HARARE - The Harare City Junior Council (HCJC), in association with the One-Soul Foundation will conduct the draw for the Million Pads Campaign Raffle on Friday next week at Town House at 10:00hrs.

The initiative is meant to raise awareness as well as providing sanitary wear in rural and urban settings.

Event organisers have been busy selling raffle tickets to members of the public, where proceeds would be used to purchase sanitary wear for vulnerable groups.

“We decided to have this draw in August, as it is women’s month, and this initiative is set to promote the rights and necessities of all women,” prospective junior councillor, Waheed Adam said in a statement.

“The turnout in terms of support through raffle ticket purchases has been astounding, judging from the tickets that were bought to actual sanitary pads donated. The HCJC was humbled to have so many Zimbabweans take part in this initiative wholeheartedly”.

Anyone who bought a raffle ticket is invited to come.

The prizes include a four-plate gas cooker (grand prize); other electrical appliances, fuel coupons and airtime vouchers, just to name a few.

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HARARE - Zimbabwe's civil society has asked the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to discuss Zimbabwe’s military-led post-election reprisals that have led to democratic regression and the contestations around the legitimacy and accuracy of the election results at a summit of the regional bloc in the Namibian capital Windhoek today.

Southern Africa’s regional body is convening an ordinary summit of the heads of State and government amid disagreements in Zimbabwe over a presidential election in which the Zanu PF strongman Emmerson Mnangagwa narrowly beat opposition leader Nelson Chamisa — who has since challenged that result in the Constitutional Court (Con-Court).

Sadc, currently chaired by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is handing the reins today to Namibian President Hage Geingob, has been asked by Zimbabwe’s civil society to broker talks between Mnangagwa and his adversary Chamisa.

Mnangagwa is due to attend the Sadc summit, accompanied by Foreign minister Sibusiso Moyo and other government officials.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) — a conglomeration of more than 80 civil society organisations in Zimbabwe working for democratic change — said Sadc “must call for and support dialogue between political actors as well as an inclusive conversation on Zimbabwe’s future”.

“The Sadc community together with other global players must institute discussions on the situation in Zimbabwe and develop a political and economic rescue package that is predicated on democratic progress,” the coalition said.

It also urged “the regional community of people to continue standing and fighting in the corner of Zimbabwe and its people rather than political elites.”

Zimbabwe’s civil society also wants Sadc to make an unequivocal statement condemning the illegal infractions against people’s rights in Zimbabwe, including holding sacrosanct citizens rights to life and protection by the state, as well as discouraging impairments of rights of the media and ordinary Zimbabweans.

There were reports of domestic and foreign journalists injured or beaten by the army while covering events that took place in Harare during the clashes.

This came after the military swept into the capital Harare to disperse protesters after the Zanu PF won a parliamentary majority in the vote.

Soldiers fired live ammunition at civilians, as opposition demonstrators burnt cars and threw rocks at helicopters hovering above.

At least six people were killed in those clashes.

Civil society wants Sadc to force government to facilitate impartial and independent investigations into the Harare shootings and assaults of civilians by members of the military.

“Such investigations must establish culpability with guilty parties subjected to the course of the law,” the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said.

The influential civil society body said 2018 elections constituted a turning point and a critical juncture that could have allowed Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans to look forward to the task of rebuilding and making Zimbabwe great again off a clean political slate with limited to no legitimacy challenges on the state and those presiding over it.

Now that the 2018 process lacks legitimacy and was undemocratic, Zimbabwe finds itself at a similar political moment to 2008.

While difficult, civil society said the situation is not intractable, especially if Zimbabwe and the interested international community learn from the 2008 experiences. It asked Sadc to take actions that can assist to rescue Zimbabwe from reverting back to the twin crisis of legitimacy and governance which have dogged the state since 2000.

“Zimbabwe must return to full norm compliance in modern statecraft where the military is subordinate to civilian authority and does not interfere with civilian political processes.

“The Zimbabwean government must stem impunity and ensure an independent and credible process to investigate the murders of civilians on the 1st of August 2018 at the hands of the army.”

Civil society is also pushing that the military immediately return and stay in the barracks through leaving communities and roads where it is present.

It also wants Sadc to force the Zimbabwe military to halt human rights abuses on defenceless citizens and uphold the supremacy of Chapter 4 of the Constitution.

It said Zimbabwe must move forward towards democratisation and away from the twin crises of poor governance and illegitimacy.

“Citizens of Sadc are encouraged to remain in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, lobby their governments to do right by and stand with the citizens of Zimbabwe and demand that their will be respected and the security guaranteed,” the coalition said.

It said the July 30 election failed to demilitarise civilian political processes, a mandate that the election carried in the aftermath of the November 2017 coup and also failed to meet the democratic test, and as a result, the emergent state lacks political legitimacy.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said the election was supposed to represent Zimbabwe’s return to norm compliance through demilitarising of political processes and a credible election.

“Failure means that Zimbabwe is back to similar political movement to the 2008 election impasse with a governance and legitimacy crisis looming, undergirded by a military dictatorship,” the CiZC said.

The 38th Ordinary Summit, starting today, ends tomorrow under the theme “Promoting Infrastructure Development and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development”.

The heads of State and government summit has been preceded by meetings of Foreign ministers at Safari Court Hotel and Conference Centre in Windhoek, Namibia.

It remains unclear if delegates at a foreign ministers meeting will take up the Zimbabwean civil society suggestion forward.

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HARARE - Police on Thursday charged Costa Machingauta, an opposition MDC Alliance party legislator for Budiriro constituency with public violence for allegedly participating in protests staged over delays in announcing the results of harmonised elections.

