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.
Mufudzi Chambuka
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.
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…”
IOL|Residents of Diepsloot took to the streets last week, calling for the removal of foreign nationals in the area. A police captain was fatally shot a fortnight ago, allegedly by foreign nationals. Nokuthula Mbatha African News Agency (ANA) SA Police Minister Bheki Cele has set up a special operations team to tackle policing concerns raised by residents from Diepsloot, a township north of Johannesburg.
Cele held a meeting with leaders representing the Diepsloot community on Friday, after violent protests engulfed the township following the death of a police captain in the area.
Captain Oupa Matjie was gunned down a fortnight ago in pursuit of suspects. The community took to the streets claiming that foreigners committed the most violent crimes in the densely populated township. They told Cele that many were allegedly undocumented and therefore escaped the law.
“Yes it has been confirmed that the four suspects that have been arrested for this heinous crime are undocumented foreign nationals from Zimbabwe, this has been checked by the department of home affairs,” Cele said.
“We also made an undertaking that the officials from the Department of Home Affairs immigration services should work with these teams so we have a clearer picture of the status of people in this township. But this is not to say the focus is on foreign nationals only, we will be hard on criminality regardless of nationality.”
Cele has assured residents that their policing concerns would be addressed immediately and he deployed a Special Operations Team to the township to tackle criminality.
“In the next 24 hours, members of the Technical Response Team (TRT) will start operations in Diepsloot to increase police visibility. The officers will conduct regular patrols, cordon and searches as well as roadblocks,” his spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said.
“The Special Operations Team will by today have other members of various SA Police Service components working from the township.
“These include officers from crime intelligence, public order policing, and forensics services. The Firearms Liquor and Second Hand Goods Control unit will also conduct raids and shut down all establishments operating outside the law.”
Themba said a team from detective services would look into cold cases.
Zimbabwe international goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze was on Sunday stretchered off the pitch after suffering a horrific injury during the game against Maritzburg United.
Chipezeze landed awkwardly on his neck just ten minutes into the second half following an aerial collision with Maritzburg’s Judas Moseamedi.
He was taken off on a stretcher in the 58th, strapped with a neck guard and an oxygen mask.
The club later gave an update of the player’s condition on Twitter. The post read:
ELVIS CHIPEZEZE UPDATE
For now, it looks more like a Neck Muscle Sprain. There will be X-Rays done after the match as a precaution to exclude Cervical spine injuries.
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.
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
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.
Cheating is very common in politics& in @ZANUPF_Official I used to bus people to come& vote but after winning power you need to create proper structures. That’s how you stay in power. Now these guys have forgotten that. They don’t have the structures&you can’t win like that.
ZIMBABWE will use mobile devices for mapping and data collection during the 2022 census enumeration process, an exercise which is expected to cost $1,4 billion.
Addressing a press conference in Harare recently, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency director general, Mr Taguma Mahonde said the Fifth Population and Housing Census will be conducted in August 2022.
“In order to successfully plan for economic and social development and carry out administrative activity or scientific research, it is necessary to have reliable and detailed data on the size, composition, distribution and other benchmark statistics on the population.
“The census provides this much needed information. However, the census is very costly to undertake and this is why it is conducted every 10 years. Thorough and careful planning is required to ensure that the programme is implemented in an effective and efficient manner. Prior to conducting the Population and Housing Census, it is a requirement that a cartographic census mapping exercise be carried out,” said Mr Mahonde.
“We are already doing the mapping exercise where we divide every ward into enumeration areas. This is done physically by people on the ground.”
Treasury was funding operations of the pre-enumeration phase while the United Nations Population Fund assisted with vehicles.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development would soon convene a conference for development partners for them to find areas where they could come on board and assist.
Mr Mahonde said the Cartographic Census Mapping exercise came at a time when globally, as per United Nations recommendations for the 2020 round of Population and Housing censuses, most countries were shifting towards the use of mobile devices in data collection.
“Given this background, Zimbabwe is focusing on following the global trend of the use of mobile devices for mapping and data collection during census enumeration,” he said.
The population of Zimbabwe on August 18, 2012 was 12 973 808 and estimates show that the population is now around 17 million people.
On the objectives of carrying out the census mapping exercise, Mr Mahonde said this was meant to ensure that all areas were covered to reduce the possibility of under or over-enumeration due to overlaps.
“All information collected during the census mapping exercise will be highly confidential and used for statistical purposes only.
“It needs to be stressed that the census is a national project that requires the support of everyone. Although ZIMSTAT is the main implementing agency, the support of all Government ministries, private sector, civil society organisations, research and training institutions is vital for conducting a successful census.
“The public is urged to co-operate with our field mappers during data collection for this very important exercise. Positive contribution is very much welcome as thus ensures the successful accomplishment of this mammoth task,” said Mr Mahonde.
Post-independence population censuses were conducted in the month of August 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012 in accordance with the Census and Statistics Act which stipulates that a national census shall be carried out every 10 years.
In the below video, a woman with more than one husband(s) speaks explaining her reasons for entering into a so called open marriage. She says, ” the traditional having to peogeon yourself and force yourself into what often ends up in an unfulfilled and unhappy relationship had no appeal to me. I was always someone, I like this person but I also like this person. Why do I have to choose for me finding someone that is on the same wavelength but at least is open to exploring the fact that we don’t have to choosen, the fact that I love him but I also love someone else, has no impact on my love for him?”
Would you yourself engage in an open marriage? VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
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|Three MDC Members who were heavily attacked by ZANU PF thuggish youth members with machetes last Friday appeared in court on allegations of stoning and assaulting some Zanu-PF members who were carrying out a national clean-up campaign in Mbare.
Elia Mutsindi (28), Jonathan Taizivei (25) and Cleopas Chinodya (32) were facing assault charges when they appeared before Mbare magistrate Mr Kudzai Zihove.
The three were freed on $100 bail, each.
As part of their bail conditions, they were ordered to report once a week at their nearest police stations and not to interfere with State witnesses.
They were also ordered to continue residing at their given addresses.
The court heard that on January 22, Zanu-PF members were conducting a clean-up exercise from the flyover along the road that leads to Mbare.
Upon reaching Block 1 Nenyere Flats in Mbare, the complainants came across the accused and their accomplices who are still at large.
It is the State’s case that the accused started throwing stones and machetes towards the complainants and their colleagues, resulting in them sustaining head, elbow and leg injuries.
CNN|Three rockets struck the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on Sunday, leaving one person injured, a US official told CNN initial reports indicate.
The official said the injury was minor and the individual had since returned to duty.
A State Department spokesperson said Sunday evening that they “are aware of reports of rockets landing in the International Zone,” but did not address the US embassy itself. The State Department did not respond to a query as to whether any embassy employees were injured.
“We call on the Government of Iraq to fulfill its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities,” the spokesperson said.
The State Department did not directly blame Tehran for the rocket strikes in the Iraqi capital, but the spokesperson’s statement made reference to Iranian threats in the region and past attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US interests. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
“The security situation remains tense and Iranian-backed armed groups remain a threat. So, we remain vigilant,” the spokesperson said. Since September there have been more than 14 attacks by Iran and Iranian-supported militias on US personnel in Iraq, according to the State Department.
The spokesperson said the State Department would not comment further on the security situation in Baghdad.
Rep. Michael McCaul, the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs committee, said in a tweet Sunday that he is “closely monitoring reports of a rocket attack targeting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.”
“Violent acts against our diplomatic facilities are simply unacceptable. We must ensure the safety of American diplomats, troops and other Americans in Iraq.”
Adil Abdul Mahdi, the prime minister of Iraq, condemned the attack and said Iraqi forces have been ordered to “deploy, search, and investigate to prevent the recurrence of such attacks, and to arrest those who launched these rockets so that they can be punished.”
The Prime Minister said the Iraqi government is “committed to protecting all diplomatic missions and taking all necessary measures to achieve this.”
Earlier this month, the embassy was the site of mass protests in response to US airstrikes on an Iranian-backed militia group at the end of December.
Those strikes were launched in retaliation to attacks by an Iranian-backed Shia militia group known as Kataib Hezbollah, which had injured numerous American military personnel, according to US officials.
The embassy is in Baghdad’s Green Zone where the embassies of the US and several other western countries are located. It was initially carved out of central Baghdad by US-led forces after their invasion of Iraq in 2003 and is largely viewed as a safe location, despite frequently being the target of rocket attacks.
There have been numerous rocket attacks on the Green Zone and the area surrounding it in recent months. However, the whole of Iraq is on a heightened state of alert as tensions between the US and Iran have dramatically increased in recent weeks.
State Media|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.
Mnangagwa joins Zaoga Forward in Faith Ministries founder Archbishop Ezekiel Guti and other congregants in prayer at the church’s International Pastors Deeper Life Leadership conference in Harare yesterday.
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.
Own Correspondent|The 26th of January 2020 was a tragic day for the sporting world and Americans in general as ex-Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, 41, was involved in a helicopter crash in calabasas a town of about 25,000 people in California.
The basketball legend was believed to be travelling with his 13 year old daughter, Gianna and three other people in the helicopter before it crashed by a hillside and burst into flames. The superstar was reported to be traveling with his daughter to attend Mamba sports academy game, where his daughter was to partake as a player and him as a coach. It is believed his wife was not on-board the helicopter.
The helicopter which was carrying the basketball legend was identified as Mr Bryant’s personal helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76. The Sikorsky S-76 is an American medium-size commercial utility helicopter, manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. The S-76 features twin turboshaft engines, four-bladed main and tail rotors and retractable landing gear.
As at the time of writing this report, the reason for the downing of the helicopter has not been ascertained, but the weather has been considered as a possible factor for the crash. At the scene of the crash, fog and an unclear sky was visible. It is said to be unclear if the helicopter carrying the superstar made a distress call before the crash.
Investigations are stlll underway to ascertain the exact cause of the crash. He is survived by his wife, and three children..
“People have for a time mistaken ZANU PF for a monstrous party. This is the time to show people that we are a friendly party.”
By Dr Masimba Mavaza| The Party will drive forward the National Commissariat’s commitment to recruit three million new members over the next 3 years.
ZANU PF UK opened the first meeting of the Diaspora District which will drive forward the party’s commitment to recruit over three million new people over the next 3 years.
The general meeting was held in Northampton in the Midlands of the United Kingdom. The general meeting brought together all ZANU PF cadres across the United Kingdom. During the meeting the chairman of ZANU PF Cde Masimba Tavengwa paid tribute to the party for holding a successful conference in Goromonzi. He applauded the National Commissariat for setting a goal of 5 million members by 2023.
Contacted for comment, the National Political Commissar Cde Victor Matemadanda could not hide his excitement for the good work being done by ZANU PF UK. The Secretary General for ZANU PF UK Cde Xavier Zvavare outlined plans to begin the unprecedented recruitment drive starting now with one person at a time. Cde Zvavare urged all ZANU PF members to bring one person at a time to the party. “Slowly but surely we will get there.”
Addressing the the meeting Cde Tawengwa urged members to introduce the new ZANU PF in the new dispensation. The ZANU PF which is accessible to people and which approaches people with open hands. “People have for a time mistaken ZANU PF for a monstrous party. This is the time to show people that we are a friendly party.” Comrade Tawengwa said:
This first meeting of the new Year marks the start of a new partnership between the party and the people.
Our pledge to recruit three million people over the next 3 years is an absolute priority and it will begin now.
We are a party which backs our people all the way and we are going to give them the resources and the confidence they need to get the job done.
The meeting was attended by ZANU PF UK members and some new members were introduced to the jubilant members.
Speaking after the meeting, the youth representatives Cde Salome Eric and Cde Kudzai Makuku were in cloud 9. They thanked the party for the way diaspora was received during the conference in Goromonzi. They vowed to bring developmental programs which will attract more youth to the revolutionary party.
This party in the Diaspora will not hesitate to act and give the every Zimbabwean the support they need to survive in the foreign land. On the side of the meeting cde said “we have moved swiftly to set up sanity and provide strong leadership and deliver on our commitment to recruit more people to the revolutionary party “.
Following this meeting, the party will move at pace to drive forward our plans to bolster the party and win the whole diaspora ready for 2023.
The Meeting discussed the changing nature of politics and the increasingly complex demand on the political platform for tolerance and compatibility. They agreed that the diaspora would be a useful forum for improving collaboration and consistency across the diaspora.”
The importance of setting business and taking up farming were also discussed. The Party will meet 4 times a year and propagate the Gwara remusangano said Cde Mutizira.
I am pleased to have attended the first meeting of the new year which brings together true patriots and leaders to deliver a transformational opportunity for Zimbabwe.
This ambitious growth of the party requires significant planning, and work has already begun with all involved to consider how we can successfully achieve our recruitment target in the next 3 years.
The executive members who attended were Chairman- Masimba Tawengwa Sec for Admin-X. Zavare Finance Secretary- Eddie Mukutirwa Security- A.Mutizira Committee member- Cde Wenhamo Acting Transport and Social Welfare- Everjoy Kurangwa Women’s league Vice Chair- P. Mangwana.
Besides the youth who graced the meeting there were two very young members who took time of their toys to join their parents in this historic meeting.
Commenting from Harare, Cde Matemadanda the National political Commissair praised the UK chapter of ZANU PF for taking the party seriously.
The party has gained more support and the target of 5 million is within reach.
State Media|ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX doctors have signed up or applied for Higherlife Foundation fellowships after 1 504 extra doctors submitted acceptance forms ahead of yesterday’s deadline.
Only 362 had signed up last month, but there was a surge in applications at the last minute, the foundation confirmed yesterday.
The foundation’s offer comprises a non-negotiable monthly subsistence allowance of $5 000 per doctor and free transport.
It also provides a smartphone as a tool of the trade and a VAYA pool car voucher to access the hospital at a maximum of three trips per day.
About $10 million has been set aside for stethoscopes, patella hammers, uniforms and other diagnostic aids.
The foundation undertook to provide Wi-Fi at major teaching hospitals and has extended by six months, the free transport programme for nurses and doctors employed at public healthcare institutions.
This comes a day after the foundation extended an offer to pay doctors in the public healthcare sector through a special medical fellowship it established late last year.
The move is designed to enable doctors to go back to work following a strike that had paralysed the public health delivery system.
The foundation said its focus remained on patient care.
“In line with our commitment to putting the patient first, we are pleased to announce that our free VAYA transport programme for nurses and doctors, which has been in place for the past six months, has been further extended and will run through to July 2020.”
The foundation said along with free transport, its affiliate businesses would “continue to provide free water deliveries to all public hospitals and clinics in Harare”.
Higherlife Foundation has pledged to continue supporting the country’s healthcare system and ensure “our public medical staff are well resourced to carry out their work”.
HLF, using the funds extended from the Strive Masiyiwa Family, last year announced a $100 million a medical training completion fellowship for about 2 000 junior and senior doctors employed at public hospitals in Zimbabwe.
Higherlife is an initiative of the Masiyiwa Family and is building on a 23-year commitment to education.
The foundation has supported the education of over 250 000 students in Zimbabwe, Burundi, and Lesotho through its flagship education initiatives — the Capernaum and Joshua Nkomo scholarship programmes.
The Capernaum Scholarship has been running in the last 23 years and provides tuition to orphaned and vulnerable children from early childhood to tertiary education.
The Joshua Nkomo Scholarship (JNS) was established in 2006 and awards scholarships to talented Zimbabwean students through a rigorous selection process, creating opportunities for them to study at local and overseas learning institutions.
THE Bulawayo High Court will be sitting in circuit in Gweru for two weeks to deal with 16 murder cases, mostly involving violence in the artisanal gold mining sector.
Midlands provincial prosecutor Mr Samuel Pedzisayi said the 16 murder cases will be heard before Justice Martin Makonese and assessors.
Mr Pedzisayi said the murder cases involved 22 accused persons, who allegedly engaged in deadly fights over gold claims and crimes of passion.
He said one of the main cases was of a woman from Mberengwa, who allegedly paid thugs $200 to kill her lover.
Chenjerai Zhou (37) and Tawonganei Shoko (29), acting on the orders of Loice Mahlamvana (39), allegedly fatally assaulted Munakiishe Chinyoka (42) and burnt his body beyond recognition before dumping his remains in a dam.
Mr Pedzisayi said Mahlamvana and Chinyoka were lovers before their relationship turned sour resulting in her allegedly hiring thugs to kill him.
“In November 2017, Mahlamvana allegedly connived with Zhou and Shoko to kill the Chinyoka. Mahlamvana told the two that Chinyoka was now bothering her,” said Mr Pedzisayi.
