MASVINGO – The cat and mouse relationship that existed between journalists and members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) will be a thing of the past as the law enforcement agency has called for cordial relations between the two parties for the promotion of peace ahead of the forthcoming elections.
Speaking at an Election Safety and Security workshop facilitated by MISA-Zimbabwe Flamboyant Hotel last weekend, national assistant police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi called on the media and the police to work together to ensure that a peaceful environment prevails during the coverage of elections.
Over the years, the police and the media have enjoyed a sour relationship with the former accusing the latter of beating them up in discharge of their duties.
“The relationship between the police and the media is like that of fish and water, we cannot do without each other. We need to work together in the execution of our duties. The police and the media are key stakeholders in as far as the provision of information during the election period is concerned.
“Let us work together to promote peace during the election period,” said Chief Supt Nyathi.
He said the cases of harassment are a thing of the past as the police will work to ensure that journalists are given their space and protection in discharge of their duties.
“As the police, I want to assure you that the field will be friendly for journalists. We have urged all our officers to respect you when doing your job. We will provide you with all the information you need from the provincial offices to national,” said Chief Supt Nyathi.
Of late, journalists have been caught in the cross fire with the police especially when covering protests, something which the police say will be resolved amicably.
“Journalists covering demonstrations or public disorder situations can contact our ground commanders at respective places of occurrencesso that they will know who is who. Journalists also need police protection during covering protests or any other disturbances hence we should work together,” said Chief Supt Nyathi.local

TellZim Reporter

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) has called upon the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to speedily appoint a substantive chief elections officer in line with Section 9 of the Electoral Act.
In a statement released on March 20, ZESN says such an appointment was necessary to ensure that there was ample time for the successful candidate to adjust to the new position and oversee the management of key electoral processes before the next elections which are expected to be held within the next five months.
The call was necessitated by the departure of Constance Chigwamba who left after falling out of favour with the electoral management body.
“According to the Electoral Act Section 9 (b) and (c), some of the key functions of a Chief Elections Officer are to supervise and control the activities of other employees of the Commission in the course of their employment and to be the accounting officer of the Commission in terms of the Public Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19] (No. 11 of 2009).
“The CEO position is a crucial office in the administration and management of electoral processes in Zimbabwe hence the need to ensure that a suitably qualified candidate who possesses the right skills, experience and knowledge is expeditiously appointed in order to keep good electoral administration principles which will enable ZEC to implement its mandate of delivering free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe.
“ZESN reiterates its calls for an independent ZEC that safeguards principles of good electoral management such as transparency, integrity, professionalism, competence and fairness,” reads the statement.
After the departure of Chigwamba, ZEC appointed Utoile Silaigwana, a retired army officer, to the position of acting chief elections officer but many stakeholders responded negatively due to Silaigwana’s alleged association with rigged elections in the past.local

GWERU – Former Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti last Sunday showed up at the MDC Alliance rally in Mkoba where he denounced the ruling Zanu PF party and pledged to support the coalition.
When Bhasikiti was given a chance to speak, he took the opportunity to endorse Nelson Chamisa’s candidature for the presidency.
Bhasikiti told the fully-packed Mkoba Stadium that voting Zanu PF in the upcoming elections would be tantamount to endorsing ‘the junta’.
“I am here to tell you what I noticed about this so-called ‘new dispensation. It is not a government for the people by the people but a government of those who facilitated the soft coup.
“I have been in Zanu PF, have tried rejoining them but really, I will tell you from experience that if you vote Zanu PF in the next election, you will be voting in a junta which you will find hard to remove,” Bhasikiti said to loud applause.
TellZim News later approached Bhasikiti to seek clarification on his recent attempts to be readmitted into the ruling party.
“It is true, I have tried going back to what I called my home only to realise it was not warm. Those accommodated there are only those from the Lacoste faction. I then wondered if Lacoste alone could develop the nation.
“That is the problem we are facing now; Lacoste trying to run it all by themselves. That can’t be,” Bhasikiti said.
After being expelled from Zanu PF for links to the Gamatox faction of former vice president Joice Mujuru in 2014, Bhasikiti became a founding member of Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF).
Factional fights in the party saw him going it alone and running as an independent in the 2017 Mwenezi East parliamentary by-election.
He however withdrew from the race citing an uneven playing field and intimidation of his supporters by Zanu PF.
After the ouster of Robert Mugabe as president, Bhasikiti showed up at a Zanu PF Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting in Masvingo where he knelt before Josaya Hungwe to beg for readmission into the party.
“Now that Zanu PF has redeemed itself, we have decided to come back because we have always been Zanu PF. I told Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo that we should dissolve the party and go back to our roots and I assure you that they are all coming back to their home,” Bhasikiti said then.local

