May 2015

Sunday 31 May 2015

16 ESCAPE DEATH AS SPEEDING KOMBI LANDS IN DITCH

Sigit Chaw 16:08
SIXTEEN people escaped death by a whisker yesterday when the driver of a commuter omnibus they were travelling in failed to negotiate a curve and the vehicle veered off the road and landed on its roof in a ditch along Khami road in Bulawayo.



Two people were seriously injured in the accident which happened at around 2:30PM.
The kombi was travelling from the city centre to Nkulumane 12 suburb with 18 passengers on board. Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo confirmed the accident.
“Yes we received an accident report which happened around 2:30 PM along Khami road and we’re still investigating the cause of the accident. Two people were seriously injured and others escaped with minor injuries and were taken to Mpilo Central Hospital,” said Insp Moyo.

Eyewitnesses said the commuter omnibus driver was speeding. Maibongwe Mpofu, one of the kombi passengers, said he heard a sudden bang and the next thing he found himself in a ditch.

“I just heard a bang and I think it was from the impact of the kombi hitting a kerb before it landed on its roof in the ditch. I only found myself in this drainage ditch and I came out unhurt but the driver was speeding,” said Mpofu.

A police officer who witnessed the accident said the young driver was speeding and there are suspicions that he might have been drinking alcohol.

“I was just behind the kombi, travelling from town and I saw it veer off the road in front of me before it overturned and landed in the ditch. I suspect the young driver was drunk because a half empty bottle of whisky was found in the vehicle,” he said.

Another witness urged police to arrest under age drivers and others who drive under the influence of alcohol as they put people’s lives at risk. chronicle

TEEN PROSTITUTE STEALS $2 600 FROM TOBACCO FARMER

Sigit Chaw 15:59
A thieving18-year-old prostitute appeared in court on Friday for allegedly stealing $2 600 from her client, who is a tobacco farmer.

Tanyaradzwa Kapange was charged with theft and appeared before Mbare magistrate Ms Gladys Moyo. She admitted to the allegations. Kapange was remanded in custody to today for sentence.

She told the court that she had stolen from Freedom Chimukuyu (33) during the night because she had noticed that he had a lot of cash on him.
“I knew that he was a tobacco farmer and that he had made sales that day so, I figured where his money was and I stole it,” he said. Facts are that on May 26 around 21:00 hours at Pamview Tobacco Industries in Glen Norah, Chimukuyu took Kapange to a booking room.
The two agreed to spend the night together and Chimukuyu was to pay $10 for Kapange’s services.

The court heard that Chimukuyu fell asleep and Kapange stole $2 600 from his trousers pocket and ran away. Chimukuyu reported the matter to the police leading to Kapange’s arrest.
Mr Stanley Musekiwa prosecuted. herald

600 FAMILIES TO MAKE WAY FOR CEMENT PLANT IN MASVINGO

Sigit Chaw 15:56
OVER 600 families under Chief Charumbira in Masvingo are set to be displaced to pave way for a cement processing plant.

The displacement follows the discovery of rich limestone deposits in the area and about 16 villages will be affected. Initially, 200 villagers are expected to be employed at the plant, among other benefits to the locals.

Masvingo Rural District Council Chief executive officer Martin Mubviro said they had since signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a company that wanted to invest in the venture, Xhing Xhong Cement Company.

“I can confirm that we’ve agreed with an investor who wants to establish a cement plant in Chief Charumbira’s area. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the investor and it is now left to them to start the project. Close to 600 families may be affected although the exact number of those to be moved will be ascertained after feasibility studies are complete. The land where they should be resettled is yet to be identified,” said Mubviro.
He said major infrastructural improvements around Masvingo would be realised once operations begin. “While it may be true that some villagers will feel aggrieved to be moved from their original homes, there is a bigger picture of employment as many unemployed youths are going to get jobs,” he added.

“The plant will also add value to the province’s economy through infrastructural development. People in this province will also get their cement for building nearer, so too businesspeople who deal in building materials. Thus it’ll have an effect on prices of cement.”

The establishment of the cement plant in Masvingo means that the Government will have to look for more land for resettlement as Tokwe-Mukosi victims presently settled at Chingwizi in Mwenezi are scheduled to be moved again to about seven identified farms in Chiredzi and Mwenezi.

HOOKER VIDEO SHAME : TRIAL DATE SET

Sigit Chaw 15:53
The trial of four Harare women who ganged up to humiliate a suspected commercial sex worker by undressing her in public and inserting their fingers into her private parts while recording the incident is set to start on June 9.


Moreblessing Ngome (29) caught her husband red-handed in a compromising position with the woman (name not supplied) in their matrimonial bedroom before mobilising her friends who allegedly helped her to assault the woman.
One of them recorded the act and the video went viral on social media. Ngome is jointly charged with Emily Mabwe (20), Judith Muchenje (23) and Diana Chibanda (32).
The quartet appeared in court last Friday before magistrate Mr Milton Serima, who advised them that their docket was now complete and that they would face trial on June 9.