“She allegedly paid Zhou and Shoko $100 each.”
He said acting in cahoots, Zhou and Shoko, who were both Chinyoka’s friends, allegedly entered Chinyoka’s house as he was about to sleep and blindfolded him with a blanket before striking him with a hoe handle.
“Zhou and Shoko dumped Chinyoka’s body in a bush in a bid to conceal evidence. They allegedly agreed to dispose of the body by dousing it with petrol and burning it. Mahlamvana bought the fuel. The remains were dumped in Mupandashango Dam,” he said.
On December 5, 2017, the remains were discovered floating by a passer-by who alerted the police.
The remains were taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for a post-mortem.
Investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons.
In another case, a Shurugwi man allegedly broke into a tuckshop, raped and murdered the 16-year-old attendant, Marvellous Dawurike.
Thereafter, he allegedly dragged the body out of the building, doused it with engine oil before setting it on fire. Brighton Mahara (26) then allegedly stole groceries worth $587 and a radio from the tuckshop.
He allegedly proceeded to Gweru where he gave the groceries to his wife.
He was arrested in Shurugwi following a tip-off and was found in possession of the stolen radio and the deceased’s identity card.
THERE was drama at a Johannesburg hotel in South Africa yesterday when a Zifa delegation was barred from attending the Cosafa annual general meeting where the organisation was reviewing its 2019 performance and making resolutions for this year.
Zifa president Felton Kamambo was leading his association’s delegation, which included acting vice-president Philemon Machana, chief executive Joseph Mamutse and lawyer Chenaimwoyo Gumiro.
The quartet had ignored a Cosafa warning that they would not be allowed into the indaba on the grounds that Zifa had outstanding financial obligations with the regional body in line with its statutes.
It is understood that the Namibian and Angolan football associations also faced the same fate. But unlike Zifa, Angola and Namibia did not show up at the meeting’s venue in Johannesburg.
On arrival at the hotel, the Zifa delegation found their way blocked by the security team that was manning the entrance to the boardroom.
Last night, Zifa issued a statement on the Johannesburg debacle.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to inform all football loving stakeholders of the outcome of the 2020 Cosafa Annual General Meeting.
“Regrettably, the Zifa delegation was denied entry into the conference room by hired security details that were placed for that purpose on the allegations of not being in good standing. This was despite efforts by Zifa to pay any dues through Fifa over and above overtures made since Friday to get Cosafa secretariat to provide other details, invoices and/or amounts that may have been owing.
“Such information was deliberately withheld for the entire week before and during the AGM and was only revealed after the meeting in the form of two additional invoices.
“Zifa is convinced this was deliberately done to ensure the association would not have a say in congress deliberations, especially after having given to Cosafa prior notice to move a motion to discuss the various transgressions by the Cosafa president.
More fully appear in the 2019 Cosafa audit report, which included questionable payments done to Dr Chiyangwa, which Zifa believed were excessive, including proposed redressive action to be taken.
“Zifa is however happy to inform all football loving stakeholders that the association has neither been banned nor suspended, but was simply stopped from attending the AGM.
“Soon after the AGM, Cosafa secretariat finally gave the Zifa delegation two invoices of R10 000 and USD$3 000 for 2020 affiliation and the appeal on the Warriors ban respectively,’’ Zifa said.-State media
US basketball legend Kobe Bryant was among five people killed in a helicopter crash in the city of Calabasas, California.
Bryant, 41, was travelling in a private helicopter when it crashed and burst into flames, according to reports.
The five-time NBA champion was widely considered one of the greatest players in the game’s history.
Tributes from celebrities and fellow sports stars have been pouring in, many expressing shock at his sudden death.
“Please no. Please god no. It can’t be true,” basketball player Kevin Love wrote on Twitter.
“Terrible news,” wrote US President Donald Trump.
The identities of the other victims have not yet been released.
What do we know about the crash?
In a statement, the City of Calabasas said it was “with great sadness that we learn of the death of Kobe Bryant and four others in a helicopter crash”.
“The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning. Nobody on the ground was hurt,” it added.
Reaction and tributes as NBA legend dies in helicopter crash
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Eyewitnesses told news site TMZ they heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department shared pictures from the scene of the accident, showing a fire truck and smoke emerging from the hills.
….
The US Federal Aviation Administration identified the crashed helicopter as a Sikorsky S-76. It said it was investigating the accident alongside the National Transportation Safety Board.
Officials are set to give further details at a press conference at 22:00 GMT.
Who was Bryant?
Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He retired in April 2016.
His achievements include being the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He was also two-time NBA scoring champion and a two-time Olympic champion.
He also won an Oscar for best short animated film in 2018 for Dear Basketball, a five-minute film based on a love letter to the sport he had written in 2015. – BBC
New Barcelona coach Quique Setién suffered his first defeat at the helm of the Catalan giants after his charges were beaten 2-0 by an impressive Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday.
Man-of-the-match Maxi Gomez’s second half brace was all Valencia needed to get the better of Barcelona, who needed to win to consolidate their spot at the summit of the Spanish top division.
Gomez even missed a first half penalty, awarded after a foul in the 18 yard box by Gerrad Pique, who was booked for the offense.
Gomez stepped up but his effort was parried away by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen.
The defeat leaves Barcelona still top on 43 points from 21 games, still ahead of fellow title aspirants Real Madrid, who play Real Valladolid tomorrow, on goal difference.-Soccer 24
Deputy Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Energy Mutodi has defended the government’s seizure of farms owned by former and current ZANU PF members considered to belong to the G40 faction .
Mutodi said there was nothing amiss in the sequestration of farms owned by Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere and Robert Zhuwawo as the intention is to ensure productivity.
Said Mutodi:
Government is taking back all underutilised and in some cases, abandoned agricultural land as we move forward to ensure food security in the country.
The names you have mentioned are former ministers who are in self-imposed exile and have neglected their farms.
We are facing critical shortages of maize, soya beans, oranges and other raw materials because several farms that used to be productive are now lying idle.
It is a clear government policy that such underutilised farms are repossessed by the government and subdivided to create smaller highly productive farm units.
Reports suggest that Mandiitawepi Chimene, Walter Mzembi and Kudzanai Chipanga’s farms are also in line for repossession as President Emmerson Mnangagwa goes for broke against his rivals.- The Standard
Deputy Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Energy Mutodi has defended the government’s seizure of farms owned by former and current ZANU PF members considered to belong to the G40 faction .
Mutodi said there was nothing amiss in the sequestration of farms owned by Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere and Robert Zhuwawo as the intention is to ensure productivity.
Said Mutodi:
Government is taking back all underutilised and in some cases, abandoned agricultural land as we move forward to ensure food security in the country.
The names you have mentioned are former ministers who are in self-imposed exile and have neglected their farms.
We are facing critical shortages of maize, soya beans, oranges and other raw materials because several farms that used to be productive are now lying idle.
It is a clear government policy that such underutilised farms are repossessed by the government and subdivided to create smaller highly productive farm units.
Reports suggest that Mandiitawepi Chimene, Walter Mzembi and Kudzanai Chipanga’s farms are also in line for repossession as President Emmerson Mnangagwa goes for broke against his rivals.- The Standard
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).
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. state media/Herald
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
Zimbabwe will use mobile devices for mapping and data collection during the 2022 census enumeration process, an exercise which is expected to cost $1,4 billion.
Addressing a press conference in Harare recently, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency director general, Mr Taguma Mahonde said the Fifth Population and Housing Census will be conducted in August 2022.
“In order to successfully plan for economic and social development and carry out administrative activity or scientific research, it is necessary to have reliable and detailed data on the size, composition, distribution and other benchmark statistics on the population.
“The census provides this much needed information. However, the census is very costly to undertake and this is why it is conducted every 10 years. Thorough and careful planning is required to ensure that the programme is implemented in an effective and efficient manner. Prior to conducting the Population and Housing Census, it is a requirement that a cartographic census mapping exercise be carried out,” said Mr Mahonde.
“We are already doing the mapping exercise where we divide every ward into enumeration areas. This is done physically by people on the ground.”
Treasury was funding operations of the pre-enumeration phase while the United Nations Population Fund assisted with vehicles.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development would soon convene a conference for development partners for them to find areas where they could come on board and assist.
Mr Mahonde said the Cartographic Census Mapping exercise came at a time when globally, as per United Nations recommendations for the 2020 round of Population and Housing censuses, most countries were shifting towards the use of mobile devices in data collection.
“Given this background, Zimbabwe is focusing on following the global trend of the use of mobile devices for mapping and data collection during census enumeration,” he said.
The population of Zimbabwe on August 18, 2012 was 12 973 808 and estimates show that the population is now around 17 million people.
On the objectives of carrying out the census mapping exercise, Mr Mahonde said this was meant to ensure that all areas were covered to reduce the possibility of under or over-enumeration due to overlaps.
“All information collected during the census mapping exercise will be highly confidential and used for statistical purposes only.
“It needs to be stressed that the census is a national project that requires the support of everyone. Although ZIMSTAT is the main implementing agency, the support of all Government ministries, private sector, civil society organisations, research and training institutions is vital for conducting a successful census.
“The public is urged to co-operate with our field mappers during data collection for this very important exercise. Positive contribution is very much welcome as thus ensures the successful accomplishment of this mammoth task,” said Mr Mahonde.
Post-independence population censuses were conducted in the month of August 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012 in accordance with the Census and Statistics Act which stipulates that a national census shall be carried out every 10 years. state media/Herald
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
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
Tune into ZimEye at 1015pm, Sunday as the first batch of V11s is offloaded to prove Harare preacher, Walter Magaya killed his step father, who eventually passed on last week. This comes from over 7months of research, direct interviews and case studies conducted. VIDEO LOADING BELOW (2215):
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.
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.
File Picture of young girls going for a Vuzu party in Byo.
Own Correspondent|Police in Gwanda rounded up 21 teenagers at a Vuzu party at an excluded place out of Gwands town on Saturday.
The 21 were all between the ages of 14 and 19. Most of them are still school going while a few were school dropouts.
They were arrested in possession of large amount of alcohol most of which was the smuggled in low cost whiskies and brandies.
Reports indicate that senior police officers in the Police Internal Security Intelligence, PISI, called parents of the children to witnesse the corrective measures the police were taking on their children.
The police finally decided to let the children back into the custody of their parents after giving them a huge lecture on the dangers of Vuzu parties.
Vuzu parties have been topical to a point where some people now think they know every nitty gritty about these delinquent activities.
Vuzu parties were common in Bulawayo last year before the community decided to come together and bring the vice to an end.
Several meetings were held where scaring details on the parties were revealed by some young people.
A Bulawayo youth, Trevor Gurajena, left people stunned when he revealed the four types of vuzu parties that include plain, $5 party and “blesser” sponsored vuzu parties.
Gurajena said the plain vuzu parties are the ones whereby youths sponsor themselves just for socialising and, of course, unprotected sex.
“For this one, youths just contribute some money to host a party. Usually it’s a way of relaxing the mind after a hectic school term and also a farewell party after a school holiday. Youths indulge in unprotected sex, take drugs and have fun,” he said.
Gurajena said these rowdy youths use “passwords” to code each other so that they get into kombis that usually park near Haddon and Sly.
“There is a signal that youths use which is not known by everyone. If you are at Haddon and Sly for instance and you hear a certain code or whistle, you know that it’s time to go and you have to jump into the kombi. Youths who fail to read these codes are automatically out of the list,” he said.
What left people tongue tied is the $5 vuzu party.
Gurajena said on top of paying transport fares and money to buy drugs, youths pay a $5 subscription to join a sex race.
The subscriptions, he said, are set aside throughout the party and will be given as an award to honour the boy and girl who win the race.
“It’s a race and you have to prove a point. Two people, a boy and a girl who manage to sleep with at least 10 partners during that night are given the royal crown,” he said.
Gurajena said those who are crowned are highly regarded.
The third one, Gurajena said, is the blesser sponsored party where an adult forks out money to hold the party.
“Youths don’t pay anything here as someone does it for them. This is usually done by people who want to test the efficiency of their drugs.They find it easy to test it on youths,” he said.
His explanation stirred the hearts of parents as they tried to imagine their children in such a pit.
Farai Dziva|The trial of MDC deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has been postponed to 03 – 07 February, the party has said.
The trial was initially scheduled for January 27-30.
“The Treason trial of the MDC Deputy National Chair Hon Job Sikhala that was scheduled to kick off on Monday 27-31 January 2020 has been postponed to 03 – 07 February for the State has indicated its unpreparedness on the case,” said the Movement for Democratic Change in a statement.
It was at the time of writing believed the National Prosecuting Authority intends to cook up evidence against Sikhala having failed to prove a prima facie against him for treason.
The latest decision comes barely 3 days to his trial on allegations of subverting or attempting to overthrow a constitutional government.
This is a charge according to the State papers which emanates from a purported video downloaded from the Twitter account of one Jones Musara, a ZANU PF activist based in Toronto, Canada.
In the video aforesaid Jones Musara purports that Sikhala addressed people urging them to overthrow Mnangagwa.
A constitutional government is that which drives its authority from the governed through a free and fair election devoid of manipulation and fraud.
A number of ZANU PF activists and their surrogates were celebrating that the hour of Sikhala fix had come.
Sikhala has been arrested 63 times from 2000 to present. Records show he was never convicted on any case from rape to murder. All turned out to be persecutions disguised as prosecutions.
COMMENT AND ANALYSIS:
One good soul in this party of the deranged once said that the late Robert Mugabe was different from this clown we currently have among ourselves masquerading as a President.
Mugabe would not interfere with the judiciary. He would only interfere on matters that directly threatened his power, like the Presidential election petition challenging his legitimacy. That he would not mind how the judiciary deals with other matters outside threat to his power. So he goes on to say that, that’s why the late Morgan Tsvangirai was acquitted on two crucial cases.
One when he threatened to remove Mugabe violently if he didn’t want to go peacefully.
The second one being the Ari Ben Manashe drama which was packaged as a Treason trial. He further says that our present clown phones directly Public Prosecutors and judiciary officers to give instructions.
The charge Sikhala is facing is a specie of Treason. It has a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison without an option of a fine.
The demented ones in the club of fools, which ZANU PF people are, waffle that you deserve what you are getting because you were not supposed to say what you said. In the State papers the overzealous “unknown reward” seeking ignorant police officers say that by threatening to remove Mnangagwa from power Sikhala was seeking to change the hands of power before his term expires in 2023.
In the study of constitutionalism, an individual does not constitute a government. A government is constituted by its three branches, that is, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature. Mnangagwa is an individual who is not all or any of that. He can go today, the Executive may remain as constituted minus him, the Judiciary will remain the same, so is the Legislature. When individuals turn themselves into governments, you must know that, that country is cursed. And let it be known that Mnangagwa is not government. Government is instituted in terms of the constitution with its distinct branches.
Mnangagwa is not all that. He is just a Sherwood Farm fish farmer who occupies an office which is not defined to belong to him. It can be occupied by anyone if he perishes today.
So anyone in his or her perverted disposition who thinks that this trial is going to be sadza eating jamboree should take a strange dog for a wife.
Those extractors of the purported documentary from a ZANU PF malcontent living far away in Canada must be prepared for the nightmare of their lives.
We saw the overzealous ones during the Treason trial of Morgan Tsvangirai behaving as if everybody was borrowing the air we breath from them including Augustine Chihuri. When you meet them in streets today they look pathetic and deranged, with nothing to show for the bombastic self they were demonstrating during the material time. Since time immemorial, Sikhala has never received the level of solidarity, prayers and encouragement like what he is currently receiving. This is a demonstration that the people of Zimbabwe are not fools as envisaged by someone who encourages everyone to feed on vegetables daily until Kingdom comes.
Be reassured that gloves are off. The titanic battle has begun. In his life he has lost battles but not a war. This is a war, not a war for myself but for everyone who believes in a free and democratic Zimbabwe.
THE MDC Matabeleland North and Bulawayo provincial structures have “temporarily” buried their differences to support the under-fire Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni with a solidarity rally planned for next month.
The two were at loggerheads after Matabeleland North petitioned the national leadership to dissolve the Bulawayo provincial structures blaming the latter for the party’s waning support in Matabeleland.
The MDC Matabeleland North province last year said the endless chaos obtaining in Bulawayo was disturbing, and affecting its support base before petitioning the party leadership to dissolve the structures.
Attempts by the party leadership to bring the provinces together to iron out their differences had been futile until the Ndiweni’s chieftainship battle came up. Ndiweni is fighting his recent removal as Ntabazinduna Chief by Government.