Machingauta, who is represented by Tarisai Mutangi of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights was summoned to report at Law and Order Section at Harare Central Police Station, where he was charged with public violence as defined by section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

ZRP officers alleged that Machingauta engaged in acts of violence in Harare’s Central Business District on Wednesday, August 1, together with some MDC Alliance supporters during a demonstration against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s management of the harmonised elections held on July 30, which reportedly resulted in the destruction of property and left at least six people dead after they were shot by some members of the army.

Machingauta becomes the 32nd person to be charged with committing public violence during the elections protest following the arrest of Tendai Biti, one of the MDC Alliance party leaders, David Zvavamwe Shambare, Shadreck Mashayamombe, Tapiwa Joni, Ngonidzashe Makazhu, Michael Mheta, Simbarashe Mujeye, Judith Chacha, Lilian Mahosi, Anna Chezhira, Angeline Mukoki, Agatha Mubaiwa, Chancellor Nyamande, Livenice Kachana, Tichaona Daniel, Farai Nyamhunga, Mercy Mataramvura, Munyaradzi Chibanda, Samson Nerwande, Raymond Machakaire, Tapiwa Naume Khamu, Tendai Torerwa, Christopher Nikisi, Tonderai Chakona, Justin Mugashu, Simbarashe Zvobgo, Trymore Mubaiwa, Searchmore Mutegude, Kudakwashe Katunhu, Last Vambe and Jeff Chaitezvi, who are all out of custody on bail.

Meanwhile, Biti has also appeared at Harare Magistrates’ Courts, where his lawyers continued with the cross-examination of chief superintendent Jealous Nyabasa, who attempted to avoid answering some tough questions from the opposition political party leader’s legal practitioners.

Biti, who was arrested last week in Zambia and charged with contravening section 66 (A) (1) of the Electoral Act for allegedly announcing unofficial presidential results for the 2018 harmonised elections and with committing public violence as defined in section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act is challenging his remand and the court’s jurisdiction saying he is improperly appearing before the court since he was abducted from Zambia by Zimbabwe authorities in defiance of a lawful High Court order issued in the neighbouring southern African country.

Biti returns to court today, where his lawyers will continue with cross examining Nyabasa, who reportedly arrested Biti.

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HARARE - Amnesty International (AI) is ratcheting up pressure on the Zimbabwean government to conclude investigation into the disappearance of journalist-cum-political and human rights activist Itai Dzamara.

AI’s newly-elected leader Kumi Naidoo of South Africa pledged on Wednesday that his first port of call into his term of office would be writing to whoever will be declared the legitimate winner of the July 30 presidential elections by the Constitutional Court about Dzamara’s disappearance.

He said “whoever leads the new government must move to undo the injustices of the past.”

Naidoo, a South Africa-born former anti-apartheid activist who began his term as AI’s secretary-general this week, said the Harare administration must acknowledge all past abuses during former president Robert Mugabe’s reign.

Dzamara, who led anti-Mugabe demonstrations under the Occupy Africa Unity Square banner, disappeared in 2015 after he was abducted by suspected State security agents.

He has not been accounted for until today.

Dzamara was a well-known critic of Mugabe’s regime publicly calling for him to resign for what he said was his failure to manage the country’s failing economy.

He was abducted on March 9, 2015 by five unidentified men while he was at a barber shop in the Glen View suburb of Harare.

On Saturday March 7, before his abduction, he had addressed a rally in the capital Harare where he called for mass action to address the deteriorating economic conditions in the country.

Witnesses say that his abductors handcuffed him and forced him into a white truck with concealed number plates before driving off.

Zimbabwe has a long history of enforced disappearances of government critics and activists.

In 2008, dozens of opposition and human rights activists were forcibly abducted for weeks in a crackdown.

The State repeatedly denied its involvement, but many activists were later found in State custody, while the fate and whereabouts of others remain unknown.

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HARARE - Chief Justice Luke Malaba has been accused of acting illegally by increasing application fees for those wishing to challenge the outcome of National Assembly elections, a legal watchdog has said.

This comes after Malaba increased the application fee from $500 to $2 000 for those wishing to challenge the National Assembly election results outcome.

Legal and parliamentary watchdog, Veritas, said the amounts have not been prescribed in regulations made by Zec under section 192 of the Electoral Act.

“The amount prescribed in section 28 of the Electoral Regulations is $500.  Six days ago the chief justice issued a Practice Direction in which he announced that the prescribed amount was now to be $2 000 for National Assembly election petitions and $1 000 for local authority petitions.

“The Practice Direction is probably illegal because the amounts have not been prescribed in regulations made by Zec under section 192 of the Electoral Act, as they should have been.

“In any event the Direction probably does not apply to current petitions because section 157(5) of the Constitution states that changes to laws relating to elections do not apply to an election once it has been called.  Whatever its validity, the timing of the Practice Direction — issued just before election petitions are due to be lodged – is most unfortunate.”

The crunch July 30 elections were marred by the yet-to-be tested allegations of ballot cheating which resulted in MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and various opposition candidates who were vying for National Assembly seats to contest the outcome via election petitions to the Electoral Court.

An election petition challenging the election of a member of the National Assembly in a general election must be lodged to the Electoral Court within 14 days after the declaration of the results for the last constituency in the election.

An election petition challenging the election of a councillor in a general election must be lodged with the Electoral Court within 14 days after the declaration of the results for the last ward of the local authority concerned.

Only an unsuccessful candidate for the parliamentary or council seat concerned may lodge an election petition according to Electoral Act, section 167.  Political parties and members of the public cannot do so.

Section 167 of the Electoral Act allows an election petition to complain that the election was not valid “by reason of want of qualification, disqualification, electoral malpractice, irregularity or any other cause whatsoever”. 

This is very widely phrased but the circumstances in which the Electoral Court can set aside an election are more limited.

“Electoral malpractice” means an intimidatory practice, corrupt practice, illegal practice or other offence in terms of Part XX of the Electoral Act.

