Warship Dumba

Robot not working. Council promised residents ‘solar powered’ robots.

Kombi drivers are a menace on the roads.

The kombi drivers respect no road regulations at all. They are chasing the illusive Zim $.

The police also are to blame!

I understand that every Police station in Zimbabwe has a traffic section but most traffic at intersections with faulty robots are now controlled by street kids who are not even trained in traffic control. Some generous drivers give them money.

It’s a form of employment for them.

Unotoona police ichitodarika ichisiya zvakadaro. (You see the police pass through such places driving through too)

My reading of the law tells me that those street kids will be ignorantly committing a serious crime of ‘impersonating a police officer’ according to the CODE.

It is only going to be one day when one of those drunk or drugged youths shall be run over by these crazy kombi drivers.

By A Correspondent- ZESA Holdings has now identified 24 000 defaulting clients owing it a combined $1,2 billion in unpaid bills which it wants to blacklist.

The defaulters will be barred from buying electricity or opening credit accounts with other organisations or companies.

The power utility company is struggling to generate enough electricity or import power to cover the deficit and this has seen electricity consumers enduring long hours of load shedding. Zesa which is said to be technically insolvent, has blamed some of its problems on the failure by power consumers to settle bills.

In an interview, Zesa Holding spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira said the company has listed 24 000 clients that it wants to blacklist to push them to settle their arrears.

“We are using blacklisting as one of the credit control measures so it is important for our clients to honour their debts.The bad thing about blacklisting is that when you get blacklisted you can’t even open a bank account because we liaise with other credit control institutions,” said Mr Gwasira.

He said those who come up with payment plans or start reducing their arrears will not be blacklisted and as such it was important for those in arreas to start paying.

Mr Gwasira however said Zesa will only blacklist after all other credit control measures have failed to yield desired results.

By A Correspondent- Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has filed an urgent application at the High Court seeking an order against some members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) who allegedly evicted his workers from Karoi Country Club.

In his application filed at the court on Tuesday, Mliswa, who is the chairman of the club, cited Joseph Serima Manjengwe, Alick Chingodza, Life Magedi and Bridget Chingodza as respondents.

He argues that the war veterans on November 29 this year allegedly took the law into their own hands by forcibly occupying the premises, changed locks and evicted his employees without a court order.

They indicated that the war veterans’ association had been given a permit by Karoi Town Council to use the country club for youth projects but no proof of such authority was exhibited to any of the country club’s employees who were present.

Mliswa wants a court order for the youths to vacate the premises and be banned from interfering with the running of the club.

He argues that the case must be treated urgently on the grounds that he and his workers had been evicted from the club premises and their property was still on the premises amidst threats that it would be destroyed.

The case is yet to be heard.

-StateMedia

Farai Dziva| Norton Member of Parliament, Temba Mliswa has indicated that MDC leader
Nelson Chamisa is likely to lead the country after the expiry of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s two terms in 2028.

Mliswa believes Chamisa will take over the leadership of the country when Mnangagwa’s two terms expire in 2028.

Mliswa, quoted by NewsDay said a young leader will succeed Mnangagwa and of all young politicians, Chamisa was the most placed to become Zimbabwe’s next President.

“After 2028, it will be the young people who will be given the chance and of course, the most prominent young person that you have in politics is Nelson Chamisa, to be honest with you… he will definitely get his chance one day but for now, let’s support the President and when his time is over then we will also support Chamisa,”said Mliswa.

By A Correspondent- A 37-year-old Buhera man, Prince Chidamajaha was on Monday found dead in Penhalonga area of Mutasa in a suspected murder case.

Kakohwa said the now-deceased left his compound in Maswera village, Penhalonga, in the morning going to Stappleford in Mutasa district.

Paul Musuka (25), who was coming from Femai village stumbled upon the deceased’s nak_ed body in the middle of the road.

Musuka reported the matter at Penhalonga Police Station and the body was taken to Mutare Provincial Hospital for post-mortem.

-Wires

The MDC once again demands an end to political persecutions after the trial of our National Organizing Secretary Amos Chibaya and Deputy National Organizing Secretary Sibusisiwe Bhudha failed to take off today due to the ineptitude of the State which did not furnish the Defence Lawyers with the trial papers on time.

The charges that they are facing are ridiculous and nonsensical and would have no place in a civilised and democratic country.

Section 26(11) of the now defunct Public Order and Security Act is inimical to the tenets of a democratic dispensation and we are baffled by state s desire to persue such a matter.

What compounds matters is that the persecuting authorities have since the 8th October failed to provide the Defence with the trial papers in spite of several visits to their office and it is a travesty of Justice that the Regional Court has been turned into a Remand Court and our leaders have to appear again on the 3rd February 2020 for trial on a case which has no substance.

Recently the State indicated that it intends to indict our Secretary General Honourable Charlton Hwende for trial in the High Court next year following a similar path to our National Vice Chairman Honourable Job Sikhala.

Several other leaders in the MDC as well as civic leaders vendors and other citizens are facing trumped-up charges.

We know that all these people have not committed any crime but have simply dared to challenge the repression of the Illegitimate regime and stand up for their rights and those of others.

We therefore call upon the powers that be not to continue to abuse the people of Zimbabwe while the country is bleeding and burning. No amount of persecution and suppression will stop an idea whose time has come.

Instead the regime should introspect and accept that in spite of stealing elections it has failed and begin the journey of engagement and dialogue to extricate the country from the quagmire.

MDC: Change that Delivers

Innocent Gonese
MDC Secretary for Justice and Legal Affairs

By A Correspondent- Former Cabinet minister Nyasha Chikwinya is trying to evict 109 families settled on a 150-hectare piece of land at Glen Forest Farm in Harare after she gave up her offer letter for the land upon receiving a new piece as compensation.

The court has since provisionally set aside the writ of ejection, effectively stopping Chikwinya from evicting the families.

Her attempt to return to the 150-hectare piece came after she had exhausted her new 80-hectare piece of land, which she sub-divided into residential stands, Justice Clement Phiri heard.

The families, members of Mama Mafuyana Housing Cooperative, were recently served with eviction notices, with Chikwinya intending to demolish their houses.

While the case is pending, Chikwinya claimed she was locked out of her farm and obtained an order restoring her occupancy.

On the strength of the order, Chikwinya obtained a writ of ejection against the cooperative members and its chairman Mr Boniface Mutize.

The membership had been served with ejection notices pondering the next move.

The cooperative, through its lawyer Mr Advent Tavenhave of Tavenhave & Machingauta Legal Practitioners, contested the writ, arguing it was fraudulently acquired.

They argued that Chikwinya had no legal right to stay on the land because she had since been allocated another 84 hectares as compensation after the withdrawal of her offer letter in respect of the disputed piece of land.

After selling stands on the 84 hectares of land, the lawyers argued, Chikwinya remained on the disputed land, intending to subdivide more stands for sale.

Mr Oliver Marwa of Rubaya & Chatambudza Legal Practitioners represented Chikwinya in the urgent chamber application.

Justice Phiri ruled in favour of the desperate families and stopped the evictions.

“Pending the return date, the second respondent (Sheriff of Zimbabwe) be and is hereby ordered to stay execution of a writ of ejectment issued under HC6259/19,” he said.

Chikwinya was ordered to pay costs of suit on a punitive scale.

According to the court papers filed at the High Court, the cooperative was in 2003 offered the remainder of Glen Forest of Borrowdale Estate, measuring 150 hectares by the Ministry of Local Government and National Housing, in terms of Section 3 of the Urban Development Act for urban settlement.

The land was surveyed and the Department of Physical Planning approved the layout of 109 stands in terms of the Regional, Town Country Planning Act Chapter 29:12.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Three people reportedly died following a fatal bus accident involving a Trip Trans bus along the Harare Chirundu highway.

Sources privy to the development said the fatal crash occurred a few kilometres after Makuti around 9 pm last night.

It could however not be immediately established how many people were on board in the bus which was reportedly on its way to Harare from Zambia.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Nyathi was not picking up his phone for a comment.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates

Three people have been confirmed dead in a fatal accident involving a Harare bound Trip Trans coming from Zambia.

The accident reportedly happened 20km after Makuti at around 9pm last night.

By A Correspondent- In a tragic development, a worker from Zimbabwe’s power utility was fatally electrocuted on Tuesday after an operational flop while working on the power lines.

According to a local publication, a ZESA worker whose name is being withheld was electrocuted in Battlefields in Kadoma when power was unexpectedly restored while still working on the fault.

The hapless employee was later rushed to Harare for medical attention but unfortunately died on his way.

Speaking on the incident, the Police National Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the matter saying:

“We are investigating a case in Battlefield whereby a ZESA employee was allegedly electrocuted whilst trying to fix a fault……his identity will immediately be revealed to his next of kin”

The incident happened hours after the struggling power utility issued a statement that it would increase the power outages and work outside the known or advertised schedule.

Load-shedding is thus being implemented over and above the advertised schedule.

The power utility is yet to comment on the incident.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Some villagers in Matobo District in southern Zimbabwe are not sure that “dead aid”, that is, continuously giving cash handouts to poor people, is the way to go.

A villager who spoke to the state media acknowledged that food aid is needed in times of crisis but in the long run, poor people need capital goods for them to be economically empowered.

Said the villager:

Cash aid is killing our people here in Matobo. Some people when they receive the US$50 from an NGO giving us cash as food aid, they spend it on beer.

Yes, we need food aid, but it must be spent wisely on food. The most important kind of aid is the one that empowers us to grow our own food and earn some income on our own.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have often stepped in when people are in great need, for example, to alleviate hardships caused by droughts or tropical cyclones.

However, observers consider the dishing out of cash to people without incentivising them to work for themselves will ultimately breed the “aid syndrome”.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Seven out of 19 models who were in boot camp ahead of the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe (MTZ) national finals slated for 14 December at Montclair hotel in Nyanga, were involved in an accident last night.

The accident occurred in Vumba while the models were on their way to Eden Lodge where they were scheduled to sleep.

