PLUMTREE Border Post started operating round the clock on Friday to accommodate travellers during the festive season as the volumes have increased by 42 percent since Monday.
Normally the border post shuts down at 10pm daily.
In an interview on Friday, Assistant Regional Immigration Officer Mr Terence Njagu said in anticipation of increased traffic volumes, the border will operate for 24 hours up to tomorrow.
“Generally, from the beginning of the month, traffic has been low.
However, as soon as schools closed, traffic has increased and has been increasing each and every day. I think beginning this week, there was a 42 percent increase from the normal traffic that we were handling a week before,” said Mr Njagu.
“Most of the people work in industries, some in farms so word going on is that, most of them, are closing today, others closed yesterday, so we anticipate increased flows of traffic.
Averagely, we have 1 500 exits and 1 400 entries daily. Now we are clearing up to between 2 900 and 3,600 a day.”
He said two weeks ago the traffic flows stood at 28 000 at Mphoengs and Mulambaphele, the entry points that fall under Plumtree Border Post but last week the statistics jumped to 41 148.
Mr Njagu said immigration has beefed up staff and suspended staff holidays to efficiently deal with increased volumes. “We have instituted a 24-hour shift from today until the 24th of December.
Basically, we open the border at 6am, it will be opened continuously up to Christmas Day at 10 pm.
So, from today until Christmas Day there will be continuous clearance of people. This is meant to create time for our travelling public at any given time they want to pass through the border during that time, they will be served.
It eases pressure, it eases congestion and we ensure that everyone who is coming to Zimbabwe is served quickly and they enjoy their holidays,” said Mr Njagu.State media
Own Correspondent|President Emmerson Mnangagwa has hailed his meeting with his POLAD partners more so on National Unity Day.
The President said Polad sought to unite Zimbabweans and that was not a coincidence the meeting was held on Unity Day.
“That is unique about Zimbabwe,” he said. “I am saying this because you suggested that we meet here today, again on Unity Day. This is why I don’t believe this is mere coincidence.
“Polad is a platform where we seek to be united as Zimbabweans and the fact that we are concluding this year’s deliberations on Unity Day is significant. I think the creation of Polad in the history of our country is significant and should be eternalised in the history of our country. Even in our region, there has never been a platform of this nature where diverse political parties come together on one table and still debate on issues we don’t agree on, but seek to find a middle way, a compromise and debate and the best argument takes the day.”
President Mnangagwa said it was important that political parties in Polad increased public awareness of their activities so that they could be heard. He said it was important for Polad to make the loudest noise, and not be swallowed by those without a formal platform. “I think the collective voice should be heard more than an isolated voice in the jungle,” said President Mnangagwa.
He emphasised the need for parties to conduct their activities peacefully and to expose those that have brought suffering on citizens. President Mnangagwa said if Zanu-PF or any other party caused violence, it should be condemned in the strongest terms.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa showing of his crop at the farm.
Own Correspondent|President Mnangagwa On Saturdayy met with leaders of political parties participating in the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) in Kwekwe.
The meeting started at mid-morning at President Mnangagwa’s farm, with addresses from the 18 political party leaders.
In his remarks, President Mnangagwa ruled out any talks outside the Polad platform.
“I am happy that us as Zimbabweans have come together to discuss issues that are pertinent,” he said. “Recently, former (South African) President (Thabo Mbeki) came to see me and I think he met some of the leaders here.
“I am happy that he expressed his desire to see Zimbabweans work together and I assured him that as Zanu-PF and as the President of the Republic, we have created a platform which we call Polad where every single political party can find expression on issues affecting Zimbabwe and the majority of political parties are on that platform.
“I said I don’t see it possible to have two platforms which discuss one issue. Zimbabwe’s political issue is one and if we discuss it we must have one platform which we discuss it and that platform is Polad, I am not moving from that.”
Prodemocracy leaders in Swaziland (eSwatini) who had their homes raided by police are calling on the absolute monarch King Mswati III to allow people to talk openly about the political future of the kingdom.
Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and groups that advocate for democracy are outlawed by the Suppression of Terrorism Act.
Six political groups have formed the Political Parties Assembly (PPA) to advocate for change. Leaders of these groups had their homes raided by police on Friday (20 December 2019). They were interrogated by police and had laptops, phones, tablets and other gadgets taken.
At a media conference on Saturday the PPA called on King Mswati to allow talks. The Times Sunday, a newspaper in Swaziland, reported Mlungisi Makhanya, President of the outlawed People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), said, ‘The King should convene a session where the people will dialogue. He has to mandate a team to engage with us. We don’t mean we should engage with him personally because that would lower his status as King but he can delegate a team mandated to discuss the governing of the country alongside the reigning monarch.’
The Times reported the PPA said if the King did want to be personally involved in talks they would need to adopt international standards, appoint a facilitator, have clear ground rules and a neutral venue.
There is open hostility in Swaziland between the supporters of the PPA and state forces, especially the police.
Jan Sithole, President of the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), told the media conference the police service had been politicised and were taking actions on behalf of the government.
Separately, Ngomyayona Gamedze, the former Deputy President in the Swaziland Senate and now acting Chairman of Sive Siyinqaba, one of the groups in the PPA, warned government and the police against the continuous detention of political activists who were calling for democratic reforms.
He told the Swaziland News, an online newspaper, ‘Harassing political activists, breaking into their houses and seizing their cellphones amounts to the violation of human rights. A cellphone is a personal gadget with personal information that should not be accessed even by the police without the consent of the owner and what they doing now is wrong. I am not talking about hearsay here because I was there as a Presiding Officer when Parliament ratified these UN Conventions that ensured the protection of human rights. It’s now surprising that even the Human Rights Commission is silent on this.’
He added, ‘Is it a crime to openly express my political view that I don’t want the current government? Are these political activists expected to embrace the current government by force? Why are we allowing the police to violate human rights in this manner? Any detention of a person even if its five minutes amounts to human rights violation because you have taken that person out of his or her comfort zone, it’s worse when you have seized his cellphone because by so doing you have disconnected that individual from communicating with the world and gained access to personal information.’
Further police action is expected. The Times reported Sithole telling the media conference, ‘We are committed to the spirit of no retreat, no surrender, forward forever.’
He added, ‘Even if it meant being arrested, even if it meant being eliminated; we are prepared to lay our lives on the block for the liberation of the people that have given us that mandate.’
The PPA consists of six groups: People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO); Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA); Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS); Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC); Swaziland People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Sive Siyinqaba (Sibahje Sinje).
NewsDay|The MDC has said it will use all the available platforms to halt the random constitutional amendments proposed by Zanu PF, which the opposition party says are moves by the ruling party to consolidate its stranglehold on power.
The Nelson Chamisa-led opposition party on Friday called on citizens including civil society, the clergy and labour movements, to defend the Constitution. The party said what was required were reforms that enabled the country to move forward.
Cabinet last week approved Constitutional Amendment Bill 2019 which repeals section 92 of the Constitution dealing with presidential running mates, giving the President power to hire and fire his deputies as well as appoint and promote judges.
Chamisa last week led a delegation of top party leadership to Bulawayo for National Standing Committee, National Executive and Structures meetings.
Addressing journalists in Bulawayo, MDC spokesperson, Daniel Molekele said as a party they were opposed to systematic constitutional amendments being carried out by Zanu PF and called on all Zimbabweans to defend the Constitution.
“We are strongly against the constitutional amendments because it negates the gains of the 2013 Constitution. As the MDC we will use all platforms that are available for us to contest against any changes of the Constitution,” Molokele said.
“We will make sure that we contest in Parliament and all public spheres, we will even engage on a diplomatic initiative. We will go international and bring attention to this attempt to negate the democratic gains as gained in the 2013 Constitution.”
“We will come up with an advocacy campaign, we are calling civil society, faith-based leaders, labour movements, students, youth, women and every interested stakeholder to defend the Constitution of the country,” Molokele said.
He said their actions will not be a political process, but a national process.
“This Constitution was enacted after a referendum in 2013 and we are saying people of Zimbabwe if we allow Zanu PF to change the Constitution like any other act of Parliament we will have a big problem,” he said.
Molokele said the party condemns the actions of Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda who has succumbed to pressure and reduced Parliament to a captured entity.
“The party will escalate its quest to safeguard the independence of Parliament to appropriate international bodies,” Molokele said.
Last week opposition MPs confronted Mudenda over the alleged bias over Zanu PF.
Paul Nyathi|The late tough Zimbabwean opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2008 told then South Africa’s president, Thabo Mbeki, that he was not fit to serve as the region’s mediator in Zimbabwe’s political crisis owing to a “lack of neutrality”, and that “there will be no country left” if Mbeki continued to side with President Robert Mugabe.
And indeed since then there is no country left to talk about.
The warning came in a letter from the MDC leader to Mbeki made public just days after it was revealed that the then South African president had written a four-page letter to George Bush demanding that the US president stop criticising Mugabe.
In his letter, Tsvangirai accused Mbeki of colluding with Mugabe to play down the deepening political crisis, of blocking UN security council discussions on Zimbabwe and of trying to facilitate a controversial weapons delivery from China to the Zimbabwean military.
The strongest criticism by Tsvangirai was over Mbeki’s reaction to the escalating state-sponsored campaign of murder, violence and arrests against the opposition in the run up to the run-off presidential election between him and Mugabe in 2008.
At least 150 people were killed and thousands beaten and/or displaced.
The letter, dated May 13, 2008, accused Mbeki of ignoring evidence that Mugabe was planning the violence, including a leaked Zimbabwean military document outlining the strategy that Tsvangirai personally handed to Mbeki.
“When you started mediating, Zimbabwe still had a functioning economy, millions of our citizens had not fled to other countries to escape political and economic crisis, and tens of thousands had not yet died from impoverishment and disease. In fact, since the March 29 election, Zimbabwe has plunged into horrendous violence while you have been mediating. With respect, if we continue like this, there will be no country left,” wrote Tsvangirai.
“As you know, when MDC attempted to appeal to the UN security council to investigate and help stop the carnage, it was you, the so-called ‘neutral’ mediator, who blocked a possible road to resolution of the crisis.”
Tsvangirai said Mbeki continued to act as if everything was normal, even after the Zimbabwean government blocked the release of poll results showing that Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party had lost.
“Your lack of neutrality became increasingly evident when I arrived to the Lusaka summit to see you and Mr Mugabe on television together proclaiming there is ‘no crisis’ in Zimbabwe,” the letter says.
Tsvangirai also accused the South African government of facilitating the delivery of weapons via Durban from a Chinese ship that was eventually turned away by dock workers and legal action.
“Not only have you been unable to denounce the well-documented post-election attacks on our people, but your government even played a role in Zimbabwean government procurement of weapons of repression … and agree to allow passage of arms of war purchased by the same government through South African territory during the troubled post-election period,” he wrote.
The letter demanded Mbeki step down as the Southern African Development Community mediator on Zimbabwe, as the MDC no longer had confidence in him.
Mbeki denied knowledge of the letter even though the MDC said it had a receipt showing it was delivered to Mbeki’s office.
Responding to a question in the National Assembly, he declined to make a statement on the matter “because we don’t have the letter”.
The president of newly-formed Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe (MDC Zimbabwe), Thulani Ndebele, says his party is expected to beat Zanu PF in the 2023 harmonized elections as he has the people of Zimbabwe at heart.
In his first-ever interview after registering his party last month with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Ndebele said he has already hit the ground running and is optimistic that his party would win the presidential and parliamentary elections.
“I decided to enter the political field after realizing that millions of Zimbabweans are suffering, millions of people are unemployed, people cannot buy basic commodities, people are facing a lot of challenges due to the current harsh economic situation in the country. This makes me believe that we will win the next elections as people want positive transformation in the country.
“I have realized that the MDC led by Khuphe is fighting against the MDC led by Nelson Chamisa, Zanu PF is fighting against the MDC led by Chamisa and as a result people are completely neglected. They are left out. As a result, I believe that we are the only alternative to these parties. We are getting a lot of support from the people and we will do our best to make sure that their dreams of a better Zimbabwe are met.”
He denied allegations that he is being used by the ruling Zanu PF party, saying he is looking for positive social, economic and political change in Zimbabwe.
Ndebele, who was supposed to contest the 2018 general elections under the National People’s Party led by Joice Mujuru, said he withdrew his name in the last minute after realizing that there were chances of splitting votes among opposition parties.
“I withdrew in favour of the MDC candidate. I realized that we were going to split the votes as the opposition. I resigned after I was quizzed by the NPP why I supported an MDC candidate.”
Asked why he chose the name MDC Zimbabwe, Ndebele said, “There is nothing wrong in using the name MDC. We are the true MDC and not these other MDCs.”
However, MDC activists are viewing Ndebele as a ruling party project designed to create confusion among MDC formations.
Douglas Mabuza, a member of the MDC formation led by Thokozani Khupe, said, “I only support the MDC led by Khupe, it’s the only legitimate MDC … This MDC Zimbabwe is fake.”
His views were echoed by Zanu PF member, Joseph Tshuma, who noted that all MDC formation won’t dislodge Zanu PF from power. “These parties are very confused. They don’t know what they want.”
The MDC was formed by various stakeholders in Zimbabwe in 1999 but has split over the years due to differences over political ideologies and push for change.
The liberation icon, Joshua Nkomo, said at the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987, “… unity is not just the signing of documents, unity is
what follows.”
What has followed is a country at odds with its own ideals, a country that speaks the rhetoric of unity yet its citizens are imprisoned by
deeply rooted divisions made worse by the government’s inability to acknowledge the trauma and suffering of its citizens.
The injustices of the past continue to be swept under the carpet. The colonial era injustices, the liberation war era injustices, and
post-independence injustices must all be negated through a national process of truth telling, nation building, national healing and
rehabilitative restorative justice.
The Gukurahundi atrocities remain glossed over and dismissed as mere “disturbances” while the victims continue to live with the trauma of
unhealed wounds left to fester through insincerity and negligence. The very fabric of the Zimbabwean dream continues to be eroded by the
plague of greed and corruption as our people languish in poverty and hunger.
Murambatsvina left many homeless and hopeless. Violent elections and politically instigated violence have left many dead and wounded.
Government policies have eroded the peoples’ savings and wealth. Pensioners and the vulnerable are without any cushion against the
brutality of the harsh economic circumstances.
This is not unity. True peace and reconciliation require us to sincerely address the divisions in our society, to give voice to those who are
marginalised and oppressed, to work together in common purpose to ensure the promises of liberation are enjoyed by every single
Zimbabwean without fear or favour. Until this day comes, we cannot claim to be united or free.
We cannot preach unity when we pursue economic policies that widen the divide between the rich and the poor. We have seen the imposition
of austerity measures that punish the poor, for the mistakes made by the selfish, ruling elite.
These economic policies do not unite us. They divide us.
Inequality is growing. It’s one of the biggest threats to the security of our country, and to our unity as a people.
This is not the unity Joshua Nkomo signed for.
The MDC will continue to fight for a truly united Zimbabwe where the ideals of freedom, democracy, peace, and reform belong to every citizen
of our beloved nation.
True unity must be beyond just the unity of parties or its leaders. It must be a unity of all people of our beautiful Zimbabwe in vision, ideals,
values and destiny.
We must all build the Zimbabwe we deserve and want-the shared Zimbabwean dream.
United we stand.
Adv Nelson Chamisa
President
Movement For Democratic Change
UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool beat South American club Flamengo 1-0 on Saturday to clinch the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.
The game needed an extra-time after it ended goalless in ninety minutes.
Roberto Firmino scored the only goal of the match in the 99th minute to secure the Reds’ first triumph in the competition. The victory also gave the EPL side its 47th major honour – extending their English record, two ahead of Manchester United.
Virgil van Dijk returned to the first eleven, having missed the semifinal clash on Wednesday due to illness. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Firmino and Sadio Mane also started as part of the four changes coach Jurgen Klopp made.Soccer24
CHURCHES have called on political parties to desist from causing superfluous tensions and using people to massage their political egos and heighten their aspirations.
Association of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe (AACZ) president Bishop Tsungai Vushe said the country’s political parties should refrain from any forms of violence as this was detrimental to the country’s economy and in most occasions leads to the destruction of property and loss of innocent lives.
“Over the past two years we have witnessed numerous politically motivated violence and this has seen lots of properties being destroyed and left scores of people injured while in some cases lives have been lost. It is our call as churches that political parties should not use people as shields to perpetrate violence,” he said.
Bishop Vushe said political parties should complement each other in efforts of reviving the country’s economy instead of throwing spanners at one another.
“We are seeing a lot of political bickering among political parties. Our wishes as different apostolic sects are to see the country prospering economically, having peace and tranquillity.
