By Karen Sibanda The South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, is today presiding over a historic handover ceremony to repatriate the final Zimbabwe Soapstone Bird to Zimbabwe.The symbolic artefact—commonly known as the Zimbabwe Bird—is one of the country’s most treasured cultural emblems, originally carved centuries ago and closely associated with the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe. Its return marks the completion of a long-standing process to restore Zimbabwe’s dispersed heritage items.The repatriation comes as Zimbabwe prepares to mark its 46th Independence Anniversary on April 18, giving added significance to the gesture. The move has been described as a powerful act of solidarity by South Africa, reinforcing the enduring historical and diplomatic ties between the two nations.Speaking during the ceremony, McKenzie said the return of the artefact reflects a shared commitment to preserving African heritage and correcting historical imbalances.”This is more than the return of a cultural object; it is the restoration of identity, dignity and history to the people of Zimbabwe,” he said The Zimbabwean Bird Sculpture was located in Cape Town South Africa, specifically in the former bedroom of British Imperialist Cecil John Rhodes at Groote Schuur.The Zimbabwe Birds are deeply embedded in the country’s identity, appearing on the national flag, coat of arms, and currency. Their significance extends beyond symbolism—they represent the ingenuity, spirituality, and statehood of one of Africa’s greatest pre-colonial civilizations.This year’s Zimbabwe Independence Day celebrations 2026 mark 46 years since the country attained independence in 1980, a milestone that continues to unite Zimbabweans in reflecting on their liberation struggle and national progress. The return of the final Zimbabwe Bird ahead of the April 18 commemorations adds a deeper cultural dimension to the occasion.Cultural experts say the repatriation is not only about restoring a physical artefact, but also reclaiming a piece of Zimbabwe’s heritage lost during the colonial era. It underscores a growing global movement advocating for the return of African cultural property to its rightful origins.As the country gathers to celebrate its 46th Independence Anniversary on April 18, the homecoming of the Zimbabwe Bird stands as a powerful symbol of restoration, unity, and national pride—linking Zimbabwe’s rich past with its present and future aspirations.

By Staff Reporter Unilong, a company specializing in mining, industrial and agricultural equipment, has donated a solarised borehole to the Mugodhi Apostolic Faith Church at one of thr church centres in Dorowa as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative.The borehole, which was completed on April 11, features two 5,000-litre water tanks and four taps strategically placed for convenience.Speaking to TellZim News, Unilong Director Unesco Chirinda said the donation was part of the company’s commitment to giving back to the community.“As a company that operates with people, it is our duty to also give back to the community. What drove us to identify the church was the need to ease water challenges at the church headquarters, which hosts thousands of people during different gatherings,” said Chirinda.He added that being a member of the church himself, he saw it fit to give back to the community through helping the church.The church’s Secretary for Administration, Ngobson Bandirai, confirmed the development to TellZim News saying the donation came at the right time as the church was preparing for one of its biggest Passovers.“The development could not have come at a better time than now. We have a gathering of more than 5,000 congregants, and water has been a challenge here. We want to thank Unilong for this generous donation. People are now getting water for the rest of the duration of the gathering,” said Bandirai.He revealed that water had been a challenge at the shrine for years, and there were fears that an outbreak of diseases such as cholera or dysentery could occur.“I wish you were here to see how happy the congregants are. It is all smiles from the tap as people use the four taps for all their water needs,” he said.Bandirai also said it was pleasing to see indigenous companies supporting indigenous churches. He urged other companies to emulate Unilong and do the same in different sectors, adding that people should not wait for donations from abroad but should always chip in where there is need to promote nation-building.Unilong is also involved in borehole drilling and solar borehole installation for domestic and agricultural use. The company produces income-generating machines such as grinding mills and peanut butter grinding machines, among others.

