans tested positive for Covid-19. They are currently being treated in Japan and the latest reports indicate that they are currently asymptomatic,” the ministry said in a statement.
“At this stage, it is most appropriate that the Covid-19 confirmed South African citizens should be treated in Japan until they are fully recovered from the virus and are no longer contagious before they travel further.
“For the remaining 10, they will be permitted to disembark the ship as per the instructions of their employer after they test negative for coronavirus, be subjected to a further 14-day quarantine in Japan, then further tested thereafter to determine if they may be cleared for travel.
“South Africa will continue to monitor the situation closely and maintain contact with the government of Japan in order to keep the public informed.”
Disembarkation in a phased approach
The cruise ship arrived in the Japanese Port of Yokohama with 3 700 people on board. On February 1, it was announced that a patient who had disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25 had tested positive for the coronavirus.
This led to a quarantine period on board the ship that ended on February 19. It was only at then that the South African government was informed of the situation.
According to the ministry, passengers and crew on board are being tested for the coronavirus. To date, 705 have tested positive and these patients have been transferred off the ship for medical assistance.
“The disembarkation process of unaffected passengers has been a phased approach whereby passengers are released after testing negative for Covid-19. The ship company has indicated that the disembarkation of passengers is a priority and that crew members will be allowed to disembark after all passengers have disembarked,” the ministry said.
On Friday, Nigeria announced the first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa, AFP reported.
The affected person is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan earlier this week, Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said in a statement on Twitter.
“The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos,” Ehanire said.
Meanwhile, Michael Yao, WHO’s head of emergency operations in Africa, notes that some countries on the continent “have the minimum to start with – they’re not starting from scratch”.
“We know how fragile the health system is on the African continent and these systems are already overwhelmed by many ongoing disease outbreaks, so for us it is critical to detect earlier so that we can prevent the spread.”
The WHO is also sending kits to 29 laboratories on the continent to ensure they have the capacity to deal with the virus and also help test samples from other countries if needed.
However it’s hoped that by later this month at least 36 African countries will be equipped to carry out tests specific to the coronavirus.
The ability of African nations to properly diagnose cases “depends on the new reagents being made available from China and Europe,” says Dr Yao. – News24/BBC
By A Correspondent- The catfights between former celebrity couple Tytan Skhokho and Olinda Chapel seem far from over after the two yesterday went for each other in a public spat that left social media in meltdown.
Tytan was accusing his former wife of trying to infect him with HIV and abusive behaviour while the latter rebutted the claims.
This was after Tytan lifted the lid on the alleged abuse he suffered at the hands of his estranged wife, whom he accused of physical violence and narrated how he had to put up at a friend’s house after he had been locked out of their home.
Tytan, who filed for divorce at the High Court in Harare early this month, said at first he tolerated the abuse as he thought Olinda was just doing so out of jealous.
In a recorded interview with his lawyer, Rumbidzayi Bvunzawabaya on the Rumbidzai Show, posted on various social media sites yesterday, Tytan shared his experiences while living with Olinda in the United Kingdom, in which he claimed they had arguments during which the latter would push him, provoke fights and lock him out.
“I tried to get back in and she refused to open the door for me and asked me to go away. I didn’t understand that, I couldn’t go to our neighbours because I didn’t want them to know what’s going on so I had to rush to a nearby park to find solace,” he said.
“I was kicked out of the house eight times for different reasons and I got to know that it was, not because of the pregnancy because even before she was, I could get those episodes.”
He said she told him that she wanted him out of the United Kingdom and back in Zimbabwe.
Tytan said he wanted to end the relationship in September 2017, but they agreed to reconcile with the understanding that Olinda would have “to deal with her anger”.
“Initially, it was more of verbal abuse, especially when there are friends and relatives. A lot of people started to withdraw from working with me as I didn’t have financial freedom and didn’t have control,” he recalled.
“When I came here and went to the shops, she would just say what took you so long? I didn’t leave the relationship because I was in love and I thought love made things hard and there was a lot of compromising. We did try to solve the issue and there was a pastor who would help us, but we reached a dead end.”
Tytan said when he first made a police report, the police wanted him to press charges against Olinda, but he discounted that option because he thought her strange behaviour was linked to pregnancy.
He, however, said he suspected Olinda was trying to infect him with HIV after going through her maternity book.
In a Facebook telephone interview with Aunty Jenny’s Lounge, Olinda, however, said Tytan always took her to hospital and made sure she took her medicine.
“He is the one who would drive me to the hospital, he is the one who would be near me but now he is using all that as a weapon against me,” she said.
“There is a time when the people at the hospital said this man is taking advantage. He is the one who used to even take me to hospital and tell me that it is time to take your medication; he has been holding me prisoner all this while and using that as a form of psychological abuse.”
She described Tytan as “a serial cheater”, who bed-hopped with other women while she was in hospital.
“If I wronged him, he must go and report to the police. How come I have not been arrested by the police? He has been using this as a weapon against me, the desperation to seek papers is really shocking,” she said, adding that she would take legal action against both Tytan and Bvunzawabaya.-Newsday
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of privilege is that in the past two weeks the Minister of Primary and Secondary education announced the hike of 2020 examination fees. As Hon. Members of this august House, we expressed reservations. Yesterday he spoke about one particular group of Zimbabwean people who are expected to be taxed 2%. We asked whether it is the only sector which has an army or the army is a national army. If one sector is taxed then that brings instability. However, if this is generalised, for example AIDS Levy affects everyone. If only civil servants are taxed despite the increment they received …
*THE HON. SPEAKER: How is this affecting the rights of Hon. Members like you?
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Mr. Speaker Sir, this brings instability and this could lead to unnecessary demonstrations so I would like the Hon. Minister to come and brief this House what this means and to explain why just a portion is being taxed whilst the rest are not taxed. As people who led trade unions at one point, we believe that this might lead to instability. So the Minister should come and explain why only civil servants, yet the military is not only for civil servants but it is a national army. I believe that the nation should be there for the army.
As is often the case now context of my views is manipulated to perpetuate certain agendas but To be clear I do not purport to be in a position to accept an apology on the masses behalf Nor can anyone ever do so!Equally YES,Ndebeles were the intended targets of the Genocide! pic.twitter.com/GPXyeKe9AG
In silence, onlookers walked past his body sprawled beneath a wanted poster offering $30,000 for him, dead or alive.
New twist.
ZIMBABWE, THE WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING CROP ECONOMY SUDDENLY CRASHED FOLLOWING MNANGAGWA’S PRONOUNCEMENTS
By Staff Correspondent| ZIFA’s spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela has responded to allegations by some quarters in Matebeleland who attack him saying that he is the son of the notorious so called dissident, Ranson or Richard Gwesela.
Gwesela is an infamous “immortal” character who the Zimbabwean military claimed they were after between 1983 and 1987 when they continued to kill civilians until more than 22,000 people were massacred. He was immortal for a whole 4 years and only “killed” when ZANU PF now wanted to sign a unity accord with Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU party in 1987.
Thousands of people sensationally flocked to a police station in Gweru on the 18th November 1987 for a glimpse of the bullet-riddled corpse of Zimbabwe’s most wanted “fugitive.”
Zimbabwe Republic Police say Richard Gwesela, a former guerrilla fighter, was a gang leader who terrorized the people of two provinces for four years.
Gwesela was alleged to have murdered 20 people in the Midlands and neighbouring Matabeleland provinces. He also was said to have raped women and robbed villagers.
In silence, onlookers walked past his body sprawled beneath a wanted poster offering $30,000 for him, dead or alive.
The state media said Gwesela was the country’s most wanted man, and was killed in a gunbattle with Zimbabwean security forces near Gweru “on Sunday,” earlier.
His death was reported for the first time three days later, on the Wednesday. There were no independent investigations to confirm the state media report.
His mother and an uncle identified the corpse as Gwesela, and police fingerprints confirmed the identity, according to the state media report.
″Gwesela had killed more than 20 people since he started operating in the area,″ Enos Nkala, home affairs minister in charge of police, told reporters. ″Now he is going to join them, whether in heaven or hell, we don’t know,” he said.
NEW TWIST.
33 years later, some Mthwakazi activists have begun claiming ZIFA’s Gwesela was rewarded the sports job for a sterling role the supposed father played as an insider who staged for Emmerson Mnangagwa during Gukurahundi in order to kill civilians, pursuing Emmerson Mnangagwa’s terror operation to kill people under the guise of flushing out dissidents.
One activist makes the above chilling allegations (pic).
Responding however, ZIFA’s Mr Xolisani Gwesa told ZimEye, the so called Gwesela was not even a real Gwesela.
He said: “This writer is waffling. I am shocked by these ghastly falsehoods.
“I am the son of the late Chief Gwesela whose real name was Cornelius Nobody Gwesela Ndebele who died in 1996.He was never a dissident. The so called “dissident Gwesela” was never a Gwesela and his real name was Zedious Mangena.
“I am holder of a Masters Degree in Media and Society studies, Post grad Diploma in Media , Bsc Honours degree , Diploma in Management and Diploma in Sport Management.
“I have over 15 years experience in media management and sport management and events coordination. I joined Zifa purely on merit.
“The Gweselas are also from Zhombe and not Lower Gweru. The Gweselas are also from Zhombe and not Lower Gweru.”
ZIMBABWE, THE WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING CROP ECONOMY SUDDENLY CRASHED FOLLOWING MNANGAGWA’S PRONOUNCEMENTS
Rhodesia, was once the worst hit African economy by both United Nations sanctions and a debilitating 14 year running civil war from within, and yet by 1976, it had been hailed as the world’s fastest growing crop economy. So what really went wrong? Soon after 1980, it was handed over to Robert Mugabe and his state security minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, who less than 3 years later launched a military crackdown against civilians who he personally described as cockroaches who must be wiped out using DDT. That operation destroyed the economy in ways exactly similar to the recent 1 Aug 2018 military crackdown (which the Finance Ministry has told The Motlanthe Commission has cost the nation USD16 billion.) Zimbabwe’s economy began crumbling following Mnangagwa’s words on the 4th April 1983:
“Blessed are they who will follow the path of the Government laws, for their days on earth will be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents for we will certainly shorten their stay on earth.”
As Minister of State Security, Mnangagwa was in charge of the brutal massacre of more than 22 000 Ndebele. He labeled dissidents ‘cockroaches’ and the killers of the Fifth Brigade army unit as ‘DDT,’ an insecticide.
Economy data shows how the country’s GDP crashed down following the operation, and effects were immediately felt from 1983 all the way to 1985.
Fast forward to the period 2004 – 2018 more evidence shows the correlation between economic performance and the rule of law, specifically human rights adherence.
A UK based academic investigates human rights violations and economic decline. In the graphs below revealed by ZimEye.com, it is displayed that for instance in the 14 years since 2004, investor interest has either risen or declined in a direct consequential correlation with Human Rights. Dr Admore Tshuma from Kent University was asked by SABC: What were you aiming to achieve?, and he answered as follows: “the study is a socio-economic perspective. The study explores how the future in South Africa may unfold if expropriation of land without compensation goes ahead. “The aim is not to take a side in this argument, but to unpack the perspective, of human rights and economic paradigms. This is the first time that such a question has been examined by social science using an objectively collected data. The main aim is not to diminish claims for redistribution of land, but to highlight the detriment of the expropriation of land without compensation. “In this study I am very mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of land and I am also aware that there is little consensus of what benefit expropriation of land will produce for South Africa.
“Hence the basic aim is to suggest an alternative and progressive policy on what could constitute an economically sensible cause of action if South Africa is to pursue.
“In this case Zimbabwe remains an empirical case study, for such a social policy, a public policy. The primary focus in this study is to illustrate the interaction between human rights and the economy, also to highlight the model of retributive Justice in response to growing calls for the land question in South Africa as what happened in Zimbabwe.
“And some of my objectives basically are to raise awareness of the potential long term social economic harm that may result in the expropriation of land, it is also to show the interaction, the inter-twinement … the globalisation of the world, how world nation states have become smaller: how the international law has become supreme…part of what I am looking into, and basically the project in the end, it demonstrates the growing recognition that deep-rooted problems of Human Rights violation… are most likely to affect the economy, it is a very broad subject…”
Arsenal crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday when Olympiakos scored a last-minute goal at the end of extra-time at the Emirates.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a stunning goal to put the Gunners 2-1 up on aggregate with minutes to spare.