When they initially appeared in court, Ngome denied inserting her fingers into the woman’s private parts, saying she only punched and slapped her before handing her over to her accomplices while she went into the house to pray.
Chibanda denied all the allegations against her while Muchenje told the court that she only fondled the woman’s breasts and mocked her.

Prosecutor Miss Sharon Mashavira alleged that the suspected hooker, from Epworth, was a girlfriend of Ngome’s husband, Brian Moyo.

It is the State’s case that sometime in March this year, Moyo took the woman to his house and sneaked her into his bedroom while his wife was sleeping in the kitchen.
Ngome woke up the following morning and went to the bedroom where she saw her husband in bed with the suspected hooker.

It is alleged Ngome teamed up with her accomplices Muchenje, Chibanda and Mabwe to assault the woman.

They slapped and punched her and later used sticks to beat her, the court heard.
They stripped her naked and wore plastics on their hands before inserting their fingers into her private parts.

They forced her to dance naked, the State alleged.

ZIMBAS SUFFERING BECAUSE OF MDC, SAYS MINISTER

Sigit Chaw 15:49
War vets minister, Christopher Mutsvangwa says Zimbabweans are suffering because of the MDC.

 “Industries have collapsed because of MDC and for the past 15 years, it has done nothing and we are sick and tired of these people. We have suffered a lot because of MDC, which resulted in the imposition of sanctions in Zimbabwe,” said Mutsvangwa.
He said Government was now building an economy that incorporated Zimbabweans who were working in the Diaspora.

He said that the government will soon put in place policies that will grow the economy and make Zimbabwe a country to be admired by many. Addressing a rally at Mukandabhutsu in Msasa to drum up support for Zanu-PF Harare East candidate Terence Mukupe in the June 10 by-elections, Mutsvangwa said Zanu-PF had eliminated “Gamatox” elements that were causing divisions in the party.

He said President Mugabe was preparing a leadership that had the interests of the people at heart and soon the broad-based policies would be announced. He said the country now had stability although Zimbabweans suffered because of the sanctions imposed by the West. Mutsvangwa warned corrupt elements in Zanu-PF and co-operatives to desist from the vice.
There are other allegations involving corrupt co-operatives in Mabvuku that were parcelling out land belonging to other people.

The calls also come after allegations that former Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office Sylvester Nguni issued eviction orders to people occupying land in Harare East.
 Mutsvangwa said the party was discussing Cde Nguni’s issue in the Politburo.
“Sylvester Nguni should not take the party people to court. Ngaarege kuita moyo wakashata. We are discussing his issue in the Politburo.

“Nguni needs to take a good look at his relationship in the party so that he might be pardoned and not booted out of the party and maybe get a suspension.
“Hatichadi huori muHarare nemumatawindi. We are warning those corrupt co-operatives to desist from that,” said Cde Mutsvangwa, urging the crowd that attended the rally to vote for Cde Mukupe on June 10.

ZIMBABWE- CHINA TRADE SHRINKS

Sigit Chaw 15:41
TRADE between Zimbabwe and China, one of the country’s largest trading partner shrunk 43 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.



Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $360 million during the first quarter, according to China’s Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office in Zimbabwe.
As trade remains in favour of Zimbabwe, exports declined by 51,4 percent to $274 million while imports from China totalled $85 million, an increase of 36,7 percent.

Zimbabwe mainly exports tobacco and minerals to China while the former imports industrial and agricultural inputs such as chemicals electronic goods and machinery.
Economic ties between Zimbabwe and China have been growing since Government adopted “Look East Policy” in light of hostilities from western countries which imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe over land reform programme.

On investments, Zimbabwe has been one of the major recipients of Chinese capital, with over $1,3 billion having been invested into the country between 2009 and 2013.
Last year, Zimbabwe and China signed several agreements that will see the world’s second largest economy providing capital for bankable projects in various sectors.
China has already provided loans to fund various projects in energy, water and aviation.

These include the $1,5 billion expansion of Kariba Power Station which is
being undertaken by Sino-Hydro, the $150 million expansion of the Victoria Falls airport and the rehabilitation of Harare Morton Jaffray water plant at a cost of $144 million.

The Chinese have also invested into private projects in sectors such as mining and telecommunications. The Government signed a concessional loan agreement with China Exim Bank worth $218,9 million for NetOne’s network expansion under the company’s Phase II Project.

In line with the Zim-Asset thrust towards empowering small-scale miners, the Government entered into a $100 million facility agreement with Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group of China for provision of small-scale mining equipment on credit. herald

ZANU PF HEAVYWEIGHTS DESCEND ON HURUNGWE

Sigit Chaw 13:14
Zanu PF heavyweights have today descended in Hurungwe West in a push to try to block Themba Mliswa from returning to Parliament.

Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa, secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo, political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, Senate President Edna Madzongwe, Lands and Resettlement Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora and Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Minister Faber Chidarikire were in the constituency.

