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Chamisa denounces Chief Ndiweni victimisation

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Chamisa denounces Chief Ndiweni victimisation

…says he will restore dignity of chiefs
Felix
Matasva
MUTARE – MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has says he
is eager to resolve the governance crisis in Zimbabwe by increasing the
autonomy of chiefs so that they become real keepers of tradition values, not
political commissars of the ruling party.
Chamisa said this while speaking during Manicaland
end-of-the-year provincial rally which was held at Chisamba grounds in Sakubva
on Sunday, December 15, 2019.
He denounced government for its recent move to
dethrone Chief Ndiweni who has stood up against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s
excesses.
Chamisa said at the moment, the country is under
authoritarian rule hence the need to address the governance crisis.
“Our country needs a leader because as of now, we
have a ruler. Our country needs a shepherd but right now it is in the hands of
a hunter. Our country needs a father because right now, it is being governed by
murderers.
“I am saying this because of what was done to
Chief Ndiweni. They are now involved in a turf war with traditional chiefs,”
said Chamisa.
He vowed that should he get into power, he will make
sure that chiefs become stewards of Zimbabwe’s traditions.
“In a bid to resolve the governance crisis, we
will make sure chiefs are not victimised and they must not be commissars of
political parties. Chiefs ​must be keepers of our traditional values and
cultural norms in the country.
“In our government, we will not tolerate chiefs
attending MDC or Zanu PF gatherings. If they come, they must use their capacity
to teach people our traditional and cultural values while giving solutions
pertaining where the nation is wrong,” said Chamisa.
He said  many
places that he toured, it emerged that many chiefs were deprived of their
chieftainships due to political influence hence in the new Zimbabwe he will
foster the return of chieftainships to rightful heirs.
“I warned them about what they are doing to Chief
Ndiweni, that they cannot rig the chieftainships as it is passed down from
generation to generation.
“In a number of places I have been touring, there
are many people who complained about being deprived of their chieftainships. I
assure you that in the new Zimbabwe yet to come, chieftainships will be brought
back to the rightful heirs,” said Chamisa.
He urged the government not to act like Ian Smith who
used chiefs as puppets, saying chiefs belonged to the people not the
government.
“I told them to leave people’s Chief Ndiweni
alone because he belongs to the people not government. The culture of abusing
chiefs like what Ian Smith did must not continue in this era. If you take a
position without taking proper procedures, you must know that it will
backfire,” he said.

Makorokoza disrupt water supply in Mutare

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Makorokoza disrupt water supply in Mutare

Moses Ziyambi

MUTARE
–
Activities of illegal gold panners upstream Pungwe River recently caused a
total shutdown of water pumping to Mutare city after council suspected that raw
water was possibly contaminated by toxic chemicals, it has emerged.
The details came out
during a public dialogue meeting between Sakubva residents and their
councillors at Beit Hall on Friday, December 13, 2019.
Participants at the
dialogue had sought answers from wards 4 and 5 councillors Edson Kalulu and
Simon Mapuvire respectively, as to what had caused the serious disruption which
saw their areas going for up to a week without tap water.
The residents
complained that council lacked tact in its communication with them, and that
the services they received was not commensurate with the rates they paid.
Other participants
argued that it was inexcusable for council to let high density residential
suburbs like Sakubva to spend a week without running water given their
vulnerability to contagious diseases like cholera and typhoid.
In response, Mapuvire
blamed the shutdown on illegal gold panners operating upstream the river which
is Mutare’s source of raw water.
“There are illegal gold
panners operating there and their activities were behind the water shutdown.
Council noticed that water in the river had become unusually dirty and upon
investigations, learnt that it all emanated from the panners.
“It was then suspected
that the gold panners had possibly used dangerous chemicals that could not be
treated by our ordinary water purification processes. It was then resolved that
all pumping should be stopped and samples taken to a laboratory in Harare for
testing. After the results came back negative, normal water pumping resumed. We
are sorry that was not clearly communicated to residents,” said Mapuvire.
Other residents accused
council of profiting from desperate tenants occupying its ‘demeaning’ hostels
in the suburbs.
“We can’t continue with
the legacy of Ian Smith who put business ahead of human dignity by building for
us demeaning hostels with no privacy, and with no place for a decent family set
up. We say council should sell those hostels so that the new owners can
renovate and improve them,” said Watson Mafuya.
The councillors
responded to the concerns by saying council had already agreed to dispose of
the hostels to tenants to give room for their improvement.

