Farai Dziva|The leader of opposition party PPPZ, Pastor Timothy Chiguvare says God has anointed him to be light of Zimbabwean politics.

See statement below:

LIGHT is coming to Zimbabwe , we ,are PPPZ we strongly believe that governments do not have to be political once elected into power. If a government is political then all its ministries will become political including the police ; the judiciary ; the prisons and the army.

Then there is no way the civil servants can serve the people (entire electorate) if the civil servants are political , it’s a TOTAL breakdown. The moment the government becomes political then “CORRUPTION” becomes the order of the day. CIVIL SERVANTS are not workers of a political party but servants of the people. This year 2020 our story must CHANGE , and Africa must learn from Zimbabwe’s government of the people by the people.

Politics is evil, is run by the forces of evil. It is the final battle of good over evil. Good will win because the LIGHT of God never fails. LIGHT is truth, it cannot fail. And TRUTH is a weapon for JUSTICE for all Zimbabweans. A government must stand as a leading LIGHT for the entire nation because there is a vast difference between a government and a political party.

There will be no JUSTICE whatsoever in a nation where the government and the judiciary is political. In a nation where the government is political there will be no political ; economic and electoral reforms.

And because of this reason Zimbabwe is in desperate need of a completely NEW and clean government , a NEW clean police force ; a NEW clean judiciary and a NEW army – and they must all be trained -“DUTY-HONOUR – COUNTRY” and be ready to serve the entire nation of Zimbabwe.

Political “SLOGANS” are not needed in government , a government must be pure and be free from POLITICS and be ready always to serve the people.

“A WEAKENED JUDICIACY TRANSLATES INTO A WEAKENED DEMOCRACY”

Farai Dziva|Information Ministry Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana says Russian President Vladimir Putin has imitated Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s call on citizens to eat vegetables.

Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans to stop eating meat claiming it was not good for health.He said Zimbabweans should eat vegetables and potatoes.

“So President Putin joins President ED Mnangagwa in calling for citizens to eat more vegetables.

I hear someone retorted that vegetables and murivo are different things? Inga,” tweeted Nick Mangwana.

However, the Russian President mentioned not only vegies, but also, fish and meat.

He said, “You are right, this has to be adjusted timely and the basket should be looked into.”

“Experts say its structure requires an improvement because, I do not remember the exact figures, but the bulk of it consists of potato, fats and all, bread and bakery, while vegetables and fruit are too scarce and fish and meat do not occupy their due place in the basket.”

 By Talent Gondo- A delegation from the United Nations (UN) Electoral Needs Assessment Mission is in the country to evaluate the capacity and needs of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

ZEC chief elections officer Mr Utloile Silaigwana said the visit aimed at determining whether the UN should provide electoral assistance to Zimbabwe or not.

“I can confirm that the UN Electoral Needs Assessment Mission delegation is in the country and we met with them on Monday (last week). We discussed the possible needs and areas of support to the electoral processes in line with the existing ZEC-United Nations Development Programme Memorandum of Understanding,” he said.

“Basically this is an assessment mission with a view to recommend whether the UN should provide electoral assistance that may be required such as capacity building, support to stakeholder engagements and other support to the various ZEC needs to improve the conduct of elections,”

Mr Silaigwana said African Union chief electoral officer Mr Akinyemi Adegbola was part of the delegation.

The visit by the UN delegation comes at a time Government has committed to undertaking electoral reforms.

Government is currently in the process of amending the Electoral Act in line with recommendations made by observer missions during the 2018 harmonised elections.

Electoral reforms are part of Government efforts to transform the political and economic environments.

The reforms are also in line with the New Dispensation’s pledge to incorporate views of other players into different laws that affect society and open up the democratic space.

As part of a broad electoral reform package, Government is considering the provision for the electronic transmission of Presidential election results which allows for the swift release of final result tallies opposed to the current legislative regime where ZEC has up to five days to announce results.

The electoral body is in the process of obtaining objective reviews from seconded staff, political players, civil society organisations and election observers who participated in last year’s harmonised elections on how the election was managed and to capture the aspirations of all Zimbabweans on how they want the election managed.

ZEC has also unveiled a strategic plan that intends to realign its operations with the electoral cycle compliant emphasising on rebranding, alignment of electoral laws and regulations to the Constitution.

Mr Silaigwana said ZEC was focusing on stakeholder engagement, improvement of procurement processes through the establishment of an independent procurement management unit and moving towards programme-based budgeting.

The team remains in the country meeting other arms of Government and will re-engage.

-StateMedia

By Talent Gondo- Rudo Chimhanda is one of the many Zimbabweans who have sought refuge abroad following political persecution from the Zanu Pf led regime.

For Chimhanda, like thousands others, her only crime is being a staunch supporter of the opposition MDC.

It has not been an easy road considering that the persecution has also shifted and is being directed to her family, who are living in fear of Zanu Pf.

Now based in Germany, Chimhanda now fears for her family which is being tormented.

“In the January 2018 demonstration against fuel price increase protesters attacked me. I took refuge at my parlour upon arrival at the salon there were two double cab vehicles, three men got out, and started beating me up. I was taken to what looked like an army barrack. I was tortured and kept there for 8 days, no food no water” recalls Chimhanda

Dumped in the high density suburb of Highfields, with swollen eyes and with her eyeglasses taken she could not see properly. She sought help from passerby.

“I was dumped in Highfields Zimbabwe grounds. I could not walk my eyes were swollen, I couldn’t see properly my specs had been taken. I managed to seek for help my crime was being a strong member of the MDC where I do not hold any position except assisting my residential MP” she said

At her massage parlour she interacted with people from across the political divide but a large number were from her favourite party.

“As a member, I offered the MDC leadership to come for treatment at the parlour, I did this in order to market my business being influential people they would draw in clients.

In August I participated in demonstration. When the police started to fire bullets at the protesters, I took refuge at my parlour, here other protestors followed.

“Suddenly the army arrived, I was beaten up and thrown in a truck and taken to Harare central police station. I was tortured and questioned before they took me to Goromonzi where I was tortured before being taken to court” said Chimhanda

She was only released on bail after the magistrate observed swells. She had to seek help from the MDC who took her to a safe house and was able to escape to South Africa.

Her security was under threat prompting her to escape to Germany where she is now based. Her parents are now being persecuted for their daughter’s sins.

By A Correspondent- The youthful MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa, said there was little the government could do to stop the mass protests they are organising as a party because the season is ripe.

Chamisa who used a metaphor “they can’t stop an idea whose time has come” to further make his point, also said he was unfazed by the government’s threats to jail him if he does anything unlawful.

Speaking to the publication Chamisa said:

I cannot be in the habit of paraphrasing my speeches. I said what I said and that is it. Abaiwa ngaabude (tough luck to anyone who feels troubled by this).

But we must thank the government for reminding us that they are the barrier and that they fear being broken

Chamisa launching his 2020 Agenda told his party supporters that he had given them a signal to take action against the current administration’s misrule.

-Daily News

RIP Baba Lovemore Matombo former ZCTU President. You fought a good fight leader of leaders. pic.twitter.com/YtAqn3uobi

— Promise Mkwananzi (@pmkwananzi) January 27, 2020

By A Correspondent- ZCTU has come out to say they are talking to other unions to organise a massive strike so that the government through state security agencies will not victimise striking workers.

ZCTU said a strike needs collective effort to be successful.

This was revealed by the ZCTU president Peter Mutasa who spoke to the publication and said:

The workers know the system is brutal so if one sector, if teachers or doctors embark on a strike they will be easily targeted by the State security.

What we are doing now is that we are going to call for a general strike, we are currently consulting general workers and different unions even those who are not members of the ZCTU. The general strike is the only way to go because they will not be able to victimise all workers.

