MDC-T Masvingo urban candidate Mureyi steps down
‘Chief Charumbira lacks discipline’
Clever Taperamoyo
MASVINGO – Opposition Renewal Democrats Zimbabwe (RDZ) leader, Elton Mangoma has won a High Court challenge he mounted against recent utterances by National Council of Chiefs president, Fortune Charumbira declaring that traditional leaders must continue supporting Zanu PF.
Masvingo High Court judge, Justice Garainesu Mawadze declared that the announcements made by Chief Charumbira in his capacity as head of traditional leaders during the National Annual Conference of Chiefs in Bulawayo 2017 and in January this year at an Indaba in Gweru were unconstitutional in terms of Section 281(2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
The High Court further banned and prohibited Chief Charumbira and the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs from making further political statements, their involvement or allegiance to Zanu PF on any public forum.
Mangoma was represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) through Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners.
The High Court also ordered that campaigning Zanu PF by traditional leaders was unconstitutional and infringement of the applicant who is not to be treated in an unfairly, discriminatory manner on the basis of political affiliation.
The court also ordered the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs to initiate processes towards the establishment of the Integrity and Ethics Committee of Chiefs envisioned in Section 287 of the constitution.
Section 280 of the constitution provides the responsibility of traditional leaders that, among other responsibilities, include performing the cultural, customary and traditional functions.
The ruling follows a similar challenge that was mounted by the Electoral Resource Centre (ERC) in the High Court in Harare.
The court ordered that Charumbira retract his statements and issue an apology via the media in seven days.
The Ministry of Local Government was also ordered to take disciplinary measures against Chief Charumbira.politics
Chiredzi decommissions dumpsite, cemetery
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – Chiredzi Town Council last week decommissioned its dumpsite and cemetery in Marinda Road and across Zava Business Centre to pave way for the pegging and servicing of more than 1000 medium density and commercial stands.
In a full council meeting held last week, council declared that it had been resolved to decommission the sites to pave way for new residential areas.
It was heard that new land was being identified for a new cemetery and dumpsite.
Chiredzi Town Council chairperson, Francis Moyo later told TellZim News that the plan was to develop 1000 residential stands.
“There are two places that we have decommissioned which are the existing cemetery and dumpsite in order to pave way for the pegging and servicing of residential stands. We are going to reclaim the site at a later stage to enable it to decompose and peg commercial stands.
“The whole area can give us more than 1000 residential stands that will be pegged in medium density fashion,” said Moyo.
Meanwhile, United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCHIRRA) is trying to bar council from carrying out the latest development, saying it should be left to a new council which will assume office after the elections since the current council is tainted by many corruption scandal.
Chiredzi has been accused of diverting funds collected from home seekers for the servicing of 2 000 stands at Makondo Extension.
Despite each prospective home owner paying US$900, the stands remain not serviced almost nine years later.
An audit team commissioned by former Local Government minister, Saviour Kasukuwere reportedly unearthed serious corruption and mismanagement although the report was never made public.
Councillors and council management were also accused of selling themselves many stands at discounted prices and reselling them to desperate people at inflated prices.local
MPs want ED summoned to explain cash crisis
MDC-T Warren Park MP, Elias Mudzuri
Shingirai Vambe
HARARE – Some Members of Parliament have demanded that President Emmerson Mnangagwa be called to the House of Assembly to explain why he has failed to fulfil his promise to end the cash shortages in the first 100 days of his assuming office.
The MPs attacked government for its utter failure to solve the crisis, six months after making promises that the problems will end.
Binga North MP, Dubeko Sibanda asked that President Mnangagwa be called to the house to answer questions on the crisis now that the country is approaching general elections.
“He promised a lot of things including the 100 days which came and passed and as Members of Parliament, we request that the President responds to us before we go for elections,” said Sibanda.
He also criticised Mnangagwa of failing to be accountable to parliament just as his predecessor, Robert Mugabe had always done.
This provoked a quick defensive reaction from Zanu PF MPs who claimed Mnangagwa was too busy to come to parliament. Temporary speaker of the house, Rueben Marumahoko also defended Mnangagwa, saying the President could not be forced to come to parliament.
Zanu PF Zvishavane-Ngezi MP, John Holder had asked Finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa what mechanism government had put in place to deal with the problem.
The legislator criticised government for ignoring the black market money changers whom he said had caused people to continue sleeping on the pavements queuing for the scarce resource.
“Zimbabwe, with its 66 minerals that are being exported, is paid for those exports in foreign currency, not in bond notes. Yet we say we don’t have money in our country, why don’t we have cash reserves?” Holder asked.
Chinamasa gave a less than satisfactory response, saying Zimbabwe, just like Kenya, was one of the countries that had done well through RGTSs and other electronic payment methods and was moving towards a cashless economy.
This forced MPs to demand that he prepare a comprehensive written response for presentation to the house.
Chinamasa, however, stood his ground in a manner that some interpreted as a reflection of his usual arrogance.
“It is believed the Reserve bank is delivering bond notes in the streets of Harare in search of US dollars. So the minister should not hide behind his finger; he should prove with facts that RBZ is not involved,” said MDC-T Warren Park MP, Elias Mudzuri.top news
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Mugabe’s removal good for tourism, says Chiwenga
VP Chiwenga with Minister Mupfumira after the launch of the tourism master plan and handbook
Moses Ziyambi
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has praised Operation Restore Legacy for improving the tourism sector which he said was now thriving due to improved perception of the country from abroad.
Speaking during the launch of the National Tourism Master Plan at the Great Zimbabwe Hotel last Friday, Chiwenga said the country had recorded a significant rise in foreign tourist arrivals since the military-assisted removal of Robert Mugabe from power.
“In 2017, the country received a total of 2 422 930 tourist arrivals which represent a 12 percent increase from 2 167 686 tourists received in 2016. In the first quarter of 2018, the country has already received increased arrivals with, for example, Victoria Falls registering over 17 000 increase from a baseline of 8 000 in air traffic arrivals at Victoria Falls International Airport from January to April. This represents a 48 percent increase in arrivals compared to the same period last year.
“All this is happening on the backdrop of the peaceful transition of the new dispensation led by His Excellency the president of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde E.D Mnangagwa, which has totally changed the image and perception of Zimbabwe from a country perceived to be at war with itself to an exceptionally safe and peaceful country,” Chiwenga said.
The event also saw the launch of a handbook on and manual on Community Based Tourism Enterprises (CBTES), two documents that Chiwenga said will contribute to the vision of making Zimbabwe a middle income economy free of poverty and corruption by year 2030.
“In this regard, I therefore wish to commend partners such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) that joined hands with the government through the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry to resuscitate Community Based Tourism Enterprises amongst them Chesvingo (Karanga) Cultural Village,” he said.
JICA resident representative, Shumon Yoshiara and AfDB programmes manager, Naome Chimbetete also spoke at the occasion and praised the cooperation between government and partners for the development of tourism in the country.top news