Morgenster crash victims’ families criticise kombi operator

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Morgenster crash victims’ families criticise kombi operator

… ‘kombi businessman lacks compassion’
Brighton Chiseva
The families of
victims of a fatal omnibus accident which occurred recently at Morgenster are
bitter that the owner of the vehicle showed no compassion to them in their time
of grief, and has made no effort to commiserate with them, let alone provide
some form of compensation.
The omnibus crushed
after failing to negotiate a curve just after Morgenster Mission Hospital on
Its way from Renco Mine to Masvingo city.
It overturned and
killed three people on the spot while the other two were pronounced dead upon
admission at Morgenster Hospital. A total of 12 other passengers were injured.
Relatives of Esther
Mhere, who is one of the deceased victims, said the owner of the vehicle,
Samuel Mushayi, did not bother to assist them meet burial expenses.
The deceased’s
son, Godfree Mhere said they were shocked by the kombi owner’s behaviour who he
accused of taking their patience for granted.
“He called us and
said we had to meet at Pick n Pay Masvingo but we waited for him for several
hours as he kept on saying he was coming. We then got tired of waiting and went
to Moonlight funeral parlour where he against promised to meet us but failed to
show up,” said Mhere.
The deceased’s brother
Jestinos Mahachi said they were still pained that two weeks had gone by without
hearing anything from Mushayi.
He said they
will were not letting him get away with it since the whole family was failing
to come to terms with what happened.
“We know
accidents do happen and they are not planned but the owner should show a little
respect to the affected people. He even promised to meet us and we delayed the
taking our relative’s body from the parlour only to be disappointed.
“If he was that
busy, he could have sent a messanger just to show that he was sorry. We even
told him that we were not after his money,” said Mahachi.
When contacted
for comment, Mushayi said some of the family had been hostile to him and had
refused to accept his help.
“Since they had
a funeral policy I could not buy a coffin for them. I then asked what I could
do to help but they asked me to wait for someone to decide and when they made
up their minds, I had gone to Zaka for burial of other two victims from the
same family.
“I then offered some
money and requested for their EcoCash number as I did to the other families but
they refused. They were so bitter and the police had warned that I had to be
careful to avoid another tragedy,” said Mushayi.
Local Member of Parliament
Claudious Maronge, however, chipped by providing transport and some food to the
grieving family.

Reckless driving, rugged road turns Mwenezi stretch deadliest

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Reckless driving, rugged road turns Mwenezi stretch deadliest



Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – Reckless
driving coupled with the worrisome state of the country’s busiest main road; the
Harare-Beitbridge highway is continuously costing innocent lives that could otherwise
be avoided.
If
corrective measures were to be taken by authorities through upgrades and
maintenance, the Mwenezi stretch of the artery will cease to be the death trap
that it currently is.
Recently,
the Mwenezi stretch recorded two separate fatal accidents within a short space
of time. The first one occurred at the 129km peg where a South Africa-bound
Africa Link bus killed five people and left 45 others injured. The second
accident happened at the 166km peg where an omnibus collided head-on with a
haulage truck, killing all the six men who were in the omnibus.
The
two fatal accidents and many other ‘minor’ ones are caused mostly by reckless driving
and the bad state the road.
Mwenezi
District Development Coordinator (DDC), Rosemary Chingwe said the highway was
probably deadliest in Mwenezi.
She
said urgent repairs and upgrades were needed on many parts of the road, and
urged drivers to stop over-speeding and violating other road rules.
“The
highway is in bad shape and needs serious attention from Chirundu to Beitbridge.
As for the Mwenezi stretch, you find that several fatalities are being recorded
as a result of an increase in the number of unattended black spots.
“There
is a double curve at the 129km peg but there are no roads signs there. A lot of
attention is needed at that scene which is proving to be a horrible black spot.
It must also be noted, however, that several accidents occurring there are a
result of over-speeding and overtaking errors,” said Chingwe.
National
police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told TellZim News that
investigations were still in progress to determine the factors leading to the
most recent 129km peg accident.
Some
evidence at hand, however, suggests that human error played a big role in that
horrible mishap.
It
is said the driver of the commuter omnibus flashed his vehicle’s lights at the
haulage truck, thereby disorienting the truck driver who then encroached into
the wrong lane, resulting in a high-impact head-on collision.
The
truck dragged the omnibus for some metres metres off the road, killing all the
six men who were on board.
Some
drivers that spoke to TellZim News said there was a possibility that recklessness
was the main cause of the accident.
“The
truck driver should have reduced speed and shifted his gaze a bit to the side when
the commuter omnibus driver flashed his lights. These are the basic lessons we
are taught in driving school. The fact that the truck dragged the omnibus tells
you a lot about the speed at which it was travelling.
“Unless
the truck driver was sleeping on the steering, the possibility is that the two
drivers became just stubborn and failed to give each other way, resulting in
the unnecessary loss of lives,” said one motorist.
Some
pothole-feeling work has been done on the stretch of the road but there is
obviously a lot of work that needs to be done as an increase of traffic in the
festive season is expected to cause more losses of life.