But it was late heartache when Youssef El-Arabi netted the goal that pulled it to 2-2 with the visitors going through on away goals.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a stunner for Arsenal
The Gunners made hard work of the match at the Emirates and failed to score in normal time.
They thought they had the goal they needed in the first half when Granit Xhaka threaded a pass through to Saka, who fired a low ball for the France striker to tap in. However, the young left-back mistimed his run and was correctly ruled offside.
Olympiakos took the lead in the 53rd minute when Pape Abou Cisse was left unmarked to head home from six yards out and level the tie.
Pape Abou Cisse scored for Olympiakos against Arsenal
The Gunners probed for the goal that would send them through but could not break down the Olympiakos defence.
The match headed into extra-time where Aubameyang scored a stunning bicycle kick and thought he had sealed the tie.
El-Arabi stabbed in from six yards out in the final minute of extra-time to send Olympiakos through to the last-16.
Arsenal captain Aubameyang then missed a sitter from six yards out in the final chance of the game but somehow failed to hit the target as the match ended 2-1.
It was far easier for Manchester United who comfortably made it through to the last-16 of the Europa League with a 6-1 aggregate win over Club Brugge.
United were on the front foot from the start and had three good chances in the opening three minutes.
Odion Ighalo scored his first goal for Manchester United
Harry Maguire saw an effort cleared off the line before Juan Mata was denied by Simon Mignolet and Bruno Fernandes then had a shot tipped onto the post by the Belgian.
United were given a penalty for a blatant handball by Simon Deli, who dived to parry away Daniel James’ shot.
Deli was also shown a red card, a decision that was confirmed after a VAR review.
Scott McTominay scored on his return to the Man United team
That meant a lengthy wait for Fernandes to take the penalty, but he rolled it into the corner to give the hosts a 2-1 lead on aggregate in the 27th minute.
United doubled their lead in the 34th minute, Ighalo marking his first start with a first goal for the club.
It was put on a plate by Mata, who beat the offside trap to meet Fernandes’ clever pass and pulled the ball across goal for Ighalo to hook in.
United surely booked their place in the next round when the returning McTominay made it 3-0 in the 41st minute.
Play VideoWolves are favourites to win Europa League over Man United and Arsenal, says Jamie O’Hara – ‘They’re an absolutely amazing team’
The hosts were running rings around their 10-man opponents and Fred teed up McTominay for a precise shot into the bottom corner, leaving Mignolet motionless.
United probed for a fourth during the second half and found it in the 82nd minute when substitute Jesse Lingard teed up Fred for a simple side-foot finish.
There was still time for another United goal, Fred producing arguably the best finish of the night, curling the ball into the corner from Chong’s pull-back in stoppage time.
Wolves booked their place in the last-16 of the Europa League earlier in the evening as they saw off Espanyol 6-3 on aggregate.
Nuno Espirito Santo was afforded the luxury of resting some key players with a 4-0 advantage from the first leg and comfortably went through to the next round despite a 3-2 defeat on the night.
Espanyol opened the scoring in the 16th minute to give them hope of staging a mammoth comeback.
The hosts worked the ball down the left and Adria Pedrosa fired in a first-time cross for former West Ham striker Jonathan Calleri to finish off.
Espanyol’s hopes were all-but killed off when Adama Traore levelled for Wolves six minutes later.
Daniel Podence found the winger in the area, whose first touch ricocheted off the home defender and back, before squeezing into the bottom corner.
Wolves led 5-1 on aggregate and, with their away goal, meant the Spanish outfit needed five goals to progress.
Espanyol regained the lead from the penalty spot in the 57th minute with Calleri coolly slotting home his second goal.
Max Kilman was the culprit for a high foot on David Lopez, with Marco Guida pointing to the spot.
Calleri sent Rui Patricio the wrong way with the Spanish side needing four more goals to progress.
Wolves equalised once again with 11 minutes remaining to effectively seal their place in the Europa League last 16.
A quick throw-in caught out the Espanyol defence as Podence sprinted free down the left wing before firing a low ball for Matt Doherty to tap in at the far post.
Calleri then completed his hat-trick in added time to make it 3-2 but it proved too little too late.
Europa League last-32 results:
Basel 1-0 Apoel Nicosia (Agg 4-0)
Espanyol 3-2 Wolves (Agg 3-6)
Porto 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen (Agg 2-5)
Istanbul Basaksehir 4-1 Sporting Lisbon (Agg 5-4 AET)
The Public Service Commission (PSC) yesterday said Government could increase to $200 million the low interest loan facility for civil servants as the employer commits to improving the welfare of employees.
Cabinet on Wednesday announced the Government Employees Mutual Savings (GEMS) fund and said it would inject $100 million seed capital for the project. The loan facility is meant to promote savings for Government employees as they would get value for their money once a need arises.
In a statement yesterday, PSC Permanent Secretary Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe said the GEMS initiative would not be forced on employees. He said those who participate in the loan facility will have 2,5 percent deducted from their salaries.
Ambassador Wutawunashe also said the PSC was working on modalities for operationalisation of Garrison Shops for the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Zimbabwe Police Service and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service to ensure they access basic commodities.
“These Garrison Shops are based on a self-financing model as they entail selling of goods to customers. Logistical arrangements relating to the operationalisation of Garrison Shops are being worked out,” he said.
Ambassador Wutawunashe said while uniformed forces would get cheaper products at Garrison shops, the rest of the civil servants will benefit from Silo shops which will also provide affordable goods.
Misheck Ugaro|The currency question poses a headache for the authorities. Through several policy measures starting from statutory instruments 32 and 142 of 2019, followed by a battery of other directives, the authorities have attempted to establish a mono-currency regime using a local currency called the RTGS dollar (Zimbabwean dollar).
The objective was to enhance control over policy through currency sovereignty. This was premised on an anticipated achievement of stabilisation of economic fundamentals, including inflation, exchange rate, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, containing budget and current account deficits and productivity.
By year-end, the country suspended the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) before the planned timeframe since some targets were missed due to various factors, both internal and exogenous, including shocks such as drought and Cyclone Idai.
Despite the suspension of the TSP, the authorities proceeded with the installation of the Zimbabwean dollar as the only legal tender for all local transactions in a process now termed de-dollarisation.
The United States dollar became outlawed. Economists’ opinions varied on this policy direction, with three main schools of thought emerging.
On one extreme was the support of an outright installation of the Zimbabwean dollar with full de-dollarisation. On the other extreme was the thinking that the country was not yet ready for the establishment of the Zimbabwean dollar.
They argued for a full adoption of the US dollar away from the multi-currency basket. Yet there was middle-ground thinking that advocated a dual currency approach as a building step towards full de-dollarisation over a period of time, affording the Zimbabwean dollar time to gain market confidence and acceptance.
This line of thought varied on the twinning currency. Some argued for the US dollar, while others, for good reasons, argued for the South African rand. The author is persuaded to concur with this latter school of thought.
For a while it appeared as if the authorities had aimed at pegging the Zimbabwean dollar against the rand, as it traded range-bound around parity, especially in the last quarter. However, for the first two months of 2020, the local unit has slid, as the rate went up on both the interbank and parallel markets to ZW$17,9: US$1 and ZW$30:US$1 respectively. This begs the questions: what has gone wrong and what has caused this sudden slip?
Answers are not readily available and matters are not helped by the recently announced Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) released by the governor of the Reserve Bank on February 17, 2020. At best, the statement is ambiguous on the actual policy direction relating to currency. There are mixed signals that can be gleaned from the statement.
Apart from the declining month-on-month inflation, closing the year at 16,6%, the consistent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) position on promoting private sector credit and the forecast positive outlook to GDP growth of 3,2% in 2020, there are not more positives that support the success of a mono-currency policy direction.
Forecast GDP for 2019 is a contraction of 6,5%. There is no official annual inflation figure. Estimates indicate it at 521%. The statement could not be more ambiguous by denominating most of the critical data in US dollar.
The following are worrying points of note:
l The authorities celebrated the perceived increase in local currency-denominated transactions up to ZW$459 million from ZW$189 million, but seem to lose sight of the fact that this is due to inflation, as well as the exchange rate, as local prices track exchange rates. This does not signify an acceptance of the currency as the statement seems to imply;
l Prevarication on currency direction by granting exemptions and maintaining direct subsidies disguised as strategic. These effectively weaken the unified interbank market concept. Some operators are allowed to trade in foreign currency. In fact, as the statement was being released, one petroleum company was announcing it would be availing fuel in foreign currency.
Of particular note is that most fast-food outlets, in fact, average up to a third of their daily sales in US dollars. For instance, at Mvuma, sales are almost 100% foreign currency, with cross-border clientele — about 90% of it being rand;
l While the statement reveals that the move onto local currency is supposed to be gradual over five years, this is not in line with Statutory Instrument 142, which was abrupt and immediate. The question is whether the authorities are now in doubt of the policy direction; and
l There is notable lack of confidence in the Zimbabwean dollar shown in the statement. The bank capital levels are all benchmarked against the US dollar. We highlight this as a sign of either a lack of confidence on inflation and value preservation or commitment to the local currency.
Money supply growth for 2019 was a staggering 250%, closing the year at ZW$35 billion. This is a hint that the authorities may not be able to contain money supply growth within the targeted 60% for 2020. An out of control money supply growth leads to unstable exchange rates and inflation in that order.
The MPS actually proves that the country has not de-dollarised. It is, therefore, a misnomer to talk of any re-dollarisation because there was never a de-dollarisation anyway. The correct description of the current scenario is that the country is using dual currency (Zimbabwean dollar and US dollar).
A simple survey in the main trading hubs shows that the US dollar and the Zimbabwean dollar are the two currencies in use. The US dollar is taken as a store of value (but not banked), while the Zimbabwean dollar is a currency of convenience in arbitraging it off the US dollar when transacting (They call it ‘burning’ in market lingo).
The Zimbabwean dollar is not wanted for savings, but to take advantage of the exchange rate. The authorities should adopt the dictates of the market and clear all ambiguities and achieve consistency to gradually build confidence on it based on this partial acceptance evidenced through the burning principle.
The market seems to find value in burning the local currency as a commodity. The authorities are thus urged to exploit this idea, initially allow it to trade alongside the US dollar and gradually grow demand for the Zimbabwean dollar over time by promoting its competitiveness. An equilibrium point can be established over time, where the value of the Zimbabwean dollar ceases to be just for burning, but to store value as well. De-commoditise it.
Our recommendations for the way forward for the authorities to consider include but not limited to:
l Acknowledge that Zimbabwe is using dual currencies (US dollar and Zimbabwean dollar). Accept that all prices have been indexed, as the authorities have rightly done too on bank capital thresholds, to the US dollar, so everything must follow in tandem, including salaries and wages;
l While the salary question has an impact on the civil service bill and fiscus, long-term benefits are stability and confidence on the local unit if its value can track the twinned currency and can store wealth;
l Consider, in addition to the currency swap route, adopting a currency board with a chosen trading partner currency. An abrupt adoption of the local unit is naturally bound to face resistance and fail, given fresh memories of past experiences;
l Case study the various Sadc countries around Zimbabwe that have dual currency regimes and which apparently work well, examples being Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and Swaziland; and
l Abolish the export retention thresholds and accord all export earnings the same status as free funds to generate confidence in the assurance that funds will not be tapered with. This will attract more diaspora inflows into the formal market, as well as encourage exporters to sell funds freely on the interbank market.
Our final recommendation goes beyond the monetary authorities. It is apparent that the Reserve Bank has no confidence in controlling money supply and we suspect it is because of the country’s political situation. Our view is for an honest evaluation on whether it is not prudent to suspend elections so that all talk must be on economics.
Zimbabwe may not need elections for now and the focus should be on reviving the economy. In any case, we already have a significant portion of the population that is helping keep this nation afloat but are not participating in the elections. This is the Diaspora vote.
The actual inflow stream from this line is above the official US$635 million for 2019 and represents a significant contribution to why the country has not yet imploded Somalia-style (barring the recent machete gangs). In fact, the official increase in the 2019 inflows to US$635 million from USS619 million is a sign of support from abroad due to the increasing difficulties. We should refocus our priorities.