By Staff ReporterZAKA – A heated full council meeting recently exposed deep divisions between management and councillors at Zaka Rural District Council, after management refused to renew the contract of a private security company tasked with collecting bus levies, citing a 33 percent revenue drop and suspected corruption.Wise Logic Security, which was engaged in 2024 to collect levies at the council rank and other designated points, saw its contract expire on March 31. Management pushed for non-renewal, arguing that daily collections had slumped from approximately US$750 to US$500, a decline sources within management said could be attributed to corrupt activities by the company.However, councillors led by Council Chairperson Fungai Maregedze objected strongly, demanding that the contract be extended. Sources within management alleged that some councillors and the chairperson were being bribed by the company to lobby for its continued stay.‘Management was of the view that there was no need to continue getting services from the security company worse that it was recording less than it used to do,” said the source.Contacted for comment, Wise Logic Security Operations Manager Raphael Mandiya dismissed the allegations as false, saying the opposite was true.“They are lying. We never collected below the target and wehad a very good working relationshipwith the council and other stakeholders,” Mandiya said.He explained that the company had agreed to remit at least US$15,000 per month to council and claimed it never failed to hit that target, sometimes surpassing it significantly.“In the first months we reached the target or slightly above, but that was before we established our systems. We ended up collecting around US$20,000, and in December we collected around US$22,000. We worked well with council until they terminated the contract on March 31,” said Mandiya.Mandiya also refuted allegations of any improper relationship with councillors.“We do not know any councillor in Zaka. We only had an interaction with the councillors when we got the tender and that was that,” he said.Acting Chief Executive Officer Machemedze refused to comment on the matter sayin the council chair is the official spokesperson.“The spokesperson of council is the council chair. When you see CEOs commenting, they would have gotten permission from the council chair, especially issues to do with full council meetings,” Machemedze said.However, Council Chairperson Fungai Maregedze was not available for comment as both her mobile lines were unreachable by the time of writing.Sources told TellZim that the District Development Coordinator (DDC) addressed the full council, arguing that the matter was a management issue, not a policy issue, and therefore councilors should have deferred to management’s decision.Contacted for comment over the same matter, the DDC Nyaradzo Tongofa, just like here predecessor Memory Dhliwayo, refused to comment saying they were not allowed to speak to the media.“I cannot comment to the medi unless it’s a public gathering and you just quote what I would have said in publicly. Council has its own communications channels, you can follow that,” said Tongofa.Asked if it was only Zaka DDCs who were not allowed to speak to the media, Tongofa said that was the policy and anyone who commented to the press was confident that he or she could stand when questioned by authorities.“We have the communications department in our ministry, they are the ones who are allowed to comment, if there are others who are speaking to the press then they are confident that they will be answerable whne the authorities question them,” she said.Another source revealed that the head office had previously questioned why the council would pay external service providers for revenue collection while municipal police officers could perform the same task at a lower cost.The standoff over Wise Logic Security is the latest in a series of clashes between the council chair and management, a development many observers say is hindering development in the district.Recently, one official, Tongofa, was quoted saying the relationship between the council chair and the CEO was improving, with tripartite meetings now including the CEO, the DDC, and the chair herself.

… Says it was most widely consulted in Zimbabwe’s historyBy Brighton ChisevaMasvingo – Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee Chairperson Edson Zvobgo Jnr has said The Constitutional Amendment Bill #3 consultation process was one of the most widely consulted bills in Zimbabwe’s history, dismissing criticisms that the process was flawed or rushed.Speaking at a press discussion organized by the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe in partnership with TellZim News at Chevron Hotel on April 11, Zvobgo acknowledged that there were a few incidents of concern but insisted they did not discredit the overall peaceful process.”Of course there were one or two incidences of concern. I saw some videos, but when we look at the overall process, dealing with a country of around 16 million, then point to two videos and say the whole process was faulty is not correct,” said Zvobgo.He argued that some people opposed to the political implications of the bill were now attacking the process, which he said went well in most areas.”There are people who were against the political implications of the passing of the bill. They should learn to differentiate the two. Those who are against the political outcome are now attacking the process, which went well in most areas,” he said.Zvobgo rejected claims that the consultation period was too short, explaining that critics were only looking at one part of the process.”Some say the process was too short, but they will be talking about a part of the process where the MPs had to come and meet people. The process is still ongoing, but the challenge is people don’t know that written submissions are equally important just like the submissions made during the meetings. The process is 90 days, and people have all the time to make written submissions,” said Zvobgo.He explained that the decision to compress the face to face meetings into four days was driven by the need to manage resources.”The committee had only 20 members, so we had to take other members from other committees and compress the period within a short time to avoid using taxpayers’ money for travel and other monetary requirements,” said Zvobgo.He said during the Constitutional Amendment Bills #1 and #2, there were only two meetings per province, with no complaints, but this time there was a dramatic increase to 64 meetings.”The idea of consultation is to get a sample; it’s not a referendum that requires going village by village. We had the first and second amendments which we had only two meetings per province but people did not complain,” he added.Zvobgo also addressed the issue of people bringing thousands of copies of submissions against certain clauses, stating that quantity does not matter.”Some people brought 10,000 copies with the same message and the same clause. That doesn’t change anything. It’s not about the number of copies because it’s not a vote where we count the number of people who have put in input,” he said.He also insisted that the meetings were fair, saying opposition MPs were involved, including the vice chairperson for the Masvingo team.”We had opposition members amongst ourselves. I was chairing the Masvingo meetings, and my vice was Honourable Shiriyedenga, who is a member of CCC. “She chaired in Zaka and other meetings. This is a result of people’s objections to the result and the political implication, which is fair enough. Everyone has a right to have their view of the political implication, but they should not confuse the two. The result and the process, during the process, the constitutional requirements were followed,” said Zvobgo.Zvobgo also defended the proposal that the President be elected by Members of Parliament rather than through direct popular vote, arguing that such a system was not foreign to Zimbabwe.He said similar systems were used to elect Presidents in countries such as South Africa, Botswana, and the United Kingdom. He challenged what he called double standards, saying it is acceptable when practiced by neighboring nations but criticized when Zimbabwe seeks to adopt the same approach.