Our leaders should also be God-fearing and that way the Lord will listen to our pleas and all the calamities befalling us will end. As churches we can only be mediators in the event of conflicts and pray for peace and prosperity in our country,” he said.
Bishop Vushe warned churches should be non-partisan and guard against being affiliated to any political party but instead strive on providing Godly counselling to all parties.
“We have noted a growing number of churches that affiliate themselves to certain political parties, such tendencies are uncalled for.
Churches should remain apolitical and stick to their mandate of preaching the Word of God across all political divide.
“As indigenous churches we support the Government of the day regardless of the leader as written in Deuteronomy 29 verse 29 (The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law),” he said.State media
Editor, what is happening kuHarare side Chamboko area kudzimba dzema shefu please confirm tizivewo just happened now. …kune charira sepfuti side redzimba dzema shefu paChamboko, Harare.
Your brain is arguably the most important organ in your body. Sure, there are several others that you can’t live without, but the brain controls them all.
And not only does it keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing all the time, it is also the repository of everything that makes you, you.
All your thoughts, feelings, and memories originate or reside in the brain.
Obviously, it is important to keep this most vital organ happy and healthy. Proper nutrition can mean the difference between a clear head with a sense of purpose and a foggy head with a sense of desperation. As a lifelong habit, healthy eating also slows the rate of aging-related cognitive decline and reduces the risk of developing dementia.
On the flip side, there are foods that are just the worst for your brain. Indulge too often and you will likely experience confusion, low mood, and slowed reaction times.
In a vicious cycle, a depressed brain has poor ability to make the right decisions in order to improve.
If you know you have some bad habits, it is time to start scaling back. Your brain won’t like a massive dietary overhaul all at once, and even though you know it’s the right choice, you’ll struggle to maintain it.-Welcome Organic
Transport operators plying rural routes have increased fares to capitalise on an increase in the number of people travelling to their homes to spend Christmas with their families.
A snap survey by The Chronicle yesterday revealed that buses plying the Bulawayo-Nkayi route are now charging $80 for a single trip from $60 while those using kombis have to part with at least $120 from $100 for the same distance.
Kombis plying the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho route charge $70. Previously they charged $50. Buses are charging $100 for a trip from Bulawayo to Lupane while those travelling to Binga will have to fork out $200 from $150 for a single trip.
A trip to Halisupe in Gwanda district and Maphisa in Matobo district now costs $100 from $80.
Some transport operators who spoke to The Chronicle attributed the hike to an acute shortage of diesel at service stations which is forcing them to resort to the informal traders who are charging exorbitant prices.
At filling stations, diesel is going for $18,89 a litre while on the black market the commodity is sold for US$2 per litre (about $32 using the interbank rate).
“Usually during this time of the year, we increase fares due to demand, but in this case, the push factor is a shortage of diesel, which we are now sourcing from the black market at an exorbitant price. Unfortunately, we are then left with no other option but to pass the buck to our passengers,” said Mr Benson Gumede, a driver of a Nkayi-bound bus.
Mr Luckmore Ndlovu, a kombi driver who plies the Bulawayo-Brunapeg route, said they were charging $150 from the previous $100.
When a Chronicle news crew visited Renkini Bus Terminus and Entumbane Country Bus Terminus yesterday, there was a hive of activity as scores of travellers jostled to catch buses to their rural homes ahead of the Christmas holiday.
However, bus conductors and kombi drivers said this year the number of travellers was down compared to the previous year during the same period.
“We normally handle a huge influx of travellers during this time of the year as people will be travelling home for Christmas. However, this time the numbers have gone down and this could be attributed to the prevailing economic challenges,” said Mr Lazarus Ndebele who plies the Bulawayo-Maphisa route.
Mr Lungile Mlotshwa, a vendor who operates at Renkini Bus Terminus concurred with Mr Gumede.
“I have been operating in this place for the past five years and usually it becomes busy during this time as most people will be travelling to their rural homes for Christmas. This year, it is less busy and my business has been adversely affected due to the decline in the number of travellers,” he said.
The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) has deployed 20 teams nationwide that are conducting periodic road safety awareness campaigns to reduce carnage on the roads during the festive season. The awareness campaigns started on December 16 and will run to January 3, 2020.
Police are also urging motorists to observe road regulations when driving and have mounted roadblocks on most roads to check whether or not vehicles are roadworthy and stamp out speeding and other road offences. -state media/Chronicle
Three commuter omnibus passengers were shot and injured yesterday along Mutare Road in Msasa, Harare, when a pursuing police officer opened fire on a kombi whose driver failed to stop at the Mabvuku turn-off roadblock.
Shupikai Kachaya (27), who suffered an ankle injury, Dylan Chidhava (24), who was injured on the left buttock, and Violet Wairesi (32), who was injured on the right thigh, were taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals where they were receiving treatment.
They were reported to be in a stable condition last night.
Police confirmed the incident and apologised for the injuries, which they said could have been avoided had the driver stopped at the roadblock.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said a silver Nissan caravan commuter omnibus (registration number ADZ 5261) ignored a police roadblock at Mabvuku turn-off when the driver was signalled to stop.
He did not. An armed police officer stood in the middle of Mutare Road just after the roadblock and again signalled the driver to stop, but he sped off.
The officer then got a lift from a well-wisher and pursued the kombi, finding it parked near the headquarters of the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe.
When the officer tried to engage the driver of the kombi, he drove off. The police officer then fired two warning shots, but the driver did not stop.
He then fired at the commuter omnibus to deflate the tyres and in the process, three passengers were injured.
“The police found out that the driver had no driver’s licence and failed to obey police instructions to stop. There was no route authority, vehicle licence and passengers’ licence,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
The driver is now facing attempted murder charges for driving towards the police officer and reckless driving.
“As police, we want to apologise for this unfortunate incident which could have been avoided if the driver had taken heed of police instructions,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
“We also urge commuter omnibus owners not to employ unlicensed drivers. We urge drivers to stop at all police checkpoints and to comply with instructions.” -state media
The president has maintained that there will be no dialogue outside Political Actor’s Dialogue (POLAD).
He further went on to say the visit by the former president of South Africa Thabo Mbeki was not to impose a dialogue outside
POLAD .
ED was speaking to members of the media at the Statehouse after delivering the Unity day speech when he said:
He (Mr Mbeki) never pushed for talks when he met me.
We are very old friends, indeed he discussed the political situation in the country and I explained to him that with regard to dialogue, we have a platform where every political party freely can come into that platform including MDC under Chamisa . That (POLAD) is the only platform where political dialogue will take place.
Thabo Mbeki visited last week and met with both the MDC leader and the president before telling journalists that his visit was private as he was here to speak to friends.State media
A long-time friend to South Africa-based Zimbabwean businessman, Bheki Ndlovu (44) who was recently slain in that country, yesterday recounted how the tycoon was shot dead by a lone gunman in his presence in what he suspects was a targeted killing.
Ndlovu (44) was killed on December 14 and is expected to be buried at his rural home in Tsholotsho today. Mr Allan Chigome who is also in the cross-border transportation sector, said he was with Ndlovu during the last minutes of his life.
He narrated what he described as a split- second, heart-wrenching moment that he has agonised over and replayed countless times in his mind.
Mr Chigome said he ducked for cover and raised his head to find Ndlovu dead. He then heard a squeal of tyres as the assassin sped off.
“He was my long-time friend I can’t even remember when we first met. On the day of his fatal shooting, his driver was readying to leave for Zimbabwe. Bheki loaded his vehicle at Ezinjeni, a popular pick up point. He instructed the driver to proceed to the filling station to fill up his tank as he was following behind to make the payment. This was a normal routine for us,” said Mr Chigome.
“It was just the two of us in his car. As we arrived at the service station his driver was still parked at the serving point. We were exchanging general banter as we disembarked from the car. I remember he had bought a few things and instructed me to put them in the driver’s seat.”
In a split second as he moved across the vehicle, I heard gun shots. I scurried for cover and when I was confident that I was safe I was gutted to discover Bheki had been shot dead.”
He said in his view, Ndlovu was targeted during the attack.
“That’s the only thing that makes sense. Why him alone if it was random. No one else was shot. So, I’m clearly convinced that his killer had a specific assignment, just to end his life. When we inquired about who had done it, witnesses said they just saw him jumping into a vehicle and speeding off. No one knows who he was,” he said.
Mr Chigome said prior to the shooting Ndlovu was relaxed and appeared not to have a care in the world.
He described him as a very humble individual who assisted a lot of people.
“His death has left me really shocked. I was forced to come back home earlier than scheduled. I was also fearing for my life. It’s not easy to just see someone you had been together with for the better part of the day being shot dead point blank just before your eyes,” he said.
“At that moment I really felt it could have been me also. He was such a humble person, assisting a lot of people who would be facing challenges. He was in the transport sector for a very long time and some people would negotiate that he ferries them even when they were broke, and he would gladly do so. So, I don’t know who would want to kill him.”
Mr Chigome declined to be photographed saying he also feared for his safety. Several conflicting claims have been made following Ndlovu’s death.
Ndlovu’s family have partly blamed his wife Mrs Nomazwe Ndlovu for his death claiming that she issued threatening messages to him a week before he was shot dead.
Social media has been awash with claims that Ndlovu was killed while on his way to Zimbabwe to divorce his wife of 25 years for having an affair with a married UK based man, Jabulani also known as Christopher Tshabalala.
The family is in possession of 66 videos of Mrs Ndlovu with her lover, including sex tapes.
Mrs Ndlovu last week admitted having the side fling but said her hands were clean while accusing her in laws of wanting to grab the couple’s properties.
Mr Tshabalala’s wife who declined to have her first name mentioned said she got hold of his phone when he was very drunk on the night of Bheki’s murder, and saw the lovers’ WhatsApp chats and a suspicious secret payment of $15 000 to be made in South Africa.
“I reported the matter to the police and forwarded messages to my relatives and Bheki’s relatives when I realised that something could be happening. My husband then wanted to harm me and I was put under police protection. He was called in for questioning by Brighton police here in the U.K He is my husband but if he has a hand in the death of an innocent man, then justice must prevail and he must face the music,” said Mrs Tshabalala. -Herald
The president has maintained that there will be no dialogue outside Political Actor’s Dialogue (POLAD).
He further went on to say the visit by the former president of South Africa Thabo Mbeki was not to impose a dialogue outside
POLAD .
ED was speaking to members of the media at the Statehouse after delivering the Unity day speech when he said:
He (Mr Mbeki) never pushed for talks when he met me.
We are very old friends, indeed he discussed the political situation in the country and I explained to him that with regard to dialogue, we have a platform where every political party freely can come into that platform including MDC under Chamisa .
That (POLAD) is the only platform where political dialogue will take place.
Thabo Mbeki visited last week and met with both the MDC leader and the president before telling journalists that his visit was private as he was here to speak to friends.State media
Masvingo Provincial, the biggest referral hospital serving 1,7 million people in the province has been running without oxygen for some time now and gasping patients don’t survive.
A source said lucky patients with relatives among nurses and doctors have oxygen cylinders brought for them from private surgeries and returned immediately after resuscitation.
Oxygen at Masvingo Provincial is only found in the theatre, added the source.
In addition, the institution is facing a myriad of problems including critical food shortages.
Recently patients went for three days getting just one meal a day.Credit: Masvingo Mirror
Masvingo Provincial, the biggest referral hospital serving 1,7 million people in the province has been running without oxygen for some time now and gasping patients don’t survive.
A source said lucky patients with relatives among nurses and doctors have oxygen cylinders brought for them from private surgeries and returned immediately after resuscitation.
Oxygen at Masvingo Provincial is only found in the theatre, added the source.
In addition, the institution is facing a myriad of problems including critical food shortages.
Recently patients went for three days getting just one meal a day.Credit: Masvingo Mirror
Former President of the Apostolic Faith Mission of Zimbabwe (AFM), Dr Aspher Madziyire, published an editorial on Friday, calling for President ED Mnangagwa to be removed from office and urging evangelicals not to support him.
“Whether Mnangagwa should be removed from office by force or by popular vote next election that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments”
“None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character,” he added. Source -ZIMUCU
By A Correspondent| Hannington Mubaiwa was a contractor in Zimbabwe, before relocating to the United States Of America.
He is now a Social Scientist, who designs economies of nations and comes from a business backgound.
He tells ZimEye, I was the one who built the houses in places such as Kuwadzana, the 3000 houses built there.
I am a scholar focusing on transforming economies of the future. I design mordenisation plans for Third World Countries. My study is national transformation.
By A Correspondent| Hannington Mubaiwa was a contractor in Zimbabwe, before relocating to the United States Of America.
He is now a Social Scientist, who designs economies of nations and comes from a business backgound.
He tells ZimEye, I was the one who built the houses in places such as Kuwadzana, the 3000 houses built there.
I am a scholar focusing on transforming economies of the future. I design mordenisation plans for Third World Countries. My study is national transformation.
By A Correspondent| Hannington Mubaiwa was a contractor in Zimbabwe, before relocating to the United States Of America.
He is now a Social Scientist, who designs economies of nations and comes from a business backgound.
He tells ZimEye, I was the one who built the houses in places such as Kuwadzana, the 3000 houses built there.
I am a scholar focusing on transforming economies of the future. I design mordenisation plans for Third World Countries. My study is national transformation.
By A Correspondent| Hannington Mubaiwa was a contractor in Zimbabwe, before relocating to the United States Of America.
He is now a Social Scientist, who designs economies of nations and comes from a business backgound.
He tells ZimEye, I was the one who built the houses in places such as Kuwadzana, the 3000 houses built there.
I am a scholar focusing on transforming economies of the future. I design mordenisation plans for Third World Countries. My study is national transformation.
Blessed be the womb that bore our icon and MDC founding President, the late Dr Richard Morgan Tsvangirai.
Today, on behalf of the loving and caring MDC family, I felt honoured to pay a visit and hand over Christmas gifts to our late President’s mother Gogo Tsvangirai in Buhera.
It was an emotional moment that reminded me just how much sorrow the great Tsvangirai family has had to endure over the past few years.
The MDC, through the leadership of our President Nelson Chamisa, will continue to pay tribute and offer our gratitude to the Tsvangirai family for gifting us with a bona fide hero of social justice.
Gogo Tsvangirai and the entire Tsvangirai family, may you have a blessed Christmas and prosperous new year!
OUTSPOKEN Ntabazinduna chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni has reiterated his suggestion that an interim transitional government (ITG) of technocrats must be put in place to abolish the bond note and implement a raft of political and economic reforms.
Ndiweni argued Zimbabwe does not need a government of national unity (GNU), adding any dialogue process among the country’s political actors will only result in another unity government, which he said would be a waste of time.
There have been calls for dialogue to unlock the country’s political and socio-economic logjam with former South African president Thabo Mbeki also visiting the country last week to ostensibly lay the groundwork.
Ndiweni, however, argued the same process will not solve the country’s crisis such as a democracy deficiency.
“The mechanism for resuscitating our democracy is an ITG. This is not a GNU,” he said in a press release.
“A GNU is not capable of resuscitating our democracy.
“We had a GNU before and here we are again in not only economic meltdown but with the total collapse of democracy engineered by an emboldened politically corrupt establishment.
“Hence let us not waste time on a GNU.
“The dialogue being championed by the current administration is also a waste of time because it is designed to ultimately lead to a GNU.
“An ITG is a highbrid government that has a fixed short term and has a specific job description. In our case, its remit is to resuscitate democracy in our country.”
Ndiweni said a template for resuscitating democracy has already been tabled, citing recommendations from election observers’ missions to the country’s 2018 harmonised elections from European Union and Commonwealth, among others.
Adopting South Africa’s rand currency and abolishing the Zimbabwe dollar, formerly the bond note will also be key for the ITG, he added.
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube and President Emmerson Mnangagwa have said the Zimbabwe dollar is going nowhere.
“The ITG will immediately at the beginning of its term of office, begin negotiations with the Republic of South Africa and Sadc as a whole to formulary adopt the Rand as our currency for the short to medium term.
“The rand is the right currency for us during this period,” Ndiweni said.
“It is advantageous to those in the diaspora e.g. UK, EC, USA and other countries that have a stronger currency than the rand.
“In terms of currency exchange rates those in the diaspora will gain and achieve a lot more here in the country with respect to development, with their hard earned funds.”
The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) faces eviction from the offices it is occupying at a Masvingo building commonly known as Electricity House after it failed to pay rent, which has now accumulated to over $40 million.
The building is owned by the Zimbabwe Electricity Industry Staff Pension Fund (ZEISPF), which has since approached the High Court seeking to recover the debt from the State broadcaster.
