HARARE - Police, in the company of the CID Officer-in-Charge, soldiers, and Law and Order officers, yesterday raided Radio Kwelaz offices on allegations of broadcasting without a licence.

An alert issued by Nyasha Nyakunu, Misa- Zimbabwe senior programmes officer, said the police arrived with a search warrant at 10am and started dismantling all the studio equipment and taking CD productions that Radio Kwelaz has produced.

Radio Kwelaz representative, Irene Kalulu, who was present during the raid, informed Misa-Zimbabwe that the police indicated that their production of CDs was a violation of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Broadcasting Services Act.

Kalulu also informed Misa-Zimbabwe that the police allege that the community radio initiative was broadcasting indirectly.

HARARE - An ex-manager in Energy Mutodi’s property development firm has said the businessman used home seekers’ money to cover up an accident that killed four people from the same family in Gutu.

Mutodi is answering charges of swindling home-seekers of $588 787 in failed housing development schemes.

He is jointly charged with Boniface Chikono, a trustee in the National Housing and Development Trust (NHDT).

Mutodi and Chikono deny the fraud charge. They are represented by Charles Chinyama, Freddy Machokoto and Ray Tsvakwi.

During cross examination Chandafira Pasipamire, who held several managerial positions before being appointed projects manager for NHDT, testified that he witnessed Mutodi taking $10 000 after narrating how he had reportedly caused the death of four people in an accident.

One of Mutodi’s lawyers, Chinyama, had alleged that Pasipamire’s evidence about how Mutodi siphoned beneficiaries’ money was false.

He said the evidence was based on hearsay and asked Pasipamire to give evidence of incidents he had witnessed Mutodi taking cash from the trust fund.

Pasipamire answered: “Sometime in 2011, the second accused was involved in an accident that killed four people from the same family.

“I know of that incident because on the day in question, he came to the office shaking and narrated the ordeal to me.

“He had been driving his Hummer and when he came to the office, he was in the company of police officers from Gutu.”

Pasipamire testified that Mutodi asked the cashier to release $10 000 from the $12 000 that had been receipted that day.

“He asked the cashier how much money he had before asking for $10 000,” he said.

“I asked him what he wanted to do with the money and he said he was going to use it to do ‘certain things’.

“Mutodi left the offices with the officers and $10 000 cash and up to today, I never heard anything pertaining to that accident again.”

The flamboyant musician is said to have lured over 16 000 civil servants to join and contribute to the housing trust.

Deduction orders were given to government to subtract certain amounts of money on a monthly basis from civil servants who had joined the trust.

It is alleged that sometime in 2007, Mutodi changed the account signing arrangement, and made himself the sole signatory.

He allegedly signed for all the transactions.

At least $588 787 was paid in by the complainants and, contrary to his promises, allegedly withdrew all the money and converted it to his own use.

HARARE - Several musicians and journalists are expected to attend a Zimbabwe Music Awards (Zima) stakeholder consultative workshop at the Zimbabwe College of Music tomorrow morning.

Zima marketing and communications executive Farai Chapoterera told the Daily News yesterday the workshop would explore adjudication and categorisation aspects of the revived gongs that were last held seven years ago.

“The meeting will be graced by three guest speakers from the Southern African region with extensive knowledge in running award ceremonies,” she said.

“The guest speakers will be Michelle Fernandes who is the managing director of Cutting Edge, the events manager of the South African Music Awards (Sama), Thandiwe Zulu Vundamina, the producer of the Zambian Music Awards and the Born Bred Music Awards as well as Olga Grigorova who produced the 2008 Caf Awards  and the 33rd Loerie Awards.”

Chapoterera also added that Fernandes had organised several other awards in the Southern African region apart from the prestigious Samas.

“She has also been involved in the Namibian Music Awards, The South African Fashion Week, Royal Soapie Awards and the South Africa Sports Awards,” said the Zima spokesperson.

Zima, which is being is being brought back in partnership with Buy Zimbabwe, was re-launched last month at a colourful ceremony held at Joina City.

Joseph Nyadzayo, the Zima chairperson, told the launch party that the awards would be adjudicated by members of the media.

“Zima refuses to judge the awards because we feel members of the press are better placed because they have their finger on the pulse,” said Nyadzayo then.

“We will use the media to judge. With their faults, we still believe in them.”

The Zima chairperson added that his organisation was determined to perfect the adjudication of the awards so as to boost their credibility.

“This time around we want to get things right.

“We believe adjudication is the most critical issue. We also believe that judges must be known.

“If Doctor Zobha wants to judge our awards then he must remove his mask.”

DAMATURU - At least 21 people have been killed in a bomb blast in northern Nigeria as they were watching a World Cup match, a hospital source has told the BBC.

Witnesses in Damaturu, in Yobe state, say a suicide bomber in a tricycle taxi detonated explosives as people watched Brazil's match against Mexico on TV.

At least 27 people are said to have been seriously injured.

Public screenings of the World Cup in some parts of Nigeria have been banned because of threats by Boko Haram.

Three states, including Yobe, are under a government-imposed state of emergency following years of attacks.

No group has said it was behind the latest blast.