The Southern Eye on Sunday was told attempts aimed at bringing the two provinces to work together during a meeting held on Saturday January 18 suffered a false start after the Matabeleland North province boycotted the meeting.
The party leadership reportedly did not take the issue lightly and directed that a follow-up meeting be held on Wednesday January 22 to force the two provinces to iron out their differences and jointly organise a Ndiweni rally.
In separate interviews last week, MDC Matabeleland North deputy chairperson Jabulani Hadebe and Bulawayo spokesperson Swithern Chiroodza both confirmed the follow-up Wednesday meeting where they resolved to jointly organise the solidarity rally in support of the outspoken Chief.
“We had a meeting with Matabeleland North and other individuals from Matabeleland South province where we agreed to try and converge to have a solidarity rally for Ndiweni. The date of the solidarity rally is not yet set, but we are very sure that the party will be offering solidarity to him. Even during the liberation struggle, people supported progressive chiefs and it is incumbent upon the MDC to support the progressive ideas of Chief Ndiweni,” Chiroodza said.
“When it comes to violence, Gukurahundi and the general civil strife that Zimbabweans face, Ndiweni is found condemning those and it’s so much unlike chiefs from Mashonaland who participate in the murder of fellow countrymen by taking orders from the ruling party to starve villagers who do not toe the Zanu PF political line.
“And so if a chief condemns such kind of Stalinism, and evil deeds, that chief, in this case Chief Ndiweni, truly deserves our support.”
Ndiweni has approached the High Court seeking to overturn a Local Government ministry decision to remove him as substantive chief on grounds his chieftainship is being contested by his elder brother, Joram, who argues he is the heir to the throne.
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) January 26, 2020
Transport minister Fikile Mbalula welcomed the arrest in a statement on Sunday.
The 36-year-old male had been driving a red Audi on the N1 southbound in Midrand in a 120km/h zone.
“Officials from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) used various investigative techniques to identify, locate and arrest the suspect,” read the statement.
“The alleged speedster, who resides in Midrand, was tracked down at a funeral in Limpopo by undercover investigators.
“He faces charges of reckless and negligent driving as well as related charges in terms of the National Road Traffic Act.”
The RTMC warned last Thursday that it had identified the motorist and urged him to “come forward and present himself or we will visit him at his place of residence in Midrand”.
The video, which starts with a speed of 243km/h on the dashboard, was widely shared on social media.
Correspondent|The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s (RBZ) decision to allow the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to charge in foreign currency has been criticised by captains of industry.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries vice-president Joseph Gunda asserted that it was unfair to allow NRZ to charge in foreign currency when other companies are obliged to trade in Zimbabwe dollars. He said:
The challenge we have is that, if NRZ is allowed to charge in foreign currency, it means we have to get the foreign currency ourselves.
It seems there is now a contradiction here, so are we now saying companies are trading in foreign currency?
… If you allow NRZ to charge in foreign currency we might as well allow everybody because it compromises others.
It means the industry is being squeezed because with the foreign currency we get through the interbank market to buy raw material, we are being forced to pay NRZ.
On December 31, 2019, the RBZ gave consented to NRZ’s appeal to be allowed to charge in foreign currency for goods exported under the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) conditions.
The parastatal argued that this will enable it to repair its equipment and infrastructure.
Own Correspondent|The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has been taken to the High Court by a businessman, who is claiming $6 027 000 from the national broadcaster for using his original audio-visual works.
Dillan Prinsloo is suing ZBC for copyright infringement and the latter is yet to respond to the lawsuit.
According to court papers, Prinsloo is the owner and author of certain audio-visual works which he created in 2017, entitled Beautiful Zimbabwe, consisting of original visual clips numbering up to 41.
Among the visual clips are those titled Sunrise Time lapse, Nyanga Mountains, Vumba Mountains, Balancing Rocks, Gorges Sunrise, Chilijo Cliffs, and many more.
“The original audio-visual works aforesaid are eligible for copyright in terms of S10 (1) (d) of the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act chapter 26:05 and Prinsloo, as the author and owner, at the material time when the original audio visual works aforesaid were first made, was a citizen of Zimbabwe and, therefore, a qualified person in terms of section 9 (2)(a) of the Act,” he said in his declaration.
According to the businessman, the original audio works were first published in Zimbabwe in 2017 and that at all relevant times he was the author and owner of the copyright on the original works and still remained the owner and author.
“During the period June 2019 to September 2019, the defendant (ZBC) directly copied Prinsloo’s original audio-visual works aforesaid, and broadcast them in its television in whole and in combination with other works,” he said adding that ZBC’s conduct was not authorised by him and did not fall under the category of any of the acts permitted by Part III of the Copyright Act.”
“In the premises, the conduct by the defendant aforesaid constitutes infringement of the plaintiff’s copyright on his original audio-visual works, in that the defendant, not being owner of the copyright, and without the plaintiff’s authority, copied or caused to copy the plaintiff’s original visual works aforesaid, in Zimbabwe which plaintiff as the owner has the exclusive rights to do or authorise.”
Prinsloo said at all relevant times, ZBC knew or alternatively, reasonably ought to have known that its conduct constituted infringement of his works.
“The unlawful conduct of the defendant caused plaintiff damage of $6 027 000 as he cannot, as a result of the defendant’s infringement, sell or license the original audio-visual works aforesaid,” he said.
By Informante | EDWARD Nkata, the Zimbabwean national implicated in the brutal murder of the ten-year-old girl whose body was found burned beyond recognition in a skip in Windhoek North, has been arrested after a relentless search by members of the Namibian Police.
The head of the Namibian Police’s Public Relations Division, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, said Nkata was arrested by members of the Serious Crime Investigations Division on the B1 Road at the turn-off to Okakara.
“Members of the police set up temporary road blocks on all possible routes that the suspect, his wife and their three children might have taken in their attempt to escape from Namibia,” she said.
Earlier on Sunday afternoon the Namibian Police in an urgent bulletin requested the public to assist in tracing Nkata and his wife in connection with the brutal murder and mutilation of a little girl.
Nkata was identified as the main suspect in the murder of the little girl whose badly burned body was discovered by a retired teacher in a municipal skip in Windhoek North early on Saturday morning. According to the urgent bulletin released by the Namibian Police, Nkata and his wife were travelling with a baby girl and two boys, aged eight and 11 while attempting to flee to Zimbabwe.
Earlier on Sunday detectives arrested the little girl’s mother in connection with the brutal murder and mutilation of her body. It is believed that Nkata committed the brutal act before setting the skip along Ooievaar Street on fire with the victim’s body inside to hide the heinous crime long enough to flee to Zimbabwe.
It was reported earlier that Nkata and the little girl’s mother was seen on closed circuit television footage while dragging a wheelie bin that possibly contained the victim’s body to the steel skip.
The footage led serious crime detectives to the door of the house where the victim stayed with her mother, the Zimbabwean couple and their three children.
Chief Mugabe born Matubede Mudavanhu has banned the selling of traditional beer in his area after 6pm to avoid violence and skirmishes that are frequent in the villages.
The final straw to this decision was a poisoning incident that occurred at a beer drink in his area.
He has also put in place a law to control the price of beer and forces anyone who brews traditional beer to give free booze to the village head. The free beer for the village head is called musumo in Shona.
Chief Mugabe said that the law requires anyone selling beer to have a license. He said that although this law excludes villagers, selling beer after 6pm is not allowed.
“This law has always been there; no one is supposed to sell traditional beer after 6pm. A lot happens at ndari and criminals including those from outside the area hide at these binges before they strike at night.
“I will therefore with immediate effect be enforcing the law that bans the selling of beer after 6pm”, said Mugabe.
Mugabe said that many cases of adultery reported in the area involve men who get courage to get into neighbours’ homes after drinking beer.
He also said late night ndari are noisy and they disturb children studying at home. Villagers must always inform the village head before they brew traditional beer, said Chief Mugabe.
Standard|AMACIMBI (mopane worms) as they are called since they feed on leaves of Mopane trees, have become a source of conflicts involving locals and outsiders.
In Zimbabwe, amacimbi are not only considered a delicacy and an important source of nutrition, but a source of income for many, especially in rural Matabeleland.
Amid warnings of another spell of hunger, a bountiful of amacimbi in parts of Matabeleland South province such as Kezi, Solusi and Gwanda, among others, is seen as coming at the right time to hedge against the impact of food shortages in the coming months.
An unprecedented rush for amacimbi from “outsiders”, especially from Bulawayo and other parts of the country, who have literally camped in rural Matabeleland bushes has, however, alarmed and angered locals who say they are being robbed of their resources.
Scores of “outsiders” have camped in the bushes, cutting down trees in search of amacimbi, leaving locals seething with anger over fears of either extinction or reduced numbers of the delicacy worms in future.
“It’s our natural resource; it’s our resource and that of our children and future generations to benefit from, but then outsiders are disregarding all that by cutting down the trees,” lamented Peter Moyo, a Solusi villager.
“There has to be regulation on the harvesting of amacimbi, outsiders must be licensed by our traditional leaders as we cannot continue to allow this situation where outsiders come here to finish off our resource, leaving us with nothing, with no source of income, and with no Mopane trees after they have either cut them or burnt them down.”
The “outsiders” stand accused of also fouling the environment by bathing and relieving themselves near the rivers.
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A Forestry Commission official also expressed concern over the indiscriminate harvesting of the common property food resource.
“We seem not to have any problems with the local communities who have established intact indigenous natural resource management systems,” the official said.
“The main culprits are outsiders who are fuelling environmental damage. In some areas, these people have started veld fires while in other areas they are cutting trees in order to catch the worms.”
The cutting-down of trees, deforestation, is a major concern in Zimbabwe among other southern African countries, according to a Food and Agriculture Organisation report by Sasha Naidoo, Claire Davis and Emma Archer van Garderen, from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa titled Forests, rangelands and climate change in southern Africa.
“Deforestation and forest degradation comprise a large proportion (approximately one-fifth) of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” the report reads in part.
“Deforestation in the Sadc region is a major concern and has been identified as one of the priority areas for regional action due to its contribution to increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and to land degradation and its negative impact on biodiversity and the balance of associated ecosystems.”
However, this is of little concern to amacimbi harvesters who are not resident in parts of rural Matabeleland South where the insects are found, with experts warning that this is a recipe for conflict.
“All I need is money,” said Jacqueline Ndlovu, from Bulawayo, who had travelled with her friends to Kezi, Matabeleland South, in search of amacimbi.
A 20-litre bucket of amacimbi fetches US$25 or 375 rands with the price set to go up as demand increases as the worms deplete. A small cup of the commodity is being sold for anything upwards of ZWL$10.
Chief Nyangazonke of Maphisa in Kezi, Matobo district, lamented the cutting-down of trees by “outsiders” who have descended in his area in search of amacimbi, saying they risk being charged at his court for looting a resource that naturally belonged to locals.
“There should be no cutting down of trees, and neither should there be fouling of our environment by those who have camped in our bushes,” Nyangazonke said on Friday.
The traditional leader urged his subjects to take ownership of their natural resource to avoid a situation where outsiders “leave them with nothing”.
“As traditional leaders, we have our traditions which call on visitors to register their presence with traditional leadership structures . However, these people here for amacimbi do not do so, that is disrespect and that worries us,” he said.
“Locals must take control and ownership of this resource. It’s their natural resource and they must benefit from it. At the same time, we are not chasing anyone away, but we are saying let us be responsible; let us harvest amacimbi in an environmentally sustainable way to avoid conflicts with locals who will surely want to fight against such practices.”
Analysts warn unless this common property food resource is managed in a sustainable manner, there could be highly reduced numbers and market failure for the resource in the future.
They also recommend that government improves the property rights and institutional arrangements that govern the exploitation of mopane worms by supporting communities to establish indigenous natural resource management systems.
“It is important that government takes the harvesting of mopani as an important contributor to food and nutritional security of locals, and an important contributor to the gross domestic product,” said Effie Ncube.
“For that to happen authorities need to educate and train amacimbi harvesters and farmers to ensure it is done in an environmentally sustainable way.”
Ndodana Moyo, a villager in Kezi, however, feels authorities have let them down by giving free rein to “outsiders” to loot their resource.
“It is for this reason that you see some gold panners resorting to the use of machetes to defend their claims,” Moyo said.
“In our case, the outsiders have literally flooded our area and you cannot continue to have that kind of situation…eventually this will cause serious friction in the communities and we will end taking up arms to protect our resource from looting.”
Highlanders CEO Nhlanhla Dube has revealed why striker Prince Dube failed to complete a move to China.
The 22-year spent three weeks undergoing trails at a second division club, Shaanxi Chang’an Athletic and is said to have impressed during the assessment.
But according to the CEO, Dube will stay at Highlanders for at least until June as Shaanxi couldn’t free up some space in their foreign quota.
“Officially he is not being taken on now, the way they would have wanted was to fill a slot for another player because they had exhausted their foreign player quota, they did not sign him for the reason that the gap they were looking to exploit did not materialise,’’ Nhlanhla Dube told Sunday News.
The Highlanders boss also revealed that the talks with Shaanxi never kicked off.
He added: “We never got to a negotiating stage, you only negotiate if you are signing the player.”
Prince Dube, meanwhile, is back in Zimbabwe and is expected to start training with the Bosso team this week after getting some days off.-Soccer 24
New Barcelona coach Quique Setién suffered his first defeat at the helm of the Catalan giants after his charges were beaten 2-0 by an impressive Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday.
Man-of-the-match Maxi Gomez’s second half brace was all Valencia needed to get the better of Barcelona, who needed to win to consolidate their spot at the summit of the Spanish top division.
Gomez even missed a first half penalty, awarded after a foul in the 18 yard box by Gerrad Pique, who was booked for the offense.
Gomez stepped up but his effort was parried away by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen.
The defeat leaves Barcelona still top on 43 points from 21 games, still ahead of fellow title aspirants Real Madrid, who play Real Valladolid tomorrow, on goal difference.-Soccer 24
Zimbabwe’s opponents in the Afcon Qualifiers, Zambia have appointed Milutin “Micho” Sredolevic as their new coach.
Chipolopolo are in same Group H with the Warriors, and the two teams have already met in the competition with the latter winning 2-1 away.
Confirming the appointment, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), said on their official Facebook page: ”The FAZ executive committee settled for Milutin Sredolevic popularly known as ‘Micho’.
“The Serb was picked after a highly rigorous process that commenced with a public advert in the national press.”
Meanwhile, Micho had also applied for the Warriors top job but didn’t make it on the final shortlist submitted to the Zifa board last week.
Joey Antipas, the only local coach who applied for the Warriors job, is the favourite to land the post.
Former Highlanders coach Elroy Akbay and Leicester City lnternational Academy coach Alistair Heath are also being considered.
The local football body said they will announce the newly appointed coach this week.Soccer 24
Deputy Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Energy Mutodi has defended the government’s seizure of farms owned by former and current ZANU PF members considered to belong to the G40 faction .
Mutodi said there was nothing amiss in the sequestration of farms owned by Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere and Robert Zhuwawo as the intention is to ensure productivity.
Said Mutodi:
Government is taking back all underutilised and in some cases, abandoned agricultural land as we move forward to ensure food security in the country.
The names you have mentioned are former ministers who are in self-imposed exile and have neglected their farms.
We are facing critical shortages of maize, soya beans, oranges and other raw materials because several farms that used to be productive are now lying idle.
It is a clear government policy that such underutilised farms are repossessed by the government and subdivided to create smaller highly productive farm units.
Reports suggest that Mandiitawepi Chimene, Walter Mzembi and Kudzanai Chipanga’s farms are also in line for repossession as President Emmerson Mnangagwa goes for broke against his rivals.- The Standard
Deputy Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Energy Mutodi has defended the government’s seizure of farms owned by former and current ZANU PF members considered to belong to the G40 faction .
Mutodi said there was nothing amiss in the sequestration of farms owned by Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere and Robert Zhuwawo as the intention is to ensure productivity.
Said Mutodi:
Government is taking back all underutilised and in some cases, abandoned agricultural land as we move forward to ensure food security in the country.
The names you have mentioned are former ministers who are in self-imposed exile and have neglected their farms.
We are facing critical shortages of maize, soya beans, oranges and other raw materials because several farms that used to be productive are now lying idle.
It is a clear government policy that such underutilised farms are repossessed by the government and subdivided to create smaller highly productive farm units.
Reports suggest that Mandiitawepi Chimene, Walter Mzembi and Kudzanai Chipanga’s farms are also in line for repossession as President Emmerson Mnangagwa goes for broke against his rivals.- The Standard
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.
A woman proven to be calling from dancer, Bev Sibanda’s husband’s UK home speaks to ZimEye offloading allegations that he has stolen her car and run away.