Part of ZEISPF’s court application reads:
Plaintiff’s claim against the defendant is for an order confirming the cancellation of the lease between the parties and an order directing the defendant and all those claiming occupation through it to vacate stand No. 382 Masvingo township commonly known as Electricity House failing which the Sheriff is authorised to evict them.
The Pension Fund revealed in the court papers that ZBC was obliged to pay monthly rentals of US$950 or an equivalent of ZWL$5 700.
With a show of hands, a wealthy family have finally checked out of part of a business they built over a century ago from empty beer crates, and stolen cattle.
An EGM of Meikles Limited last Friday voted to sell Meikles Hotel, for decades the crown jewel of the empire. Investment firm Albwardy of the UAE, which operates hotel brands such as the Hyatt and Four Seasons, is to buy the hotel for US$20 million.
With the hotel needing reinvestment, of as much as US$30 million, and now surrounded by degradation in the CBD, the Albwardy offer looked too good to resist.
Years ago, the idea that, one day, the family would sell the hotel would have been dismissed years ago. The hotel has a special place in Zimbabwe’s commercial and political history.
The beginnings
The hotel’s story starts with brothers John, Thomas and Stewart Meikle, whose family had caught a ship from Scotland to seek better fortunes abroad. Their first venture was farming, but this soon failed, and they joined a trek north.
They arrived at Fort Victoria, now Masvingo, “with a speculative five wagons of general merchandise and three of liquor”, according to an entry in “The Guide to the Historical Manuscripts in the National archives of Rhodesia”.
After some initial success in trading, they set up a supply store, with empty crates of booze making up the walls.
John Meikle, quoted in the Rhodesian Genesis, a book on how Rhodesia was built, details their beginnings:
“We arrive at Fort Victoria on the 7th May 1891. The original site of Fort Victoria consisted of a few wattle and daub buildings and a roughly thrown up ground fort surmounted by sacks filled with sand. Ours was the first consignment of fresh stocks of general merchandise to arrive in the country since its occupation,” he writes.
“Our plans for the future were very indefinite. We decided, if we could sell out, that we would do so and return for a further lot of goods. But things were in a very bad way – there was no money in the place, very little outside capital having up to then come in to develop the mines. The pioneers were for the most part scattered over the country prospecting and pegging farms, earning next to nothing.”
The existing businessmen didn’t take too kindly to these new arrivals, he says. Soon, the Meikles decided to set up their own store, and it was with the cheapest materials they could rustle up. Straight away, they priced the products they had brought in a way to undercut the competition.
“Consequently a very rough shelter was run up, using the whiskey cases for a wall and buck-sail for a roof. We were soon ready to start business. Sugar was selling at 1/6d. per lb. and we reduced it to 6d., and other things in proportion, the result being that whatever little business was done came to us. Our fresh stocks were an additional attraction. Flour was unprocurable until then.”
Stewart remained to run the business as Tom and John returned to Pretoria to pick up more stock ordered from Durban.
“This is the story of the start of the firm of Meikle Brothers. Little did we think at the time that business would grow and develop as it has done, that the firm would eventually take a leading part in the commercial life of the country. Most things have small beginnings and our venture was one of them.”
Meikles’ cash cow
The business was growing nicely, but it needed a whole lot more to break out into more than just a corner store in a dusty outpost. This is where Allan Wilson becomes central to the story of the Meikles.
To conquer the land, Cecil John Rhodes had hired groups of settlers to repress the natives. The man heading that effort was Allan Wilson, described as skilled in the art of “kaffir warfare”. As payment, those fighting under Wilson got a farm of “3000 morgen” (2600 hectates today), 20 gold claims and a share of the plunder, “such loot being Lobengula’s personal cattle”.
“WILSON AND MYSELF MADE SOUTH WITH THE LOOT CATTLE, A BELLOWING CONFUSION OF OXEN, COWS AND CALVES…”
As John Meikle states in his diary, Rhodes set up what he called a “Looting Committee”. John was trusted by Rhodes to have a leading role in this Looting Committee. “Farm rights were also being sold for ten pounds each and loot rights were fetching twelve pounds,” he notes.
Rhodes, Meikles writes, “gave me seventy men and ammunition and told me to kill as many cattle as I wanted for food”.
He describes how “Wilson and myself made south with the loot cattle, a bellowing confusion of oxen, cows and calves”.
Of course, there was some good in all this, John Meikle wants us to believe. Lobengula had stolen the cattle himself, and women too, he says. The column had liberated these captives while looting the cattle, he argued. “In addition to the cattle, about 600 head, we brought 30 women, most of them with one or two children. These were eventually restored to their own people in the Victoria district”.
By the time it was done, the Loot Committee “eventually accounted for three hundred and sixty two thousand head of cattle”.
At the end of it, in addition to the cattle, John Meikle got a big cheque from Rhodes for his service.
Says John: “Tom (Thomas Meikle) brought some of the looted cattle for me and we were fortunate in not losing any from lung sickness.”
And so the Meikles had their capital to expand their business. “Headquarters were established in Fort Victoria and from there the brothers spread out to repeat the enterprise; Stewart to Salisbury in 1893, Thomas to Bulawayo in 1894 and John to Umtali in 1896,” one account says.
In 1915, they set up Meikles Hotel, opening it to guests on November 15 that year.
A Meikles Hotel postcard, believed to be from the 1960s New direction
Since then, overlooking the Union Jack-shaped park, the hotel has stood for years as a symbol of old white capital, and later as the centre of business and politics.
It is said the hotel hosted the first parliament of the Colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1924. On the eve of Independence, on April 17, 1980, the hotel hosted a banquet attended by Robert Mugabe and Prince Charles.
Having sold off the hotel, Meikles Limited will now turn to the other investments it has made over recent years in agriculture; Tanganga tea, avocado, coffee and macadamia estates. The company plans to spend part of the hotel sale proceeds on a solar farm at Tanganda.
The Meikles stamp on Harare remains; Strathaven and Avondale in Harare are named after the two Scottish towns from where the Meikles family came.
The Meikles Hotel represents the establishment, and, throughout history, its walls have witnessed history, from colonial times, Independence, corporate politics, and endless meetings to do with the political upheavals of the past 40 years.
Now, it takes on a new identity and direction.
So ends a chapter that began with a family of Scottish immigrants full of drive and ambition, and lots of stolen cattle.
See the world’s smallest church in Uganda that only accommodates three
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the smallest church in the world can be found on the Niagara River close to Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada.
Known as the Living Water Wayside Chapel, it was built in 1969 by the Christian Reformed Church and can contain only 6 people. This fact remained undisputed until recent findings in Uganda proved that the Guinness Book of World Records needs to be updated.
Discovered by two United Nations workers on an official mission while driving up the Biku Hill in Nebbi Town, Uganda, Solomon Oleny and his colleague, Miburu, together with their friend Godfred came across the magnificent chapel sitting gloriously on the hill.
The chapel has no known or given name yet but it’s popularly known as the Chapel on Biku Hill. Established in 1996, it was founded by now-retired Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, His Lordship Henry Luke Orombi in partnership with a Korean pastor known as Pastor Song.
Built with a mission to help Christians have a special interaction with God once they reach the hill and to have a very personal service, the magnificent but tiny building is built of stones with a height of 8ft and a width of 2.5 metres and forms part of a prayer centre located on the mountain top.
The chapel accommodates only three people with including the priest representing half the number of people who can fit into Canada’s Living Water Wayside Chapel which has been mistaken as the smallest church in the world.
According to Prime Uganda Safari, the whole centre and chapel were built aiming at spiritual healing for persons and church groups who visit for a special and personal encounter with God.
There is no known contending chapel in the world which makes the Chapel on Biku Hill the smallest chapel in the world. The chapel sits on the hill and overlooks Congo which is a walking distance from Biku. Several people still visit to pray for their country and neighbouring countries.
Dear Editor- Simbisa Brands workers over the years have been complaining about low salaries and poor working conditions.
For any country’s economy to grow, workers play a major role as they provide the much-needed labor.
But in Simbisa Brands workers say they are not happy with the way they are being remunerated in a nation gripped by poverty whilst they make millions of profits.
Year after year, Simbisa workers complain of poor remuneration and working conditions.
The supervisors , complains too that top company officials are living large while the majority of the workers are struggling to make ends.
One of Chicken Inn chefs says that workers will stop complaining when the company system improves and people are able to sustain their lives.
Pizza makers argue that the company must respect its social contract with its worker by ensuring that workers are adequately paid as most of them are living below the poverty datum line of almost $RTGs340 per month for a family of six.
According to Mr Moyo, the finance director of Simbisa Brands it has been a long time since tripartite negotiations were held between top management and workers.
He says this has led to the current poor working conditions and low workers’ salaries.
Simbisa Brands workers held a meeting on Friday and they didn’t agree on anything. Instead the HR department started firing and suspending all those who said a word in that meeting.
In response all workers are going to have a sit in at 5 Avenue Complex on the 23rd of December.-Annoyed One
Jane Mlambo| After his bank accounts were frozen in South Africa, trending socialite Rolland Muchegwa who has made a name for himself for partying and taking selfies with hot girls has been dumped by friends.
Posting on Twitter, Uncle Roland as he affectionately known said the people who used to follow him are now avoiding because he has gone broke.
“After my bank accounts got frozen things have changed. All the people who were following me are now avoiding me. This is the moment to see who true friends are. People love you and support you when it’s beneficial. A real friend is one who walks in when everyone is walking out,” said Muchegwa.
Muchegwa’s bank accounts were frozen by the South African Revenue Services in connection with tax evasion and since then, he has hit hard times.
Muchegwa is a successful businessman in South Africa who is believed to be worthy millions of rands.
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Ndavaningi Mangwana says the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) has made notable achievements since in inception.
Posting on microblogging site Twitter, Mangwana listed what the government considers to be POLAD’s achievements as follows:
The coming together of Political Actors under one banner (POLAD) and the official launch symbolised the unity of purpose.
The formulation of a Code of Conduct and subsequent adoption and signing of the same.
Visit to Cyclone Idai POLAD delegates led to conscientisation of the nation about the problem and the need for urgent intervention by different stakeholders.
Improved understanding by POLAD on issues affecting the country through an interface with the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Minister of Industry and Commerce and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and other Government Official.
Acceptance and endorsement of POLAD by both SADC and AU, thereby giving impetus and relevance to POLAD as a vehicle for solving local problems without external interference.
Increased call for the removal of sanctions through participation at the SADC Anti-sanctions march in Harare.
Increased visibility of POLAD through social responsibility activities such as the monthly Clean-up day.
Increased public awareness of POLAD through extensive media coverage and debates.
POLAD was created by President Emmerson Mnangagwa as a platform for dialogue following the disputed 2018 presidential election results.
It is made up of some of the losing candidates, among them is Thokozani Khupe, Lovemore Madhuku, Brian Mteki, and Lucia Matibenga.
However, prominent opposition leaders, the likes of Nelson Chamisa, Joyce Mujuru, Noah Manyika, Nkosana Moyo, and Daniel Shumba have snubbed the platform.
HARARE businessman Kenny Mubaiwa says he fears for the safety and security of his daughter Marry, who is in remand prison awaiting trial, as her impending divorce with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga looks set to shake the foundations of State security.
Marry has now clocked nine days in prison following her arrest on multiple charges of fraud, misrepresentation and violating the country’s foreign currency exchange control regulations. A charge of attempted murder on her husband was added when she appeared before a Harare magistrate on Monday.
She denies the charges and said they were motivated by her husband who she alleges is using his access to State power to punish her for wanting out of the couple’s eight years old marriage.
Speaking to The Standard, Kenny Mubaiwa said as a family, they feel their daughter could be harmed, but there is little they can do to protect her.
Kenny Mubaiwa casts his vote during the July 2018 elections
“Obviously in a case like this, we are surely worried about her,” he said. “But there is nothing we can do. We place this in God’s hands. We hope God will intervene.”
Mubaiwa’s concerns come in the wake of a video circulating on social media in which one of Marry’s uncles attacks Chiwenga for allegedly abusing his powers to settle a personal matter with his wife.
In the video, the man identified as Hannington accuses Chiwenga of disrespecting the Mubaiwa family by causing their daughter’s arrest. Mubaiwa confirmed that Hannington was his brother who is based in the United States
“He left many years ago, about 35 years ago. He is in America. But what I cannot confirm is whether he is the one who did the video,” Mubaiwa said.
Hannington said they were worried about the manner in which Marry’s case was being handled, and pleads with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rein in his deputy who he says is setting a wrong precedence by abusing State power.
“I want to appeal to (President Emmerson) Mnangagwa to intervene in this case in such a way that our daughter is handled with the level of dignity and protection that every citizen should have.”
The Vice President filed for divorce soon after he returned from China where he spent four months being treated for suspected poisoning.
Marry said in court that her estranged husband had caused her arrest so that he gains an upper hand in the divorce case.
Your brain is arguably the most important organ in your body. Sure, there are several others that you can’t live without, but the brain controls them all.
And not only does it keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing all the time, it is also the repository of everything that makes you, you.
All your thoughts, feelings, and memories originate or reside in the brain.
Obviously, it is important to keep this most vital organ happy and healthy. Proper nutrition can mean the difference between a clear head with a sense of purpose and a foggy head with a sense of desperation. As a lifelong habit, healthy eating also slows the rate of aging-related cognitive decline and reduces the risk of developing dementia.
On the flip side, there are foods that are just the worst for your brain. Indulge too often and you will likely experience confusion, low mood, and slowed reaction times.
In a vicious cycle, a depressed brain has poor ability to make the right decisions in order to improve.
If you know you have some bad habits, it is time to start scaling back. Your brain won’t like a massive dietary overhaul all at once, and even though you know it’s the right choice, you’ll struggle to maintain it.-Welcome Organic
The president has maintained that there will be no dialogue outside Political Actor’s Dialogue (POLAD).
He further went on to say the visit by the former president of South Africa Thabo Mbeki was not to impose a dialogue outside
POLAD .
ED was speaking to members of the media at the Statehouse after delivering the Unity day speech when he said:
He (Mr Mbeki) never pushed for talks when he met me.
We are very old friends, indeed he discussed the political situation in the country and I explained to him that with regard to dialogue, we have a platform where every political party freely can come into that platform including MDC under Chamisa .
That (POLAD) is the only platform where political dialogue will take place.
Thabo Mbeki visited last week and met with both the MDC leader and the president before telling journalists that his visit was private as he was here to speak to friends.State media
By Own Correspondent| MDC president Nelson Chamisa‘s spokesperson, Nkululeko Sibanda, said President Emmerson Mnangagwa is “dreaming” if he believes that the opposition party will join the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD).
Sibanda said that the whole world is aware that there is no meaningful dialogue taking place at POLAD.
He (Mnangagwa) is dreaming. If he wants to believe what he wants, let him believe it.
It is delusional to think that there is dialogue at POLAD and the rest of the world is seeing that and we hope they will wake up to that reality.
On Saturday, President Mnangagwa told journalists in Harare that he will not entertain dialogue with opposition political parties outside the POLAD platform.
Turning to former South African President Thabo Mbeki’s recent visit to the country, Mnangagwa said the former never pushed for direct talks between him and Chamisa.
Marvelous Nakamba’ blunder gifted Southampton striker Danny Ings with a goal in Aston Villa’s 3-1 defeat to the Saints at Villa Park.
The Zimbabwe international’s attempt to clear Nathan Redmond’s cross fell right into the path of Ings, who finished confidently for the Saints’ third goal.
He was initially not named in the starting eleven but came on in the 7th minute, replacing the injured John McGinn.
This was the Dean Smith-coached side’s 4th consecutive defeat in the league and consequently dropped into the relegation zone.Soccer 24
It's sad to note that Dr Bulelo Tapiwa Mangoma left us so soon after he was involved in an RTA. We been together for so many years till death torn us apart. You will never be forgotten and we already miss you . MHSRIP and my heart felt condolences to the Mangoma family. pic.twitter.com/rsUt0QyCCi
UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool beat South American club Flamengo 1-0 on Saturday to clinch the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.
The game needed an extra-time after it ended goalless in ninety minutes.
Roberto Firmino scored the only goal of the match in the 99th minute to secure the Reds’ first triumph in the competition. The victory also gave the EPL side its 47th major honour – extending their English record, two ahead of Manchester United.
Virgil van Dijk returned to the first eleven, having missed the semifinal clash on Wednesday due to illness. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Firmino and Sadio Mane also started as part of the four changes coach Jurgen Klopp made.Soccer24
The president has maintained that there will be no dialogue outside Political Actor’s Dialogue (POLAD).
