TSHABANGU TO BE FORMALLY CHARGED

In a bid to resolve the ongoing leadership dispute, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) faction led by party president Welshman Ncube, has referred its secretary-general, Sengezo Tshabangu’s case to the arbiter-general, initiating a formal investigation into allegations of misconduct.

The arbiter-general’s findings will determine Tshabangu’s fate within the party.

Tshabangu and Ncube are locked in a bitter feud that has escalated to legal battles, with the faction led by the party president accusing his secretary-general of making unauthorised decisions.

Following Tshabangu’s suspension, CCC spokesperson Willias Madzimure confirmed that the arbiter-general was investigating the matter.

“If at the conclusion of his investigation, he is satisfied that acts of misconduct have been committed he will charge him and summon him to the disciplinary committee,” Madzimure said.

“What matters is that, after his suspension, his case was referred to the arbiter-general. In terms of the constitution, he has the responsibility of charging people before the party’s disciplinary committee.”

He said Tshabangu had not yet been formally charged.

“We are still awaiting whether or not the arbiter-general has completed his investigations,” Madzimure said.

“If he has, he will advise the party if he is proceeding to a disciplinary hearing or has found out no misconduct was committed. We know that he is doing the investigations. If he is to be charged, the arbiter-general will confirm the sections of the constitution breached.”

The dispute has also spilled into the courts, with Ncube taking legal action to block Tshabangu from making changes in parliament.

The High Court ruled in Ncube’s favour, but Tshabangu has since appealed the decision at the Supreme Court.

Complicating matters further, Tshabangu has indicated plans to report Ncube to the Law Society of Zimbabwe, accusing him of influencing his lawyers to withdraw their services on the eve of his Supreme Court hearing in an alleged bid to frustrate his case. Zimbabwe Independent

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FAKE HOWLING WITCH ARRESTED

A self-styled apostolic church prophet in Odzi did the unthinkable, and resultantly sparked controversy when he hired a woman to strip and appear at a fellow villager’s doorstep, imitating the howling cries of a hyena.

The bizarre stunt was aimed to demonstrate the village clairvoyant’s alleged supernatural ability to apprehend a witch.

The matter, which happened last Thursday, came to light when Josephine Machada (26) appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Ivy Musavengana last Friday, facing charges of public indecency as defined in Section 77 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.

Ms Sharon Chibvongodze prosecuted.

According to the State’s case, Machada went to the Mutambashora homestead in Village J1 of Chiwere Resettlement in Odzi around 4am wearing a skin tight with a red loin cloth wrapped around her waist.

Machada was allegedly holding a goat horn covered with black fur, and began howling like a hyena.

The court heard that Mutambashora opened his bedroom door to investigate the source of the hyena-like sound, and that was when he saw the half-naked Muchada holding the goat horn.

Mutambashora reported the matter to the police, who reacted swiftly and arrested Machada.

Machada, from Chaibva area in Mutungagore Village under Chief Makoni, in her submission to the court, stated that she was instructed by Madzibaba Lai (Lionel Mundopa) to go to Lazarus Mutambashora’s homestead in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

After a keen observation of the accused’s testimony, Ms Musavengana ruled that the court will proceed to employ the Mental Health Act to assess Machada’s mental state and ascertain her level of normalcy.

The Mental Health Act is designed to balance individual rights with the need to protect the society. It provides guidelines for the assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of individuals with mental health issues.

In essence, the court wants to assess Machada’s level of normalcy to decide whether she was in control of her faculties when she committed the alleged offence.

This evaluation will help the court determine the best course of action and ensure that Machada’s rights are protected.

She will be back in court next Friday.

However, police further investigations into the matter led to the arrest of the 25-year-old Lionel Mundopa (Madzibaba Lai), who was found in possession of a tortoise.

Mundopa, of SB Romsley Farm in Nyazura, also appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Perseverance Makala last Friday to answer charges relating to the contravention of the Wildlife Act that deals with control of hunting, removal from one place to the other and sale of live animals without permit.

Ms Talent Myamuziwa prosecuted.

Mundopa was subsequently found guilty and sentenced to four months’ imprisonment.

However, two months were suspended for one year on condition that he does not commit a similar offence, while the other two months were also suspended on condition of performing community service at Nyamidzi Clinic in Odzi. Manica Post

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GUN WIELDING CHINESE BOSS ARRESTED

A Chinese mine supervisor has been arrested for pointing a gun at his subordinate who was claiming unpaid wages, the police have said.

National Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest in a statement.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is investigating an incident that occurred at Bijour Farm, Lower Gweru, on January 21,” reads part of the statement.

“Kholwani Dube (38) stabbed a Chinese national with an okapi knife on the leg after a labour dispute while the Chinese national pointed a firearm at him.

“Both the Zimbabwean national and Chinese national are facing criminal charges.

“Meanwhile, Mthandazo Sibanda (20) was shot with a 9mm pistol by a Chinese national as he was allegedly stealing gold dump at Binyup 5 Mine, Filabusi, on January 22.

“Police have since arrested the Chinese national,” said Commissioner Nyathi. Herald

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VIC FALLS HOTEL ABANDONED

 

EXCLUSIVE: The Halfway Hotel, once a vibrant pit-stop along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo Highway, has been reduced to a ghost town. Remember when it used to serve up delicious meals and warm breakfasts? A once-thriving business now lies abandoned, a shadow of its former self. pic.twitter.com/A5DnZ0wKl4

— VicFallsLive (@Vic_Falls_Live) January 24, 2025

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MAN RAPED AT CHIKURUBI

 

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ZIYAMBI : ED HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH 2030

The call for Constitutional amendments for President Mnangagwa to extend his term beyond 2028 has nothing to do with him and has not been done at his instigation, but was conceived by the revolutionary party and formed part of its Annual National People’s Conference resolutions.

Addressing Zanu PF Mashonaland West Province Provincial Coordinating Committee members last weekend, Politburo member, Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi, said current efforts to amend the Constitution to extend President Mnangagwa’s term were solely a decision of the revolutionary party’s general membership.

He said at no time did President Mnangagwa canvass for the extension of his term and any suggestion to that effect was preposterous given that the position of the First Secretary was known that he was a constitutionalist.

Cde Ziyambi said Zanu PF was pushing for an extension of the President’s term in line with a resolution that it took at its conference in Bulawayo in October last year.

“Our plan with resolutions is that they come from the people starting from inter-district, and they go to the province where they are debated. Our provincial chairman takes them to the national level and they are consolidated at the conference. Once consolidated at the conference level, they become Zanu PF resolutions. That point ought to be clear,” said Cde Ziyambi.

“At no time did President Mnangagwa say he wants this or that, about the issue of 2030. It is us as the people and general membership of Zanu PF who expressed our desire about what we want him to do.

“Now if you hear someone saying anything about our President that he has done this or he intends to do that, tell them that it is not him, but it is us as the people and as Zanu PF. He is not in the equation or this discourse.”

Cde Ziyambi said his discussions with President Mnangagwa, whenever they meet, did not include issues around extension of his term.

“Even if I am to meet with him, I will tell him that ‘we are seized with our issues as the general membership of the party which has nothing to do with you, I do not even want to hear about your views about it,’ I do not even talk to him about it because it is our issue.

“We are now in the process of fulfilling our issue and desire as Zimbabweans, we now need to be united because it’s us who have expressed this desire.

“Once we start the programme and it goes through Parliament to amend the Constitution to fulfil our objective, once it comes back to the people during the Referendum, starting today let’s mobilise people telling them that Zimbabweans want President Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030. This is our desire as Zanu PF.”

Zanu PF party structures have been calling for Constitutional amendments following a resolution at the party’s Conference in Bulawayo that was unanimously adopted. Herald

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WAR VETS : WE WILL RALLY AGAINST ED'S THIRD TERM BID

A section of war veterans has begun mobilising citizens to reject a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to extend the presidential term limit and possibly prolong the life of the current Parliament.

Speaking during a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendments at the Bulawayo Media Centre on Wednesday evening, Robert Ncube, Organising Secretary of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), led by Andreas Ethan Mathibela, strongly condemned the move, describing it as unconstitutional and a betrayal of Zimbabweans.

“As war veterans, we are saying no. We are not together on that one, and we are not on the same page. We don’t support changing the constitution,” Ncube said.

Ncube criticised the individuals behind the proposal, accusing them of violating Zimbabwe’s supreme law.

“These people who want to extend the terms of the current government are violating the constitution of the country. Secondly, in 2017, when this current administration came in, they said they were restoring legacy. They said there was a cabal that had surrounded the then-president Mugabe. It means that Operation Restore Legacy did not yield the intended results. The cabal that was said to have been removed is the same cabal that is now distorting the constitution,” he said.