The below LIVE program follows verification checks by ZimEye showing that the caller is truly from Mr Mufudzi Chambuka’s home.
An earlier investigation by ZimEye Saturday, proved that what the state owned Herald, the H-Metro claimed that he is a medical doctor, is not true.
The damning allegations are uttered by the complainant whose name cannot be disclosed for ethical reasons.
By A Correspondent| Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa told party supporters af Stoddart grounds in Mbare last week that political dialogue should include the army, to avert the securocrats meddling in politics.
ZimEye ran a poll to establish whether Chamisa is right and if the army should be included in political dialogue.
According to the poll outcome so far, 74% of the respondents agree with Chamisa that the army should be players in the political dialogue while 15% are opposed to the idea. At least 5% of the respondents are at a crossroads and said they do not know whether the army should or should not be part of the dialogue. Another 6% prefer not to comment on the matter saying leave me out of it.
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa said dialogue should be inclusive of the army but Zanu PF has responded trashing the suggestion arguing that the army cannot be involved in politics. Do you think that dialogue should be inclusive of the army?
By Own Correspondent| Workers at Saviour Kasukuwere’s Concorpia Farm in Mazowe are concerned about their future following the government decision to withdraw its land offer letter to the exiled former cabinet minister.
Some of the workers are originally from Mozambique and face a bleak future if they are kicked out of the farm.
Kasukuwere told a local publication on Saturday that he will present a strong case to Lands minister Perrance on the developments he has made on the farm.
He said:
We will put our case to the minister in terms of what we are doing. We are doing cultivation on 120 hectares of land which we opened ourselves.
It initially just had citrus only, but we invested on centre pivots, opened the land for irrigation and brought in the water.
We did a lot and borrowed from financial companies. There were only two houses for workers and we have now built more to cater for more than 100 workers. The farm was just a small part of the estate and no one was using it.
Shiri last week wrote to Kasukuwere notifying him of the ministry’s intention to withdraw the land offer letter ostensibly for planning purposes
Liverpool’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last night saw the Reds edge closer to what is now an almost inevitable Premier league title.
Jurgen Klopp’s men were tested last night at Wolves but as they have also done this season, they found a way through in the end with Firminio firing them to the win with six minutes from time.
Liverpool are seeking to be only the second team to go and entire season without defeat after Arsenal’s invisible team won the league in 2004.
With fifteen games to go, Liverpool still have a long way to but the conversation about an unbeaten run as already begun.
Liverpool have dropped just two points all season are do not appear to be slowing down at all.
Here are a list of possible banana peels for the all conquering Liverpool team that might ensure they don’t end the season unbeaten.
Liverpool would come up against Everton three days after their Champions League clash with Athletics Madrid and this would be one of those games. Matches between these two sides are always full of twists and turns and after what would be a major show down with Atletico, Liverpool might struggle to be fresh for the Everton game.
Liverpool also come up against Crystal Palace right after the derby with Everton and this could portend another danger for the unbeaten record. Crystal Palace are always a hard nut to crack.
Liverpool will travel to Manchester in the first week of April and they could have wrapped up the title by then considering how well they are playing but City would look to spoil the party for the red army by getting one over team and ending their unbeaten run.
In May, Liverpool open their account with a trip to the Emirates and how poetic it would be for Arsenal to be the team that ends Liverpool’s unbeaten run. With Mikel Arteta as manager, this Arsenal team should not be ruled off.
Liverpool’s clash with Chelsea at the twilight of the season is another one that could be difficult to navigate. Chelsea versus Liverpool will always throw up its flashpoint and it could potential be a top four decider for the Blues depending on how things play out.
What other teams do you think can stop Liverpool?
Do you think this Liverpool team will go the season unbeaten?
Mr Abednigo Moyo shows the wounds he sustained fighting off a leopard recently
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 choking it.
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.
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.
Sunday News tracked Mr Moyo last week who narrated his near brush with death and how he fought the animal to its death. Mr Moyo said the incident happened on 13 January at Gumela Farm situated along the Bulawayo-Maphisa Growth Point Road.
“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 while they were harvesting the delicacy he heard his dogs barking and decided to go and investigate. At that point his brother and his wife were harvesting amacimbi on the other side of the farm. When I reached the area, it was a thicket and I could not see anything, my brother and his wife continued to harvest amacimbi,” said Mr Moyo.
He said he then decided to continue with harvesting but 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.
“I called at my workplace and told them what had happened and after that I went to Natisa Clinic where I was given some injections and the wounds were stitched. It was not serious because that same night I managed to report for work,” he said.
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.”
(KDRTV)- Six Rwanda opposition leaders have been sent to prison for seven to 12 years after being convicted of establishing illegal armed groups and conspiring against the government, State-run radio reported.
The six newly jailed opposition leaders include Boniface Twagirimana, a vice president in the FDU-Inkingi, who along with one associate received a 10-year term.
The other two co-accused leaders were slapped with 12 years while a seven seven-year sentence was given to others.
However, the court based in South Rwanda vindicated four other defendants
The sentenced were members of FDU-Inkingi party, which was formerly led by Victorine Ingabire a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame
KDRTV has confirmed that the lawyers of the six Gatera Gashabana will tender an appeal against their sentences
Ingabare had also served six years of 15-year prison term on charges of conspiring to form an armed group to undermine the government, before being released in 2018.
According to her, the charges were influenced by her political stands
According to the prosecutor, the men who were leading the opposition had helped to form a rebel group in bordering Democratic Republic of Congo with a key aim of throwing the Rwandese government
It is documented that over the years, Rwanda has faulted the various rebel group operating out of the jungles of Eastern Congo as those that want to overthrow Paul Kagame`s government
“The charges in themselves are political… the current political party in power in our country doesn’t want another strong political party in Rwanda,” said Ingabire.
BBC|Lesotho’s prime minister and his wife are caught up in a murder investigation involving allegations so sinister that they have the makings of a crime novel. Pumza Fihlani tries to unpack the mystery from the capital of the southern African nation, Maseru.
People are going about their business in the city, vegetable vendors line the streets, taxis whizz pass each rushing to the next passenger.
On the surface everything is in order but newspaper billboards plastered on shop windows and tied to lamp posts give the first indication that something is deeply wrong in Lesotho.
One headline reads in bold type: “Police Hunt First Lady.” Another says: “Embattled PM agrees to quit.”
The country’s first couple – Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and his current wife Maesaiah Thabane – are wanted for questioning in connection with the 2017 murder of Mr Thabane’s then estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane.
The 58-year-old, who had been living apart from her husband since 2012, was killed just two days before Mr Thabane was sworn in as prime minister.
One evening while returning home, she was ambushed, shot several times at close range and died on the side of a dirt road. The murder shocked the nation. At the time, Mr Thabane described it as a “senseless killing”.
Lipolelo Thabane’s 2017 murder was at the time described by Thomas Thabane as a “senseless killing”
At the time of her death, the attack was blamed on unknown armed men, but recent court papers filed by the country’s police commissioner, Holomo Molibeli, have raised further questions.
Among the court papers, seen by AFP news agency, was a copy of a letter, dated 23 December 2019, that the police chief wrote to the 80-year-old prime minister saying: “The investigations reveal that there was a telephonic communication at the scene of the crime in question… with another cell phone. The cell phone number belongs to you.”
A warrant of arrest of was issued for 42-year-old Maesaiah Thabane on 10 January after she failed to present herself to the police for questioning.
She has not been seen publicly for two weeks and no-one seems to know where she is, well no-one willing to talk that is.
Mr Thabane, who is still in the country, has avoided any questions about his wife’s whereabouts.
The BBC contacted government officials for comment but they were unwilling to take questions on the matter. A spokesman for the prime minister’s party said “the matter has not been addressed”.
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Lesotho – the mountain kingdom
Population2.2 million
Area30,355 sq km (11,720 sq miles)
LandlockedEntirely surrounded by South Africa
System of governmentConstitutional monarchy
GDP per person$1,222 (£933)
Source: UN, World Bank
Last week, he reluctantly agreed to be questioned by the police.
Neither Mr Thabane nor his wife have been charged.
It says something about the separation of judicial and political power in Lesotho that a prime minister can be wanted for questioning but the police investigation has not been easy.
The police commissioner, Mr Molibeli, told me the Thabane investigation was one of the most complex and dangerous cases he had worked on in his 32 years as a policeman.
“It hasn’t been easy, there have been many attempts for this investigation to not continue.
“I believe what we are doing is right, as long as my conscious is clear. The people of Lesotho want to know the truth and it is our job to investigate and get to that truth,” he said.
People have made threats on his life for pursuing the investigation, he adds, but he insists he is not scared.
Mr Thabane married Maesaiah at a public ceremony in 2017
“Not at all. I have people who support me. In the past the people who would’ve threatened me would be the army but no, I have a good relationship with them.
“We all just want to get Lesotho out of this quagmire.”
While the police will not say what evidence they have, Mr Molibeli said the case was “strong”.
Those who knew Lipolelo say she shied away from the limelight and preferred her slow village life in Ha Masana on the outskirts of the capital.
But the months prior to her death had been filled with turmoil. News of her protracted divorce from Mr Thabane frequently made headlines, as did a counter-suit from her to continue to be recognised as Lesotho’s rightful First Lady.
After he had separated from Lipolelo, Mr Thabane was living with Maesaiah as if she was his wife and she was enjoying all the perks that came with the position. Lipolelo on the other hand had been left high and dry.
In 2015, after a long legal wrangle, the High Court ruled in Lipolelo’s favour and ordered the government to stop using state funds to support Maesaiah.
It further ruled that she was to stop “performing any functions and exercising any rights vested on the applicant [Lipolelo] as the First Spouse”. It was a humiliating loss for the prime minister.
The ruling meant that until the divorce was finalised, Lipolelo was still legally recognised as his spouse and his government was obliged by law to take care for of her.
The divorce was never finalised.
The prime minister has announced that he will be stepping down but has given no date for his departure
This small country is relatively peaceful, but does have a reputation for the killing of high-ranking officials. In the past, these have been as a result of a dispute within the military or political classes.
Mr Thabane himself once fled to South Africa supposedly because there was a hit out on him.
Mme Lipolelo, as she was known here, was neither political nor someone who had political enemies. For many her death was always suspicious.
“I was so shocked when she died,” Maseru resident Lebohang Liballo said.
“What happened to her was so strange – even now the secrecy around it is strange. Mme Lipolelo deserves justice.”
Although people are intrigued by the case and are following each twist and turn, there is still a sense of fear.
Those who agreed to speak to me asked not to have their pictures taken.
“It’s been a big embarrassment for the country,” said Bakwena Mofoka.
“It paints us as something we are not. The First Lady must come back.”
Mr Thabane was sworn in as prime minister two days after the death of Lipolelo Thabane
But Maesaiah does not appear to be backing down.
Her legal team have been trying to have her warrant of arrest set aside. The court is yet to rule on the matter.
Her lawyers told the Maseru High Court that the First Lady had always been willing to cooperate with the police but was busy with official duties on the day she was due to be questioned. They have not explained why she appears to have left.
She is no stranger to controversy – in the last couple of years she has repeatedly been accused of interfering in the running of government, something the people of Lesotho have termed a “bedroom coup”.
Mr Thabane has denied the claims but the accusations have lost her favour with some in the party.
The scandal has also had political implications for the prime minister.
While his supporters have questioned the timing of the investigation, claiming that their leader was the victim of a smear campaign, he has been forced to agree to step down, although he has not said when.
He said he was resigning because of his age and made no link with the investigation.
The governing All Basotho Convention (ABC) is deeply divided but in the days since the scandal erupted its members have tried to present a united front – if only to keep opposition parties at bay and buy Mr Thabane time to plan his next move.
But he might not have too long.
Hundreds of people, calling themselves “concerned citizens of Lesotho”, marched in the capital last week, as part of what they promise will be a series of protests aimed at forcing the prime minister to leave immediately.
“We are determined to keep protesting until he goes.
“If that means that there is instability, so be it, it would have been brought on by the prime minister,” protest organiser Ramahoana Mathlosa said.
It was a sign of a people who are growing tired of Mr Thabane and perhaps one scandal too many.
But his resignation would not be an end to the mystery surrounding who killed Lipolelo Thabane.
Strive Masiyiwa has thanked all doctors who accepted his offer and returned to work.
The UK-based billionaire gave the update through his Facebook page on Friday. HigherLife Foundation founder Strive Masiyiwa said 1 504 doctors have accepted the offer that he made last year, and expanded this year, for them to call off a debilitating strike that had crippled Zimbabwe’s health sector.
Below is Masiyiwa’s update:
#Update on Zimbabwe’s doctors: As many of you know, my wife and I renewed our offer to the striking Zimbabwean public hospital doctors. The offer closed this evening, and we have been stunned by the response:
1 504 doctors completed the forms, as well as the Resumption of Work process. I had no idea there were that many doctors involved! They have all gone back to work!
This brings the total number of doctors that will be back at work next week to 1866 [including the 362 who accepted the original offer] According to reports I received entire wards at major hospitals, and even entire clinics were re-opening today. That is just remarkable! A miracle!
I really want to extend my own gratitude to these doctors, I know it has not been easy for them. And I’m the first to agree that’s this is not where they want to be.
As part of our foundation’s initiatives we also extended the Free Transport to both doctors and nurses, using Vaya Commuter Shuttles, for another six m
onths. Vaya is also making Free Water Deliveries to 19 hospitals and clinics on a weekly basis.
I really want to urge the relevant authorities to re-engage on this issue and find a satisfactory, and long term, sustainable solution. Meanwhile, I want to also appeal to every member of our society in Zimbabwe, to remember that these are Community Hospitals, and they serve everyone.
This morning I spoke to some church leaders who are keen to help with things like food for doctors and patients. I think this would be a great start. If you are a member of a church why not get involved:
Let’s approach this with the spirit of Cyclone Idai Disaster Response. We need food, blankets, and other forms of support. Everyone has something to offer. Let’s do this.
COSAFA’S duplicity in banning Zifa from attending the regional football governing body’s annual general meeting (AGM) set for today has been exposed, revealing its dishonesty and vindictiveness.
Investigations by NewsDay Sport have revealed that while Zifa is indebted to Cosafa, the two bodies reached an agreement on December 31, 2019 that Fifa would pay the Zimbabwe football mother body’s debt by the end of this month.
But Cosafa attempted to ban Zifa from attending the AGM when the mother body said it would move a motion to remove Philip Chiyangwa as the head of the regional football body alleging corruption and fraud.
A defiant Zifa delegation led by its president Felton Kamambo left the country yesterday afternoon for South Africa where they intend to gate-crash into the meeting.
The AGM, which gathers all 14 member associations from the region gets underway this morning at the Southern Sun OR Tambo Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Information gathered by this publication show that on December 18, 2019, Cosafa wrote to Zifa demanding a balance payment of US$18 250 from a US$25 000 loan that was advanced to them two years ago, failure of which Zimbabwe would be barred from attending today’s meeting.
“We refer to the debt of US$18 250 which has been owing to Cosafa since 2018 and has been reflected in regular statements of account sent to the association.
“Despite ongoing correspondence and phone calls from Cosafa to the association in an attempt to recover this amount and to ensure that the association is in good standing, the amount remains unpaid.
“We are, therefore, requested to demand, as we hereby do, payment of US$18 250 in full, by deadline 30th December 2019 failing which we shall have no alternative but to invoke Article 27.6 of the Cosafa statutes.”
Zifa responded to Cosafa, informing them that they had asked Fifa to settle the debt on their behalf since they were having problems in transferring the money from Zimbabwe due to local monetary laws.
“We are in receipt of your demand letter on a loan you extended to Zifa at the behest of the then Zifa president and Cosafa president Chiyangwa.
“While it is a fact that this is an inherited bill, the association remain committed to clear (sic) it at the most opportune time.
“Previous joint efforts to have the money from Zimbabwe failed to yield any joy after the local Reserve Bank refused to sanction the payment and such was communicated to your office.
“You will, however, note [that] we have through our Cosafa prize money paid off part of the US$25 000 loan hence the reason the bill now stands at US$18 250.
“This letter seeks to inform your office that we have now requested for Fifa to deduct from our grant pencilled for January 2020 the amount due to you of US$18 250 and pay the same directly to Cosafa so that this matter is settled. We hope this request will meet your favourable consideration.”
In the letter, Zifa said they were worried about Cosafa’s tone, which already inferred that they were plotting punitive measures, which includes membership suspension.
Zifa argued they previously owed Cosafa R800 000 but were never threatened with suspension as the money would be deducted from prize monies each time Zimbabwe qualified for such money.