“It’s the economy, Stupid!” — Bill Clinton.
Ugaro is a former expatriate banker based in several Sadc countries and currently works as a Corporate Advisory Services Consultant. He is the founder of Rucabel Investments Private Limited, an investment company based in Zimbabwe. and is a member, as well as past vice-president of the Zimbabwe Economics Society. These weekly New Perspectives articles are coordinated by Lovemore Kadenge, immediate past president of the Zimbabwe Economics Society (ZES) .
A private daily has written claiming that the MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has changed political strategies on dialogue.
It said he has all but dumped foreign-meditated talks with his nemesis, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, preferring a home-grown solution to the current economic and political crises facing the country.
Former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki was in the country in December to nudge Mnangagwa and Chamisa into an inclusive dialogue and had promised to be back in three weeks, but has not returned to date.
The article however has lumps of completely unrelated comments lifted from an MDC Youth Assembly function and slammed against those of their party leader Nelson Chamisa, the result which appears as if he is now been opposed by his own youth members.
Another observation is that the article has a direct sting towards the condemned Political Actors Dialogue, inferring that Chamisa has finally bowed down to Emmerson Mnangagwa’s “45 Degree Presidency.”
In his keynote address at the launch of the Principles of Reliable Inclusive and Credible Elections in Zimbabwe symposium organised by local think-tank, Sapes Trust in Harare yesterday, Chamisa said the country could not out-source solutions as local leaders had to sit down and find home-grown solutions. “We are there to solve our own problems. We have the answers to our problems. We can’t have South Africa solving our problems, it has its own problems to take care of,” said Chamisa, who had earlier warmed up to Mbeki mediation efforts.
“Americans can’t have a solution for this country as it has its own domestic problems to solve. We can’t out-source solutions for this country. I have heard people talking of President Mbeki saying this and that. We should solve our own problems.”
It then rushes to say: but MDC youths yesterday said the time was now ripe to fight Mnangagwa’s government for implementing unpopular policies that were causing untold suffering to the people of Zimbabwe.
Addressing a Press conference in Harare, MDC youth spokesperson Stephen Chuma said the economic decay in the country had reached a crescendo and the youths were mobilising Zimbabweans to act against Mnangagwa.
He said Zimbabwe was now an epicentre of a regional crisis.
“Zimbabwe is in a crisis. The level of the roads and economic decay has reached a new crescendo.
The country has virtually become a jail with every citizen in prison,” Chuma said. – Newsday
President Cyril Ramaphosa has on Thursday called on all South Africans living in Wuhan, China, to come back home as fears mount over the continuous spread of the coronavirus.
More than 78,000 cases of the respiratory disease have been recorded including two cases in Africa.
In a statement released on Thursday night, Ramaphosa said the decision followed several requests from South Africans living in Wuhan – the Chinese city considered to be the epicentre of the virus.
“It is estimated that there are 199 South Africans citizens in Wuhan as per the latest consolidated list from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. At this stage, 132 of them have expressed the desire to be repatriated.”
The president said government was in touch with their families and that necessary arrangements to have them flown back have been made.
“None of the affected individuals has been diagnosed with the virus nor have they exhibited any symptoms thereof. Upon arrival in South Africa, they will be placed in quarantine for 21 days as an additional precautionary measure.”
The World Health Organisation declared the virus a global public health emergency last month and has now warned the international community to brace itself for a pandemic.
Zimbabwean economist Eddie Cross has asked why Zimbabweans are complaining so much because as far as he is concerned the country is on the road back to prosperity and growth but this is not going to be quick, easy or without pain.
Writing on his personal blog today, a day after the International Monetary Fund said Zimbabwe’s economic reform programme was now off track, Cross says the turbulence that Zimbabwe is going through is not unique to the country.
“My own feelings are that we have made real progress in the past year or so in the task of setting Zimbabwe on the road back to prosperity and growth. But it is not going to be quick, easy or without pain,” he says.
“When I say this to friends they regard me with that look that basically says – you again, the forever optimist! I counter this with two arguments – please show me anyone who ever really achieved anything without optimism – optimism in their own capacity and in achievement of the task that they had taken on.
“My second illustration comes from our guerrilla war, would my sceptics go into battle with leadership that did not believe they could fight and survive? Of course not, it is an essential feature of leadership that we believe in what we are doing and what we are going to achieve.”
Cross lists some of the things that Zimbabwe has achieved so far as a realistic budget where the country achieved a surplus as opposed to perennial deficits.
He says the government managed to reduce the size of its salary bill from almost 100 percent of government revenue to less than 40 percent.
He says the country is de-dollarising and not re-dollarising as some argue.
“We have formalised the use of the RTGS dollar and our paper currency and today over 90 per cent of all transactions are made in these currencies in domestic markets,” he says.
“The talk of re-dollarisation is simply a lack of understanding, we are de-dollarising our economy but recognising this will take years, not months.
“We have to re-establish confidence in our own currency and our ability to protect and maintain its real value. So long as people think it is not a safe vehicle for savings, people will retreat to the US dollar as a store of value – just like gold in previous centuries.
“The reality is that there is much more US dollar cash in our economy than our own currency. We are trying to remedy that but it takes nearly a year to get a new currency designed and printed and put into circulation. In the meantime, the existing currency actually trades at a 30 per cent premium in local markets over the RTGS dollar.
“It is even widely traded in neighbouring States. So the State has decided to slow down the process of de-dollarisation and to allow people to use their own foreign funds on the domestic market. This will tap into the very considerable volume of hard currency that is being traded in the informal economy and assist us in meeting demand for essential imports.”
He, however, notes that Zimbabwe will not make real progress until people believe that these changes are real and will not be reversed.
“Only then will we start to behave differently and invest in our own future,” he said.
Full Blog:
Just for the Record
Right now most Zimbabweans are deep in a slew of despair. My father who died at the age of 83 said to me once that he could never remember a time when things were what you could call ‘normal’. We were always in some sort of crisis.
He saw the market crash in the 1930’s, then the Second World War, then the Federation and its breakup. Then the liberation war and sanctions and the Robert Mugabe era. Thank goodness he was not around for the collapse here in 2000 to 2008, or the subsequent changes in 2017/18. It just never seems to stop.
But we tend to forget that life on this beautiful, but turbulent planet, has always been like this. Jesus once said ‘In the World, you will have tribulation’, not maybe, ‘will’. So why are we sitting around complaining with our lot? We should expect little else and learn how to thrive despite the conditions around us. The quote above goes on to say ‘but, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’
Sceptics would say that there is little evidence of this in our world but in many respects the saying is true, in the middle of all this turbulence, we can know ‘the peace that passes all understanding’ and discover that ‘He’ really does ‘give us our daily bread’.
My own feelings are that we have made real progress in the past year or so in the task of setting Zimbabwe on the road back to prosperity and growth. But it is not going to be quick, easy or without pain.
When I say this to friends they regard me with that look that basically says – you again, the forever optimist! I counter this with two arguments – please show me anyone who ever really achieved anything without optimism – optimism in their own capacity and in achievement of the task that they had taken on.
My second illustration comes from our guerrilla war, would my sceptics go into battle with leadership that did not believe they could fight and survive? Of course not, it is an essential feature of leadership that we believe in what we are doing and what we are going to achieve.
So just what has been achieved in the past year in Zimbabwe? I list the following which in my view constitute real progress and essential building blocks for the future:
In 2019 we adopted a national budget that, for the first time since the GNU provided for a fiscal deficit that was below 3 per cent of the GDP. We then went on the turn the year end with a substantial fiscal surplus. When you cast your mind back to 2018 when we were running a budget with a 40 per cent deficit of expenditure over income. Observers thought Mthuli Ncube was a ‘magic man’. At the same time the Ministry of Finance imposed strict controls on all State expenditure and enforced this new discipline across the board.
We have got our Government salary bill under control, reduced employment in many areas and we are now spending less than 40 per cent of all State revenues on salaries – against nearly 100 per cent in 2018. We have enforced Public Sector management reforms including limiting the tenure of all key staff to two terms, introduced performance targets for all Ministries and State enterprise and limited participation in the Boards of over 100 SOE’s and other State controlled entities.
We have conducted a complete review of all Government liabilities and consolidated these for management purposes. Our total consolidated external debts amount to US$14.3 billion. That might sound like a lot of money but what astounds me is the fact that the original sum borrowed was only US$4,2 billion, the rest is interest and penalties. My own view is that we can handle these debts without difficulty even if we get no assistance from the international community. I was astounded that the World Bank is charging us 10 per cent interest – in USD that is just ridiculous. This is more serious in real terms than sanctions. If China had been subject to such penalty interest rates, their evolution as a major economic player would have been impossible.
In addition to these significant achievements – all of which are recognised by the IMF, we have completely revamped the way in which we are funding Agriculture. Command Agriculture was costing us billions every year and declining in effectiveness and production – it was clearly unsustainable. What is now in place is much more accountable and targeted and will be used this winter to grow the winter irrigated crops. The new systems will then be geared up to handle the much larger summer cropping program. All we now need is to provide greater security for farmers and it is a national calamity that so little progress is being made in this area.
We have formalised the use of the RTGS dollar and our paper currency and today over 90 per cent of all transactions are made in these currencies in domestic markets. The talk of re-dollarisation is simply a lack of understanding, we are de-dollarising our economy but recognising this will take years, not months. We have to re-establish confidence in our own currency and our ability to protect and maintain its real value. So long as people think it is not a safe vehicle for savings, people will retreat to the US dollar as a store of value – just like gold in previous centuries.
The reality is that there is much more US dollar cash in our economy than our own currency. We are trying to remedy that but it takes nearly a year to get a new currency designed and printed and put into circulation. In the meantime, the existing currency actually trades at a 30 per cent premium in local markets over the RTGS dollar.
It is even widely traded in neighbouring States. So the State has decided to slow down the process of de-dollarisation and to allow people to use their own foreign funds on the domestic market. This will tap into the very considerable volume of hard currency that is being traded in the informal economy and assist us in meeting demand for essential imports.
On the exchange rate side, we are working to create a proper formal market for hard currencies but this has proved more difficult as the existing systems are so entrenched. Our Banks have not operated in these markets for many decades and will have to adjust to a market driven, open and competitive system that will be much more challenging to manage.
But gradually it is happening and the fundamentals, as I keep on saying, are sound and do not justify present informal sector levels of 25 to 30 to one. We have a balanced trade account – we are now earning enough hard currency to meet all our needs for imports.
We have now liberalised the current account and you can import what you want, all you have to do is find the local currency to buy the foreign currency to do so. The next step is to make sure you do not have to go to a dealer or trader and make private deals. You will eventually be able to go to your bank and ask them to buy foreign currency for you and then credit your own Foreign Currency Accounts.
The Government has clearly pledged that they will never again allow these private accounts to be raided. Even so many do not trust the new authorities, it will take time to rebuild confidence. I have both types of account with my own bank and for the first time I can travel abroad and pay for everything I need with a card. I have been in business for 60 years and have never been able to do that.
But we cannot make real progress until we all believe that these changes are real and will not be reversed. Only then will we start to behave differently and invest in our own future.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has proposed that Zimbabwe uses South Africa’s Orlando Stadium for its 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier match against Algeria on 29 March.
This comes after The Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned Zimbabwe from using its stadia for all international matches. The proposal to use Orlando Stadium was confirmed by ZIFA’s spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela who said the association had engaged the South African Football Association (SAFA) for permission to use the stadium. He said:
We have started the process to get a stadium and a letter is being dispatched to the South Africa Football Association (SAFA).
The decision does not lie with us. SAFA will advise what is available and then all logistics will be worked out from there.
Gwesela was also pessimistic about Zimbabwe managing to fix its ill-equipped stadia by March 15 when CAF inspectors could possibly return for further inspection.
Orlando Stadium which is located in Soweto, Johannesburg, is a 40 000-seater and is more modern compared to Zimbabwe’s main venue, the National Sports Stadium (NSS), Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo and Rufaro Stadium in Harare which have been on a decline over the years owing to neglect by authorities.
Former Warriors goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini is set to hang his boots at the end of the current ABSA Premiership where he is in the ranks of Highlands Park, it has emerged.