He further went on to say the visit by the former president of South Africa Thabo Mbeki was not to impose a dialogue outside
POLAD .
ED was speaking to members of the media at the Statehouse after delivering the Unity day speech when he said:
He (Mr Mbeki) never pushed for talks when he met me.
We are very old friends, indeed he discussed the political situation in the country and I explained to him that with regard to dialogue, we have a platform where every political party freely can come into that platform including MDC under Chamisa . That (POLAD) is the only platform where political dialogue will take place.
Thabo Mbeki visited last week and met with both the MDC leader and the president before telling journalists that his visit was private as he was here to speak to friends.State media
By A Correspondent| President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently moved to consolidate his grip on power while weakening his highly ambitious deputy, Vice President Chiwenga, a local publication reports.
During the recently-held Zanu PF annual conference, the party endorsed Mnangagwa as its candidate for the 2023 elections when his first five-year term has just started.
A government official who spoke to the publication said:
Mnangagwa made giant strides in his consolidation bid by getting a mandate from Zanu PF and effecting constitutional changes through the cabinet. He is now clearly in the driving seat because he has managed to isolate Chiwenga.
He has taken full advantage of Chiwenga’s illness to decimate his camp. It has been a long road of consolidation and this week was a major milestone alongside the earlier disruption of Chiwenga’s critical military support base.
The constitutional changes are significant in that the vice-presidents will serve at the pleasure of the President, even post-2023. There will be no running mate, meaning the VPs will be appointees. An appointee is weak and cannot openly challenge the appointer because of the risk of being dropped from office.
On Tuesday, the cabinet approved the Constitutional Amendment Bill of 2019 which will empower the president-elect to appoint two vice-presidents, while repealing the provision of running mates.
Former President of the Apostolic Faith Mission of Zimbabwe (AFM), Dr Aspher Madziyire, published an editorial on Friday, calling for President ED Mnangagwa to be removed from office and urging evangelicals not to support him.
“Whether Mnangagwa should be removed from office by force or by popular vote next election that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments”
“None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character,” he added. Source -ZIMUCU
By A Correspondent| Villagers in Bhalula area in Matabeleland South province have accused the government of giving them rotten maize.
A villager told a local publication that the “smelly and brownish-coloured” maize was distributed by the State-run Grain Marketing Board (GMB). Thursday. He said:
I and my neighbour received a 50 Kg bag of maize which we were told to share. It was brownish in colour and a strange smell. The maize had also sand particles.
We did not have any choice, my brother. We took the maize out of desperation. Some people have tried to sieve the maize while others are consuming it as it is.
Zimbabwe is in the midst of one of the worst droughts in living memory, with international humanitarian organisations estimating that about half of the country’s estimated 16 million people are in need of food aid.
The sparsely-populated Matabeleland South province experiences frequent droughts and villagers depend on food aid from the international donor community and the government.
Veteran writer and Catholic priest Fr Ignatius Zvarevashe died on Tuesday after succumbing to cancer.
According to the church, Fr Zvarevashe has been battling for his life after being diagnosed with cancer.
He was born in Gutu on December 15, 1943.
“Prayers are requested for the repose of the soul of Fr Ignatius Zvarevashe who passed away this afternoon (yesterday) at Richartz House.
“He joined the novitiate in Lusaka on the 30th of July 1969, he was ordained to the priesthood at St Peter’s Mbare on the 8th of September 1979.
“His lastpastoral assignment was at St Francis Xavier parish Braeside, Prior to that he worked at several places in Chinhoyi Diocese the Jesuit notivate in Lusaka and other places in the Archdiocese of Harare.
“May his soul rest in peace,” goes part of the statement issued by the church.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
He will be remembered for his Shona novels like Kurauone, Ngano Dzinozipa Dzepasi Chigare, Chimbo Namadimikira, Zvirevo zvechimbo namadimikira, Mangadza Avaera Shiri, Kuramba Hungwe Huku Vachidya and Museve Wade Nyama among others.
Political negotiations in Zimbabwe will continue to be held under the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) and former South African president Mr Thabo Mbeki has not indicated that talks be held outside this platform, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
This comes as the latest edition of the POLAD dialogue will be held at President Mnangagwa’s Sherwood Farm in Kwekwe today, following a request by negotiators under the forum.
Mr Mbeki visited Zimbabwe last week and met President Mnangagwa, POLAD actors and MDC Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa.
Following Mr Mbeki’s visit, there has been widespread speculation that the former South Africa president, who led negotiations for Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity in 2009, will bring President Mnangagwa and Mr Chamisa to the negotiating table under a new platform.
Speaking to journalists after delivering his Unity Day message at State House yesterday, President Mnangagwa said Mr Mbeki had not advocated talks outside POLAD.
The President once again invited Mr Chamisa to be part of the POLAD dialogue.
“He (Mr Mbeki) never pushed for talks when he met me. We are very old friends, indeed he discussed the political situation in the country and I explained to him that with regard to dialogue, we have a platform where every political party freely can come into that platform including MDC under Chamisa.”
Asked if there was a chance of meeting Chamisa under any other platform, the President responded: “That (POLAD) is the only platform where political dialogue will take place.”
In an interview yesterday, Deputy Chief Secretary in the President’s Office, Mr George Charamba, said the decision to take political dialogue to the Sherwood was made after the POLAD negotiators nominated the venue.
Further, it was agreed that a tour of the farm encourages productivity among all Zimbabweans regardless of political affiliation.
Said Mr Charamba: “It was a request made by POLAD members. The programme is very simple, a couple of hours of business and then another couple of hours touring the farm. So it is almost like a farmers’ field day after the serious business of talks.
“It does clinch the notion of productivity which has been the President’s watchword that we should work, work and work for our economy to grow.”
POLAD was launched in May this year and is convened by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by retired Justice Selo Nare.
Dialogue under POLAD is a culmination of an engagement process that was initiated by President Mnangagwa when he invited, for dialogue, leaders of the 23 parties that took part in last year’s elections.
The process is meant to foster unity and enhance nation building.
In negotiations that have been held so far, the parties have agreed that there should be no pre-conditions for dialogue and that there should be no sacred issues during the discussions.
Previous meetings have agreed that both political and economic reforms should be implemented while politically motivated violence should be shunned.
Zimbabwe’s economy is plunging under strongman Mnangagwa’s watch. Prices of basic commodities are now beyond the reach of many.
During his visit, Mr Mbeki expressed confidence in Zimbabwe’s capacity to resolve its challenges and reiterated his support for broad-based processes aimed at addressing issues of concern.
By Own Correspondent| Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s in-laws, the Mubaiwa family, says it is worried over the safety of their daughter Marry, whose marriage to the former army general is on the rocks.
Marry’s father, Kenny Mubaiwa, told a local publication that the family is fretting over her safety in remand prison and is hoping for divine intervention. She said:
Obviously, in a case like this, we are surely worried about her.
But there is nothing we can do. We place this in God’s hands. We hope God will intervene.
Marry was arrested on December 14 and is being held at the Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison pending her High Court bail hearing on December 27.
She was arrested by detectives from the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACC) and is facing charges of fraud, money laundering and attempted murder.
Own Correspondent|Police in Bulawayo on Sunday morning blocked Gukurahundi Commemoration organisers from marching with an empty coffin through the streets of Bulawayo.
The march was in remembrance of thousands of innocent people who were butchered by the ZANU PF organised Gukurahundi soldiers in the early eighties.
Coordinated by Mthwakazi linked Ibhetshu Likazulu, the group all dressed in black wanted to make a mock funeral profession from the Joshua Nkomo Statue in the city centre to Stanley Hall in Makokoba before police pounced on them to stop the procession.
Ibhetshu Likazulu organises Gukurahundi Commemorations on Unity Day every year as they consider the day to be the day when Gukurahundi ended.
Over twenty thousand people were killed by a Perence Shiri led battalion of soldiers between 1983 and 1987 in the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.
Members of the Shona and Ndebele language school in Australia
SYDNEY, Australia|ZIMBABWEANS here have started a language school to teach their children Shona and Ndebele.
Most of the children were either born here or they came at a very young age, neither speaking their mother vernacular nor English.
One city which has gone ahead in this vital programme is Sydney where two schools were opened for Saturday and Sunday.
The schools are housed at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Northmead and ZAOGA Church in Minto.
The coordinator for the schools Dr Thembi Dube and Mr Shepard Mashingaidze, Mrs Thembi Mpofu, and teachers Mr Dumi Mpofu, Mrs Jennifer Phiri and Mr Mutsapata, play a crucial role in establishing and ensuring that the schools are sustainable.
The schools are courtesy of an association of Zimbabweans formed to advance Zimbabwean interests in all spheres of life, including the passing down of Zimbabwean culture to young people of Zimbabwean heritage.
Speaking at the certification of the learners at the year end, Dr Dube, a linguistic lecturer at Macquarie University, outlined the importance of such an initiative.
“Zimbabwean families are scattered all over Sydney, and with the busy lifestyles they have, children rarely get to meet each other or make friends within the Zimbabwean community,” he said.
“I think making friendships with people who share similar cultural beliefs creates a solid friendship foundation as you’ll tend to be accountable to each other.
“That also creates a sense of belonging, which is apparently lacking in most of our children living in Australia.
The school, therefore, provides a platform for bringing our children together so they cannot only learn Ndebele and Shona, but also build those physical friendships with others from similar cultural backgrounds.
“This will help them have a real sense of belonging to the Zimbabwean community, and also provide them opportunities to use the languages.”
Dr Dube said she was motivated to make a difference in young people’s lives, be it academically or socially.
She finds that making time for teaching and mentoring of young people with the hope that they’ll make a difference to those people around them, be it family friends or the community at large, makes her happy.
This, however, is not a walk in the park due to lack of cooperation from the parents – inconsistency in bringing children for lessons, and helping with implementation of language use in the home set-up.
Mr Mashingaidze said the school was about teaching Ndebele and Shona, in particular basic skills for the purpose of communication, preservation of culture and identity.
This language school is important even to Zimbabwe as a nation. Zimbabwe will never lose its people through loss of language in Australia.
Speaking at the same event of certification of the learners, Dr Vera Williams Tetteh, the guest speaker, summarised the importance of the school with an encouraging and touching speech.
“The programme that has brought us here today is a very important one in the lives of your children, and one day these children will be thanking you for your foresight in making sure that they were not deprived of their language heritage,” she said.
“They will thank you also because knowing the language contributes insight for understanding and embracing cultural values and norms embedded within it.
“The thing is, whether we are on the continent or in the Diaspora, our languages are quite important. It is through language that we are able to define who we are in the world.
It is through our language that we can be who we are and bring some of these nuances into English.
“In Australia, English is the main language that we use outside the home and in the public arena, so we all agree that having English is important.
“But it is also important that we do not neglect the language of our ancestors that has been passed down to us as parents and to keep this legacy going in future generations.”
A lot of Zimbabwean parents take their children back home and this complicates their situation and embarrasses both parents and the children.
The school aims to correct this anomaly and also breaks the barrier of relatives in both divides. Dr Tetteh added: “We all know that in the Diaspora, learning the language heritage and passing it on to our children is a big challenge.
It is not like back home, where it is easier because children hear it being spoken and they speak it on a daily basis in a lot of places: on the streets, in the market, on the school playground and so on and so forth.
“In Australia, the story is different. Children mainly hear their language spoken at home. People in the neighbourhood do not speak the language. Their friends do not speak the language and they may not hear it anywhere else apart from the home.
“Around about high school age, some children will start getting embarrassed when their parents speak their language in the presence of their friends. Children want to be like their peers and use English at home.
“Now when they are spoken to in their language, they may respond in English.
A small tension starts to brew with parents not being aware that there is a plan in place for English to replace the home language!
“In situations where parents come from English speaking countries such as Zimbabwe with excellent command of English, this switch to English tends to happen quite often and quickly too.
“English speaking parents, led by their children’s seemingly lack of understanding, would tend to accommodate their children’s language needs by using the home language less and less, until eventually, English takes over as the main language between the parents and the children.
The children would then end up losing their ability to speak their language.”
The school also serves as a vehicle to overcome the problem of language heritage loss.
In a few years, the children will become young adults – Zimbabwean- Australian or whatever hybrid identity they choose to take on.
During this period, they would have a better understanding of their identity, and a better sense of who they are as people of African and Zimbabwean backgrounds living in Australia.
It is then that if they know and use their language they would appreciate what the parents have invested in them by bringing them to weekend school.
Dr Vera added that: “What if they have lost their language, by then? It will not be surprising to see some of the children blaming their parents for not teaching them or not forcing them to learn the language and use it at home.”
Children can thrive in polygamous families and are often better off than those from monogamous households in poor communities, researchers said on Monday, calling for greater cultural sensitivity among campaigners seeking to ban polygamy.
In Tanzania, polygamous families owned more cattle and farmed more land than monogamous ones in the same villages, according to a study involving 3,500 households in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
There was no evidence that children whose fathers had more than one wife were less healthy or hungrier than those in monogamous households.
“Children in polygamous households either do better or just as well as children in monogamous households within the same village,” the lead researcher, David Lawson of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
First wives, who tend to live with their husbands, had significantly better nutrition and less stunting among their children than monogamous families.
The children of later wives, who usually live in separate homes adjacent to the first wife, were as healthy as monogamous families, although their food security was slightly lower.
“It’s an important finding because we have this very strong language used by the United Nations and others that polygyny is universally harmful,” Lawson said.
“Most of the policy speak on this topic is not actually very evidence based. . . . What we are arguing for is cultural sensitivity.”
Polygyny refers to marriage systems where men can have multiple wives, while polygamy means marrying more than one wife or husband at the same time.
The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women says polygamous marriages should be discouraged and outlawed because they are unequal and have negative emotional and financial impacts on women and children.
DETHRONED Ntabazinduna’s Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Felix Ndiweni is challenging the government’s decision to eject him from the traditional leadership post and is seeking reinstatement.
Ndiweni, who was dethroned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration with effect from November 30, filed an application through his lawyer Dumisani Dube at the Bulawayo High Court yesterday, citing Mnangagwa, Local Government minister July Moyo, Chiefs’ Council president Fortune Charumbira, Chief Shana for Matabeleland North Provincial Chiefs Assembly, Matabeleland North provincial development co-ordinator (PDC) Latiso Dlamini and Umguza PDC Tapiwa Zivovoyi as respondents.
Ntabazinduna traditional leader Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni
Ndiweni wants his removal from the chieftainship to be declared unlawful, null and void and set aside.
“The recommendations of the Matabeleland Provincial Assembly of Chiefs that Chief Felix Nhlanhla Ndiweni be removed from office of Chief Ndiweni be and should be, hereby, declared null and void,” he submitted.
“The directive of first respondent (Mnangagwa) that applicant be dispossessed of his government issued vehicle, chief’s regalia and other government assets lawfully in his possession be declared to be unlawful, null and void and of no force and be set aside. “
In his founding affidavit, Ndiweni said his application was for a declaratory and consequential relief that his purported removal from chieftainship by Mnangagwa based on the recommendations by Provincial Chiefs Assembly must be null and void.
“… More particularly that I can only be removed from my office as a chief upon lawful action and processes fully respecting my constitutional rights under subsection (1) and (2) of section 68 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which grants me the rights to administrative conduct that is lawful, reasonable, procedural and substantive as well as the rights to be promptly given reasons for the administrative conduct taken … I was denied all these rights,” he submitted.
“When the issue of my removal from the office was being considered, I was entitled in terms of subsection (1)(2) of section 3 of the administration of Justice Act Chapter 10:28 not only to lawful, reasonable and fair treatment, but also to be given adequate notice of the nature and proposed action against me as well as to be given a reasonable opportunity to make adequate representation on the matter. None of these rights were respected in my purported removal from office …”
Ndiweni said during the process leading to his removal, he was denied the right to be heard.
“Chief Ndiweni having been duly and lawfully appointed by then President late Robert Mugabe in June 2014, accordingly no question arises under section 3(2)(a)(1) of the Traditional Leaders Act Chapter 29:17. Section 28(1) of the Constitution cited by first respondent as being the provision on the basis of which … he acted in purporting to remove me from office does not in itself grant first respondent any power of removal of a chief, but merely provides for limits, qualifications and conditions which must be included in an Act of Parliament making provision for the appointment, suspension, succession and removal of traditional leaders,” he submitted.
“I am the substantive Chief Ndiweni on Ntabazinduna, Umguza District having been duly appointed by then President in terms of sections 283 of the constitution Amendment No 20 Act 2013 and section 3(1) of the Traditional Leaders Act Chapter 29:17 having been duly appointed on June 20 2014.”