Intimidatory practices include intimidating people to vote for a particular candidate or not to vote, or compelling people to attend political meetings or other events;  taking anyone’s identity documents to obstruct voting;  and a very recent addition to the list by the Electoral Amendment Act, persuading or attempting to persuade people that it will be possible to discover who they have voted for in an election.

Corrupt practices include bribery, using undue influence to induce people to vote or not to vote, and impersonating voters or casting more than one vote in an election.

Illegal practices include preventing the holding of lawful political meetings; destroying, defacing or removing political posters; conducting political activities within 300 metres of a polling station on polling day;  obstructing voters from voting either at a polling station or on their way to or from a polling station.

Within 10 days after a petition is lodged, written notice of it must be served on the person whose election is challenged, either on him or her in person or by leaving it at his or her usual or last known dwelling or place of business according to section 169 of the Electoral Act. 

In previous elections, many petitions were summarily dismissed for being served late or at the headquarters of the successful candidate’s political party.

Petitioner must give security for the respondent’s costs.

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HARARE - Chief Justice Luke Malaba has declared that Build Zimbabwe Alliance leader Noah Manyika and Daniel Shumba of the United Democratic Alliance will not be allowed to make their presentations or submit their petitions.

Malaba reportedly cited the expiration of the deadline during a Case Management Conference held at his Chambers yesterday.

This means that any evidence that MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa wanted to rely on and was not served on all respondents, including Zec, will now be inadmissible.

This potentially deals a body blow to Chamisa’s petition as significant chunks of the evidence were not served within this time-frame.

Shumba, who had compiled his evidence of vote rigging, fumed against the Con-Court decision, saying it was an attempt to muzzle respondents, which he said was unconstitutional.

“We don’t intend to be muzzled from our democratic and constitutional position. If anybody has issue with those who may wish to support the applicant, the only issue is to recuse themselves,” Shumba fumed.

Shumba and Manyika had filed their papers at the Constitutional Court, claiming the just-ended election was rigged in favour of Zanu PF leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) declared Mnangagwa as the winner with 50,8 percent of the vote, ahead of Chamisa, who got 44,3 percent.

In their failed applications, Manyika and Shumba, who had been cited by Chamisa as respondents, accused Zec of tilting the results in favour of Mnangagwa, who came into power last November with the assistance of the army.

In his response to the application, Shumba had said even though he was a respondent, he supported Chamisa’s application.

“As the applicant’s evidence has made clear, (Mr) Mnangagwa’s narrow margin of victory was the product of systematic manipulation of the voting numbers by the Zec.

“An analysis of the available voting data shows irregularities in the Zec’s own calculations. This manipulation of the voting results was the continuation of a pattern of irregularities that occurred before, during, and after election day.

“These irregularities denied Zimbabweans their right to free and fair elections. The election stands to be invalidated on that ground alone. These irregularities also materially affected the outcome.

“But for these irregularities, (Mr) Mnangagwa would have fallen far short of the 50 percent + one threshold required to avoid a runoff election. That, too, provides a basis to invalidate the elections,” Manyika said.

He said in the run-up to the elections, there were several irregularities that were raised with Zec but were never addressed until election day.

Manyika said these irregularities rendered the whole process invalid.

“An analysis of the Zec’s published results demonstrates that several polling stations were double-counted in computing the results. The expert affidavit prepared by Dr Otumba Ouko provides several examples of double-counting of polling stations in the Rushinga and Mbire constituencies. As a result of the double-counting, (Mr) Mnangagwa secured an additional 7 703 votes,” he said.

He said the presidential election results must be nullified by the court and an order for fresh elections must be put in place.

On Wednesday, Mnangagwa filed his opposing affidavits.

He, along with Zec chairperson Priscilla Chigumba have challenged Chamisa’s application, demanding its dismissal for lack of evidence.

In their affidavits filed separately, Mnangagwa and Chigumba argued that Chamisa’s application was out of time and must be dismissed on that basis.

“As both filing and service are constitutive of an application made in terms of Section 93 (1) of the Constitution as read with Rule 23 of the Constitutional Court Rules, the defective service effected on the 10th of August 2018 rendered the applicant’s application fatally and incurably defective,” Chigumba said.

Chigumba denied sharing voters’ information with Zanu PF following mobile phone messages that were sent to the electorate by Zanu PF candidates canvassing support.

She said the polling station returns were affixed at all polling stations established by the electoral body for the conduct of the 2018 elections. This comes after claims by the MDC Alliance that some results at 21 percent of the constituencies were not posted on the polling stations as is prescribed at law.

“Whilst it is correct that the presidential ballots are counted first, the transmission of results from a polling station by a presiding officer to the ward centre is done at the same time for all three electoral races under consideration i.e. the presidential ballots are counted first then we move on to the House of Assembly ballots and lastly, we count the local authority ballots. Only after all have been counted and their returns duly completed, does the presiding officer leave the polling station to take the results and the election residue to the ward centre,” she said.

She further said that in terms of the Electoral Act there was no requirement to announce the presidential election results for each constituency, adding that Chamisa’s election agents had unlimited access to the election results and were involved in the verification process.

Chigumba also said that the identical result pattern is not any evidence of election malpractice, further stating that there were no polling stations that disappeared on election day, as alleged.

“The computation by the applicant, based on a turnout of 72 percent, does not, therefore, yield a correct result reflective of what happened on election day. The 700 000 votes that the applicant alleges are unaccounted for are directly resultant upon the use of 72 percent as the final voter turnout in the presidential election and not the correct 85, 1 percent.