By Yvonne Mangani

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has strongly condemned the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3), warning that it threatens democratic principles and fundamental rights, while raising alarm over alleged abuses during recent public hearings.

Presenting the commission’s analysis, ZHRC chairperson Jessie Majome said the bill could undermine constitutional governance, particularly provisions that may extend presidential tenure and alter electoral processes.

Majome cautioned that extending presidential terms could infringe on citizens’ political rights enshrined in Section 67 of the Constitution, including the right to participate in regular elections. She noted that such changes may also violate international democratic standards that require periodic, credible elections.

“The potential negative effects are significant. Public trust in constitutional governance may erode if citizens perceive the law as pliable to political expediency. The balance of powers could be destabilised, marginalising Parliament’s oversight and the judiciary’s interpretive role, while concentrating authority in the executive,” said Majome.

The commission also expressed concern over proposals to remove citizens’ direct role in electing the president, warning that this could weaken popular sovereignty and democratic accountability.

“Removing the electorate from directly voting for the President risks diminishing popular sovereignty and weakening public trust in institutions. Concentrating presidential selection within Parliament raises the danger of parliamentary capture, where dominant parties manipulate rules to entrench power, marginalising smaller parties and opposition voices,” said Majome.

Beyond the bill itself, ZHRC reported widespread allegations of intimidation, harassment, and the exclusion of dissenting voices during the public consultation process, casting doubt on the credibility and inclusiveness of the hearings.

In a statement, the Commission said the conduct observed during the hearings undermined several constitutional rights, including freedom of expression (Section 61), freedom of conscience (Section 60), the right to human dignity (Section 51), personal security (Section 52), as well as equality and non-discrimination (Section 56).

ZHRC noted that individuals and groups who opposed the proposed amendments were, in many instances, denied the opportunity to participate in the hearings.

“Whilst those in support of the Constitutional Amendment were able to give their views, the Commission noted the harassment and intimidation of dissenting voices. Individuals and groups opposed to CAB3 were denied audience.

“The Commission observed instances where participants with divergent views to the proposed amendments were threatened, silenced, denied opportunities to contribute and in some instances physically attacked,” reads part of the statement.

The Commission further highlighted concerns over restricted access to hearing venues, alleging that some entry points were tightly controlled in ways that limited open participation.

“There was a strong pattern of controlled participation across most provinces. Some entrances to venues were often controlled by youths, with vetting at entry points and supervised sign-in registers with restricted access. For example in Mashonaland West, men holding whips were involved in vetting participants in Mhondoro Ngezi,” reads the statement.

Across the monitored venues by the ZHRC most submissions were in support of CAB3. The most supported proposals included extension of Presidential and parliamentary terms, election of the President by Members of Parliament, transfer of the voters roll from ZEC to the Civil Registry, appointment of additional senators by the PRESIDENT, MERGING THE Zimbabwe Gender  Commission into the ZHRC, and allowing traditional leaders to participate in politics.

ZHRC said the reported incidents point to a broader pattern of interference that compromised the credibility of the public consultation process.