The models were scheduled to proceed to Chimanimani to visit Cyclone Idai-affected areas but could not proceed due to bad weather.

MTZ chairperson Sibusisiwe Dube confirmed the accident but asserted that no deaths were recorded as circulating on social media.

“All the girls have been taken to Murambe garden hospital and are under observation, so that they get a comprehensive check-up.”

“There are some injuries on some, but no deaths have been recorded as people are speculating.”

“They are stable as we speak. We believe they were affected including those who are not physically hurt.”

“It is sad that such an unfortunate event transpired and we thank God because the accident was not fatal.”

A support team has been dispatched to Vumba, to assist, since the event will no longer take place” said Dube.

-StateMedia

Lightning has killed 19 people since the onset of the rainy season in October, officials said on Tuesday as heavy thunderstorms continue to pound parts of Zimbabwe, destroying infrastructure and causing flash flooding.

The Civil Protection Department (CPD) is warning people not to take shelter under trees and stay indoors.

“We acknowledge that this rainfall season started on a bad note. There’re 19 people who’ve already died after being struck by lightning,” CPD director Nathan Nkomo said.

Nkomo said the CPD had been called to Chivhu Prison, about 140km south of Harare, after rains caused massive damage on Monday and forced an evacuation of prisoners.

“We need something like ZWL$700,000 to have the prison repaired,” Nkomo said.

The CPD says it is on high alert for flooding and damage to bridges. The Air Force had been called to rescue 14 villagers cut off by floods, Nkomo added.

The lightning deaths include three children killed while walking from school in Goromonzi.

A young girl was killed by lightning in Bikita and a 37-year-old woman died near the Caravan Police Base in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb.

Twenty-eight-year-old Kwaziwayinkosi Nyoni of Silozwana Village in Matobo was killed by lightning in October while covering her fowl run with plastic paper in a bid to protect her chickens from rain.More in Home

On October 10, a 38-year-old man was holding a shovel while digging a trench in Cowdray Park during light showers when he was struck and killed by lightning.

A Grade 1 pupil from Nesigwe Primary School in Nkayi, Matabeleland North, was killed by lightning while walking home with three others who survived.

Police and education officials have urged schools to release children at the earliest threat of rain to avert more deaths.

— ZimLive

By A Correspondent- A retired colonel and Zipra war veteran has accused the Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Retired Air Marshal Perrance Shiri of taking a farm he has occupied for 17 years on tribal grounds and giving it to Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe.

Rtd Col Protarcius Ngwenya, a Zipra veteran who went under the moniker Comrade Richard Mataure during the 1970s war of liberation has written to Shiri, copied to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Kembo Mohadi alleging the plot to take over his farm on tribal grounds.

But the two Cabinet ministers have dismissed the allegations, saying they followed normal procedure. Shiri accused Ngwenya of subletting the farm to a white farmer.

In his letter, Ngwenya said he was disheartened and shocked by the persistence and frantic efforts by the two ministers to remove him from Collingwood Farm, also called Southwell Farm, in Mashonaland Central on tribal grounds.

“I’m disheartened and shocked by your persistence and frantic efforts of tribally trying (sic) removing me from Mashonaland again with a pretext of farm downsizing,” Ngwenya said.

Ngwenya said in 2002 he was allocated Mashona-Kop Farm in Mashonaland East but was chased away by a former minister (name supplied) and told look for a farm in Matabeleland.

“You my own comrade have now joined the fray. For the past few months you have been planning to dislodge me from Southwell Farm, first you tried to smuggle in (a named Zimplats senior executive) when you sent your Flight Lieutenant Madzvamuse with (sic) pretext of negotiating an agro-joint venture project with me,” Ngwenya said.

“I have been on Collingwood Farm for 17 years, I fully developed an underground irrigation of above 4 300 metres plus have installed a 1 800 HP pumping capacity. This is the infrastructure ministers Shiri and Kazembe are targeting to cherry pick (sic),” he told NewsDay.

“Minister, Southwell is my only liberation gain just like you having your east of Bindura farm. Any effort (sic) like what you’re about to do would be very painful to me, my family and other comrades from the revolution.”

Ngwenya said he had 115 heads of cattle plus goats, while all the dry pasture was taken by grazing land and the dairy herd of 500 cows is about to be restored under the ministry’s restoration programme. He further said the arable land left from 400 hectares would be 200 and this would be divided into horticulture export land and general cropping.

“Minister (sic) hatred should end among comrades. I was meant to believe you were non-tribal and not harbouring ancient Zanla-Zipra primitive animosity.

“Now you have left me baffled and surprised. As a senior commander of our revolution I urge you to put a bit of sensitivity to the ongoing tribalism in our country,” Ngwenya further said.

“Any injustice (sic) exacted on me by you, minister Shiri because of the history will be a further indelible scar like the many historical scars that remain haunting our people till this day.”

Contacted for a comment, Kazembe said he was allocated the farm officially by the Lands ministry.

“I was allocated a farm officially and procedurally by the Ministry of Lands,” Kazembe said without further elaboration on the role of a police base he has set on the farm.

Shiri dismissed the allegations of tribal land grab, saying Ngwenya was a beneficiary of the land reform programme and the farm was 656, 79 hectares but only a maximum of 80 hectares was being utilised.

The minister said of the 80ha being utilised, 60ha was being used by a white farmer who he said had entered into some gentlemen’s agreement with Ngwenya which was not endorsed by his ministry.

“In fact Ngwenya is a beneficiary of the land reform programme and that he was allocated Southwell Farm, measuring 656,79ha in the area of Concession, Mashonaland Central Province.

“The farm is almost all arable but only a maximum of about 80ha out of 656,79ha was being utilised for cropping. Over and above that there is a herd of about 90 cattle.

“Of the said 80ha farming operations at the farm, 60ha was being used by some white farmer who had entered into some form of gentlemen’s agreement,” Shiri said.

“From the aforementioned, two things come to the fore, first the farm was grossly underutilised. Secondly the farm was above the maximum allowable farm size for that area.

“The area where the farm is located falls in ecological region two and at the time of downsizing the maximum allowable farm size for that area was 400ha.”

The minister, however, could not say why Kazembe abandoned his previously allocated 130ha Klein Copje Farm near Blackforby, which is about 45km from the contentious farm.

-Newsday

DEFENCE deputy minister and Zanu PF political commissar Victor Matemadanda inadvertently spilled the beans on vote-rigging when he lashed out at his party’s Midlands provincial leadership over poor performance at last year’s disputed elections, top MDC officials have said.

Zanu PF garnered 23 parliamentary seats in Midlands in last year’s polls, while the opposition MDC got four — Mbizo, Gweru Urban, Chiwundura and Mkoba.

Kwekwe Central was won by the National Patriotic Front party’s Blackman Masango Matambanadzo.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa got 352 027 votes, while MDC’s Nelson Chamisa amassed 257 960 votes in the presidential vote.

However, on Saturday, Matemadanda seethed with anger while addressing the Midlands Zanu PF provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Gweru, accusing party leaders of presiding over what he termed dismal performance in the last polls.

He later threatened to dissolve the whole provincial executive led by Daniel Mackenzie Ncube, saying it was failing to grow the party’s membership base and roll out programmes to drum up support for Mnangagwa.

Yesterday, MDC deputy spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka and national secretary for elections, Jacob Mafume, said Matemadanda’s rants had validated their position that last year’s polls were rigged.

“Matemadanda’s comments vindicate our position that the last election was pilfered. Otherwise, why would he have said they performed dismally when they claim to have ‘won’ exactly the same seats in 2013. Remember, this is the same party that claimed victory in 2008 before (the late former President Robert) Mugabe went public several years later to state (the late) president Morgan Tsvangirai won the elections by 73% of the vote,” Tamborinyoka said.

Mafume said Matemadanda’s ranting showed that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission results for Midlands were fake.

“The performance of Zanu PF in Midlands (therefore) is fake. It is a result of rigging, terror and unmitigated chicanery … Chamisa, overall, won the votes by 2,6 million votes,” he said.

The MDC has since last year sustained its position that the 2018 elections were rigged and has refused to recognise Mnangagwa as the legitimate president of the country.

Exiled former Zanu PF strategist Jonathan Moyo in his book Excelgate says Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections and Chamisa won the presidential elections by 2,6 million votes.

Zanu PF has, however, rubbished reports that it stole the election.

MDC spokesperson Daniel Molokele said Matemadanda could have spoken subconsciously.

“It looks like he knows the real results, not the fake ones which were announced. So he might have been speaking subconsciously about something which actually happened compared to what we were told happened. The real results are probably different (from those announced by Zec),” Molokele said.

— NewsDay

By Problem Masau| Nurse aides have been called upon to take their duties seriously as the country battles crippling strike from the doctors and nurses across the country’s health institutions.

The remarks were made by Angela Sigauke, Zimbabwe Red Cross Society National Vice President who was the guest of honour at the graduation of 300 nurse aides trained by the institution on Wednesday at Long Chen Plaza in Harare.

“The nurse aides graduating today play a key role in providing health care both in public and private medical health facilities. Where possible, they can also be engaged to provide home nursing services so that home-based patients enjoy quality care in the comfort of their homes and known environs.

“I therefore urge all our graduands to be good ambassadors of the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society through providing quality services to all those in need of such services. The Red Cross movement is about saving lives and alleviating human suffering and you are an important feature of that humanitarian drive,” she said.

Amid fan and fanfare that characterized the graduation, nurse aides recited their pledge to do their best in saving people’s lives.

The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society also offers various complimentary services aimed at safeguarding human life and these include sale of First Aid Kits, Events coverages as well as Nurse Aid hiring services.

“First Aid is a lifesaving skill which you can rely on at any given time. We have read about students drowning in swimming pools at schools, some families losing their children at emergencies at home and offcourse many road accidents that continue to claim lives every day. All such unfortunate incidents call for us to be equipped with basic First Aid so that we know how to respond to emergencies,” she added.

 To date, Zimbabwe Red Cross Society has trained more than 14 000 nurse aides who are dotted across the globe.