The war veterans said they have already begun engaging citizens to make sure the proposed constitutional changes are rejected.

“We have already started talking to people, that’s why we are saying no! No matter how many referendums they conduct, we will make sure Zanu PF fails what they have started,” Ncube said.

“The only tool we can use so that MPs fail to pass their move is going back to the electorate, convincing them that this term extension is not for the people.”

Ncube noted some war veterans aligned with Zanu PF are having internal discussions to convince party members to reject the proposal.

“I can also be Zanu PF, be within, and convince other party members to say, ‘No, we are being robbed.’ We can do that,” he said provocatively.

Ncube argued the proposal to amend the presidential term limits serves only the interests of a few individuals in government.

“How can you remove something that was only put on paper yesterday because someone else wants to benefit? I don’t think the change of the presidential term limits benefits the majority of people,” said the war vet.

He further accused Members of Parliament of abandoning their constituencies and pursuing self-serving agendas.

“The majority of people who voted don’t want this term extension. It’s the MPs, who left their constituencies claiming to represent people who want that and ended up representing themselves,” Ncube said.

“MPs don’t want elections in 2028, they know they won’t be elected because they have misled people.”

Ncube also likened the push to violate the constitution to betraying a collective family decision.

“If we violate our constitution, it’s just like changing a collective decision made by a family. Why is the man changing a collective decision? That person is wrong, just like these people who want to push for this constitutional amendment,” he said

The war vet argued that such actions undermine democracy and tarnish Zimbabwe’s international reputation.

 “What does the violation of this constitution teach the young generation? That you can change laws willy-nilly because you don’t like them. We will be isolated internationally. They always say we don’t have the rule of law. They will be referring to such machinations,” Ncube said.

“You write a constitution that you don’t follow. There’s no need to write, it’s better for you to keep quiet and do what people don’t know so they won’t know if you are doing bad or good.”

Ncube also quoted the late Vice President Joseph Msika who often said ‘democracy should be guided.’

“If Msika were alive, he would call these individuals misguided dogs, who are following the wrong owner. You don’t say one thing today and another thing tomorrow, claiming you were misquoted,” he said.

He also expressed skepticism that President Emmerson Mnangagwa himself supports the amendment.

 “What is surprising is I have never heard the president say that. What I heard him say was that in 2028 he is going kunozorora (to rest),” Ncube said, noting allowing this constitutional amendment to pass will also affect the president’s legacy.

“It’s better to retire and be free to do what you are doing with ease than to leave work as if you are running away, hiding  from people.”

Ncube also highlighted the financial burden of conducting a referendum on the constitutional amendment, arguing that taxpayers’ money should instead go toward service delivery.

“Look at the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road. No MP is talking about that road, yet it leads to a prime destination area for international tourists. Who are they representing by wanting to change what we collectively agreed as Zimbabweans?” he questioned.

Ncube urged Zimbabweans to stand firm against the proposal. CITE

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MAGAYA CASE THROWN OUT

The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) elections will proceed as scheduled this Saturday after the High Court dismissed cleric, Walter Magaya’s appeal to stop the elections for lack of merit.

Magaya was challenging his disqualification from the ZIFA presidential elections scheduled for this Saturday, but his bid hit a brick wall at the High Court.

High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi ruled that Magaya failed to produce any evidence showing that the education certificates he submitted were either equivalent or better than the minimum requirement of Five Ordinary Level passes.

“l accept that the minimum was a pass with 5 O’ Levels. A requirement to have 5 O’ Levels must be met. Just for the avoidance of doubt, if one relies on a diploma, the issue is not that a diploma is higher than the O’ Level, the applicant would be required to produce an O’ Level certificate even if he holds a PhD,” Justice Chitapi said in his ruling.

“In the present matter, the applicant has been coy in disclosing further information regarding his qualifications to correct the committee’sdecision. The challenge by the applicant cannot succeed.”

The High Court also ruled that Magaya should have produced an ordinary-level certificate in his affidavit, which was going to be easy for the court to correct the anomaly.

The latest High Court judgment comes after another aspirant, Temba Mliswa, withdrew his court challenge against his disqualification from the elections.

Other disqualified candidates are former Warriors captain, Benjamin Mwaruwari and administrator Gift Banda whose cases are before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This Thursday’s High Court ruling paves the way for the ZIFA elections to proceed on Saturday with six candidates vying for the presidency of the football mother body.