“Further, the figure that the applicant comes up wit, 4 032 000, as 72 percent of the total voter population includes, by necessary implication, every vote that would be cast in a presidential poll including votes that would, on the count, be deemed to be invalid for one reason or another. The figures he indicates as the total votes cast from the announced results 4 775 640 and from the data on the electoral commission’s CD, 4 774 878, both reflect the total valid votes cast in terms of the announcements and the data on the CD,” Chigumba said.

She urged the court to dismiss the application with costs.

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HARARE - MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s election petition, challenging results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has been set down for hearing next week Wednesday.

Chamisa, who is disputing Zec’s declaration of Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa as the winner of the July 30 presidential election in the Constitutional Court (Con-Court), has now been directed to file his answering affidavit and heads of argument by 12 noon on Saturday.

At the same time, President-elect Mnangagwa has been given up to 10am on Monday to file his heads of argument.

Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda confirmed the development on his Twitter account yesterday.

“President Nelson Chamisa’s @nelsonchamisa court application to be heard on the 22nd of August 2018 at 10:00am. The evidence is overwhelming and victory is certain.
Numbers don’t lie, so the President-Elect @nelsonchamisa looks forward to this day,” he said.

The hearing is likely to be beamed live on television following an application for such a provision.

Chamisa’s Con-Court application is challenging the presidential election results announced by Zec, declaring Mnangagwa won with 50,8 percent of the vote.

The MDC Alliance leader, who got 44,3 percent, argues that the results are fake.

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HARARE - United States President Donald Trump’s administration is ratcheting up pressure on embattled President-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa by demanding that he institutes a transparent and credible investigation into the August 1 killing of at least six protesters in Harare.

Speaking after meeting Mnangagwa in the capital on Wednesday, US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols, said Washington was greatly disturbed by reports of violence and the death of six people.

The US is also appalled by the intimidation of opposition polling agents as well as alleged beatings of civilians in high-density suburbs by suspected State security agents.

“There should be a transparent and credible investigation and those involved should be charged according to the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Respect for human rights, rule of law and economic reforms should be observed,” Nichols said.

At least six people lost their lives in the protests after the army was deployed to disperse demonstrators who were frustrated by inordinate delays in the release of presidential results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).

The protesters also accused Zec of rigging the poll results in favour of Zanu PF and its presidential candidate.

In the ensuing melee, the soldiers fired live ammunition, drawing widespread condemnation from the international community.

While no arrests have been made in connection with the killings, dozens of opposition activists, particularly polling agents, have since appeared in court over the violence.

Other opposition activists are reportedly in hiding amid allegations that they are being hunted down by security agents who want to force them to sign fake V11 forms that form part of the MDC Alliance’s evidence in the ongoing electoral challenge at the Constitutional Court (Con-Court).

Mnangagwa has reacted to the deadly violence by stating that he would institute an investigation into the incident.

During his most recent public address, the 75-year-old politician blamed the MDC Alliance for allegedly inciting the violence.

Nichols, who met Mnangagwa for one hour at State House a fortnight after the killings, described their engagement as “very productive”.

Notwithstanding, he said Washington was concerned with recent events and the human rights situation of August 1.

“President Mnangagwa has stressed commitment to creating a peaceful environment for Zimbabwe and to respect human rights. Trump is committed to a positive relationship with Zimbabwe.

“We support freedom of speech, democracy, free and fair elections but we do not support any particular person or party,” said Nichols as he emerged from the meeting.

Nichols replaced Ambassador Harry Thomas Jnr, whose tour of duty came to an end recently, and the new envoy is a veteran member of the US Senior Foreign Service and has served as an American diplomat since 1989.

A dyed-in-the-wool career diplomat who is a recipient of 20 State Department awards and has served in Peru and the Colombia capital, Bogota, Nichols has gone through “a hell of a lot more substantive responsibilities in hot-spots,” one diplomat said.

Meanwhile, Nichols also spoke to Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday and reiterated the need to put the country back on a democratic path.

The Daily News understands he wanted to hear from Chamisa a little bit how he viewed the political situation in Zimbabwe.

This comes as the US is under pressure to take a firm line with Mnangagwa who took power in a coup in November, and won elections that are being disputed in the Con-Court.

Chamisa yesterday declined to state what he discussed with the US envoy, referring the Daily News to his tweet.

“Had a great meeting with the US Ambassador to Zim on norms, values and standards regarding free, fair elections & human rights,” Chamisa said in his tweet.

Diplomats said Washington fears the turmoil will distract attention from the urgent task of fixing a dying economy that has led to worsening hardships here.

Prior to the elections whose results are being challenged at the Con-Court by Chamisa, Trump’s administration had made it clear that it would wait for Mnangagwa to fulfil his reform promises before it can put a seal of approval on his government.

But the latest developments have dented the credibility of the plebiscite.

Trump’s administration has already responded to the August 1 killings by extending US sanctions against Zimbabwe, in a development deplored by the Mnangagwa administration.

With former president Robert Mugabe out of the way following his ouster by the military last year, Mnangagwa as the successor has been speaking social, economic and political reforms.

Ahead of the just-ended polls, he invested a lot into international re-engagement following decades of isolation.

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BULAWAYO - Bulawayo City caretaker coach Bekithemba Ndlovu has summoned his players to man up and start winning games if they are to remain in top flight league come end of season.

Bulawayo City lost their last league match to log leaders FC Platinum 0-1 at home despite a spirited performance.

They travel to Harare to face a wounded Black Rhinos at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow. Rhinos also lost their last match against CAPS United 0-1.

“Now it’s not about a good show and good performances. What we need are just results. For us to achieve the results it would take a lot of hard work and determination,” Ndlovu said.

“The chances we create when we are playing, we just need to convert them. Goals win games. We also need to concentrate throughout the match.”

Speaking of their match on Saturday, Ndlovu said they were ready for the army side.

“I think after a decent show against FC Platinum, the spirit in camp is still high and we are looking forward to that match,” he said.

