Livingstone Chimina

GWERU – MDC Alliance’s winning parliamentary candidate for Chiwundura, Livingstone Chimina is a lucky man after he snatched the constituency from Zanu PF’s Brown Ndlovu by 217 votes.
Chimina won the seat with 14 895 votes against Ndlovu’s 14 678, one of the slightest margins to be recorded in the elections.
Being a rural constituency, Chiwundura had been regarded as a Zanu PF stronghold, with Chinama getting into the race as an underdog.
He, however, pulled a surprise by defeating Ndlovu who had been MP for the area since a by-election held in July 2017 following the death of Kizito Chivamba who had been MP since 2013.
“I would like to give thanks to the MDC Alliance for giving me this opportunity to represent the people of Chiwundura. I promise to represent their interest in the National House of Assembly.
“I promise to represent the interests of the constituency and will do so in a non-partisan manner. I will provide servant leadership in order to bring development to the constituency,” said Chimina.
He said he won despite the odds being heavily stacked against him, with Zanu pF allegedly indulging in flagrant vote-buying.
“The elections were neither free nor fair. There was massive vote-buying through the distribution of farming inputs and massive intimidation in resettlement areas by the Zanu PF candidate and his supporters,” said Chimina.
Other candidates that contested in Chiwundura are Blessing Murondiwa (independent) 3 153 votes, Thulisile Guyo (People Rainbow Coalition, PRC) 443 votes, Ronica Tekede (Zimbabwe Partnership of Prosperity, Zipp) 319 votes, Michael Monde (Build Zimbabwe Alliance, BZA) 222 votes and Wilbert Vika (Alliance for People’s Agenda, Apa) 79 votes.local

…as attempts to force them to sign new V11 forms escalate

MASVINGO – The war for V11 forms is raging in the province with some MDC Alliance polling agents in the recent elections said to be deserting their homes and seeking refuge in the mountains to escape suspected Zanu PF agents that are going around forcing them to sign doctored V11 forms.
The figures on the new V11 forms have reportedly been designed in such a way that they tally with the election results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
MDC Alliance presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa lost the election to Zanu PF’s Emmerson Mnangagwa but has challenged the outcome, alleging that Zec announced fake results to benefit Mnangagwa.
Chamisa has since launched a court challenge after gathering V11 forms reportedly from all polling stations across the country which supposedly prove that Zanu PF and Zec rigged the elections.
MDC Alliance Masvingo provincial chairperson James Gumbi said their polling agents across the province were being hunted and being forced to sign new V11 forms.
“It is not well at all in the province. Our polling agents are being harassed by Zanu PF militias that are going to their homes. They want our people to sign V11 forms that have doctored figures so that they will get away with rigging. We will not let that happen; our people are no longer sleeping at home.
“Zanu PF fears being humiliated at the courts hence their desperation to look for our agents and force them to append their signatures onto fake results. Our people are now sleeping in the mountains,” said Gumbi.
He said Chamisa defeated President Mnangagwa by a wide margin in Masvingo province and Zec was finding it difficult to account for the figures they announced.
“In Chivi, we filed some police cases but nothing has been done as of yet. In Zaka, our people are sleeping in mountains because they fear for their lives.
“Zec and Zanu PF have stolen the elections but their fake numbers cannot tally. When they realised that president Chamisa indeed had the V11 forms, they panicked and are now hunting down our people. We have the real forms and they will be presented before the courts.
“There was serious rigging in Gutu where president Chamisa comes from and they will not get away with it,” said Gumbi.
Zanu PF national secretary for legal affairs, Paul Mangwana, however, dismissed the allegations, saying every person was entitled to their own ‘wild hallucinations’ but the problem came when they started believing them. 
“That is complete nonsense. They are dreaming. Kutonga hakubvi mukurota. V11 forms were signed by all polling agents and we have no reason to go after their polling agents.
“Instead, they want to manufacture their own V11 forms because we won an elections and we are not challenging the results. Hatineyi nema V11 forms isu. They were signed and we have no use for them,” said Mangwana.top news

Former President Robert Mugabe

…robbers get away with Guardian Security van

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – A gang of armed robbers on Monday escaped with a Guardian Security van and an estimated US$11 000 cash from Simrac wholesale after assaulting security guards and employees at gun point.
By the time of writing, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was investigating a case of armed robbery which took place at the Simrac shop in Msasa Road.
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Ins Charity Mazula confirmed the incident and urged businesses to bank their money in time.
"We have since launched a manhunt for the suspects and we plead with members of the public who may have any information to come forward and assist the police," said Mazula.
Eye witnesses said the incident happened in the evening, with the gang first visiting an eatery at the back of the shop where they bought some food in the afternoon.
Simrac manager, Evans Mucherahondo said a group of four armed robbers stormed into the shop at around 18:30 hrs and assaulted employees who were cleaning up the floors.
He said the robbers demanded the safe and everybody was ordered to lie face down.
“One of the gunman came into my office and ordered me to hand over the cash box. A security guard who was at the backyard was tied up and we noticed that the whole shop was surrounded. I could not count them but they were many.
“In the confusion, Guardian Security guards arrived and they were quickly met with fire. They were disarmed and tied while lying face down. They went away with the van and I am not at liberty to disclose the amount of money stolen,” said Mucherahondo.local