Gweru warns residents against vandalism

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Gweru warns residents against vandalism

…water rationing to persist due to
power cuts

Tinaani
Nyabereka

GWERU– The local chapter of the Woman Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ)
last week engaged Gweru City Council on a service delivery feedback meeting
focusing on the water rationing exercise currently being carried out by council.
WCoZ Gweru chapter coordinator,
Vimbai Nhutsve said such engagements were important for holding council
accountable in matters of service delivery.
“It is good for council to come to
us and clarify what we don’t understand because we pay for services as
residents. The issue of inadequate water remains a challenge in our communities
and by such engagements, we become knowledgeable about where our city is
going,” said Nhutsve.
Tatenda Machingauta, a Ward 6
resident, complained that a lot of rubbish was being dumped at the boreholes
and other water sources.
“A lot of dirt is being dumped at
boreholes and wells. I fear that will lead to further contamination of our
underground. People are throwing used sanitary pads, plastics all over and that
is not healthy,” said Machingauta.
Gweru City Council Engineering Services
director, Robson Manatsa said residents had a duty to ensure a clean
environment and must protect public property against vandalism.
“As residents, we are obliged to
keep safe council property because it is our property as well. I urge you to do
away with vandalism because once council property is vandalised, we come back
to you for the money to repair that damages
“I heard streets lights are being
vandalised in some areas and people are cutting away the cables. The same goes
for our water infrastructure; if you come across acts of vandalism and theft of
that property, you must take action and report,” said Manatsa.
He said the water rationing schedule
introduced by council was a response to the crippling power cuts at the supply
dam.
“Some areas are not getting water
because we are experiencing massive power cuts at Gwenhoro. Some of the power
cuts are unexpected so it affects the rationing programme. We therefore urge
residents to use water sparingly and avoid vandalism of infrastructure,’ said
Manatsa.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Woman attacked with machete for turning down love proposal

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Woman attacked with machete for turning down love proposal

Heather Buzuzi

MUTARE – A Chipinge woman from
Ngatitonge village under Chief Musikavanhu was left nursing severe bodily
injuries after being hit with a machete all over her body for turning down love
proposal.
Primrose
Mhute (22), a shopkeeper at Masekaya tuckshop at a local business centre, was
approached by 23-year-old Blessing Mudzipurwa Mungana of Satiya village under Chief
Muusha in Chimanimani.
Mungana
proposed love to Mhute but she turned him down.
This
did not go well with Mungana who then slapped Mhute on the face.
Zimbabwe
Republic Police (ZRP) Manicaland provincial spokesperson, Assistant Inspector
Luxson Chinanda confirmed the matter and called for civility in social
interactions.
“The
two wrestled and Mhute managed to push the accused to the ground in a bid to
rescue herself. Mungana went home and came back armed with a machete, and when
Mhute saw that Mungana was armed with a machete, she tried to escape but the
accused pursued and caught her,” said Chinanda.
Mungana
then struck Mhute once on her left hand once on the back of her right palm, cutting
off her right-hand middle finger before neighbours could intervene.
The
assailant then escaped from the scene but a report was made to Chimanimani
police, leading to his arrest and the recovery of the machete.
“We
encourage people to solve their misunderstandings in a civil manner and third
parties must be called to mediate in case of conflicts. The other important
thing is for men to make sure that they cannot force women to love them,”
said Chinanda.
He said both men and women had a right to say no to unwanted
solicitations.