“It is [a] common secret that we are not in good books with the current Cosafa president (Chiyangwa) and we begin to wonder if the suggested punitive measures and deadlines are really divorced from our issues with Chiyangwa.
“This is so, especially when one considers that the loan was taken when Chiyangwa was Zifa president but no undue pressure was exerted on his administration to repay before he left office.
“One wonders whether the threat to suspend, if we do not settle by 31 December 2019, is not linked to the upcoming Cosafa AGM, where Zifa has requested that the Cosafa president’s interferences with our football be included in the agenda. We sincerely hope this is not another of the Cosafa president’s attempts to take away our voice.”
On the same day, Zifa wrote to Fifa requesting them to deduct the money from a grant that the local association receives annually.
Fifa, through its senior development manager Africa and Caribbean Region Subdivision member associations Solomon Mudege on December 31, 2019 responded: “We have taken note of Zifa’s request for Fifa to pay US$18 250 to Cosafa. This funds transfer would be deducted from Zifa’s operational costs funding.
“In Cosafa’s letter to Zifa, a deadline of 30 December 2019 is indicated. However, I assume that both Zifa and Cosafa will wait for Fifa’s response before any further action is taken.” On January 9, Fifa confirmed that they would pay
By BREZH MALABA|SOUTH African newspaper columnist and vastly experienced editor Barney Mthombothi set the cat among the pigeons last weekend when he boldly asserted that the time has come for that country to stop playing the role of nanny to Zimbabweans.
In a forthright article that has been praised and denounced in equal measure, he argued that Zimbabweans have brought suffering upon themselves by continuously voting for their tormentors. He said the people of this country do not deserve anyone’s sympathy. His stance sparked controversy and heated debate on social media, particularly Twitter whose format is tailor-made for bare-knuckle discourse.
I carefully scrutinised the varying responses to Mthombothi’s article. Many Zimbabweans were not amused. They felt he was not only insensitive to their plight but also callous in his attitude.
As the whole debate raged on, a question kept recurring: How can a South African journalist, on one hand, accuse Emmerson Mnangagwa of stealing an election, while accusing Zimbabweans of bringing problems upon themselves on the other? Surely, there is a fatal contradiction?
There was no shortage of counter-arguments to this. One of them was that, even if the election was indeed rigged, why is it that the Zimbabweans did not take action to reclaim the stolen vote? Whose responsibility is it to fight for democracy in Zimbabwe?
Mthombothi says Zimbabwe is not the first country to suffer from autocracy. What is strange about this particular country is the manner in which its citizens have gone about breaking the shackles of oppression.
He is not advancing an entirely new argument. I have heard this line countless times whenever I visit neighbouring countries, especially South Africa and Botswana. What I have noticed is that neighbouring countries are sick and tired of Zimbabwe’s never-ending crisis. They liken us to that hopeless drunkard in the family who makes it extremely difficult for anyone to help him.
But this week, students at Njube High School in Bulawayo showed the world in emphatic fashion that Zimbabweans are not cowards at all. Throwing caution to the wind, the youngsters staged a protest which took everyone by surprise. They made their feelings known about school fee increases and the absence of teachers who no longer report for duty owing to pathetic salaries.
If you want to appreciate just how audacious the students’ protest was, jog your memory back to August 1, 2018 and mid-January 2019. This regime does not hesitate to spill blood. There comes a time when fear is no longer a factor. If you see a rat sprinting headlong into a vicious fire, you must know that something hotter than flames is after its life.
Nelson Chamisa, leader of the mainstream opposition MDC, was in fiery mood on Tuesday this week when he presented his much-anticipated “Agenda 2020” address to the nation.
He emphasised the importance of finding a solution to Zimbabwe’s intractable political and economic crisis. Chamisa’s critics in Zanu PF have sought to pour cold water on his speech, pointing out—rather sarcastically—that his presentation was so dismal that opposition supporters are still waiting in vain for the all-important “signal” to throw down the gauntlet and tackle Zanu PF head-on.
Media scholar and journalist Pedzisai Ruhanya went for the jugular the other week when he bluntly described opposition leaders as cowards who conveniently accuse the povo of lacking the courage to confront the Zanu PF system.
He argued that the masses are not cowardly but were being let down by a lethargic opposition leadership.My take is that—just like the Njube High School students—the people of Zimbabwe will one day overcome fear and take destiny into their own hands when the moment of truth finally arrives.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) have responded to an incident which occurred at the COSAFA annual general meeting in South Africa on Saturday.
The regional body barred ZIFA officials led by president Felton Kamambo from entering the event owing to failure to pay subscriptions even though nasty relations between them and former president Philip Chiyangwa, who heads COSAFA, explain the fiasco better.
ZIFA communications officer Xolisani Gwesela released a media statement in reaction to the incident informing the nation on the association’s position regarding it.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) wishes to inform all football loving stakeholders of the outcome of the 2020 Cosafa Annual General Meeting .
Regrettably, the Zifa delegation was denied entry into the conference room by hired security details that were placed for that purpose on the allegations of not being in good standing. This was despite efforts by Zifa to pay any dues through Fifa over and above overtures made since Friday to get Cosafa Secretariat to provide other details, invoices and/or amounts that may have been owing. Such information was deliberately withheld for the entire week before and during the AGM and was only revealed after the meeting in the form of two additional invoices.
Zifa is convinced such was deliberately done to ensure the Association would not have a say in congress deliberations especially after having given to Cosafa prior notice to move a motion to discuss the various transgressions by the Cossfa President as more fully appear in the 2019 Cosafa audit report which included questionable payments done to Dr Chiyangwa which Zifa believed were excessive including proposed redressive action to be taken.
Zifa is however happy to inform all football loving stakeholders that the Association has neither been banned nor suspended but was simply stopped from attending the AGM.
Cosafa secretariat finalky soon after the Agm gave the Zifa delegation through two invoices of R10 000 and another of USD$3000 as affiliation for 2020 and appeal on Warriors Ban respectively.
Zifa has since paid the R10 000 while the USD$3000 will be settled in the course of the week.
Zifa however like many among the Cosafa delegates including a majority members of the Cosafa Exco delegates were not amused by the apparent shenanigans that were employed in efforts to take away a member’s voice. Be that as it may, Zifa shall be partaking in all selected Cosafa tournaments and activities in 2020 and beyond. Football is bigger than individuals and in our case 2020 is the year football will do the talking.
Meanwhile Zifa had a very progressive and successful scheduled meeting with the Fifa regional office to discuss among others the debt restructuring process. Details of this will soon be announced to our existing creditors who have beared the brunt for so many years without their dues being settled.
We urge all football loving stakeholders to gear up for an exciting year ahead. ZIFA remains a full member of the Cosafa family and that right has not been taken away either temporarily or permanently.
We urge stakeholders to avoid unofficial statements attributed to a known social media blogger who was hired to be a nuisance during the whole duration of the Cosafa Agm.
Finally we wish the young mighty Warriors happy hunting tomorrow as we seek to conquer and devour the Botswana U-17 Women national team .
Long live our football. 2020 let football do the talking,” read the statement.
United Kingdom-based former Dynamos captain Memory Mucherahowa has made a scathing attack on the club for its current player-buying spree which he says is a consequence of the death of the club’s junior policy tradition.
Dynamos, who struggled to a ninth-place finish in the league last year, have been on an aggressive player recruitment drive which has seen the club bring in at least 11 new players in a bid to restore the glory day at the Harare giants.
The man, popularly known as Mwendamberi, who led Dynamos to the 1998 African Champions League final, castigated the Glamour Boys for abandoning the junior policy which was the heartbeat of the club from Independence until the early 2000s.
Mucherahowa also blamed political interference for the sorry state in which the club finds itself in.
“It is a good thing that Dynamos is strengthening the team. I hope they will do well. My only worry is whether these players will cope with the demands of such a big institution,” the 50-year-old former captain said from his UK base.
“Dynamos used to rely on its junior policy and the youngsters would play in curtain raisers. By the time they graduated into the senior team, they would be aware of the demands of the team’s supporters.
“The fans knew their youngsters. They would form the core of the team with only one or two additions and not more than seven players,” he said.
Dynamos have so far signed 11 players, including Patson Jaure, Tanaka Chidhobha, Nkosi Mhlanga and Lennox Mutsetse early on in the transfer window.
The club also added Byron Madzokere, Tymon Mvula, Jeansmith Mutudza, David Temwanjira, Barnabas Mushunje, Tinotenda Chiunye and, lately, Sylvester K Appiah to the 2020 squad.
Coach Tonderai Ndiraya is looking to build a team that will compete for the Premier Soccer League title which the club last won six years ago.
However, Dynamos have made significant strides in trying to make sure that they revive junior football at the club as they now have a developmental side playing Division Two football.
“We had the generation of Kuda Muchemeyi, Shaw Handriade, Edward Katsvere, David Mandigora, then Clayton Munemo’s generation. We also had my generation followed by Simon Chuma’s and then Chamu Musanhu’s generation. We carried the Dynamos culture and got used to the fans’ demands before we graduated into the senior team,” Mucherahowa said.
The 1994 Soccer Star of the Year also brought a political dimension into his argument fingering the ruling party, Zanu PF, for the club’s demise.
“All this 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,” Mwendamberi claimed.
“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.”
Mucherahowa, who relocated to the UK soon after his retirement in 2001, is no stranger to controversy after he opened a can of worms with his autobiography which was published in 2017.
The book lifted the lid on several controversial issues such as the widespread use of juju at the Harare giants, drug abuse among footballers of his time and the contentious issue of the club’s ownership structure.
THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has granted the National Railways of Zimbabwe permission to charge in foreign currency for goods exported under the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) conditions.
NRZ board chairman Advocate Martin Dinha said the approval by the Central Bank for the rail entity to charge in foreign currency for goods exported under CIF conditions would go a long way in enabling the parastatal to repair its equipment and infrastructure.
“The authority to charge exporting customers in foreign currency is a welcome and progressive development for the organisation. With this approval NRZ can now approach its various exporting customers to inform and familiarise them with this new development. While NRZ has traditionally been collecting foreign currency from customers who are into export business, the foreign currency generated from this source has not been enough to requirements, though it assisted the organisation in repairing its rolling stock and infrastructure,” he said.
Adv Dinha said charging in foreign currency would also enable NRZ to improve its coffers to capacitate its business as well as procure essential spare parts.
“The intervention by the Central Bank is critical for NRZ considering that foreign currency has been essential in funding the organisation in hiring wagons and locomotives from the region to address resource and capacity gaps, hire inter-change, as well as procuring spares and accessories for wagons, locomotives and infrastructure maintenance. And at this juncture, the need for foreign currency for the organisation has become huge and urgent especially to hire locomotives and wagons for the movement of imported grains, to alleviate drought-induced shortfalls, among communities in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The approval for NRZ to charge in foreign currency came after the rail entity’s appeal to the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development last year. NRZ submitted an appeal to RBZ seeking permission to be allowed to charge all exporters for railage in foreign currency. In its response to NRZ dated 31 December 2019, the Central Bank agreed in principle for the company to charge railage collection under the CIF basis.
“Please kindly note that in terms of the current Exchange Control administrative arrangements, where a transporter has shipped goods under the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) basis; the respective transport or railage portion may be received by the transporter in foreign currency. Under the circumstances highlighted, National Railways of Zimbabwe may receive such portion of railage charges in foreign currency. Kindly, therefore, submit a specific application through your Authorised Dealers to have the necessary Exchange Control administrative structure for this arrangement to be operationalised”, read the RBZ response.
However, the move to allow NRZ to charge in foreign currency has been viewed by captains of industry as likely to compromise players in various sectors of the economy. Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries vice-president Mr Joseph Gunda said allowing NRZ to charge in foreign currency was unfair since businesses are only allowed to trade in local currency on the local market.
“The challenge we have is that, if NRZ is allowed to charge in foreign currency, it means we have to get the foreign currency ourselves. It seems there is now a contradiction here, so are we now saying companies are trading in foreign currency?” he exclaimed.
Mr Gunda said it was important to note that the manufacturing sector imports most of its raw materials using foreign currency, which is scarce in the country and ought to be put in good use to enhance productivity.
“We are now being forced to compromise the amount of foreign currency we get. Instead of us buying raw material we are now forced to use that money to pay current expenditure like working capital. I don’t see that benefiting the economy. If you allow NRZ to charge in foreign currency we might as well allow everybody because it compromises others. It means industry is being squeezed because with the foreign currency we get through the interbank market to buy raw material, we are being forced to pay NRZ,” he said.
Mr Gunda said there was a need for wider consultation to be done before allowing NRZ to charge in foreign currency.
Association for Business in Zimbabwe (Abuz) chief executive officer Mr Victor Nyoni said industry has noted with concern the use of foreign currency in transacting by certain sections of the economy.
“As the industry we have been complaining that some sections of our economy are dollarising and our attitude is that anything that comes from authorities particularly the Government, that gives a sort of an impression that foreign currency is the right currency to deal in, it gives the impetus to the whole economy that people should shun our local currency,” he said.
File Picture of a woman undertaking an illegal abortion.
State Media|Syndicates operating illegal backyard abortion “clinics” are using knitting needles, spoons, dishwashing liquid, dangerous pills and assorted concoctions to terminate pregnancies of young, vulnerable and scared women.
An abortion is the medical process of ending a pregnancy so that it does not result in the birth of a baby. Some of these terminations fail, thereby posing serious health risks to those that attempt to abort.
These backyard abortions are putting the lives of hundreds of women at risk, while a lot more are dying and suffering in silence because of the stigma associated with them. Victims often refrain from seeking medical help until it is too late to remedy the damage.
Last week, The Sunday Mail Society conducted an in-depth investigation into the vice which seems to have reached alarming levels in Harare.
The entry point into the investigation was Mercy Tsivo (not her real name), who lives in Harare’s Kuwadzana high-density suburb. As we sat down with her, there was a hint of pain in her captivating smile. Beneath that smile is a layered story of abuse and exploitation by her boyfriend.
But to get her full story, it is important we start from the beginning.
The 19-year-old was nearly four months pregnant when she decided to get rid of the pregnancy. However, she could not go to the hospital as an abortion without compelling reasons is illegal in this country.
Her only solution was a backyard abortion.
She vividly describes the agonising pain she endured when she tried to clandestinely terminate the pregnancy through an illegal abortionist in Mbare.
“When the pain started, I called him and begged him for help because I was bleeding so much. The pain became more and more severe. I could not sit or stand, or lie down. I could not move. He told me not to contact him again, as it was not his problem. He told me to go to the hospital if I had problems. After that, I never got hold of him again,” said Tsivo.
She almost bled to death, with pieces of her uterus in her blood, when she was found by her friends.
Ever since that fateful day, Tsivo is still bleeding. She emits an unpleasant smell.
What was meant to be a simple procedure turned out to be a nightmare — things went awfully wrong at the backyard “clinic”.
“I was haemorrhaging to death from that botched abortion. They first gave me a prescription drug called Cytotec. After a while, I felt an excruciating pain that tore through my spine,” she said.
Cytotec, according to medical experts, is a medication used to prevent and treat stomach ulcers, start labour or cause an abortion, among other things.
“They then used forceps to open my cervix. They dug the foetus out using a spoon and a knitting needle, it was agonising but I had no choice,” she said, adding that she still feels that something is still inside of her womb.
Tsivo is one of the thousands of women across the country who constantly navigate the hazards associated with illegal backyard abortion “clinics” that are thriving in Harare.
Clandestine backstreet “clinics” offering illegal abortions are one of the prime causes of unnecessary maternal deaths across Africa, statistics have shown.
The lack of facilities for safe procedures makes the statistics even worse.
Network of abortionists
“Street doctors” and traditional healers, who trade at the famous Mupedzanhamo Market in Mbare, are at the heart of this gory business. They are the chief suppliers of concoctions, which they believe completely terminate pregnancies. They also work with unscrupulous doctors, bringing together a coterie of operatives and runners from the major hospitals.
Information gathered by The Sunday Mail Society shows that some doctors at Zimbabwe’s major referral hospitals are facilitating the unlawful termination of unwanted pregnancies using prescription drugs.
One of the infamous drug is popularly known as chigeza mudumbu. It is largely believed to be Cytotec. Illegal street doctors are cashing in on the tablets that have now flooded the market.
Their operations bring together runners and middlemen such as traditional healers, “street doctors”, accredited health practitioners and even hairdressers, who are cashing in on the growing demand. Sources said health practitioners from public hospitals are the major players in the thriving backyard abortions market.
