Moses Ziyambi

17 Feb 2017 – MASVINGO – There are suspicions of corruption involving Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Shuvai Mahofa’s dealings with the Chiredzi Wildlife Investments, the holding company running a crocodile farm in Chiredzi, after her claims that the farm is protected by a Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPPA) were found to be false.
The crocodile farm has been at the centre of controversy after a young man from Zaka, Gilbert Nyasha invaded the farm last month, claiming he had an offer letter given to him in 2012 to occupy the farm.
It was also widely reported that Mahofa was blocking Nyasha’s takeover, claiming the farm was covered by the BIPPA which obligates Zimbabwe to exempt German investments from compulsory acquisition.
Directors of the company, Jeffrey Howard Sommer and Henry Allan Sommer have been discovered to be not German as widely claimed, but Zimbabwean, leading to widespread suspicions that Mahofa was being paid to protect the Sommer brothers.
TellZim News saw a certified copy of a company registration (CR 14) certificate of the wildlife company, dated December 1, 2005 and signed by J.H Sommer, which lists the Sommer brothers as Zimbabwean.
Other directors who are listed are Paul Meadley (deceased) and Ethan Gilbert Dube both of whom are also listed as Zimbabwean.
When contacted for comment, Mahofa initially affirmed that the farm was indeed protected by the BIPPA between Germany and Zimbabwe but later referred this reporter to Zimparks and the lands offices that she said are in a better position to explain.
“Nyasha came to my office with people from the lands office to get clarification. The lands people had failed to verify his claim and I too queried why he had failed to move onto the farm for all these years yet he says he got the offer letter in 2012.
“How long does it take to just move onto a piece of land?,” said Mahofa.
She denied reports that she was working in cahoots with the Sommers and was being paid to protect them.
“I didn’t even know them until last week when they came to my office to state their case. How then can you say ndiri kudya navo. Vanhu vari kudya munovaziva asi hamudi kuvanyora,” said Mhofa.
Nyasha has however come out guns blazing, accusing Mahofa of hypocrisy and shielding the Sommers just to protect her narrow interests.
“The minister is on record saying that the recently acquired crocodile farm should be nullified because there is a potential that 60 employees would lose their jobs yet the same minister is supporting the takeover of 4 000 hectares from Tongaat Hullet whereby 2 000 workers have lost their jobs directly. So which one is a bigger scale?,” Nyasha quipped.
“We should not override principles for convenience. Recently, Mr Brian Andrew Cawood was evicted out of his remaining extend at Lot 21A in Mateke where he used to employ around 100 employees. He was a better farmer then the crocodile farm being safeguarded by Mahofa,” said Nyasha.politics

17 Feb 2017 – MWENEZI – Former Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti (pictured) has urged opposition parties to unite ahead of the Mwenezi East by-election which he hopes to win come April 8, 2017.
Bhasikiti was selected by his followers to contest the seat on a ZimPF ticket despite being fired from the party last week.
At a gathering held at his Moria Farm, Bhasikiti expressed optimism that he will win back the seat he lost when he was fired from Zanu PF in 2014.
Sources said the meeting was also attended by members of the MDC-T district structures who are keen to show goodwill and contribute to efforts to forge opposition unity against Zanu PF.
Speaking to TellZim News over the phone, Bhasikiti praised MDC-T supporters for backing his Mwenezi ambitions, saying it paved the way for a grand coalition of opposition parties in 2018.
“The presence of MDC-T members showed that the roadmap to a coalition is bright. This was the first sign of good things to come. I am optimistic of what the coalition holds for Zimbabweans,” Bhasikiti said.
He also sought to use the gathering as proof that his faction was in charge of ZimPF, and not Joice Mujuru.
“All went well. I arrived in Mwenezi and the selection process was one way of showing how democratic we are. People asked me to go and represent them in the by-election. The attendance itself revealed that People First iri kunana Bhasikiti,” he said.
MDC-T members who are said to have attended the meeting to endorse Bhasikiti included the women’s league chair, youth chair and district secretary.
Along with Rugare Gumbo, Dydimus Mutasa, Rtrd Col Claudios Makova, Magret Dongo, Munacho Mutezo and Luckson Kandemiri, Bhasikiti was fired form ZimPF by Mujuru over a litany of allegations which include being Zanu PF agents.politics