Businessman Nqobile Magwizi will be up against former PSL Chairperson Twine Phiri, United Kingdom-based football administrator, Marshall Gore, former ZIFA board member Philemon Machana, Northern Region Division One league Chairperson Martin Kweza and former Dynamos forward Makwinje Phiri.

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MINISTER’S 2030 STATEMENT RIDICULED

 

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WORTHLESS : EX FARMERS ON GOVT'S NEW TITLE DEEDS

Ben Freeth, the former Chegutu commercial farmer and now global land rights activist, has described the government’s newly-issued title deeds as “unbankable” and “worthless”.

The leader of the Sadc Tribunal Rights Watch expressed concern over government’s plans to issue title deeds for farms grabbed in the chaotic land reform programme at the turn of the century.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa last year launched a new policy allowing beneficiaries of the land reform programme to sell and be able to borrow from banks using the land as collateral.

Some farmers, including Mnangagwa have already received title deeds to the farms they are occupying.

However, Freeth said the farms had legally issued title deeds owned by former white commercial farmers, smallholders and members of the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army.

“These title deed owners have not been compensated for their land, despite having final and binding court judgments which confirm that such original title deeds are still bona fide,” he said.

Freeth said the title deeds given to Mnangagwa and his cronies flew in the face of international law and the Sadc Treaty of 1992.

“The final and binding judgment of the Sadc Tribunal in the Campbell case, will render these new ‘title deeds’ unbankable and, in the final analysis, worthless unless there is first a full and fair settlement with the owners of the original title deeds.

“In 2008, the tribunal found for a group of Zimbabwean farmers on the basis that they were deprived of their land without the right of access to the courts and the right to a fair hearing, both of which are essential human rights.

“In this way, the tribunal held that the Zimbabwe government breached the provisions of the Sadc Treaty: Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe (November 28, 2008).”

Freeth added: “As is the case with the various and numerous attempts to issue new currencies in the Zimbabwean economy — there have been six attempts in 15 years to replace the US dollar as the primary currency — these new ‘title deeds’ will become worthless.

“We fully support any initiative to issue bona fide title deeds on farms that have been authentically bought by the Zimbabwe government and in communal areas where Zimbabweans have never enjoyed the benefits that freehold title deeds accrue to their owners.”

He applauded the Rwandese government for issuing freehold title deeds to its citizens.

“We are convinced that this, along with the firm establishment of the rule of law, is the fundamental game changer which will allow Africa to overcome poverty.

“The current move by the Zimbabwe government to issue what has been described by some as ‘counterfeit title’ will only create more confusion and stagnation in the agricultural economy and in Zimbabwe generally,” he said.

Freeth said government needed to return to the rule of law, re-establish justice system and obey final and binding judgments such as the Campbell judgment of Sadc Tribunal.

Meanwhile, Freeth, in a presentation made in the United Kingdom recently, said, unlike in the West, many places did not have title deeds at all in Africa.

“Rwanda has undertaken this incredibly powerful transformation, but Zimbabwe has gone the other way. They have taken titles away where title deeds had been in place and the country had been developed on the back of title deeds.

“And so what I would love to see is this type of title deed and a just system being established in Zimbabwe. And from perhaps 10 000 title deeds being cancelled, a million title deeds can be established within Zimbabwe,” he said. Newsday

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TRUMP'S ORDER : ZIM TO LOSE $360M

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s decision to halt the global power’s donor funding for 90 days pending policy review could affect several of its humanitarian projects in Zimbabwe which had been funded to the tune of approximately US$360 million in 2024.

Trump announced in an Executive Order yesterday that the US would institute a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiency and consistency with United States foreign policy.

Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion minister Mthuli Ncube in his 2025 national budget presented to and approved by Parliament  last year said Zimbabwe was expecting at least US$800 million from development partners.

Estimates from the budget pronouncement placed the US donor funding, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), as one of the largest funders of aid programmes in Zimbabwe.

In the order, Trump said the US foreign aid industry and bureaucracy were not aligned with American interests and in many cases, antithetical to American values.

“They serve to destabilise world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries,” he said.

“It is the policy of United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”

The Executive Order also ordered department and agency heads responsible for US foreign development assistance programmes to immediately pause new obligations and disbursement of development assistance funds to foreign countries.

Also affected by the order are implementing non-governmental organisations, international organisations and contractors pending review of such programmes for programmatic efficiency and consistency with US foreign policy.