The 35-year old former Highlanders captain has been on the sidelines for the better part of the season, owing to injuries.
He has already informed the club of his intentions to retire while also hinting on a possible coaching career.
“I guess it’s time to hang the boots and start afresh in this game, in a different role. This could be my last season and I am happy for everything that I have achieved as a player,” said Kapini.
The goalkeeper started his professional career at Black Aces in late 90s but made a name at Bosso at the turn of millennium before moving to South Africa in 2006 to play for now defunct Platinum Stars.
He has been across Limpopo since then, playing for AmaZulu and most recently Highlands Park where is the club captain.
At international level, he was part of the Warriors squad for the 2004, 06 Afcon finals, making a total of two appearances in both editions.
THE trial of gold dealer, Baron Dube, who allegedly shot and killed a member of a rival mining gang in Esigodini following a dispute, yesterday failed to resume after the accused person was not properly served with court papers.
Dube (44) of Habane Extension township was set to appear before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva facing murder charges in connection with the death of Prince Antony Bvundura (22).
The matter was postponed to March 6 for continuation of trial with 10 more witnesses, including ballistics experts, expected to give their evidence.
So far two witnesses, including the owner of the mine, Mr Tendai Musanangura, have testified.
Dube, who is out on $2 000 bail, allegedly fatally shot Bvundura in September 2018 in the heat of a fight over a mining claim at Block 13 Atlas Mine in Esigodini.
He allegedly used a Voere 458 calibre rifle.
The shooting happened at a mine belonging to Mr Musanangura which Dube claimed to have mining rights and authority granted by the owner to occupy.
However, Mr Musanangura is denied giving Dube permission to enter his mining area.
According to court papers, it was stated that on September 26 in 2018, the deceased went to work at Block 13 Atlas Mine in Esigodini in the company of his workmates.
On the same day, Dube arranged a gang of about 20 people so that they could disperse everyone and take over the mine where there was a gold rush.
“At about 11PM, the accused person armed himself with two guns and his accomplices were carrying machetes, axes, shovels and picks. He drove to the mine using his Toyota Land Cruiser carrying his gang and on arrival at the mine, he chased away all miners, claiming he had been granted authority to operate at the mine by the owner,” read court papers.
It was stated that the deceased, who was part of a group of miners fleeing during the skirmishes, was shot and he died on the spot.
According to the postmortem results, the cause of death was a gunshot wound, heart destruction and hypovolemic shock.
Dube, through his lawyers Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners, is denying the charge, arguing that the firearm accidentally discharged after he tripped on a rock and fell down while fleeing from the mob, which was throwing stones at him.
A State witness, Mr Mkhululi Sibanda, in his testimony last year, told the court that Dube and his hired thugs chased away everyone at the mine, claiming the area was his.
Mr Musanangura also denied giving Dube permission to enter his mining area when he took to the witness stand at the commencement of the trial in November last year.
Hundreds of thousands of top selling Pilchards in tomato sauce and pilchards in chili sauce cans have been recalled from shopping centre shelves across the country.
According to the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications all formal wholesalers, retailers and informal traders have ordered to remove and stop selling the products with immediate effect.
The announcement, which dominated headlines in the last two days, was made following the outcome of the investigation which the organisation conducted that revealed a deficiency in the canning process.
The regulator said some of the cans were comprised during the sauce filling step on the production line therefore could affect the safety of consumers.
“The problem manifests itself after months of storage which cause the content of the can to react with the metal of the can. The affected products were manufactured in 2019 by West Point Processors based in Cape Town and have been distributed nationally to various retailers across the country,” the regulator said.
The products further bear the markings starting with – ZST29 and ZSC29 on top of the can for easy identification.
Below are the details of the product brands affected and the NRCS wishes to implore all consumers to return the products to any shop where they were purchased for a refund:
Deep Catch
Mammas
Prime Ocean
Spar
Sunny
Shoprite Ritebrand
Cape Point
Checkers Housebrand
U Brand
Saldanha
West Point
“Food safety is a priority for NRCS and therefore the organisation is engaging all role players to ensure that the affected products are removed from the market to protect consumers against unsafe products in line with its mandate,” the regulator said.
Furthermore, the manufacturer has already started the recall and the NRCS will continue to monitor the process with all the other wholesalers and retailers including the informal market to ensure that the process is handled efficiently.
ONE of South Africa’s canned fish brands, Lucky Star, says its products are safe for human consumption as they have not been affected by the recall of tinned pilchards supplied by West Point Processors.
Presently, there are fears that some retail outlets and homes in Zimbabwe have poisoned pilchards following a recall of a batch of the brand from a processing plant in South Africa due to a canning deficiency.
A majority of Zimbabwean consumers and retailers buy their groceries and stock in the neighbouring country.
In a statement yesterday, Luck Star said all its brands including the pilchards were not linked to the recall of pilchard products and were safe for consumption.
“Lucky Star have noted the developments around the recall of tinned pilchards produced by West Point Processors.
“The Lucky Star brand of pilchards and all Lucky Star products are in no way linked to the recall of pilchard products and are safe to eat,” it said.
“As a market leader in its category, Lucky Star is committed to producing safe quality products in processing facilities that conform to regulatory requirements and internationally recognised best manufacturing practices.”
Lucky Star said all its products are verified as safe to eat by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specification (NRCS) in South Africa.
West Point Processors, which supplies the fish, announced the recall last Saturday following a “canning deficiency” that may make the product unfit for human consumption.
The recall was only related to the 400g Pilchards in Tomato Sauce products which have the specific batch codes starting with ZST2 and ZSC2.
On Tuesday, Botswana’s government issued a statement warning its citizens to be on the look out for the condemned fish.
It said all pilchard products with the batch number ZST29 and ZSC29 on top of the can were subject to recall.
MDC Bulawayo province proportional representation Member of Parliament, Ms Dorcas Sibanda, has approached the High Court challenging her eviction from a rented house in Paddonhurst suburb over US$1 800 rental arrears, which accumulated over a period of 11 months.
The house from which Ms Sibanda was evicted belongs to former national police spokesperson Mr Wayne Bvudzijena.
Ms Sibanda was served with an eviction order in July 2018 by the Messenger of Court after Bulawayo magistrate Ms Adelaide Mbeure ruled in favour of Mr Bvudzijena under Case Number 2796/18.
Aggrieved by Ms Mbeure’s ruling, Ms Sibanda, through her lawyers Sansole and Senda Legal Practitioners, filed a notice of appeal at the Bulawayo High Court citing Mr Bvudzijena and the Messenger of Court as respondents.
In her grounds of appeal, Ms Sibanda said the lower court erred by finding that she breached the deed of settlement.
She argued that the document did not include clauses allowing Mr Bvudzijena to evict her.
In her ruling, Ms Mbeure ordered Ms Sibanda to pay Mr Bvudzijena US$1 803,73 being rental arrears and operating costs for a period extending from April 2017 to March 2018.
The magistrate also ordered Ms Sibanda to pay her landlord holdover damages of US$14 per day calculated from April 1, 2018, to the date of eviction including his legal costs.
Ms Sibanda was given up to July 2, 2018, to liquidate or settle the full debt failure of which Mr Bvudzijena was entitled to execute the judgment.
The evictions were, however, blocked following Ms Sibanda’s appeal at the High Court.
In her heads of argument, Ms Sibanda said she advanced payment to Mr Bvudzijena as per agreement.
“However, the sums which the first respondent (Mr Bvudzijena) is claiming as remaining arrears were not in existence when the parties entered into a deed of settlement. It is the appellant’s contention that there is no court order which functions in perpetuity,” argued Ms Sibanda’s lawyers.
State Media|THE confirmation of two coronavirus cases in Algeria has cast a shadow over the 2021 AFCON qualifier between the Desert Foxes and the Warriors set to be held in that North African country next month.
Zimbabwe face the African champions in a back-to-back 2021 Nations Cup qualifiers next month.
The Warriors are scheduled to travel to Algeria for the first match on March 23 before hosting the same opponents six days later.
But the return fixture has been marred by a decision by CAF to ban all stadiums in the country from hosting international matches.
However, before the Warriors can even think of hosting Algeria on a neutral venue, they should also brace for possible a battle against the Desert Foxes either outside the North African country or behind closed doors due to coronavirus.
Two Italian adults, aged 55 and 61, have tested positive of the COVID-19 infection in Algeria. The epidemic has claimed over 2768 people across the world with over 76 700 infected.
The outbreak started in China and has spread to over 11 other countries with Algeria becoming the second African country, after Egypt, to have a confirmed case.
The virus spreads quickly in crowded places and several businesses, including sports shops in China, have been closed in a bid to contain the spread of the virus which the World Health Organisation has hinted could become a global epidemic.
All sporting activities have been halted in China, where Zimbabwe international football forward Nyasha Mushekwi plies his trade, with Iran also considering to do the same.
Italy, the most affected European country, has already seen four top-flight games suspended last Sunday, including the one involving championship-chasing Inter Milan and Sampdoria.
The matches between Torino and Parma, Atalanta versus Sassuolo as well as the tie pitting Hellas Verona and Cagliari were also shelved.
A Europa last-32 second-leg match between Inter Milan and Bulgaria’s Ludogorets last night was expected to be played behind closed doors at San Siro although over 600 Bulgarians had initially been scheduled to travel to Milan for the encounter.
The Six Nations rugby match between Ireland and Italy in Dublin was this week postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Philip Browne, the head of the Irish Rugby Football Union, said in a statement that they had no option but to put the match on hold.
“Ireland vs Italy international matches should not proceed in the interests of public health,’’ read the statement.
“The IRFU is perfectly happy to comply with this instruction. We will work with Six Nations partners to look at the possibility of rescheduling those three matches and we hope to have an update on that in the coming days.
“At the outset we made it clear that the IRFU was supportive of the governments’ need to protect public health in relation to the coronavirus.’’
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also called for all sports in the country to be scrapped for two weeks in a bid to contain the spread of the virus ahead of this year’s summer Olympics.
‘’Taking into account that the next one to two weeks are extremely important in stopping the spread of infection, the government considers there to be a large risk of transmission at sports, cultural events and large gatherings of people,’’ PM Abe said.
And, in response, the Japanese sports fraternity have introduced a drastic range of self-imposed restraints to combat the spread of the virus. Sports organisations in that country have been heeding a call to postpone or cancel big events over coming weeks after 900 cases of infection were confirmed in Japan, many of which were linked to a quarantined cruise ship docked in Yokohama.
The J-League, Japan’s top soccer competition on Tuesday suspended official matches in the country.
And, it will be interesting to see what happens with the match between the Warriors and Algeria on March 23 given the confirmed cases in Algeria.
ZIFA spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela, last night said they will be guided by CAF on the way forward.
“We will stand guided by CAF on the way forwarded and, as of now, CAF have not raised any red flag,’’ said Gwesela.
‘‘We have an embassy in Algeria and they are fully aware of our match against that country.
‘‘We will see as the match draws closer and wait for guidance from CAF.’’
There are also other complications.
Some high-profile players, especially those in Europe from both sides, might decide against taking the risk to fly to Algeria, should the number of confirmed cases spike, because they could find themselves being barred from returning to their bases.
Earlier this month, Nigerian international striker, Odion Ighalo, was left behind by Manchester United, on their trip to Spain for a training camp, because the club were concerned he could be barred from entering England.
Ighalo was signed from a Chinese club last month.
“Odion will stay in Manchester, because he arrived from China in the last 14 days,” United’s manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, told MUTV.
“Because of the situation in China, we’re not sure if he’d be allowed back into England if he leaves the country again.
‘‘He’s staying here working with a personal coach, on an individual programme, and his family then can settle in England as well.
‘‘That’s a plus. Of course, he might have liked to have come with the players and get to know them, but with the risk [of border restrictions tightening], we don’t want to take that.”
Zimbabwe are second in their group with four points to their name, two behind Algeria who lead the pool which also has Botswana who have collected a single point as well as point-less Zambia who anchor the group after two round of fixtures.
State Media|Zimbabwe and Botswana are poised to sign seven agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) today when Presidents Mnangagwa and Mokgweetsi Masisi meet to mark the climax of the four-day Second Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission.