He wants government to be blocked from confiscating his official vehicle and regalia.
Masvingo Provincial, the biggest referral hospital serving 1,7 million people in the province has been running without oxygen for some time now and gasping patients don’t survive.
A source said lucky patients with relatives among nurses and doctors have oxygen cylinders brought for them from private surgeries and returned immediately after resuscitation.
Oxygen at Masvingo Provincial is only found in the theatre, added the source.
In addition, the institution is facing a myriad of problems including critical food shortages.
Recently patients went for three days getting just one meal a day.Credit: Masvingo Mirror
BIKITA- Chief Marozva of Bikita is waiting for one of his subjects to return from a small house where he is staying after borrowing mon-ey from his wife on the guise that he was going to look for a job in South Africa.
When he returns, Ezekiel Matemavi of Bope Village in Bikita will appear at the chief’s court to answer to allegations that he was now staying with a girlfriend after running away from his wife that he has not paid lobola for.
“Matemavi did not just run away from his wife but he allegedly borrowed money from her on the guise of going to look for a job in South Africa. It is alleged that it is the wife’s money that he started splashing on the girlfriend.
“His irate father-in-law, Edmore Shayanowako of Guru Village under Chief Marozva then went and reported him to Chief Marozva for not paying lobola.
“It has since been established that Matemavi never left for SA but is staying at Rippling Waters in Bikita with his girlfriend,” said a source.
In an interview yesterday, Deputy Chief Secretary in the President’s Office, Mr George Charamba, said the decision to take political dialogue to the Sherwood was made after the POLAD negotiators nominated the venue.
Further, it was agreed that a tour of the farm encourages productivity among all Zimbabweans regardless of political affiliation.
Said Mr Charamba: “It was a request made by POLAD members. The programme is very simple, a couple of hours of business and then another couple of hours touring the farm. So it is almost like a farmers’ field day after the serious business of talks.
“It does clinch the notion of productivity which has been the President’s watchword that we should work, work and work for our economy to grow.”
This is Kwekwe. This the city hosting Emmerson Mnangagwa’s notorious farm property. Mnangagwa is today holding a special function for the group of political parties known as Polad.
The function venue is none other than his farm, a short drive from this beautiful central business district. Last time, there was drama when Mnangagwa was chased through a maize field by his wife after being caught in an affair with a girlfriend.
So what kind of drama will happen today? Two women are heading to his farm, Thokozani Khupe and Linda Masarira who will conjoin the Polad group. Already there have been rumours of Khupe being in trouble with Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Yesterday the government confirmed that Mnangagwa will be meeting Polad, saying the function was centred around production and will include a tour of the farm.
Polad is made up of Khupe’s MDC-T, the National Constitutional Assembly led by Lovemore Madhuku and several other small parties.
The development comes after former South African President Thabo Mbeki visited Zimbabwe piling pressure on Zimbabwe’s most powerful politician Nelson Chamisa to join Polad.
A special invitation has been sent Chamisa for today.
Is Chamisa coming? Bounce back to ZimEye to see what is happening today at Mnangagwa’s notorious farm in Kwekwe.
Own Correspondent|Four people were killed in a horrific accident on the Beitbridge – Masvingo road on Saturday when a Kia vehicle they were travelling in collided with a haulage truck.
The Harare-Beitbridge road remains a death trap given its poor state.
This is Kwekwe. This the city hosting Emmerson Mnangagwa’s notorious farm property. Mnangagwa is today holding a special function for the group of political parties known as Polad.
The function venue is none other than his farm, a short drive from this beautiful central business district. Last time, there was drama when Mnangagwa was chased through a maize field by his wife after being caught in an affair with a girlfriend.
So what kind of drama will happen today? Two women are heading to his farm, Thokozani Khupe and Linda Masarira who will conjoin the Polad group. Already there have been rumours of Khupe being in trouble with Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Yesterday the government confirmed that Mnangagwa will be meeting Polad, saying the function was centred around production and will include a tour of the farm.
Polad is made up of Khupe’s MDC-T, the National Constitutional Assembly led by Lovemore Madhuku and several other small parties.
The development comes after former South African President Thabo Mbeki visited Zimbabwe piling pressure on Zimbabwe’s most powerful politician Nelson Chamisa to join Polad.
A special invitation has been sent Chamisa for today.
Is Chamisa coming? Bounce back to ZimEye to see what is happening today at Mnangagwa’s notorious farm in Kwekwe.
A First 1989 commission of inquiry into the illegal sale of trucks and motor vehicles, commissioned by President Robert Mugabe and headed by former Judge President Wilson Sandura, exposes the extent of corruption by government officials.
Wilson Sandura and Robert Mugabe
The report, while in some cases pointing out wrongdoing by senior officials, finds mitigating circumstances that might have been designed to ensure the accused were not brought to justice.
The Chronicle headed by Geoff Nyarota, broke the story in 1988 which became known as the “Willowgate scandal” in which senior officials were accused of using a government facility to purchase vehicles from Willowvale Motor Industries and resell them for profit.
The Sandura commission’s first inquiry rocked the government at the time. The Zimbabwenewslive.com will in the next few weeks make available the details of the report. This week we look at the current speaker of parliament Jacob Mudenda.
Jacob Mudenda….Should not be in office
Allegations : JACOB MUDENDA
The allegation against Mudenda was that using his position of senator and Governor he acquired and purchased a Scania truck from Willowvale when he was not entitled to do so, sold it and made a very large profit.
Evidence
The commission heard evidence from the following witnesses: Messrs E.Mabhena, D.W. Gibson, M.Verwey and J.F.Mudenda.
The evidence given by Mabhena, Gibson and Verwey can be summed up as follows:-
Early in 1988 Mudenda contacted Mabhena, who was Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Technology and Chairman of Willowvale, and indicated that he was looking for a Scania truck to purchase. He said that his family ran a haulage business and that he wanted to improve his ageing motor vehicle fleet. Because of Mudenda’s position as Governor, Mabhena accepted his word and therefore, did not check his story. However, as Willowvale did not have Scania trucks then, Mabhena advised Mudenda to contact Tandem (Pvt.), the Scania truck distributers. It subsequently transpired, however, that there were three Scania trucks which were to be allocated to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) which NRZ could not take because the trucks did not meet its specific requirements. Mabhena contacted Gibson and asked him to help Mudenda and sell one of the trucks to him. As the request had come from the Chairman of Willowvale, Gibson as Managing Director of Willowvale accepted that was a reasonable one.
Accordingly, he contacted Tandem (Pvt.) Ltd. And asked the latter to sell of the trucks to Mudenda. Tandem’s sales manager, Verwey, was asked to give priority to the supply of a new vehicle to Mudenda. A few days later Mudenda contacted Verwey and wanted to know when the Scania truck and trailer would be delivered. He was told that it would be a matter of weeks. In the meantime, Mudenda contacted a director of Monarch Products (Pvt.) Ltd. In Bulawayo and asked him if that company wanted to buy a Scania truck and trailer. He received a reply in the affirmative. Mudenda then indicated that the purchase price would be $465 000 and that he required the sum of $350 000 to be paid immediately, though the balance of $115 000 could be paid later. This was agreed upon.
Consequently, on the 4th July, 1988 Mudenda was paid the sum of $350 000 by cheque and on the 11 th July, 1988 he was paid a further $65 000, again by cheque, leaving a balance of $50 000 which was paid later in cash. All these payments were made to Mudenda before he purchased the truck and trailer. Neither the truck nor the trailer had been delivered to him when the payments were made. Subsequently, on or about the 14th July, 1988 a representative of Monarch Products arrived at Tandem’s premises and spoke to Verwey. He wanted to see Monarch Products’ new truck. As Verwey did not know anything about Monarch Products buying a new truck he told the representative that there was no new vehicle for Monarch Products. However, the representative advised Verwey to telephone Monarch Products. Upon doing so Verwey was advised that Monarch Products had purchased the truck and trailer from Mudenda. Believing that this was not fair to his customers on the waiting list, Verwey tried to stop the sale of the truck and trailer to Mudenda but was advised by Gibson to let the sale go through. The total purchase price for the truck and trailer was $387 808.25. When Mudenda was informed of the full purchase price he stated that he was paying for the vehicle by cheque. However, because of the high amount, it was agreed that Mudenda would pay to Scotfin in Bulawayo and that Scotfin would in turn pay Tandem (Pvt.) Ltd from their Harare office. On the 21st July, 1988 Tandem (Pvt.) Ltd received full payment for the trailer from Scotfin in Harare and Willowvale received full payment for the truck from the same source.
Mudenda’s evidence was as follows:-
He first considered buying a truck in 1985.At that time his late father was operating a refuse removal service in Dete Township using a scotch cart. This was a very small business and Mudenda decided to buy a large truck which his father could use in order to expand his business interests. Accordingly, he contacted Tandem (Pvt.) Ltd. . Subsequently at the beginning of June 1988 he was informed by Tandem (Pvt.) Ltd that the truck might be ready but that it would take time before the trailer was assembled. He was informed about the full purchase price of the vehicle and his intention at the time was to enter into hire purchase agreement. However, after his father died on the 27th June, 1988 things changed and he decided to sell the truck and trailer. He approached Monarch Products (Pvt.) Ltd which company agreed to purchase the truck and trailer for $465 000.After the purchase price had been paid to him he in turn paid for the truck and trailer. He made a profit of $79 000.
Conclusions
The Commission was satisfied that Mudenda was an unreliable witness and, therefore, had no hesitation in rejecting his story. It was quite clear to us that he had simply discovered, as other people had done, that this was a simple way of making money for himself without spending a cent from his own pocket. Indeed we are satisfied that if there had been no publicity about “Willowgate” he would have purchased another truck from Leyland and resold it. We say so because on the 25th January, 1989 he sent the following letter to Leyland’s Sales Manager:
“I confirm out telephone conversation today 25/1/89 and request you to offer the vehicle against my name to Mr Paul Demontille and Company who are desperate for transport. I personally no longer need the vehicle”
It is our view that he abandoned the plan to purchase the vehicle because of the publicity in respect of the purchase by him of the Scania truck. When he was questioned as to whether he had contacted Leyland by letter or by telephone or in any other manner at any time this year he said he had not. However when he was shown the letter set out above he was taken by surprise and had to admit that he had given us false evidence. It is our view that he committed perjury for which he should be prosecuted by Attorney-General.
Because the Scania truck is not subject to price control, Mudenda did not contravene the price control legislation. However it is our view that this was profiteering at its worst. The Governor used his position to acquire the truck quickly, resold it and made huge profit without spending one cent of his own
Mudenda later resigned from his post on 15 April 1989.
MDC spokesperson Daniel Molekele told the media on Friday that his party is pushing for the formation of a transitional authority to be headed by a respected judge or civic society leader for two or three years leading to the holding of credible elections.
Molekele said the transitional mechanism will have to be guaranteed by SADC, UN and AU. He said:
A national transitional mechanism is a different concept altogether because with GNU the political parties in Parliament must form a government, but in this, we are saying all stakeholders in Zimbabwe must form a temporary government.
This means that the president must not come from any political party, but can be a respected former judge or civic society leader. The leader is given a two to three-year period to ensure that we have a transitional process to have comprehensive reforms.
Molekele said the MDC will not take part in the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) which he said are an extension of Zanu PF.
He said that his party did not invite former South African President Thabo Mbeki to Zimbabwe, adding that the talks between ZANU PF and MDC have not yet begun.
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has taken the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (Zimsec) to task over what it considers to an abuse of examiners marking both ‘A’ and ‘O’ Level examinations.
The teacher’s union claims examiners are getting only two slices of bread and beans for breakfast contrary to the initial agreement.
PTUZ president Dr Takavafira Zhou told TellZim News that Zimsec had initially agreed to give examiners breakfast $40 worth of breakfast.
He said the breakfast would be made up of four slices of bread with butter, coffee, one boiled egg and baked beans.
Zhou said examiners were also promised decent lunch and $57 dinner allowances while those who were not offered accommodation were promised $167 for both dinner and accommodation.
“What boggles the mind is that Zimsec is going back on the initial agreement. We had a meeting with them and we agreed on all the logistics but to our surprise, our examiners are being treated like prisoners.
“They are being given only two dry slices of bread with baked beans and tea. The tea sometimes does not even have milk. For breakfast, we had agreed on a decent meal with a value of $40 but that is not what is happening.
“Our examiners were supposed to be given four slices of bread with butter, baked beans, a boiled egg and coffee,” said Zhou.
He said the lunch being served to examiners was substandard and that was demoralising them to such an extent that final results could be compromised.
“We were promised to be served a decent lunch but what we are seeing is deplorable. The lunch is substandard and sometimes it comes in short supply, with some examiners having to wait for supper.
“The dinner allowances were pegged at $57 but our examiners are being paid $54 and we wonder what is going on at Zimsec.
“Those who have not been offered accommodation are being paid $74 in dinner and accommodation allowances instead of the agreed $167. We are very disturbed by these reports and we are compiling a report so that we can confront Zimsec.
“Marking is a rigorous exercise which requires full concentration for one to be fair and accurate. How would you expect a teacher who is hungry and thinking about where they will sleep to concentrate? It is disaster in the making,” said Zhou.
Zhou said the teachers were made to sign contracts which prohibited them from speaking to ‘outsiders’ about their welfare.
“I visited Masvingo Polytechnic College yesterday to make an assessment and the examiners were running away saying they were not allowed to talk to us. They were given a directive not to speak to any outsider but our members are coming forward and disclosing information.
“If teachers think it is prudent to be silenced and get peanuts at the end of the day then they should wake up. We should not die in silence. We should speak with one voice. Silence means we want to be abused,” said Zhou.
Efforts to get a comment from Zimsec director Dr Lazarus Nembaware were futile as his mobile was not reachable.
Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Qian Keming (R) and Zimbabwean Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare Minister Sekesai Nzenza (C) display an agreement during the rice handover ceremony in Harare, Zimbabwe, May 24, 2019.
Own Correspondent|President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly made a personal donation of more than 3 000 tonnes of rice to all rural constituencies throughout the country. Each constituency expected to get 15 tonnes of the commodity.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Lovemore Matuke confirmed that they have received the rice and they were already on the ground where their officers were distributing it to the villagers.
“We have received more than 3 000 tonnes of rice from President Mnangagwa. The instruction is for us to give out the rice to all rural constituencies in the country before Christmas and we are working right now to ensure that it is distributed to the intended beneficiaries,” said Matuke.
“The President sourced the rice with the rural people in mind. We are thrilled that they have been cushioned. The prices of such niceties as rice is now beyond the reach of many rural dwellers. We have families that do not have anyone in town and they are not looking forward to anything other than what they have, so, the gesture by the President goes a long way to cushion them,” said Matuke.
“This rice is for everyone. The idea of politicising food aid given by the President should not be tolerated. The President is everyone’s despite political affiliation. No one is equal than the other and no one is going to get first preference because they belong to a certain political party,” he said.
In May this year, China donated more than 10,000 tonnes of rice to assist people who were affected by Cyclone Idai as well as vulnerable households facing hunger due to drought.
Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Qian Keming handed over the consignment of 10,165 tonnes of rice to the Zimbabwean government that was represented by Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare Minister Sekesai Nzenza.
The Zimbabwean government clashed heavily with the Chinese government after Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube failed to disclose the rice food aid during his budget presentation.
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said that China had provided Zimbabwe with US$3.6m in “development support” ranking it below the United States and UK, who both provided US$50m. The EU has provided US$41m in support.
In the wake of the budget, China’s embassy in Harare disputed the figure, saying in a statement it was “very different from the situation on the ground.”
The embassy said its records show that bilateral financial support to Zimbabwe was far greater, at US$136.8m between the period of January and September.
“The embassy wishes that the relevant departments of the Zimbabwean government will make comprehensive assessments on the statistics of bilateral supports and accurately reflect its actual situation when formulating budget statement,” it said in a statement.
Own Correspondent|Members of the Political Actors Dialogue. POLAD, will meet at President Mnangagwa’s Sherwood Farm in Kwekwe today exactly the reason why main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has always refused to be part of the group.
In his rejection of POLAD, Chamisa has always insisted that the meetings must be held at neutral venues and chaired by a neutral person.
In an interview yesterday, Deputy Chief Secretary in the President’s Office Mr George Charamba said the decision to take political dialogue to the Sherwood was made after the Polad negotiators nominated the venue.
Further, it was agreed that a tour of the farm encourages productivity among all Zimbabweans regardless of political affiliation.
Said Mr Charamba: “It was a request made by Polad members. The programme is very simple, a couple of hours of business and then another couple of hours touring the farm. So it is almost like a farmers’ field day after the serious business of talks.