Outdoor public viewing centres for watching football are popular across Nigeria

There have also been warnings of potential attacks at venues showing the World Cup in East Africa - Somali Islamist group al-Shabab killed 76 people watching the 2010 World Cup final at two restaurants in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

Both Boko Haram and al-Shabab say watching football is unIslamic - a view rejected by mainstream Muslims.

The Yobe local police chief has told the BBC that the attack happened outside a shop with a television, where people had gathered to watch the game.

He said it was not a viewing centre where Nigerians often watch football matches, as these have been banned in the state.

Other sources say it was a viewing centre which was attacked.

While the police say 13 people died, the hospital worker told the BBC he had personally counted 21 bodies.

Correspondents say Nigeria's authorities often downplay the number of casualties.

In another development, the authorities say a senior Boko Haram militant was among almost 500 northerners arrested as they travelled to Nigeria's oil hub of Port Harcourt earlier this week.

The authorities did not name the suspect. Relatives of those arrested say they had no links to Boko Haram and had gone to southern Nigeria for economic reasons.

The Damaturu hospital worker said truckloads of injured people were being treated in overcrowded wards after the explosion on Tuesday evening.

"The military and police trucks that brought them in have made four return trips so far ferrying them in," the worker said.

"Every single truck was full of the injured. And all of them are young men or children."

The worker said that the injuries suffered by people caught up in the blast were "horrific".

Damaturu resident Mohammed Kurkure Yobe told the BBC that the venue where the attack took place was very popular and often crowded with people watching big events.

'Daily attacks'
Open-air viewing centres - where people pay to watch live football - are popular throughout Nigeria.

On 1 June at least 14 people were killed in a bomb attack on a bar in Adamawa that was screening a televised football match. No group claimed responsibility for the blast.

In March, many people were also killed in explosions while watching football in a video hall in Borno's Maiduguri town. On both occasions, Boko Haram was blamed for the blasts.

Boko Haram - which means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language - wants to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

The group captured international attention in April after it abducted more than 200 girls in Chibok in Borno state.

The states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have been under a state of emergency since May 2013. Thousands have died in the north-east since Boko Haram launched an insurgency in 2009.

Nigeria's military has promised increased security but there are still daily reports of attacks on villages in parts of the north-east.

HARARE - A 25-page dossier  penned by the “Renewal Team” details a plan to overthrow MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai by destroying his “brand strength” and financial “resource base.”

Power point slides obtained by the Daily News yesterday, show that a group of rebels held a strategic meeting early this year where they came up with plans to boot out Tsvangirai.

Shockingly, the dossier does not once mention how they plan to fight Zanu PF.

The dossier emerges amid an intense media campaign to splash salacious details and allegations of Tsvangirai’s personal indiscretions across newspaper front pages for weeks, a move that has drawn the ire of MDC faithfuls.

Though no stranger to leadership challenge, this is the first revelation of serious inside action against the one-time premier and former trade union leader to impugn his personal standing, rather than his political dealings.

The dossier raises questions about Tsvangirai’s ability to govern the MDC effectively under mounting pressure, and comes at a time when he has been weakened by a fight between him and his ex-ally Tendai Biti, whose breakaway faction is going by the moniker “MDC Renewal Team”.

A spokesperson for Biti’s faction, Jacob Mafume, yesterday denied that the group had authored the document.

“We never authored that, it’s a fabrication,” Mafume told the Daily News.

“We are not strangers to this kind of thing. Remember TB (Tendai Biti) was arrested on a strength of fake documents authored by Zanu PF (in 2008). We see this as a continuation of that malicious agenda.”

However, observers said yesterday that plot did not come as a major surprise, as there was plenty of speculation about backroom dealing, supported by an unprecedented campaign to topple Tsvangirai in the wake of his failure last year to dislodge Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old leader, Robert Mugabe, from power.

The dossier also shows that Tsvangirai was presiding over a rancorous, unstable party and increasingly distracted by internal scheming against him ahead of last year’s poll.

Tsvangirai’s ouster was mooted in the dossier under four scenario narratives. There is the “Bvunurwa/MT Resurgence Scenario”, anchored on a strong brand and strong financial resource base, which was described as “highly undesirable” and “highly unlikely”.

The “Gonye/Slow Death Scenario”, is anchored on strong financial resource base and weak brand which was described as “likely but undesirable”;

Then there is the “Chimimba Mutekwe/Paralysis Scenario”, anchored on a strong brand and weak financial resource base which was described as “likely but undesirable”;

Then there was the preferred “Chaos/Marengenya Scenario”, anchored on Tsvangirai’s weak financial resource base and weak brand which was described as “likely and highly desirable.”

Elton Mangoma, a key member of the Renewal team, is credited as the first renewal leader to come out openly with the move to topple Tsvangirai, alleging that the MDC leader was now a hard-sell candidate who could not win elections because of his sexual indiscretions and alleged indecisiveness.

Insiders claim that this was the genesis of the “Marengenya Scenario,” an allegation strenuously denied by Mafume.

Mangoma penned an open letter to Tsvangirai in January, about the same time the “Renewal Team” dossier was authored, in which he asked Tsvangirai to resign, arguing that he had failed to push through reforms while in a four-year power-sharing government with Mugabe.

Mangoma was subsequently suspended in February, a move he challenged in court — and has continued criticising Tsvangirai in the media and at parallel party meetings.

Tsvangirai has long said there was a smear campaign based on groundless allegations against him which he has described as shameful and disgusting, with a subversive aim.