This year, workers across sectors are going to down tools. Workers are going to engage in various sustained peaceful protests. Only fools will begrudge workers for resisting slavery and economic dictatorship.

Meanwhile, the government offered civil servants 140% salary increment which they also rejected, the government in the month of January 2020 has offered civil servants 2 salary increments and have paid them a cushioning allowance. 

-DailyNews

By A Correspondent- In rejecting the government’s latest salary increment offer, rural teachers have said they will embark on a strike if the government doesn’t review their offer to match what they are demanding.

Read the full statement below:

Salary increment not the solution.

27-01-2020

Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, ARTUZ has been following the purported salary negotiations being championed by the discredited and illegal APEX Council at the equally bogus National Joint Negotiating Council, NJNC.

We reiterate our unadulterated principled viewpoint that Statutory Instrument 141 of 1997 which establishes the NJNC is ultra-vires to section 65 of the constitution of Zimbabwe. We are aware that the government is reluctant to align the law to the new constitution as they intend to perpetuate the tilted begging framework provided for at NJNC. Our mandate is to organize the civil servants to reject the legal nullity called NJNC and push for the establishment of a genuine collective bargaining framework.

We note that as was expected the parties at NJNC are almost agreeing on some salary increment. A salary increment for civil servants will trigger a new wave of inflation and an equilibrium will only be attained when the new salaries attain the same value of US$ 35 which we are rejecting now. The economy has redollarised with prices of government services chasing the United States Dollars rate. Our demand for interbank rate indexed salaries is the only panacea which can bring relief for the workers.

Civil servants constitute the majority of the formal jobs in Zimbabwe. The underpayment of civil servants has catalyzed the rapid contraction of the economy. Aggregate demand has been severely lowered leading to scaling down of production and the firing of workers. The dream of growing the GDP will never be realized if we continue on this path.

To save our economy from further contraction we urge the government to urgently restore the purchasing power parity of civil servants.

Our education sector has virtually collapsed because of underpayment of teachers. Destroying our education threatens the developmental plans of our nation. It is imperative that we urgently reverse the erosion of our education system.

Teachers will remain severely incapacitated if they do not receive interbank rate indexed salaries. Our members will not report for duty. We are currently earning 7% of our US$ 500 salary which was robbed from us by the employer.

We will be escalating the fight by taking to the streets in coming days. We will pressure duty bearers to realise the urgency of resolving the salary crisis. For now we remain resolute and stay put at home until interbank rate indexed salaries are approved.

By A Correspondent- Harare mayor Herbert Gomba has said the local authority needs $45m per month to buy water chemicals and other things to produce water.

The council is struggling to supply clean water to the residents.

“Council needs $45m each month to buy water chemicals and other things to produce water for a month and all residents are able to pay is $25m, the waste management account is in loss charging $6,50 yet fuel is $17 per ltr, residents must understand this,” he said.

By A Correspondent- ZIMRA in 2019 surpassed their target of $18.6 billion and collected $23.19 billion.

This was revealed by the Finance Minister who said ZIMRA employed all of its mandated methods like garnishees and tax audits to collect revenue thereby surpassing their target.

Speaking at the international customs day commemorations in Harare today,  Professor Ncube said:

I am proud to announce that ZIMRA collected a total of ZWL$23,19bn in duties and other taxes for the year ending December 31,2019 against a target of ZWL$18.6bn.  So, when I talk about surpluses, ZIMRA is at the core of it.

-BusinessTimes

The NJNC drama has been taken to Vic Falls. They have decided to sell out in the comfort of hotels. Bribing a couple of leaders will not capacitate the civil servants. We will not settle for anything less than interbank rate indexed salaries. pic.twitter.com/pOP8ZnGsnz

— Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe,ARTUZ (@ARTUZ_teachers) January 27, 2020

By A Correspondent- There are reports that musician Andy Muridzo and his friend Simba The Lion were today detained and held at gunpoint by a man identified as Lenon in Waterfalls.

Andy Muridzo and Simba were drinking with female friends when a man appeared with a gun and frog-marched them into the house.

Ana Andy vanga vakagara panze vachinwa doro nana queen then ndopa pasvika Lenon ne pfuti meaning Andy was sitting outside with his female friends including Queen when Lenon arrived with a gun. Lennon ndi ex wa Itai ndobva aona vari two two ndobva aburitsa pfuti akavapinza mumba achiti uri kuitei nemukadzi wangu meaning Lennon is an ex boyfriend to Itai and he thought that they were couples and he frog marched them into the house asking what the two guys were doing with his wife” said the source.

They were detained in the house and the police and state security agents had to be called to intervene.

“Patozouya ma C10 ndoazoburitsa vakomana vachizobva pano meaning central intelligence officers had to be called and they were the ones that were able to diffuse the situation,” revealed the source.

Muridzo confirmed the horrific incident

“Munhu angosvika nepfuti isu tanga tichitozvinwira hedu doro. Aakuti muri kutsvagei pamba pangu meaning an unidentified man just came with a gun when we were having a beer and started querying what we were doing at his house. I have made a report at Waterfalls police station and i am currently waiting to hear from them,” he said.

Recently the artist who has somewhat gathered a reputation as a Casanova said he was quitting women and focusing solely on his music.

The musician broke up with his first wife Mai Keketso and then split up with his girlfriend Nyarie Mukucha has said he is single and not searching.

By A Correspondent- The passengers who survived the General Bande bus accident which killed 16 people along the Harare-Mutare road have blamed the driver for the accident saying that he ignored their pleas to slow down.

The accident which occured about 50 kilometres from Mutare when the bus collided with a haulage truck has so far claimed 16 lives. 14 people died on the spot while two others later died at Mutare Provincial Hospital. 40 other passengers were injured.

The passengers who are still recuperating at the hospital are all unanimous that the driving caused the accident because he was speeding and reckless.

Speaking to local publication, the Manica Post, one of the passengers said:

What happened is when we approached a curve along the road around Shamu village the bus was travelling at an excessive speed and the surface was bumpy. The bus spun out of control and then swerved to the left.

The bus driver at first tried to bring it back on lane but failed as it swerved again and slewed across the road resulting in the oncoming haulage truck ramming straight into the bus. In fact, the haulage truck driver tried to avoid hitting the bus but the distance was so close that he could not. The bus was left facing the Harare direction where we were coming from.

Another passenger who has since been discharged from the hospital added:

On about five or six occasions people warned the driver against speeding but somehow he kept on travelling at an excessive speed. It appeared to me that the passengers had resigned to fate and also hoping that maybe they would arrive safely since we were into the last 60 kilometres of the journey.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi revealed that the investigations carried out by the police corroborated that the driver was indeed speeding and refused to take heed of the passengers’ pleas for him to slow down.  Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said:

“We have also gathered that the bus driver had been warned against speeding prior to the accident but he did not take heed. It is unfortunate that we continue losing lives unnecessarily. We strongly warn motorists against speeding for their own safety and the safety of other road users.”

Unfortunately, the driver of the bus did not survive the accident to answer for his actions

By A Correspondent- A delegation from the United Nations (UN) Electoral Needs Assessment Mission is in the country to evaluate the capacity and needs of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

ZEC chief elections officer Mr Utloile Silaigwana said the visit aimed at determining whether the UN should provide electoral assistance to Zimbabwe or not.

“I can confirm that the UN Electoral Needs Assessment Mission delegation is in the country and we met with them on Monday (last week). We discussed the possible needs and areas of support to the electoral processes in line with the existing ZEC-United Nations Development Programme Memorandum of Understanding,” he said.

“Basically this is an assessment mission with a view to recommend whether the UN should provide electoral assistance that may be required such as capacity building, support to stakeholder engagements and other support to the various ZEC needs to improve the conduct of elections,”

Mr Silaigwana said African Union chief electoral officer Mr Akinyemi Adegbola was part of the delegation.