Villagers were hounded out of their homesteads to attend the rally which was held at Kajekache school. Mnangagwa called  for a peaceful campaign in the run up to the Hurungwe West parliamentary by-election on 10 June.

Mnangagwa said his party was not under any threat of defeat since it has the majority of supporters on its side.  He said Zanu PF will not hesitate to expel or discipline those who are deviant, adding that the party will never disintegrate as is the case with the MDCs. Mnangagwa told the electorate in Hurungwe West that the only way to preserve the country’s heritage is by voting for Zanu PF.

Turning to development issues, the Acting President ordered the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate to construct a number of dams in the constituency as a way of harnessing water for irrigation from the many rivers within Hurungwe West.

He also ordered for an audit of rural district councils to check if they are not diverting to other use funds meant for roads maintenance projects.
 Zanu PF's Keith Guzha squares off against Mliswa who is running as an independent. This will be the toughest test facuing the ruling party. Many say they is no way Mliswa will be allowed to win this one, even if the majority vote for him.

WOMAN SCALDS HUBBY'S MANHOOD

Sigit Chaw 07:45
A BINGA woman heaved a sigh of relief when she was slapped with community service instead of a three-month jail term after she scalded her husband’s privates with boiling water during a domestic dispute over their four-year-old  daughter.

 Sibonisiwe Mdadzu (27) from Siadindi Village in Binga, who had a one-night stint in jail begged the magistrate, Mr Stephen Ndlovu, not to send her back to prison after pleading guilty to contravening the Domestic Violence Act.

Prosecuting, Mr Bruce Maphosa told the court that on 24 March this year Mdadzu had a misunderstanding with her husband, Jabulani Mutale, at their homestead over where their daughter was going to be staying as she wanted to travel to Lusulu to seek medical services. Mutale was angered when she told him that she was going to leave their daughter at her mother’s, resulting in an argument.

The misunderstanding soon generated into a physical fight as Mdadzu picked a stone and threw it at her husband, narrowly missing him. When he started attacking her with fists, she ran into the kitchen hut with Mutale in hot pursuit.

Cornered in the hut, she reached for a pot with boiling water and splashed it on the unsuspecting Mutale, scalding his stomach, ribs and private parts. He was lucky to get away with five percent superficial burns, with the medical report indicating that his injuries were not likely to cause any disability, giving Mdadzu a lifeline.

“I’m going to consider that your children are dependent on you and the remarks of the medical report in that your husband did not suffer major  burns.
“However, this type of behaviour should not be condoned and in cases like these a custodial sentence would deter would be offenders,” said the magistrate before sentencing her to three months imprisonment which he wholly suspended on condition she performs 105 hours of community service. sunday news

US SANCTIONS TO STAY

Sigit Chaw 07:44


The United States says it will keep in place targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe imposed more than a decade ago.

 Shannon Smith, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told VOA's Zimbabwe service after a recent trip to the country that the United States was sticking to its wait-and-see strategy regarding the possible lifting of travel bans and other sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his leadership. She noted that the sanctions were "very targeted."

"The U.S. sanctions are aimed at fewer than 200 individuals and institutions in Zimbabwe, in a nation of over 13 million people," Smith said.

Smith said the Untied States did not feel pressured to change its policy by the European Union's decision last year to lift a visa ban and assets freeze against members of Zimbabwe's ruling elite, with the exception of Mugabe and his wife, Grace.

"We don't feel pressured. The European Union obviously makes its own policy choices. We continue to share with them the same fundamental goals of seeing a freer, democratic Zimbabwe that adheres to the rule of law and other standards," Smith said.
She also said the targeted U.S. sanctions were not the cause of Zimbabwe's economic decline.

Smith travelled to Zimbabwe this month with Steven Feldstein, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor — a rare trip in recent years because of frosty Washington-Harare relations.

The two met with government and opposition officials and discussed issues including governance, democracy and human rights. Before the visit, Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Joey Bimha said Harare wanted to re-engage with Washington.
The United States, along with many other Western countries, imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe's leadership in 2002 following reports of election rigging and human rights abuses. Despite the sanctions, the United States remains one of the major providers of humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has endured political turmoil and weak economic growth since the early 2000s. The government angered donors with a series of controversial moves, including the alleged rigging of the 2002 elections and the confiscation of commercial farms owned by whites.
Mugabe blames U.S.

Mugabe has for years has used every opportunity to criticize Washington over the sanctions, saying they have been responsible for his country's economic woes and aimed at inciting Zimbabweans to overthrow the government.

A spokesman for the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change, Obert Gutu, praised Washington for keeping the sanctions in place.

“We are not at all surprised that the Obama administration says that the Mugabe regime has not changed," Gutu said. "In fact, this is typical of the Mugabe regime. The leopard never changes its spots, and we are perfectly happy with the decision and the position taken by the Obama administration.”