“It does clinch the notion of productivity which has been the President’s watchword that we should work, work and work for our economy to grow.”
Polad was launched in May this year and is convened by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by retired Justice Selo Nare, a Mnangagwa appointee.
POLITICAL negotiations in Zimbabwe will continue to be held under the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) and former South African President Thabo Mbeki has not imposed that talks be held outside this platform, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Following Mbeki’s visit, there has been widespread speculation that the former South Africa President, who led negotiations for Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity in 2009, will bring President Mnangagwa and Chamisa to the negotiating table under a new platform.
Speaking to journalists after delivering his Unity Day message at State House on Saturday, President Mnangagwa said Mbeki had not advocated talks outside Polad.
“He (Mr Mbeki) never pushed for talks when he met me. We are very old friends, indeed he discussed the political situation in the country and I explained to him that with regard to dialogue, we have a platform where every political party freely can come into that platform including MDC under Chamisa.”
Asked if there was a chance of meeting Chamisa under any other platform, the President responded: “That (Polad) is the only platform where political dialogue will take place.”
Polad was launched in May this year and is convened by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by retired Justice Selo Nare.
CHURCHES have called on political parties to desist from causing superfluous tensions and using people to massage their political egos and heighten their aspirations.
Association of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe (AACZ) president Bishop Tsungai Vushe said the country’s political parties should refrain from any forms of violence as this was detrimental to the country’s economy and in most occasions leads to the destruction of property and loss of innocent lives.
“Over the past two years we have witnessed numerous politically motivated violence and this has seen lots of properties being destroyed and left scores of people injured while in some cases lives have been lost. It is our call as churches that political parties should not use people as shields to perpetrate violence,” he said.
Bishop Vushe said political parties should complement each other in efforts of reviving the country’s economy instead of throwing spanners at one another.
“We are seeing a lot of political bickering among political parties and this won’t take us anyway as a nation in our efforts to revive the country’s economy. Our wishes as different apostolic sects are to see the country prospering economically, having peace and tranquillity.
Our leaders should also be God-fearing and that way the Lord will listen to our pleas and all the calamities befalling us will end. As churches we can only be mediators in the event of conflicts and pray for peace and prosperity in our country,” he said.
Bishop Vushe warned churches should be non-partisan and guard against being affiliated to any political party but instead strive on providing Godly counselling to all parties.
“We have noted a growing number of churches that affiliate themselves to certain political parties, such tendencies are uncalled for.
Churches should remain apolitical and stick to their mandate of preaching the Word of God across all political divide.
“As indigenous churches we support the Government of the day regardless of the leader as written in Deuteronomy 29 verse 29 (The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law),” he said.State media
THREE touts who allegedly harassed a Harare man to death close to the Road- port terminus in Harare in 2017, will soon appear in court on murder charges.
The trio — Newton Popi, Ngonidzashe Ndlovu and Nyaradzo Nzombe — will now stand trial at the High Court for allegedly killing Matthias Gore who collapsed after being harangued by the touts in September 2017.
Popi, Ndlovu and Nzombe of Dangamvura in Mutare, Epworth and Mabvuku in Harare respectively, are being charged under Section 47 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
“To the accused person… you are hereby notified in terms of subsection (6) of Section 66 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act 9 (Chapter 9:07) that at your trial before the High Court of Zimbabwe at Harare on the 2nd day of April 2020,” the court papers stated.
According to court papers, on September 26, 2017 the accused violently harassed the late Gore, who was in the company of his wife Leticia, and neighbour Mr Simbarashe Madzivanzira.
In the process the touts allegedly pulled the couple’s bags manhandling them to board a Mutare-bound Smart bus.
While in the bus the couple refused to pay for the bus ticket and sought the assistance of Mr Madzivanzira to engage the police for protection as they intended to change the bus.
“While in the (Smart) bus, the deceased, who was complaining of body weakness and dizziness, collapsed.
Simbarashe Madzivanzira and other passengers tried to render first aid but to no avail. An ambulance was summoned but the deceased was pronounced dead upon arrival by paramedics,” read the court papers.
An autopsy concluded the cause of death as, “a severe pulmonary oedema (b) cardiac insufficiency and (c) hypertensive and diabetic mellitus”.
On December 4, 2018, a post-mortem concluded Gore was “an individual subjected to an element of risk at the time prior to death”.
The State proposes to subpoena seven witnesses including the deceased’s wife and neighbour.State media
APART from bankrolling Zimbabwe’s football champions, FC Platinum Holdings is also involved in a number of activities within the Midlands, a company official revealed.
Media officer Ms Chido Chizondo (pictured right), who spoke about the electric atmosphere currently prevailing in Zvishavane, also took time to explain the sponsorship structure for FC Platinum who won a third straight Premier Soccer League title last weekend.
“Three times in a row, who would have thought about it? This is stuff for fiction movies,” said Ms. Chizondo.
According to Ms Chizondo, FC Platinum Holdings are the sponsors of FC Platinum and the organisation is also into other various sporting activities in and around Zvishavane.
“FC Platinum Holdings has been self-sustainable since 2014.
Mimosa when they started this project, it was a corporate social responsibility initiative but they had to focus on their main line of business which is mining so they had to wean off the club.
“We now have FC Platinum Holdings which also has a labour broking department, it is also into village management and is also in charge of stadium maintenance.
“That is why we have been able to remain vibrant,” she said.State media
Fellow Zimbabweans,
It is now 32 years since the signing of the Unity Accord which united ZANU and PF-ZAPU, the two sole parties of our national liberation, and most importantly it united Zimbabweans.
Tomorrow (December 22), we commemorate this historic accord.
The Unity Accord between these two liberation movements was signed on 22 December, 1987, by our two founding leaders, veteran nationalists and freedom fighters: Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe representing ZANU; and Cde Joshua Mgabuko Nkomo, representing PF ZAPU.
This landmark event ended the disturbances which had flared up soon after our Independence, and threatened to split and rip our nation apart.
It laid a strong and lasting foundation for our national unity, itself the bedrock of the stability and amity we continue to enjoy as a united people.
Sadly, the two leaders of our Independence struggle and signatories to this watershed document are no longer with us.
But their epochal works and deeds make them live beyond their lifetime. We thank them heartily, and will forever remember and honour them as founders and makers of our nation.
We stand obligated to further the ideals of this timeless bequest of unity to our nation.
Far more than a legacy, the Unity Accord is a material force which continues to shape our politics to this day and forever. It never wears out, nor will we ever allow it to perish. It is the life-force of our nation, the pith of our nationhood. We are as good as strong as we are united: today, tomorrow and forever
All generations, all citizens and all leaders of this nation, must continue to renew, affirm and reaffirm our unity as a people. We should never tire to work for national unity, to think, act and to live true to its dictates.
Zimbabwe is and must remain a home to all who belong to, reside and believe in it.
Fellow Zimbabweans:
I revere and celebrate the Unity Accord because it is a national ethic and value which rises above party politics. It is a core part of processes which founded our nation and keeps us together as a nation
During the liberation struggle, both ZANLA and ZIPRA progressively came together and fought against settlers as a united force. The Unity Accord is, thus deeply rooted in our history.
Today more than ever before we need national unity
Firstly, unity to defend and secure our sovereignty.
While the struggle for political independence may have formally ended in 1980 with our independence, the mission to secure that independence remains and is ongoing.
We continue to face challenges to our sovereignty, such as the illegal sanctions by which certain global interests seek to subvert and compromise our hard won independence.
Many hostile interests eye our resources and would want to access them. We must meet this threat by remaining solidly united, even now that SADC, Africa and the progressive world have joined us in a show of practical solidarity.
Secondly, unity to recover and grow our economy.
We have committed ourselves to Vision 2030 to transform and develop our country into an upper middle income economy.
We must be united to assure our people of decent livelihoods through inclusive development and growth which leaves no one behind.
This immutable goal requires all hands on the deck regardless of politics, tribe, region, race or creed.
Zimbabwe needs all its hands; black or white; long or short; tender, clean or greased; fisted or open. All these hands belong to our nation which today bids them to work for it, and in unity and harmony. We have created channels and avenues for resolving our differences and sharing ideas on challenges we face as a nation. It is never too late to serve your people and country.
Thirdly, unity for peace, harmony and eternal peace in for our nation.
A divided house soon crumbles and falls. We should never entertain politics which mobilise around narrow, anti-nation sentiments.
Zimbabwe is a unitary state and politics operating below that constitutional dictate, should be rejected.
We must therefore always seek to be more peaceful and more united through greater interaction, greater justice and more balanced development.
The policy of decentralisation and devolution enshrined in our constitution must take root and be accelerated.
That is what consolidates the Unity Accord which our founders bequeathed to us.
Celebration of Independence away from Harare gives full meaning to both the attaining of Independence and unity we enjoy.
Fourthly, unity for greater democracy.
Our Constitution bids that we hold elections after every five years. With elections comes contestation; however, these must never be aggressive or divisive rivalry. Democratic contestations should never destroy our national cohesion.
The quest to govern is neither a license to divide.
Our politics must never fracture our nation or threaten to break it up. Our politics must affirm our nation by always advancing, productivity, economic development and prosperity for all our people. That is which is in the best interest of the people must beacon.
Fifth and last, national unity for sub-regional and continental cohesion
Zimbabwe is an African country whose membership is in SADC and the African Union.
We have played and discharged important roles in our region, and our continent.
Zimbabwe remains among those states that can be counted on for conflict prevention, management and resolution.
Presently, we chair the SADC Organ on Defence, Politics and Security. Not long ago, we were a member of the African Union’s Peace and Security Commission.
Only a united Zimbabwe which is at peace with itself and its neighbours becomes a useful member of its Sub-region and its continent. We owe it to ourselves, but also owe it to our African brethren.
I exhort us all therefore, to continue to cherish our unity and working towards its consolidation.
As we slow down and take a deserved rest, starting tomorrow, the day we remember the signing of the Unity Accord and over Christmas and the New Year; Let unity, peace, love and harmony prevail over our great country.
God bless you all. God Bless Zimbabwe. I thank you.
Norman Mapeza has made his first signing at Chippa United ahead of the January transfer window.
The Zimbabwean gaffer arrived at the Eastern Cap-based side in late September and promised to bring a couple of new players in the mid-season.
The new signing is Tshwane University of Technology midfielder Thabiso Lebitso who was invited for trials at the Chilli Boys following superb performances during the Nedbank Ke Yona talent search.
“We have signed him,” a club official confirmed to KickOff.com.
“The club will release more details in a proper media statement.”
Meanwhile, Mapeza is reportedly targeting Orlando Pirates midfielder Bongani Sam as one of his potential signings in January.Soccer 24
Farai Dziva| A spokesperson for the Mubaiwa family has indicated that Constantino Chiwenga was involved in the “murder of Zimbabweans in August 2018.”
Commenting on Marry Chiwenga’ s arrested and prosecution, Hannington Mubaiwa described Chiwenga as a “ruthless man.”
See full statement below recorded by ZimEye.com :
My name is Hannington Mubaiwa. And I am an uncle to Marry Chiwenga.
It is needless to say that we are very saddened about the manner in which the alleged case for our daughter or on our daughter is being handled.
The Primary Factor in this case is that, behind it everything that is happening is a family matter. We know that when when a family has a disagreement, the husband who is not happy with his wife should approach the parents and discuss the way forward. And this has not been done, it has shown, it shows how Chiwenga despises and condescends on the Mubaiwa family; Because he should have thought, as a strategic man, should have thought about this; I am sure he considered it and found it unnecessary because we don’t have power, so he perceives.
I want to appeal ED Mnangagwa to intervene in this case in such a way that our daughter is handled with a level of Dignity and Protection that every citizen should have and coming from a higher authority like that, they need to honour her. She is the wife of a Vice President
The People In Govt, None Of Them Deserves Honour
She needs to be respected and honoured regardless of anything else around because the people in government today around today none of them deserves honour when you come to think about it, but they are still in these positions. The best you can do is for her to be allowed house arrest for now.
There is nowhere she can go, but there is need to be a level of dignity. She has children five of them young ones; this is child abuse and it is illegal for Chiwenga to come and take and to organise for the children to be taken; we don’t want to say and think he didn’t know about this.
He does; he is using military power and political power to abuse the police and the anti-corruption system to get back on his wife. Think about this. The case that is at hand, it just does not make much sense.
Intention to murder the husband
As far as the intention to murder the husband – it does not make sense at all; and the rest of them, the externalization; I mean it’s a laughable matter.
Because in Zimbabwe Mr President ED Mnangagwa even though you know yourself there is a lot of externalization that took place; there were many people from many nations who externalised millions of dollars and you didn’t do anything about it. But presidency is being a custodian of the freedom and safety and liberty of the citizens, and my daughter is being denied that right now.
Chiwenga is acting outside the power of the Zim govt
And we need to look at this case it’s a very serious case it’s a precedent, that really, that Chiwenga is acting outside the power of the Zimbabwean government right now he is a rebel of the Zimbabwean government.
Because we understand that he came into Zimbabwe, and was received by the Chinese government that is a total disrespect of the Territorial Integrity of Zimbabwe and it is a total disrespect and dishonor of the sovereignty of Zimbabwe. No country should ever be in 2019 be exposed to hegemony or Imperial economic colonialism that has been expressed by China.
Chiwenga was aided by China to secretly fly into Zimbabwe without informing Zim Airspace authorities, ED
Chiwenga has basically externalised the whole nation to China; And that is treason it’s a serious matter, coming into the country without consulting; without informing the president what authority was he using?
What Zimbabweans need to understand is number one we are not saying that our daughter did or didn’t but the manner in which vindication [vindictiveness?] is being used it’s against the international bill of rights it’s against the Zimbabwean Bill of Rights, it should not happen.
You need to understand that hegemony authority of one country over another once it has been instituted the estate of our Descendants has been captured, they will find it very difficult to detach themselves from it.
The Chinese themselves they say according to the words of …. he said that China will never accept interference by other countries in its internal affairs. He said the key principles governing the new international order should be non interference in other countries’ internal affairs and social systems, and China has done just that, and he goes ahead to say hegemony and power politics which have emerged in new form can not last long allowing a few countries to monopolize everything is they have done for years has never solved any problems and never will and I want to ask the people of Zimbabwe to be careful that this is a bad precedent. It’s a precedent, it’s happening in Zimbabwe it’s going to happen to all other countries. This is about power, this is about anti constitutionalism; this is about anarchy that Chiwenga is introducing; this power, this authority.
He was involved in the murder of Zimbabweans in 2018 of August; he is responsible, in January he is responsible it is him. That man is a military pugilistic individual that should not be allowed near power.
President Mnangagwa, I request that you take this matter and give this lady my daughter Mary Mubaiwa the dignity that she deserves, thank you.
However, Efforts by ZimEye.com to get a comment from the Chinese embassy were fruitless at the time of writing.
There were no western sanctions at all when Emmerson Mnangagwa ordered the killing of more than 22,000 Zimbabweans between 1982 and 1984 and no sanctions at all for a whole 20 years since independence, and information minister Monica Mutsvangwa has come out to say Ndebeles who were pushed into Botswana went there because of sanctions.
Monica Mutsvangwa
STATE MEDIA FULL TEXT:
The Government has said the 137 people that have been repatriated by Botswana through the Plumtree Border Post are not victims of Gukurahundi but people who had probably gone to the neighbouring country to look for employment as the facts do not add up to give the story the post-independence narrative.
Commenting on the reports that the returnees fled the country because of Gukurahundi, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa, said in an interview that people should not use the Gukurahundi episode for political capital.
She said the fact that a number of the returnees have confirmed to having left the country 15 years ago disqualifies it from being a Gukurahundi story but essentially an economic one. She added that to give the story a Gukurahundi narrative is a politically expedient way of apportioning weight so as to gain sympathy from the international donor community.
“I have seen the report which allege that some people have been living out of Zimbabwe for 15 years and this clearly has nothing to do with Gukurahundi legacy,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
She said she fails to see how the number of years they have been out of the country connects with Gukurahundi, unless that was stated for political reasons which were not historically factual.
“As a country we have faced a number of challenges mainly due to the impacts of illegal sanctions imposed by the West on Zimbabwe. For almost 20 years Zimbabwe has been isolated.
“There have been no meaningful investments, in fact there has been disinvestment, most industries closed down leaving most of our people unemployed.
“This triggered migration of our people seeking greener pastures in our neighbouring countries and abroad. Some have made their lives and families elsewhere but should they think of coming home, we will embrace them because we all know home is best,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
The minister said that there were people trickling back into the country speaks volumes on the success and sincerity of the engagement and re-engagement efforts of the new political dispensation.