The dossier in the possession of the Daily News gives credence to the claim that the “Renewal Team” is at the centre of a secret plan to replace Tsvangirai, a move that began months before the leadership challenge.

It is not immediately clear who was running the plan, but slides of a PowerPoint presentation by the “Renewal Team” gave the green light in January to roll out the “Chaos/Marengenya scanario”.

The confidential 25-page document contains stunning proposals for wide-ranging shock therapy for the MDC.

The dossier details an “MT (Morgan Tsvangirai) brand depletion strategy.”

It notes that Tsvangirai had played “the victim card”, and that his “marital issues have been messy”.

“He is scandal-ridden, farm ownership, finances, properties,” the dossier adds, wondering further about the: “Key question, how do we leverage on this?

“At the moment the brand is not sufficiently eroded. How do we sufficiently erode brand MT?,” it says.

Other mooted strategies were:

*Financial squeeze
*Isolation of key political and technical pillars of support.
*Block possible sources of support and involve him in engaging them.
* Limit access and engagement with grassroots.
* Intensify social media campaign.
* Empower structures for advocacy.
* Compile and publicise dossier.
* Truth telling campaign.
* Grand coalition strategy — reaching out to other critical political players.”

The dossier also singles Nelson Chamisa as “the strongest pillar of support for MT” and his spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka, both of whom needed to be targeted.

The dossier proposes using Chamisa “to create a divided opinion and divided social base.”

“NC (Nelson Chamisa) character heavily dented in 2013-primary elections,” the dossier says.

It details a plot by the Renewal Team to “manipulate” key media houses, notably the Daily News, NewsDay, Studio 7 and Nehanda Radio.

The dossier identifies “key people” in the media in their campaign as Daily News Group Editor Stanley Gama,  the paper’s News Editor Gift Phiri, Nehanda Radio managing editor Lance Guma, and a NewsDay staff writer.  These journalists, claim the Renewal Team, were a threat to their agenda claiming they were close to Tsvangirai.

The Renewal Team saw “an opportunity” to use a weekly “friendly” newspaper  to spearhead its campaign given what was described as the paper’s revulsion against Tsvangirai.
The team was mooting “a robust media strategy.”

“He (Tamborinyoka) is not a strategic thinker — no telescopic mind,” the dossier says.

“Enjoys tactics and not strategies. Currently, he is enjoying the space and scope for hand-holding MT. Enjoys a collaborative relationship with MT. Needs to be isolated at all levels (financially, socially and politically).”

The dossier also speaks to the Renewal Team’s attempted alliance with civil society, which it, however noted was “currently in limbo, plagued by funding challenges”.

“This presents us an opportunity to leverage our support,” the dossier says.

“NCA project might fail to take off — divisions between Takura Zhangazha and Madhuku. No clear or viable think-tanks at the moment — IdaZim is dead.

“Need for a non-divisive re-engagement strategy with key civil society actors. We need to identify key pillars of MT support in civil society and engage them.”

The dossier says “the key variables that will determine MT survival are brand strength and resource base.”

The dossier exclusively focuses its energies on Tsvangirai, and not Zanu PF and yet the movement professes to be democratic — and that includes being strangely mute against the ruling party.

HARARE - RnB artiste Audius Mtawarira, Cythia Mare and the Celebration Choir will be the star attractions at the inaugural Gospel Jazz Concert set for the Rainbow Cinema on July 5.

The unique concert, that will also feature award-winning gospel music upstart Blessing “Flem B” Manyangadze and several other upcoming musicians, is being put together by Shownation Entertainment Company.

Mbaki Nleya, the director of the organising company, told the Daily News that the aim of next month’s concert is to promote the integration of jazz elements into contemporary gospel music.

“The concert is a result of my passion for jazz music and being a musician, I have realised over time that our local gospel market has an inclination to music genres that are far-removed from jazz,” said Nleya.

“I am convinced that the forthcoming concert will broaden the appreciation of jazz music among gospel musicians and fans alike.”

Nleya, who is a sound engineer by profession, added that the concert will be an annual event that will incorporate praise and worship seminars in future editions.

“Our plan is to turn future editions of the Gospel Jazz concerts into weekends filled with praise and worship workshops, sound seminars and various activities that will take gospel music to another level,” said Nleya.

The forthcoming concert will be on the Zimbabwean music scene at a time when gospel music inclines to genres like sungura, reggae, rhythm and blues, and rhumba than to jazz.

Popular songbirds Prudence Katomeni Mbofana and Cynthia Mare are among a few Zimbabwean artistes who have infused jazz elements into their songs.

Only time will tell whether gospel jazz in the country has what it takes to reach the heights that have been scaled by artistes like South Africa’s Jonathan Buttler and America’s Kirk Whalum.

HARARE - Distressed State-run postal services company Zimpost says it will not apply for a mobile network license to leverage its services.

Its managing director Douglas Zimbango said the institution would instead collaborate with already existing mobile operators.

This is despite the communications firm — mainly focused on letters delivery — having taken a knock from increased use of internet (e-mail) and mobile phone messaging, with volumes declining by 86 percent from 100 million mails annually to around 14 million.

“We are not going to apply for a licence,” Zimbango said, adding that they are not in competition existing service providers.