President Mnangagwa, who arrived here yesterday, will today witness the signing of the agreements and MoUs that will further strengthen relations between the two countries.
The President and his delegation was welcomed at Maun International Airport by Dr Masisi, his International Affairs and Cooperation Minister Dr Unity Dow, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Botswana Henry Mukonoweshuro and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Secretary Dr James Manzou.
Today, the two leaders are expected to meet before official proceedings scheduled for this morning.
They will co-chair today’s session and deliver their remarks before the release of a communiqué, which will mark the end of the commission.
President Mnangagwa was accompanied by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube; Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa; Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo; and Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet in Charge of Presidential Communications Mr George Charamba.
Six ministers and other senior Government officials were here since Tuesday for preliminary talks with their Motswana counterparts.
The ministers include Dr Sibusiso Moyo (Foreign Affairs and International Trade), Dr Sekesai Nzenza (Industry and Commerce), Cde Oppah Muchinguri (Defence and War Veterans Affairs), Cde Kazembe Kazembe (Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage), Cde Mangaliso Ndlovu (Environment and Tourism) and Cde Winston Chitando (Mines and Mining Development).
On arrival, President Mnangagwa held a closed meeting with his ministers for almost two hours in preparation for today’s engagements.
Relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana improved in the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa, whose engagement and re-engagement drive continues to impact positively on economic transformation.
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Since the inaugural session of the BNC in Harare in February last year, there have been several meetings between Zimbabwean and Motswana officials in pursuance of the common objectives under the upgraded relations.
Dr Dow yesterday said a lot of progress has been recorded since last year’s engagements.
“The status of MoUs and agreements between the two countries currently stands at 39, and 13 of these have been signed, with six MoUs signed during the inaugural session of the BNC in February 2019, in Harare.
“Twenty-seven (MoUs and agreements) are still pending, out of which I am happy to note that the seven are ready for signature during this session,” she told delegates to a ministerial session held yesterday.
Dr Moyo, who co-chaired the indaba with Dr Dow, concurred and commended senior officials from the two countries for working hard to lay the foundation for monitoring and implementation of the agreements and decisions.
“I am pleased to note that 13 agreements and MoUs in various fields currently exist between our two countries, with the latest signed being the MoU on combating corruption,” he said.
“Furthermore, I am informed that several agreements and MoUs are ready for signing during this BNC Session, thereby signalling an expansion of cooperation between our sister countries.”
The decision by Presidents Mnangagwa and Masisi to elevate bilateral engagements to a Bi-National Commission was in recognition of the rising scope and scale of cooperation in the different sectors of the two countries’ economies.
Cooperation between Zimbabwe and Botswana covers a wide range of areas including agriculture, energy, health, defence, security, education, culture, tourism, environment, immigration, mining, science and technology, transport, trade and industry as well as sports and recreation.
Dr Moyo said senior officials’ review meetings in-between BNC sessions were critical because they laid the building blocks for the next BNC session.
“We, therefore, expect reports on progress, not excuses for inaction,” he said.
“We also anticipate that the senior officials will introduce new ideas that breathe life into our relationship instead of being hamstrung by issues from the previous session.”
Dr Moyo said the signing of the agreements was not an end, but should pave way for bolstering bilateral cooperation and the transformation of the two economies.
“It is only through diligent implementation of these instruments that we will be able to deliver a better life to our peoples, who after all, are the centrepiece of our bilateral relationship,” he said.
Dr Dow stressed the need for review meetings on implementation to yield responsive approaches to the needs of the citizens.
There was also need to find solutions to challenges that hinder implementation in areas where progress is lagging, he said.
Dr Moyo said Zimbabwe and Botswana were set to sign an MoU on cooperation in health matters given that the meeting comes against the backdrop of another potential global pandemic, COVID-19, which is caused by a new coronavirus.
The pandemic has since been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation.
“The rapid spread of this virus has demonstrated once again our vulnerability to the negative aspects of globalisation,” he said.
“It is, therefore, fortuitous that we have decided to cooperate in health matters and certainly in that regard our officials should jointly identify robust methods of combating and curbing the spread of communicable diseases.”
Zesa Holdings’ automatic hike of 19,02 percent for all tariffs from Sunday is calculated from a formula that ensures continuation of imports and operation of its stations.
Without the formula, set in October last year when the regulator, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), went through actual costs when setting the initial tariff, consumers would find themselves even longer in the dark each day.
In a statement yesterday, the acting managing director of Zesa’s distribution arm, Engineer Ralph Katsande, said the tariff adjustment was in accordance with the Tariff Award of October 2 last year, which approved the implementation of a monthly tariff indexation formula which takes into account the movement of macro-economic fundamentals such as the exchange rate and inflation.
However, consumer subsidies remain.
The larger subsidy is on the first 50 kilowatt hours each month, the cost of which rise from 41c/kWh to 49c/kWh. The new price means these first 50kWh now cost $24.50.
The next 150kWh rise in price from 91c a unit to $1,08 a unit, giving a total for a month for this band of $162.
The two subsidies are worked on the basis that a careful family can cope on 200kWh in a month and can survive on the basic 50kWh.
Buying the full 200kWh of subsidised electricity will now cost just under $198, including the 6 percent rural levy, up from the $167 of the last five months.
After the subsidy runs out, from 201kWh the tariff rises to $4,61c/kWh from $3,87c/kWh.
Zesa is relying largely on thermal power from Hwange and imports from South Africa and Mozambique.
Kariba South is generating well below capacity because of low water flows into Lake Kariba.
In Zesa’s energy mix, Kariba South power is normally the cheapest. Hwange power is more expensive because it needs to buy coal, and the cost of imported power is based on exchange rates.
Eskom, the South African utility, has announced it needs large tariff rises as the tariffs it has been charging are the main cause of the lack of maintenance and expansion of the South African system.
It was the same problem facing Zesa that gave rise to tariff rises in October last year.
But Zesa is also under orders to slash administrative costs by uniting the five companies into which it was split into a single entity and to upgrade its management.
Government wants to get as much power as possible to ensure uninterrupted power supplies, particularly to the manufacturing, mining and agriculture sectors.
Farmers want stable electricity supplies at this point to irrigate their crops.
Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union president, Mr Wonder Chabikwa, said the electricity tariff increase would need a further review of producer prices for crops produced under irrigation.
“I hope Government will consider further reviewing the producer price of our crops to meet production costs for farming to remain profitable. If we don’t get an increase on producer price, farmers will be operating at a loss. They need to recover their production costs, electricity included,” said Mr Chabikwa.
His comments come on the back of Government’s Wednesday announcement of a review of the maize producer price from $4 000 to $6 958 per tonne.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) past-president Mr Sifelani Jabangwe said the electricity tariff increase should be in line with inflation.
“If the tariff hike is above inflation, it will erode production levels. We do not want a situation whereby industry will not afford to access power due to high costs,” he said.
The formula used has produced an increase below inflation, largely because the interbank exchange rate has been drifting down more slowly than inflation.
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) chief executive officer, Mr Christopher Mugaga, said the increment was long-overdue considering the sub-optimal charges ZESA was charging.
“We all know the energy challenges haunting us as the private sector. ZESA is undercapitalised and given this fact, the only way for them to get out of this hole is to charge the right price.
“The 19,2 percent increment is way below the monthly inflation figures. As business, we should be honest to each other and desist from the blame game because consultations or no consultations, the tariffs had to go up. We are always in touch with ZESA and ZERA and we know the prevailing situation in the energy sector,” said Mr Mugaga.
Consumers are, as always, worried and for some on fixed incomes it may well mean learning to live with less electricity each month.
A consumer, Ms Stella Jongwe, pointed out that along with other price rises, the new Zesa tariff did require employers to review salaries.
“While we appreciate that things are going up everyday, but having another tariff hike will affect us. We are grappling with the increase of bread and other basic commodities. Our employers should also come on board and review our salaries accordingly. They are no longer sufficient to take us through the whole month,” she said.
Zesa Holdings’ automatic hike of 19,02 percent for all tariffs from Sunday is calculated from a formula that ensures continuation of imports and operation of its stations.
Without the formula, set in October last year when the regulator, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), went through actual costs when setting the initial tariff, consumers would find themselves even longer in the dark each day.
In a statement yesterday, the acting managing director of Zesa’s distribution arm, Engineer Ralph Katsande, said the tariff adjustment was in accordance with the Tariff Award of October 2 last year, which approved the implementation of a monthly tariff indexation formula which takes into account the movement of macro-economic fundamentals such as the exchange rate and inflation.
However, consumer subsidies remain.
The larger subsidy is on the first 50 kilowatt hours each month, the cost of which rise from 41c/kWh to 49c/kWh. The new price means these first 50kWh now cost $24.50.
The next 150kWh rise in price from 91c a unit to $1,08 a unit, giving a total for a month for this band of $162.
The two subsidies are worked on the basis that a careful family can cope on 200kWh in a month and can survive on the basic 50kWh.
Buying the full 200kWh of subsidised electricity will now cost just under $198, including the 6 percent rural levy, up from the $167 of the last five months.
After the subsidy runs out, from 201kWh the tariff rises to $4,61c/kWh from $3,87c/kWh.
Zesa is relying largely on thermal power from Hwange and imports from South Africa and Mozambique.
Kariba South is generating well below capacity because of low water flows into Lake Kariba.-state media
The issue of the banned stadiums has become a rallying point between major football stakeholders in the country as they scramble to find a solution to the crisis.
The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation yesterday convened meetings with ZIFA officials and the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing to find a way out of the crisis.
Zimbabwe were dealt a huge blow this week after CAF announced that all the country’s major football stadiums were not fit to host international matches, including the upcoming AFCON qualifier against Algeria.
The match was scheduled to be held at Barbourfields on March 31 after the Bulawayo venue had been given partial clearance by CAF during the last round of inspection.
However, Zimbabwe were told this week to look for an alternative venue, outside the country, to host the match because of lack of renovations at Barbourfields.
Yesterday’s meeting, which involved officials from the Ministry of Local Government, who manage the country’s biggest multi-sports facility — the National Sports Stadium — agreed sports infrastructure in the country badly needed urgent attention.
Sports Minister, Kirsty Coventry and ZIFA officials, have been on record in the past decrying the poor state of the country’s stadiums.
“We all know that the stadiums in Zimbabwe have been deteriorating for ages but it is now my responsibility to make sure we fix this mess,’’ Coventry tweeted.
‘‘Overnight solutions will not work but know that I am on it. I will keep you posted.’’
Harare’s Rufaro and Gwanzura have also been struck off the CAF roaster because they are in a deplorable state.-state media
TWO boys were struck and killed by lightning in Hwange while collecting wild fruits.
Matabeleland North acting police spokesperson Sergeant Namatirai Mashona confirmed the incident which occurred in Kamativi, Gale 4 village, under Chief Pashu on Monday at about 3PM.
She identified the deceased as Ponoza Muleya (8) and Shibbo Muleya (4).
Sgt Mashona said the two were with another juvenile, Vigilant Muleya (6), who was also struck but only sustained minor injuries.-state media
TWO boys were struck and killed by lightning in Hwange while collecting wild fruits.
Matabeleland North acting police spokesperson Sergeant Namatirai Mashona confirmed the incident which occurred in Kamativi, Gale 4 village, under Chief Pashu on Monday at about 3PM.
She identified the deceased as Ponoza Muleya (8) and Shibbo Muleya (4).
Sgt Mashona said the two were with another juvenile, Vigilant Muleya (6), who was also struck but only sustained minor injuries.-state media
To function properly, all the cells and organs of the body need water.
Here are some reasons our body needs water:
It lubricates the joints
Cartilage, found in joints and the disks of the spine, contains around 80 percent water.
Long-term dehydration can reduce the joints’ shock-absorbing ability, leading to joint pain.
It forms saliva and mucus
Saliva helps us digest our food and keeps the mouth, nose, and eyes moist. This prevents friction and damage. Drinking water also keeps the mouth clean.
Consumed instead of sweetened beverages, it can also reduce tooth decay.
It delivers oxygen throughout the body
Blood is more than 90 percent water, and blood carries oxygen to different parts of the body.
It boosts skin health and beauty
With dehydration, the skin can become more vulnerable to skin disorders and premature wrinkling.