“We need to win games. Black Rhinos are a good physical side. Come Saturday we will be ready for them. We are going to Harare to try and get a positive result.”

The former Zimbabwe international is adamant that his team will not be relegated come end of season despite being in the relegation zone with 13 matches left to play in the season.

“Everyone can think we will be relegated, its fine. We still have the belief of staying in the top flight league.

“We believe in each other, in our players and in what we do. We believe we will survive relegation come end of the season,” said Ndlovu.

“We just need to start winning our matches and we will definitely survive. I think God is in control and with God nothing is impossible. I think we are still in it.”

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HARARE - Rising Zimbabwe pace bowler Blessing Muzarabani has quit international cricket for an England County Cricket deal automatically ruling himself out of the country’s tours of South Africa and Bangladesh respectively.

The 21-year-old seamer from Rising Stars is understood to have signed a three-year contract with Northamptonshire joining in the footsteps of local cricketers Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis who had similar arrangements before they finally came back to play for Zimbabwe last year.

ZC spokesperson Darlington Majonga confirmed Muzarabani’s departure in a press release yesterday.

“Muzarabani has played one Test, 18 One Day Internationals and six Twenty20 Internationals for Zimbabwe. ZC wishes him well in his latest endeavours,” wrote Majonga.

Muzarabani also bade the association and fellow team mates farewell wishing them well.

“I wish my former team mates and ZC all the very best for the future. I have been honoured to represent my country but feel this is an appropriate time for me to pursue other challenges both personally and professionally,” said Muzarabani.

Muzarabani’s exit comes at a time their staff and players have struggled to get their payments, both salaries and match fees in the case of players until the intervention of the International Cricket Council who availed the funds early this month through a controlled financial programme.

ZC in turn have revealed a massive.

“ZC is reviewing its cricket structure and financial strategy due to the need to radically reduce expenses across the board to ensure the sustainability of this great game. This strategic planning process is under way and needs to incorporate plans to ensure that the competitiveness and strength of domestic cricket and the high performance cricket pathway is at least maintained. Not an easy task,” Majonga said.

“Strong measures are required to make this a reality. With the above in mind, ZC will not be renewing almost all staff contracts which conclude on 31 August 2018.

“The domestic season will start in November and the staff complement required will by that time have been defined and agreed to suit the ZC cricket strategic direction. These are tough times and tough decisions are required to preserve cricket in Zimbabwe.”

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HARARE - Aggrieved wheelchair basketball has welcomed the postponement of the Zimbabwe National Youth and Paralympic Games (NYG) owing to a typhoid outbreak in Gweru as a blessing in disguise.

The Games will now be held in December with the new dates set to be announced at a later date after consultations with various stakeholders.

Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere in a media release expressed regret at the cancellation of the games but emphasised the decision was reached on humanitarian grounds.

“Following the outbreak of typhoid in Gweru and the subsequent investigations by the ministry of Health and Child Care, we have been in further consultations with the ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, the minister of State for Provincial Affairs for the Midlands Province, the SRC, the local organising committee for the Games and other key stakeholders for guidance on how to proceed with the matter at hand, resultantly we regret to advise that…the Games which were  scheduled to be
hosted from August 15- 28 have been postponed to December 2018,” Muchechetere said.

“This action has been necessitated by the need to avoid putting the lives of participating athletes and officials at risk of contracting possible typhoid. While the hosting of the Games has been deferred, other processes such as resource mobilisation to support the Games will go on until the Games are held in December. It is also in this regard that we wish to advise all provincial teams still in camp to decamp as a matter of urgency so that they do not continue to incur further costs.”

Wheelchair basketball had raised concerns for their omission in this year’s NYG on the eve of the postponement and has since lauded the move both on humanitarian grounds and most importantly for it gives them time to negotiate their way into the December edition.

Zimbabwe national wheelchair basketball team coach and Harare Province manager Job Kumunda said they will engage the organisers with the hope of being re-admitted into this year’s event.

“It is a blessing in disguise because this may be our opportunity to take part in this year’s edition. So far we are trying to mobilise all the provinces to have their teams in place so that we have a chance to play in December. We do have four provinces ready to date which is the general games requirement but we are surprised to note that those in position of authority have been speaking to the contrary,” Kumunda told the Daily News yesterday.

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HARARE - The Zimbabwe rugby team is fully aware that a lot hangs in the balance in tomorrow’s Rugby Afrique Gold Cup match against Uganda in Kampala.

The Sables arrived in Kampala on Tuesday evening and have so far held two training sessions ahead of tomorrow’s encounter at the Kyadondo Rugby Grounds.

Any result other than a win for Peter de Villiers’ side might spell doom as it will come with relegation to the second-tier Silver Cup.

Zimbabwe are without a win in four matches after drawing at home with Morocco before losing on the road to Kenya and Tunisia.

Earlier this month, the Sables lost to Namibia at the Hartsfield Stadium in Bulawayo.

As things stand, de Villiers’ side sits in a precarious fifth place on the log standings with a paltry three points.

Bottom-placed Morocco in sixth place are also on three points and are away to fourth placed Tunisia in Monastir tomorrow afternoon as well.

If Morocco beat Tunisia or lose with a bonus point, this could spell trouble for the Sables if they are defeated by Uganda.

A win against the Cranes in Kampala tomorrow will be the best bet for the Sables to keep their Gold Cup status for next season.

Any loss with a bonus point might prove to be sufficient for Zimbabwe in the event that Morocco do not pick up any point against Tunisia.

Sables captain Denford Mutamangira was optimistic that his side would get the favourable result they need against the Cranes tomorrow.

At Hartsfield, Zimbabwe became the first side to score four tries against Namibia in this year’s competition in that 28-58 loss.

In their previous three matches before arriving in Bulawayo, Namibia had only conceded two tries.