He said Zimpost’s money transfer service, ZipCash, is not in competition with other cash transfer platforms offered by mobile network operators, but is the “automated version or replacement of the old money order which has a unique operation”.

“It is the other operators who are competing with us. We are able to keep our costs low because we only pay normal text message charges,” Zimbango said.

ZipCash allows customers to send or receive money locally through the postal network.

Zimbango said the service’s turnover since launch in October 2013 stands at $500 000 from $3 million worth of transactions pushed through the facility.

Under ZipCash, Zimpost clients are charged at the point of transaction, unlike other mobile transfer which charge subscribers twice.

Zimbango said the facility has been mostly used by importers who risk holding cash and is expected to aid Zimbabweans living abroad to send money at low cost.

He said ZipCash International, a platform that allows customers to send and receive cash internationally, is underway and would be a bilateral engagement between various countries.

It is available is Tanzania and the group completing agreements with South Africa, Botswana, Dubai, Nigeria and China.

“We push about $2 to $3 million through the system,” said Zimbango.

ZipCash is one of Zimpost’s business units which are expected to boost the postal company, which is struggling to stay afloat amid lack of government support since 2004.

Zimbango said the company would not be a white elephant since more opportunities are available in providing agency services.

HARARE - Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe (Barclays) says government must implement policy reforms to revive the country’s moribund economy.

Its managing director, George Guvamatanga, said Zimbabwe’s economy “requires significant decisive interventions to enhance investor confidence, promote local production and contain the imports bill”.

“The economic landscape demands a responsive and scalable business approach,” he told an Imara Edwards (Imara) investor conference recently, adding that there should be clarity on key policies that local and foreign investors consider critical.

This comes as Zimbabwe’s economy, which rebounded between 2010 and 2012 after a decade-long depression, is slowly sliding into recession due to poor economic policies among other challenges.

Economic analysts say despite the country holding vast mineral deposits, unattractive policies continue to deter investors — resulting in the contraction of the economy.

Last week, the World Bank predicted that Zimbabwe’s economy would expand by a mere two percent this year, against government’s 6,4 percent forecast.

Despite President Robert Mugabe ruling out a one-size-fits-all indigenisation approach, saying only companies utilising the country’s natural resources will be required to immediately turn over majority stakes to indigenous Zimbabweans, investors remain sceptical.

Thedias Kasaira, Imara’s managing director, said “most investors want to see it (amendments to the indigenisation law) in black and white rather than just talks”.

“Our position is that as long as there is no clarity on the law people will continue to doubt,” he said, adding “but we believe there is nothing really wrong with it as long as it is applied to all in the same way.”

Economic experts have, however, called on the government to follow up on its softened tone with legislation that would provide assurance to foreign investors.

Eric Bloch, a senior partner at H&E Bloch Consultancy, said a government with enough willpower could change the indigenisation law.

“The trouble is that our government knows how to work at three speeds and that is slow, very slow and stop,” said Bloch.

“They can change the indigenisation law fairly rapidly, as some of the sections do not need Parliament’s approval.

“Because of the urgent economic issues that the government is faced with, it can prioritise this and push through for changes,” he said.

HARARE - Former Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri, is one of the candidates set to challenge MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai at their extra-ordinary congress expected this year and we applaud him for taking the democratic initiative to openly challenge his boss.

True democrats remain civil even in the heat of political rivalry and the fact that Mudzuri has decided to go for Tsvangirai’s post in an open election means that at least the MDC leader will be challenged in an open contest not through clandestine means as being witnessed in the party today.

Speaking to the Daily News recently, Mudzuri described himself as “a politician who is not driven by greed” but the desire to serve the people.

“I have not been attending these rallies because I feel now is the time to be going underground and work for the benefit of the people.

“I do not want to talk about that (succession) now because people have gone factional and I don’t understand why they have chosen to abandon the national objective.

“For now, Tsvangirai is the leader of the party and we must all respect that leadership. Anyone who thinks otherwise is lost but there are some people who are greedy who want power for the sake of it.

“I have been trying to bring people together. I am worried, I am pained, probably the most, and I wish we could just go to congress united and not pursue our selfish interests”.

The spirit shown by Mudzuri is what is needed in any democratic society where winners and losers of any political contestation embrace each other and work together for the betterment of the lives of millions of people who look up to them.

Mudzuri’s decision to contest Tsvangirai openly exposes the so-called MDC Renewal Team, headed by Tendai Biti as a group of power hungry individuals who can’t stand the heat of the congress.

This is why they decided to go rogue.

Biti’s group should have just been patient and waited for the congress and challenge even Tsvangirai in an open contest just like Mudzuri has done.

Zimbabweans have watched in horror as the opposition tears itself apart at a time the Zanu PF succession battle has reached alarming levels.

This is the time when the MDC needs to be really united, not the fractious way they plunged into elections last year.

Zanu PF has factions, yes but they fight in a civil manner not the uncouth way power hungry individuals in the MDC are doing it.

HARARE - Comedian Samm “Comrade Fatso” Monro is excited by the ongoing collaboration between Zimbabwean comedy show, Zambezi News and South Africa’s Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola.

The Zambezi News Crew, made up of Michael Kudakwashe, Comrade Fatso and Tongai Leslie Makawa who is better known by the stage name Outspoken, recently featured as official Zimbabwean correspondents on the satirical comedy hosted by top South African comedian Loyiso Gola on the DStv channel, eNCA.