By Nomusa Garikai- ”So honoured to be in Germany, Berlin to attend the Germany Social Democratic Party SPD conference together with the ANC and Chama Cha Mapinduzi. Also had high profile meetings with the Germany government on governance, Trade and development. The future is exciting. The goodwill is amazing!” Twittered Nelson Chamisa looking as snug as a bug!

The EU had a very strong team, the strongest, of 246 individual to observe Zimbabwe’s last year elections. Like so many other observer teams from democratic nations, the EU team dismissed the elections as a farce. 

“The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability,” stated the EU Mission final report. 

“Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”

The vote rigging was so blatant that 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote. ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll for Pete’s sake. And yet Zimbabwe’s opposition parties led by the MDC Alliance, led by Mr Nelson Chamisa, still participated in the elections regardless of the glaring flaws and illegalities. 

The EU, the Commonwealth and everyone else’s damning reports of the election did not count for much because Zanu PF was able to turn around and point to Zimbabwe’s crowded political field. There were 23 presidential candidates alone! 

We all know why Zimbabwe’s opposition parties and candidates have been contesting these election knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections – GREED. The opposition knows that Zanu PF would give away a few gravy train seats during the elections and it is these opposition candidates were after. 

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the (2013) elections,” confessed David Coltart, an MDC leader, in his Book.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

Four of the main MDC factions did find each other to form the MDC Alliance before the 2018 elections and still they participated in last year’s elections knowing fully well that doing so undermines the national cause of fighting for free, fair and credible elections. 

Since 2013 Zanu PF and MDC have reached a political arrangement, comparable to between Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, in which Zanu PF blatantly rigs the elections to secure its 2/3 majority and secure the presidency and MDC participates regardless how flawed the process to give the process credibility. MDC is rewarded with the remaining gravy train seats for playing along. 

Zimbabwe should have ended the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship in 2013, at the latest, if Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had implemented the democratic reforms as agreed with SADC. MDC leaders sold-out and failed to get even one reform implemented. Not one!

Zimbabwe has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship for 39 years. The country’s economy is now in total economic meltdown because of four decades of bad Zanu PF governance. 

To break this Mnangagwa – Chamisa vote rigging Pact will need bold and imaginative thinking. We need to thinking outside the traditional box of seeing Zanu PF as the bad wolf, rigging the elections, and MDC as the innocent lamb, the victim of the rigged elections! Chamisa et al are doing very well, thank you, at least compared to the ordinary Zimbabweans.  

It is the ordinary Zimbabweans, on the coal face of the economic ruins, who have suffered and are suffering; not Chamisa and his few friends, notably those got the bait seats on the gravy train. 

It is not enough to call on Zanu PF to implement democratic reforms, better still impose sanctions; whilst saying nothing to MDC A, worse still reward them with brownie points; this will never break the present impasse and deliver free and fair elections. We need to acknowledge that MDC has been running with the hare and hunting with the Zanu PF hounds and punish both!

The MDC has been making a lot of noise, demanding “comprehensive reforms”, for example; this is to please Germany Social Democratic Party SPD and other westerners who will give Chamisa full marks for fighting for democratic change. This is just the growling of the cats which the uninitiated will take for fighting until they see the kittens! 

The political situation in Zimbabwe has changed; Zanu PF and MDC have morphed from an iron-fisted dictatorship vs democrats into a collaborating team, the iron fist is hidden in the softest velvet glove and yesterday’s opposition, after giving up in delivery democratic changes, is now the dictators’ paid acolyte! 

“Ich bin ein Berliner!” (I am a Berliner!) said United States President John F. Kennedy in June 26, 1963, in West Berlin. 

If Nelson Chamisa’s twitter was meant to copy cat of President Kennedy then our Mnangagwa’s acolyte and upstart is really getting dangerously big headed! 

Even with a track record of 20 years and not one change to show for it many Zimbabweans are still to wake up to the political reality of MDC’s betrayal and duplicity. One expects SPD and the rest in the west to be wide awake to this reality. 

One expects the EU, Commonwealth, the Americans, etc. to start turning up the heat on Zanu PF and MDC leaders alike to restore of basic freedoms and rights in Zimbabwe. The two party are separate on paper but as one in fighting to keep the oppressive status quo.

 By A Correspondent- Warriors star and Chinese based striker Nyasha Mushekwi has expressed disappointment with the latest development where ZIMRA officials have requested that the 45 seater bus he donated to his former team CAPS United be taken into their custody while they investigate the duty paid for its entrance into this country.

ZIMRA is reportedly moving towards confiscating the 45-seater luxury coach donated to Caps United FC by Mushekwi.

Said Mushekwi:

“I just heard they (Zimra) are taking the bus, it’s quite disappointing, I don’t understand the situation because they were the ones who told me to pay the duty which I paid for the bus to be cleared to come home.

Now, I’m hearing they are saying the duty I paid wasn’t enough for a bus like the one I brought in and, maybe, they want me to pay more, I don’t really know.

What I can say is that the news is very disappointing, especially after you have done everything to try and help sport in your country, and – for me – it’s like saying in Zimbabwe one can’t do something good and it gets celebrated because this is our country and we are the ones who can make a difference.

It makes you think twice, when such things happen, and you end up asking yourself if this was worth it, at all, or I could have taken whatever money I invested into the project and use it for my personal needs where I would not have to go through all these problems.”

By A Correspondent- A 29 year old man from Bulawayo heaved a sigh of relief after he was acquitted of allegedly having sexual intercourse with a dog at his girlfriend’s house.

It had been alleged that Kingdom Dube from Mbundane suburb had sex with the dog identified as Snoopy.

Dube pleaded not guilty to a bestiality charge before Western Commonage magistrate, Ms Tancy Dube.

The magistrate said the State failed to prove that Dube had sexual intercourse with the dog as the witnesses were drunk and gave contradicting testimonies.

“The court considered evidence that was presented and it’s clear that Dube didn’t commit the alleged offence.

“It was dark and the witness did not clearly see what happened. We can also not rely on the evidence that was given by a drunk person. He’s therefore acquitted and discharged,” ruled magistrate Dube.

Previously, the accused person had told the court that he had gone to look for his girlfriend when her neighbour, Mr Clifford Mangwana and his wife accused him of having sex with the dog.

“I had gone to look for my girlfriend who had promised to change my R20 into bond notes. I was seated down in the yard waiting for her when all of a sudden the complainant came to me and accused me of raping the dog,” he said.

Prosecuting, Mr Tapiwa Solani said on Saturday last week at around 10PM, Mr Mangwana was at his house when his wife told him that there were some movements outside.

“The complainant and his wife both peeped through the window where they saw the accused person kneeling down, half dressed. The accused person was also seen with his organ inserted in the dog’s anus and he was holding the dog tightly,” said the prosecutor.

He said Mr Mangwana went outside and found Dube with his pants down.

Mr Mangwana testified that he caught Dube in act with a dog.

“We both peeped through the window where we saw the accused person kneeling down in my neighbour’s yard with his trousers at knee level and the dog was in between his legs,” he said.

“I asked him what he was doing with the dog and he told me that he was waiting for his girlfriend. To my surprise he did not have a belt on neither did he have his shoes.”

The court heard that Mr Mangwana apprehended him and took him to a police station where he was arrested.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Five people have been confirmed dead while 11 others were injured some of them seriously in a road traffic accident involving a pick up truck and a haulage truck at the intersection of Harare drive and Borrowdale road Thursday morning.

An official from the Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed the development however referring all questions to Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, who however refused to speak to this reporter arguing that he did not know them.

The confirmation comes following a social media alert urging citizens to confirm the whereabouts of their friends and relatives following the accident which occurred today morning.

The alert claimed that 10 people had died on the spot but the legislator for Harare North, Rusty Markham also posted another alert claiming that an estimated 6 people had died on the spot.

However, Markham said while he did not wish to speculate, the scene that he had witnessed was “dreadful”.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates.

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE HONOURABLE KAZEMBE KAZEMBE ON THE CURRENT PASSPORT SITUATION

The Ministry, through the Department of Civil Registry, is responsible for; among others, production and issuance of travel documents including passports.

The Civil Registry Department is experiencing a backlog in the production of passports. The backlog is currently at 359 288 backdating to August 2018.

This is mainly due to the limited availability of foreign currency to procure the required consumables such as ink, films, ribbon and passport paper.

This situation has been exacerbated by the low passport fees being charged by the Department. The Department is charging all its clients in local currency yet consumables for the production of passports are imported and require foreign currency

The Ministry is aware of the high expectation from members of the public for timely provision of service delivery particularly in the areas of issuance of travel documents.

The Ministry is also aware of what citizens are going through especially those living abroad whose passports have expired.

Citizens in the diaspora need to have valid passports in order to regularize their stay in the host countries.

As a way of assisting the Department to attend to requirements for passports by citizens in the diaspora, Government has therefore authorized the Department to charge USD$318 for passports; in respect of those in the diaspora. The applications will be prioritized on an urgent basis.

Further details on the implementation of this decision are being worked out by the Civil Registry Department in consultation with other stakeholders.

I THANK YOU

By A Correspondent- More political parties in the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) are set to join or re-join Zanu PF following in the footsteps of Brian Mteki, the ruling party spokesperson said yesterday.

Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told journalists after a politburo meeting that the appetite for Polad members to join Zanu PF was high.

“The political commissar (Victor Matemadanda) gave his report where he said there was a groundswell of political parties wanting to rejoin or join Zanu PF. The year 2020 will no doubt be a milestone as the party gathers more strength,” Moyo said.

Among the Polad members are Thokozani Khupe of MDC-T and Lovemore Madhuku who leads the National Constitutional Assembly.

MDC has accused political parties who are in Polad of being Zanu PF appendages, arguing they were not engaged in any meaningful dialogue except agreeing with the ruling party.

The politburo also considered the lands commission report where Zanu PF called for swift action against land barons fingered in the illegal sale of State land.

“Upon receiving the report by the commission of inquiry on the sale of State land in urban areas, the party stands with the majority hence issues like living in squalid conditions with no clean water, sanitation, roads and other social amenities must be addressed,” Moyo said.