Two slices of bread for Zimsec examiners

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Two slices of bread for Zimsec examiners

…PTUZ raises red flag over abuse of teachers
…credibility of results compromised
Upenyu
Chaota
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has
taken the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (Zimsec) to task over what it
considers to an abuse of examiners marking both ‘A’ and ‘O’ Level examinations.
The teacher’s union claims examiners are getting only
two slices of bread and beans for breakfast contrary to the initial agreement.
PTUZ president Dr Takavafira Zhou told TellZim News
that Zimsec had initially agreed to give examiners breakfast $40 worth of
breakfast.
He said the breakfast would be made up of four slices
of bread with butter, coffee, one boiled egg and baked beans.
Zhou said examiners were also promised decent lunch
and $57 dinner allowances while those who were not offered accommodation were
promised $167 for both dinner and accommodation.
“What boggles the mind is that Zimsec is going back on
the initial agreement. We had a meeting with them and we agreed on all the
logistics but to our surprise, our examiners are being treated like prisoners.
“They are being given only two dry slices of bread
with baked beans and tea. The tea sometimes does not even have milk. For
breakfast, we had agreed on a decent meal with a value of $40 but that is not
what is happening.
“Our examiners were supposed to be given four slices
of bread with butter, baked beans, a boiled egg and coffee,” said Zhou.
He said the lunch being served to examiners was
substandard and that was demoralising them to such an extent that final results
could be compromised.
“We were promised to be served a decent lunch but what
we are seeing is deplorable. The lunch is substandard and sometimes it comes in
short supply, with some examiners having to wait for supper.
“The dinner allowances were pegged at $57 but our
examiners are being paid $54 and we wonder what is going on at Zimsec.
“Those who have not been offered accommodation are
being paid $74 in dinner and accommodation allowances instead of the agreed
$167. We are very disturbed by these reports and we are compiling a report so
that we can confront Zimsec.
“Marking is a rigorous exercise which requires full
concentration for one to be fair and accurate. How would you expect a teacher
who is hungry and thinking about where they will sleep to concentrate? It is disaster
in the making,” said Zhou.
Zhou said the teachers were made to sign contracts
which prohibited them from speaking to ‘outsiders’ about their welfare.
“I visited Masvingo Polytechnic College yesterday to
make an assessment and the examiners were running away saying they were not
allowed to talk to us. They were given a directive not to speak to any outsider
but our members are coming forward and disclosing information.
“If teachers think it is prudent to be silenced and
get peanuts at the end of the day then they should wake up. We should not die
in silence. We should speak with one voice. Silence means we want to be
abused,” said Zhou.
Efforts to get a comment from Zimsec director Dr
Lazarus Nembaware were futile as his mobile was not reachable.

US, Britain sponsoring terror groups in Zim: Matemadanda

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US, Britain sponsoring terror groups in Zim: Matemadanda

…accuses West of pumping US$5 million towards fight
against Zanu PF Govt

Upenyu
Chaota
Zanu PF national political commissar and Defence
deputy minister Victor Matemadanda last week blew launched vitriolic attacks
against the United States and Britain, alleging that the two powers were
meddling into Zimbabwean politics.
He accused the two countries of cheering MDC leader
Nelson Chamisa’s ‘disregard’ for the rule of law following his loss of a Supreme
Court case challenging the 2018 presidential election results.
Matemadanda made the remarks while addressing a Zanu
PF Masvingo provincial inter-district meeting in Masvingo recently.
He attacked Britain, the United States and the
European Union (EU) whom he alleged to have injected US$5 million to fund ‘terror’
groups that want to usurp power from the Zanu PF government.
A visibly agitated Matemadanda said that ‘the
Americans’ were trying to grab power in the country through the back door by
sponsoring anarchy.
 “The problem we
have is that of the British, Americans and the European Union who keep on
supporting someone (Chamisa) who does not recognise the rule of law. He refused
to accept the 2018 election results and he approached the Supreme Court.
“The Supreme Court upheld the election results but
still the Americans and British keep supporting Chamisa. If the Americans and
British are morally upright, they must reign in Chamisa and tell him that what
he is doing is stupid.
“The challenge we have is that of our former
colonisers who still want to use a delinquent young man to take power through
the back door. They are using Chamisa who does not recognise the court ruling
and they are saying that is the person’s rights have been violated. What about
Chamisa’s violation of the rule of law? The Americans are silent on that one,”
said Matemadanda.
He said that if Americans were truly democratic as
they preach, they had to call Chamisa ‘to order’.
“We won the elections. If the Americans are truly
democratic and have no any other hidden interest, they must tell Chamisa to
shake President Mnangagwa’s hand not sponsor him to rise against the
government.
“That is our only problem not any other nonsense they
may try to tell us. Chamisa says he is a leader of a democratic party but does
not want to be democratic. One fundamental tenet of democracy is the rule of
law.
“If Chamisa was going to win an election in future,
losers will dispute the result because he is setting a wrong precedent. If the
British and Americans are going to support someone who refuses to be bound by
the Supreme Court decisions, then they are hypocrites,” said Matemadanda.
He said that Americans preached about democracy which
they do not want to practice.
“They talk about democracy that they do not want to
practice or even want those that they support to practice and accept. That is
bull**. We liberated this country with guns from the British and Americans
being supported by the European Union. We are no afraid of them,” said
Matemadanda.
He claimed that America and Britain were funding
‘rebel’ groups to rise against the Zanu PF government.
“The Americans and British have poured in over US$5
million to do propaganda against Zanu PF government on social media. This is
why you are seeing a lot of lies being peddled against Zanu PF on social media.
They are doing that because they were given funds for that,” said Matemadanda.
He also said government will not lose sleep over
Chamisa because he was ‘a nonentity’ who should focus on his ‘dying’ MDC.
“We will not lose sleep over Chamisa. He is just a
desperate young man who should focus on his dying MDC. Chamisa has nothing
which the Zanu PF government wants,” said Matemadanda.