“We are really inspired and excited by the collaboration between Zambezi News and Late Nite News,” said Comrade Fatso who is the Zambezi News executive producer.

“The collaboration will see Zimbabwe comedy being taken to a new level as we take our humour to DStv audiences not just in South Africa but across the continent.”

The hilarious Comrade Fatso hailed Zambezi News’ participation in Season 10 of Late Nite News alongside leading South African comedians like Kagiso Lediga, John Vlismas and Tumi Morake.

Comrade Fatso and his fellow comedians are currently shooting the third season of Zambezi News a fortnight after a southern African tour that saw them perform at the Awednesday Comedy Jam in Johannesburg and the Bushfire Festival in Swaziland.

The comical Zambezi News, created by Comrade Fatso and Outspoken and sponsored by Magamba Network, features rib-tickling news presenters who delve into everyday issues ranging from politics to sport.Zim comedians relish SA exploits.

HARARE - Zimbabwe's preparations for the forthcoming tour here by Australia and South Africa have been dealt a blow following cancellation of the A side’s trip to Bangladesh, leaving ZC frantically searching for Plan B. 

Zimbabwe A were scheduled to travel to the subcontinent on June 28 for two four-day games and three one-dayers before the national side welcome powerhouses Australia and South Africa for a highly-anticipated series.

The Zimbabweans will clash with South Africa in a one-off Test match from August 9 before engaging the Proteas in three ODIs.

Australia, who will be traveling to the Southern African nation for the first in a decade, will then join the hosts and South Africa for a one-day triangular series beginning on August 25.

“The (Zimbabwe A) tour has been postponed by Bangladesh, they say they are currently experiencing heavy rains since it’s their monsoon season,” convenor of selectors Givemore Makoni told the Daily News yesterday.

“This has put us on a backfoot in terms of our preparations because we had earmarked the tour to assess some of the fringe and upcoming players who could raise their hands up for selection into the national side ahead of the tri-series.

“But on a positive note, there’s another tour that’s being worked out, if we can have that country coming here in July then we can make up for the Bangladesh loss.”

The national side, meanwhile, resumed camp for the August games on Monday while the Zim A practice also continued uninterrupted despite the postponement of their Asia tour.

“Currently both squads are in camp and in the absence of an international tour, they will play amongst themselves in the build-up to the August series,” Makoni added.

“On average, we have 30 players training at Harare Sports Club, the two camps combined, but of course going about their business separately.”

HARARE - Prop Nick Winwood has been ruled out of Zimbabwe’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Madagascar after failing to commit to the Sables’ 10-day training camp in Harare while eighthman Takunda Chifokoyo has withdrawn from the squad.

Winwood – who plays for Blackheath RFC in England – has however been put on standby, with Old Hararians loose forward Chifokoyo pulling out of the squad for personal reasons. 

Zimbabwe are in camp preparing for month-end’s Africa Cup contest in Madagascar against the hosts, Namibia and Kenya.

The winner of the tournament automatically qualifies for next year’s Rugby World Cup in England.

Although they were boosted last night by the arrival of the Golden Lions pair of fly-half Guy Cronje and flank Lambert Groenewald, the Sables have been hit by injuries while other players have not been selected for various reasons.

“We have decided because of his (Winwood) time commitments to move him to the reserves. He could not commit fully to the 10-day training programme,” ZRU director of rugby Liam Middleton told the Daily News yesterday.

“We feel we have a good field of props. We have decided he would go on our reserves list and maybe join the side if the need arises.”

The other props in the training squad are Denford Mutamangira, Piet Joubert, Jakov Jakov, Fidel Nyabusha, Kevin Nqindi, Simba Mandioma and Lawrence Clemenson.

On Chifokoyo, Middleton said: “Chifokoyo has withdrawn himself from the side for personal reasons. When we informed him of his selection he immediately wrote to us to excuse himself from national duty.”

Middleton, however, was not pressing the panic button.

“We are in a good place now,” Middleton added.

“Obviously, we are training quite hard and couples of guys are getting treatment here and there, but nothing major. We have been working on fitness levels.”

The Sables will step up preparations tomorrow with a Possibles versus a Probables match at Harare Sports Club, starting 6pm.

The match will be open to the public and will help the technical team trim down the squad to the 26-man touring party.

Meanwhile, Scotland-based flank Andrew Rose is still battling against time to be fit for the qualifiers.

Rose, who captains Boroughmuir Rugby Club, has been battling through a calf injury since helping the Edinburgh club gain promotion into the Scottish Premiership last season.

“His physiotherapy is ongoing. He is still in the side. We have some time before we make decisions, which should be next Wednesday,” said Middleton.

HARARE - Musicians, who will perform for free at the Soap and Shirt Donation Winter Festival (SSDWF) to be held at Belgravia Sports Club on Saturday, regard the concert as an ideal opportunity for them to give back to society.

The unique charity festival, to raise essential goods for victims of the Tokwe-Mukorsi and Tsholotsho floods, will feature Suluman Chimbetu, Jah Prayzah, Peter Moyo, Fungisai Zvakavapano Mashavave, gospel music stars Charles and Olivia Charamba as well as dancehall artistes Dadza D and Sniper Storm.