“The issue of corruption and land barons must be dealt with and the law must take its course without fear or favour.”

He said the politburo also discussed preparations for the party’s conference which will be officially opened by President Emmerson Mnangagwa tomorrow and closed on Saturday, adding the issues of leadership would not be discussed.

“There is a rumour that is circulating that we are going to Goromonzi for elections. I want to emphasise that the 18th national people’s conference is not a congress,” Moyo said.

“It is, therefore, not elective like any other conference. As per our constitution, it’s only congress that entertains elections.

“Therefore please take note very seriously over this misleading social media report that we are heading to Goromonzi to elect leadership, there is no such thing.”

Mnangagwa said the conference would be used to mobilise Zimbabweans towards economic growth.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Chairperson of Goromonzi Housing Cooperative Consortium and Solomon Mujuru Housing Cooperative, Oswell Ndumo Gwanzura, on Tuesday appeared in court on allegations of defrauding Ruwa homeseekers of US$11 340 and $34 510 by selling land that belonged to someone else.

Gwanzura (77) was facing fraud charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Victoria Mashamba.

He was remanded in custody to Friday next week.

Allegations are that during September 2013, Gwanzura, in a bid to fleece home seekers and working in cahoots with other cooperative members who are still at large, formed Goromonzi Housing Cooperative Consortium encompassing five cooperatives, including his own, Solomon Mujuru Co-operative.

The four other chairpersons — Joicy Chirodza, Charles Humboto, Nelson Mandizvidza and Edward Muzeza — were named in court as accomplices.

The court heard that during the same year, Gwanzura and his accomplices allegedly invited home seekers to join their cooperative upon paying a US$200 joining fee and US$25 monthly subscriptions in cash or bank transfers into Solomon Mujuru Cooperative’s ZB Bank account.

Gwanzura and his accomplices registered their housing cooperative with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperatives and they applied for land in Solomio in Ruwa to the to the local board which was approved for the purpose of residential stands.

It is alleged that the complainants paid both the deposit and purchase price.

The court heard that in 2015, an order was granted by the High Court to the effect that ZB Bank and Landela Safari (Private) Limited were the legal owners of Lot 199883 subdivision of Galloway Hofmoor Estate measuring 598,096 hectares, with the bank holding 60 percent and the company 40 percent.

Gwanzura and his accomplices were evicted.

It is alleged that regardless of the eviction orders, Gwanzura and his accomplices went on to illegally occupy the open land, subdivided it into residential stands and allocated them to themselves and other cooperative members and further subdivided the already allocated stands to new beneficiaries to the prejudice of the complainants.

The court heard that when Gwanzura and his accomplices were doing this, they allegedly lied to their members that the Ministry of Local Government had already transferred the property into their name.

As a result of this representation, the complainants suffered a total prejudice of US$11 340 and $34 510.

Nothing was recovered.

-StateMedia

Correspondent|Gerald Mlotshwa, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son-in-law has been appointed to the board of Redcliff based coke-making firm, ZimCoke.

Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) deputy governor and former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Nicholas Ncube, has been appointed the chairperson. In a statement on Tuesday, Ncube said:

ZimCoke, the recently formed company responsible for the production of Coke and related products in Zimbabwe, has announced the establishment of its first Board of Directors.[These individuals are] prominent Zimbabweans and also include the depth and breadth necessary to help guide and advise the Company as it conducts operations necessary to bring back into production the 160 coke ovens that formerly comprised the Coke Division of Ziscosteel Limited

Besides Mlotshwa and Ncube, the other board members include Philemon Nhachi, Emma Fundira, Eddie Cross, Lillian Mbayiwa, ZimCoke Operations Director Michael Moore and Valentine Mushayakarara.

Mlotshwa was recently appointed the chairperson of the Sports and Recreation Commission while Cross was appointed to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s Monetary Policy Committee.

Struggling budget airline FastJet has confirmed it aborted take-off from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Sunday because of LOW FUEL.

Passengers shared their shock on Twitter after pilots on the morning flight to Harare announced that they had been stationary for too long on the runway waiting for permission to take off – and the wait had depleted their fuel.

Passengers accused the airline of “playing with lives” by failing to fuel sufficiently for the flight.

When a passenger on a different flight posted that they finally got a boarding call following lengthy delays, one Twitter user replied: “Pray the aircraft has fuel. A Harare-bound aircraft aborted take-off earlier today on the runaway after it ran out of fuel whilst taxiing!”

Chimed in another: “True story. The plane is FastJet.”

A passenger who was on the Embraer ERJ-145LU aircraft, flying as flight FN8332, told ZimLive they were later made to disembark and return to the terminal after the aborted take-off.

“The plane left its parking bay and went to the taxiway. The pilot came on and told us that we would take off after a plane which was visible to our left had taken off. That plane took-off after a few minutes. Then as we were expecting our turn to take-off, we were then informed that the plane had run out of fuel,” the passenger said, declining to be named.

“We waited another eight minutes for the fuel truck. The refuelling took about three minutes. A bus then turned up and they took us back to the terminal building. We waited there a little while and then they took us back to the plane.”

The passenger said they were concerned for their safety.

“It occurred to us that FastJet cut it a bit too fine on their fuelling. I’ve been on flights where take-off is delayed even for 30 minutes and this is the first time that I’ve heard of a plane running out of fuel on the runway. They’re playing with people’s lives, it’s crazy,” the passenger said.

In a brief statement on Twitter, FastJet said: “Our fuel loading is a controlled process by aircraft type and industry standard. The impact on the fuel requirement was as a result of an extended taxiway delay.”

A ZimLive request for a comment on the safety of its aircraft had not been answered.

Aviation experts say taxiing consumes a large amount of jet fuel, more than when an aircraft is in flight. Fuel consumption is estimated to be as high as 27 percent of total fuel burn for a 90-minute flight where waiting in queue adds to the time on the ground.

Last week, the loss-making airline announced plans to dispose of its Zimbabwean unit. FastJet has already pulled out of Tanzania.

The airline said it is looking to offload the Zimbabwe unit to a consortium led by its major shareholder, Solenta Aviation, for US$8 million.

FastJet said if the restructuring plans do not pan out by the end of February, the Africa-focused company may not be able to continue trading as a going concern.

Persistent volatility and uncertainty in the Zimbabwean market would see the company report a loss after tax of around US$7 million to US$8 million for 2019, compared with a loss of US$ million last year.

— ZimLive

The Ministry, through the Department of Civil Registry, is responsible for; among others, production and issuance of travel documents including passports.

The Civil Registry Department is experiencing a backlog in the production of passports. The backlog is currently at 359 288 backdating to August 2018.

This is mainly due to the limited availability of foreign currency to procure the required consumables such as ink, films, ribbon and passport paper.

This situation has been exacerbated by the low passport fees being charged by the Department. The Department is charging all its clients in local currency yet consumables for the production of passports are imported and require foreign currency

The Ministry is aware of the high expectation from members of the public for timely provision of service delivery particularly in the areas of issuance of travel documents.

The Ministry is also aware of what citizens are going through especially those living abroad whose passports have expired.

Citizens in the diaspora need to have valid passports in order to regularize their stay in the host countries.

As a way of assisting the Department to attend to requirements for passports by citizens in the diaspora, Government has therefore authorized the Department to charge USD$318 for passports; in respect of those in the diaspora. The applications will be prioritized on an urgent basis.

Further details on the implementation of this decision are being worked out by the Civil Registry Department in consultation with other stakeholders.

I THANK YOU

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans the lights will stay on, even if it means using offshore generators as a last resort.

Load shedding had touched a raw nerve among South Africans, President Cyril Ramaphosa said during his apology to the nation and said Eskom would be keeping the lights on between December 17 and January 13. “Many of our power stations are an average of 37 years old, with some of them being 55 years old,” Ramaphosa said. “The new ones (Kusile and Medupi) are also giving us enormous challenges.” One of the proposals to increase capacity to about 5,000MW “if we are to have the system stabilised” was to have offshore generators. “It will be very expensive but it will…

‌Load shedding had touched a raw nerve among South Africans, President Cyril Ramaphosa said during his apology to the nation and said Eskom would be keeping the lights on between December 17 and January 13.

“Many of our power stations are an average of 37 years old, with some of them being 55 years old,” Ramaphosa said.

“The new ones (Kusile and Medupi) are also giving us enormous challenges.”

One of the proposals to increase capacity to about 5,000MW “if we are to have the system stabilised” was to have offshore generators.

“It will be very expensive but it will be examined,” Ramaphosa said, noting “self-generation” was also an option.

“We have been assured by management they are going to stabilise the system and embark on a recovery plan and that between December 17 leading into January and even beyond that, as we are working on all the requests we have made we will be able to have no load shedding during that period,” Ramaphosa said, noticeably stumbling over the “no load shedding” phrase.

Ramaphosa also said all leave had been cancelled for Eskom employees.

Eskom group executive of generation Bheki Nxumalo said a number of units had been brought back online.

“On top of that, some of our big units which were down for maintenance over July/August will also be coming back,” Nxumalo said.

Koeberg would also be coming back online mid-January, with Nxumalo noting the units which were coming online were highly reliable and “robust”.

Bernard Magoro, general manager for system operations at Eskom, said it was important to note Eskom was still in recovery mode.

“This is why we were able to step down from Stage four [on Tuesday] to stage two [yesterday],” Mogoro said.

On Monday, Magoro said the system should be more stable, with demand dropping over the weekend.

However, Energy Expert Coalition’s Clyde Mallinson despaired at the suggestion of offshore gas generators being used.

“In 2014, the Development Bank of South Africa put out a request for information on how much they should pay people to drop 5,000MW of consumption for 14 hours a day to allow Eskom to undertake deep maintenance,” Mallinson said.

“I proposed that instead of whatever they were thinking of paying people not to use electricity, if they subsidised me I could build 5,000MW of new capacity so that instead of sucking it out of the economy we could put it into the economy.”

Five years later, said Mallinson, and Eskom was looking for 5,000MW again.

