ZAKA – Tariro Matiki of Muchimbiri village under chief Ndanga died last week after she was attacked by a swarm of bees while trying to save her grandchildren from the same bees.
A close relative to the deceased confirmed the death and said Matiki’s grandchildren were attacked by the bees while hunting and when she tried to help them by covering them with her clothes, the bees turned against her.
“Her grandchildren were chasing a wild cat with their dogs just close to the homestead. The cat climbed onto a tree which was home to a beehive. The rattled bees attacked the people at home and Matiki took off her clothes to cover the boys before the bees turned onto her,” said the relative.
The relative said she was attacked in the full view of other villagers including her husband but they could not help her.
She was later rushed to Ndanga District Hospital where she was pronounce dead on arrival. The person who rushed her to hospital was also admitted for treatment of bee bites and was later discharged.local

GWERU – Rugare Gumbo made a surprise appearance at the Midlands State University (MSU)’s 17th graduation ceremony, sat at the high table reserved for VIPs and later indicated that he was amenable to rejoining Zanu PF.
Gumbo, who was the Zanu PF secretary for information, was fired from the party in 2014 during the Gamatox purges that also claimed the scalps of other bigwigs like Joice Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa and Nicholas Goche.
He has been associated with opposition politics ever since, having teamed up Mujuru and others to form Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) which later broke up to pieces some months ago.
In an interview with TellZim News, Gumbo said he had ‘no problem working in solidarity’ with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government now that Robert Mugabe is gone.
“I think it’s proper to be working in solidarity with President Mnangagwa because there is no bad blood between us. Those who chased us out are no longer there so I attended this ceremony as a way of making fruitful interactions with people that I hold no grudge against,” Gumbo said.
He also made it clear he was ‘making consultations’ with people he has been working with in the opposition in order to know if they are comfortable with him moving back to Zanu PF.
“I can’t really say I have re-joined Zanu PF but we are currently making consultations with our supporters on the rightful move to make. Politics is about people and when people speak, nothing will stop me from rejoining Zanu PF. I will also definitely come back to you with our position once we are done with consultations,” Gumbo said.
Many former party heavyweights expelled in 2014 have been making groveling statements about Mnangagwa, with Kudakwashe Basikiti and Claudius Makova announcing last week that they were going back to the ruling party.local

…vendors flee streets in fear of crackdown

Lloyd Shunje

MUTARE – City of Mutare has partnered with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) in a massive cleanup campaign aimed at removing illegal vendors and flushing out touts from hotspots in the CBD and Sakubva high density suburb.
Dubbed ‘Operation Restore Sanity’, the exercise began early this week and illegal vendors, who hitherto had seemed to have permanently settled on pavements in the CBD and around Sakubva Bus Terminus, were seen packing their wares and moving back to designated areas.
Speaking to TellZim News, Mutare City Council spokesperson Spren Mutiwi said vendors and touts had been given a two-day ultimatum to comply as the city wanted ‘to reclaim its pride as the cleanest city in Zimbabwe’.
“The operation has started today (Monday) and illegal vendors have been given a two-day ultimatum to move out of town and revert to their designated sites.
“This is an aggressive operation that will bring order and sanity and we want to reclaim our status as the cleanest city in Zimbabwe,” said Mutiwi.
He warned public transport operators to desist from engaging services of touts.
“We want the rank marshal and tout menace to disappear from Mutare. All commuter and long-distance bus operators should desist from engaging touts. It is disturbing to note that a number of people have lost valuable items through theft due to the influx of touts at various bus terminus,” said Mutiwi.
Members of the public who spoke to Tellzim News welcomed the operation urging the council to adopt a zero tolerance especially to touts.
“We could no longer travel in peace because of touts. They would harass and sometimes steal from people. We hope this will continue in the CBD and the main rank in Sakubva,” said Takunda Mudzimiri.local