Music fans will only be allowed to enter the concert venue after donating items like soap, sanitary pads, T-shirts or anything that can be used by those in need hence soap and shirt concert.

Zora star Leonard Zhakata told the Daily News yesterday that he was delighted to perform for free in the gig being organised by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) in conjunction with the Women’s Trust (TWT) and Batanai HIV and Aids Organisation (Bhaso).

“I always feel very good whenever I perform for free in charity concerts because we believe as a band that God will reward us abundantly in the end,” said Zhakata.

“I am very committed to important charity concerts like the one set for Saturday. I am prepared to perform for free and use my own money to pay my band members their weekly allowances.”

The Mugove singer added that Zimbabweans in general should come in their thousands with various goods that will be of use to suffering flood victims.

“Zimbabweans should team up with us musicians so that we can help our relatives who fell victim to the floods.”

National Arts Award (Nama) winner Jah Prayzah said artistes have a duty to participate in charity initiatives.

“It is a great honour for us to participate in charity concerts because as artistes we have a moral responsibility to help people in need who in the majority of cases are also our fans.

My band has no problem performing for free because they understand the value of giving back to the community.”

For Suluman’s Orchestra Dendera Kings, teaming up with other artistes for the purposes of helping less fortunate members of society is a source of pride and satisfaction.

“We are going to play our part through performing for free and we encourage fans to really support the initiative by donating essential items on Saturday,” said, the Orchestra Dendera Kings publicist Joe Nyamungoma.

ZimRights director Okay Machisa has encouraged Zimbabweans to respond positively to the initiative.

“Entrance to the event will require the public to bring used or new soap and new or used clothes. Men who bring sanitary pads will get a free drink in the venue,” said Machisa.

“We believe the SSDWF will allow every Zimbabwean from all walks of life to take responsibility and make a positive difference to flood victims in Masvingo, Matabeleland North and Mashonaland Central provinces who were heavily struck by merciless floods."

HARARE - CAPS United coach Taurai Mangwiro has called for more consistency from his team ahead of the Green Machine’s Castle Premiership tie against bottom-of-the-table Chiredzi in the Lowveld on Sunday.

Makepekepe’s away from has been far from impressive this season, recording just one win on the road, albeit in the capital against Harare City.

But Mangwiro believes last weekend’s 3-0 win over Shabanie at the National Sports Stadium could spark off a good run of form for his team, whose last championship success was the back-to-back titles under Charles Mhlauri’s stewardship in 2004 and 2005.

“Sunday’s was a welcome result for us,” Mangwiro told the Daily News yesterday.

“We must take that into our next game. We need to come up with a strategy so that we can start winning our away games. We need to start collecting maximum points in away matches so that we will remain in the title race equation.

“We respect Chiredzi although they are not playing well. We cannot underrate them. We are going to approach this game like any other and play our normal game.”

United are sixth on the standings with 22 points, five points behind leaders Hwange.

Chiredzi are on bottom with six points from 11 games.

LONDON - Ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor has asked to serve the rest of his war crimes sentence in Rwanda, claiming that being detained in the UK denies him the right to a family life.

Taylor's wife and children have been unable to visit him in County Durham, lawyer John Jones QC said.

He was convicted of aiding rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone.

The UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone trial was held at The Hague on the agreement he was jailed elsewhere.

The overseas venue for the court case was chosen in case the trial sparked renewed unrest in West Africa.

An act of parliament was passed to allow for Taylor to serve his sentence in the UK, at the cost of the British government, following his conviction.

Taylor was sentenced in 2012 and arrived in the UK last October, having unsuccessfully challenged the decision to be detained there.

Human rights

Legal papers have now been lodged with the court claiming that serving his sentence in the UK breaches his human rights.

The former leader, 66, says it would be more "humane" for him, and his wife and 15 children, if he was to return to Africa to complete his sentence.

His lawyer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In the eight months that he has been in the UK he has not received a single visit from his wife and children.

"He has minor children. When he was in The Hague on trial, he had regular visits, they came, they saw him, they went back."

Many victims of Sierra Leone's civil war had limbs hacked off by rebels

Mr Jones added: "What we are saying is the UK has a duty to ensure family life, not just for him but for his family. It's a clear duty under international law and English domestic law."

The UK would save money if Taylor was transferred, he claimed.

"He is not suing the British Government, he is not seeking damages from the UK and, on the contrary, for the UK taxpayer it would be much, much cheaper if he were to serve his sentence in Rwanda with all the other prisoners from the special court," said Mr Jones.

Mr Jones said visas had not been granted to members of his family as immigration officials were "not satisfied that they are going to return to Liberia after their visit to see him, which is ridiculous".

Taylor timeline
-1989: Launches rebellion in Liberia
-1991: Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebellion starts in Sierra Leone
-1997: Elected president after a 1995 peace deal
-1999: Rebels take up arms against Taylor
-June 2003: Arrest warrant issued; two months later he steps down and goes into exile in Nigeria
-March 2006: Arrested after a failed escape bid and sent to Sierra Leone
-June 2007: His trial opens - hosted in The Hague for security reasons
-April 2012: Convicted of aiding and abetting the commission of war crimes - later sentenced to 50 years in jail
-Oct 2013: Arrives in the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence

Charles Taylor: Preacher, warlord, president

He said Taylor was the only person convicted by the special court for SCSL to be transferred from their home continent and that he had the impression "there is a deliberate will to isolate him" - not just in the UK, but in the North of England.