It cushions the brain, spinal cord, and other sensitive tissues
Dehydration can affect brain structure and function. It is also involved in the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. Prolonged dehydration can lead to problems with thinking and reasoning.
It regulates body temperature
Water that is stored in the middle layers of the skin comes to the skin’s surface as sweat when the body heats up. As it evaporates, it cools the body. In sport.
Some scientists have suggested that when there is too little water in the body, heat storage increases and the individual is less able to tolerate heat strain.
Having a lot of water in the body may reduce physical strain if heat stress occurs during exercise. However, more research is needed into these effects.
7, The digestive system depends on it
The bowel needs water to work properly. Dehydration can lead to digestive problems, constipation , and an overly acidic stomach. This increases the risk of
heartburn and stomach ulcers.
It flushes body waste
Water is needed in the processes of sweating and removal of urine and waste.
It helps maintain blood pressure
A lack of water can cause blood to become thicker, increasing blood pressure.
The airways need it
When dehydrated, airways are restricted by the body in an effort to minimize water loss. This can make asthma and allergies worse.
It makes minerals and nutrients accessible
These dissolve in water , which makes it possible for them to reach different parts of the body.
It prevents kidney damage
The kidneys regulate fluid in the body. Insufficient water can lead to kidney stones and other problems.
It boosts performance during exercise
Dehydration during exercise may hinder performance.
Some scientists have proposed that consuming more water might enhance performance during strenuous activity.
More research is needed to confirm this, but one review found that dehydration reduces performance in activities lasting longer than 30 minutes.
Weight loss
Water may also help with weight loss, if it is consumed instead of sweetened juices and sodas. “Preloading” with water before meals can help prevent overeating by creating a sense of fullness.
It reduces the chance of a hangover
When partying, unsweetened soda water with ice and lemon alternated with alcoholic drinks can help prevent overconsumption of alcohol.
Water helps dissolve minerals and nutrients, making them more accessible to the body. It also helps remove waste products.
Credit:Medical News Today
Compiled by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
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Farai Dziva|MDC Youth Assembly chairperson, Tererai Obey Sithole has said party members and Zimbabweans are prepared to fight for freedom from Zanu PF oppression.
“We had a successful Youth Assembly National Executive Meeting at the party HQ.
We deliberated and agreed on a number of issues.
The way forward is clear, the young people are prepared to pay the ultimate price for the purpose of people’s freedom.
Kicking and screaming, we will send Emmerson Mnangagwa packing,”said Sithole.
Farai Dziva|
Stephen Chuma, the MDC Youth Assembly Spokesperson has said party members are prepared to rescue suffering citizens from the claws of Zanu PF initiated poverty.
“The revolutionary MDC Youth Assembly National Executive met and deliberated on the next course of action to rescue our people from claws of ZANU PF induced poverty.
We are ready and prepared to pay the ultimate price,” tweeted Chuma.
Manchester City came back from a goal down to defeat Real Madrid 1 – 2 at the Santiago Bernabeu as Sergio Ramos got sent off in a disappointing match for the Madrid based side.
Kelvin De Bruyne’s master piece was the deciding factor as Manchester City are favorite to advance to the next stage.
Real Madrid went ahead in the 60th minute after they punished city for some defensive mistake at the back.
Modric dispossessed Gundogan in the midfield, quickly released a pass to Vinicius which should be cleared by Walker but he allows the Brazilian to find free Isco in the box, Isco made no mistake as he beats Ederson brilliantly.
The Substitution of Sterling for Bernardo Silva totally changed the game as city got their equalizer in the 78th minute. De Bruyne swings in a cross for Gabriel Jesus who headed it in to be Courtois for the first time in the game.
Manchester City went on to get their second goal this time from the spot. Raheem Sterling was brought down by Cavajal in the box and De Bruyne stepped up to covert the resultant penalty in the 83rd minute.
Real Madrid were reduced to ten men in the 86th minute as Sergio Ramos was sent off for fouling Jesus who was through on goal.
Ramos being the last man brought down Jesus and the referee was forced to give him his marching orders.-UEFA
By A Correspondent- The Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs has equated President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the Biblical Joshua who will lead Zimbabwe through the final stretch to the ‘Promised Land’.
Speaking at the integrated schools and communities environment programme held at Chemvuu Dam site where First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa was guest of honour, Chadzamira related Mnangagwa’s leadership qualities to those of Joshua.
He said Mnangagwa’s predecessor, Robert Mugabe had started the work but could not complete it thus the need to follow the current President just as the children of Israel followed Joshua after the death of Moses.
“President Mnangagwa is a visionary leader. In Zimbabwe, we haven’t had a President with leadership qualities like his as many economic development programmes are being done.
“We have Zupco buses, the Smart Agriculture programme, Silo shops and other initiatives. All these developments are coming through him with the help of the First Lady in line with Vision 2030,” said Chadzamira.
He praised the first lady’s work saying she was making a positive difference on the lives of people in needy communities.
“We have been praying for a mother of nation who has people at heart. The first lady is inspiring as she is not selective and does not consider political parties when it comes to development. She helped Bopoma Children’s Home in Zaka among others around Masvingo province.
“As Masvingo province, let’s remain united and fight the enemy from the left, right and centre to support our President,” he said.
Speaking to the same event, Zaka Central Member of Parliament Davison Svuure described the first lady as a humble woman of substance.
“We have never had this kind of a mother before. She has time for everyone and she is not selective of who she mixes with,” said Svuure.
Through the integrated schools and community environment, the first lady commissioned Chemvuu Dam and an orchard where 1500 trees were planted in partnership with Environment Management Agency (Ema), Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) and the Forestry Commission.
By A Correspondent- MDC leader Nelson Chamisa is set to join POLAD after dumping the idea of an external mediator in Zimbabwe’s political dialogue, Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba has said.
Writing on Twitter using his moniker Jamwanda, Charamba said:
“CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MDC’s Chamisa for finally putting his ponderous feet on terra firma!!! Only local solutions get us far and that means Political Actors Dialogue, POLAD. His seat has been gaping, waiting for his weary bones. Well done mukuwasha. Iwe neni tine basa!!!”
On Thursday Chamisa said the country could not out-source solutions as local leaders had to sit down and find home-grown solutions.
“We are there to solve our own problems. We have the answers to our problems. We can’t have South Africa solving our problems, it has its own problems to take care of,” said Chamisa.
“Americans can’t have a solution for this country as it has its own domestic problems to solve. We can’t out-source solutions for this country. I have heard people talking of President Mbeki saying this and that. We should solve our own problems.”
Farai Dziva|
Shurugwi South legislator Edmond Mkaratigwa has challenged Reserve Bank Governor John Mangudya to spell out strategies to combat inflation instead of presenting a Monetary Statement full of high sounding words.
“With all due respect l hear wishes, dreams and prayer from our Governor, am expecting an air of authority and perhaps a better level of confidence from his responses. For example, just like me he is parrying and wishing for production to go up.
But my question is are there any mechanisms that he has put in place to stimulate that production that’s what l want to hear.
I want to hear what you are going to do to control inflation because you cannot continue to dream and pray like the rest of us.
As the governor, you can’t just wish that a change will happen as the ordinary people do,” said Mkaratigwa.
Farai Dziva|
Shurugwi South legislator Edmond Mkaratigwa has challenged Reserve Bank Governor John Mangudya to spell out strategies to combat inflation instead of presenting a Monetary Statement full of high sounding words.
“With all due respect l hear wishes, dreams and prayer from our Governor, am expecting an air of authority and perhaps a better level of confidence from his responses. For example, just like me he is parrying and wishing for production to go up.
But my question is are there any mechanisms that he has put in place to stimulate that production that’s what l want to hear.
I want to hear what you are going to do to control inflation because you cannot continue to dream and pray like the rest of us.
As the governor, you can’t just wish that a change will happen as the ordinary people do,” said Mkaratigwa.
Her name is Flora (Ruramai) Mashingaidze and she boasts saying she participated in reporting Mr Martin Chinyanga to British Police over statements he made in December last year while weeping profusely in shock over the Marondera terror attack against Nelson Chamisa. She shot this video on 1 August 2018, just as many victims were dying of gunshot wounds, and Kuwadzana residents were being brutally assaulted by soldiers on a terror mission. 17 more people were later killed soon after the Motlanthe Commission hearings on the same instigation of hers. She can be reported for encouraging terrorism while in UK. The police station is Holborn Police Station, London and victims can inbox for the reference number.
This is the terrorist who boasts saying she reported Martin Chinyanga to British Police over emotional statements he made while weeping over the terror attack on Nelson Chamisa in Marondera. Her victims can now report her to Holborn Police station, that has opened the case now. pic.twitter.com/U1gYm2CWvJ
SIX machete-wielding robbers raided a homestead in the Emvalweni area in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South and badly stabbed two people before stealing various groceries from a tuckshop.
The attack happened on Sunday night.
Besides machetes, the six were also armed with a gun and knives.
They disappeared into the night after committing the offence and no arrests have yet been made.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said a manhunt for the suspects has since been launched.
“On February 23, 2020 at about midnight, six unknown male adults armed with an unidentified firearm, machetes and knives pounced on a homestead at Emvalweni area, Mangwe.
They fired gunshots, forced open the victim’s house and tuckshop and stole various groceries and cash.
“The two victims were stabbed with a knife and were left with hands and legs tied. The suspects are at large and investigations are in progress,” he said.
Asst Comm Nyathi warned armed robbers that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them as the police will remain firm on the ground to thwart any criminal activities.
Meanwhile, police have arrested four armed robbers who were terrorising people in and around Southlea Park in Harare, committing robbery and rape cases.
The gang was arrested in the central business district (CBD) following investigations carried out by the police.-state media
Warriors’ legend, Japhet ” Shortcat” Mparutsa, who runs his Japhet Mparutsa Shortcat Foundation from his base in the United Kingdom, yesterday reacted with shock to the ban imposed on stadiums in Zimbabwe by CAF.
“Yes I am sad, as a Foundation we are sad. I spent nearly 10 years with the national team, and I had an unforgettable journey. I never thought that a day would come when our national team would be forced to play home games away from home because our stadiums are not good enough!
“We sat, watched and did not act when we saw stadiums falling apart. Gwanzura, Rufaro, Dzivarasekwa, NSS, Cam and Motor and now Barbourfields cannot host our national team.
“I cry for our football and I know my departed comrades in the football journey are turning in their graves, too. How can this happen?” fumed Mparutsa.
He said it wasn’t time for the blame game.
“Some are blaming the councils who run these facilities.
Some are blaming the Government for not caring enough about sport despite having a whole ministry responsible for this sector,’’ he said.
“I think they are both to blame because they have failed to work together to ensure that our stadiums are fit for purpose.
“As a Foundation, I think the time is now to correct this situation.
Government should make an effort to restore the nation’s pride, the National Sports Stadium.
“Councils should work hard to restore all stadiums and the community grassroots pitches.
We urge them to find partners who can provide funds so that the process moves fast.’’-State media
A Zimbabwean UK based activist Martin William Chinyanga was on Tuesday arrested by the United Kingdom anti-terror police on terrorism charges after calls believed to be from the Zimbabwean embassy and a self confessed terrorist, Flora (Ruramai) Mashingaidze.
Self confessed terrorist Ruramai Mashingaidze celebrating the killing of 6 people while saying, “I believe in what ED was doing” and then celebrating the announcement, “they should have killed them all”
The police raided and arrested Chinyanga on allegations of inciting terrorism in the early hours of the 25th Feb. 3 hrs later police officers at Holborn Police station telephoned ZimEye in a pursuit to get the story published, and this was before Chinyanga had been interviewed by his lawyer.
ZimEye questioned the basis for arresting Chinyanga and no clarification was given apart from the statements made via the call which also came from a withheld number.
The Zim embassy and ZANU PF members in UK have a long history of making hoax police calls for fake cases in the UK against activists.
Furthermore, there are several proven cases investigated by the United Nations in which the Zimbabwean government has abused policing powers in order to kill civilians stretching from 1983. As indicated to the police officers, the persons reporting the arrest could have been wanting to repeat more terror attacks in Zimbabwe using Mr Chinyanga who shows signs of being emotionally disturbed from earlier threats against his life by the same complainants, as an excuse.
Under that background, ZimEye chose to wait for the official announcement from lawyers, all done in the public interest.