“I don’t believe you can bring in gas barges on an emergency basis in under six months unless there’s a couple floating around like floating Ubers,” Mallinson said.

“I’ve heard stories the guys would only come in if they had a five-year contract and were paid around R5 per kilowatt/hour.

“Running the diesel generators costs Eskom around R4/kWh, so Eskom is saving itself R4kWh at the expense of R100kWh to the economy. They don’t have money for diesel so we’re being load shed instead.”

Citizen

State Media|THE Public Service Commission (PSC) has said former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko will only be paid his pension in local currency and should not expect any other benefits.

This follows an application lodged at the High Court by Mr Mphoko, through his lawyer, Mr Zibusiso Ncube of Ncube and Partners seeking an order directing the Government, through the PSC, to award him more than US$300 000 in benefits and monthly pension payouts.

In papers before the Bulawayo High Court, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, PSC secretary Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe, Salary Services Bureau (SSB) paymaster and PSC pensions master, K. Makiwa, were cited as respondents.

Mr Mphoko wanted an order declaring the withholding of his pension by the Government illegal and unconstitutional.

He is seeking an order directing the respondents to pay him US$308 000 or the equivalent in local currency at the interbank rate.

In response to Mr Mphoko’s demands, the Government, through the Civil Division in the Attorney-General’s Office, said it will pay his pension in local currency.

The letter, addressed to Mr Ncube, stated that Mr Mphoko will not receive any other benefits that he is claiming.

“We take note of your application filed on 4 October, 2019 and served on the Public Service Commission on 8 October, 2019,” reads part of the letter signed by Ms Rejoice Hove on behalf of the director of the Civil Division.

“However, our client’s attitude on the matter is that they will pay your client pension only as provided for in the Constitution, and no other benefits.

“Furthermore, the payment will be effected in Zimbabwe dollars in accordance with the country’s laws.”

According to the letter, the amount for Mr Mphoko’s pension will be subjected to computation by the Pensions Office in consultation with the SSB.

The AG’s Office indicated that it will file opposing affidavits on behalf of the respondents despite being out of time in terms of High Court Rules.

In his founding affidavit contained in the application, Mr Mphoko said having joined the civil service in October 1981, he was entitled to his benefits and pension.

“This is an application for a declaratur to declare unconstitutional the withholding of my pension by the respondents and for ancillary relief,” he said.

“I joined the civil service in October 1981 and served as an Ambassador of Zimbabwe to various countries.

“On December 10, 2014, I was appointed to the position of Vice President of the country, a position I held until I was removed from office in November 2017.”

Mr Mphoko argued that in terms of section 102(3) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, he was entitled to a pension which is equivalent to the salary of a sitting Vice President.

“From the time I left office, I have not received a single dime in respect of my pension,” he said.

Mr Mphoko said despite approaching Dr Sibanda to assist him secure his benefits, there has been no joy, prompting him to approach the courts for a declaratur.

He said in the event that salaries are adjusted before the order being sought is granted, the respondents should pay him at the prevailing interbank rate.

State Media|FOUR miners at Esikhoveni Mine in Esigodini, Matabeleland South Province, are feared dead after a movable cabin they were working in collapsed and fell into a 62-metre mine shaft on Monday morning.

The incident occurred at around 7.30am and efforts are underway to rescue the quartet named as Andrea Malunga (79), Ashton Shiwilimba (86), Dumisani Sibanda (43) and Tapiwa Moyo (41).

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police were working with stakeholders to rescue the four, but there was no geological map of the mine, he said.

The mine is owned by Mr Jan Blighnut and it is an old mine that was run by Germans years ago.

Asst Comm Nyathi said relatives of the four were officially informed.

“Police are still conducting investigations to ascertain what transpired and we are working together with relevant stakeholders,” he said.

In an interview with ZTN, the mine manager, Mr Vessel Mpofu said the four were working inside a shed that was unknowingly established on a disused mine shaft when the structure suddenly collapsed around 7.30am.

“We then informed the police and the Ministry of Mines officials. They came here and we began the search. The search continued until 8pm last night (on Monday night) and we resumed this morning at 7.30am.

“We are, however, experiencing challenges in our rescue efforts,” he said.

He said this is the first time the mine has experienced a major incident since operations commenced in 2002.

Meanwhile, the Civil Protection Department (CPD) has also roped in How Mine’s rescue team and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to assist.

Acting Umzingwane CPD chairperson, Siphathisiwe Mlotshwa said the arrival of an excavator will see the start of the rescue mission, despite persistent rains. Workers at Esikhoveni Mine were due to close for the festive holidays yesterday.

Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has filed an urgent application at the High Court seeking an order against some members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) who allegedly evicted his workers from Karoi Country Club.

In his application filed at the court on Tuesday, Mliswa, who is the chairman of the club, cited Joseph Serima Manjengwe, Alick Chingodza, Life Magedi and Bridget Chingodza as respondents.

He argues that the war veterans on November 29 this year allegedly took the law into their own hands by forcibly occupying the premises, changed locks and evicted his employees without a court order.

They indicated that the war veterans’ association had been given a permit by Karoi Town Council to use the country club for youth projects but no proof of such authority was exhibited to any of the country club’s employees who were present.

Mliswa wants a court order for the youths to vacate the premises and be banned from interfering with the running of the club.

He argues that the case must be treated urgently on the grounds that he and his workers had been evicted from the club premises and their property was still on the premises amidst threats that it would be destroyed.
The case is yet to be heard.State media

Farai Dziva|
OVER 70 000 prospective Form One pupils are yet to secure Form One places, it has emerged.

100 000 pupils applied for boarding places and only places are available, government has revealed.

In a statement, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema said pupils who will not make it into boarding schools must accept it and be enrolled into day schools in their communities.

“The nation has 24 000 boarding places. We estimate that about 100 000 learners are seeking boarding places.

Those who will not be successful in securing boarding places will, therefore, be accommodated at day schools in their school zones,” said Mathema.

Farai Dziva|The Movement for Democratic Change has said the desperate Zanu PF regime has run out of ideas to revive the economy.

See the party’s full statement:
It was a classic case of political persecution and not criminal prosecution. Period.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) feels totally vindicated by the outcome of the State’s case against our Youth Assembly Secretary General, Gift Ostallos Siziba.

Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti on Monday 9th December 2019, set free leader Siziba after ordering that he be removed from remand for allegedly inciting people to revolt against the ED-led illegitimate regime.

Leader Siziba had been appearing in court since he was arrested by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers on Wednesday 10th July 2019 and charged with incitement to commit public violence as defined in section 187 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

From the day he was arrested, we as the MDC have consistently insisted that leader Siziba was clearly being targeted for political victimisation by the illegitimate regime.

Indeed, leader Siziba’s only real crime was that he had chosen to stand out in public and openly fight for a better future for the millions of long-suffering Zimbabweans

Leader Siziba is certainly not the only one who has been politically victimised using our courts.

The list of political victims has been growing relentlessly ever since the so-called New Dispensation took over power in Zimbabwe.

Indeed, in the last two years, more and more outspoken opposition politicians and civil society activists have been targetted for unjust political victimisation using our courts.

One case that been diverted towards all our outspoken opposition politicians and civil society activists.

The people’s party is also demanding for the unconditional release of all current political prisoners such as Last Maengahama and Tungamirai Madzokere.

MDC: Change That Delivers!

Daniel Molokele
MDC Spokesperson
071 372 6552

Farai Dziva|The Zimbabwean government has been accused of illegally obtaining electricity from Eskom.

See below an article published by Ihlayanews.com:

The Zimbabwean government has been powering almost half of their country from illegal connections and Eskom had been trying to figure out where the lost electricity is actually going without success until the past weekend.

Zimbabwe had an Electricity deal with Eskom in which they are defaulting by over R300 million rands which is nothing compared to the electricity they had been stealing for years without Eskom’s knowledge.

The Zimbabwean government had targeted power lines and sub-stations near the Limpopo river.

They ran their connections underground into the Limpopo river and then into their country.

Over the years Eskom had learned that whenever there is load shedding in parts of Limpopo near the border some areas in Zimbabwe get affected too but that was not enough for and investigation.

It appeared that someone did not pass the torch in the electricity department in Zimbabwe that the new Zimbabwean electricity authorities started complaining to Eskom to at least inform them when there is load shedding coming up. Eskom does not do load shedding on the electricity they sell legally to Zimbabwe. That was the first red flag.

Now after the recent heavy rains, some of the connections were mess up under the Limpopo river they asked Eskom to assist and that’s when the 15-year long theft was discovered.

As of now, it is not clear if there is any South African involved in this electricity heist.

By A Correspondent- Former Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere says he is not guilty of the US$ 3 Billion that has been reportedly lost to land barons due to illegal land deals involving state land.

When threatened that he will be arrested over the issue Kasuskuwere said he is the one that initiated that Land Commission of Inquiry.

“I initiated the Land Commission of Inquiry and decision adopted at a cabinet meeting chaired by HE Mugabe. Your excitement is misplaced and short lived for you shall soon come across reality. It was meant to correct a situation not for vindictiveness.”

The former ZANU PF Commissar challenged every everyone who is accusing him of illegitimately benefitting from the deals to take the matters to the police.

So you worked very hard to acquire that million dollar mansion and all those assets without funny government swindling in that short space of time??, I admire your ethic then

“By the time I joined government as Minister in 2005, I had built businesses throughout the country and region. I still maintain very strong ties with banks and building societies who have funded and advanced loans to my entities.

“Please hand over the files to the Police and ZACC. I have nothing to hide and that’s why I returned in May and September 2018. If there are any other allegations let me know.”

One of the pre-requisite of good governance in leadership and development is transparency and accountability which boosts confidence and investor’s interests.

Writes Eric Tinahse Muzamhindo:

In short, since the departure of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe has witnessed rampant corruption in all critical sectors of the economy, and this is a clear sign and admission of failure on Governance.

The few remaining potential investors will only adhere to our issues once we stick to the rules of accountability and transparency. The only trump card we can use for re-engagement on international platforms is a clean sheet of accountability of an every single dollar which belongs to the tax payers.

