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Chimanimani MDC Alliance supporter’s house burnt

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The roof of Hanyani's hut smoulders on after a suspected arson attack recently

Courage Dutiro

CHIMANIMANI – A house belonging to Daniel Hanyana, a Chimanimani MDC Alliance supporter, was recently reduced to ashes after an unknown person allegedly set it on fire for political reasons, TellZim News has learnt.
When contacted for comment, Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa said he was out of office and had not seen the report when he left.
The suspected arson attack happened in Chimanimani West Ward 5, Nemutenzi Village under Chief Mutambara.
The incident, which happened on Sunday, August 12, has left many local people in shock and afraid as they suspect foul play with political motives.
Norman Hanyana, who is brother to Daniel, said the suspected arson attack happened at around 15:00 hrs when no one was at home.
"The case was reported to Nyanyadzi police station. It was fortunate that nobody was at home when the house was burnt. It is reasonable to suspect that whoever was behind the attack wanted people dead,” said a source.
Another source said footprints of the suspected arsonist were traced behind the hut moving towards a nearby hill.
Other sources said prior to the alleged arson attack, a group of Zanu PF youths had been moving around threatening to burn down the houses of all people linked to the opposition MDC Alliance.
Recently-elected Zanu PF Chimanimani West Ward 5, Ruben Mujee confirmed the incident but could not provide a detailed comment.
“Yes it is true that there is a house that was burnt. I was told about that issue today by the village head,” said Mujee.
He added that another house was burnt on July 30, the day when people went to vote in the harmonised elections.

Makumire wants to be Chiredzi’s 1st ever independent town chair

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Makumire wants to be Chiredzi’s 1st ever independent town chair

Ropafadzo Makumire

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – Recently-elected Ward 3 Cllr, Ropafadzo Makumire has thrown his hat in the ring as the jostling for the vacant post of town chair intensifies.
Chiredzi town has eight wards that are evenly divided between the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition, with MDC Alliance holding three of them.
Makumire told TellZim News he got what it takes to provide good leadership in council and to put the town on course to attain municipal status by year 2023.
The 25-year-old Makumire has an Honours Degree in Rural and Urban Planning from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and he says he is working on his thesis for his Master’s in Urban Design.
“I have vast knowledge of local governance and if given the opportunity to be the leader of all elected officials in council, the town’s fortunes will definitely change for good. I am an independent councillor, meaning I am not beholden to any political party and my decision will therefore not be informed by partisan motives.
“Efficient service delivery has for long been compromised by too much partisan interference in the work of councillors and council management. It is my wish that we act differently this time around so that whatever decisions we take are taken for their merit,” said Makumire.
He said he would work to increase residential, commercial and industrial development as well as to improve service delivery and fight corruption so as to meet the minimum requirements for municipal status.
Meanwhile other Zanu PF councillors like Obert Ngwenya (Ward 2) and Liberty Macharaga (Ward 4), who had been regarded as front runners for the post, seem to have withdrawn from the race most probably due to pressure from their political party which is believed to be favouring somebody else.
“Being a leader is a big sacrifice for the people you serve. Yes, there might be pressure but being a leader means how to deal with every situation for the best interests of the people you serve,” said Macharaga.
MDC Alliance’s Gibson Hwende (Ward 1) seems to also have withdrawn his bid and has said he will only seek an advisory role to help whoever gets elected.
“I will just take an advisory role as a senior councillor because as for now, I have no interests in that post,” he said.
Makumire would need the MDC Alliance’s three votes, his own vote plus at least one from the four Zanu PF councillors to be town chair.local

Losers’ pack: Chiredzi caretaker commission criticised

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Losers’ pack: Chiredzi caretaker commission criticised