“The Second Republic in its engagement and re-engagement efforts has not left out our diasporans. Zimbabwe is their home and they are always welcome,” she added.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Lovemore Matuke confirmed receiving reports of the returnees and echoed Minister Mutsvangwa’s sentiments that they, like so many others went to neighbouring countries under the weight of economic rather than political challenges.
He said the ministry was going to assess their needs and if need be start assisting them under vulnerable groups.
“We are going to assess their needs. If there is a need for them to be treated as a special group we will do so and make sure they get the assistance they require from the money allocated in the budget. They should not lie about Gukurahundi to gain donor sympathy, we are going to help them the way we are doing with everybody who is in need of assistance,” he said.
Matuke said it was not a secret that a number of economic refugees left the country under the guise of political asylum seekers when in fact they were not threatened politically.
Reports say about 640 refugees are expected to be deported back home with the 137 that have already arrived in Zimbabwe being the first group of returnees. The returnees were provided with transport by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR).
The Botswana government has reportedly given the refugees an ultimatum to register for voluntary repatriation by 31 December or face forced removals.
Reports suggest that Botswana believes the refugees will not suffer any form of persecution by the present political administration which is what precipitated its decision to return the refugees to Zimbabwe.
“The Botswana government is convinced that Zimbabwe is safe for the so-called political refugees. The thawing relations between Harare and Gaborone is on the mend following a change of administration in both countries with sincerity and engagement seemingly being the hallmark of the two’s political and economic route going forward,” said an official at the border.- Sunday News
Farai Dziva|The Mubaiwa family has released a statement about Marry Chiwenga’s arrest and prosecution.
See full statement below recorded by ZimEye.com below :
My name is Hannington Mubaiwa. And I am an uncle to Marry Chiwenga.
It is needless to say that we are very saddened about the manner in which the alleged case for our daughter or on our daughter is being handled.
The Primary Factor in this case is that, behind it everything that is happening is a family matter. We know that when when a family has a disagreement, the husband who is not happy with his wife should approach the parents and discuss the way forward. And this has not been done, it has shown, it shows how Chiwenga despises and condescends on the Mubaiwa family; Because he should have thought, as a strategic man, should have thought about this; I am sure he considered it and found it unnecessary because we don’t have power, so he perceives.
I want to appeal ED Mnangagwa to intervene in this case in such a way that our daughter is handled with a level of Dignity and Protection that every citizen should have and coming from a higher authority like that, they need to honour her. She is the wife of a Vice President
The People In Govt, None Of Them Deserves Honour
She needs to be respected and honoured regardless of anything else around because the people in government today around today none of them deserves honour when you come to think about it, but they are still in these positions. The best you can do is for her to be allowed house arrest for now.
There is nowhere she can go, but there is need to be a level of dignity. She has children five of them young ones; this is child abuse and it is illegal for Chiwenga to come and take and to organise for the children to be taken; we don’t want to say and think he didn’t know about this.
He does; he is using military power and political power to abuse the police and the anti-corruption system to get back on his wife. Think about this. The case that is at hand, it just does not make much sense.
Intention to murder the husband
As far as the intention to murder the husband – it does not make sense at all; and the rest of them, the externalization; I mean it’s a laughable matter.
Because in Zimbabwe Mr President ED Mnangagwa even though you know yourself there is a lot of externalization that took place; there were many people from many nations who externalised millions of dollars and you didn’t do anything about it. But presidency is being a custodian of the freedom and safety and liberty of the citizens, and my daughter is being denied that right now.
Chiwenga is acting outside the power of the Zim govt
And we need to look at this case it’s a very serious case it’s a precedent, that really, that Chiwenga is acting outside the power of the Zimbabwean government right now he is a rebel of the Zimbabwean government.
Because we understand that he came into Zimbabwe, and was received by the Chinese government that is a total disrespect of the Territorial Integrity of Zimbabwe and it is a total disrespect and dishonor of the sovereignty of Zimbabwe. No country should ever be in 2019 be exposed to hegemony or Imperial economic colonialism that has been expressed by China.
Chiwenga was aided by China to secretly fly into Zimbabwe without informing Zim Airspace authorities, ED
Chiwenga has basically externalised the whole nation to China; And that is treason it’s a serious matter, coming into the country without consulting; without informing the president what authority was he using?
What Zimbabweans need to understand is number one we are not saying that our daughter did or didn’t but the manner in which vindication [vindictiveness?] is being used it’s against the international bill of rights it’s against the Zimbabwean Bill of Rights, it should not happen.
You need to understand that hegemony authority of one country over another once it has been instituted the estate of our Descendants has been captured, they will find it very difficult to detach themselves from it.
The Chinese themselves they say according to the words of …. he said that China will never accept interference by other countries in its internal affairs. He said the key principles governing the new international order should be non interference in other countries’ internal affairs and social systems, and China has done just that, and he goes ahead to say hegemony and power politics which have emerged in new form can not last long allowing a few countries to monopolize everything is they have done for years has never solved any problems and never will and I want to ask the people of Zimbabwe to be careful that this is a bad precedent. It’s a precedent, it’s happening in Zimbabwe it’s going to happen to all other countries. This is about power, this is about anti constitutionalism; this is about anarchy that Chiwenga is introducing; this power, this authority.
He was involved in the murder of Zimbabweans in 2018 of August; he is responsible, in January he is responsible it is him. That man is a military pugilistic individual that should not be allowed near power.
President Mnangagwa, I request that you take this matter and give this lady my daughter Mary Mubaiwa the dignity that she deserves, thank you.
However, Efforts to get a comment from the Chinese embassy were fruitless at the time of writing.
Most service stations across the country have received significant amounts of fuel over the past week with daily allocations increasing to at least five million litres of both diesel and petrol from the usual 3,8 million.
This follows Treasury’s issuance of letters of credit that have unlocked supplies which had been bonded at Msasa depot in Harare.
While queues of motorists seeking fuel have been the order of the day, the release of the guarantees of payments has triggered movement of petrol and diesel to service stations ahead of the Christmas holiday this week.
National Oil Infrastructure Company (NOIC) board chairperson Engineer Daniel Mackenzie Ncube said the fuel allocation, which started last week, was expected to see the situation improve further during the week.
“On average, 3,8 million litres of both petrol and diesel was being allocated to the market every day. However, we have increased that allocation to five million and in some instances six million.
“We are cognisant of the fact that it is the festive season and that people are travelling. Thus we are seized with improving the situation,”he said.
A survey at service stations countrywide showed that most had received both diesel and petrol ahead of the Christmas holiday.
In Harare, many fuel stations had the commodity, whilst in Victoria Falls and Hwange there were few motorists queueing.
In Kwekwe, by midday yesterday, some service stations were serving few motorists whilst in Masvingo and Mutare the situation had improved significantly.
In Bindura service stations had started, mid-last week, to receive petrol and diesel and in Chinhoyi outlets such as Total, Zuva and Glo Petroleum had the product and no queues.
“We are also working with ZERA because the issue of fuel is two-fold. First, it has to do with supply gap which we are trying to cover by the increase and there is also the issue of fuel that is being diverted to the black market,” said Engineer Mackenzie.
Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) acting chief executive officer Mr Edmore Mazambani said the situation was set to improve due to the issuance of letters of credit.
“The situation should be improving. I understand there are some letters of credit which had expired but were recently renewed. Some service stations have started getting fuel,” he said.
However the Indigenous Petroleum Association of Zimbabwe (IPAZ) is not happy with the issuance of the letters of credit claiming they had been availed to the big players at the expense of the small ones.
IPAZ chairperson Mr Aaron Chinhara said: “We, as IPAZ, have the largest market share as we control and own over 50 percent of the fuel service stations in the country. However, IPAZ members only get fuel when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe makes an allocation once a month.
“We think those companies that receive the letters of credit should consider selling some of their fuel to IPAZ members at wholesale prices so that we stop the long queues.”
Zimbabwe has been facing fuel challenges because of foreign currency shortages.
However, the situation has been exacerbated by some unscrupulous dealers who divert fuel to the black market creating artificial shortages. Sunday Mail
She woke up one day and could not walk. When this happened to Maria Dube, then a Form Two pupil, she thought that it would pass. This was something that a doctor’s prescription would fix, she naively thought.
This was, after all, an illness that had never affected her in her young life. It would soon be over.
At that moment, she did not know that she now had a condition that would now shape her life from that point onwards.
The little girl, who ran and played with other teenagers, who lived life with all the exuberance of youth, was gone.
“I wasn’t born disabled. I had for many years been like any other normal girl,” she told Sunday Life.
“I just woke up one day and I couldn’t move my legs. At the time I don’t remember panicking. I just thought that this was something that would go away. I thought that this was something that the doctors would fix once I got to the hospital. At the time I didn’t think that this was destined to be my condition forever,” she said.
The mystery illness could not have come at a worse time for Maria. Her mother was struggling financially and as the seriousness of the condition dawned on the family, they were ill prepared to deal with it.
“The doctors were unclear about what had happened to me. At the time I remembered that they wanted me to do an MRI scan so as to diagnose exactly was wrong with me. But I was unfortunate because at the time my mother was going through tough times financially so we couldn’t do what the doctors ordered,” she said.
Painfully, to this day Maria, who walks around with the aid of crutches, does not know what brought on her disability.
“So even to this day I don’t know what caused my disability. I haven’t got a full diagnosis of what really went wrong,” she said.
For the first half of her life, the 30-year-old Maria had been mobile and agile. Now, through a cruel twist of fate, her legs had been ripped away from her at a stage where she had already flowered into a promising young woman. The sudden change took a toll. Mentally she was not prepared.
“When it got obvious to me that I was going to be like this all my life, it was tough to cope mentally. I struggled with depression and I was just all over mentally. I also started having splitting headaches as a result of the worrying and thinking,” she said.
From those dark days, a ray of hope was about to shine through Maria’s life. While she was in hospital, she caught the eye of two Good Samaritans who fell in love with her work ethic and passion at first sight. The day the two Australian philanthropists laid eyes on her, was to be the beginning of a new life for a girl that was drowning in sorrow. The girl who had withdrawn into her shell would have to face the world again.
“One time I was in hospital and two white pastors from Australia were moving around seeing sick people. Suddenly they came to me. I don’t know for what reason but they took a liking to me.
“They asked if I wanted to go back to school and I said I didn’t think I could manage. Because of this illness I had left school when I was in Form Two and I had also retreated into myself. I had become withdrawn and I didn’t think I could be among the crowds at school anymore. I was scared I would fall or something of that nature,” she said.
After their encounter, Maria had not given much thought to it. Surprisingly, when the couple was back in Australia, they thought of that vivacious girl they had left in that hospital bed in Bulawayo.
“They took my number. When I gave it, I didn’t put much thought into it. I didn’t think they would call me. To my surprise, however, they did and when they called, they told me they love my fighting spirit and they wanted me to learn how to be a fish farmer. I had no clue what it entailed but I agreed to it. They connected me to someone who was going to train me, a specialist in that field,” she said.
While fish farming might seem like a stroll in the park for the casual observer, that was not the only thing required of her. She had to learn how to train crocodiles, preparing them for a future where they would not be aggressive towards human beings.
For this she needed the courage that has seen her rise through a disability that threatened to derail her life. Should things not go according to plan, she could find her limbs in one of the water predators’ fearsome jaws.
“I started my training around July 2014 and by the end of December that year my training was finished. On my first day I was very scared. I didn’t think I could touch let alone train a crocodile. I had to conquer my fears and I did that after a few days,” she said.
Over the last few years Maria has been establishing fish farms around the country, becoming an industry standard bearer while seemingly unhampered by her disability. However, she has also learnt that despite her own courage, many are still afraid to learn a skill she seems to have mastered in a relatively short space of time.
“Crocodiles are easy to train but people are afraid. They are trained from a young age where they can be taught not to fear or attack human beings. You hold and cuddle them when they are young and gradually as they grow older, they become more pliant to human beings. They are not like untrained crocodiles in the wild.
“Despite that many people or most people, I come across are still afraid of crocodiles. So, at the moment most of my focus is on the fish farming aspect of my project. It’s easier to train people how to be fish farmers rather than crocodile trainers. I think people should conquer their fear just like I did. All I ask of them is to try only. You can never know whether you can do something or not until you try it,” she said.
Last Friday Maria launched Tsalach Foundation, an organisation through which she now seeks to pass on her skills and knowledge to disabled and less fortunate people. With support, she is now hopeful she can turn around many lives and also transform the face of fish farming in the city and country. As she spreads her wings and soars further, the sky is her only limit.
“We’re currently looking for land to start a full-scale project. The Bulawayo City Council promised to help us in that regard. For now, we have 12 people working on the project but our ambition is to have 2 000 people working for the foundation,” she said. -Sunday News
Farai Dziva| A spokesperson for the Mubaiwa family has indicated that Constantino Chiwenga was involved in the “murder of Zimbabweans in August 2018.”
Commenting on Marry Chiwenga’ s arrested and prosecution, Hannington Mubaiwa described Chiwenga as a “ruthless man.”
See full statement below recorded by ZimEye.com :
My name is Hannington Mubaiwa. And I am an uncle to Marry Chiwenga.
It is needless to say that we are very saddened about the manner in which the alleged case for our daughter or on our daughter is being handled.
The Primary Factor in this case is that, behind it everything that is happening is a family matter. We know that when when a family has a disagreement, the husband who is not happy with his wife should approach the parents and discuss the way forward. And this has not been done, it has shown, it shows how Chiwenga despises and condescends on the Mubaiwa family; Because he should have thought, as a strategic man, should have thought about this; I am sure he considered it and found it unnecessary because we don’t have power, so he perceives.
I want to appeal ED Mnangagwa to intervene in this case in such a way that our daughter is handled with a level of Dignity and Protection that every citizen should have and coming from a higher authority like that, they need to honour her. She is the wife of a Vice President
The People In Govt, None Of Them Deserves Honour
She needs to be respected and honoured regardless of anything else around because the people in government today around today none of them deserves honour when you come to think about it, but they are still in these positions. The best you can do is for her to be allowed house arrest for now.
There is nowhere she can go, but there is need to be a level of dignity. She has children five of them young ones; this is child abuse and it is illegal for Chiwenga to come and take and to organise for the children to be taken; we don’t want to say and think he didn’t know about this.
He does; he is using military power and political power to abuse the police and the anti-corruption system to get back on his wife. Think about this. The case that is at hand, it just does not make much sense.
Intention to murder the husband
As far as the intention to murder the husband – it does not make sense at all; and the rest of them, the externalization; I mean it’s a laughable matter.
Because in Zimbabwe Mr President ED Mnangagwa even though you know yourself there is a lot of externalization that took place; there were many people from many nations who externalised millions of dollars and you didn’t do anything about it. But presidency is being a custodian of the freedom and safety and liberty of the citizens, and my daughter is being denied that right now.
Chiwenga is acting outside the power of the Zim govt
And we need to look at this case it’s a very serious case it’s a precedent, that really, that Chiwenga is acting outside the power of the Zimbabwean government right now he is a rebel of the Zimbabwean government.
Because we understand that he came into Zimbabwe, and was received by the Chinese government that is a total disrespect of the Territorial Integrity of Zimbabwe and it is a total disrespect and dishonor of the sovereignty of Zimbabwe. No country should ever be in 2019 be exposed to hegemony or Imperial economic colonialism that has been expressed by China.
Chiwenga was aided by China to secretly fly into Zimbabwe without informing Zim Airspace authorities, ED
Chiwenga has basically externalised the whole nation to China; And that is treason it’s a serious matter, coming into the country without consulting; without informing the president what authority was he using?
What Zimbabweans need to understand is number one we are not saying that our daughter did or didn’t but the manner in which vindication [vindictiveness?] is being used it’s against the international bill of rights it’s against the Zimbabwean Bill of Rights, it should not happen.
You need to understand that hegemony authority of one country over another once it has been instituted the estate of our Descendants has been captured, they will find it very difficult to detach themselves from it.
The Chinese themselves they say according to the words of …. he said that China will never accept interference by other countries in its internal affairs. He said the key principles governing the new international order should be non interference in other countries’ internal affairs and social systems, and China has done just that, and he goes ahead to say hegemony and power politics which have emerged in new form can not last long allowing a few countries to monopolize everything is they have done for years has never solved any problems and never will and I want to ask the people of Zimbabwe to be careful that this is a bad precedent. It’s a precedent, it’s happening in Zimbabwe it’s going to happen to all other countries. This is about power, this is about anti constitutionalism; this is about anarchy that Chiwenga is introducing; this power, this authority.
He was involved in the murder of Zimbabweans in 2018 of August; he is responsible, in January he is responsible it is him. That man is a military pugilistic individual that should not be allowed near power.