The visit by the UN delegation comes at a time Government has committed to undertaking electoral reforms.

Government is currently in the process of amending the Electoral Act in line with recommendations made by observer missions during the 2018 harmonised elections.

Electoral reforms are part of Government efforts to transform the political and economic environments.

The reforms are also in line with the New Dispensation’s pledge to incorporate views of other players into different laws that affect society and open up the democratic space.

As part of a broad electoral reform package, Government is considering the provision for the electronic transmission of Presidential election results which allows for the swift release of final result tallies opposed to the current legislative regime where ZEC has up to five days to announce results.

The electoral body is in the process of obtaining objective reviews from seconded staff, political players, civil society organisations and election observers who participated in last year’s harmonised elections on how the election was managed and to capture the aspirations of all Zimbabweans on how they want the election managed.

ZEC has also unveiled a strategic plan that intends to realign its operations with the electoral cycle compliant emphasising on rebranding, alignment of electoral laws and regulations to the Constitution.

Mr Silaigwana said ZEC was focusing on stakeholder engagement, improvement of procurement processes through the establishment of an independent procurement management unit and moving towards programme-based budgeting.

The team remains in the country meeting other arms of Government and will re-engage.

-Statemedia

A former ZBC Newscaster Musorowegomo Mukosi has been arrested on allegations that he hired men to assault his employees at a mine in Mt Darwin, The Herald reports.

Musorowegomo is said to have first accused his employees of stealing his gold before hiring bouncers to assault them.

The incident was confirmed by ZRP National Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi who said:

We can confirm that Musorowegomo Mukosi has been arrested over violence incident which occurred at his mine claim in Mt Darwin over the weekend.

We are still investigating the case. So far we have received three reports of assault. We are however still in the process of verifying those that were attacked and injured as part of the ongoing investigations

State Media|Government is in the process of amending the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act to make respondents account for the source of their wealth.

Prosecutor General, Mr Kumbirai Hodzi said the civil based forfeiture will assist in fighting crime and corruption as it allow courts to forfeit tainted assets even in the absence of a conviction for a criminal offence.

Speaking at the Anti-Corruption training session for the judiciary, National Prosecuting Authority, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and Zimbabwe Republic Police in Harare on Monday morning, Mr Hodzi said: “It should be noted that the criminal justice system alone is not sufficient to efficiently and effectively deal with the problem of crime and corruption.

“This is particularly so in light of the rapid growth of organised criminal gangs and cartels which pose a threat to peace, security, rule of law, development and the realisation of human rights.

” In most instances, it is often difficult to bring some of the leaders of organised crime to book as they always ensure that they are far removed from the overt criminal activity concerned.

“We have been successful in arresting and prosecuting the level one poachers, that is those who do the actual poaching. Regrettably, the same cannot be said of the leaders who fund these gangs and are often far removed from the criminal acts in question.”

State Media|Since 2008, Zimbabwe has been enjoying a multi-currency regime introduced to restore sanity to the economy after years of hyperinflation.

It seemed like the only solution, the Zimbabwe dollar had all, but been rejected.

Zimbabwe dollar notes released in the morning would be worthless by evening.

The multi- currency regime brought with it certainty and the ability to plan into the future, something which had become impossible in the Zimbabwe dollar era.

This was a good aspect for both industry and consumers.

On the flip side though, the United States dollar soon emerged as the currency of choice.

Though under the multi-currency regime all regional currencies were to be accepted as a means of payment, the US dollar soon gained monopoly with currencies such as the South African rand and the Botswana pula initially being sidelined and later on being totally rejected in favour of the US dollar.

Thus the economy was dollarised.

There is no legislation which specifically introduced the US dollar as the sole currency for transacting in Zimbabwe, but the economy simply opted for the greenback.

The US dollar, while bringing about stability, also brought with it many challenges.

Use of the multi-currency regime meant the country could not make use of monetary instruments to influence economic activity.

As such, the economy was being run using only the fiscal function.

The multi-currency regime made locally-produced products more expensive as compared to imported products and thus made local products more expensive.

This had a negative impact on the country’s capacity to export and earn foreign currency.

The Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) introduced a raft of measures to restore macro-economic stability and stimulate productivity in the economy.

The monetary sector and currency reforms implemented under TSP, included the separation of FCA accounts and RTGS accounts, liberalisation of the exchange rate, the establishment of an inter-bank foreign currency market and conversion of local US dollar accounts into RTGS dollar accounts.

This process was gradual in order not to induce unnecessary shocks on the economy.

The entire process, culminated in the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe Dollar (ZWL) through SI33/2019 which has since been applied and interpreted by the Supreme Court in its recent judgment.

There has been an outcry against the judgment, with some stating that it will deter investors from coming to Zimbabwe because it undermines property rights.

Nothing can be further from the truth as the Supreme Court did nothing, but to interpret and apply the position of the law since the promulgation of SI 33/2019.

In essence, nothing has changed, the Supreme Court judgment changes nothing, but merely enforces the law in accordance with the intentions of the Legislature, bearing in mind at all times the mischief that the Legislature intended to cure.

It must be remembered that the State consists of the three arms: the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. The Judiciary’s role is not to create or strike down laws, but merely to interpret them and apply them.

In promulgating SI33/2019, the intention of the legislature was to strip the US dollar as a medium of exchange to preserve it as a reserve currency.

The Supreme Court had the occasion to interpret and apply the provisions of SI 33/2019 and bring the intention of the Legislature into practicality.

As stated above, it is the duty of the courts to interpret statutes and in so doing the court uses “Where the language used in a statute is clear and unambiguous, the words ought to be given the ordinary grammatical meaning.” (Per Malaba CJ).

The case for determination was whether the provisions of SI 33/ 2019 applied to judgment debts obtained in United States Dollars prior to the promulgation of the Statutory Instrument.

The court held that all debts accrued prior to the promulgation of SI 33/2019, including judgment debts obtained in United Sated dollars are now payable in ZWL at the rate of 1:1.

The court has not done anything save to interpret and apply the law as was promulgated by the legislature.

The outcry against the Supreme Court is thus misplaced.

There is nothing new that the Supreme Court judgment does, it merely applies the position of the law after the promulgation of the Statutory Instrument.

It is important to put the Statutory Instrument and the subsequent court judgment into the context of TSP.

The intention of the blueprint was to bring monetary and fiscal reforms which will consolidate the economy and increase productivity.

The Minister of Finance, from the onset, indicated that the continued use of the US dollar was no longer sustainable.

There were no longer adequate US dollars circulating in the system to sustain meaningful economic activity and that is when the gap arose which led to the creation of the black market.

There being no adequate supply of the US dollar to finance the economy, it meant that the currency that was being held in our bank accounts was now a mythical US dollar, the actual United States dollar being absent from the system.

By the time the Statutory Instrument was passed, no one actually had real US dollars in their account anyway.

The deed had already been done and it was imperative that the law recognises this and puts it into application.

This judgment should come as a relief to everyone.

If the court had held otherwise, there would be pandemonium in the economy.

Insurance companies would have to pay claims in US dollars simply because the premiums were paid in US dollars.

There would be a run-in on banks as people demanded US dollars.

Ordinary people who had borrowed would be required to pay back in US dollars yet the truth is no one has US dollars anymore.

This would cause unnecessary hardship on everyone.

The economy is de-dollarising. By the end of TSP, market distortions, resulting in price disparities depending on whether one is using United States dollar, cash, EcoCash or transfer, should be a thing of the past.

At that stage the economy will have successfully de-dollarised.

The government through the justice minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, has said the police would not hesitate to arrest the MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, if he carries out his breaking barriers initiative which he launched on Tuesday last week during his Agenda 2020 address, the DailyNews reported.