Chinyanga was released on bail and barred from going within 100 metres of the Zimbabwean Embassy in London.
Part of the bail conditions read: “Not to post or support acts of violence online. To sign on at Islington Police Station every Sunday between 1400hrs and 1800hrs. No to approach/enter Zimbabwe Embassy or surrounding streets namely The Strand, Agar, William the 4th Street.”
A few hours after he was released, Chinyanga posted a video on his Facebook page confirming that he had been arrested and informing people about his bail conditions.
He confirmed that he had been barred from going near or entering the Zimbabwean Embassy.
He said about 10 police officers had raided his house at around 5am.
During the deeply emotional moments of a gun attack on MDC President Nelson Chamisa in Marondera on the 1st December last year, Chinyanga posted a video on his social media titled the roadmap to Zimbabwean freedom. He said this while weeping on his Facebook video.
In the video, he appeared as if encouraging people to burn buses, service stations, fuel tankers and buildings. It is that statement that the complainants have used to say he is encouraging terrorism.
The video was reported to the UK authorities and they deemed it worth investigating.
A woman by name Ruramai (Flora) Mashingaidze has posted on Facebook saying she is the one who reported Mr Chinyanga.
Coincidentally Flora Mashingaidze, is the first to incite terror attacks in Zimbabwe which have seen up to 25 civilians being killed since the 1st August 2018 when soldiers were used to change election results.
In one of her videos she scoffed as she encouraged that soldiers must continue terror attacks against civilians to punish them for protesting. An investigation done during the Motlanthe commission and afterwards United Nations probes has shown the terrorists were not even targeting protesters but any civilian and the killings done for the purpose of forcing government and civilians into a political slide of the perpetrators’ desire.
ZimEye is following up on the case – this is a developing story.
Meanwhile, a contributor, Chief Svosve ran a live solidarity programme for Chinyanga last night. Watch video downloading below:
An illegal fuel dealer was Monday burnt to death at his Chitungwiza home and his wife escaped the explosion.
A motorist refuels at a dealer along Nketa Drive in Nketa in December 2017. Despite danger posed to property by keeping drums of fuels inside houses, some people continue doing so.
The deceased was identified as Itai Chingwena and he kept drums of petrol at his house in Seke Unit L.
At the time of the explosion, the couple was asleep and the wife sustained first degree burn wounds.
She is admitted at Chitungwiza Central Hospital.
People who arrived at the scene first suspected that there was a gas leak from the couple’s stove and the fuel drums exacerbated the explosion.
Chitungwiza South MP Maxwell Mavhunga, told Zim Morning Post on Wednesday that the development exposed the lack of preparedness by the municipality’s fire department.
“The rescuers had to use sand to douse the fire because the municipality’s fire department lacks preparedness.
“What got me extremely distressed was that the municipality had no fire tenders and we had to make a very desperate effort to get one all the way from Belvedere,” Mavhunga said.
Mavhunga applauded the Belvedere fire department for their quick response to the situation.
“Harare fire brigade team reacted swiftly and in about 15 minutes they had arrived, but damage had been done since our initial efforts were to get assistance from the local authorities proved futile,” he noted.
DUBAI based Albwardy Investments will assume control of Meikles Hotel by the first of next month following regulatory approval for the sale of the country’s oldest hospitality institution.
A landmark deal that will see the Moxon family through the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed entity Meikles limited eventually ending their ownership and control of Meikles hotel by the 29th of this month has been finalised.
The move will now pave way for a Dubai based group, Albwardy investments to own the hotel after getting all relevant regulatory approvals.
A circular to shareholders for the entity released this Wednesday showed that the transaction worth 20 million united states dollars has been finalised.
According to the circular, the new company is expected to take over hotel assets and employees.
Meikles Hotel is an iconic feature in Harare, which has gracefully evolved from the colonial era into modern-day Zimbabwe.
Investments by the Dubai based firm are being made at a time government is calling on the hotel industry to focus on new projects to solve a projected 2 000 rooms deficit by end of this year.
STATEMENT ON THE HANDLING OF THE SUSPECTED COVID-19 PATIENT AT PARIRENYATWA GROUP OF HOSPITALS
We wish to confirm that the patient who was originally isolated at Wilkins Hospital for suspected COVID19 presented at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals on 26 February 2020. The patient was brought in by the City of Harare to our Mental Health Hospital where it was decided that the patient had to be seen by a physician first. The psychiatrist followed up the patient and attended to her in our Casualty Department. Since consultations with the City of Harare were continuous throughout the process, the two parties eventually resolved that the patient should be referred back to Wilkins Hospitals where she is currently admitted for comprehensive evaluation and treatment.
The City of Harare who isolated and facilitated tests on the patient indicated that the patient had tested negative 3 times. The first test was done in China, the second in Zimbabwe and the third was done in South Africa.
We wish to advise members of the public and our stakeholders that we have done everything within our capacity to protect our staff and patients from the potential infection. A substantial number of our clinical staff have attended the training on case management for the COVID-19 which was facilitated by the Ministry of Health and Child Care and partners. The hospital has a Rapid Response Team in place which comprises clinicians and administration staff. The team has proved to be effective after handling previous epidemics given all the tools required.
After receiving a report of the patient referred above, the Chief Executive Officer and the Acting Clinical Director have immediately called for a meeting with key departments to review how the case was handled and to assess the hospital’s preparedness to handle similar cases in the future. The meeting resolved the following:
The whole of Casualty should be regularly disinfected following WHO guidelines. The exercise to start with immediate effect.
The few outstanding items on the order for protective clothing should be expedited.
Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols for Casualty should be strictly adhered to.
The Rapid Response Team should improve in their communication.
A screening tent should be set up outside casualty so that any suspected case is immediately referred to Wilkins Hospital.
The hospital shall not attempt to handle any suspected case of an infectious diseases as it is statutorily a responsibility of either Wilkins Hospital or Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases HospitalThe above measures have been put in place to minimize the potential mix of suspected patients with staff members and other patients. Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals continues to monitor emerging information on COVID-19 and is determined to do everything possible to safeguard it patients and staff.
MASVINGO: The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) here have suspended the use of prisoners as external hired labour after two inmates last week escaped from lawful custody while carrying out menial work outside prison.
The ZPCS occasionally hires out inmates as cheap labour to companies and individuals in farming and construction sectors as a way of raising extra revenue for its operations and to help incarcerated convicts acquire technical skills.
However, according the ZPCS Masvingo provincial spokesperson Assistant Principal Correctional Officer, Stanslous Sanike, two serving inmates last week escaped on separate occasions while performing duties outside the prison, forcing it to ban the operations.
One of the prisoners was serving time at Mutimurefu Prison and the other at Masvingo Prison.The Masvingo inmate has since been recaptured while the other from Mutimurefu is still on the run.
“Two inmates escaped from lawful custody. The one who escaped from Masvingo Prison was recaptured within two hours of his escape while the one who escaped from Mutimurefu is still at large,” Sanike said.
He identified the recaptured escapee as Tinotenda Maturure who was serving time for theft while Regis Simiyawo, who is still at large, escaped while serving prison term for rape.
“We are yet to get the full details around the circumstances leading to their escape, but all escaped while on prison business outside the premises.
“Our job as an organisation is to prevent escapes and in this case we would have failed. We have instituted a board of enquiry to look into the matter and investigations are still going on,”Sanike said adding the ZPCS in Masvingo was no longer allowing prisoners to be contracted for outside work.
The Zimbabwe Army has reportedly snubbed an initiative by the Emmerson Mnangagwa-led government to impose a 2.5% tax on civil servants so as to generate funds to subsidize garrison shops for the uniformed forces.
The revelations were made by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe in a statement made on Thursday.
Said ARTUZ, “The divisive 2,5% tax imposed on civil servants to feed our military is a sick attempt to set civil servants against each other. We are aware that members of the military have already turned down this scheme and labelled it as unrealistic and divisive. Whoever is pushing this agenda is an enemy of the state determined to destabilise our public service.”
On Wednesday, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said to help ease conditions for the security forces, the government would establish garrison shops to enable service personnel to buy cheaper goods.
Mutsvangwa said all government workers would from next month start contributing 2.5% of their monthly salaries to a state savings fund. Security force members who make the contributions would be able to buy goods cheaply from the new shops.
The minister said consultations were still being held with the public service commission, which employs all government workers.
Speaking alongside Mutsvangwa Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said, “Garrison shops in terms of physical structures already exist in the cantonment areas but there is no subsidy, that is what we want to try to cure with this proposal.”
President Mnangagwa has left Harare for Gaborone, Botswana to attend the Bi-National commission to be held in that country tomorrow.
He was accompanied by Minister and Economic Development Prof Mthuli Ncube, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa as well as Health and Childcare Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo.
The International Monetary Fund says that the Staff Monitored Programme is now off track and that Zimbabwe is experiencing an economic and humanitarian crisis, which requires difficult policy choices and international support.
As was moved on this service this week, the IMF Board forecast a near zero growth for the country this year and said the SMP which had been adopted in May 2019 was now off track as policy implementation has been mixed.
Previous successes with the SMP were achieved under Finance Ministers; Tendai Biti and Patrick Chinamasa who got to successor programme stages. Current Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube adopted the SMP in May 2019 but it was dependent on the implementation of significant reforms and sustainable policies backed by political will.
Over the past year, there have been policy missteps and unfortunately climate-related shocks which led to an estimated contraction of -8.3% (initial estimates at -5.2%). “Macroeconomic stability remains a challenge: the economy contracted sharply in 2019, amplified by climate shocks that have crippled agriculture and electricity generation; the newly introduced ZWL$ has lost most of its value; inflation is very high; and international reserves are very low,” said the IMF at the conclusion of its 2020 Article IV Consultation with Zimbabwe.
Some reforms had been done, notably a significant fiscal consolidation that has helped reduce the monetary financing of the deficit, the introduction of the new domestic currency in February 2019, the creation of an interbank FX market, and the restructuring of the command agriculture financing model to a public-private partnership with commercial banks.
However the reforms were done unevenly and this included notable delays and missteps in FX and monetary reforms, which had failed to restore confidence in the new currency. The IMF said the drought and floods had magnified the impacts of the fiscal retrenchment, leaving more than half of the population food insecure.
With another poor harvest expected, growth is not projected at 0.8% for this year from initial projection of 3.3%, while a further deterioration of the exchange rate is forecast to a close of 24.5x.
GDP in US dollars is projected to be at US$20.56 billion, which is a marginal decline from last year’s US$20.7 billion and $22.94 billion the previous year. In line with RBZ estimates, inflation is forecast at 52% at year end. The current account balance is expected to remain in deficit at -1% of GDP, exports of goods and services are projected to improve 8.7% while imports are set to grow 17.7%.
Challenges highlighted by the IMF
– Delays in re-engagement with international community due to a lack of plan to clear arrears to the World Bank and other multilateral institutions. Without external support the IMF says the country faces a deep humanitarian crisis and a difficult balance of pursuing tight monetary policy to reduce very high inflation and prudent fiscal policy to address the macroeconomic imbalances and build confidence in the currency, while averting a crisis.
– Pervasive deficits remain and would call for non-essential spending cuts including decisive reforms to agricultural support programs, to allow for social spending needs.
– Continued recourse to collaterised external borrowing on commercial terms which may potentially complicate any future arrears clearance operation.
Recommendations
– The country needs to eliminate deficit monetization which would not only be crucial for fiscal sustainability, but it would also serve as a precondition for the stabilisation of hyper‑inflation and the preservation of the external value of the currency.
– Need to establish credibility in the new currency. This entails pressing forward with the establishment of a functional foreign exchange market and to remove distortions that could lead to rent‑seeking behaviour in the economy.
– Continue with monetary targeting regime to conduct monetary policy given low reserves and hyper‑inflation, limited credibility, and a lack of access to traditional forms of external financing
– Enhancing central bank independence and transparency, including by timely publication of monetary statistics, would be important.
– The central bank needs to conduct asset quality reviews of the banking sector, develop a new framework for managing weak banks, and increase the effectiveness of the AML/CFT framework, including by effectively implementing FAFT standards.
– Address governance and corruption challenges, entrenched vested interests, and enforcement of the rule of law to improve the business climate and support private‑sector‑led inclusive growth.
