Moses Ziyambi

MASVINGO – Pastor Patrick Mugadza of the Remnant Church has predicted drastic changes in the political and economic fortunes of the country, saying he foresees woe to some members of the government who are blamed for perpetuating the current crisis.
The outspoken Kariba-based clergyman, who shot to fame with his solo demonstration against President Robert Mugabe during the Zanu PF conference in December last year, has just completed his 40 days of prayer and fasting dubbed #Mugabe Must Fall.
“It was after the realisation that everything has to start in the Spirit and so we realised that the best way to see RG (Mugabe) standing down is by way of praying to God. We were so much assured in prayer that the prayer was answered and it was just a matter of time,” said the charismatic pastor.
He said he was foreseeing a major shake-up which will leave some senior officials in the country’s leadership in dire straits.
“I foresee a high profile resignation or dismissal with (Vice President Emmerson) Mnangagwa being one of the casualties. He will literally be a vendor by the roadside for survival,” Pastor Mugadza said.
He said during the 40 day campaign which began on July 1 and ended on August 9, God showed him a vision of women who were painstakingly driving cars over a seemingly insurmountable ascent.
“All of a sudden, I saw a horse-drawn carriage with a white man inside. I then saw the American flag and the horses were galloping but I wondered how horses could gallop and scale such steep terrain when cars were struggling. But suddenly I saw a sign written ‘Welcome to Zimbabwe’ and I then realised how close the end was,” said Pastor Mugadza.
On the numerous protests rocking the country, Pastor Mugadza said any form of political activism against the current government should be spontaneous and citizen-driven.
“The regime does not want to give in to pressure from rival political parties but they will be left with no choice if the whole thing is citizen-driven. Let all civic groups and hash tags come together. There is no problem with receiving external support as the regime would want us to believe.
“During the liberation struggle, they thrived on external support and just recently, Patrick Chinamasa was in London begging for support. We need all the support we can get because we want to dismantle the system because they do not have the capacity to deliver,” Pastor Mugadza said.
He criticised church leaders who hide behind the ‘all leaders are appointed by God and ‘we must pray for them’ bandwagon.
“The church is the voice for the voiceless, if she remains silent at this critical moment in time, she then makes herself a partner in crime,” he said.news

Kennedy Murwira

GUTU – Villagers of Gutu district are  heaving a sigh of relief after Care International’s electronic cash transfers, that had temporarily been suspended earlier this year, were reintroduced to cushion impoverished villagers from extreme hunger.
The payouts were first introduced by Care International in 2015 to help feed thousands of people facing food shortages after a severe drought which affected most parts of the district during the previous farming season.
Most of the areas in Gutu district received very little or no rainfall resulting in most crops failing due to moisture stress.
The cash programme was unfortunately suspended earlier this year with many councillors in the district saying the beneficiaries of the programme would once again be left with no food at all.
The programme was introduced to replace the expensive system whereby the non-governmental aid organisation would ferry maize grain to the communal areas.
Under the new system, beneficiaries receive a small amount of money in their EcoCash wallet which they can easily withdraw and procure maize grain for their families.
Elated villagers who have already received their money for the month of July told TellZim News that the reintroduction of the cash programme came as a relief as most of them did not have any other means of putting food on the table.
“This is indeed good news since most of us could hardly afford one meal per day. The money that we receive from Care International will go a long way in helping us to put food on the table. We wish to thank the organisation for timely giving us this assistance,” said William Hamadziripi who resides in Ward 19.
His sentiments were echoed by other villagers who said they were very grateful to the humanitarian aid organisation for its work in poor and marginalised communities.news

CHIREDZI – Chiredzi Christian College students were last week Friday caught pants down in the college’s chemistry laboratory after they had gone for their holiday lessons.
The two love birds (names supplied) were caught by an alert security officer who was on duty around 07:00am.
 “Yes it’s true I caught them pants down and I called a staff member at the college to witness the misbehavior. I heard some movements in the laboratory and I tried to open the door since the doors are usually locked during the holidays,” said the officer who preferred anonymity.
“That is when I realised something bad was happening in there,” said the officer.
Another employee at the college said the two delinquent students had their own keys to the laboratory.
“The boy had brought duplicate keys from home which the two then used to gain entry. The girl hid in another room before the door could be opened. We saw a T-shirt a pant, a used condom, a laid down cloth and the boy’s trousers on the floor. We then searched in the mattress room and found her hiding,” said the employee.
It is suspected the two had often been using the laboratory as their rendezvous as they had been seen there on several occasions while others were studying.
The students now face expulsion from the college when the new school term begins in September.
“You must conduct the school head for any information. I am not the one who is responsible for commenting on any school information,” said the college’s deputy head who was identified only as Mr Muziro. The college head, Mr Chikwati, could not be reached for comment.news

Mpandawana – Two Gutu men were recently dragged to the court charged with walking into an area which is said to belong to the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) 42 Infantry Battalion which is based in Mpandawana.
According to State papers Louis Muzira (48) and Edward Jacob (52) entered the 42 Battalion military cantonment area knowing that there was a real risk or possibility that such entry is forbidden.
Muzira, from Fambi village and Jacob, from Manzanga village, Chief Gutu, were arrested by Corporals Skwilla Misheck and Chiunza who were on routine patrol in the prohibited area before a report was made to the police at Gutu.
The two, who said they were on their way to Nerupiri, said they left Gutu Garage along the tarred road and turned into a footpath without knowing that they were entering a prohibited area.
They asked the court to be lenient with them since they had entered the military cantonment out of ignorance.
Corporal Skwilla told the court that after arresting the pair they interrogated them and they admitted seeing the prohibition sign but did not take it seriously since the area is not fenced.
He said after receiving their admission they handed them over to the military police at 42 Infantry Battalion who in turn handed them over to the police.
Gutu Resident Magistrate, Edwin Marecha, remanded the pair to September 8, 2016 for continuation of trial.
Agatha Gabriel appeared for the State.news