Calling Chamisa’s BBI treasonous, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said this to the DailyNews on Sunday:

“They are saying that they want to break all barriers and what it means is that they want to break the country’s laws. They speak about the rule of law but they are failing to respect the country’s laws … this means that they want to remove the constitutionally-elected government.

“They want to violate the country’s laws and they know the consequences. He (Chamisa) will be arrested. Law enforcement agents are ready. Indeed, there is no one who is above the law. If they continue with their move of breaking laws, he will be arrested.

“They have also developed a culture of inciting violence and making utterances that disturb the enjoyment of peace in the country. That is illegal and he will be arrested for that.”

Chamisa during his SONA said its high time people across political divide speak with one voice against the government’s misrule and called this, breaking barriers initiated by the government a statement that might have been interpreted to mean they were going to defy the law by the government according to their response.

— DailyNews

Own Correspondent|The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority is clamping down on companies conducting business in foreign currency but paying tax in Zimbabwe dollars.

Government reintroduced the local dollar in June last year as sole legal tender and banned the widespread use of foreign currencies, mainly the the US dollar. While the tourism, mining and oil industries were granted exemptions to conduct trade in foreign currency, the tax body said some businesses were flouting the law.

Taxes, including pay-as-you-earn, value-added tax, income tax, capital-gains tax and mining royalties must now all be settled in foreign currency, Zimra said in a statement on Monday.

“Foreign currency means the US dollar, euro, British pound, South African rand, Botswana pula and any other foreign currency denominated under the Exchange Control Order,” it said.

As of January 1, for capital-gains tax purposes, all asset disposals will be assumed to have been in US dollars, unless documentary proof is submitted that the transactions were conducted in the local currency, Zimra said.

MDC Alliance vice chair JOB Sikhala’s trial for subversion has been postponed to Feburary 3 by the Masvingo High Court this morning.

Justice Neville Wamambo postponed trial to next week with the consent of both the state and the defence counsels.

The Judge said the postponement was because of the absence of the case’s trial presiding judge Justice Garainesu Mawadze who is away on official business.

Sikhala was represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights’s Mr Jeremiah Bhamu while Mr Tawanda Zvekare is leading the prosecution.

Political persecution continues to drive Zimbabweans away from home. One such person is Rudo Chimhanda whose family is under attack from Zanu PF. Her crime being an ardent member of the opposition MDC.

Now based in Germany, Chimhanda now fears for her family which is being tormented.

“In the January 2018 demonstration against fuel price increase protesters attacked me. I took refuge at my parlour upon arrival at the salon there were two double cab vehicles, three men got out, and started to beating me up. I was taken to what looked like an army barrack. I was tortured and kept there for 8 days, no food no water” recalls Chimhanda

Dumped in the high density suburb of Highfields, with swollen eyes and eyeglasses taken she could not see properly she sought help from passerby.

“I was dumped in Highfields Zimbabwe grounds. I could not walk my eyes were swollen, I couldn’t see properly my specs had been taken. I managed to seek for help my crime was being a strong member of the MDC where I do not hold any position except assisting my residential MP” she said

At her massage parlour she interacted with people from across the political divide and a large number were from her favourite party.

“As a member, I offered the MDC leadership to come for treatment at the parlour, I did this in order to market my business being influential people they would draw in clients.
In August I participated in demonstration. When the police started to fire bullets at the protesters, I took refuge at my parlour, here other protestors followed.

“Suddenly the army arrived, I was beaten up and thrown in a truck and taken to Harare central police station. I was tortured and questioned before they took me to Goromonzi where I was tortured before being taken to court” said Chimhanda

She was only released on bail after the magistrate observed swells. She had to seek help from the MDC who took her to a safe house and was able to escape to South Africa.

Her security was under threat prompting her to escape to Germany where is now based. Her parents are now being persecuted for their daughter’s sins.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW….

https://youtu.be/hKzs_mB1ksU

A SUSPECTED machete wielding man was fatally assaulted by members of the public and later died on his way to hospital.

Edmore Kaitano suspected to have been part of the four-member gang who went on a rampage robbing a shop at Jochoma village, setting five huts on fire and assaulting several villagers using machetes and a spear, died on their way to Sanyati Baptist Hospital.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident saying three of the other suspects have been arrested.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested Takesure Mashonga Gasura, George Ncube and Pritchard Banda for robbery and malicious damage to property at Kenzamba in Chinhoyi,” said Ass Comm Nyathi.

“Banda is currently hospitalised after having been shot on the knee while resisting arrest and another suspect Kaitano was apprehended and fatally assaulted by members of the public.

“He later died.
“Police are warning machete gangs that they only have themselves to blame should they continue to harass and terrorise innocent members of the public.

“Police would like to assure the public that we are form on the ground to deal with all criminal elements,” said Ass Comm Nyathi.

Meanwhile, police have intensified the maintenance of law and order at Jumbo area in Mazowe and members of the public are advised that Jumbo Mine and its environs are now a no go area with immediate effect.-H-Metro

Farai Dziva|Information Ministry Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana says Russian President Vladimir Putin has imitated Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s call on citizens to eat vegetables.

Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans to stop eating meat claiming it was not good for health.He said Zimbabweans should eat vegetables and potatoes.

“So President Putin joins President ED Mnangagwa in calling for citizens to eat more vegetables.

I hear someone retorted that vegetables and murivo are different things? Inga,” tweeted Nick Mangwana.

However, the Russian President mentioned not only vegies, but also, fish and meat.

He said, “You are right, this has to be adjusted timely and the basket should be looked into.”

“Experts say its structure requires an improvement because, I do not remember the exact figures, but the bulk of it consists of potato, fats and all, bread and bakery, while vegetables and fruit are too scarce and fish and meat do not occupy their due place in the basket.”

Farai Dziva|Information Ministry Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana says Russian President Vladimir Putin has imitated Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s call on citizens to eat vegetables.

Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans to stop eating meat claiming it was not good for health.He said Zimbabweans should eat vegetables and potatoes.

“So President Putin joins President ED Mnangagwa in calling for citizens to eat more vegetables.

I hear someone retorted that vegetables and murivo are different things? Inga,” tweeted Nick Mangwana.

But those were not Putin’s exact words. The Russian president mentioned not only vegies, but also, fish and meat. He said, “you are right, this has to be adjusted timely and the basket should be looked into,” the head of state remarked. “Experts say its structure requires an improvement because, I do not remember the exact figures, but the bulk of it consists of potato, fats and all, bread and bakery, while vegetables and fruit are too scarce and fish and meat do not occupy their due place in the basket.”

By A Correspondent- Popular message service, Whatsapp, has already stopped supporting a number of devices on December 31, but there will be further restrictions from February 1.

From February 1 users older versions of iPhones and Android smartphones will no longer be able to create new accounts or reverify existing accounts.

This includes phones running on Android versions 2.3.7 and older, and iPhones on iOS 8 or older.

If you have an older smartphone and don’t want to lose all your chats on 1st February, there’s a fairly simple way to save your chat history.

Open the chat you wish to export, and tap on Group Info.

Scroll down and tap ‘Export Chat’. You’ll then be given the option to download the chat with or without media – note the attaching media will generate a larger chat archive.

Most smartphones are compatible with more up-to-date operating systems, for example, iOS 9 is available for iPhones going back as far as the iPhone 4s.

To find out which operating system your iPhone uses, go to Settings, then General, then Software Update – your current version will be displayed there.

And if you use Android, you need to go to ‘Settings,’ then ‘About Phone’ and then ‘Software Info’

-Techunzipped

A SUSPECTED machete wielding man was fatally assaulted by members of the public and later died on his way to hospital.