Francis Moyo

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – The persons appointed to run the affairs of Chiredzi Town Council pending the swearing in of new councillors have been criticised for landing their posts not on the basis of merit but due to patronage networks.
The interim Chiredzi commission has Ronald Ndava, who earlier this year lost the Chiredzi North Zanu PF primaries to Roy Bhila, and outgoing town chairperson Francis Moyo who lost to Farai Musikavanhu in Chiredzi West.
Both Bhila and Musikavanhu went on to win the seats in the July 30 harmonised elections.
It is, however, by Zanu PF’s intricate patronage system that Ndava and Moyo find themselves calling the shots at the local authority albeit on a provisional basis.
Both men have previously served as chairpersons of the council, and critics say their record in terms of service delivery is dismal.
During his time as chairperson, Ndava was accused of sabotaging a deal proposed by Tongaat Hulett which would have seen the sugar company partnering council in road maintenance projects.
Moyo is accused of colluding with former Minister of Local Government Public Works and National Housing, Savior Kasukuwere to ignore calls by residents to make public a forensic audit of the council’s dealings.
Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (CHIRRA) chairperson, Jonathan Muusha said by bringing the two men back into council, current Local Government minister July Moyo had shown complete disregard for the sentiments of residents.
“How could he bring people with such a poor record back into council? There were many choices at his disposal. We are convinced they were appointed to console them for their loss in the Zanu PF primaries and to make sure they stay dedicated to the party.
“We feel the minister should instead have appointed the district administrator to run the affairs of council while we wait for the incoming elected officials. Nothing can be expected from those two because they failed to deliver during their time as councillors,” said Muusha.
United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCHIRRA) secretary general, Bernard Dhachi said the Local Government should have learnt from history that such arrangements were often conduits of corruption and self-aggrandisement.
“Appointing people who are not serving in any other public office is not a wise thing you want to do because such people are complete outsiders. They exploit whatever little time they have to cut out nice deals for themselves at the expense of residents. That has happened in the past so why should it happen again?
“In our case, it is even more outrageous because Francis Moyo, who is the outgoing chairperson with a blemished record, has been retained as a commissioner,” said Dhachi.
All commissioners appointed to run the affairs of all councils in the province have strong links to Zanu PF, with many of them having lost in the party’s chaotic primary elections held in April and May.local

Elections over, let’s work together: ED

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Elections over, let’s work together: ED

President Emmerson Mnangagwa


Shingirai Vambe

HARARE – Zimbabweans in all provinces recently honoured their fallen heroes and celebrated their armed forces on, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the main events in Harare.
The Harare events were attended by thousands of people although they were noticeably fewer than in the previous years when it was Robert Mugabe in charge.
At the National Heroes’ Acre, Mnangagwa avoided making comments on the MDC Alliance’s ConCourt challenge against his disputed presidential election victory, choosing instead to call upon all citizens to put their differences aside and build the country.
“The new dispensation has opened the country’s democratic and economic space and demonstrated that Zimbabwe’s democracy has matured. This, however, should never be abused, let’s bury our political difference and focus on rebuilding a prosperous Zimbabwe as one family,” Mnangagwa said.
The Defence Force Day celebrations were held at the National Sports Stadium, but the event, like any other in the past, did not feature leaders of the opposition who have always complained that such important national events were being abused by Zanu PF to push a partisan agenda.
In his own statement, Chamisa castigated ruling politicians for weakening and dividing the country’s defence forces for their own selfish ends.
“Under our new government, the overcharging goal of our military will always be to disrupt, dismantle, defeat and prevent anyone from building capacity to threaten Zimbabweans,” he said.
He went further to say at no point should the military be weakened, balkanised and divided into units under the control of self-serving politicians with ‘warlord’ mentalities.
The army staged a coup last year to save Mnangagwa who had just been fired from his vice presidency position by Mugabe.
On August 01 this year, some two day after the elections, at least six people were shot dead by the army during demonstrations against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)’s alleged delay in announcing presidential election results.top news

‘Post-election violence rises in Chipinge’

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‘Post-election violence rises in Chipinge’

Shingirai Vambe

CHIPINGE – Many people in the south-eastern district of Chipinge are living in fear after many reported incidences of politically motivated violence, it has been learnt.
All the incidences of violence and intimidation of recent days were perpetrated allegedly by members and supporters of Zanu PF against members and supporters of the opposition MDC Alliance; real or perceived.
MDC Alliance won two out of the five parliamentary seats for Chipinge district; Chipinge West (Sibonile Nyamudeza) and Chipinge East (Mathias Mlambo). Before the elections, the party only held Musikavanhu constituency, which it however lost to Zanu PF this time around.
Zanu PF also won Chipinge South and Chipinge Central.
Elsewhere, a member of the opposition coalition reportedly had his house razed down by suspected Zanu PF supporters in Bikita South. However, no confirmation could be obtained on this incident by the time of going to print.
In Chipinge Central Ward 8, cases of intimidation and violence are reportedly on the rise, with members of the ruling Zanu PF party said to be moving from one house to another either beating or threatening those perceived to be sympathetic to the opposition.
Arnold Chipezano, who works at a farm as a tractor driver, said he was being threatened by ruling party supporters who accused him of being an MDC Alliance supporter.
“At work and in the residential compound, I am being threatened with unspecified action. They warned me to pack my bags and leave, but I don’t have anywhere to go. Besides, how would I earn a living if I just leave my job?
“They are saying they are only waiting for the MDC Alliance’s court application against the election results to be decided after which they will deal with me,” he said.
In Ward 4, many opposition members and supporters have reportedly fled the country to Mozambique fearing reprisals.
Many people said despite some foreign observer groups claiming they deployed teams across the country, Chipinge seemed left out, thereby contributing to what they considered to be disproportionate incidents of violence as compared to what is happening in the rest of the country.
Another opposition supporter who preferred not to be named said there was a known Zanu PF members who was openly intimidating opposition supporters.
“You report him to the police and he is picked up, but he would be back the following day. He was once arrested for tearing down Chamisa’ poster but nothing happened to him,” he said.
However, a nurse at Junction Gate Clinic in Ward 8 said she had not treated any injuries from the alleged political violence cases.
The Human Rights NGO Forum has released its ‘2018 Post-Election Violence Monitoring Report’, a documentation of alleged cases of politically-motivated violence perpetrated against the opposition after the July 30 elections.
Government has however trashed the report, with presidential press secretary George Charamba saying the report was designed to dupe the ‘gullible’ donor community.
“It is not about the state of human rights, in the country as it is for donor funding. In short, if blood is not produced on the streets, it must be produced on paper,” Charamba was quoted by State media as saying.local

