EDITOR — I was saddened by the recent clumsiness depicted by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) when they showed a photoshopped picture of Mbuya Nehanda and the once infamous “tezvara” aka uncle Barnabas.

Surely, someone is employed to look into what is aired on the news, especially prime time news.

How can the producer, video editor miss something like that. Isn’t this a vindication of Sekuru Kaguvi?

ZBC is surely incompetent.

They embarrassed themselves as well as the nation considering that the channel is shown on free to air channels on DStv.

It’s high time this station is privatised so that competent and more professional players can take over and bring the station to at least half the international standards.

Lovejoy Mutongwiza,

Mabelreign,

Harare

HARARE - Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (Timb) says the current cash shortages being experienced by farmers will be addressed as the season progresses.

This comes as tobacco farmers were this year ordered to open bank accounts where their proceeds would be deposited.

However, the process has not been smooth sailing as farmers — who are used to getting cash on the spot — are failing to access their money from banks.

There was chaos last week at the tobacco auction floors, during the first two days of the 2016 marketing season, when some tobacco companies failed to deposit farmers’ payments into banks.

However, Timb spokesperson Isheunesu Moyo said these are some of teething problems the market experienced when the new system was rolled out.

“Expectation is that farmers who are compliant should be paid same day. Having a bank account empowers the farmers as they will have a track record and can build trust and confidence with the bankers,” he said, adding that farmers need to be educated to take farming as a business.

“We will continue to educate farmers on the benefits of using bank accounts.  In the future, farmers can access bank loans,” Moyo said.

This year’s tobacco marketing season started brilliantly with a kilogramme of the golden leaf being auctioned at $4,50, which was higher than last year’s selling season which opened at $2,50 per kg.

In an interview with the Daily News yesterday, Sinikiwe Kamupeni, a farmer from Guruve expressed disappointment over the delays in getting her payment after delivering her crop tobacco on Thursday.

“The process is very slow and up today (Monday) there is nothing in my account. It is now more expensive for me because I have to go into town to check for my money and I am now destitute,” she said.

Kamupeni, 43, added that the old system was much better and government was supposed to have consulted farmers way back.

“If the new system was going to take this long, I think they were supposed to tell us before we came here for us to be prepared. Now we feel like the government and Timb have crooked us because there is no money in the country yet we are starving here,” she said.

The new system was introduced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Timb that farmers can now only receive payments for tobacco sold at auction floors through banks.

Farmers who sold tobacco at auction floors were told to open bank accounts so that they could get money instantly and this led many farmers to open accounts with banks which are not found in their areas.

Another farmer from Hurungwe, Paridzai Ndira, said this new system was bad as it leaves farmers with more questions than answers.

“A lot of farmers are not that educated and to understand advantages of this system might be difficult for us. Most of us prefer the old system which was convenient.

“Why do Zimbabweans have to struggle for everything, it was difficult the whole season and I am now stressed because there is no money. This is not fair,” he said.

Ndira added that the government must do something quickly because living conditions at tobacco floors are not up to standard.

“We are few here but they are failing to pay us. There is no food given to us and we do not have clothes to change,” he said.

The Timb has projected a decline in crop size due to the effects of the El Niño-induced weather conditions.

HARARE - Zimbabwe's insurance companies are facing an uncertain future after the Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec) has hiked minimum capital requirements by 66 percent to $2,5 million.

The insurance watchdog yesterday said although all non-life insurance companies had complied with the $1,5 million minimum threshold at the end of the fourth quarter of 2015, plans were underway to increase the fees.

“...going forward the commission will be assessing compliance with minimum capital requirements subject to consideration of permissible assets as shall be defined in a Statutory Instrument that the Commission will gazette in due course,” Ipec said in its fourth quarter report.

Market experts, however, say the new regulations are likely to result in the closure of more insurance firms due to the current liquidity crisis in the country. 

This comes as Zimbabwe’s economy is struggling to find traction since the 2013 elections that ushered President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF party into power resulting in the closure of many companies.

Meanwhile, Ipec said all non-life insurers had reported solvency margins above the prescribed minimum of 25 percent as at December 31, 2015.

“The industry average solvency margin for direct non-life insurers improved from 65,2 percent as at September 30, 2015 to 70,3 percent as at December 31, 2015,” the watchdog said.

During the period under review, non-life companies recorded a 3,21 percent  growth in gross premium written (gpw) from $208 million at the close of 2014 to $214,7 million during the period under review.

“Gross premium written amounting to $92,7 million was generated through insurance brokers. On the other hand, the business written by reinsurers increased from $100,3 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 to $103,8 million for the year under review,” Ipec said.