MASVINGO – Vendors in Masvingo have demanded that the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) must work to ensure their safety against harassment by the city council officials and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).
The demands were made at a Zimbabwe Chambers of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) workshop held at Mucheke Hall recently.
Addressing the informal sector business operators, ZCIEA secretary general Wisbon Malaya made it clear that vendors would resist current suggestions that they make contributions to the authority unless they secure the freedom to do their work without hindrances.
“As vendors, we are declaring today that we are not going to pay a penny to NASSA or join their funeral policy until they make sure that we are granted security in the city just like other businesses,” Malaya said.
Malaya also claimed that 94 percent of workers in Zimbabwe were sweating it out in the informal economy, and argued that the enormous size of that sector made it obligatory for authorities to treat vendors with respect.
Most participants agreed with Malaya, promising not to cooperate with NSSA as long as they keep on getting harassed by authorities.
Other people later told TellZim News that NSSA was so tainted by corruption that they will not entrust their hard-earned money to it given the endless reports of misuse of funds and maladministration at the State-run social security agency.
Collen Chikova, a NSSA representative who was present at the ZCIEA workshop, promised to take the grievances of the informal traders to his superiors.local

Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO – Zimbabwe Super Seeds (ZSS) celebrated its six years by inviting famers and other stakeholders for a three-day workshop held at Flamboyant Hotel this week.
ZSS managing director Nelson Munyaka said the conference was meant, among other things, to increase awareness on climate change.
“We are celebrating continuous supply of smart seeds to the country from 2011 to 2017. We also want to provide a learning platform for various stakeholders on the work they are doing in relation to seed supply and food security.
“We have brought together researchers, farmers, extension practitioners and industry to share experiences, compare notes and develop a common vision,” said Munyaka.
Farmers who attended the workshop praised ZSS for being an indigenous company which produces quality seeds that are in agreement with local climatic conditions and soil types.
Other stakeholders present included researchers from Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and Chinhoyi University Technology (CUT)
The company was formed in the 2011/12 cropping season in Zaka district. By then, it was called Zaka Super Seeds but was later renamed Zimbabwe Super Seeds.
In 2013, ZSS spread to Masvingo and Gutu, and in 2015, to Mutasa and Makoni with Mwenezi, Mberengwa and Bikita being 2016 additions.
 “The marketing of ZSS seeds is now going national. We have increased output from 460 to 1 160 metric tonnes; representing a 152 percent production growth rate,” said Munyaka.local

Anesushe Mamhute

CHIREDZI – A Chikombedzi woman has threatened to engage the Zimbabwe Assemblies for God Africa (ZAOGA) leader Apostle Ezekiel Guti over a matter in which she accuses the local pastor of helping her husband to marry a second wife.
Rugare Mago accuses Pastor Chauke of giving his blessings to the marriage between her husband Solomon Ngonyamo and a woman identified as Margaret Ndlovu.
“I was shocked when I was told that banns on the marriage between my husband and the new woman were made. The pastor allowed those marriage announcements to be made when he knew fully well that I am still married to my husband. I am thinking to go a seek help from Bishop Guti in Harare,” said Mago.
The marriage between Ngonyamo and Ndlovu was solemnised by Overseer Barnabas Makonde and stamped at the Chiredzi Regional Magistrates’ Court on November 30 despite an ex-parte application of interdict to bar the marriage having been made by Mago a day before the marriage.
“I contracted an unregistered customary law union with Ngonyamo in 2002. Two children were born in this union of which all the children are still minors.
“On November 15, I was informed that my husband had posted banns with the intention to marry Margret and I contacted Overseer Chauke to cancel the banns but he refused,” reads the interdict, which was signed by the Clerk of Court and dated November 29.
After being served with an interdict, Ngonyamo and Pastor Chauke instructed their lawyers, Zimbodza and Associates to apply for a peace order barring Mago from attending the wedding.
The peace order draft indicates that Ngonyamo had given Rugare a token of divorce (gupuro) in the presence of her aunt on the grounds of infidelity.
“Sometime in 2016, I had a misunderstanding with the respondent due to infidelity on the part of respondent who was having an affair. On the first incidence, I forgave her but she however remained unfaithful in the marriage.
“On the 2nd incidence, I caught the respondent red-handed in the act of infidelity and that led to the termination of our customary law union by me giving her a divorce token in the presence of her aunt, who came and collected (sic) her and they informed me that she was going to have a new husband,” reads part of the peace order.
When Mago’s namesake aunt was contacted for comment, she said she knew nothing about the divorce, claiming that no divorce token was ever given to her niece as far as she knew.
“Handina chandinoziva maererano nekurambana kwaRugare nemurume wake nekuti hapana gupuro raakapiwa kuratidza kuti havachasi vese. Solomon anondiziva satete nekuti pavakaroorana vakauya nemumaoko angu asi mashoko ekurambana kwavo handisati ndamaziva,” said Rugare Mago, who bears the same name as her niece.local