Edmore Kaitano suspected to have been part of the four-member gang who went on a rampage robbing a shop at Jochoma village, setting five huts on fire and assaulting several villagers using machetes and a spear, died on their way to Sanyati Baptist Hospital.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident saying three of the other suspects have been arrested.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested Takesure Mashonga Gasura, George Ncube and Pritchard Banda for robbery and malicious damage to property at Kenzamba in Chinhoyi,” said Ass Comm Nyathi.

“Banda is currently hospitalised after having been shot on the knee while resisting arrest and another suspect Kaitano was apprehended and fatally assaulted by members of the public.

“He later died.
“Police are warning machete gangs that they only have themselves to blame should they continue to harass and terrorise innocent members of the public.

“Police would like to assure the public that we are form on the ground to deal with all criminal elements,” said Ass Comm Nyathi.

Meanwhile, police have intensified the maintenance of law and order at Jumbo area in Mazowe and members of the public are advised that Jumbo Mine and its environs are now a no go area with immediate effect.-H-Metro

Own Correspondent| Lloyd Msipa who was recently appointed Secretary General in exiled former cabinet minister Walter Mzembi’s party has alleged that President Emmerson Mnangagwa dispatched Military intelligents operatives to hunt down Saviour Kasukuwere, Godfrey Gandawa, Patrick Zhuwao and his party leader who are all in South Africa.

Msipa who made the allegations in a Twitter post today said the MID operatives had been instructed to kill the quartet and were moving around in a hired Audi Q5 and a Toyota Yaris.

“Meanwhile @edmnangagwa last week dispatched MID operatives to hunt down @waltermzembi @DrGGandawa @Hon_Kasukuwere @PatrickZhuwao & eminent exiles in SA with orders to kill. They hired black Audi Q5 & white Toyota Yaris @BidvestCarHire at OR Tambo,” alleged Msipa.

https://twitter.com/LloydMsipa/status/1221726690495356929?s=20

By A Correspondent- A 26-year-old man from Zvishavane f0ndled a woman’s brea_sts accusing her of serving him a small portion of sadza.

The matter came into light when the man, Audias Matumbura, appeared before Zvishavane magistrate Archie Wochiunga facing a charge of Indecent Assault as defined in Section 67 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.

He pleaded guilty to the charge.

In mitigation, he told the court that he committed the offence under the influence of alcohol.

Magistrate Wochiunga had no kind words for Matumbura saying men who abuse women must be handed deterrent sentences.

“A man who abuses women should be handed a sentence that will be a lesson to would-be offenders.

“It’s the duty of the judiciary to create a society that is safe for women and children. You are therefore ordered to perform 310 hours of community service at Shabani Primary School,” he said.

On December 20 at around 10pm, the accused together with his friends went to Caravan Park where the complainant Mellisa Ngaruze works.

Upon arrival they ordered sadza and the complainant served them. Matumbura then started complaining that he was served a small portion of sadza.

He jumped over the counter and went behind the complainant and f0ndled her brea_sts.

The court heard that on December 28 the accused approached the complainant and insulted her over the same matter before f0ndling her brea_sts again.

The matter was reported to the police leading to Matumbura’s arrest.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Roman Catholic priest in-charge of St Bhakita Mission who is friendly to pets had a nightmare a few days before Christmas when a black mamba struck and killed a pack of his six dogs.

As if this was not enough misery, five dogs that Father Cephas Manyanye bought three weeks later all died after digging out and eating the carcasses of the killed dogs.

There are more dogs from the village which also died after being exposed to the dead dogs’ meat.

Narrating the story, Father Manyanye said that the 2,2 metre long reptile sleuthed through the mission yard attracting the attention of the six dogs kept.

Snakes are not uncommon at Bhakita, Masvingo Diocese’s newest mission pitched at the bottom of two bushy rocky hills. The snakes and dogs at the mission kept an unfriendly relationship but never went into direct fights.

“On this day I arrived at the gate to the mission house as dogs barked from a distance at the snake which was moving across the yard. However, the dogs got excited when they saw me and they started taking bites at the snake’s tail.

“The black mamba which had paid little attention to the barking dogs so far, got furious and struck one dog after another, killing all the six within seconds. Some died on the spot while others died a few metres away in the bush,” said Father Manyanya.

Father Manyanye said snakes are not usually hostile but after such confrontations they become aggressive.

“We see snakes at the mission almost every week and we stay in harmony with them. However after such a nasty confrontation, a snake, like many other wild animals tend to become aggressive and dangerous, I therefore had to kill it.

“I took an iron bar and placed it across its tail. A snake’s power is in the tail and it becomes weak once the tail is immobilised. I then took a stick and struck its head until it died,” said Father Manyanye.

Father Manyanye said he was close to his dogs.

“The dogs were my friends so I was pained when I lost them. They protected the mission and I had just taken them to a vet clinic when this happened,” said Rev Manyanye

-Mirror

By A Correspondent- A UK based woman who has been co- habiting with Beverly Sibanda’s new husband Mufudzi Chambuka has given the couple just a few days of wedding bliss arguing that knowing the man’s character, the raunchy dancer is in for a shock regarding her newly found love.

The woman, alleged that Mufudzi was a womaniser and conman who was in the habit of using and dumping women.

The UK based Zimbabwean, who availed evidence that she was co- habiting with Bev’s new husband claimed that Mufudzi owed her over US$5k and had disappeared with her Ford.

She said:

“I know Mufudzi Chambuka, give the new couple a few days and knowing Mufudzi, Bev will find out the real him. He is always on the phone texting women and i know in a few days, something will happen….

I know of a depressed woman who was also conned by Mufudzi. She has deactivated all her facebook accounts because of this. She was also conned by Mufudzi….

I am not jealous of Bev or Mufudzi, all i want is my money and my car from him.”

Watch the video down loading below for the exclusive live interview…….

Opposition MDC President Nelson Chamisa posted the below message following the death of American Basketball star Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crush;

Life is a flower!
Saddened by the death of Kobe and his daughter in a plane crash. Legends are ordinary men and women who make us feel we can do extraordinary things. They live life with the passion of one who will live forever. Taking risks, hoping, believing and inspiring the world one breath at a time. By the time they depart from this world, it is forever transformed by the simple reason that they chose to live and truly be alive.

A life well-lived is like a ripple in water, reaching unknown places and touching countless lives. May the Basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s tragic death be a reminder to us all that life itself is not guaranteed. We’re given a brief moment to impact the world & transform it. What matters is how we made others feel who remain. #RIPKobe

By A Correspondent- Tongues were sent wagging on Tuesday when a lone male baboon appeared at Benjamin Burombo Building which houses the Minister of State for Masvingo, Ezra Chadzamira’s offices where it spent most of the day relaxed on top of the two-storey building.

The baboon pitched up at around 9am and left the same way it came at 4pm.

It was temporarily forced from the roof by guards from the National Parks and it jumped into a nearby tree. However barely minutes later it climbed back onto the roof where it spent most of the day.

Scores of people took turns to watch the relaxed baboon with some saying that its presence in the Central Business District (CBD) is either a good or bad omen.

Efforts to get a comment from Chadzamira were futile as he is away on leave. His top aide Kudakwashe Machako who was present and was among those who are said to have taken videos of the primate could also not be reached for comment.

However Chadzamira’s PA confirmed the incident and said the baboon’s presence was quite a spectacle for many. She said that the baboon could have been pushed towards Burombo Building by street kids who were running after it.

“The baboon appeared from the gardens at the Civic center and walked down to Burombo Building. It climbed up the building, up the windows and onto the roof top where it appeared very relaxed despite noise from people on the ground,” said a guard at the building who declined to be named.

Chief Marozva of Bikita said it is scary news for a baboon to be seen in the middle of a city. He urged chiefs in the area to urgently discuss the matter because it can be loaded with meaning.