Reinsurance brokers generated business worth $70,1 million on behalf of reinsurers, as motor and fire insurance remained the dominant classes of insurance in the non-life insurance sector. The report — which details the performance of the non-life insurance sector during the period under review — also showed that the number of registered players, including insurance agents and loss assessors, increased from 597 as at September 30, 2015 to close the year at 609.

“Non-life insurers reported total gross premium written (GPW) amounting to $214,7 million for the year ended  December 31, 2015 compared to audited GPW of $208 million reported for the year ended December 31, 2014,” the watchdog said.

Total asset base for the insurance industry marginally increased from $343,6 million as at September 30, 2015 to $371,1 million as at December 31, 2015.

“The industry average prescribed assets ratio for non-life insurers was 7,25 percent as at December 31, 2015 which was above the minimum requirement of five percent.

“However, only five insurers out of the 21 operating insurers were compliant with the minimum prescribed asset ratio,” Ipec said.

Non-life reinsurers, on the other hand, made strides towards investing in prescribed assets with the industry average prescribed assets ratio of 8,9 percent for the period under review, up from 6,51 percent prior period. Five out of the eight registered reinsurers were compliant with the minimum prescribed assets ratio as at December 31, 2015.

Profit after tax for direct insurance companies decreased from $10,25 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 to $4,6 million for the year under review attributed to an upsurge in net incurred claims.

On the other hand, reinsurers reported total profit after tax of $3,9 million for the period under review compared to $402 573 reported for the year ended December 31, 2014.

“The increase in profit after tax for reinsurers was on the back of increased business volume coupled with a decrease in net incurred claims,” Ipec said.

HARARE - Veteran sungura artiste Nicholas Zakaria, who first ventured into music in 1975, has promised to release his first “political album” in July this year.

The Mabvi Nemagokora hit-maker said the worsening economic situation has prompted him to come up with songs that he hopes will make politicians mend their ways.

“Over the years, I have stayed clear of politics but the deteriorating economic situation has forced me to reconsider my position. I have a duty to say what I feel to our leaders through my music.

“I believe now is the time for me to play a part in making our leaders make decisions that improve our lives,” Zakaria told the Daily News.

The sungura star, however, emphasised that his message is meant for all leaders in the world because of  the economic problems affecting countries.

“I wish I could sing in all languages spoken on this earth so that my message can be heard. The deteriorating economic and political situation is not only affecting Zimbabwe but other countries as well.

“My main message is to urge our leaders to lead by example. They should stick to what they promise. We can have a situation where they say one thing and do exactly the opposite,” said the Khiama Boys leader.

Zakaria is confident that the forthcoming album — which will be his 27th studio album — will reflect the experience he has garnered in his long sungura career.

“My forthcoming album is going to demonstrate that I am indeed a veteran artiste. I have invested a lot in it. I pushed the project to July because Alick Macheso has just released an album,” he said.

Interestingly, Zakaria’s remarks come a fortninght after fellow sungura star Hosea Chipanga once again publicly underscored his willingness to meet President Robert Mugabe on the worsening economic situation in the country.

Zakaria has mentored a number of sungura artistes such as his young brother Zakaria Zakaria who recently formed the Chilli band as well as sungura kingpin Macheso.

HARARE - Sungura ace Alick Macheso will make a rare performance in the Harare city centre tonight.

The sungura star, who launched his latest album Tsoka Dzerwendo (Ayayaa) at Harare International Conference Centre on March 24, is expected to draw a big crowd at the Private Lounge where he is celebrating the success of the red-hot latest release.

Orchestra Mberikwazvo band manager Lucky Macheso said the party is meant to express the group’s gratitude to Harare fans for their “overwhelming support”.

“The main purpose of the event is to create a platform where Macheso will interact with his fans in Harare as a way thanking them for the big way in which they rallied behind him when he launched Tsoka Dzerwendo (Ayayaa).

“Despite the rampant music piracy in the country, this year is different to us in a significant way as we are realising some profit from selling CDs because our fans are refusing to buy fake ones on the market. As a result, our fans deserve to the thanked,” said the Orchestra Mberikwazvo band manager.

Since he launched Tsoka Dzerwendo (Ayayaa), Macheso has been drawing huge crowds to his concerts.

Lucky said the sungura star decided to perform in the city on a Thursday as a crowd-control measure.

HARARE - The Miss Carnival title reportedly fell vacant in December last year after the incumbent Chengetai Kanonhuwa (20) left the country after enrolling with a university in  South Africa.

A well-placed source, who declined to be named, said Kanonhuwa’s reign was supposed to continue until the crowning of a new queen but her sudden relocation to South Africa left the organisers  —  the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) — in a limbo.

ZTA head of corporate affairs Sugar Chagonda could not immediately confirm the development yesterday.

“I was on leave so I need my team to brief me on the goings-on. I will get back to you,” he said.