National Youth Service condemns church groups for ‘unwarranted attacks’ on govt

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National Youth Service condemns church groups for ‘unwarranted attacks’ on govt

Tariro Bwerinofa

Clever Taperamoyo

The Zimbabwe National Youth Service Graduates Association (ZNYSGA) last week lashed out at ‘unwarranted attacks’ on the country’s institutions of governance by various faith-based organisations.
In a strongly-worded statement released by its national public relations officer, Tariro Bwerinofa, ZNYSGA attacks the church groups for being insincere in their work.
“The Zimbabwe National Youth Service Graduates Association would like to express its deep concern over the unwarranted attack on our institutions of governance by the so called Ecumenical Church groups and the so called Civil Society of Zimbabwe on their released statement on Thursday 16th of August 2018,” the statement reads.
Various ecumenical groups recently released a statement demanding judiciary independence in the MDC Alliance’s Constitutional Court application against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s presidential election victory.
Addressing members of the media at Media Centre in Harare, delegates from the Zimbabwe Divine Destiny (ZDD), United Citizens Alliance, War Veterans Peace Initiative Forum (WVPIF) and Zimbabwe Prayer Network (ZPN) blamed Zec chairperson, Priscilla Chigumba for provoking the post-election instability that saw the killing of civilians by soldiers in Harare, saying she was arrogant and unaccommodating to very pertinent concerns.
However, ZNYSGA labelled the church groups as agents of darkness that purport to be agents of light.
“As patriotic members of our society we are forced to issue this statement after realising that we are surrounded by these dubious organisations who dwell in pretence by siding and praising hooliganism. They seem not to see the spirit of unity, peace and progress which was and is being inculcated by the leadership of President Mnangagwa. They seem to enjoy the perpetuation of negativity by their barbarian sectorial membership in our society who are the supporters of the opposition,” the statement reads.
The group also made a veiled attack on the MDC Alliance, saying it was the only party that was stoking tensions in the country when everybody else was preaching peace and unity.
“Zimbabweans on the period starting 1st of July 2018 were afforded an opportunity to exercise their right to choose the leadership which they so wish to guide them for the next five years be it a councillor, MP up to the President. The environment was very conducive and afforded everyone an opportunity to exercise his or her right in a peaceful manner. During this period, we witnessed only one party which was so arrogant and was propagating hate speech and violence throughout the campaign. This party was never condemned by these so called pretenders who today appear to be preaching the voice of reason,” the statement further reads.
The statement also calls for peace, saying people of the country had suffered enough they could not afford to be divided further.
“As Zimbabweans we appreciate a culture of tolerance, respect, selflessness, over and above party affiliations,” it reads.local

Tshetu appointed new Hevoi FM area manager

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Tshetu appointed new Hevoi FM area manager

Norbert Pithias Tshetu

TellZim Reporter

AB Communications has appointed Norbert Pithias Tshetu as the area manager in charge of Hevoi FM; overseeing all operations under the business unit.
Before his latest appointment, Tshetu was a key accounts manager based at ZiFM Stereo, another AB Communications subsidiary.
He was responsible for managing and overseeing non-corporate accounts and portfolios, for both direct and agency clients, with a mandate of developing and maintaining customer relations with key clients under the portfolio.
Tshetu was also responsible for creating customised solutions for clients with the goal of shifting advertising budgets to the entity so as to increase shareholder value.
He played a pivotal role in creating and managing non-traditional radio initiatives to enhance operational efficiency.
A product of the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and the British College of Professional Management, Tshetu brings a wealth of experience to the Masvingo-based radio station, having previously worked for many companies including Alpha Media Holdings; publishers of the NewsDay, The Standard and The Zimbabwe Independent as a classifieds supervisor as well as a sales and marketing executive.
He also holds a National Certificate in Print Finishing and Converting from Harare Polytechnic.local

Exor money changer jailed for impregnating 14-year-old

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Exor money changer jailed for impregnating 14-year-old