“It is a bad sign. There is no way a baboon can walk into town. There is a story behind this. Where did this baboon come from in the first place? Chiefs should convene a meeting and discuss the way forward after such an experience. It is scary to see a baboon in town,” said Chief Marozva.

Chairman of Chiefs’ Council in Masvingo, Chief Chitanga of Mwenezi said there is nothing significant about the baboon being spotted in town. He said baboons often come into town for food.

“A baboon can be seen in town anytime. There are different types of baboons and they associate closely with humans. This baboon could have been looking for food,” said Chief Chitanga.

Chief Chiwara of Gutu said the baboon could be a goblin kept by someone in town. He said people have used baboons for black magic and baboons can be used to stalk wives or fight enemies.

“Evil people use baboons to act on their behalf. A baboon can be sent to claim a debt or to claim a wife who runs away from her husband back to her parents. They are used in a scary way”, said Chief Chiwara.

-TellZim

By A Correspondent- Khama Billiat was stabbed on the hand with a screwdriver by his Baby Mama on Monday, a local South African publication reported.

The 22-year-old woman stabbed the soccer star and police have confirmed the development.

The woman went to Billiat’s Midrand home, with a police escort, and the 9 months old baby to ask Billiat to take care of his child.

However, Billiat, who was seeing the baby for the first time, refused to have anything to do with the baby and asked to drive to the Midrand police station to resolve the matter.

It was while at the Police station that the woman stabbed Billiat with a screwdriver. Billiat refused to open a case against the woman, whom he claims has been harassing him.

On her part, the woman says she is willing to take a paternity test. On the other hand, his coach has spoken on why he continues to miss the action.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has revealed that he is planning on easing star Khama Billiat back into action.

Amakhosi have done pretty well without their talisman with players like Samir Nurkovic, Lebogang Manyama and Leo Castro sharing the scoring duties.

The likes of Eric Mathoho and Dumisani Zuma have also chipped in to ensure the Zimbabwean’s absence is not felt. The Glamour Boys remain top of the Absa Premiership standings with a 10 point cushion. They got back to winning ways on Saturday, scraping past a dogged Golden Arrows outfit at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

However, Billiat’s absence has been a concern to some fans, especially with the 29-year-old reportedly embroiled in papgeld drama. He last appeared for Chiefs against Maritzburg United in what was the last game of 2019 at Harry Gwala Stadium. Since then, he has missed Amakhosi’s last five games and is yet to feature this year.

Nevertheless, Middendorp has confirmed that Billiat will be back in action soon enough.

“We’ll take him (Billiat) in the training process this week and it can be possible that we will get him right in the next two weeks,” revealed Middendorp.

“If there’s a feeling that we have to take a week more, we’ll take a week more.”

Amakhosi will not be in action this weekend and will next face Royal Eagles on the 8 February at FNB Stadium in the Nedbank Cup.

-SundaySun

By A Correspondent- An expedition to harvest the much sought after mopani worms (amacimbi) almost turned tragic for a security guard employed at Whitewater High School in Matobo District, Matabeleland South, as he found himself wrestling with a leopard which he miraculously fended off by shoving his hand into its mouth and blocking its windpipe.

For all his efforts to save his life, he was, however, later arrested for poaching. He appeared before a Plumtree magistrate on Thursday last week facing charges of killing an endangered animal. He was remanded out of custody to 3 February on $300 bail.

Mr Abednigo Moyo of Halale Village, situated near the famous Njelele Shrine, used bare hands to wrestle and choke the big cat after it attacked him while he was harvesting amacimbi.

His brother who had also accompanied him to the amacimbi expedition emerged from the bushes and finished off the vicious predator by axing it. So daring was Mr Moyo that his final technique to outfox the predator saw him shoving his hand into its mouth in an attempt to block its windpipe.He narrated his life and death encounter with one of the African big five:

“The day started well,” he recalled.

“My brother Isaac, his wife and I went to Gumela Farm owned by Mr William Ncube and we sought permission to harvest amacimbi at his property, which we were granted.”

He said as he was harvesting amacimbi all of a sudden, he heard an unusual sound of something approaching from the thicket.

“Before I could even see or react, a leopard emerged charging towards me. I tried to run but it was too late, the predator attacked me and I don’t know how I gathered the strength and managed to grab it by the neck before it could savage me,” he said.

Mr Moyo said, however, the grip was not strong and the leopard freed itself but it slipped and lost balance.

“I realised that if I don’t do something the animal would kill me. It was either I die fighting or I get mauled.”

He said when it opened its mouth ready to sink its teeth on him, he shoved his hand into its mouth and grabbed its windpipe.

“It was painful because at the same time, the leopard was biting my hand but I was choking it from inside while the other hand was fending off its claws. I was also screaming at the same time. The struggle went on for a minute or two and I could see the animal was also losing power from the choke,” he said.

Mr Moyo said his brother heard him screaming and rushed to investigate. “When Isaac arrived, the leopard was already losing strength. He then axed it and that is how I managed to eventually free myself. It died and we left it there,” he said.  Mr Moyo was rushed to Natisa Clinic for treatment.

But his woes were not yet over despite the heroics to save his life. “In the morning rangers came to my homestead and arrested me and my brother for poaching. The rangers were carrying the skin of the leopard and told us that we had killed an animal classified as an endangered specie and we were taken to the police.

It is the law but I wonder what else I could have done under such circumstances. The issue was either I get killed to save the endangered leopard or fight for my life.”

A police car carrying one of the suspects accused of setting fire to the body of a 10-year-old girl overturned this afternoon at Otjiwarongo.

Deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi today said soon after the arrest the officers had decided to refuel at Otjiwarongo Police Station. However, 10km before Otjiwarongo, the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle.

“As a result, the vehicle with the male Zimbabwean suspect collided and all the occupants sustained injuries,” the deputy commissioner said.

Shikwambi said the female suspect and her children were in a separate vehicle and are safe.

“The occupants, a warrant officer, a sergeant and the suspect, sustained slight to serious injuries and are receiving treatment at the Otjiwarongo hospital, but [are] reported to be stable,” she said.

The Zimbabwean couple was arrested earlier today in the Otjozondjupa region after they were intercepted at the turn-off to Okakarara.

-Namibian

By A Correspondent- Newly-wed raunchy dancer Beverly Sibanda says she has gained weight since she is living large under her new husband.he dancer said she is now a proudly married woman, but will not stop her career.

Said Bev:

“Ndikudya ndakagara, handisi kuenda kubasa meaning i am simple enjoying myself while not working. I last went to work on January 1. December i worked and the money is there and why would i work in January when there is no money. Everyone went for their holidays and i am starting work in February,” said Bev.

Bev’s statements come amid claims by another woman that her husband Mufudzi Chambuka stole her car worth $3 450.

According to the woman (42), Chambuka stole a Ford Focus Tytania. The matter was however reported to the police.

Watch the video loading below….

Bev said her rivals and “haters” were celebrating that pregnancy will now sink her into oblivion, but she is not pregnant and has only gained weight.

“People were rejoicing, especially dancers. They were thrilled thinking that they are replacing Bev on the stage, but you will not succeed. Who told them that i am down and out? I am just rising. I will be working because i am allowed to do everything. How will i dance when i am pregnant. I am still in the game. How is it possible that i cannot gain weight when i am eating good and tasty food. I am a working woman plus my husband is taking good care of me (laughing),” added Bev.

“I am not pregnant. Kusimba chete meaning i have just gained weight. You know I was slim and I have gained weight chete, plus i am using Depo provera since last year. If i am pregnant, i will give birth.”

The Sexy Angels boss said she is keeping a low profile.

“I have been playing low key hangu, eating good food.”