Those comments were echoed by the advocacy director of the Washington-based Robert F. Kennedy Center, Jeff Smith, who said Zimbabwe's human rights record has not improved.
“I think actually it's a wise decision by the U.S. government to not change their policy," he said. "I think for a long time now, U.S. government officials have said it's going to be an action-for-action policy, whereby the only instance our policy toward Zimbabwe would fundamentally change is if the government in Harare made positive improvements on issues related to human rights and good governance and respect for political rights."

HOOKER STEALS FROM SLEEPING CLIENT

Sigit Chaw 07:42
A 22-YEAR-OLD sex worker from Plumtree stole money from her client with the assistance of her 26-year-old boyfriend who stays with her. The woman met the 42-year-old man and she took him to her house as her lover had arranged to sleep at a friend’s house to make space for his girlfriend and her client. 

Nontobeko Maseko of Dingumuzi area and Mncedisi Ncube, were convicted of theft charges when they appeared before Plumtree magistrate Mr Livard Philemon. Maseko was sentenced to three months imprisonment which was wholly suspended on condition that she performs 105 hours of community service at Plumtree magistrate’s court. Ncube was sentenced to three months imprisonment.

The court heard that Maseko was at her house in Plumtree with her client, Mandla Sibanda, who is from Silobela area in Kwekwe. She strategically placed his trousers which had money by an open window and alerted her boyfriend who arrived in the middle of the night and stole the money.

Sibanda had alleged that the pair had stolen $1 407 from his trousers but they admitted to having stolen $80. Prosecuting, Ms Jane Phiri said Maseko met Sibanda at a nightclub in Plumtree on 15 March and offered him services at a fee and they proceeded to her home where they agreed that he would spend the night.

“At around 3am Maseko was with the complainant at her place of residence who had come to have sexual intercourse with her for the night. Maseko noticed that her client had some money in his pocket and she called her boyfriend telling him that she was going to place a pair of trousers which had some cash near the window,” said Ms Phiri.

She said Maseko then placed the trousers by the window and left the window open.
Ndlovu then arrived while Maseko and her client were asleep and he took cash amounting to $80 from the trousers and left unnoticed.

Ms Phiri said on the following morning as he was leaving, Sibanda discovered that his money was missing and inquired with Maseko who denied having taken the money.
She said Sibanda became suspicious and reported the matter to the police who investigated the matter and arrested Maseko and her boyfriend after a  tip-off.

Maseko told the court that her boyfriend was the one who had advised her to steal from her client.

“I apologise for the offence that I committed but I was acting under the influence of my boyfriend. He is the one who told me that I had to search my client’s clothes in order to get money,” she said. sunday news

COLLAPSING ECONOMY BITES LANDLORDS

Sigit Chaw 02:00
The biting liquidity crunch obtaining in the country has resulted in many people failing to honour their rental obligations forcing landlords to reduce their charges.

Poverty Reduction Forum Trust (PRFT) programmes coordinator Tafara Chiremba said reduction in rentals was being fuelled by several factors. “To a large extent, it is because of increasing poverty which is compounded by company closures and rising unemployment. The loss of jobs and the reduction in livelihood opportunities make it difficult for people to pay their rentals,” he said.

“Urban livelihoods have now been hinged on unsustainable income generating opportunities such as vending. Such activities have been negatively affected by the fact that people have no money.”
A landlord in Kuwadzana who identified herself only as Mrs Chimukono said she was forced to reduce her rentals significantly as tenants were finding it difficult to pay.

“Last year around October, I was charging about $70 per room. In December it went down to $60 and now its $50. There is now a lot of competition, so if you don’t reduce the rates tenants will leave, so it’s better to get that $50 than nothing at all,” she said.

Tafara added that for as long as households continued to face financial difficulties, rentals were likely to go down further. “In Harare, our Basic Needs Basket surveys have established that areas such as Budiriro and Kuwadzana extension are seeing the reduction of rental prices and in other cities such as Masvingo and Bindura, our researches have revealed that some owners of houses in the urban area have opted to move to the rural areas, leasing out their houses so that they can get maximum income to meet their basic human needs,” he added.

He also said the reduction in rentals made life easier for poor tenants who also found life tough in these difficult times. According to Finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa, since 2011, 4,160 companies have shut down, resulting in 55 443 job losses.

Property managers have also alluded to the fact that the current economic conditions had affected businesses. Lamudi properties Business Development Consultant, Ogylive Makova said the economic situation prevailing in Zimbabwe was affecting both residential and commercial real estate.
He said many companies were closing down and tenants who used to afford the rentals were no longer in a position to pay and were defaulting. 

“On the other hand, some landlords used to have houses with cottages where no-one was staying or guest rooms to be used only by visitors,” Makova said. “However, the need to earn money is forcing them to find tenants for the free spaces, creating more supply in the market resulting in low rentals. Landlords are now reducing their rentals as many tenants can’t afford high charges thereby settling for lower rents than to have a defaulting tenant.”

Analysts said on the commercial side, rentals in the city centers were still very expensive as prices averaged around $10 per square metre while parking costs $1 per hour. This is forcing many companies to relocate to residential areas close to the city centres where rentals are cheaper and parking is free.