SOME schools have defied the Government’s directive to revert to the 2015 Zimbabwe School Examination Council (Zimsec) Ordinary Level fees pegged at $15 per subject insisting that parents should pay $190 per subject.
The Government last week reversed an increase of examination fees, saying it wanted to carry out further consultations with stakeholders before releasing a new fees structure.
Zimsec had increased the exam fees to $190 per subject from $15 for Ordinary Level candidates and $351 per subject from $26 for Advanced Level candidates.
Following Government’s intervention, parents and guardians were advised to continue paying $15 and $26 per subject for O-and A-Level candidates respectively.
In separate interviews yesterday, parents said some schools were still demanding $190 per subject. The parents expressed fear that their children might not be able to sit for the June examinations as they do not have the money schools are demanding.
They said school heads argued that they had not yet received a circular from Zimsec instructing them to revert to the old fees.
“As parents we heard from news on television and also read from newspapers that Government had annulled the new examination fees. We are now confused when schools insist on payment of the new fees. I am now afraid that my child might not be able to register for June O-Level examination because I do not have the money the school is demanding,” said Mr Tichawona Hamadziripi.
One of the parents who preferred anonymity said he managed to seek clarity from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education which managed to address the issue and was able to register for $15 per subject.
In an interview yesterday, Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister, Edgar Moyo said schools cannot defy a Government directive. He said school authorities must allow parents to register for exams based on the old fees as announced by Government.
Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director (PED), Mr Lifias Masukume, said schools in his region had since reverted to the examination fees approved in 2015 following a school heads meeting that was held in Bulawayo on Monday to clear the confusion. He said Zimsec also sent a circular to schools yesterday instructing them to allow O-Level candidates to pay $15 per subject.
“On Monday we held a secondary school heads meeting in Bulawayo where we made it clear to the heads that they should revert to the old fees.
“During the meeting some of the school head raised concerns that they had not yet received formal communication from Zimsec so we also instructed Zimsec to send the circular,” he said.
Matabeleland North PED Mr Jabulani Mpofu said after receiving a press statement from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education yesterday, the school heads were immediately advised to charge $15 per subject hence there were no cases of schools demanding the new fees.
Harare residents have taken Local Government minister July Moyo to court to stop him from allegedly interfering with operations of the local authority.
The residents under the Harare Metropolitan and Residents Forum have taken Moyo to the High Court, accusing him of interference and micromanaging affairs of Harare City Council (HCC) by issuing directives.
Harare Metropolitan and Residents Forum comprises Greater Harare Ratepayers, Residents and Tenants Association Trust, the Water Alliance Trust from Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural Residents Association Trust.
“The interference in the work of the second respondent (HCC) by the first respondent through unlawful directives means that as the residents of the area within the second respondent, we cannot have our views heard or our input implemented by the second respondent who will always be told what to do by the first respondent,” the application by the residents’ lawyers Maunga Maanda and Associates read in part.
“We have therefore decided to step in so that the second respondent is freed from such interference.”
The application, residents said, was meant to have the court nullify a directive from Moyo to Harare City Council to, among other things, dissolve Harare Quarry, City Parking and other loss-making institutions run by Harare and partners.
“You are directed to make sure that companies formed as income-generating ventures, which previously had been sources for council revenue, are dissolved and the activities be carried out under the appropriate programmes,” Moyo’s December letter reads.
“On that note, City Parking, without any investments, has not been bringing in any meaningful revenue to council and Sunshine Holdings seems to be a conduit to siphon out council resources. Furthermore, Harare Quarry (Pvt) Ltd demands payment upfront for material ordered by council, while it is being subsidised for making losses.”
Moyo also ordered Harare to revisit its organogram “as a matter of urgency assigning programme managers and sub-programme managers in line with the adopted programme-based approach”. But in their application, the residents said the minister should stop the interference and micro-managing of Harare affairs.
“It is abundantly clear that the first respondent has gone down to the shop floor level to give instructions that should be given by departmental heads and not the minister,” the residents noted. Moyo is yet to respond to the application.
By A Correspondent- There was drama on Sunday afternoon after a dejected pregnant woman teamed up with her relatives to embarrass her lover at a bus stop.
The drama took place at Caledon bus stop in Hatfield after an unidentified man was manhandled by a lover he had ‘dumped’.
The unidentified relatives including an uncle to the girl boarded the same kombi from town which was heading towards Chitungwiza.
“This guy was trapped by his lover who stays in Hatfield; he stays in Zengeza.
“He reportedly dumped her after realising she was two months pregnant and they decided to embarrass him.
“They boarded the kombi along Julius Nyerere Way in which they sat at the back seat unbeknown to this guy who boarded the same kombi.
“Upon their arrival at their usual bus stop in Hatfield corner Seke Road and Northway, they disembarked, to the surprise of the guy who was unaware of what awaited him,” said a witness.
Added the witness:
“They then grabbed him causing noise at the bus stop but he refused to get down from the kombi before other passengers joined in the scuffle.”
The man pleaded with the uncle not to manhandle him in front of many people.
Uncle to the girl suggested they go and see her father in Hatfield.
“Hande kumba tinoona vatezvara, usarambe nhumbu yako,” said the uncle.
However, the man was forced into a kombi by the relatives after he preferred to go with them to his parents in Zengeza than visiting his lover’s parents.-Statemedia
A group of ex-civil servants most of whom are war veterans on Wednesday stormed New Government Complex seeking Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s audience to discuss their welfare upon realising their former employer was in contravention of their contracts.
In terms of the contracts, ex-uniformed forces are entitled to two thirds of their exit salary every month as benefits.
In case of reviews, the same applies for them. Information gathered also shows the ex-civil servants were irked by the fact that they were not given cushioning allowances in January.
Anti-riot police swiftly intervened with the coordination of Treasury staff who convened a meeting for dialogue – successfully calming the nerves of the disgruntled grouping.
Protracted civil service wage negotiations are yet to be concluded as workers and government fail to reach an agreement.
Rising inflation and a dwindling national purse, in real terms, have compounded the situation.
Analysts contend wage pressure and inflation are the two major forces to widen the budget deficit for 2020.
With gold and tobacco under-performing in 2019 and indications of similar fate in 2020, Ncube has little room to manoeuvre.
In spite of this, Treasury has given concurrence on review of pensions and benefits of war veterans and ex-civil service workers, apparently giving in to growing pressure from the groups.
Treasury chief of communication, Clive Mphambela told Business Times yesterday an agreement had already been reached prior to the visit.
“The reason they had been here was that when civil servants’ salaries were reviewed, they were left out,” Mphambela said.
He confirmed they were concerned about being excluded from cushioning allowances, which they felt entitled to.
He said the ex-civil servants’ benefits were reviewed recently. Sources say they were yet to benefit as the negotiations which gave rise to the new scenario were yet to be concluded.
“It was backdated to January, but they are to get the money on their next pay run. It was already water under the bridge so it was more of an inquiry,” Mphambela said.
Asked whether or not the review in retirees’ benefits will put pressure on the budget, Mphambela said the demands were provided for in the National Budget.
“Whatever they are being paid is provided for in the budget so there is no stretch on the budget,” he said, adding: “what they were simply asking for is a respect for the standing contractual arrangement which is that a retired civil servant should get two thirds commutation of their exit salary and any subsequent reviews on their grade, the pension will be reviewed accordingly.”
WATCH | #SowetoShutdown: Woman shot with rubber bullet as residents protest against electricity cuts
Citizen|Police fired rubber bullets to disperse residents of Soweto who took to the streets and barricaded parts of the busy Sofasonke Street in Orlando East to protest against electricity cuts.
It took police over an hour to disperse residents of Nomzamo Park who were planning to march to the City of Johannesburg offices in Orlando East.
Half an hour later, after negotiating with law enforcement agencies, residents then attempted to march to the municipal offices but were prevented by the police.
Police stopped them at a traffic circle and ordered them not to proceed to the office of their ward councillor Sechaba Khumalo.
Officers then fetched Khumalo so he could attend to the residents’ grievances.
Residents were demanding the reconnection of electricity to their homes. They claim they have been in the dark since June last year.
“We demand our electricity back. We have been without lights for the past eight months. We are responding to a call about a shutdown. We want our councillor to explain why we don’t have power in our houses,” community leader SakhumziNgomfela said.
“Since last year, our councillor has not responded to our demands. We have shut down everything at Nomzamo Park and school-going children have joined us because they are also affected. They decided not to go to school because they are living in the dark too,” Ngomfela said.
Khumalo briefly addressed residents saying he was aware and concerned about their demands.
He lobbied residents to attend a march on Wednesday to the Eskom offices in Diepkloof. The march will be led by Soweto ward councillors.
Earlier in the morning, a handful of protesters marched up and down Chris Hani Road in Soweto over electricity blackouts and billing processes by Eskom.
Community leader Rufus Tshoke accused Eskom of over-billing residents.
He promised that they would intensify their protests by recruiting more residents to participate in the march later in the day.
FORMER Chiredzi West ward 7 councillor, Samuel Mashonganyika (Zanu PF) committed suicide yesterday morning after a residential stand scam went sour.
Mashonganyika passed away at a private hospital in Chiredzi.
According to a source close to the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, in 2016 Mashonganyika entered into a deal with a buyer only identified as Gombiro, and he was paid US$2 800 as part payment. The stand was valued at $10 000. However, Mashonganyika later sold the same stand to Zandile Chipendo.
Gombiro engaged a lawyer following a tussle with Chipendo over ownership of the stand.
In the heat of the wrangle, Mashonganyika threatened to commit suicide, but the buyers were not moved by the threat. He drank an unknown substance, but was rescued by some members of the public.
Four days later, Mashonganyika left his home after threatening to commit suicide again and was reported a missing person.
A search party spent the night looking for him. He was found unconscious on Tuesday morning after he again drank an unknown substance. He was taken to a private hospital where he was admitted until the time of his death.
Zanu PF provincial spokesperson Ronald Ndava confirmed the death.
“Cde former councillor Samuel Mashonganyika was a very loyal member to the party and council. He served in the office of councillor for ward 7 from 2013 to 2018. Was party district secretary for information and publicity at ward level. At council, he held chairmanship of finance committee. He was also a church elder with Zaoga Forward In Faith. It’s a big loss to the party and Chiredzi community,” Ndava said.
The incident opened a can of worms as more people started to come up with accusations of shady land deals that sucked in ward 1 councillor and Chiredzi council chairperson Gibson Hwende, and ward 2 councillor Obert Ngwenya who chairs the housing committee.
One land seeker Manyisa Kesani claimed that she gave Hwende R4 000 for a stand at a newly-established residential area, but he did not honour his promise.
“I gave Hwende R4 000 and Ngwenya R60 000. Now I am having problems with my in-laws because they no longer trust me. What I only want right now is my money, if the deal has flopped,” Kesani said.
Hwende said he assisted people from Kesani’s company in 2013, but could not remember entering any deal with Kesani.
“Yes, I assisted other people at her company, but I cannot remember entering a deal with her alone. I would like to see her so that we talk over the matter,” Hwende said.
Kesani went on to say that after her deal with Hwende failed to materialise, she approached Ngwenya who demanded R60 000. She said Ngwenya also never honoured his promise, and she is yet to recover her money from the two.
Contacted for comment, Ngwenya said he did not know her. “I don’t know the person you are talking about, but I would like to see the woman to discuss the issue,” he said.
The cases are just a tip of an iceberg as more cases of corrupt land deals are being exposed. Former Local Government minister, Saviour Kasukuwere once dubbed Chiredzi as one of the most corrupt councils after the former councillors allegedly allocated themselves 40 stands each.
Dr Admore Tshuma from Kent University was asked by SABC: What were you aiming to achieve?, and he answered as follows: “the study is a socio-economic perspective. The study explores how the future in South Africa may unfold if expropriation of land without compensation goes ahead. “The aim is not to take a side in this argument, but to unpack the perspective, of human rights and economic paradigms. This is the first time that such a question has been examined by social science using an objectively collected data. The main aim is not to diminish claims for redistribution of land, but to highlight the detriment of the expropriation of land without compensation. “In this study I am very mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of land and I am also aware that there is little consensus of what benefit expropriation of land will produce for South Africa. 