Clayton Shereni

A man who resides in Rujeko C, Masvingo was last week sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of impregnating a 14-year-old girl with whom he had a sexual relationship with in May 2018.
Thulani Kuvarega (26), of 19551 Kukadzi St, Rujeko C, who plied his trade at PetromoExor service station as a forex dealer and money changer, proposed love to the juvenile sometime in March this year.
Appearing before magistrate Peter Madiba the man was facing charges of having sexual intercourse with a minor.
It was the State's case that the two had sexual intercourse from a period extending from May 04, 2018 to May 24.
However the unlawful relationship surfaced when the minor eloped to the residence of the accused and they started staying together.
The mother of the complainant went searching for her child after she had not shown up at their place of residence in Morningside for a couple of days.
The complainant was later found at the Kuvarega’s and her mother took her to Rujeko Police Station to file a report.
A medical examination was done on the minor and the results showed that the complainant was already pregnant.
Kuvarega pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to two years in prison of which six months were suspended on condition that he will not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
Edmund Mapope represented the State.
It is illegal to have a sexual relationship with a girl who is below the age of 16 years.local

Exit Ncube enter Ncube

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Exit Ncube enter Ncube

…new dispol for ZRP Zvishavane-Mberengwa district


Patience Muzhingi

ZVISHAVANE – A farewell party for outgoing Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer commanding Zvishavane – Mberengwa policing district, Chief Superintendent Edward Ncube was last week Friday held in honour of the senior officer who has been transferred to Plumtree.
After in the Zvishavane – Mberengwa district for three years, Ncube has now been moved and has been succeeded by Albert Ncube from Gokwe.
Speaking at the farewell party, Ncube said he enjoyed his stay in Zvishavane though it was not all rosy in the course of duty.
“In the year 2015 we recorded 17 percent reduction in crime, in 2016 a 10 percent reduction and in 2017, we recorded a reduction of 9 percent,” he said.
Local traditional leaders; chiefs Mafala, Masunda and Ngungumbani were present at the party as well as new Members of Parliament (MPs) for Zvishavane-Runde and Zvishavane-Ngezi constituencies Cuthbert  Mpame and Dumizeni Mahwite respectively.
On behalf of all chiefs in Zvishavane district, Chief Ngungumbani praised Ncube for reducing the so called ‘mabhemba’ crimes; bloody machete feuds among artisanal gold miners over mining space and lucrative gold claims.
“You have been doing good Ncube, we praise you for that. There have been cases of mabhemba but I want to thank you that such cases have now dropped,” said Chief Ngungumbani.
Other speakers also praised Ncube for what they said was his proven track record as a capable leader in crime fighting efforts, adding they hoped his replacement will be equally good and will be able to effectively carry forward the work that Ncube had put in motion to make the district safer.
Speaking to TellZim News later on, Mimosa Mine managing director, Peter Mutombeni also praised Ncube for working well with the mining sector and striving for the security of all businesses.
“We have worked well with him all this time and we will always remember his enormous contributions to the safety and security of our communities and our businesses. We wish him greater success at his next station,” said Muthombeni.top news

Gweru escalates war on vendors as typhoid spreads

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Gweru escalates war on vendors as typhoid spreads

Gweru Urban MP Brian Dube addresses councillors, members of civic society organisations and residents

Tinaani Nyabereka /
Siyabonga Sayi

City of Gweru City is on an all-war against vendors whom its blames for the spreading typhoid epidemic which had by Tuesdays killed eight people since the outbreak was declared on August 06.
Town clerk Elizabeth Gwatipedza addressed vendors in the mayor’s parlour where she warned that council would use force if vendors failed to leave the streets by Monday.
“In light of the outbreak, measures have to be taken to clear the streets. Vendors are to go to designated selling places. We find it befitting to reduce litter and dirt in our city and stop the selling of food by unlicensed people so as to curb the spread of typhoid,” said Gwatipedza.
He words were followed by running battles on the streets on Tuesday, with joint Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and municipal police patrols being attacked by angry vendors in town.
Nyaradzo Matindike a vendor who does her business on the pavements said the designated places were worse because they did not have properly functioning toilets.
“Going there will not curb typhoid. It will put us out of business and at even a greater risk because those places do not have proper toilets and running water. No person will come and buy vegetables in those areas,” she said.
Newly-elected Member of Parliament for Gweru Urban, Brian Dube, while addressing incoming councillors and civic society organisation on Tuesday, strongly condemned council for what he said was its violence against vendors.
“I would like to make this clear as we start working together. The violence that I witnessed being done against vendors on Monday is uncalled for. Council has to treat vendors with respect, and respect their property.
“If vendors were to stage a demonstration against what was done to them by council, let me tell you councillors, I will be among them raising a placard No one left his rural home and came to the city to be a vendor. They are vendors because industries are closed,” said Dube.
On Tuesday, the cumulative total typhoid cases was reported to be at 1 506, with the first case having been reported on July 20.

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