War veterans who gathered for their provincial meeting at Masvingo Poly last Saturday questioned their representative in the politburo Victor Matemadanda’s sanity after he reconvened the meeting in order to speak in front of ZBC cameras.
The ZBC news crew arrived after the meeting was over. Upon realising that the ZBC news crew had arrived, Matemadanda called the house to order once again and started the deliberations for the second time just to accommodate the ZBC cameras.
War veterans who came from far away districts such as Mwenezi did not take Matemadanda’s move lightly.
“This is madness, how can he do this when he knows that we have a long journey going back home. Some of us are going to use Masvingo-Beitbridge highway which is very dangerous after this meeting,” war veterans could be heard saying as Matemadanda addressed them for the second time.
He literally repeated what he had said before the ZBC TV news crew had arrived.
Some said Matemadanda could have just summarised what happened in the meeting as a side interview to ZBC rather than re-starting the whole process just for the love of appearing on TV.local

…vow to stand as MPs in 2018 elections

TellZim Reporter

War veterans in Masvingo province are demanding the return of Didymus Mutasa, Rugare Gumbo, Jabulani Sibanda, Claudious Makova and Kudakwashe Bhasikiti among others back to Zanu PF.
Speaking at a meeting held at Masvingo Polytechnic College last Saturday, the war veterans unanimously agreed that it was high time Zanu PF allowed former party bigwigs to re- join the ruling party ahead of 2018 harmonised elections.
Secretary for war veterans in the politburo Victor Matemadanda, while presiding over the meeting, assured war veterans in attendance that he was going to lobby the party leadership so that they re-admit the former party big wigs whom he said were unfairly dismissed from the Zanu PF.
“I will take your plea to the politburo, I will make sure that your voices are heard and these comrades are allowed to re-join the party,” said Matemadanda.
Matemadanda encouraged the war veterans to seek public offices in the upcoming elections, saying people without liberation war credentials were leading Zanu PF astray.
“It’s your time comrades, take those positions from councillors to MPs. Don’t allow people without liberation war credentials to take those leadership positions – we know that you are capable leaders. I want to see you in parliament and in councils,” said Matemadanda.
Matemadanda took time to castigate former President Robert Mugabe whom he said was worse than Ian Smith, the last Rhodesian Prime Minister.
Less than 24 hours later, however, Bhasikiti attended the MDC Alliance rally in Gweru where he castigated Zanu PF and vowed never to vote for the ruling party again.local