Zimre Property Investments (ZPI) said recently it was mulling the disposal of its properties in the CBD saying it had good buildings in the wrong place. Pearl Properties said its rental yield eased to 7, 50% as compared to 80% in 2013 reflecting a decline in rental income.
General manager for developments Christopher Manyowa said there had been stagnation and a decline in occupancies across most sectors.

Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba attributed the decline in rentals to the prevailing economic challenges.

“The reason why rentals are declining is that most residents are living from hand to mouth. Most Zimbabweans are unemployed and they are failing to raise money for rent,” he said.
“The prices will continue to dip the more housing cooperatives are formed in urban areas. Residents prefer to own their own stands where they can put up makeshift structures until they are able to build proper houses,” Shumba said.

“The areas most affected (by the rental declines) are Mabvuku, Highfield, Kuwadzana, Sunningdale, Mbare, Glen View, New Tafara and Mufakose. Landlords are going for more than three months with their houses empty,” said Shumba.

Masvingo Resident’s Trust programmes manager Prosper Tiringindi said areas such as Rujeko A and B and Mucheke D had been affected by the reduction in rentals.
“Rentals have been reduced due to a number of factors such as unemployment and the mushrooming of new suburbs such as Victoria Ranch where rentals are cheaper,” Tiringindi said. standard

Saturday 30 May 2015

BITI WANTS TO OUST MANGOMA, SAYS FORMER MP

Sigit Chaw 23:02
Founding Renewal Team member Pishai Muchauraya has accused the party’s secretary-general Tendai Biti of trying to destroy Mangoma’s political ambitions.

“Biti wants to eliminate the most senior person in Renewal so that he assumes leadership,” the former Makoni South legislator said. “To me, that is foolish.”

“I have a strong feeling and I know for certain that the allegations against Mangoma are manufactured in order to tarnish his image. This is not new. We have seen it in Zanu PF and MDC-T where people have been framed as a way to get rid of them.”

Muchauraya said whenever there was a power contest, contestants were known to invest a lot of energy and resources into smear campaigns meant to eliminate their opponents.
He said Renewal Team did not have a constitution and there was no way a disciplinary committee could be constituted to deal with Mangoma.

“I am surprised that a disciplinary committee has been set to probe Mangoma. What section of the constitution did he violate?” Muchauraya asked.

“Ever since we left [MDC-T leader Morgan] Tsvangirai, we never institutionalised an entity to come up with a constitution or even a code of conduct. It’s shocking to some of us. Maybe they are trying to use natural laws, but again, our argument is: who adopted them?”
He added: “I know we have some lawyers in our ranks, but ever since we left Tsvangirai, we never sat down to discuss these things. We cannot use the MDC-T constitution. They are just trying to mislead the general membership in the same manner they misled our MPs that they would not be recalled from Parliament.” 

Other Mangoma sympathisers said they were planning to expose members of their rival camp. “I don’t know whether they will be able to sustain what they have started. We are going to expose them with evidence-based adulterous affairs. Sometimes it’s important not to throw stones when you stay in a glass house,” a senior Renewal Team member who refused to be named said.

“This is a congress agenda. After realising that Biti has no support at the grassroots, his supporters then started this smear campaign. He just wants to be appointed president and we are refusing that,” Thabani Mlambo, one of the leaders in the youth assembly, said.
He said they were also not recognising the disciplinary committee set up to deal with Mangoma’s issue.

Efforts to get a comment from Biti were fruitless as his mobile phone was unreachable.
However, Renewal Team spokesperson Jacob Mafume refuted the allegations, saying Mangoma and his supporters should stop defaming other people over issues he was solely responsible for.

He said Biti could not stoop so low as to manufacture such allegations against Mangoma.
“As he [Mangoma] battles the allegations, the rest of the party is going ahead with its designated tasks. The secretary-general was in Bulawayo addressing party members and now he is in Europe where he is interacting with the world-thinking community in pursuit of global solutions,” Mafume said. “Allegations [of adultery] are either true or false. No power struggles in a party cause anyone to sleep with anyone.”

Mafume said the allegations against Mangoma were of a personal nature and the parties to the saga were clearly identified. “It is a matter they are capable of dealing with privately without drama,” he said.

“No one can plot adultery because they do not want congress. Maybe he was misunderstood or the trauma of the whole process created muddled thinking.”
Mafume said Mangoma should not create imaginary enemies when, in fact, people stood by him when he was about to go into political oblivion after he was suspended from MDC-T.
He said people lost their parliamentary seats, including Biti himself, in solidarity with Mangoma and it would be unfair for the treasurer-general to conflict his ambitions in such a manner. standard

VIOLENCE IN HURUNGWE AS MNANGAGWA VISITS

Sigit Chaw 23:02
Violence reared its ugly head once again in Hurungwe West ahead of a visit by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa today with Zanu PF youths allegedly beating up rivals and disrupting a meeting organised by independent candidate, Temba Mliswa.