Some are now even renting apartments in the Avenues, where the abortions take place, an indication that demand for their services is high.
In case the procedure does not go according to plan, the syndicates smuggle their patients into health centres for treatment.
Pretending to be in need of help, The Sunday Mail Society team was directed to Matapi Flats where we met a woman who would help an “imaginary girlfriend” to abort her five-months pregnancy.
She demanded US$12 for the pills (chigeza mudumbu).
Another dealer that we met at Fife Avenue Shopping Centre said they used pills such as Misoprostol to induce pre-term labour and abortion.
“We get them from our ‘doctor friends’. We source some of them from pharmacies at a much cheaper price. We then resell the drugs for US$12. For our services, we charge US$20,” she said.
There are two ways to terminate pregnancy — either through taking the prescription drugs or through a minor surgical procedure.
Doctors say a medical abortion involves taking pills (the abortion pill), usually 24 to 48 hours apart, to induce a miscarriage.
The surgical abortion is when a pregnant woman goes through a procedure to terminate the pregnancy.
Abortions at private clinics cost an arm and a leg, ranging from US$150 to US$300. This is probably why many are opting for the backyard abortion “clinics”.
‘Unsafe abortion is life threatening’
Sometimes illegal providers overdose women, giving them mixtures of laxatives, aspirin and medication used for stomach-related ailments.
At times, backyard doctors remove the foetus using household equipment like wire hangers and fire tongs.
However, once they have taken their victims’ money, they usually disappear. Most of them cannot be tracked or traced as they change phone numbers and locations.
A Harare specialist doctor and gynaecologist, Dr Alfred Nyoni, said most women are resorting to backyard abortions because of poverty.
“There are more girls who are resorting to illegal abortions because of poverty. Most of them lack proper information on birth control pills, hence the unwanted pregnancies,” he said.
Added Dr Nyoni: “Some of these women risk psychological trauma, womb infections, life-threatening bleeding and infertility. The illegal abortion industry is huge and women are losing their lives due to unsterile operations performed by individuals with no medical knowledge.
“For those that use these unsafe methods, the life-threatening consequences include severe haemorrhage, sepsis (severe general infection), poisoning, uterine perforation or damage to other internal organs. Urgently admitted to hospital, a woman may need a blood transfusion, major reparative surgery, or a hysterectomy — a complete and irreversible removal of the uterus,” said Dr Nyoni.
He also said although some women are able to access black market drugs, they may still suffer complications due to poor drug quality, incorrect dosages or inadequate information, or a combination of these.
The law on abortion
While abortion is illegal and controversial in Zimbabwe — a largely Christian nation — more than 60 000 women still undergo unsafe terminations each year, thereby risking death from haemorrhage, infection or shock.
This is according to the healthcare provider Marie Stopes International, headquartered in South Africa.
The Termination of Pregnancy Act stipulates that termination of a foetus is only legal when the life of the mother and her physical health is threatened or when there is a risk that the child will be born with physical or mental defects of such a nature that the child will be permanently
or seriously handicapped.
Those who break the law can be jailed for five years.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care Dr Ruth Labode has called on the Health Ministry to revisit the Termination of Pregnancy Act with a view to expanding its scope so that young people and those suffering from debilitating health conditions such as diabetes and HIV/Aids can be allowed to abort.
Late last year, Family Health director in the Health and Child Care Ministry, Dr Bernard Madzima, said statistics from previous researches show that 16 percent of maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortions.
Half of the figures occur among adolescents.
The 2016 national adolescent fertility study by the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council showed that nine percent of adolescents between 10 and 19 years had fallen pregnant.
These pregnancies sometimes end in unsafe abortions, reads part of the report.
Campaigners say a comprehensive evaluation of the Termination of Pregnancy Act is required in order to save lives.
According to the United Nations, Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality rate of 443 deaths per 100 000 live births is triple that of neighbouring South Africa, where abortion is legal.
State Media|FORMER Child President and Goromonzi High School student, Innocent Chikwanda, scored 17 points in the 2019 Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) Advanced Level examinations.
Innocent wrote four subjects. These were Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Physics.
He said he now wants to study Electrical Engineering.
“I have always had a passion for Mathematics and got encouragement from my father, who was also good in the subject,” he said.
“Through my hard work and passion, I managed to do well in both school and as Child President. I never mixed the two.”
Commenting on the education system, Innocent said he was grateful for everything he was taught.
He said he was well equipped to face the job market with the skills he acquired through both the Junior Parliament and the education system.
Asked if he had any ambitions of ever getting into mainstream politics, the former Child President said his career would not revolve around politics.
He said politics is earthly, adding that he was a God-fearing young man who constantly read the Bible for guidance.
“Jesus Christ is my role model, I like listening to gospel music,” he said.
Chikwanda says if he were to be given the power to amend any law in Zimbabwe, he would amend the Marriage Act. He said he would love to see any adult who marries a minor being sentenced to at least 12 years in prison.
During his days at Goromonzi High, Innocent played handball and chess. He also participated in debate and public speaking.
The young man is grateful for his parents’ love.
He wished the current Junior Parliamentarians well in their exams.
“They should prioritise the important things in life, that is school. They were students before they became Junior Parliamentarians, therefore, first things first. They must not forget that being a Junior Parliamentarian is just a phase, it will pass.”
State Media|Implementation of healing measures for victims of civil disturbances that rocked parts of Midlands and Matabeleland provinces in the early 1980s is set to receive a fresh boost when Government meets a coalition of local civic groups early next month.
It is understood that authorities are convening a meeting with the Matabeleland Collective and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) to review and stimulate the implementation of healing measures agreed to during an initial meeting in Bulawayo last year.
In April, Government met the Matabeleland Collective and agreed on measures to ensure healing among victims of civil disturbances that rocked parts of the provinces, in what has become to be known as Gukurahundi.
Resolutions from the meeting included ceding ownership of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project to locals, issuing of civic documents to surviving children of victims of the disturbances and exhumation of the deceased.
Government also committed to facilitate restorative justice measures, making good of President Mnangagwa’s promise that his administration would not shy from confronting the ugly past.
Now authorities are seeking to accelerate the implementation of the agreed interventions, which are being hampered by funding constraints and official bureaucracy.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs secretary Mrs Virginia Mabiza told The Sunday Mail that the meeting will assess progress made so far as well as look for ways to fast track implementation of the outstanding resolutions.
“As Government, we are alive to the fact that some of the items we agreed to last year remain outstanding,” said Mrs Mabiza.
“We will soon be convening a follow-up meeting to revisit the agreed implementation matrix and challenges hindering progress and implementation of some of the resolutions that we agreed on.
“Early February, we are going to have a follow-up meeting to iron out the outstanding issues such as issuance of birth certificates and exhumations that have not taken off the ground owing to a number of challenges.
“We will look at ways to jump-start implementation of those resolutions which are still outstanding and hope that can be done in the shortest possible period.
“The meeting will include the NPRC, the Matabeleland Collective and other stakeholders from the region including churches, religious and traditional leaders.
“As Government, we have shown our commitment in line with the President’s pledge to ensure there is national healing, cohesion and unity, .”
During the last meeting, Government committed to provide medical assistance for those injured during the disturbances.
Further resolutions being implemented at the national level include devolution of Government power and authority, promotion of local languages and engagement between the State and NGOs.
Matabeleland Collective co-ordinator Jenni Williams said: “Matabeleland Collective are aware that President E. D. Mnangagwa has agreed to engage stakeholders in Bulawayo mid-February 2020.
“The Collective are advised that the business of the meeting is to seek a consensus position on how Government will address Gukurahundi and unlock healing.
“Matabeleland Collective will fully participate in this consensus-building and is prepared to work with all organisations, stakeholders, traditional leaders and faith-based organisations so as to chart specific steps that need to be taken.
“The Collective call on all stakeholders to ensure they attend the consultations and consensus-building meetings so that Matabeleland has a strong voice for healing, equalisation and increased development of our region.”
Mrs Williams said implementation of some of the resolutions from last year’s meeting had been slow or non-existent in some instances.
She said Government’s proposed extension of the women’s quota in Parliament through a constitutional amendment, as resolved during last year’s meeting was a welcome development.
She added: “We have, however, been happy with continued engagement with Water Ministry on the taking over of the Zambezi project albeit at a very slow pace causing concern to our potential investors.”
Some members of the Matabeleland Collective however told ZimEye.com that the grouping has since nearly disbanded accusing Williams of running away with the project and turning it into her own organisation.
The members claimed that since the last meeting with Mnangagwa, things within the Collective have not been well with claims that “dirty funds” have been flying from Harare to Williams and a section of the Collective loyal to her.
Williams is further accused of going behind the backs of other members and registered the Collective as a Trust under her directorship.
The members claim that the entire leadership of the Collective resigned from holding office after the infamous meeting with Mnangagwa and Williams is said to be running the Collective on her own.
Some further claimed that they were not aware of the upcoming meeting with Mnangagwa indicating that noble as it may sound they will be boycotting the meeting unless an urgent General Meeting is held to sort out their internal issues.
File picture of a doctor working at a public hospital.
State Media|Higherlife Foundation has extended by an additional six months the free transport programme for nurses and doctors employed at public healthcare institutions in Zimbabwe.
The extended offer comes a day after the Foundation extended an offer to pay doctors in the public healthcare sector through a special medical fellowship established by Higherlife late last year, in order to enable doctors to go back to work following a long and debilitating strike that has paralysed the country’s public healthcare delivery system.
At the close of business Thursday, the foundation said close to a thousand doctors had signalled their intention to take up the offer by collecting the Fellowship forms. It said over 800 had completed and returned the forms to take up the offer, which is open until close of business Friday.
In December last year, a total of 362, mainly junior doctors, took up the Fellowship offer from Higherlife Foundation and have already gone back to work.
In the statement, Higherlife Foundation said its focus remained on patient care. It said: “In line with our commitment to putting the patient first, we are pleased to announce that our free Vaya transport programme for nurses and doctors, which has been in place for the past six months, has been further extended and will run through to July 2020.
The foundation said along with free transport, its affiliate businesses (in which the Masiyiwa family has interests) would “continue to provide free water deliveries to all public hospitals and clinics in Harare”.
It said the foundation would continue to support the country’s healthcare system and ensure “our public medical staff are well resourced to carry out their work”.
A substantive chief executive officer for the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) will start work on April 1 as the face of a new executive that took over from the previous scandal-plagued management.
The parastatal, which is a key institution that pools and administers funds for local and national roadworks, has been without a substantive CEO for the past 18 months after Engineer Nancy Masiyiwa-Chamisa was suspended in July 2018.
She was subsequently fired in September 2019 for alleged incompetence and allowing corruption to fester under her watch.
Most of the former management has been jettisoned in a staff clear-out designed to refresh the institution.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Mail, Zinara board chairperson, Engineer Michael Madanha, said the new chief executive — whom he could not name as they are serving notice at their current company — would assume duties after approval of the appointment by Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Joel Biggie Matiza.
The chief executive will start work together with two other newly recruited directors — finance and human resources — as Government resets the parastatal in line with the drive to deliver targeted developmental projects.
Engineer Madanha said new structures and portfolios would be created to make the State entity both efficient and corruption-proof.
“As we restructure, there are some portfolios that we feel we need to fill, so you will see in the coming days we will be advertising for key personnel like loss control managers. We cannot have people stealing from Zinara and walking scot-free. They need to be prosecuted and we will make sure when we take such criminals to court, we will have enough evidence,” he said.
The current board intends to stabilise the institution after a spate of recent corruption-related scandals.
The former CEO was fired together with finance director Mr Simon Taranhike.
When she was appointed chief executive in September 2016, Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa was replacing Engineer Moses Juma, who had been acting chief executive since 2014 when Frank Chitukutuku resigned unceremoniously.
Much of the work to reconfigure Zinara’s management was overseen by Mr Suston Muzenda, who was seconded from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
During his six-month tenure he recruited Mr Gilfern Moyo, who replaced Mr Precious Murove as administration and human resources director; and Engineer Moses Chigonyati, who took over from Engineer Juma as technical director.
Ms View Mutize was hired to replace Ms Mathlene Mujokoro as corporate secretary, while Mr Garikai Mbanda was roped in to replace Mr Shadreck Matengabadza as audit manager.
In addition, Mr Naphtali Strauss Tembo has been recruited as the new finance manager.
Rationalisation
The ongoing restructure and rationalisation is expected to plug revenue leakages and ensure that Zinara concentrates on its mandate.
As part of the staff rationalisation exercise, the administration seeks to downsize from the current 650 employees to around 450, a complement which Eng Madanha believes is proportionate to the current size of the organisation.
As a result, fixed-term contracts for 96 employees which had expired have not been renewed.
About 70 percent of the problems that affected the parastatal, Eng Madanha said, had been eliminated.
A forensic audit by Grant Thornton in 2017 exposed deep-seated rot and corporate malfeasance at Zinara, which prompted the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development to commission a team to study the report and come up with actionable recommendations.
The experts mainly raised the red flag on contracts entered between the public entity and Univern for the vehicle licensing system and the computerisation of the tolling system, transit system, road access, radio licence and fuel levy, among other irregularities.
The previous Wilfred Ramwi-led board also stands accused of approving the elevation of staff without the requisite qualifications.
Even former chief executive officer Mr Frank Chitukutuku’s qualifications could not be authenticated by forensic auditors as personal files were not released.
Further, senior members of staff reportedly paid themselves allowances that were not approved by the board and were contrary to their contracts of employment.
Government has since been advised to conduct a lifestyle audit of Zinara staff and to demand reimbursement from members of the previous board who were overpaid.
Action on falsified qualifications by some of the staffers is also being demanded.
Projects
Eng Madanha said Zinara will finance the construction of an additional Norton toll plaza to cater for the dualised Harare-Bulawayo highway, including the relocation of the Dema (Seke) tollgate and the reconstruction of the Skyline toll plaza.
“Our parent ministry has resolved that all tollgates in the country should have the same design, and as we rehabilitate our highways, we are adopting new designs, which will be uniform throughout the country, especially with security features that make it almost impossible to bypass a toll plaza,” Eng Madanha said.
The Skyline toll plaza, just outside Harare on the Masvingo highway, was destroyed during the January 2019 violence that rocked the country.
The new toll plaza is earmarked to be built across the Manyame River, “so that motorists cannot bypass it”.
Eng Madanha said no urban tollgates are planned for Harare, “at least not in the foreseeable future” as there are plans to consolidate revenue collection from the existing ones.
The Harare-Beitbridge highway, Eng Madanha added, is due for completion by 2023 as the road authority is seeking to add more contractors to ramp up construction.
“Currently, we have five contractors working on 20km each and that is not enough if we want to complete that road in the next three years. We need to engage more contractors to achieve this.”
State Media|Government and representatives of civil servants are set to meet again today after the latter turned down Government’s revised salary offer made on Friday, which would see the lowest grade employees earning between $2 200 and $3 500 per month.
A National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting between Government negotiators and public sector workers’ representatives under the Apex Council also failed to agree on the effective date of the proposed salary increment.
Parties will reconvene today after consulting their constituencies.
Secretary for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Simon Masanga, claimed he was out of the country and referred further questions to union leaders.
Apex Council secretary-general, Mr David Dzatsuga, confirmed Government’s revised offer, but could not reveal the quantum of the proposed increase.
He, however, said he was hopeful that today’s meeting might possibly break the deadlock.
“The outcome of the meeting was not conclusive,” said Mr Dzatsunga.
“The employer came with a revised offer which we did not immediately agree to before we consulted our members. As you are aware, we get our mandate from our members.
“We also disagreed on the issue of the effective date of that offer.”
Government is reportedly pushing for the pay increase to be made in February since it paid a cushioning allowance to civil servants this month, but unions insist it should be effective from January 1.
“We will meet tomorrow (Sunday) to hear from the other side and what they have been directed to do by their principals,” he said.
Government’s salary offer, Mr Dzatsunga added, was not yet concrete.
“It is premature to talk about figures at the moment and we are under strict instructions not to speak about the figures because these are still proposals and nothing has been concretised as yet.
“We are hopeful that there will be an agreement.”
Public Service Association and Apex Council president, Mrs Cecilia Alexander, confirmed that Friday’s meeting was inconclusive.
“The NJNC meeting was held today (Friday), where Government brought an increased proposal from the 14 January offer.
“However, the meeting has not made any conclusive agreement as both parties have agreed to consult and meet at the shortest time possible.
“The figures that Government brought cannot be disclosed because they are not yet final.”
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe president, Mr Takavafira Zhou, believes the latest offer falls short of their expectations.