“We just had a chat after the game and we said, ‘Guys, heads up, we have scored 28 against Namibia. It’s not a result that we wanted but going forward, we can go a gear up against Uganda’,” the prop forward said.

“We cannot score 28 points against Namibia and go out of the Gold Cup without a win. This is really our motivation when we go to Kampala.”

De Villiers was also given hope by that performance against Namibia and hopes his side can finally register a win in this competition and avoid relegation.

“We brought in some good youngsters that are very good for us going forward. When I started coaching the Springboks, I almost lost all of the games in 2008 but in 2009, we won the Tri-Nations and Lions Series,” he said.

“So, this game was about small important victories, we couldn’t make anymore and it was to get the bonus point; we got it.”

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HARARE - Comedian Charles Merisi aka Marabha is back into the limelight thanks to his new skits doing rounds on social media sites.

The 37-year-old actor rose to stardom during the days he acted alongside Freddy “Kapfupi” Manjalima and Rumbidzai Vingirai popularly known as Regina in street theatre productions such as Notorious Kapfupi that showed on ZTV on a weekly basis.

However, Merisi went into oblivion after he parted ways with Kapfupi in an unamicable manner a couple of years ago.

Of late, he resurfaced with a number of comedy skits on social media which critics say undermine women in general.

In the skits, Merisi uses abominable words in reference to women.

Marabha and Kapfupi’s celebrated collaboration crumbled after the former accused the latter of bewitching him.

The Mai Nga hit-maker responded to the allegation by branding Marabha a “mentally incapacitated individual”.

This “betrayal” has forced Kapfupi to opt for one-man acts in future.

“I am planning to host one man acts in future. I have come to this decision after I was betrayed by people such as Marabha who were very close to me hence I have lost all the trust and faith in people,” the Epworth-based artiste told the Daily News recently.

Kapfupi sensationally claims that he transformed Marabha’s life for the better but only to be repaid by ingratitude.

“It is me who took Marabha to America for the first time in his life, I facilitated for his passport and everything. I even rushed him to the airport when he was late for a flight but only to betray me,” he said.

“I do not buy the idea that Marabha said this to me under the influence of drugs but it is because Marabha haana kudzidza. Munhu ngaangosvikawo kana Grade Seven zvayo, better. (Marabha is not educated. People should go to school, even Grade Seven is better).”

Manjalima was optimistic that he will make it in life without the  help of other actors.

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HARARE - Harare new arts hub, Red Cafe has become home to several performing artists as it majors on most artistic genres from poetry, theatre, musicals, launches and book reading.

The cafe is more than a drinking hole; it is a free expression platform meant to nurture artists.

Situated along Harare Street in the capital, Red Cafe opened its doors to the public early this year and instantly became a hit with artists.

The Biggie Chinoperekwei-run joint is a hive of activity throughout the week, with the venue hosting all sorts of arts-related events from Monday to Sunday.

“The idea is to promote artists from different genres. We have bought a public address system which is being used by different artists to rehearse during the day. They give each other a chance and it is for free.

“We are happy that artists have also embraced the joint as their home,” Chinoperekwei said.

On Mondays, the Red Cafe hosts “Poetry Mondays” a platform meant to hone artistic skills of both upcoming and established poets.

“We want to prove that poetry is an alternative and equal entertainment service. Poetry being an audible means of communication and entertainment, we feel it should get more platforms just like any other arts genres. On Mondays, we try to match musicians with poets just to spice up entertainment for our people.

“As Red Cafe, we are taking the stride in offering poets the opportunity to showcase and make a living out of their God-given talents. We have renowned and successful poets in the country and this is proof that one can earn a living out of it provided one gets adequate support like what we are offering here,” the joint manager,  Freddy Nyakudanga, said.

“On a weekly basis, we try to mix budding poets and established ones so as to expose the upcoming artists to the mainstream platforms.

“Apart from mixing the upcoming and seasoned artists, we also invite stakeholders of poetry including the consumers of poetry, radio personnel, government departments, nongovernmental organisations, advertising agencies and the corporate world on rotational basis depending on the theme of the event on that particular day.”

In terms of music, the joint hosts several concerts from Tuesdays to Sundays.

“Some came as normal music concerts where live music will be played while at times stakeholders in music industry gather to listen to the new studio album or song and review it.

“This helps the composer of the music to learn a thing or two about his music. This is a new concept meant to develop our music,” Nyakudanga said.

This week, the joint hosted Mel B and The Code band on Wednesday.

On the same night, stakeholders were reviewing Phillip WekwaChipfumo and Spirits of Africa’s latest studio album Mudonzvo Wenzimbe.

On Friday, the joint hosted rising musician Mbeu and his Mhodzi Tribe before hosting reggae music outfit Transit Crew on Saturday.

On Sundays, the joint routinely hosts mbira concerts with regular performer being Hwesa Masango and his Zim Totems.

“This is a way to promote mbira music and encourage families to come and enjoy together on Sundays.

“There are those who believe in African Traditional Religion. You will be surprised that they are many out there and they are being starved,” Nyakudanga said.

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HARARE - The under-fire Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has cut President-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa’s win by a marginal 0,1 percent, but insists the error was purely clerical.

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HARARE - Emmerson Mnangagwa has been declared president of Zimbabwe amid protests and violence.

But Zimbabweans are now in a post-political, economy-first mood.

Before Zimbabwe’s general election on 30 July, there was a lot of talk about there being “landmark change” and “credibility.”

But in many ways it was déjà vu. Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu PF party won the parliamentary vote, taking a majority 144 seats out of 210.

The opposition MDC Alliance, a seven-party coalition led by Nelson Chamisa, won 64 seats — an improvement on their 2013 showing of 44 seats, but still falling far short of expectations.