President Mnangagwa, I request that you take this matter and give this lady my daughter Mary Mubaiwa the dignity that she deserves, thank you.
However, Efforts by ZimEye.com to get a comment from the Chinese embassy were fruitless at the time of writing.
Zimbabwe is in dire need of US$20 billion for gross capital formation (gross domestic investment).
This economy neither needs Mthuli Ncube nor Mnangagwa as the duo and all others in that government possess no capacity and intelligence to raise such huge funds. No sane person will invest in a country where US$3 billion disappears without trace. We need new clean hands under the leadership of Pres. Adv. Nelson Chamisa to stir this troubled economy.
Our means of production and capital assets are absolete and grounded. We need new machineries, equipments, transportations, tools, electricity, industries and factories to boost per capita income and production. That is what the government is supposed to concentrate on instead of introducing more of punitive taxes. Look at ZESA, DDF, AirZimbabwe, NRZ, ZUPCO, hospitals, schools just to mention a few. Everything is below standard and equipments are dead.
The MDC government shall create what will be termed productivity fund that shall cater for creation and resuscitation of industries, hospitals, schools and purchase of plants, equipments and machineries etc for all sectors of the economy.
Antony Taruvinga
D. Secretary for Finance and Economic Development
MDC Youth Assembly
By A Correspondent| Former Tourism minister Walter Muzembi says he tried to stop the military from implementing the November 2017 coup that ended 37 years of the late President Robert Mugabe’s rule.
Speaking on a social media conversation Mzembi said:
“In hindsight you should applaud me for attempting to stop the coup, it was in the making, and we saw it coming and paid dearly for seeing it coming and warning the then President.
Do you think that was criminal or those that wanted to wrestle power unconstitutionally were the criminals? Where are you now with the country? The MDC marched for the coup are they any happier now?”
Mzembi also said the military invented stories to justify the coup which were choreographed.
“Kupemberera n’anga inobata mai! And do you believe all those inventions and stories that justified the coup like Chiwenga attempted arrest at the airport, the choreography that led to the coup, please think deeper.”
Mzembi is one of the former Mugabe ministers who are now linked to the formation of a new party.
Dear Editor-Just like the great military commander Josiah Tongogara, who died fighting for the freedom of our people, Job Sikhala is prepared to die.
This generation of today has its own liberation fighters in the form of President Nelson Chamisa, Job Sikhala and many others.Friends of Job Sikhala Trust
The world over people have lived on the hope of another Christmas.
In some cultures years are measured by Christmas.
People are super sensitive when it comes to Christmas, and that’s understandable. Much of the world has been taught that the holiday marks the birth of the Christian savior, Jesus Christ, but that’s simply wrong. Jesus wasn’t white — and he was never born in December.
Historical evidence suggests that Jesus, the person, was born in the springtime — but that Christian missionaries adopted Yule celebrations in order to appease and convert pagans who were deeply, spiritually attached to their own holidays.
Early Christians were also fascinated by the rural, rustic pagan traditions.
“Christians of that period are quite interested in paganism,” says Philip Shaw, a researcher of early Germanic languages and Old English at Leicester University.
“It’s obviously something they think is a bad thing, but it’s also something they think is worth remembering. It’s what their ancestors did.”
The two most notable pagan winter holidays were Germanic Yule and Roman Saturnalia.
Christian missionaries gave these holidays a makeover and they are now known to us as Christmas.
Saturnalia was a lawless, drunken time in Rome where literally anything was okay — this was the original Purge, in which laws were suspended for a brief stretch of time.
Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, liberation and time (and parties!), was celebrated at what is perhaps the most famous of the Roman festivals, the Saturnalia, It was a time of feasting, role reversals, free speech, gift-giving and revelry. (read: gender-bending sex, drinking, telling people off, trading gifts and doing whatever you want).
After solstice, the darkest night of the year, the renewal of light and the coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the “Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun,” on December 25.Scholars have
connected the Germanic and Scandanavian celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.
Yule-tide was traditionally celebrated during the period from mid-November to mid-January.
Nordic countries use Yule to describe their own Christmas with its religious rites, but also for the holidays of this season. Present-day customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from the original pagan Yule, but are used in Christmas celebrations now, especially within Europe.
As leaders were baptized and converted, they shifted their traditional celebrations covertly, as not to upset the chieftans. Yule was traditionally celebrated three days after Midwinter, but shifted to reflect Christian dates.
Modern Wiccans and other neopagan religions often celebrate Yule as well. In most forms of Wicca, it’s celebrated at winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. Some celebrate with their covens while others celebrate at home.
Everybody’s got someone like Santa Claus. He’s primarily based on St. Nicholas, a Fourth Century Lycian bishop from modern-day Turkey. Ol’ Nicky wasn’t a bad guy. One story says that he met a kind, impoverished man who had three daughters.
St Nick presented all three of them with dowries so that they weren’t forced into a life of prostitution, as dowries were expected to “pay off” families to take on the daughters.
Sinterklaas is the Dutch figure and Odin is the Norse god that Santa resembles. It wasn’t just Santa or men who did the gift-giving in those myths.
There’s also the legend of La Befana, a kind Italian woman who leaves treats for children on the “Good” list, and the Germanic Frau Holle, who treats women during Solstice.
Caroling actually began as the Germanic and Norse traditions of was sailing.
Wassailers went from home to home, drunk off of their asses, singing to their neighbors and celebrating their “good health.” Well, except for the hangovers.
The traditional wassail beverage was a hot mulled cider, spiked with alcohol or fermented.
WREATHS
Romans loved wreaths and decorated everything with Laurel.
Holly, ivy and evergreen are the more popular modern options today, and each one holds significance. Egyptians didn’t have evergreens, so they used palm fronds to celebrate Winter Solstice.
Christians love holly because the red berries symbolize the blood of Christ and the pointy leaves symbolize the crown of thorns. However, the advent of holly decor was around long before Christianity. Pre-Christian pagan groups believed that the Holly King did battle with the Oak King. They also thought holly could drive off evil spirits.
Romans, of course, were into laurel wreaths, but laurel was not easily procured throughout the northern reaches of the empire. Instead of laurel, they used evergreens.
So in a bid to keep the community they lived in happy the missionaries adopted the pagan holidays and through the ages the spirit of Christmas has moved on.
Celebrating Christmas has never been Christian. [email protected]
Farai Dziva|MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has declared that the opposition party will not join POLAD.
Chamisa has also said his party’s views on dialogue have not changed.
Chamisa tweeted:
Zimbabwe is in a deep crisis. Only true and holistic reforms will bring about real change. Dialogue must be genuine. Will take no part in POLAD.Our views on the much-desired dialogue remain unchanged.
We seek true change for the people of Zimbabwe. We will never betray your trust!”
Zimbabwe is in dire need of US$20 billion for gross capital formation (gross domestic investment).
This economy neither needs Mthuli Ncube nor Mnangagwa as the duo and all others in that government possess no capacity and intelligence to raise such huge funds. No sane person will invest in a country where US$3 billion disappears without trace. We need new clean hands under the leadership of Pres. Adv. Nelson Chamisa to stir this troubled economy.
Our means of production and capital assets are absolete and grounded. We need new machineries, equipments, transportations, tools, electricity, industries and factories to boost per capita income and production. That is what the government is supposed to concentrate on instead of introducing more of punitive taxes. Look at ZESA, DDF, AirZimbabwe, NRZ, ZUPCO, hospitals, schools just to mention a few. Everything is below standard and equipments are dead.
The MDC government shall create what will be termed productivity fund that shall cater for creation and resuscitation of industries, hospitals, schools and purchase of plants, equipments and machineries etc for all sectors of the economy.
Antony Taruvinga
D. Secretary for Finance and Economic Development
MDC Youth Assembly
A GROUP of about 10 machete-wielding men attacked workers at a mine in Colleen Bawn and killed one of the workers before disappearing with 30 bags of gold ore.
TWO soldiers based in Hwange, Matabeleland North province, allegedly threatened to kill a State spy bearing a Mugabe surname after accusing him of being related to the late former President Robert Mugabe.
Sindiso Nkomo and Philani Nyoni allegedly threatened to kill Tawanda Mugabe in an act of revenge, claiming the late President had also killed thousands in the region.
The incident took place on December 8, 2019 at Cricket Club in Hwange.
This emerged during their court appearance before Hwange magistrate Aelene Munamati, who found the pair guilty and fined them $100 each.
Munamati also slapped them with a wholly suspended two-month jail sentence.
The State, led by Trymore Chitumbu, said the two soldiers, based at 1.2 Infantry Battalion in Hwange, took offence when they heard that an officer from the Office of the President and Cabinet had a Mugabe surname.
“The accused persons approached the complainant after they heard him being called Mugabe by his friend. The accused threatened to kill the complainant, accusing him of being related to the late former President. They said ‘we must kill him because Mugabe killed a lot of people in this region’,” Chitumbu said.
The pair reportedly beat up Mugabe, resulting in their arrest.
The late former President, Mugabe, has largely been blamed for the 1980s Gukurahundi mass killings in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces after he deployed a North Korea-trained Fifth Brigade in the region to ostensibly fight dissidents.
The arrest of the two soldiers comes after the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) raised concern over cases of indiscipline among its officers.
ZNA Chief of Staff Quartermaster Staff, Major-General Hlanganani Dube recently said cases of indiscipline were rising.
“I strongly feel obliged to express the command element’s concern over repeated acts of indiscipline by some of our members,” Dube was quoted saying during a recent speech and prize giving ceremony of Inter Formation and Unit Drill Competitions held at Headquarters 5 Brigade.
“We continue to experience an increase in the number of members involved in crimes committed both within and outside the organisation. Such acts of indiscipline must end immediately. Severe punishments will always be applied for any deviation from our set standards.”
By Thandekile Moyo| In a country where pensioners spend four nights sleeping outside banks to access less than US$5/day, Mary Chiwenga, the wife of Zimbabwe’s vice president, is accused of having ‘externalised’ US$1m to SA and China.
In the past two years, the lives of the poor and working people in Zimbabwe have not improved an iota. A high-profile criminal prosecution of Mary Chiwenga, wife of the vice president, tells us a lot about the spending habits of Zimbabwe’s political elite. Meanwhile, if you walk through any major town in Zimbabwe at night, you will find dozens of people sleeping on the pavements. If you observe carefully, you will notice that many are found outside banking halls. Why and what’s really going on?
Suffer the pensioners
Zimbabwe has been experiencing cash shortages for years. As a result, most urban dwellers now transact electronically using the EcoCashcellphone banking platform or swipe their bank cards. Unfortunately, many people, especially pensioners, most of whom relocated to the rural areas after leaving their jobs, still depend on hard cash to live.DISPLAY ADVERTS
Banks do give cash, but in limited supply – if one is lucky, you can get up to Z$50 a day. That is exactly R50. On 20 November 2019, the state-run newspaper, The Herald, ran a headline that screamed: NSSA increases pension payouts. The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) is the Zimbabwean body that manages pensions. The report said:
“The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has more than doubled its minimum pensions from $80 to $200 a month, while workers’ compensation scheme minimum pensions have been tripled from $80 to $240.”
This may sound hopeful. Who does not want to hear that their salary has been doubled or trebled? But what this means in real terms is that minimum pensioners payouts have been increased from R80 to R200 a month and workers’ compensation trebled from R80 to R240 a month.
With Z$240 in Zimbabwe, one can go and buy exactly 16 loaves of bread (Z$15 each) or 24 cans of Coca-Cola (Z$10 each) or 13l of petrol (Z$18/l) or, since it’s festive season, a bottle of Robertson sweet red wine from OK Zimbabwe, our biggest supermarket chain “where the nation shops and saves”.
This is what people who saved their pensions with the NSSA get monthly. But this money, at a Z$50 withdrawal a day, can only be withdrawn over four days, if one is lucky. So, because they cannot afford to get into town for four days in a row, many pensioners have no choice but to sleep in the bank queues right outside the bank for at least four days a month.
It is unconscionable what the government is doing to pensioners. NSSA pensions are decided after consultation with Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube. The Z$80 pensioners’ salaries were originally US dollar salaries. With the coming of the bond note, they were pegged at a rate of 1:1 against the US dollar. But on 20 February 2019, Reserve Bank Governor John Mangudya decided to change the local currency to what he named the RTGS dollar and its rate against the USD was to be determined by the markets.
They, however, did not adjust salaries to the new rate.
What this means is according to today’s rates of US$1: RTGS20, a pensioner earning Z$200 should in fact be earning RTGS4,000 or R4,000. The government, through the Reserve Bank, came up with a policy that changed the currency, but did not adjust people’s bank balances and salaries in line with the new rates. This is criminal.
Squander the rich
As this injustice is occurring, the trial of Priscah Mupfumira, a former tourism minister, who was arrested on 25 July 2019 over the US$95-million NSSA scandal has been postponed after she was declared “too depressed” to stand trial.
How depressed are her victims, one wonders.
Now, in a country where pensioners spend four nights sleeping outside banks to access less than US$5/day, Mary Chiwenga, the wife of Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantine Chiwenga, is accused of having externalised US$1-million to South Africa and China.
Everything about this case stinks.
It is a cocktail of corruption, misogyny and abuse of office. Mary Chiwenga’s husband is accusing her of all these crimes, and that husband is the vice president. He has managed to get the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) embroiled in his marital issues, showing us the extent to which institutions in Zimbabwe are under the influence of politicians. Not only did the vice president manage to get the ZAAC to investigate his wife, he also got the police to arrest and detain her, and who is to say it was not him that ordered the magistrate to remand her in custody?DISPLAY ADVERTS
This is a clear case of abuse of authority. Where does this influence over the judiciary, armed forces and other state institutions start and where does it end?
Let’s be clear, Mary Chiwenga is no angel. In 2018, she sent someone to “talk to me” about my social media posts which she felt painted her and Zanu-PF in a bad light. She advised me to stand down and rather take it from her than have the soldiers pay me a visit.
I refused to be intimidated. A short while later I was fired without warning from my job at a government-funded publishing house.
I admit I step on many government toes with my writing, but I will forever wonder to what extent her threats were linked to my firing. Mary Chiwenga failed to manage the power that came with being married to an army general cum vice president. Many do not feel sorry for her for what is happening, but for the sake of justice and constitutionality, we cannot condone what the vice president is doing to his wife.
The nature of the allegations against Mary Chiwenga tells a story of a family that had access to millions of dollars. Mary Chiwenga is accused of externalising US$1-million. Where on Earth did a civil servant’s wife get US$1-million? How much do vice presidents earn that they could have access to that kind of money? How much did Constantine Chiwenga earn as an army general?
Pictures of the Chiwengas’ mansion did the rounds on social media after the overthrow of Robert Mugabe, exposing just how rich the general must be. If ZACC was truly in the business of investigating corruption, would it not have gone further than arresting Mary Chiwenga and dug deeper into the source of the US$1-million? Do the Chiwengas’ earnings justify their wealth?
Let us look at how Mary Chiwenga is said to have externalised the money. Had she smuggled the money to South Africa stuffed in suitcases we wouldn’t bat an eyelid, we would think she is just another common criminal. What is shocking is that Mary Chiwenga is accused of having externalised this money through formal channels. She waltzed into CBZ bank, past pensioners and others who had probably been in the queue for days, and somehow managed to get the bank to transfer hundreds of thousands of US dollars to banks outside Zimbabwe. This is enraging to many Zimbabweans whose US dollar bank balances were changed overnight to a worthless local currency.
By A Correspondent| Former Tourism minister Walter Muzembi says he tried to stop the military from implementing the November 2017 coup that ended 37 years of the late President Robert Mugabe’s rule.
Speaking on a social media conversation Mzembi said:
“In hindsight you should applaud me for attempting to stop the coup, it was in the making, and we saw it coming and paid dearly for seeing it coming and warning the then President.
Do you think that was criminal or those that wanted to wrestle power unconstitutionally were the criminals? Where are you now with the country? The MDC marched for the coup are they any happier now?”
Mzembi also said the military invented stories to justify the coup which were choreographed.
“Kupemberera n’anga inobata mai! And do you believe all those inventions and stories that justified the coup like Chiwenga attempted arrest at the airport, the choreography that led to the coup, please think deeper.”
Mzembi is one of the former Mugabe ministers who are now linked to the formation of a new party.
1/2 – Mashurugwi vanetsa kuno. 6 people were killed yesterday in Mabvuku at Kamunhu shopping centre by 4 Mashurugwi armed with machetes, but one of them (Mashurugwi) was killed after he was overpowered by people, two got arrested and one fled with his vehicle. It happened at 4pm