“Government wants to offer between 130 percent to 140 percent increase and this does not address the workers’ concerns.
“Ours is a dispute of right because Government reduced its workers’ salaries unilaterally.
“Workers do not need a salary increase, all they need is the restoration of the (purchasing) power parity (of their previous salaries).
“The gist of the matter is to restore parity back to the US$500 salary for the least-paid worker, in terms of the interbank rate.
“The offer they came with, which is of between $2 200 and $3 400, does not address the challenge.”
Government offered its workers a 100 percent salary bump during the last round of negotiations, which would have seen the lowest-paid civil servant earning around $2 033 per month.
The unions then held consultative meetings with their members last week, who insisted on an adjustment that would see the lowest-paid worker taking home the equivalent of US$475 (about $8 075) on the interbank market.
In addition, public sector workers also received cushioning allowances ranging from $400 to $700 depending on grade last week.
Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, recently indicated that Government — which also has to finance food and power imports in the wake of last year’s drought — would progressively review salaries in line with improved revenues.
State Media|Government has finalised the tertiary institutions tuition fee structure, a move that is meant to end speculation and confusion on the exact amount to be paid to institutions of higher learning.
Tuition fees for medicine and veterinary sciences in all State universities have been pegged at $5 000 while sciences, engineering and technology students will pay $4 000. Humanities and social sciences students will fork out $3 500.
For polytechnics, teachers’ colleges and industrial training colleges, the tuition fees have been pegged at between $500 and $1 500 from national certificate to higher national diploma.
In a Press statement Thursday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Professor Fanuel Tagwira, said it is the role of Government to bear the brunt of making higher education affordable.
“The Ministry wishes to advise the public that the new fee structure for universities, polytechnics and teachers’ colleges and industrial training colleges has been finalised,” said Professor Tagwira.
“The cost of offering higher and tertiary education is much higher than what students pay as the bulk of the actual cost is borne by Government in the interest of making higher and tertiary education accessible and affordable by many students.
“Details of the cost of ancillary fees, accommodation and meals can be found on the website of each institution as well as the Ministry website.
“Please note that in the case of universities, these costs vary from one university to the other as circumstances of the institutions are very different,” he said.
Professor Tagwira said due to economic challenges, the Ministry has put in place loan facilities to help students.
“The Ministry is aware of economic challenges that many students are currently facing; consequently, the Ministry has put in place a Higher and Tertiary Education Loan Scheme to be accessed through the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ).
“Forms are available at the institutions and on their websites,” he said.
He added that amenities fee payable in tertiary institutions is pegged at $1 500 term.
The statement, he said, was meant to give the correct information to the public regarding payment of tuition fees in higher and tertiary institutions.
THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has granted the National Railways of Zimbabwe permission to charge in foreign currency for goods exported under the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) conditions.
NRZ board chairman Advocate Martin Dinha said the approval by the Central Bank for the rail entity to charge in foreign currency for goods exported under CIF conditions would go a long way in enabling the parastatal to repair its equipment and infrastructure.
“The authority to charge exporting customers in foreign currency is a welcome and progressive development for the organisation. With this approval NRZ can now approach its various exporting customers to inform and familiarise them with this new development. While NRZ has traditionally been collecting foreign currency from customers who are into export business, the foreign currency generated from this source has not been enough to requirements, though it assisted the organisation in repairing its rolling stock and infrastructure,” he said.
Adv Dinha said charging in foreign currency would also enable NRZ to improve its coffers to capacitate its business as well as procure essential spare parts.
“The intervention by the Central Bank is critical for NRZ considering that foreign currency has been essential in funding the organisation in hiring wagons and locomotives from the region to address resource and capacity gaps, hire inter-change, as well as procuring spares and accessories for wagons, locomotives and infrastructure maintenance. And at this juncture, the need for foreign currency for the organisation has become huge and urgent especially to hire locomotives and wagons for the movement of imported grains, to alleviate drought-induced shortfalls, among communities in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The approval for NRZ to charge in foreign currency came after the rail entity’s appeal to the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development last year. NRZ submitted an appeal to RBZ seeking permission to be allowed to charge all exporters for railage in foreign currency. In its response to NRZ dated 31 December 2019, the Central Bank agreed in principle for the company to charge railage collection under the CIF basis.
“Please kindly note that in terms of the current Exchange Control administrative arrangements, where a transporter has shipped goods under the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) basis; the respective transport or railage portion may be received by the transporter in foreign currency. Under the circumstances highlighted, National Railways of Zimbabwe may receive such portion of railage charges in foreign currency. Kindly, therefore, submit a specific application through your Authorised Dealers to have the necessary Exchange Control administrative structure for this arrangement to be operationalised”, read the RBZ response.
However, the move to allow NRZ to charge in foreign currency has been viewed by captains of industry as likely to compromise players in various sectors of the economy. Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries vice-president Mr Joseph Gunda said allowing NRZ to charge in foreign currency was unfair since businesses are only allowed to trade in local currency on the local market.
“The challenge we have is that, if NRZ is allowed to charge in foreign currency, it means we have to get the foreign currency ourselves. It seems there is now a contradiction here, so are we now saying companies are trading in foreign currency?” he exclaimed.
Mr Gunda said it was important to note that the manufacturing sector imports most of its raw materials using foreign currency, which is scarce in the country and ought to be put in good use to enhance productivity.
“We are now being forced to compromise the amount of foreign currency we get. Instead of us buying raw material we are now forced to use that money to pay current expenditure like working capital. I don’t see that benefiting the economy. If you allow NRZ to charge in foreign currency we might as well allow everybody because it compromises others. It means industry is being squeezed because with the foreign currency we get through the interbank market to buy raw material, we are being forced to pay NRZ,” he said.
Mr Gunda said there was a need for wider consultation to be done before allowing NRZ to charge in foreign currency.
Association for Business in Zimbabwe (Abuz) chief executive officer Mr Victor Nyoni said industry has noted with concern the use of foreign currency in transacting by certain sections of the economy.
“As the industry we have been complaining that some sections of our economy are dollarising and our attitude is that anything that comes from authorities particularly the Government, that gives a sort of an impression that foreign currency is the right currency to deal in, it gives the impetus to the whole economy that people should shun our local currency,” he said.
Jane Mlambo| Below is a message circulated by the ruling Zanu PF party calling on its members to apply for the Presidential scholarship programme.
Of concern is that despite the programme being national with a department created solely to administer it, Zanu PF has set up a parallel application process where party members apply and send emails to a party address [email protected]
ANDY Muridzo says he has turned a blind eye on women seeking relationships and is now focusing on his music career and fending for his family.
The musician who broke up with his first wife Mai Keketso and then parted ways with his girlfriend Nyarie Mukucha last year revealed that he is single and is not searching.
“I am currently single and in this moment in time my focus is not in looking for relationships with women but just to concentrate on my music because music is the one that pays my bills and feeds my children.
“That’s all I am focusing on,” said Andy Muridzo.
However, the Dherira singer said he still values very much his female fans and this decision does not affect them.
“My decision does not affect my female fans, I love them very much and I am always there for them for pictures and anything that has to do with music.
“The reason why I am here is because of their support and nothing will stop my love for them.
Asked whether if the singer was heartbroken hence the decision to take a break from relationships, Muridzo said:
“It pains obviously and its things that happen in life the other minute you are in a relationship and the other you are out, but all is going well with me.”
Asked whether he is still communicating to Mai Keketso and Nyarie he said:
“I do communicate with them both but general issues and also about the children if it’s Mai Keketso.”
Muridzo revealed that he will be working more on visuals for the album Shiri Yamambo this year.
As he begins his 2020 season, Andy will headline a mbira fest slated for Big Apple Nite Club on January 30.
Dubbed Bira Remadzisahwira, Andy shares the stage with Nyamasvisva ne Maungira eNharira, Sekuru Hwesa & Zim Totems, Vee Mpofu and Dziva reMbira, Swerongoma and Magic Touch.
Mbira princess Sasha Amadhuve who passed through late Mbuya Madhuve’s great tutelage is also part of the line-up.
Show organiser and Big Apple proprietor Nyasha “Machembere” Dope said the bira was a unique way for starting the year 2020.
“Many people have been asking me why we had stopped holding shows at our pub but everything was in the pipeline.
“As for the line-up that I came up with, I wanted something traditional and these were the only groups that were available.
“If all go according to plan, we hope to hold more biras in the first quarter of the year as we give these artistes an exposure,’ she said.
Big Apple is one of the biggest show venues ideal during bad weather like rains and winter.
Nine poachers were shot dead in incidents of armed confrontation with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) rangers with at least 280 arrests last year, amid an intensifying crackdown on poaching by authorities.
Statistics from the wildlife management authority show that over 288 suspected poachers were arrested in 2019, up from 70 apprehended in 2018. Owing to intensified patrols in conservancy areas, the number of recorded illegal incursions has fallen from 720 in 2016 to 301 last year.
Furthermore, the number of armed contacts between game rangers and suspected poachers has gone down from 35 in 2016 to just 12 last year.
In the four years between 2016 and 2019, a total 32 suspected poachers have been killed in armed confrontation with rangers.
During the period, authorities recovered 64 rifles, 485 rounds of ammunition and 264 elephant tusks.
ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo attributed the heightened war against poaching to joint patrols with other security stakeholders through transfrontier conservation areas.
“We are scaling up our anti-poaching activities throughout our conservation areas,” he said.
“The fight against poaching is not an easy one, it is a collaborative effort which requires support not only from our communities, but our partners as well.
“We are not going to rest until sanity prevails. We are cautiously optimistic that our efforts to thwart this menace are bearing fruit as exhibited by the latest figures.
Mr Farawo said joint patrols were being held through the Okavango Zambezi TFCA, Greater Limpopo TFCA and the Greater Mapungubwe TFCA.
Figures show that 20 elephants were killed last year either through poisoning or gunshots, a marked decrease from the 400 jumbos killed in 2015.
Also, 16 black and white rhinos were killed by poachers last year, down from 30 that were killed in 2016.
In 2013, poachers killed more than 300 elephants and countless other safari animals by cyanide poisoning inside Hwange National Park in an incident that sparked international outrage.
Conservationists described the incident as the worst single massacre of wildlife in southern Africa for 25 years.
Government has since ramped up anti-poaching activities with officials deploying latest technology such as drones in the fight against the menace.
A woman proven to be calling from dancer, Bev Sibanda’s husband’s UK home, speaks to ZimEye offloading allegations that he has stolen her car and run away.
The below LIVE program follows verification checks by ZimEye showing that the caller is truly from Mr Mufudzi Chambuka’s home.
An earlier investigation by ZimEye Saturday, proved that what the state owned Herald, the H-Metro claimed that he is a medical doctor, is not true.
The damning allegations are uttered by the complainant whose name cannot be disclosed for ethical reasons.
Zimbabwe is set to clear its arrears with Mozambique and South Africa after securing a US$100 million facility from Afreximbank and revive a 30-year trilateral agreement with the two neighbouring countries as part of immediate-term solutions to stabilise local power supplies.
The trilateral agreement signed in 1990 allows Zimbabwe to negotiate for “firm and competitively priced” electricity from Cahora Bassa and Eskom, while paying off arrears is expected to unlock 550 megawatts (MW) from the regional utilities.
The Sunday Mail understands that President Emmerson Mnangagwa discussed the matter with his Mozambican counterpart, President Filipe Nyusi, during his visit to Maputo a fortnight ago.
Government has prioritised establishing stable power supplies to drive economic growth.
Separately, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) has already paid two European companies to restore two units at Hwange Thermal Power Station — units three and six — by March this year.
Zesa executive board chairperson, Dr Sydney Gata, was bullish that the country would experience relatively milder load-shedding than last year.
“Frankly speaking, we should not have had the severe load-shedding that we experienced last year. Zesa and the past ministry failed to renew a primary agreement that was due for renewal in 2012. This trilateral agreement provides Zimbabwe first right of refusal to import 500MW of firm power at a very competitive tariff from Cahora Bassa,” said Dr Gata.
“This agreement was a result of the Mozambique government assisting us to access what was South Africa’s share of Cahora Bassa, at a time when SA also had a surplus. So with considerable support from Mozambique’s government, SA surrendered 500MW of its entitlement to Zimbabwe for which we were to build the Bindura-Cahora Bassa lines, also called the Bindura-Songo lines, which would reach to Dema substation.”
The agreement reportedly expired in 2012 but was not renewed.
Government is presently renewing it.
Two units at Hwange, which have been down for a number of years, are expected to be up and running by March, adding 300MW to the grid.
Two foreign companies are currently working to revive the plants.
Dr Gata said: “We have been able to pay in advance to the French and Italian companies, who are the original suppliers, for the overhaul maintenance of the two units and it should be completed by mid-March. This means that we will add another 300MW or so.”
Arrears clearance
Dr Gata added that the country could secure more power from regional utilities once it cleared its arrears.
He, however, noted that although a US$100 million facility had been secured from Afreximbank, there were delays in processing the transaction owing to the December holidays.
“The second unfortunate thing is that while Zesa has raised through a bank US$100 million to pay for arrears to Eskom; Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), which is the power utility for Mozambique; and Cahora Bassa, which is like the ZPC (Zimbabwe Power Company) of Mozambique, there has been an inordinate delay in procuring borrowing certificates and guarantees from Government. It took almost two months to get the certificate.
“By the time they were issued just before Christmas, everybody had gone on holiday and we were not able to process. As people come back from the holiday, we are pursuing with the bank to clear the arrears and activate support of up to 400MW from Eskom and 150MW from EDM.”
Overall, the country’s debt to the regional utilities initially stood at US$70 million.
“In respect of Cahora Bassa, it is both to pay for the arrears and also renegotiate an extension of the old agreement.
“In respect of Eskom, the condition precedent is to pay for the arrears. With EDM it is also to pay for the arrears.”
Restructure
As part of efforts to improve Zesa’s efficiency, the parastatal would be restructured by mid-March through a rebundling process.
“I have set up a board committee for the rebundling but it is a fairly easy exercise to undertake with respect to policy and structure because the Government has decided what it wants to do. We may appoint a consultant to help us with the structure.
“In my case, I was the person appointed to establish the old Zesa in 1986, in January, when I was given the assignment to amalgamate the six units that existed then,” said Dr Gata.
The subsequent structure that was assumed by the local power utility then, Dr Gata added, was similar to that of the Central Electricity Generating Board of the United Kingdom.
He said retrenchments were “unavoidable at the top” as a result of the ongoing exercise.
The majority of middle managers and other staff will be spared.
In a separate interview, Energy and Power Development Minister, Fortune Chasi, confirmed a major shake-up was looming at Zesa.
Speaking after a meeting with leaders of the Energy Sector Workers Union of Zimbabwe in Harare, Minister Chasi said disciplinary action had commenced against those involved in shady dealings at the power utility.
“We have already started implementation of the contents and recommendations of the forensic audit, key of which is disciplinary hearings around individuals who may have been involved in any acts of misconduct that have caused loss to Zesa.
“I want to assure you that anyone who deprived Zesa in an illegal way, the law will catch up with them.”
He said the forensic audit will be presented before Parliament soon.
Government would not tolerate a perfunctory approach to work by Zesa workers, he said.
“I was briefed of incidents where we had managers who had the arrogance to tell consumers that they would not switch on power or fix faults. We have these reports and we will take appropriate action.”
The Zimbabwe Under-19 cricket concluded their World Cup Group C campaign in style after they crushed Scotland by eight wickets in Potchefstroom, South Africa, yesterday.
Zimbabwe finished third in the group and missed out on the Super League after losing their first two matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan.
A lot was expected from the side coached by Prosper Utseya after they beat South Africa and New Zealand in the run-up to the tournament.
The Zimbabweans will now play Canada in the Plate quarter-finals which is reserved for the teams that finish third and fourth in each group on Tuesday.
A win for Zimbabwe will see them play the winner between Sri Lanka and Nigeria in the Plate semi-final on Friday.
Opening batsman Tadiwanahse Murumani produced a man-of-the-match performance with the bat after hitting 85 runs in 55 balls to help Zimbabwe chase down a 147-run target.
Milton Shumba’s run a ball 37 was also key to Zimbabwe’s victory against the Scots.
Earlier in the day, medium pacer Sakhumuzi Ndlela had starred with the ball to capture 4 wickets for 27 to restrict Scotland to 140 all out with Dion Myers and Tadiwanashe Nyangani chipping in with two wickets apiece.
Due to a slight rain delay, Zimbabwe’s target had to be reviewed upwards while the overs were reduced to 42.
Zimbabwe will be hoping to find the same rhythm when they play Canada.