Hurungwe villager Simbarashe Mamina said he was one of several people in the constituency lucky to be alive after being subjected to brutal assault by eight Zanu PF youths on Friday. He was accused of attending a rally addressed by the former Mashonaland West ruling party provincial chairperson.
Mamina said he was waylaid by angry party youths after attending Mliswa’s meeting at Fueche.
“On my way from Mliswa’s meeting, I found Zanu PF youths waiting for me at my home. They started beating me, accusing me of backing Mliswa,” he alleged.

“They warned me that they would continue beating me until I leave Mliswa’s camp to re-join Zanu PF.” Mamina reported the case at Magunje Police Station under case number RRB 2326301. He said the assailants came in an unregistered silver pick-up truck.

Mnangagwa is expected to address a rally today to drum up support for Zanu PF candidate Keith Guzah. Mliswa said he hoped Mnangagwa would denounce the “barbaric acts” being committed by members of his party.

“This is not about losing or winning an election, but respecting human life,” Mliswa said.
“So far, the environment does not meet the minimum election requirements. The elections will not pass as credible. Mnangagwa should denounce the barbaric acts being committed by members of his party.”

Unconfirmed reports said Zanu PF bases have been established around Hurungwe West.
Mliswa blamed the police for inaction when Zanu PF youths disrupted his rally and distributed rice at his meeting while police watched.

The next two weeks are likely to witness increased violence as Zanu PF bigwigs descend on Hurungwe West ahead of the June 10 by-elections.

FORMER MINISTER CHASED AWAY FROM MPHOKO RALLY

Sigit Chaw 23:00
BARELY a month after he was assaulted during Independence Day celebrations in Nyanyadzi, former Energy deputy minister Munacho Mutezo was last Friday chased away from Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko’s familiarisation tour in Chimanimani.


Mutezo, who is Chimanimani West MP, allegedly went to former Roy Bennett’s Charles Wood Farm where the VP was touring a DTZ-OZGEO diamond mine.

But during a briefing session, Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene told Mutezo in his face that he was not welcome to the function because he was suspended from Zanu PF. According to sources who attended the meeting, Chimene told Mutezo that he should not violate the terms of his suspension by forcing himself at meetings he had not been invited to.

Despite pleading with party supporters in Mutare recently to accept and forgive Mutezo, Mphoko reportedly said nothing when the former deputy minister was given his marching orders.
“We were at a briefing at the DTZ-OZGEO mine with the VP when minister Chimene asked Mutezo to leave,” one of Zanu PF officials said.

“She said Mutezo was suspended and he should not violate his suspension terms. He was asked why he was coming to the party programme as that would give a picture that the province was defying a politburo directive,” the source, who preferred anonymity, said.

“He was chased away like a small child and he complied,” the source said.Mutezo reportedly left in a huff and Zanu PF youths allegedly started singing songs denigrating the legislator, calling for his sacking from Parliament.

According to sources, party youths want him replaced by Letina Undenge, the wife of Energy minister Samuel Undenge, who is also Zanu PF acting chairman for Manicaland. However, in an interview with The Standard yesterday, Letina said people should not abuse her name by suggesting that she was calling for the ouster of Mutezo.

She said she would only decide to stand as a candidate once a vacancy was declared.
“There is no vacancy at the present moment in Chimanimani. I will only decide when there is an opportunity and right now, there is no vacancy. I am not power hungry,” Letina said.

She said as a national leader, she was doing developmental projects to help women and youths in Chimanimani, but said that should not be misconstrued as wanting to unseat anyone.
Undenge was not reachable for comment, while Chimene was said to be in a series of meetings.
Mutezo refused to comment.

On Independence Day, Mutezo was publicly humiliated and assaulted by Zanu PF activists in Nyanyadzi for allegedly aligning with axed former Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
He was among several ministers and deputies fired from government soon after the Zanu PF congress before he was suspended from the party last week.

Zanu PF recently suspended about 90 officials for periods ranging from two to five years.
However, Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo said the suspensions only applied to their positions in the party, but did not affect their membership. standard

BROKE TSVANGIRAI FAILS TO REPAY $51K BANK LOAN

Sigit Chaw 22:09
AfrAsia Bank recently issued summons against Tsvangirai demanding payment amounting to $51 206 from the former Premier which the financial institution claimed he had defaulted on repaying two years ago.

AfrAsia Bank, through its lawyers Sawyer and Mkushi Legal Practitioners, claimed that it entered into an agreement with the MDC-T leader in September 2013 in terms of which it extended an overdraft finance facility amounting to $60 000.
The agreement, AfrAsia Bank said, was to terminate in October 2013 by which date all amounts due and outstanding under the agreement would have been paid.

However, Tsvangirai allegedly failed, refused and neglected to pay AfrAsia Bank a total of $51 206 being capital and interest charges of $850 although the bank acknowledged that the MDC-T leader repaid $24 859.