Siyai Neshanje

Clayton Shereni

The opposition MDC-T (Khupe faction)’s losing parliamentary candidate for Gutu North constituency, Admire Wakurawarerwa has said his defeat by Zanu PF’s Yeukai Simbanegavi was a result of a playing field that was heavily tilted against him.
He accused Zanu PF of vote-buying, saying the ruling party fielded unaccredited agents who were brazenly campaigning for their masters on election day.
"At Nharira Primary School, we had a case of a woman who claimed to be a Zanu PF agent yet she failed to produce her accreditation and we reported her to the police. Some voters were intimidated and reminded of the 2008 atrocities which claimed a lot of lives.
Wakurawarerwa also said the ruling party wantonly breached other rules set by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) in accordance with the Electoral Act.
"The whole process was not fair especially in Gutu North where Zanu PF held a road show on a Sunday, just a day before election day yet Zec had ordered that no campaigning should be done on the day," said Wakurawarerwa.
Efforts to get a comment from Masvingo Provincial Elections Officer Zex Pudurai (PEO) were fruitless as he was said to be in Harare on national business.
The electoral process has received wide criticism from many losing opposition candidates who claim Zanu PF went into the elections with an unfair advantage over them.
In its preliminary report, the European Union election observer mission cited the ruling part’s abuse of State resources and the biased State media as factors that negatively impacted on the credibility of the harmonised elections.local

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – Residents here have welcomed the initiative by the town council to come up with prepaid parking zones in the town centre, a move which will see the authorities raise funds for the rehabilitation of road infrastructure.
The town council has so far finished marking all the parking zones in the Central Business District (CBD) at TV Sales complex, Banc ABC, Edgars complex as well as at Electrosales complex which are the busiest parking zones.
Chiredzi Town Council Secretary, Charles Muchatukwa, said that markings have been completed and the prepaid parking will be functional very soon as sign posting has already been done.
“Prepaid parking in now functional in all gazetted areas. Markings and sign posts have been completed. The money collected will be channelled towards the rehabilitation of our roads and other forms of service delivery,” said Muchatukwa.
He said parking fees ranged from $0.50 (0-30 minutes), $1.00 (30 minutes – 1 hour) and $2 (1-8 hours).
United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCHIRRA) chairperson, Josphat Tizirayi said his organisation welcomed the idea, adding however that there should be transparency in the administration of the collected revenue.
“The idea of having prepaid parking is very much noble and we welcome it. The only problem we might face is lack of transparency on how the money is used.
“We just hope everything will go according to plan and there will be openness in the use of the funds,” said Tizirayi.local

GMB Jerera depot

Francis Moyo

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – Chenjerai Chivarange (38) has been sentenced to 30 months imprisonment after being found guilty of kidnapping an elderly man and taking him to a circumcision camp in the mountains.
Chivarange, of Chiwarure village under Chief Maranda, was given the sentence by magistrate Honest Musiiwa who, however, conditionally suspended six months.
TellZim News reported on two occasions how Chivarange and his gang from the camp pursued a naked Lysias Hlaisi whom they had ambushed as he bathed in the river.
Giving his side of the story in court earlier on, Hlaisi who resides in the same village with Chivarange. said he was corned by Chivarange and his circumcision group while bathing in the river.
He then had to flee home naked in broad daylight with Chivarange, who was the ring leader of the group, in hot pursuit right up to his home. Chivarange and his group manhandled and bashed Hlaisi before taking him to the mountain camp.
Hlaisi further told the court that in the mountain, he was forcefully circumcised and this has negatively affected his sexual prowess.
Appearing for the State, Willard Chasi said sometime in September 2010, Chivarange arrived at Hlaisi’s homestead with a group of about 20 men with the intention of taking Hlaisi to a circumcision camp in Tungunyu Mountain.
Being unwilling to go there, Hlaisi locked himself in his bedroom hut and refused to open.
Chivarange then took an axe which he used to break in, destroying some property in the process. After successfully breaking in, Chivarange and his gang bashed and manhandled Hlaisi before taking him to the mountain camp.
Hlaisi later on fled the camp and filed a police report.
After committing the offence and upon hearing that the police were after him, Chivarange fled to South Africa where he spent some years.
When Chivarange later returned, Hlaisi alerted the police leading to his arrest.local