The responsible department and agency heads, in consultation with the director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB), are expected to make determinations within 90 days of the order to continue, modify or cease each foreign assistance programme based on the review recommendations.

The order further indicated that resumption of paused development assistance funding may take place prior to the end of the 90-day period.

“Additionally, any other new foreign assistance programmes and obligations must be approved by the Secretary of State or his designee, in consultation with the director of OMB,” the order read.

According to the Foreign Assistance Department, the US government pumped US$364 005 416 in Zimbabwe covering programmes such as Global Health, Agriculture and Food Security, Democracy, Rights and Governance including Environment programmes.

Other programmes include gender equality and women’s empowerment, and youth projects.

Among its top activities in Zimbabwe in 2024, the US dolled US$55,1 million to the Global Health Supply Chain, HIV and Aids Prevention and Treatment (US$21,8m), Target, Accelerate and Sustain Quality Care (US$21,2m), Food Security (US$20,5m) and Protection, Assistance and Solutions (US$20m).

The US also poured US$18,8m into humanitarian assistance, health assistance (US$17m), development food aid and food security activities (US$14m) and humanitarian health assistance (US$12,9m).

Top sectors included HIV and Aids programmes which received (US$182m), US$60m emergency response, development food aid and food security (US$37m), basic health (US$19,8m), governance and civil society (US$16,2m) and agriculture (US$6,7m).

Other initiatives funded by the US in Zimbabwe include environmental protection and general health.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry permanent secretary Simon Masanga yesterday said US government funding went directly to implementing partners.

“We do not work directly with USAid because their funding goes to implementing partners, who are engaged in various ongoing projects across the country,” he said.

“We will, however, engage USAid to understand the impact of the suspension on their programmes, which are at various levels of implementation across the country.”

But according to USAid, the US investment in Zimbabwe supports a broad portfolio of health programmes, providing treatment for and prevention of diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and helps to increase access to reproductive, maternal and child healthcare services for families.

“Through the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), we help to reduce illness and deaths caused by the HIV epidemic, especially among women and children.

“In addition, the US President’s Malaria Initiative supports Zimbabwe’s national malaria programme by providing bed nets, spraying to eliminate mosquitoes and assistance in diagnosis and treatment to combat malaria in 45 districts,” it said.

In agriculture and food security, USAid, through Food for Peace, is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe, while the Feed the Future programme has helped over 200 000 smallholder farmers since 2010 to increase agricultural productivity, rural employment and household incomes through improved agricultural practices and strengthened commercial linkages to markets.

USAid promotes democratic governance by supporting Zimbabwean efforts to improve government accountability and responsiveness to citizens’ needs.

Through a regional environmental programme, USAid works with communities in the Limpopo River Basin to improve natural resources management and increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation services.

On Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, USAid promotes gender equality and seeks to ensure that development programmes have positive outcomes for both men and women.

“Sixty-one percent of Zimbabwe’s population is under the age of 35. USAid recognises youth participation as vital to Zimbabwe’s prosperity and ending vicious cycles of poverty, unemployment and pandemics.

“We partner young people, the private sector and civil society organisations to build the capacity of Zimbabwe’s future leaders, while contributing to economic growth and inclusive development,” the aid agency said. Newsday

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THREE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS KILLED IN KOMBI CRASH

Three high school students died while they were on their way to collect their O-Level results when a kombi they were travelling in overturned.

One of the students is believed to have attained 10 As. Authorities at St Mt Mary’s High School in Hwedza confirmed the tragedy. The injured were taken to Mt St Mary’s Hospital.

The school’s School Development Committee Chairman, Mr A Nyasha said in a statement:

“Today we are very sad to share some very sad news with my fellow parents of Mt St Mary’s High.

“Yesterday in the afternoon around 2 pm, 3 of our former Form 4 students died as a result of a road traffic accident at Chizema Shops just before Mkondwa school some 15km before they arrived at school.

“The kombi overturned resulting in them sustaining serious injuries. They all passed on at the hospital. There were a total of about 16 students, including a parent.

“Note that they are all very injured save for one student.

“Our thoughts are with the families, and friends of our three boys who couldn’t make it. This is a very difficult time for everyone in our school community and us as parents.

“This is a terrible loss. We as parents’ reps (myself Mr Nyasha- Chairperson, Mr Chingoma- Vice Chair and Mr Mugariri- treasurer) who were present at school before this happened, witnessed the admission of our kids at the hospital.” H Metro

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