Taylor has been kept in the hospital wing at HMP Frankland since his arrival as he is considered vulnerable, according to the document submitted to the court by his legal team.

'Freezing cold'

An anonymous letter sent to Taylor, possibly from within the prison, threatening him with bodily harm and death demonstrates the "seriousness of the danger", the document adds.

Speaking to the BBC news website, Mr Jones stressed that Rwanda was a more humane place for Taylor to be, as "everything is different here" - from the "freezing cold" weather to British food.

Taylor was convicted on 11 charges including terrorism, rape, murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war, in which some 50,000 people died.

The former Liberian leader was found to have supplied weapons to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in exchange for so-called blood diamonds.

The rebels were notorious for hacking off the limbs of civilians to terrorise the population.

Taylor has always insisted he is innocent and that his only contact with the rebels was to urge them to stop fighting.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Charles Taylor is being treated in accordance with the United Kingdom's obligations and in the same way as any other prisoner in England and Wales."

The Foreign Office said it did not comment on individual prisoners or individual visa applications.

VERACRUZ - The authorities in Mexico have found more than 30 bodies in a mass grave in the eastern state of Veracruz.

There is no word on the cause of deaths and officials have warned that the number of corpses could rise.

The region has seen fierce fighting between rival drug gangs.

Thousands of Central American migrants pass through the state each year, heading to the US. Drug-related violence in Mexico has left more than 85,000 people dead since 2007.

A military official said the grave contained the bodies of 24 men and seven women. Earlier, prosecutors had put the figure at 28 bodies.

The grave was found after an anonymous call at a farm near the border with Oaxaca state.

Marines are guarding the area as investigators try to recover more bodies, and start the process of identifying those already unearthed.

In recent years, Mexican authorities have discovered several mass graves with hundreds of corpses of victims of the drug gangs who fight for control of territories useful to their trade.

The Gulf Cartel and the Zetas gang have been battling over the state of Veracruz.

Some mass graves have also been filled with the bodies of migrants killed after refusing to join the gangs.

HARARE - Paternity test results have confirmed that Alick Macheso is the father of ex-wife Tafadzwa Fortunate Mapako’s kids.

BULAWAYO - A man who allegedly broke into 10 houses and stole laptops has accused police of brutalising him to extract a confession for crimes he says he did not commit.

Michael Steven Nyoni, 26, pleaded not guilty to theft charges when he appeared before magistrate Crispen Mberewere, who remanded him in custody to July 13 for trial.

Nyoni maintained that police detectives from Hillside Police Station brutalised him by whipping him under his feet and all over the body to get a confession.

He told the court the detectives stripped him naked and handcuffed him before assaulting him severely.

The State alleges that on December 6, Nyoni broke into Kerepetse Ndlovu’s house in Nketa 9 suburb where he jumped over the fence and broke the toilet window before unhinging burglar bars to gain entry. It alleges he stole a laptop and a cell phone.

Two days later, he allegedly burgled Farai Matinde’s home in Famona after scaling over the wall  and allegedly stole a laptop  from the complainant’s bedroom.

On December 29, Nyoni stormed Clive Gwekwerere’s house in Nketa 7 by jumping over the wall and forced his way into the complainant’s bedroom. He allegedly removed one of the window panes to steal a laptop.

A week later, he allegedly raided Belinda Moyo’s house in Nketa 7 and stole a laptop before he proceeded to Southwold suburb where he allegedly ransacked Lynette Sibanda’s home and got away with a 32inch plasma TV, DVD player, DStv decoder, four remote controls, a cell phone and chargers. 

On the same day, he allegedly broke into Brassington Nhira’s home while the owner was in the toilet and got away with an iPad.

It is alleged that Nyoni stole a laptop and a mobile phone from Philborn Mangwana of Montrose before pouncing on Tilton Mandikiyani house to steal yet another laptop and three cell phones.

He met his waterloo when he was arrested by the detectives after a tip off after allegedly stealing a two plate stove from Jefferson Dube of Nketa 7.

MARONDERA - Marondera municipal workers have attached council property worth $200 000 over unpaid salaries dating back to 2010.

This comes after the municipality failed to honour its pledge to pay 149 workers their outstanding salaries following a Labour Court ruling directing the local authority to pay them by April.

Mugove Mazani of Tadiwa and Associates, who is representing the workers in the salary dispute, told the Daily News his clients had realised their employer was not sincere and decided to approach the High Court which granted them the order to attach the property.

Mazani said while Marondera municipality owed the employees $198 000, the local authority also owed its workers over $1 million in other salary arrears, a case which is still before the courts.

He said his clients had lost patience after the municipality continued to procrastinate payment.

“We are attaching their property today and we will sell anything that is council’s, including vehicles, to settle the 2010 arrears while we wait for the courts to determine on the other case,” said Mazani.

Josiah Musuwo, the Marondera town clerk, said council management was trying to engage the workers to find an amicable solution.

“I am currently in a meeting discussing the issues you are raising, I will come back to you as soon as I am done,” said Musuwo.

In March, the local authority slashed workers’ salaries to sustain its activities, affecting workers in grade six categories and above.