I have few fundamental aspects which I feel the Government of Zimbabwe is obliged to when dealing with State funds and resources. It is the duty and obligation of those in charge of the instruments of power and state resources to show remorse and principality when dealing with tax payer’s money and resources belonging to the state.

Since the expulsion of Zimbabwe from common wealth and other world bodies we have never recovered economically, and most of these international partners and creditors have given a lifeline of transparency and accountability as a measuring tool for re-admission. My question is simple, how do we run a successful economic recovery plan without the involvement of development partners who can contribute Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)?

5.9 Billion Which went missing for Command Agriculture

I went through the budget statement and Muthuli’s presentation in Parliament today, he never uttered anything about the 5.9 billion which went missing. Surprisingly, not even a single legislator from the opposition spoke about this delicate issue? Opposition is supposed to be providing checks and balance to the Government by promoting transparency and accountability. 5.9 billion Is a huge amount which could buy grain for the next 10-15 years and put some in reserves? As we speak, we have grain that can last for the next two months.

More than 4.1 million is facing starvation. In the past food security was a serious concern in rural areas, but presently, more than 3 million people are facing starvation in urban areas. Half of the population in urban areas is surviving on less than 0.50 cents (USD) a day.

My simple question is where did the 5.9 billion go? What happened to the 5.9 billion? According to Ministry officials from Agriculture and Finance, when they appeared before the parliamentary committee chaired by Harare lawmaker Tendai Biti, there was no single invoice or voucher of the prescribed amount.

This is why we have a difficult problem of economic recovery because of people who loot national resources which they have not worked for. Sakunda Holdings was given 5.9 billion backdated from 2017 after the military coup to date, according to the Auditor General report, and there was no single invoice or voucher for the amount. How then do we expect investments to flow to Zimbabwe when we have such a scenario where public funds disappear without trace?

Under Funding the Auditor General Office

I was following live parliamentary debates when Muthuli Ncube was defending his budget statements after some few adjustments. Legislators from both parties, Zanu PF and MDC Alliance, together with independent legislator Temba Mliswa questioned Muthuli Ncube why the auditor General office is receiving 0.01% of the budget, and yet according to law or even in comparison of other countries, the office of the Auditor General is supposedly to receive 1% of the total budget for funding so that they can be able to fulfil their duties and obligations. The question from William Madzimure directed to Finance Minister, whether it is a deliberate ploy by the Minister to under-fund the office of the Auditor General as acts of sabotage or lack of resources?

No explanation on the 2% tax returns

Since the collection of the two percent from citizens, there is no adequate report about how much was collected from citizens, how much was re-directed to the mainstream economy? The breakdown of the critical analysis breakdown of the critical path?

Breakdown of the income and expenditure pertaining to the tax and its obligations. This has not been despite approaching 2020. In actual terms, the budget statement did not acknowledge the receipt of the two percent revenue collections, this was simply done in bracket terms, in a mere statement and no proper breakdown and other ground rules of finance.

I remember very well, Finance Minister during his mid-term review policy, he mentioned about cutting expenditure of the executive, on their salaries and allowances, from that amble time he has never come back to parliament to give a report on how much was raised from the executive and ministers after cutting expenditure and allowances from the executive.

Monthly, quarterly and annual reports are important

How do we work in an environment where there is no reporting particularly when millions of state funds are being abused with individuals? Parliament should not even ask for these reports, it is the duty of the minister to report back to the nation on how state funds were used during the 2018/19 season. We have ministries that were allocated state funds meant for development, road projects, devolution, farming equipment etc, and there is never a single report regarding to that effect.

Today he spoke of resources for census which he said will be mobilized from somewhere? I was utterly shocked when the finance minister said we will mobilize 85 million from somewhere? Is the finance portfolio his personal entity or account to an extent that you will simply tell the whole nation that we are mobilizing the resources somewhere without telling the nation clearly where those funds are coming from? Under what terms? Under which conditions? How did he arrive at 85 million?

Opposition MPs were quiet when this blanket statement was made in parliament today. In actual terms, 85 million is a huge figure and it is supposedly to go through parliament for approval under the consolidated revenue fund (CRF).

Public Accounts Committee

This is one of the committees doing exceptionally well in Parliament. There must be a round of applause for Tendai Biti, Madzimure and others on this one. They have managed to grill public officials on public funds which were diverted for personal use. There was an attempt to dissolve this committee under the pretext that it was undermining the rules of the standing orders and rules for parliament on legitimacy issues.

This actually came after opposition MPs refused to stand for President Mnangagwa in Parliament. I’m for the idea that this committee must be well oiled with resources so that it works closely with the Auditor General’s office and anti-corruption so that they will bring sanity in public institutions.

Most public officials have been absconding after realizing that Biti is a hard liner in finance matters and they were not prepared to face the former finance minister, and they were forced to give excuses.

Grabbing of mines and farms around the country

It is disturbing to note that there are several reports with the regards to grabbing of mines and farms around the country, particularly Midlands, Mash central and other parts of Mash west. Whilst I may agree to the one man one farm policy, it is not ideal to use force acquire state land.

We have the Mugabes, controlling over 13 farms around the country, but this must be done properly. We easily scare the potential investors who may be willing to partner with Zimbabwe in critical sectors of the economy.

These farms were supposed to be gazette using an act of parliament, and the minister of agriculture was supposed to give a detailed report on the acquisition of farms which were grabbed by Mugabe family. Impeccable sources clearly indicate that several mines have been invaded countrywide using the militia group popularly known as the “mashurugwis” which have become a security threat to national stability.

What is surprisingly is that not even a single statement has been issued regarding to the effect. My question is how do we widen the tax base in these critical sectors of the economy such as mines and agriculture when mines and farms are being grabbed?

Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo (PhD Candidate in Development studies) writes in his personal capacity as the Director of Global Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (GIPAR), which is responsible for Policy and Research. He is also a leading consultant in Project Management. He also holds a B.A from Solusi University, MA from University of Lusaka, Zambia and Post-Grad from University of Zimbabwe.

By A Correspondent| At the ongoing England Winter Championships, Zimbabwean swimmer Liam Davis broke the 200M short course breaststroke previously set by Liam O’Hara.

This was revealed by Sports Rifle 7/24 in a tweet when they said;

From Liam O’Hara’s to Liam Davis Huge congratulations to Zimbabwean swimmer Liam Davis for breaking the200m short course breaststroke record last night at that England Winter Championship. Liam Davis broke Liam O ‘Hara’s 2.14.44 record to 2.13.54 

Liam joins teenage swimmer Donata Katai in breaking records and winning swimming medals in 2019.

By A Correspondent- Controversial Public Official,  Information Deputy Minister Energy Mutodi once again, in a way that left some Twimbos with question marks when he took a swipe at the commonwealth and called it a club of former colonies.

Mutodi was talking about “them” not having excitement about rejoining commonwealth when he said:

Re-joining the Commonwealth may be crucial to the UK & to Ambassador Melanie Robinson from one angle but to us there is no excitement in rejoining a club of former colonies without guarantee of mutual respect & sovereignty. The game of endless reforms is shameful.

Mutodi also claimed, the British are after Africa’s natural resources and Zimbabwe is fine with China and Russia as their allies.

They obviously need a longer list of former colonies in their solely controlled Commonwealth club. Remember there are still a lot of natural resources to exploit in Africa with Zim shining with platinum. But we have China & Russia. We will not be desperate to join Commonwealth

Mutodi is known for his controversial tweets which some think are not befitting a man of his position.

By A Correspondent| LEAD President Linda Masarira has revealed that a Zimbabwean man has been burnt inside his home in Capetown, South Africa.

Masarira said:

“I am sad to announce the passing on of Archie, Maria Masarira’s first born. He was burnt in his house in Capetown last night. Funeral arrangements will be advised soon. I am in so much pain.”

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF national political commissar Victor Matemadanda has threatened to dissolve the party’s Midlands provincial leadership led by chairperson Daniel Mackenzie Ncube on allegations of sleeping on duty.

Speaking at a provincial coordinating committee meeting in Gweru on Saturday, Matemadanda accused the Midlands top brass of sitting on its laurels and failing to grow the Zanu PF support base since the 2018 harmonised elections.

Despite Zanu PF having grabbed 23 out of 28 parliamentary seats in the Midlands, Matemadanda said the overall performance of the party including the votes that President Emmerson Mnangagwa got was “almost dismal”.

“I came here not happy and proud because of the performance we had in the last harmonised elections. What disappoints me more is that I have not heard of a programme that you have had as a province to research on why we performed almost dismally,” he said.

“I have not heard of any leader in the province who has said let us find out what hit us. In this province, that is where the President (Mnangagwa) comes from. Then we have MDC coming here to have their congress, where (Nelson) Chamisa stole power. That is being belittled.”

Matemadanda warned that the provincial leadership could be dissolved because of failure to act on poor performance.

“It is unfortunate that I had to start speaking on a sad note, but if I tell you that I am happy I will be lying. I wanted to come here and hear you saying we lost in the elections but this is what made us lose and we are now correcting the poor performance this way. Otherwise you chairman (Mackenzie) and your province you will be dissolved by the new dispensation,” he said.

While some Zanu PF hardliners, including Mnangagwa himself, have been calling for the flushing out of G40 remnants, Matemadanda said they should be embraced.

“What I hear here (in Midlands) are problems. Scheme after scheme… scheme after scheme… plotting against each other. The job that we were given by President Mnangagwa is to make sure that as many people as possible join the party… some (party leaders), however, will say this person we know him, he is G40 (so he can’t join the party.)”

“In what we call war veterans today, there are former Rhodesian soldiers who were captured and indoctrinated with the party’s ideology. They then came back to lead the (liberation) war. So the aim of the party is not to create as many enemies as possible but to recruit more people… you cannot be a province known for turning away people from the party,” Matemadanda said.