…as Runde catchment council sits to decide on controversial dam

Upenyu Chaota

Masvingo minister of State for Provincial Affairs Josiah Dunira Hungwe, who has been waiting for the deputy minister of agriculture Davis Marapira to return from his foreign trip so he could explain his controversial dam on Mucheke River, has said he is going to visit the site and make his own assessments before speaking to the deputy minister.
Hungwe told TellZim News that he has received calls from various stakeholders for him to intervene on the dam built by Marapira with much fear on the safety of the surrounding community and people downstream.
“I have been told about Marapira’s dam and have wanted to engage him on the matter but he has been travelling a lot. I want to visit the site before I talk to him so I know what I will be discussing with him.
“Once I go there, I will summon the minister and we will talk,” said Hungwe.
TellZim News has been informed that the Runde catchment council will convene on March 28 to discuss the issue pertaining Marapira’s dam after the Mutirikwi sub catchment council forwarded their recommendations on the matter.
A close source privy to the developments spoke on conditions of anonymity saying the whole issue is political and requires a political solution and the Runde catchment council is likely to rope in minister of Environment Water and Climate, Oppah Muchinguri to either force Marapira to demolish his wall or pay for the water he is using.
“The Runde catchment council is going to sit on March 28 on the issue and discuss the recommendations send by the Mutirikwi sub-catchment council. Minister Marapira uses his political muscle to evade paying for the water he is using.
“We have engaged him on numerous occasions but he seems to be too busy to pay attention to the details. We hope after the meeting, the recommendations will be binding,” said the source.
Marapira operates two centre pivots for irrigation at his farm which draw water from his controversial dam.
Marapira was not immediately available for comment by the time of going to print as his mobile went unanswered.local

Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO – An ex-convict from Mutoko who frequented the courts to answer to 70 counts of such serious crimes as rape and robbery has turned to preaching and is currently in Masvingo town where he is spreading the word of God and exposing his evil past.
Forty-three-year-old Christian Bvunzawabaya Kabasa said he spent most of his time behind bars having started stealing at a very tender age.
Kabasa said he was initiated into criminal activities bythe late notorious robber and murderer,Stephen Chidhumo, days after meeting him in Nyamapanda.
“When I met Chidhumo, we had an eye contact and there was a demonic bond. I just liked him though I didn’t know who he was. We met for three days and never talked. I then went to look for him at a club where he had booked a room. When I entered his room, I saw guns and other tools and he taught me how to use them,” said Kabasa.
His first mission, as instructed by Chidhumo, was to steal a car belonging to another man who had also booked a room at the same place. He was however arrested by the police while trying to drive the stolen car into Mozambique and was later sentenced to three years behind bars. He however received strokes of the caneinstead of being sent to jail due to his age.
He was to be caned again seven more times due to different criminal offences he committed as a juvenile.
After his conviction on the car theft charge, Kabasa moved to Murewa and finally to Harare where he got involved in all sorts of criminal activities that saw him spending no more than three months outside of police cells.
“Hapana mhosva yandisina kupara in my life, hapana chandisina kuba kusiya kwemunhu chete. I did armed robbery, rape, cattle rustling carjacking and any other criminal activities you may want to think of. I stole cars with alarms and tracking systems,” said Kabasa.
Finally, he was arrested in the year 2000 and was charged with 70 counts and was convicted on 50 of them. He was sentenced to 36 years but was later released through a presidential pardon following a long illness while in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.
“After serving seven years, I started experiencing fits attacks (pfari) and that it could not be treated. I later underwent a CT scan of the brain and was diagnosed with a diseases called toxoplasmosis which the doctors said could not be treated and the condition could not be reversed,” he said.
Kabasa said he owed his repentance to Mai Pazvakavambwa, Pastor Mufema, and a Sister Angie of Faith Ministries International who came to preach at the prison.
“They would come to preach to us and they will bring some goodies with them to help get our interest. I was baptised, but simply so that I could receive the goodies more often. One day, however, they gave me a small booklet but I spent six months before reading it. When I finally decided to read it, I did so for 77 times before understanding what the story said. When I finally understood, I was inspired so I took the story to be mine.
“There is communication which happens in the spiritual realm of demonic forces before two potentially-evil people meet. That is what happened between me and Chidhumo,” said Kabaya.
He said he invited God and asked to be blessed and be freed from prison as he was terminally ill. He was then advised to put a request for a presidential amnesty in writing, which he did, leading to his release in 2012.
The ex-convict then started preaching to other people and visiting jails where he preached to inmates. He also began seeking donations from the people he would have preached to and sending those donations to inmates.
He said he had committed himself to travelling around preaching the gospel of the Lord and spreading his own testimonies. In Masvingo, he is staying with in Majange with Pastor Paul Mandala of the Life Revival Ministries.
Kabaya’s story and testimonies as well as the work he is doing is available on Facebook and he can be contacted on 0771 387 262 for audio discs.local