MWENEZI – The Mwenezi Civil Court recently ordered Monica Mashawi of Chimame village under Chief Negari to pay US$2 000 damages to Thando Khumalo for stealing her husband.
Appearing before Mwenezi magistrate Honest Musiiwa, Mashawi vehemently denied having an affair with Khumalo’s husband, Tsaurai Zigomwe.
However, Zigomwe’s brothers, his aunt and the village head, all testified against Mashawi and confirmed that Zigomwe brought her to reside in the village after he introduced her to them as his second wife.  
Despite all that overwhelmingly evidence against her, Mashawi denied ever being introduced as Zigomwe’s second wife. She claimed that she had her own husband in Gokwe and had merely visited the Zigomwe family as a relative.
Khumalo, however, said her husband neglected his fatherly duties for almost a year as he had turned all his attention to Mashawi.
“Since March last year, my husband and Mashawi have been living together in Gokwe…they came back in our village this year but my husband did not come straight to our homestead.
“Instead, he went to the aunt’s homestead where he later sent the village headman as the middleman with $2 to inform me that he was now married to another wife (Mashawi). I could not take it because I am legally married to him and our marriage does not allow him to marry another wife,” Khumalo told the court.local

MASVINGO – Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Association (Murra) and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) last week held a mobile legal clinic to educate residents on many areas of interest.
Held at Mucheke Hall, the event sought to explore the role of local authorities and their residents, as well as to educate the public on legal matters so that the law can protect them.
Residents who attended the clinic blamed council for poor service delivery and shoddy workmanship which resulted in burst pipes, disintegrating roads, inflated water bills, secretive land deals and the harassment of vendors.
ZLHR regional manager Blessing Nyamaropa said his organisation was committed to advising people on their rights in matters to do with service delivery.
“We want to advise people on legal issues; things like how to deal with matters of service delivery. We are committed to giving legal advice to those who need it as a way of spreading access to legal services and justice,” said Nyamaropa
He said the 2013 constitution provided for rights to such things as clean water, food and a clean environment but those rights were subject to the availability of resources, making it mandatory for residents to play their part.
Murra programmes officer Esther Nyambiya thanked residents for their participation and opinions, and took time to explain the collaboration with ZLHR.
“We engaged the lawyers so that residents will get legal advice should there be need for that, so that the rights of residents can be protected even through litigation, that is if the need arises,” said Nyambiya.local

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIPINGE – The shortage of cash in the country is driving local cotton farmers to smuggle their produce to Mozambique where payment is made in cash, although at lower prices, TellZim News has learnt.
Though many cotton farmer are beneficiaries of the Presidential Input Scheme, they would rather sell their harvest in the neighbouring country than to local buyers who oftentimes pay using EcoCash and bank transfers.
Chipinge South Member of Parliament (MP) Enoch Porosingazi said local cotton companies get cash when they export their lint but do not want to pay cash when they buy cotton from local farmers.
“There is rampant smuggling of cotton from Zimbabwe to Mozambique. Revenue is no longer benefiting our government but is going straight to Mozambique.
“Our local companies also have a problem. They receive cash from the lint they sell outside yet they always use EcoCash when transacting with local farmers. They should show us some seriousness on that,” said Porusingazi.
He also said that the border control unit was failing to stop the smuggling due to shortage of resources.
“The border control unit is failing to handle the situation because they are operating on foot; they don’t have even a single patrol vehicle,” he said.
When contacted for comment, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development minister, Dr Joseph Made threatened government action against farmers who smuggle their cotton across the borders.
“Cotton is one of our foreign currency earning crop and we should not sell it outside the country. If farmers continue smuggling cotton outside the country like that, they will lose the five percent import incentive. Cotton companies should work with their farmers and educate them about the benefits,” said Dr Made.local

CHIREDZI – The Chiredzi Regional Court recently slapped a man with a 20-year jail sentence for raping his own daughter and infecting her with HIV.
The 43-year-old man (who cannot be name to protect the victim) comes from Tarusenga village, Chief Nyajena, Masvingo district.
Magistrate Judith Zuyu found him guilty of raping his daughter back in 2007 and gave him the lengthy prison sentence but conditionally suspended three years.
Prosecutor Moreblessing Rusere told the court that the accused started sexually abusing the complainant in 2007 but the case was only reported in July 2016.
The complainant testified that the first time she was raped, Mandivona had entered her room where she was doing her homework and molested her while closing her mouth.
The complainant also testified in court that on the second occasion, her father asked her to accompany him to fetch some firewood in the mountain.
When they got there, her father told her that he wanted to repeat what he had done previously and then raped her before threatening her with death.
The matter only came to light after the victim, who was now married, fell pregnant and tested HIV positive leading to problems with her husband who had tested negative.
She then told her husband that her father was accountable as she had never slept with anyone before marriage except his father who had sexually abused her.local