Contacted for comment, MDC secretary for elections Jacob Mafume said:

Matemadanda is the thief of power. He cannot talk about president Nelson Chamisa. They stole power from (the late former) President Robert Mugabe in a coup to the extent he was even afraid of them until his death. He had to be buried in a fortified grave because he was afraid they could even “coup” his remains. The MDC Gweru congress was in order and president Chamisa did not steal power. He was elected by the MDC people.”

— NewsDay

By A Correspondent- The government has dismissed social media reports circulating purporting that the government has bumped up the Doctors’ wages with amounts varying from $8 000 to $26 000 the state media reports.

Disputing the rumours, a statement released by the Health Ministry’s Public Relations Department reads in part:

It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Health and Child Care that there is a document circulating on social media purporting an upward review of doctors remuneration package by Government. This statement is false and mischievous as Government has not reviewed salaries of doctors and other Health workers in the manner purported in this document.

Government distances itself from this false announcement, which should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. The last official review of salaries by Government was in September 2019 when all its Health workers where awarded a 100 percent increase, which still stands.

Doctors have been on strike for the past 14 weeks and have raised 10 issues of concern with the government which they claim are running down the public hospitals. 

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Two Zimbabwean students from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Andile Dube and Cephas Svosve have won prestigious scholarships to further their studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom under the 2020 Zimbabwe Rhodes Scholarship.

Dube, a final year medical student at NUST, is passionate about trauma care and at Oxford he hopes to study Musculoskeletal Science with a focus on trauma management.

Dr Tariro Makadzange, National Secretary for Rhodes Scholarship in Zimbabwe confirmed the development and said that Dube was also an avid tennis player and he had committed a substantial amount of his time to research, advocacy, and education in surgery.

“His work in surgery so far has been achieved through the Zimbabwe Student Surgical Network of medical students and interns – an Organisation which he founded,” she said.

Another beneficiary, Svosve, a philanthropist went to St Faith High School and proceeded to NUST where he has been studying Actuarial Science and is now headed for a Master of Science Degree in the field of Mathematical and Computational Finance at the University of Oxford.

Aspiring to be a quantitative analyst, Svosve has a dream to develop High Technology Investment Banking in Zimbabwe to enhance protection of the value of pension funds against inflation risk through pushing for responsible investments that are Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) directed. These include directing funds for investments in clean energy resources.

Cephas also has plans to grow his cofounded scholarship foundation called Peniel Foundation that is currently sponsoring four Students at St Faith Primary School in Rusape operating under the mantra Advancing Equal Opportunities in Education.

“The two Zimbabwe 2020 Rhodes Scholars will have the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford and join an elite alumni network that includes Zimbabwe Rhodes scholars such as James Manyika, Cyril Ruwende, former Zimbabwe deputy prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and a global community of Rhodes scholars that include former and current presidents, prime ministers, scientists, leading academics, Nobel laureates, writers, lawyers, and business leaders, among others,” Makadzange said.

Makadzange said the two were chosen after a shortlist of interviews with the following 10 candidates.

Tariro Chatiza – UCT; BMedSci (First); BSc in Biological Sciences (Distinction), Arundel High School.

• Michael Dzine – Asheshi University (Ghana); BSc Electrical Engineering; St George’s and Zengeza High School.

• Joy Rukanzakanza – Bryn Mawr, PA USA; BA International Studies; Sizane High.

• Andile Dube – MSc (Res) NUST Medicine and Dentistry; CBC, Bulawayo.

• Blessing Maunze – UZ, LLB ; St Faiths High School.

• Stewart Mangezi – Asheshi University, Ghana; BSc Electrical Engineering; Marondera High.

• Cephas Svosve  – NUST; BSc Actuarial Sciences; St Faith’s.

• Kieran Dunn – BPhil Philosophy; Colby College – BA in History, Philosophy and Theology (one year at Trinity College Dublin); Hellenic.

• Nomaquikiza Nkala – Jacobs University Bremen, Germany; BSc Electrical Engineering (1); Arundel

• Prince Chakanyuka – University of Edinburgh; BSc in Chemistry, St George’s, and Mufakose 2 High School.

The Rhodes Scholarship identifies young talented individuals (25 years and below) who would have excelled academically and shown leadership, strong intellect, character and commitment to service.

By A Correspondent- A syndicate in South Africa has been unmasked as four Zimbabwean women reportedly face 20-year jail terms in Mauritius after they smuggled 1,487 kg of heroin worth R22 million in their bellies and bags.

The alleged drug mules Mercy Mudembo, 24, Kohwai Lisa, 24, Mitchel Makuwaza and Patience Sami were arrested upon arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport in Mauritius from South Africa.

The four allegedly disguised in religious T-shirts and lied to customs officials that they were on a Catholic Church pilgrimage.

Reports say their bosses are based in South Africa and recruit Zimbabwean women promising huge amounts of money then eventually use them as drug mules.

Furthermore, it is alleged that the mules are fed heroin with instructions not to eat anything until they arrive at their destination so that they excrete pellets of heroine.

One Mery Kahla who identified one of the women named Mitchel Makuwaza lamented how she had left her nine month old baby and husband in Kempton Park.

“Ohhh my goodness second from left is my sister’s best friend ane mwana haasati ambosvitsa gore i am so shocked and crying at the same time, she moved to Johannesburg last year hanzvadzi yake iri kuno ku Capetown.

“I just called my sister hapana kana hama yake ikuzviziva akasiya mwana nemurume wacho, murume wacho hanzi arikuti akaenda ku London ndabuda musodzi ndakatombogara naye mwana uyu,” she said.

A source who escaped by a whisker after she was almost recruited to join the syndicate revealed to H-Metro how the syndicate operates.

“Yvette ndiye anouya oti haudi kuenda kunze kwenyika here, paunodzoka wopihwa R20 000 kana wadzoka and anongokupa contact yema Nigerians then meet up with them.

“Ana Yvette basa ravo kurecruiter vaskana then u go moudzwa zvekuita.

“If passport is overstayed they fix it for you chavanoda kuti uende chete.

“U won’t be knowing kwaukuenda munhu arikumberi ndiye anokuonai kana masvika be it neHembe dzamenge makapfeka or Pic or number.

“You know around Kempton Park kwakazara maNigerians and they always recruit girls kuti vaende nzvimbo dzakasiyana delivering drugs but ana Mitchy they thought they could aim big going overseas with drugs.

“Dai vasina kubvuma kuenda kunze at least deliver around SA sezvinoita vamwe zvaive nani,” said the source.

H-Metro contacted Yvette from South Africa for comment and she threw obscenities to this reporter saying they got what they deserved.

“Makuzondibhowa manje, tsvagai ma criminals kwete kutsvagana nesu, saka mati mukati H-Metro ndovhunduka here.

“H-Metro inoshanda kwamuri not kwandiri kuno, ivo vaida mari vakama*a, asi mari yacho manga muchiidawo here,” she said.

Rosh Cee wrote a comment on Facebook on how the drug mules are used by drug lords.

“It’s a cartel guys, at the airport they usually know who has drugs… so even if you report I’m sure the kingpins would know uri snitch and either way unourayiwa.

“Security is not as clean as we think, vanozobatwa ava its just a destruction otherwise pakatopfuura lots of kgs zuva racho iroro.

“Otherwise pakatopinda zi huge consignment on the other side but the officials were tipped to look out for vasikana vema t-shirts, attention yese ikaiswa ikoko.

“Kunobatiswa one or a few to cause confusion and shift attention from the main horses vanenge vane bigger stuff,” she said.

Lulu Mutomba added:

“Hakuna munhu anomedza madrugs asingazive zvaari kuita.

“Uyo ane mwana knew the risk yacho before she did and she chose dirty money over mwana.

“Some of us have been approached but ukaramba vanosiyana newe.

“Working an honest job has never killed any1, nyaya yequick money ndiyo inonetsa.

“These people befriend u vokuratidza good life, so iwe if u struggling u will want in on the game.

“That’s when they tell u how they do it and how easy it is and they rarely lie to you.

“Unotoudzwa pachena senyaya at first and when they come vanouya vakachena all glamourous even take you out for a bit se girls.

“And iwewe unotozvibvunza kuti ko sei zvangu zvirikuramba you ask ka uchida kuziva how they are doing it woudzwaa pachena chena but then decision to join is all yours hautombomanikidzwe plus vanenge vanotoona face kuti haa ava ndohwina ava.

“Asi kumedza unenge uchitoziva zvauri kuita zvasiyana nekunzi huya kusouth ndakuwanira basa woti wasvika ikoko woona yohwee ava vanotokuudza pachena.

“They have their people scouting in different locations looking out for vanoda zveku slayer nhema vaye vanoda the good life.

“Just be careful and do not trust anyone or wish to have someone else’s life.

“Aya madhiri unotopinda uchiziva.

“Kungoti zvakaenda nepamwe,” she said.

-StateMedia

VIDEO LOADING BELOW….

There will be a feast befitting a king. There will be eating and drinking for close to 10 000 people.

In the midst of such bountiful supply, the feast will take place among many hungry stomachs.

Such has become the mark of Zanu PF conferences and congresses.

They have become choreographed scenes of how to devour huge meals in the presence of salivating onlookers.

Never mind the national food crisis which raised panic in the international community, especially the United Nations.

Zanu PF will feast while the nation fasts and of course not by choice.

As of yesterday, according a report by the ruling party, 53 beasts were to be slaughtered while eight tonnes of maize have since been delivered.

Five tonnes of chicken will be consumed during the mega event, while farmers mainly in Mashonaland East province have pledged tomatoes and vegetables.

Goromonzi High School is the venue with delegates from across the country being accommodated in distant places which shows that the ruling party has availed thousands of litres of fuel for its supporters.

Some of the delegates will be housed at Marondera High School, others at Mandedza High School in Seke while some will be attending the conference from St Johns High School.

“We have 90 buses and they will be arriving here (venue) on Thursday. They (delegates) will have their lunch and dinner here before they go to where they will be staying,” Zanu PF director for administration Dickson Dzora said.

Top 5 Largest Data Breaches Of All Time Affected Millions Of People

On Monday, leading meat company Koala was busy offloading all sorts of meat at the school’s kitchen.