A copy of the loan agreement seen by Radio VOP shows that Tsvangirai borrowed the funds to finance staff salaries and incidentals and offered title deeds to his Strathaven suburb’s property as security to guarantee the loan.

But Tsvangirai’s lawyer Douglas Mwonzora of Mwonzora and Associates Legal Practitioners is disputing the amount that AfrAsia Bank claims their client owes the financial institution.
In his defendant’s plea, Mwonzora admitted that the MDC-T leader had secured a loan from the bank but denied the amounts that AfrAsia claims he owes.

“In addition to the sums mentioned herein the defendant subsequently paid a further sum of $20 000. Therefore, the balance outstanding and the resultant interest is wrong,” reads part of Tsvangirai’s defence plea.

Mwonzora argued that AfrAsia Bank’s claim should be dismissed as currently formulated.
AfrAsia Bank voluntarily surrendered its banking licence to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in February paving way for the bank’s liquidation. This came after negotiations to rescue the bank with an international investor fell through at the last minute.

Apart from Tsvangirai, several Zimbabweans are being hauled before the courts for defaulting on loan repayments as the southern African country chokes under an agonising economic crisis that most critics blame on President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF’s government’s failure to fix the 15-year old economic calamity.

On Tuesday, the ruling ZANU PF party was forced to deny an article published by a local daily newspaper claiming that Mugabe owed former ZANU PF Mashonaland East provincial chairperson and entrepreneur Ray Kaukonde $30 million which he allegedly borrowed to finance his private business ventures.

THESE KOMBIS ARE GRAVE YARDS : COMMUTERS SHUN GRANVIAS

Sigit Chaw 16:57
TOYOTA Granvia pirate taxi drivers plying the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway are now stranded as commuters are shunning their vehicles following a spate of fatal road accidents involving these vehicles.

Commuters who spoke in separate interviews indicated that they now feared to board these vehicles which they now refer to as “grave yards”. Some commuters said they now preferred kombis over Granvia vehicles out of fear of losing their lives.

At one of the passenger pick-up points in Plumtree people were milling around in numbers while touts fruitlessly tried to engage commuters to board Granvias.

“I am never boarding a Granvia again because these vehicles are moving grave yards. Each time they are involved in an accident people have to die. We have other public service vehicles like kombis and buses that are also plying the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway but it’s only Granvia’s that kill people.

“This just proves that these vehicles are deadly and they should be banned from the road but I know that this will never happen as most of them are owned by police officers,” said Mr Gift Shoko who stays in Plumtree.

He said he now opted to board a kombi even though it would take longer to depart.
Mr Shoko said he used to prefer Granvias as they had lower carrying capacity but he now feared for his life.

“I would rather spend hours sitting in a kombi waiting for it to fill up rather than rush to my death by boarding a Granvia. I used to prefer Granvias as they fill up quickly but these frequent accidents involving these vehicles have made me think otherwise,” said Mr Shoko.
Another commuter, Mrs Tracy Ndlovu said some of the Granvia vehicles were not roadworthy but were being allowed to ferry passengers.

Kombi drivers who are plying the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway have capitalised on this situation to lure passengers.

One kombi driver who was loading his vehicle at Bellevue during the week was urging people to board kombis as they were a safe mode of transport.
A Granvia driver plying the highway, Mr Mthokozisi Moyo said it had become difficult to get customers.

He said they now had to spend hours roaming around pick-up points trying to persuade passengers to board their vehicles.
“We have always struggled to get passengers but the situation is even worse. Sometimes people would be there in large numbers but they will refuse to board a Granvia. They are acting as if our vehicles are the only cars that are getting involved in accidents,” he said.
An owner of a Granvia vehicle who is also the Matabeleland South provincial transport consultative committee chairperson, Mr Jonathan Mlambo said commuters that were shunning Granvia vehicles were acting under the influence of kombi drivers who were trying to lure customers.

He said there was nothing wrong with Granvia vehicles as accidents were a result of human error.
“If an accident occurs it is mostly because the driver would have done something wrong and not because they are using a particular vehicle. For example the last accident which occurred close to Plumtree was because the driver was travelling at 140 kilometres per hour,” he said.

Mr Mlambo said accidents were tragic but pointed out that other public service vehicles were also being involved in accidents.
He said there were more Granvias than kombis plying the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway which explained why most accidents involved Granvias.

Mr Mlambo said kombi drivers were now poisoning the minds of people by spreading news that Granvias were deadly.

Last month two women died while 11 other people were injured, five of them critically after the left rear tyre of a Granvia vehicle they were travelling in burst causing it to overturn.
The vehicle which was bound for Francistown coming from Bulawayo overturned at the 90 kilometre peg along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway. The driver is reported to have failed to control the vehicle as he was speeding.

In another incident four people died and nine others were critically injured after a Granvia vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and overturned before smashing into a tree along Bulawayo-Plumtree Road.

In another incident a 41-year-old woman from Bulawayo died while 13 other people including two juveniles were injured when one of the tyres of a Granvia vehicle they were travelling in burst causing it to roll several times.