Asked on when she will be ready for pregnancy Bev said:

“Zvinei newe izvozvo meaning its none of your business? Just know that i got married and dad is supporting.”

She refused to dwell much on the process of her getting married.

“Yes i got married, they must just know that ” she said.

Bev responded to the social media comments. “Ende vanhu so, from bhawa to marriage,” she said while laughing. Bev’s wedding at the Harare Magistrates’ Court has been received with mixed feelings with some congratulating the dancing queen while others mocked her.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has vowed to continue wagging the struggle against evil adding that light will triumph over darkness.

Responding to a report in a local daily, Chamisa said his party will not be deterred neither will he be intimidated by the regime which has threatened to “deal with him” if he goes ahead with his planned mass demonstrations.

Said Chamisa:

“We are forging ahead with protracted struggle against the evil. Light shall eventually triumph over darkness. We ain’t backing down…”

FORMER principal director of State residences, Douglas Tapfuma, allegedly used a Bill of Entry code reserved for goods imported by the President personally to bring into the country a commuter omnibus and a Honda Accord in a bid to evade paying duty to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra).

Most Honda Accords and Honda Fit are used as pirate taxis in Harare known as Mshikashika.

He is also accused of using Government codes for six other vehicles.

Tapfuma used the Bill of Entry code set aside for goods exclusively imported for Government use to bring into the country six other cars: a Toyota Hiace, Toyota Alteza, BMW 318i, two Honda Fits and a Nissan Tilda.

This was revealed by Zimra’s declaration and processing manager Mr Innocent Muranganwa while testifying in a matter in which Tapfuma is facing criminal abuse of office charges after he imported personal cars using the State Residence Department.

“From the list of eight cars that we were given to trace, two were cleared as belonging to the President and six to Government,” he said. “On the Bill of Entries there are codes used to identify different types of clearances and on one Bill of Entry a code was used which is reserved for goods belonging to the President.

“On the other Bill of Entry code 403 which is reserved for use when importing goods for exclusive use by the Government was used.

“We then also discovered that on another Bill of Entry a Toyota Hiace was imported using code 446. These codes cannot be used by private individuals.”

Mr Muranganwa told the court that Tapfuma was supposed to pay duty for all the cars he imported since they were for his personal use.

Former deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr Ray Ndhlukula rubbished claims raised by Tapfuma’s lawyer Brighton Pabwe that his testimony was motivated by enmity existing between the two over the past three years.

As the country’s economy continues to free fall.

Sanctioned by the West and spurned by China, Zimbabwe has turned to the United Arab Emirates in its latest bid to find a savior that can arrest the collapse of its economy.

Zimbabwe’s government has approached the UAE in hopes of selling a stake in its national oil company, according to three company and government officials familiar with the plan. It also wants companies in the UAE to buy more of its gold, they said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said UAE investors will build solar plants in Zimbabwe, and UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan a year ago issued a decree to open an embassy in Zimbabwe. Dubai also contributed to relief efforts when Zimbabwe was hit by a cyclone last year.

Zimbabwe’s economy is in free-fall: It likely contracted by more than 6% last year, according to government estimates. Half the population is in need of food aid, inflation is running at over 500% and its currency has depreciated by more than 90% against the dollar since a 1:1 peg was abolished in February last year.

“They need investment desperately,” said Jee-A van der Linde, an economic analyst at NKC African Economics in Paarl, South Africa. “It’s been snowballing. I don’t know where it’s going to end up. I don’t know how that would be appealing for the UAE”

Oil companies in the UAE said they were unaware of the interest.

The UAE’s foreign ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The UAE is not the only country Mnangagwa has targeted for potential investment. Since taking power from Robert Mugabe in a November 2017 coup, he has crisscrossed the globe repeating the mantra ‘Zimbabwe is open for business.’ Two trips to Russia and former Soviet republics revived interest in a platinum project and a fleet of second-hand Belarusian buses now ply the streets of the capital, Harare.

By May 2019, investment pledges worth $27 billion had been announced in projects ranging from steel mills to abattoirs. There’s little evidence that they are being developed.

A visit by Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister in January ended with only pledges of further infrastructural projects being carried out by China. There was no mention by the “all-weather-friend” as Zimbabwe likes to describe China, extending any financial bailout.

Zimbabwe wants to sell a stake of as much as 25% in the National Oil Infrastructure Company of Zimbabwe, the people said, declining to be identified as the plans haven’t been disclosed.

NOIC owns storage depots at the port of Beira in neighbouring Mozambique as well as five locations in Zimbabwe. It also owns gas stations and the pipeline that brings oil products from Beira to Mutare for companies including Puma Energy BV, in eastern Zimbabwe.

Fuel shortages

Zimbabwe is prone to frequent shortages of motor fuel and sees a relationship with the UAE, possibly through the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, as a way of securing supply, one of the people said. The southern African nation consumes 1.4 million liters of gasoline and 2.5 million liters of diesel daily, according to the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority.

“We are working toward establishing a permanent arrangement with friendly countries and that also includes the UAE,” said Fortune Chasi, Zimbabwe’s energy minister, declining to comment directly on whether Zimbabwe had approached the UAE

© 2020 Bloomberg

A MAN from Bulawayo has appeared in court for allegedly stealing a bus worth more than US$31 000 from a garage in Thorngrove suburb.

Bongani Dube (41) of Njube suburb allegedly stole the bus belonging to Mr Kaiser Dliwayo-Saungweme (68) of Somerset East Extension, Francistown Botswana.

The bus had been parked at Mr Jobert Maplanka’s garage in Thorngrove for safe keeping.

Dube was not asked to plead to theft of a motor vehicle when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Lizwe Jamela.

He was remanded out of custody to February 7 on his own cognisance.

Prosecuting, Mr Denmark Chihombe said sometime in 2015, Mr Dliwayo-Saungweme was involved in an accident along the Bulawayo-Gweru road.

“The complainant then decided to take his bus to Mr Maplanka’s garage for safe keeping as the bus had Botswana registration number,” said Mr Chihombe

Between December 2015 and March 2019, Dube approached Mr Maplanka who was in custody of the bus and told him that he had bought the bus from Mr Dliwayo-Saungweme.

“The accused person alleged that he had already finalised sale transactions with the complainant despite the fact that the complainant was in Botswana at the time,” said Mr Chihombe.

Dube allegedly went on to show Mr Maplanka some telephone calls which he allegedly said were between him and Mr Dliwayo-Saungweme as a way of convincing him that he bought the bus.

“The accused assumed ownership of the bus which was a non-runner. The complainant values the stolen property at approximately US$31 400 and nothing was recovered,” said Mr Chihombe.

State Media|Kaguvi Vocational Training Centre near Gweru is demanding full fees and groceries upfront before allowing both returning and new students into its halls of residence.

College principal Mr Henry Nemtenzi, confirmed demanding groceries, but denied chasing away students for failing to pay fees.

Students told The Herald that they had to produce a bank slip showing they paid full fees, and then bring stipulated grocery items to their hostel wardens, for them to be allocated a bed.

The training centre wants 4kg sugar, 2kg rice and 2 litres cooking oil, among other things, which should be handed over to dining hall staff.

“They claim the groceries form part of the food which we will be served in the dining hall for the whole semester, but imagine over 1 500 students enrolled here bringing this type of groceries. They are fleecing us,” said one of the students.

The students said most of them were chased away for failing to bring the groceries.

Mr Nemtenzi was reportedly handling the matter personally.

“He is chasing away those with no fees and groceries like we are in high school,” said another student.

Contacted for comment, Mr Nemtenzi confirmed that they had included groceries on the list of requirements from students.

However, he denied that the institution was chasing away students for not paying full fees.

“We have just said students should bring groceries to augment what we have but we are not chasing them away. On fees, they will need to have paid something so that they are accepted into hostels.