Officials from power utility Zesa were also busy putting final touches as they installed a transformer at the venue while a heavy generator is on standby in case of electricity problems.

Government parastatals Zinwa and DDF have drilled boreholes as well as create a car park that will accommodate thousands of cars.

Mobile network service providers have since erected boosters at Goromonzi High School to ensure smooth availability of internet services.

“It’s all systems go. This will be a memorable conference and as Mashonaland East province we are happy that we have everything in place despite the short time we had,” said Seke legislator Munyaradzi Kashambe, who is also Zanu PF’s provincial secretary for finance.

The road that connects the venue from the Harare-Mutare Highway has since been spruced up while other feeder roads in Goromonzi district have been rehabilitated.

However, it is the tent set up that will leave many concluding that Zanu PF has splashed millions of dollars for this year’s conference.

At least 20 offices have been established apart from the main auditorium that will accommodate more than 7 000 party delegates.

The hosting constituency, Goromonzi North, has pledged to furnish President Emmerson Mnangagwa, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and Mnangagwa’s deputies’ offices with new furniture.

The security system at the entrance has been upgraded with one’s face to appear upon the scanning of a bar code on the accreditation card.

Despite the opulence, the highway to the venue tells a different story at the same time exposing the gap between the rich and the poor.

Women and children are found by the roadside selling wild fruit, popularly known as mazhanje, as they try to eke out a living in a country whose economy is in abyss.

To them, the conference offers a big opportunity to maximise their sales ahead of the festive season. All in all, Zanu PF’s penchant of spoiling its delegates still stands.

The latest feasting comes after two others that include the anti-sanctions march and youth convention that also gobbled a lot of money.

By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s top ally Christopher Mutsvangwa yesterday angrily stormed out of a debate after he was confronted over the manner in which government reintroduced the local currency and rendered savings and pensions worthless.

Mutsvangwa was unhappy over interjections by MDC secretary.

More to follow….

Wednesday marked a hundred days since doctors in Zimbabwe went on strike.

The industrial action, which began on 3 September, affected most major hospitals.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government appeared hopeful that after 100 days, the doctors’ strike may finally be drawing to a close.

The Health Services Board said at least 80 doctors applied to return to work after an offer of financial support was made by the Higher Life Foundation, a charity run by billionaire Strive Masiyiwa. But, that figure was still only a fraction of the 1,600 doctors in government service.

Most of them had joined the strike.

Own Correspondent|The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe has revealed that it will increase the price of mealie meal if the Ministry of Finance does not avail the subsidy that it promised to the millers.

The Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube announced that after President Emmerson Mnangagwa reversed the removal of subsidies, the Ministry will give the millers money for subsidies.

Read the full message from GMAZ below:

Reference is made to our agreed subsidy regime arrangement on roller-meal which you correctly announced to the consuming public last week.

Regrettably, Ministry of Finance is yet to make good on its upfront payment of the subsidy funds to millers.

However, as a gesture of goodwill, millers had already started to reduce prices. Unfortunately, our members are financially handicapped to continue selling at the subsidised prices in the absence of the subsidies paid upfront as agreed.

Accordingly, unless the said funds are provided today, our members will have no choice but to revert back to previous prices on Thursday 12 December, 2019.

Popular Economist and commentator Eddie Cross has penned the following items and labelled them his Christmas wishlist. Here is Eddie’s Christmas Wishlist for his country:

1. The first item is, these wretched shortages: Fuel, power and food basics…We have to switch the procurement of these essential commodities to the private sector and use the infrastructure of the SOEs to deal with logistics and storage.
2. The second item on my wish list is property rights. It is time that we recognised, as a nation, not just in government, that property rights are sacrosanct. If we do not have a legal system and a government or even a national perspective on this issue, we are going nowhere.
3. My third wish on the list is to adopt policies that recognise the value of foreign exchange and the need to use it responsibly and on a market-driven allocation basis. Right now we have a system that transfers control over foreign exchange from those who have earned it to people who control its allocation as a source of power, influence and privilege
4. My fourth wish is that we as a nation must strive in 2020 to agree on where we are going as a country. The Bible says that a ”house divided cannot stand” and that ”a nation without vision will perish”. At present we are stuck with both problems and we must accept that unless we get to grips with this issue we will not make real progress and maintain our stability.
5. My fifth wish is that we get to grips with how we manage our local authorities. What we are doing now is just not working.
6. Finally, our leadership must recognise that no Nation can make its way in the world of today without a good education and health services. We spend a lot of money on both, but performance is deteriorating and fast. If we do not get this right we put all our futures, not just the next generation, at risk.

More: Newsday

Chitungwiza acting town clerk Engineer David Duma and director of Housing Mrs Hazel Sithole have been suspended with immediate effect pending finalisation of their cases of criminal abuse of office.

Government has since written to the municipality notifying them of the suspension, which the full council endorsed during their meeting on last night.

Duma and Sithole allegedly sold a commercial stand for the construction of a service station in Seke without following laid down procedures.

The pair, is also alleged to have unlawfully sold another commercial stand at Chigovanyika Shopping Centre in St Mary’s without following the correct procedures.

Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) director Mrs Alice Kuvheya welcomed the decision to suspend the pair fingered in corruption.

Karanda Bridge deck which is under-construction was last night swept away by heavy rains that have pounded Mount Darwin for the past two days.

Rushinga Member of Parliament Tendai Nyabani confirmed the incident but referred questions to Mt Darwin East legislator Norman Marikisi who was not readily available for a comment.

“It’s confirmed the bridge was swept away last night and I have also shared the information on social media but that is not my constituency. The washed away bridge borders Mt Darwin South and Mt Darwin East constituencies,” said Nyabani.

Harare City Council has increased its towing and clamping fees 1000 fold effective this Friday following Government’s approval.

The fees used to range from $57 to $90.

Wheel clamping of light motor vehicle will now cost $500 from $57, while for commuter omnibus 15-seater will be $600 and $700 for an 18-seater.

Conventional buses and lorries will now be penalised $800 and articulated heavy lorries $900.

For tow away, charges will now range from $500 to $800 depending with the type of the vehicle.

Light motor vehicles will now be charged $500, commuter omnibus 15-seater and 18-seaters is now pegged at $700 and $800 respectively.

The city’s acting communications corporate manager Mr Innocent Ruwende confirmed the new charges.

Own Correspondent|A number of long-distance passengers have been left destitute after losing everything when the bus they were travelling in caught fire on the N1 Highway, Southbound, just after William Nicol on Wednesday morning.

The bus was carrying 44 passengers, many of them were women and children, and was en route from Cape Town to Zimbabwe. 

Emergency services have been on the scene to assess the incident.

Department of Transport’s spokesperson, Ayanda Allie-Paine says no injuries or fatalities were reported.

“Passengers lost everything they had saved up for and purchased for their family members back home,” says Allie-Paine. 

Watch below as Allie-Paine speaks to one of the  Zimbabwean national Viola Sunday says she lost all her documentation in the blaze and that her child was her priority when smoke engulfed the passenger bus.

Allie-Paine also shows the aftermath of the fire where passengers are seen trying to salvage what is left of their luggage.

By A Correspondent- The government has dismissed social media reports circulating purporting that the govt has bumped up the Doctors’ wages with amounts varying from $8 000 to $26 000.

Disputing the rumours, a statement released by the Health Ministry’s Public Relations Department reads in part:

It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Health and Child Care that there is a document circulating on social media purporting an upward review of doctors remuneration package by Government. This statement is false and mischievous as Government has not reviewed salaries of doctors and other Health workers in the manner purported in this document.

Government distances itself from this false announcement, which should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. The last official review of salaries by Government was in September 2019 when all its Health workers where awarded a 100 percent increase, which still stand.

Doctors have been on strike for the past 14 weeks and have raised 10 issues of concern with the government which they claim are running down the public hospitals. 

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Chitungwiza acting town clerk Engineer David Duma and director of Housing Mrs Hazel Sithole have been suspended with immediate effect pending finalisation of their cases of criminal abuse of office.

Government has since written to the municipality notifying them of the suspension, which the full council endorsed during their meeting on last night.

Duma and Sithole allegedly sold a commercial stand for the construction of a service station in Seke without following laid down procedures.

The pair, is also alleged to have unlawfully sold another commercial stand at Chigovanyika Shopping Centre in St Mary’s without following the correct procedures.

Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) director Mrs Alice Kuvheya welcomed the decision to suspend the pair fingered in corruption.

-StateMedia

CROSS border bus crews have been urged to tighten security on the road through avoiding picks and drops at undesignated points as well as searching all passengers using metal detectors.

They were also reminded to keep records of their passengers as a security measure.

An upsurge in cases where travellers are robbed of groceries and cash while on the South Africa-Zimbabwe route prompted the police and the passenger associations to issue out warnings and give bus drivers safety tips.

The latest case is the recent hijacking of an Inter Cape Bus that was travelling to Harare from South Africa by eight armed robbers. The incident occurred on the South African side.

The criminals were armed with an AK 47 rifle, pistols and knives. The passengers had boarded the bus at Park Station in Johannesburg at around 7.30pm on Saturday night to Harare and the hijacking occurred soon after leaving Pretoria after the first toll plaza. Four of the robbers were part of the passengers.

Robbers, who pose as desperate transport seekers are now targeting buses during the night. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi urged bus operators to intensify their security.

“We have been always saying bus operators should step up on their security to ensure passengers are safe and secure at all costs.

“They should also keep the particulars of their passengers with them.

“We also encourage drivers not to stop at any place for recess because some of these people who demand recess, would be working in connivance with robbers.

“We are also urging members of the public to be alert when travelling,” he said.

Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) president Mr Tafadzwa Goliati said drivers should desist from the habit of picking up and dropping passengers at undesignated points as they put their passengers at risk.

“Bus operators should advise their drivers to avoid picking up and dropping passengers at undesignated points.

“They should not be greedy for money. Reputable bus operators do not do that hence they are not robbed.

“Bus crews should also have the passenger manifesto bearing the names of all the passengers and this will assist them to identify those who could have committed any criminal activity,” he said.