16 Feb 2017 – MASVINGO – In her first public address after kicking out party heavyweights, among them Dydmus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, ZimPF leader Joyce Mujuru said the duo made working together impossible through their ‘chauvinistic’ tendencies.
During a Provincial Executive meeting held at Lee’s Inn Hotel over the weekend, Mujuru said the two wanted to use her as a people-gathering machine and then dump her.
“When I was asked to lead People First, I said God, party iyi haina kutangirwa kuti vamwe vanhu vaite business nayo. Ipapo ndipo pandakatanga kuenda at crossroads with Gumbo and Mutasa and that’s why you heard of the Chirenje faction. All they requested in meetings were cars and other luxuries.
“As they saw my resistance, they told me they wanted me to be queen bee. Kundiita zimai reshwa kana zimai renyuchi rinoita basa rekungokandira mazai because they knew my strength of luring people. I then simply told them if they had used other women (before,) they would never do that with me and that didn’t go well with them,” Mujuru said.
“What am bringing across is that these guys wanted to lure people who loved my leadership and brand then later on dump me,” she said.
Describing Gumbo and Mutasa as ‘chauvinistic’, Mujuru also said the two politically ‘barren’.
“Some of them are coming out clear they don’t want to be led by a lady but please, let me tell you this, male chauvinism is bad. They even wanted to instruct me like their wife but at some point, I had to raise a voice and told them no one has brought his wife here and I simply asked for respect,” Mujuru said.
Mujuru also defended Dzikamai Mavhaire against recent criticism that he was causing divisions in the party.
Former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) vice president Samuel Sipepa Nkomo urged Mujuru to safeguard the party’s name from the fired members.
“I want to say Gumbo and Mutasa are gone but let’s not concentrate on them. We must focus on the future of ZimPF. What is going to be very critical is who will start a convention. They should not go ahead of us. Let’s have a preemptive convention.
“Once we get to the convention, let’s focus on the name because it’s not their name. It’s our name,” Nkomo said.politics

16 Feb 2017 – MWENEZI – G40 has yet again won a decisive factional battle against Team Lacoste after the group successfully hoodwinked its rivals into endorsing Joosbi Omar who then went ahead and won the Zanu PF primaries held on Tuesday to select a candidate to represent the party in the upcoming Mwenezi East by-election.
It is suspected that Omar has all along been fighting from the G40 trenches but the faction’s functionaries are said to have cunningly duped Team Lacoste by allowing Omar to adopt a false Lacoste identity merely for the purpose of getting him endorsed by the rival faction.
“Team Lacoste was sold a dummy; they were made to rally behind a wolf who is smartly dressed in a sheep skin. Mark my words, as soon as he becomes MP, Omar will rip off the veil and show his true identity,” said a source who said he was privy to the developments.
A suspicious provincial affairs minister Shuvai Mahofa, who is said to be fronting Team Lacoste herself, was the first to raise the red flag over Omar when she recently told a gathering at an inter-district meting held in Nemamwa that if one wanted to snoop over G40, they should just engage Omar whom she said was vacillating between the factions.
If these claims are anything to go by, this becomes G40’s second victory in a row after the faction successfully pushed forward a suspected sympathiser, Beauty Chabaya, in last month’s Bikita West by-election.
Omar won the primaries by a total of 5 901 out of a total of 11 986 votes cast, over 4 500 votes ahead of his nearest rival, Marvellous Chifumuro, who scored 1 434 in a crowded field with a total of 13 contestants.
On the third place was Patrick Mandebvu with 1 338 while Jabulani Mberesi came fourth with 1 222. Cuthbert Webster Muzara came a distant fifth with a paltry 543 votes.
Omar suffered a heavy setback only in Chifumuro’s home area of Sagwari where he scored a measly 72 against Chifumuro’s 878 votes.
This was, however, not enough to derail Omar’s ambitions to ultimately clinch the nomination after many years of trying and failing.
In 2008, Omar lost to Tongai Matutu of the MDC in the his bid to become Masvingo Urban legislator and lost to Daniel Shumba in the primaries ahead of the 2013 national elections.
In 2015, his CV to contest in the primaries after then Zanu PF Mwenezi East legislator Kudakwashe Bhasikiti had been fired was rejected and the seat went to Joshua ‘Mazebra’ Moyo who however died in December last year.
Omar’s win was greeted with wild celebrations by his supporters in such places as Rutenga and Neshuro with some of them saying his victory was inevitable.
Omar’s campaign manager, Knocks Mutsambwa thanked supporters for showing their faith in Zanu PF and in Omar.
After the nomination court, which sits at Masvingo Magistrates Court on Friday, Omar will officially square it off against Bhasikiti – who is claiming to be representing the opposition ZimPF – in the by-election scheduled for April 8.
Other candidates who took place in the primary elections are Elvanos Dube 351, Timittah Henning Chishamba 251, Francis Mapisa 244, Elliam Moyo 152, Sifana Ngavaite 90, Takura Mudavose 77, Dickson Mazivire 55 and Sikhulekile Moyo 44.politics