Jane Mlambo| Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has refused to accept the High Court decision to award custody of the couple’s children to his estranged wife Marry Mubaiwa.
Chiwenga has has since filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the ruling made by High Court judge Christopher Dube-Banda late last week.
Chiwenga was ordered to return the couple’s three minor children to the custody of Marry as well as allowing his estranged wife access to the couple’s sumptuous matrimonial home in Borrowdale and three high-end luxury cars.
The ruling was made after Chiwenga allegedly threw Marry out of the couple’s home and ordered armed soldiers to bar her and to prevent her from entering the premises.
Chiwenga also took custody of the couple’s children after Marry was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on a myriad of charges which include numerous counts of money laundering, externalisation, fraudulently solemnizing a customary marriage while the powerful vice President was bedridden.
She is also facing the rather serious charge of attempting to murder the Vice President when he was critically ill in South Africa.
MORE than 20 000 residents in Mzilikazi District in Bulawayo will receive monthly payouts of US$9 with effect from this month as part of efforts by some non-governmental organisations to end hunger in urban areas.
Last year, most of the money and food handouts were concentrated in rural areas but both the Government and NGOs have moved in to help thousands of people facing food shortages in urban areas.
An NGO, DanChurchAid (DCA) said working with the World Food Programme (WFP) has secured US$2,1 million that will be distributed to vulnerable families in Mzilikazi District.
The organisation has already identified beneficiaries who will start receiving the money end of this month. DCA country director Mr Mads Lindegard said the organisation believes in restoring the dignity of individuals and families.
“Resilience building is designed to empower urban poor by building capabilities to respond to a crisis such as food insecurity by way of engaging in gainful income generating activities.
“We will be giving individuals US$9 every month for 12 months and 20 000 individuals will benefit.
“The cash distribution programme will in a way support local markets and as beneficiaries of the cash distribution will be buying from their local retailers and vegetable vendors,” said Mr Lindegard.
He also said compared to rural areas, people in urban areas have no land to farm, so they are more prone to food shortages, especially those that are not working.
“Rural people have land so if they receive adequate rains, they will definitely harvest grains that will last them the whole year whereas urban people have to buy food which is expensive,” Mr Lindegard.
In Mzilikazi District, the survey to identify beneficiaries was conducted by the Department of Social Welfare, DCA and WFP.
“Our vision is to see households with capabilities to prepare for and withstand risks and shocks such as climate change and droughts.
“We are trying to build communities that are resilient.
“Our overall goal is a world without hunger and we are working as hard as we can to find funds to extend the programme to assist all food insecure people in Bulawayo,” he said.
In an interview, the Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Affairs, Cde Judith Ncube said she was pleased with the programme because it will complement Government efforts to provide food security.
“I am glad that these NGOs have come to assist the people of Bulawayo considering the high costs of basic commodities and I am certain that this money will make a difference in those people’s lives,” she said.
A MAN from Njube in Bulawayo has been arrested on charges of stealing a bus parked in Thorngrove after it was involved in an accident four years earlier.
The bus, which had Botswana registration, belonged to a Zimbabwean living in the neighbouring country.
Bongani Dube (41) was not asked to plead to theft charges when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Lizwe Jamela on Thursday and was remanded out of custody to February 7.
The complainant is Kaiser Dhliwayo Saungweme (68).
The bus was involved in a road accident along the Bulawayo-Gweru Highway sometime in 2015.
Saungweme took the bus to a garage in Thorngrove suburb for safe keeping as it was foreign registered.
It is alleged that between December 2015 and March 2019, Dube approached Jobert Maplanka who had custody of the bus and misrepresented to him that he bought the bus from Saungweme.
He also claimed he had already finalised sale transactions with Saungweme despite the fact the he (Saungweme) was in Botswana.
He went on to show Maplanka telephone calls made to Saungweme as a way of convincing him that the transaction had been finalised.
It is alleged that through the misrepresentation, Dube took the bus which was without a gearbox and stripped it of parts and components.
He also sold the shell to scrap metal dealers.
The total value of the stolen property was approximately US$31 400 and nothing was recovered.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to Dube’s arrest.
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 choking it.
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.
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.
Sunday News tracked Mr Moyo last week who narrated his near brush with death and how he fought the animal to its death. Mr Moyo said the incident happened on 13 January at Gumela Farm situated along the Bulawayo-Maphisa Growth Point Road.
“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 while they were harvesting the delicacy he heard his dogs barking and decided to go and investigate.
At that point his brother and his wife were harvesting amacimbi on the other side of the farm. When I reached the area, it was a thicket and I could not see anything, my brother and his wife continued to harvest
amacimbi ,” said Mr Moyo.
He said he then decided to continue with harvesting but 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.
“I called at my workplace and told them what had happened and after that I went to Natisa Clinic where I was given some injections and the wounds were stitched. It was not serious because that same night I managed to report for work,” he said.
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.”-State media
Five men in Bulawayo and Beitbridge have been arrested after they were found in illegal possession of three pangolins.
Two men were arrested in Beitbridge with two pangolins while three were nabbed in Bulawayo with one pangolin.
“On 24 January 2020 at around 0200 hours, two men were arrested for illegal possession of two pangolins at Swallow Folk area, Beitbridge while they were looking for potential buyers,” said the police in a statement.
“In a related case police in Byo acting on information received arrested three accused at the 40km peg along the Bulawayo – Plumtree road. The police pounced on the accused persons who had parked their vehicle on the side of the road and a pangolin was discovered upon searching the vehicle.
“All the recovered pangolins were referred to the department of Parks and Wildlife Management.
“The public should inform their nearest police stations or Parks and Wildlife officials if they come across stray animals especially those that are specially protected or endangered.”
Meanwhile, police in Battlefields arrested a total of 38 people on Thursday following an operation to curb illegal mining.
“Six people were arrested for violating the Environmental Management Act while 25 others were arrested for criminal trespass and theft of gold ore,” said the police.
“An assortment of equipment comprising six hammer mills, two compressors, a generator, four water pumps, shovels and picks were recovered.”
THERE was drama at a Johannesburg hotel in South Africa yesterday when a Zifa delegation was barred from attending the Cosafa annual general meeting where the organisation was reviewing its 2019 performance and making resolutions for this year.
Zifa president Felton Kamambo was leading his association’s delegation, which included acting vice-president Philemon Machana, chief executive Joseph Mamutse and lawyer Chenaimwoyo Gumiro.
The quartet had ignored a Cosafa warning that they would not be allowed into the indaba on the grounds that Zifa had outstanding financial obligations with the regional body in line with its statutes.
It is understood that the Namibian and Angolan football associations also faced the same fate. But unlike Zifa, Angola and Namibia did not show up at the meeting’s venue in Johannesburg.
On arrival at the hotel, the Zifa delegation found their way blocked by the security team that was manning the entrance to the boardroom.
Last night, Zifa issued a statement on the Johannesburg debacle.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to inform all football loving stakeholders of the outcome of the 2020 Cosafa Annual General Meeting.
“Regrettably, the Zifa delegation was denied entry into the conference room by hired security details that were placed for that purpose on the allegations of not being in good standing. This was despite efforts by Zifa to pay any dues through Fifa over and above overtures made since Friday to get Cosafa secretariat to provide other details, invoices and/or amounts that may have been owing.
“Such information was deliberately withheld for the entire week before and during the AGM and was only revealed after the meeting in the form of two additional invoices.
“Zifa is convinced this was deliberately done to ensure the association would not have a say in congress deliberations, especially after having given to Cosafa prior notice to move a motion to discuss the various transgressions by the Cosafa president.
More fully appear in the 2019 Cosafa audit report, which included questionable payments done to Dr Chiyangwa, which Zifa believed were excessive, including proposed redressive action to be taken.
“Zifa is however happy to inform all football loving stakeholders that the association has neither been banned nor suspended, but was simply stopped from attending the AGM.
“Soon after the AGM, Cosafa secretariat finally gave the Zifa delegation two invoices of R10 000 and USD$3 000 for 2020 affiliation and the appeal on the Warriors ban respectively,’’ Zifa said.-State media
China has expanded an unprecedented lockdown during the country’s most important holiday to 13 cities and at least 36 million people, as efforts to contain the deadly new coronavirus were stepped up around the world and the first cases were reported in Europe.
Restrictions on movement were widened on Friday in China in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.
Late on Friday, authorities confirmed a further 15 deaths and 180 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 41 people and more than 1 000 affected.
Cases have been reported across South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the United States, Thailand and Vietnam.
On Friday, the first cases were reported in Europe with France saying it had identified three cases.
The French health minister, Agnès Buzyn, said it was likely there would be other cases.
Buzyn added that the cases involved people who had travelled to China and two of them were from the same family.
Chinese officials shut part of the Great Wall and suspended public transport in the affected cities, stranding millions of people at the start of the lunar new year holiday amid growing anger about the government’s handling of the crisis. Beijing’s famous temple fairs, a tradition during lunar new year celebrations, will not go ahead, while Shanghai Disneyland announced it would also close indefinitely.
McDonald’s announced that it has also suspended its businesses in five affected cities.
Some have questioned if the closures of airports and train stations in Wuhan on Thursday morning were introduced too late, since many residents will already have set off for the holiday.
On Friday, the People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist party’s main newspaper, called for people who have recently been to Wuhan to isolate themselves at home, even if they do not have symptoms.
Beijing is to take stricter and more targeted measures in the coming days, state television reported, without giving further details.
“The spread of the virus has not been cut off . . . Local authorities should take more responsibility and have a stronger sense of urgency,” state broadcaster CCTV said.
The World Health Organisation stopped short of declaring the outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern, but called on the global community to work together to fight the virus.-State media
Zimbabwe is set to clear its arrears with Mozambique and South Africa after securing a US$100 million facility from Afreximbank and revive a 30-year trilateral agreement with the two neighbouring countries as part of immediate-term solutions to stabilise local power supplies.
The trilateral agreement signed in 1990 allows Zimbabwe to negotiate for “firm and competitively priced” electricity from Cahora Bassa and Eskom, while paying off arrears is expected to unlock 550 megawatts (MW) from the regional utilities.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa discussed the matter with his Mozambican counterpart, President Filipe Nyusi, during his visit to Maputo a fortnight ago.
Government has prioritised establishing stable power supplies to drive economic growth.
Separately, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) has already paid two European companies to restore two units at Hwange Thermal Power Station — units three and six — by March this year.
Zesa executive board chairperson, Dr Sydney Gata, was bullish that the country would experience relatively milder load-shedding than last year.
“Frankly speaking, we should not have had the severe load-shedding that we experienced last year. Zesa and the past ministry failed to renew a primary agreement that was due for renewal in 2012.
This trilateral agreement provides Zimbabwe first right of refusal to import 500MW of firm power at a very competitive tariff from Cahora Bassa,” said Dr Gata.- The Sunday Mail
A BULILIMA man is battling for life at the Plumtree District Hospital after he was stabbed with an okapi knife in the head and ribs by his friend in a beer brawl.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred on Wednesday at around 9PM at Mbila Bottle store in Bulilima.
He said the suspect only known as Key was on the run and he appealed to members of the public with information on his whereabouts to contact the police.
“We recorded an attempted murder case which occurred at Mbila Bottle Store in Bulilima. The complainant Mr Noel Ndlovu (20) and the suspect only known as Key were drinking beer at the bottle store when they had a misunderstanding over an unknown issue.
“Key pulled out an okapi knife from his pair of trousers and stabbed Mr Ndlovu in the head, ribs and arm before fleeing. Mr Ndlovu was assisted by a well wisher who ferried him to Plumtree District Hospital.
Investigations are underway and Key is still on the run. We appeal to anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact any nearest police station,” he said.-State media
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp says Sadio Mane will be assessed after the Senegalese international picked up a hamstring injury in their 2-1 win over Wolves on Thursday.
The 27-year old limped off in the first half and was replaced by EPL debutant Takumi Minamino.
Speaking after the game, Klopp said: “We don’t know exactly [what the injury is], it’s the muscle. He felt something in the hamstring. We don’t know yet, obviously, we have to wait. We will see.”
The German also commented on the congested fixture schedule which is weighing too much on the players.
The Reds face three games in this coming week- with an FA Cup trip to Shrewsbury on Sunday followed by league games against West Ham on Wednesday and Southampton next Saturday.
“That’s three games in seven days which is a lot. We lost Sadio Mane (to a hamstring injury) and that’s the pressure I think about. All the rest is no pressure,” he added.-Soccer 24
A woman proven to be calling from dancer, Bev Sibanda’s husband’s UK home speaks to ZimEye offloading allegations that he has stolen her car and run away.
The below LIVE program follows verification checks by ZimEye showing that the caller is truly from Mr Mufudzi Chambuka’s home.
An earlier investigation by ZimEye Saturday, proved that what the state owned Herald, the H-Metro claimed that he is a medical doctor, is not true.
The damning allegations are uttered by the complainant whose name cannot be disclosed for ethical reasons.
World Leprosy Day is the last Sunday in the month of January and commemorated globally. This year in 2020 it’s on the 26th January. Events of the day are mainly to raise awareness of the disease in our communities.
The theme is “Ending discrimination, stigma and prejudice.” For many years when the disease used to be common those affected were treated as outcasts and would usually be thrown out of the community from others.
Leprosy is an infectious disease that affects skin and nerves. It progresses slowly such that symptoms might take as long as 5 years and in some individuals 20 years before they manifest.
Symptoms include painful pale skin ulcers and long lasting lumps. Since it also affects nerves loss of feeling and muscle weakness might also be present. If eyes are affected it causes blindness.
Early diagnosis and treatment is important in management of leprosy to avoid complications. Diagnosis is by a skin biopsy.
Treatment depends on symptoms one presents with but however antibiotics are used to treat the disease. If there is nerve damage it is not treatable and will lead to disabilities.
In Zimbabwe there is a Leprosy center located in Mutoko called Mutemwa Leprosy Center.
The centre cares for those affected by the disease helping them recover and receiving treatment.
For more information follow/ like our Facebook page :Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
Zimbabwean coach Kaitano Tembo guided his side to a comprehensive 3-0 win over Norman Mapeza’s Chippa United in an ABSA Premiership match played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Friday.
Billed by some as the ‘Battle of the Zimbabwean coaches’, the clash lived up to expectations with Matsatsantsa surging ahead five minutes before the half time break courtesy of a Bradley Grobbler well-taken penalty after a handling offense in the box.
That spot kick was the difference between the two sides at the interval.
Grobbler doubled SuperSport’s advantage in the 63rd minute, his 10th goal of the current league campaign.
Luke Fleurs put the final nail on the Chilli Boys coffin when he netted Matsatsantsa’s third with less than 20 minutes left of play.
“We defended very well, we were a little bit threatening in terms of going forward and we were adventurous” Tembo told SuperSport TV after the game.
His counterpart Mapeza bemoaned poor defending for the defeat.
“We had some half chances in the first half and second half we didn’t defend well and that is where we lost it,” said Mapeza.-Soccer 24
Zimbabwe is on high alert after a coronavirus outbreak claimed 26 lives in China and has since spread to other countries like Japan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and the United States of America.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is monitoring 22 people coming from Wuhan in China, the hotspot of the novel coronavirus virus, for the signs and symptoms of the rare respiratory infection.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
A novel coronavirus, is a new strain of virus has not been previously identified in human beings.
The virus is highly contagious.
Although Zimbabwe is located thousands of miles away from the source of the coronavirus, it remains a greater risk considering the volume of traffic the country gets from China for tourism and business.
In an interview, Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Agnes Mahomva confirmed that Government was on high alert.
Dr Mahomva said 22 people coming from Wuhan were being monitored by the Ministry of Health for signs and symptoms of the rare respiratory infection.
“We are very much alert of the coronavirus and Government will take stricter and more targeted measures to curb the spreading and coming of the new virus into the country,” she said.
“We have already ramped up efforts to screen individuals arriving from China and all affected countries for possible signs of the infection. We were in a meeting yesterday discussing measures to contain the new coronavirus.”
She said Zimbabwe took the WHO warning seriously.
“We stand very much guided by the WHO. We know they are a strong technical arm of the world and when they provide that kind of guidance, we take it very serious,” she said.
WHO representative Dr Alex Gasarira has argued Government to ensure the availability of trained personel at the country’s entry points for assessing and managing ill patients detected before travel and on arrival.
“WHO recommends that all countries, including Zimbabwe, should undertake actions as included in the International Health Recommendations,” he said.
“There should be clear procedures and means in place to communicate information on ill travellers and also strengthening capacity for active surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, contact tracing, case management, infection, prevention and control as well as risk communication.”-State media