“Students can pay fees at the institution or bring a bank receipt,” he said.

State Media|Government has invited a top-notch Ugandan Anti-Corruption Court judge to train Zimbabwe’s Judiciary, ahead of the establishment of anti-corruption courts.

Justice Lawrence Gidudu, who has been heading Uganda’s Anti-Corruption Court for five years, is in the country to conduct a week-long training to be attended by judges, magistrates, prosecutors, anti-corruption investigators and police officers, among other stakeholders.

He is the third judge to head the special Ugandan ACC, as they call it, since it was established in 2008 as a special division of the High Court to try corruption and related cases.

Justice Gidudu’s training visit was announced by Chief Justice Luke Malaba during the official opening of the 2020 Legal Year, when he noted that Uganda had waged the war against corruption, through its specialised anti-corruption courts over the last 10 years, building up a wealth of experience in the field that Zimbabwe wanted to share. 

In an interview yesterday, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) spokesperson Mr Brian Nkiwane confirmed the week-long training workshop starting in Harare, today.

“Justice Gidudu of Uganda will conduct the training which will not be limited to our judges and magistrates only.

“Uganda has scored so many successes in as far as fighting corruption is concerned, hence it was felt that we will benefit as a nation. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) will all be trained.

In his address during the opening of the 2020 Legal Year, Chief Justice Malaba said the Judiciary was pressing ahead with fighting corruption, which has been declared enemy number one by President Mnangagwa as it is seen as the antithesis of the concepts of transparency and accountability. 

The JSC has since made a decision to establish specialised anti-corruption courts at a higher level as part of measures to complement the Government’s call for all institutions to join hands in the corruption fight.

Presently, courtrooms for the anti-graft crusade are under renovation and judges have been appointed in Harare and Bulawayo.

Said Chief Justice Malaba: “After noting the strides that other jurisdictions have taken in setting up similar courts, I made contact with my counterpart, the Honourable Chief Justice of Uganda, to seek assistance in the professional development of local judicial officers.

“Uganda has been running specialised anti-corruption courts for the last 10 years. They have, as a jurisdiction, done exceptionally well in the adjudication of corruption related cases. I am positive that our judicial officers and other institutions involved in the fight against corruption will have a lot of lessons to draw from Uganda’s experiences.”Herald

Own Correspondent|President Mnangagwa, was over the weekend invited to “preach” at the ZAOGA church by its leader Archbishop Professor Ezekiel Guti.

The church went wild as the President started preaching about people being peacemakers the very character that Mnangagwa himself has failed to uphold.

Since taking over power from former President Robert Mugabe in military coup in November 2017, Mnangagwa has been wantonly deploying soldiers and police to kill and maim innocent citizens.

In the early years of independence, Mnangagwa led the notorious Gukurahundi to murder over 20 000 innocent people in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.

Quoting Matthew 5 verse 9, Mnangagwa said: “Let us be peacemakers. I expect all churches to be identified as transformers of people’s lives, builders of dreams, places and bridges of hope.

“The voice of the church must continue to inspire, motivate, guide and to harness, men, women and the youth as we gird and strengthen ourselves to grow our economy, to rid ourselves of corruption and end poverty.

“We must uphold a culture of hard work, determined to plant and reap what we would have sown. For the scriptures say we shall eat the labour of our sweat.”

He praised the church for partnering the Government in empowering citizens and responding to national needs.

Turning to ZAOGA FIF, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Mnangagwa said the church is one of the torch-bearers in the provision of education and health services.

“Your church has also proved to be a reliable partner in empowering our citizens as well as responding to national needs. As Government, we are grateful for the contributions you made towards Cyclone Idai victims early last year.

“We also recognise the hospitals, schools and university which you have established. These will go a long way in providing medical care and quality affordable education to our people. It is our hope as Government that other church-administered schools nationwide will emulate you and charge reasonable school fees. As we converge at church assemblies, schools, hospitals and universities we come from diverse family backgrounds, social groups and political persuasions. Eventually, we become a family united by the blood, love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.

He called upon churches to mould society’s moral values and bring peace among the people.

“We depend on the church to help mould society’s moral values, respect, humility, unity and help to improve the quality of life of our people. Archbishop Guti, let the church help us in bringing up youths who are disciplined, respectful and full of love for one another and for their country. After all, God created all of us in his image not as Shona, Ndebele, Karanga, Zezuru, Ndau.

“We are one nation, indeed one family, we must leave in peace and harmony. Since we were all created in His image, we should resist the temptation to be violent towards one another. It is not our Zimbabwean culture to be violent, to hate and do evil to one another.”

The President said Zimbabwe was founded on basic principles which recognise and respect the nation’s diverse religious values and freedom of worship.

“In that regard, I reiterate my Government’s commitment to upholding the constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of worship. For those who now have higher responsibility and senior positions in church, I challenge you to be good shepherds for we are in a season where we need God-fearing leaders, those who are visionary and can take the church and the nation to another level. Let the church be the church that demonstrates how it can contribute towards a peaceful, prosperous, corruption-free united nation,” he said.

President Mnangagwa declared 2020, the year for Productivity and Trade.

“We must be masters of our destiny. No one else but ourselves can take our nation forward to attain the goals we have set. In that regard, ZAOGA Forward in Faith must increase its visibility and relevance in national programmes. Notably through continued preaching of the word of God, you must encourage congregates to be hardworking and diligent for the word of God says “faith without works is dead”.

“Our thrust as Government through the Devolution policy is never to leave anyone behind, including churches as we pursue inclusive growth. We are empowering the youths and women through institutions which address their concerns,” he said.

The President told international delegates who attended the conference that Zimbabwe was committed to engaging and re-engaging with the rest of the world.

Source: State Media

The ruling ZANU PF party is partly responsible for the dearth of young talent at Zimbabwe’s biggest football club, Dynamos FC.

This was said by former club captain and the 1994 Soccer Star of the Year, Memory Mucherahowa.

He said:
All this [Dynamos’ youth policy] is now a thing of the past because of political interference from Zanu PF.

Zanu PF only thinks of Dynamos when it comes to the Independence Cup, Anti-Sanctions Cup and the Heroes Cup. They are not worried about junior football development.
Now the team’s patron is
Webster Shamu .

All this is because they want to control the team. They know the power the team has and [they] abuse it.

We had opposition officials such as Alois Masepe, Raymond Majongwe and Morgan Femai, but they were chased away by Zanu PF officials for their political beliefs.

In 2001 on the eve of the 21st Independence Day Trophy, I spent hours with the party’s officials, Mavis Gumbo and George Charamba, trying to convince me to declare my allegiance to the party in front of the fans at Rufaro Stadium . I refused.

Until Zanu PF is gone, Dynamos will continue struggling. Politicians should stay away from this team.

In 2001, I was almost killed in Shamva by the party’s youths because of my political beliefs.The Standard

Farai Dziva|Zanu PF’s plan to unleash terror on opposition members has been exposed.

According to MDC deputy spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka, Zanu PF is planning to abduct influential opposition members.

See statement below :

As despondent Zimbabweans brace for action to consign poverty and end their suffering, the Mnangagwa regime is planning to engage in nationwide terror tactics and abductions in a vain attempt to cow and intimidate a determined people
President Chamisa’s call for nationwide action has shaken the regime to the core.

The regime is now planning violence, night abductions and an assortment of terror tactics against innocent Zimbabweans in a vain attempt to stop an idea whose time has come.

The regime has now fallen into its default mode of violence.

Impeccable sources said the meeting held by JOC early this week had put in place elaborate plans to abduct and torture MDC leaders and party youths in the various townships in Harare so as to engender fear in the country in a desperate bid to stop Zimbabweans from engaging in peaceful action to express their displeasure at the parlous economic situation.