The presidential results were much closer. After clashes on Wednesday, the incumbent Mnangagwa was declared winner early Friday morning, taking 50,8 percent of the vote against Chamisa’s 44,3 percent.

The 21 other independent presidential candidates polled less than five percent between them.

The polls didn’t quite live up to the hype. There was much that was positive: the prelude and election day were peaceful, with a minimal military presence.

Opposition candidates were able to hold nationwide rallies (including in Zanu PF’s rural heartland) without interference — an electoral first. Zanu PF leaders and the military called for a peaceful process.

Four women candidates contested the presidential vote, another first. More than five million Zimbabweans registered out of an eligible voting population of 7,2 million, and there was a near record 75 per cent turnout on voting day.

Zimbabwe invited official observers from 46 countries and 15 international organisations, and, for the first time since 2002, observers from the EU, the Commonwealth and the US were present.

But shortcomings included late public access to the imperfect biometric voters’ roll and controversies about the ballot papers.

There were also misogynistic social media attacks and threats against female candidates and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chair Justice Priscilla Chigumba.

The three-day wait for presidential results saw a further decline in public trust in the Zec, and the opposition’s premature announcement of a Chamisa victory only fanned the political flames.

On August 1, six unarmed civilians were shot dead by soldiers in Harare, with dozens more assaulted.

A Joint International Observer Mission statement promptly condemned the violence and called for restraint.

The election process was a boon for democracy, but ironically the result has entrenched the two-party parliamentary system and marginalised alternative voices.

Mnangagwa has been conciliatory in his post-election statements, saying that Nelson Chamisa has a “crucial role to play” and calling for unity to “build a new Zimbabwe for all.”

But Chamisa’s MDC Alliance has refused to accept the results, calling them “fake” and a “scandal.”

The MDC has raised genuine transparency concerns and will likely challenge the results in court, but much of this may be cosmetic — with little chance of a 2017 Kenya-style presidential re-run.

There is no critical mass of opposition parties to sustain a challenge, nor is there a popular appetite for a protracted political feud.

Zimbabwe’s democracy agenda may be heading into the slow lane, and Chamisa may be pressured by his coalition partners to make a political accommodation with Mnangagwa.

Nevertheless, despite setbacks, Zimbabwe’s opposition and civil society has a long history of resilience under pressure and the struggle for democracy will continue.

Mnangagwa has a full in-tray. He has to unite a fractious Zanu PF and manage internal civil-military and generational faultlines.

Beyond that, he may need a public reconciliation with Chamisa — similar to how in Kenya and Mozambique, similar incumbent-opposition quarrels were mended by public rapprochements.

But Zimbabweans are now in a post-political, economy-first mood.

Resolving the cash crisis is crucial. Few Zimbabweans can withdraw more than $50 a day from banks or ATMs and much of this is paid out in unpopular “bond coins.”

The formal sector has contracted to only 20 percent of the economy, and the informal sector lacks the capacity to push an economic renewal.

Zimbabwe’s new internationalism is premised upon the 2015 Lima process economic reform pathway (opens in new window)for debt arrears clearance. (The country has a $10 billion foreign debt.)

There has been a modest increase in foreign and Diaspora investment, but the big-money Chinese, Russian and other pledges are long-horizon projects.

What Zimbabwe needs is a short-term economic stimulus — to support small and medium-sized businesses.

For this to happen, Mnangagwa has to stay the course on economic reform, ease of doing business and the anti-corruption agenda.

The pivot from reform to transformation in Zimbabwe will require all hands on deck, including civil society, the opposition, Zimbabwe Diaspora and foreign investors, in a partnership for development.

A positive global verdict on the elections could supercharge investment, but time will tell whether these polls have been a deal-maker or a deal-breaker.

Zimbabwe’s elections often split the global south and the global north, and this could be the case again.

The EU will have to decide whether to continue their incremental rapprochement with Zimbabwe, or accelerate to the reciprocity-based, “Re-Engagement 2.0” approach currently favoured by the UK although the US is unlikely to lift statutory sanctions anytime soon.

Zimbabwe’s possible return to the Commonwealth could also be divisive, given the broader global context of the perceived existential clash between beleaguered liberal democracy and the rise of populist — and popular—autocracies across the globe.

Mnangagwa — along with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mozambique’s Filipe Nyusi and others — belong to a pragmatic new wave of regional economic reformers nudging liberationism away from ideology. He now has an electoral mandate to lead a divided country.

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HARARE - The State has revived a case in which controversial businessmen Wicknell Chivayo and Genius Kadungure are being charged for allegedly defrauding two local businessmen about six years ago.

Police only brought Chivayo to court yesterday and no indications were made as to when Kadungure would appear before the same court.

He was given bail on the same terms as those imposed on his previous case in which he is being accused of defrauding the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC).

The State is alleging that sometime in November 2012, Chivayo connived with Kadungure to create a fictitious company named Transco Civil Engineering, purportedly based in neighbouring South Africa.

It is being alleged that they proceeded to open an ABSA bank account. The State claims that they also opened an e-mail account procurement@marangediamonds.com purporting to be doing business for Marange Diamonds, which is one of the companies that used to operate in Chiadzwa, in Marange.

It is said that they rented space at Hetzner (Private) Limited in South Africa.

Chivayo and Kadungure then contacted the complainant, whose name was not revealed in court, pretending to be the chief buyers at Marange Resources, looking for mining pumps.

They reportedly gave the complainant an order to supply 10 T-90 Transco-Flo Helical Rotor pumps and referred him to Transco knowing that it was a fictitious company.

The complainant then sent his brother, Enock Gatawa and ZAR446 900 was deposited into Transco’s ABSA account and a further ZAR300 000 later that day.

After transferring the money, Gatawa contacted Transco and was told to go back to Zimbabwe and wait for delivery of the pumps from DHL in three days.