Sex worker caught with live python at Mutare lodge

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Sex worker caught with live python at Mutare lodge

Heather Buzuzi
MUTARE –
In a bizarre incident that left many residents shocked, a 21-year-old sex
worker was caught with a live African python measuring 4.1 metres at Greengate
Lodges.
This
was heard in the Mutare Magistrates’ Court where Loice Samhere, who is owner of
the lodge, and sex worker Queen Mpofu (21) of Number 1492 Silverbow, Rusape,
made their initial appearance.
They
appeared before magistrate Notebulgar Muchineripi facing charges of keeping or
being in possession of a protected animal.
They
were not formally charged and were remanded in custody to January 05, 2020.
The
State’s case, as presented by prosecutor Tirivanhu Matyasire, is that on
December 04 ,2019 at Greengate Lodge, Samhere and Mpofu, or one of them, unlawfully
kept or had in their possession a python.
An
unnamed male went to the lodge for sex with Mpofu and found her already in the
room that they had booked.
When
the man put his satchel on top of the bag that was containing the python, the
reptile made a strange noise, frightening the prospective client into a
panicked and noisy flight.
One
John Sazinyu of 144 Flamingo Drive, Greenside, who works as a caretaker at Black
Gate Lodge, went to find out what was happening and many other people gathered
around.
Sazinyu
ordered Mpofu to open the bag but she refused.
Samhere
then ordered Mpofu to remove the bag containing the python from the room. Mpofu
hired a tax which to ferry her belongings from the room including the bag
containing the python to Aloe Park.
People
made a follow up and gathered at Aloe Park where one member of the public opened
the bag and removed the python from the bag.
At
that moment, Sazinyu ran to Mutare Central Police Station where he made a
report leading to Mpofu’s arrest.
When
questioned, Mpofu implicated Samhere as the owner of the python and this led to
the arrest of Samhere.
The
recovered python is currently held by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks)
Mutare and was produced in court as an exhibit.

Mwenezi woman secretly buries baby cave

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Mwenezi woman secretly buries baby cave

Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – A
34-year old Mwenezi woman from Gonyami Village under Chief Mawarire gave birth
to a dead premature child and buried its corpse in a cave.
This
was heard in the Mwenezi Magistrates’ Court during the trial of Ropafadzo
Matare who was charged with Contravening Section 106 of the Criminal Law
Codification and Reform Act Chapter 09:23 ‘Concealing birth of child’.
Matare
pleaded guilty when she appeared before magistrate Honest Musiiwa last Wednesday
and was sentenced to six months imprisonment, two of which were conditionally
suspended. The remaining four months were set aside on condition she performed
140 hours of community service at Pambe Primary School.
Asked
by magistrate Musiiwa why she committed the offence, Matare pleaded poverty.
“When
I gave birth to my child she was already dead. Given the state of poverty at
our homestead and upon weighing the costs of feeding mourners, I decided to
bury my child alone. At our homestead, we completely have nothing,” Matare
confessed in court.
Presented
by prosecutor Willard Chasi, it was the State case that on November 14, 2019,
Matare gave birth to a dead child. She took the corpse and went to a nearby mountain
where she placed it inside a cave.
Upon
being quizzed by some suspicious relatives who had realised that she was no
longer pregnant, Matare opened up and a report was made to the police, leading
to her arrest.
The
child’s remains were retrieved from the cave and taken to Masvingo General
Hospital for a post-mortem.
According
to State papers, the cause of the child’s death could not be ascertained as the
corpse was in an advanced state of decomposition.
   

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