CHIREDZI – Mozambican cops recently tipped off their Zimbabwean counterparts leading to the recovery of 16 head of cattle that had been rustled by criminals across the border.
The crime was exposed after a payment dispute emerged between the involved parties following the delivery of the stolen cattle.
Chiredzi magistrate Geraldine Mutsoto heard that Davison Matsilele (32), Ernest Malandela (24) and Shadreck Mahungo (58) stole 16 cattle belonging to Stembeni Manyonga of Plot 3 Mpapa in Triangle and drove them across the border for sell to Gabriel Fabio Jack of Guluzu in Mozambique.
Manyonga, however, reported her missing cattle at Triangle Police Station on January 4 and the police later received a tipoff that the beasts had been sold in Mozambique.
It was heard that Jack and Malandela appeared before Chicualacuala Magistrates Court in Mozambique on 4 January facing stock-theft charges and both suspects pleaded guilty but were released before judgment since the owner of the cattle was not yet known.
The complainant, with the assistance of Chikombedzi police, recovered her cattle from Mozambique.
Police also visited Chicualacuala Magistrates Court and got confirmation that Malandela and Jack had a case to answer pending the location of the complainant.
Triangle police later arrested Malandela in Chagaliwa village, Chikombedzi, while Matsilele, who was represented by Charles Vhudzi of Zimbodza and Associates, and Mahungo were arrested at Mpapa in Triangle.
The trio was remanded in custody waiting for The Chicualacuala Magistrates Court’s response to their case.
Gladmore Gwara prosecuted.local

ZAKA – Parents with children at Nhema Primary together with the School Development Committee (SDC) have fiercely come out against school head Georgina Mushauri whom they accuse of abusing school resources.
In a letter addressed to the District School Inspector (DSI) the SDC, among many other things, complain that the head was reaping off poor parents by adding an extra fee for those paying school fees using EcoCash.
The head is also accused of organising meetings without the SDC’s knowledge, tempering with financial records like receipt books and abusing stationary fees and other school finances, as well as diverting other school resources like garden produce to her own personal use.
 “We told you about our dissatisfaction about how we work with Mushauri, we hoped that you will call us to settle the matter but nothing happened  and we have seen it reasonable to come back to you because we failed to resolve the issue alone,” reads part of the letter.
When contacted for comment, Zaka DSI Beaula Shambambeva roughly referred all questions to the Provincial Education Director (PED) Zedius Chitiga.
“Whatever happens at that school is none of your business, I don’t report to you I report to the PED. If you want to hear anything go there,” said Shambambeva.
On his part, Chitiga said he was not aware of the matter, urging members of the public to report to his office if they feel that the district was failing to assist them.
“I’m hearing about that issue from you, maybe they will report. However if the parents feels that the district is failing to handle their complaints, they are free to come here,” said Chitiga.
TellZim News was informed that on schools closing day, Shambambeva visited the school and gave teachers a hard time accusing them of leaking information to the media.local

Elliot Jinjika

CHIVHU – A 32-year-old man from Dziva Village, Chief Nyoka, in Furtherstone, who was caught raping a 15-year-old speech-impaired girl in April 2017, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Knowledge Dziva appeared before magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni who convicted him after full trial.
The State, led by Nicholas Mabvongodze, had convinced the court that on April 14, 2017, Dziva visited the complainant’s homestead and shared some beer with the grandfather’s girl who is going blind and deaf due to old age.
Dziva took advantage of the old man, who was quickly getting drunk, and dragged the girl to the main house where he raped her on the sofa.
As he was abusing the girl, a villager identified as Blessing Makova, who had seen Dziva dragging the girl to the main house, alerted other villagers who came and apprehended the rapist.
The villagers, however, later set him free but only for him to be arrested on May 13 by one Constable Mafaindi who had received a tipoff.
Reasons as to why the villagers did not handover Dziva to the police after apprehending him were not clear but State witnesses revealed that the culprit was caught red-handed molesting the girl.local

Elliot Jinjika

CHIVHU – A Bulawayo-based Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officer Zeck Ndyara, in the company of his colleagues, recently stormed a house where his ex-wife Melissa was cohabiting with another man demanding that she moves back with him.
Ndyara and Melissa had parted ways early this year over infidelity allegations but this did not go down well with the former who threatened to kill the latter’s boyfriend if she does not get back together with him.
Melissa was now living with another man in Chivhu and was shocked to see her former husband come to storm her house demanding to have her back.
“He threatened me after discovering that I was the one living with Melissa and vowed to kill me if I would want to block the move. He was in company of his two friends in uniform and looked to be drunk.
“We were planning to officialise our relationship though we lived together. I feared for my life that is why I had to let her go back to her former husband,” said Melissa’s boyfriend who preferred anonymity.
Sources indicated that the two had been married for two and half years before the divorce and no clue had been found on how the soldier knew the whereabouts of his ex-wife but only stormed at the house where Melissa and her boyfriend were staying.
Ndyara managed to take back Melissa and went to Bulawayo with her.local