To his surprise, Gatawa got a parcel that had cell-phone chargers and realised that they had been swindled.

Kadungure used ZAR500 000 to buy gas and another ZAR500 000 was transferred into the account of Edward Teka. Chivayo and Kadungure converted ZAR1 046 890 to their own use. The complainant in the second case is Dexter Nduna, the Member of Parliament for Chegutu West constituency.

Using the same modus operandi, it is alleged by the State that Kadungure and Chivayo opened an ABSA bank account under the name Always on Pumps (Private) Limited.

They then approached Nduna claiming they were looking for mining pumps. Nduna was given an order for 20 T-90 Transco-Flo Helical Rotor pumps before being referred to Always on Pumps, which was purported to be a reputable supplier.

He lost ZAR535 000 in the deal as Chivayo and Kadungure became evasive. Meanwhile, Chivayo was yesterday accused of flouting his bail conditions by not reporting to the police as ordered by the court in a pending fraud case involving $5 million allegedly swindled from ZPC.

Detective sergeant Enock Tapasi told the court Chivayo was ordered by the court to report every Monday and Friday at CID Commercials Crimes Unit but did not do so last Monday. Tapasi said his bail should be revoked as a result.

Chivayo responded that he was turned away by an unidentified female police officer who told him that there was no one at the station because it was Heroes Day.

However, the State argued that Chivayo was not being honest because other people reported to the police that same day. The court’s ruling will be passed on Monday.

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HARARE - Police “cooked up” documents used to drag MDC Alliance principal Tendai Biti from Zambia, where he had sought asylum, a court heard yesterday.

This was revealed by Biti’s lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa who appeared together with Alec Muchadehama and Harrison Nkomo during the continuation of the former Finance minister’s trial.

Biti is challenging the court’s authority to prosecute him.

Mtetwa proved to the court that the investigating officer, Jealous Nyabasa, did not have deportation documentation authorising Biti’s extradition from
Zambia.

She also accused Nyabasa of ignoring a court order showing that the Lusaka High Court was due to hear Biti’s asylum petition on August 8.

According to Mtetwa, a preamble to the warned and cautioned statement compiled by Nyabasa was dated August 8, to purport as though it had been issued before the Zambian order since Biti only signed it on August 9.

“Is it correct that the accused person gave you an order from the Zambian court and you kept it? The date on the statement shows that it was recorded on August 8, but Biti was given that same document the following day and I put it to you that you deliberately backdated (it) to look like it was recorded before the Zambian court order had been issued?

“Did the accused person not write three pages protesting his arrest and referred to that court order asserting his rights to be taken to the Lusaka court? Why then did you not ask to see the deportation certificate?” queried Mtetwa.

Nyabasa said the date was a mistake and told the court that he had not breached any deportation laws because he arrested Biti on Zimbabwean soil.

He said Zimbabwean Immigration officials were the ones who handed Biti over to him and said he was not bound by any Zambian law or court order issued beyond Zimbabwe’s jurisdiction.

He then said he had a handover document which Mtetwa disputed saying it was endorsed as a handover document of “items” not people.

The arguments continue on August 20.

Biti is arguing that Zimbabwean courts do not have authority to prosecute him arguing that he was “abducted” from the Zambian government where he sought asylum under unconstitutional means.

Prosecutor Gerald Uladi said the State had acted legally because there was a warrant of arrest authorising Biti’s detention.

He said Biti was arrested on Zimbabwean soil by local police officers hence disputing any violations of International Law.

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HARARE - The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has called on government to punish rogue soldiers behind the August 1 killing of civilians in the capital.

In a recent report, HRT said the demolition of market stalls in central Harare impacted negatively on the livelihoods of vendors, adding that the burden of ending unemployment lied squarely upon government’s shoulders.

Vending stalls at Copacabana, Market Square and Fourth Street ranks were destroyed by government agents following the demonstrations that rocked Harare on August 1, resulting in the death of seven people.

The protesters were aggrieved by delays by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in releasing presidential results and its alleged bias, against MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa.

Blood was shed after government unleashed gun-wielding soldiers on the protesters.

“The violence left a trail of destruction, and six lives were lost. Vendors’ livelihoods were severely affected. There is negative peace as people expressed fears for their lives, and resentment towards the State was apparent,” reads part of the report.

“Despite the destruction of the vendors’ market stalls, the money changers remain alive and conducting their business in the full glare of the public.”

The residents pressure group said the destruction of the vendors’ market stalls was insensitive, unjustified and increased the vulnerability of the poorest members of society.

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BULAWAYO - Former Makokoba legislator Tshinga Dube will not abandon Makokoba constituency despite his emphatic defeat to MDC Alliance’s James Sithole.

Dube had in 2008 and 2015 tried his luck to wrest the Makokoba seat from the MDC, without success.

He finally broke the jinx in 2015 after he won the seat through a by-election, boycotted by the MDC.

Dube admits that it was painful for him to lose the seat a fortnight ago, but refused to blame anyone for the loss, preferring to say he will maintain his philanthropic work in the constituency.

The cattle rancher has invested a lot in the constituency, making constant donations to the needy as well as hosting numerous health expos.

“I have Makokoba constituency at heart, and despite the election outcome, I have no plans of abandoning the constituency, this is more of my second home,” Dube said.

“People made their decision and it’s something that I can’t change now but remember in the past few years we had started several projects to assist people there
“Those were projects for the benefit of the community, and plans are that we should continue with them.

“I remain available at any given time despite them voting otherwise,” he said.

The former War Veterans minister said he was a seasoned politician who will not join the league of those who harbour grudges.

“MDC has been in charge before and has done nothing for the people, but well, we are not bad losers and we stand ready to assist those in need in the constituency wherever possible,” said the founder of the Tshinga J Dube Foundation.

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