The driver was suspected to have been speeding and he failed to control the vehicle. His passengers pointed out that he first fled from VID officers and later fled from a police roadblock and from there on maintained a high speed which they tried to warn him about. sunday news

ELOPING SMALL HOUSE BURNT WITH PORRIDGE

Sigit Chaw 16:51
A JAMBEZI woman learnt the hard way that it’s not always easy to be promoted from a small house to the “main house” when she was baptised with hot porridge by her boyfriend’s wife.

Sazini Ncube (21), is lucky to have escaped with burns only to her arms, leg and back and not her face after her bid to elope with her Kamativi boyfriend hit a brick wall. However, for using unorthodox methods to protect her marriage, Hazel Nyoni was dragged before provincial magistrate Ms Portia Mhlanga facing a charge of assault.

Nyoni (31) of B612 Compound 1 Kamativi, told the court that she had behaved in that manner in an effort to protect her household after her husband had advised her that he was bringing in a second wife.

“Your worship, the way things happened with my husband suddenly telling me that the woman who had just arrived in our home was going to be his second wife, I felt disrespected by the complainant who kept insisting that she was not leaving even after my husband asked her to,” she said.
Nyoni, who pleaded guilty to the offence, was lucky to escape a custodial sentence after she was handed a nine-month imprisonment of which six months were suspended on condition she performs 210 hours at Kamativi clinic. The remaining three months were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

The court heard that on 23 April at around 8pm, Ncube left Jambezi for Kamativi to her boyfriend with the intention of getting married. However, upon her arrival, Nyoni and her husband started quarrelling over her presence and intention.


Angered by Ncube’s continued defiance, Nyoni ran to the kitchen hut where she got hold of a pot full of hot porridge before charging and pouring it over her rival’s body leaving her nursing burns on both arms, her right leg and back.

Ncube fled for her life and made a report to the police, leading to Nyoni’s arrest.
Alfred Mzizi appeared for the State. sunday news

BOOKS PIRACY : SCHOOLS NOW WORST OFFENDERS

Sigit Chaw 16:17
Schools have become the latest perpetrators of organised book piracy, compromising the quality of education as well as hampering growth of the publishing industry, it has emerged.
Book publishers and authors have in recent years battled cut-throat competition from illegal printers and vendors who reproduce and sell photocopied material on the cheap.


With schools now reportedly participating in text book piracy, intellectual property owners say their situation has been worsened as educational institutions were their biggest customers.

According to publishing companies and authors, schools — many of which charge textbook levies — now buy a few original copies which they then reproduce and distribute/sell to pupils.

Schools with inadequate photocopying equipment allegedly buy pirated books. Investigations show that school heads and other administrators get some of the money from the ventures.

Mr Masimba Guzha, the man tasked by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair to fight such piracy, said while investigations are yet to be made at all schools, Ellis Robins Boys High School, Daramombe Mission and Chitangazuva in Marondera have been found wanting.
“We have not visited many schools yet, but our investigations revealed that a lot of them are engaging in book piracy. So far we have caught Ellis Robins, Daramombe Mission and Chitangazuva in position of counterfeits,” he said.

“Ellis Robins and Chitangazuva have already gone to court while Daramombe’s case is different because the books they had were brought in by students as replacements of the lost ones.

“What we have found is that schools charge various amounts of book levies, but they do not go on to buy those books; instead they buy a few original books and photocopy them or they outsource.”

Mr Guzha said the development meant book publishers may end up closing shop.
Many publishing houses, including major players such as College Press and Longman, have either downsized or closed due to piracy.

This also has an impact on Government as it means lost tax revenue. While pirated books are cheaper, they can come at the cost of the learner’s education.
Educationist and director for Education Coalition Zimbabwe, Mr Maxwell Rafomoyo, said pirated books often lose their authenticity and quality during reproduction.

“The obvious disadvantage which is there is the issue of authenticity . . . you are not guaranteed that the contents of the book are as the same as those in the original,” he said.
“Then there is the issue of quality. The text may lose its quality or get distorted during the reproduction process and that compromises the quality of education a student is getting.
It has been established that some pages are omitted or mixed up during the mass assemblage of counterfeits.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora said although most schools were pirating learning material with the honest motive to cut costs, their participation in piracy was not condoned and would be punished.

“We encourage our schools to follow our procurement procedures and buy books and the rest of their learning material from legitimate organisations. But the few who are playing truancy by buying material from pirates will surely end up in courts.

“I have personally travelled to Marondera to deal with such a matter and it is now before the courts.”

A survey by The Sunday Mail of major bookshops in Harare last week showed that key books for O-Level subjects cost an average of US$15 per copy.

Step Ahead English sells for US$12, while Denhe Reruzivo costs US$12 and New General Mathematics costs US$18. Step Ahead Geography is US$19 and Step Ahead History costs US$14.

Parents, guardians and pupils view the prices as exorbitant, especially when pirated books sell for US$3.
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