The lowly paid in grade five and below were exempted from the interim salary cuts.

The city fathers, however, assured the workers that the move to slash salaries was not permanent as they would be reinstated when the council’s fortunes improved, according to a council official who requested anonymity.

The official said the local authority had run bankrupt as it was collecting less than $150 000 per month in bills and rates from residents against its monthly salary bill of over $260 000 every month.

“There is really no money to pay the workers and I do not see the situation improving any time soon because residents are not paying their bills,” said the official.

Almost all local authorities throughout the country are struggling to provide services to residents as well as failing to pay salaries on time as the liquidity crisis deepens.

Observers say the situation was exacerbated by minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Ignatius Chombo’s directive to freeze debts owed by ratepayers last year.

Following the directive, most ratepayers became reluctant to meet their obligations to councils, hoping a similar reprieve would be announced in the future.

HARARE - Zimbabwe's economy is collapsing as a direct result of a leadership crisis, and the economic blueprint touted as a panacea to economic problems  was a pie in the sky, analysts have said.

They point out the need for an immediate renewal of the country’s leadership as part of solutions to revive and stimulate confidence in the ailing economy.

This comes amid a deep-rooted economic meltdown, characterised by unbridled corruption, unfulfilled election promises, spiralling unemployment and deflation.

Academic and political analyst Ibbo Mandaza told a Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition meeting on Tuesday that there was a crisis of leadership.

“We need a new leadership in this country and if those of us who are older have failed, you need to tell us we have failed," Mandaza said.

“In doing so, tell us what needs to be done among yourselves. Why do you keep looking and keep singing the same thing?

What are you doing about rectifying the leadership problems in the country.

“Yesterday you were ‘kwati kwati’ with political parties who have collapsed in front of you. What are you doing about transcending the leadership crisis? This is the challenge.”

He said the much-touted economic blueprint, Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset) was largely a political statement.

“We have over the last 30 years used policy statements to try and cover up our problems and indeed, this is the nature of the crisis of the state that we are in,” Mandaza said.

The meeting’s theme was anchored on 'Transcending politics: The state of the economy and international re-engagement. European Union (EU) head of delegation to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell’Ariccia said the country did not face a leadership crisis.

“We don’t have a leadership crisis in this country because with the centrifugal forces that you have within the party in government, if you had a leadership crisis it would have been chaos,” he said.

“We still have a leadership and we still have a leader that manages to keep at bay and under control these forces that are very much contradictory.”

Dell’Ariccia said he got the impression that stakeholders were keen on bashing ZimAsset yet it was still work in progress.

“You are ridiculing ZimAsset as a people’s development policy or poverty reduction strategy. ZimAsset is just a blueprint, its work in progress. I think that the government, particularly the Finance minister knows very well that the work is not complete.

“They (government) are calling on the AfDB in particular, to provide technical assistance that would permit to go from the blueprint to the development and strategic document.”

He said civil society had a role to play and that they should stop living in the past.

“I have an impression that you are living anchored to the past where instead of seeing NGOs one perceives charity organisations. If you start catching the flare of the time or trend there is an opening,” he said.

Godfrey Kanyenze of Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe (Ledriz) told the same forum that experience suggests that government had been long on planning and short on implementation.

“Government has made regular changes to economic programmes showing policy incoherence and inconsistency, and even reversals,” he said.

Kanyenze noted that with the adoption of ZimAsset after the July 2013 harmonised elections, the Medium Term Plan (MTP) had effectively been unilaterally abandoned in midstream.

“The rationale is that after the landslide victory by the Zanu PF party in last year’s elections, the party was given the mandate to govern the country for a five year term, hence this is a party and not a national consultative position,” he said.

Kanyenze said in the absence of policy reforms, fiscal revenue growth will stagnate, while expenditure will be heavily tilted towards employment costs.

This comes as the southern African nation is struggling to secure $27 billion to fund ambitious projects outlined in the five-year economic blueprint.

The blueprint, which borrows from the ruling Zanu PF’s election manifesto and previous national development programmes, identifies four major clusters, namely food security and nutrition, social services and poverty reduction, infrastructure and utilities and value addition and beneficiation.

It comes on the back of a cocktail of economic policies that have dismally failed to breathe life into the country’s economy.

These range from the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (Esap) to Zimbabwe Programme for Economic and Social Transformation (Zimprest) to the abandoned Medium Term Plan that was supposed to run until next year, among others.

Under ZimAsset, Zimbabwe targets to create 2,2 million jobs, unlock $1,8 trillion in idle mineral reserves and grow the economy by an average seven percent annually.

With the local economy only generating approximately $3,6 billion in annual revenue, ZimAsset was anchored on the mobilisation of $27 billion mostly from the emerging markets, mainly Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa.

However, Brazil has said it will not financially support Zimbabwe’s ZimAsset project as the southern African nation is “too rich to beg for financial assistance.”

“As a rule, Brazil does not give any support to sovereign nations and we don’t give out hand-outs either,” its envoy to Zimbabwe, Marcia Maro da Silva said.

“Usually, we find synergies and business opportunities where we can work with people on various projects. Zimbabwe is a rich country and does not need donations but investments. ZimAsset offers opportunities for Brazil to come and invest in infrastructure and other sectors but there is need for clarity on the country’s economic policies.”