Kanonhuwa was made the face of Zimbabwe’s tourism body in line with an agreement between the Miss Zimbabwe Trust and ZTA that specifies that first princess at Miss Zimbabwe will automatically become Miss Carnival

Miss Zimbabwe Trust’s programmes and communications manager Tendai Chirau said the national pageant was happy with the partnership with ZTA.

“There was a proposition from ZTA last year to have our first princess be crowned as the Carnival Queen even though there was no formal request. I am not sure how they are handling things there but it is something that we worked with them on last year.

“One of our princesses’ mandates is to promote destination Zimbabwe. So we will see again this year how we will go about it but there was no formal agreement with ZTA,” he said.

Last year, Kanonhuwa represented Zimbabwe at the Miss Tourism International held in Malaysia on New Year’s Eve.

At the event that was created by the president and franchise owner Tan Sri Datuk Danny to promote tourism, the 20-year-old beauty battled it out with 70 other beauties from around the world.

HARARE - Delta Beverages insists they remain committed to helping local golf improve shown by their continued support of the Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open championship.

The tournament tees off next Thursday at the Royal Harare Golf Club with a field of at lead 141 golfers fighting for honours.

Delta Beverages’ Golden Pilsener brand manager Paida Tabengwa said: “Ever since we embarked on the journey to bring this vision to fruition in 2012, we have successfully hosted four tournaments so far.

“We started off with a prize purse of R1.5 million, which we subsequently increased to R1.6 million the following year. In 2014, the prize money was increased again to R1.8 million and has remained the same for the past two years.

“What makes Golden Pilsener a different, world-class Pilsener is its unique ingredient the Saaz hop, and a brewing process that has been perfected for decades.

“Golden Pilsener Legends, as we believe all Golden Pilsener consumers to be, demand a beer that is as discerning and as legendary as they are.

“We continue to respond to these demands, consistently crafting a beer that is as unique, as it is world-class.

“In keeping abreast with the changing times, we aim to reward our consumers with a beer that is a true reflection of who they are legends.”

Tournament director Mike Mahachi is pleased with the field taking part in the tournament this year.

“The profile of the tournament keeps growing in stature, as we manage to lure more and more high profile international players.

“This has also highly benefited our local players improve their play on the greens,” he said.

This year, defending champion Dean Burmester will be back again to try and make it two wins in a row.

Two time champion Jbe’ Kruger, has lots of championship victories on the Asian and European Tours, will also be among the field.

Zimbabwean Marc Cayeax will be making his long awaited come back after an invitation from the Open Committee.

Keith Horne a multiple winner on the Sunshine Tour with eight victories in his illustrious career will be one of the major attractions together with Germany’s Alexander Knappe to complete one of the most intriguing contingent of top golfers to fight for the Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open championship.

HARARE - Premiership new boys Ngezi Platinum Stars have been given the green light to host CAPS United on Sunday afternoon at their newly-constructed Baobab Stadium in Ngezi from the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

The league’s chief executive, Kennedy Ndebele, confirmed the development in a letter sent to the clubs yesterday.

The platinum miners’ clash against CAPS United was initially set for tomorrow and there had been uncertainties as to where the match was going to be played.

It is, however, the completion of the 10 000-seater stadium that is likely to bring joy to multitudes of the team’s fans in the community.

“This serves to advise that the Ngezi Platinum match against CAPS United shall be played on Sunday April 10, 2016 at Baobab Stadium in Ngezi,” reads the letter.

The platinum miners, whose team was formed in 2004, won promotion for a maiden dance in the top flight league after running away with the 2015 Zifa Northern Region Division One League title.

Ngezi Platinum started their campaign with a comprehensive 0-3 win against Mutare City last week and their credentials will be put to test when they face high-riding CAPS United on Sunday.

Their coach, Clifton Kadurira, a former Black Mambas and Darryn T player, vowed to cope with the pressures of top flight football and is confident his side will do their Ngezi community proud.

Ngezi have been relatively busy on the transfer market after unveiling former CAPS United striker Washington Pakamisa, Kumbirai Kapikunyu, Liberty Chakoroma, Tichaona Mabvura, Zivanai Mhanda and Knowledge Machona as their new signings.

They also boast of experienced players in their ranks like Daniel Kamunhenga, Edgar Tapera formerly with Harare City, Innocent Sakosi, Terrence Dzukamanja and Evans Katema.

HARARE - CAPS United skipper Method Mwanjali says he is pleased to be back at the club that gave him fame and a platform to pursue his professional career outside the country.

Mwanjali, who left the country six years ago for South African top flight league where he featured for Mamelodi Sundowns and Mpumalanga Black Aces, says he is relishing the opportunity of reviving his romance with the Green Machine.

The versatile Mwanjali was immediately installed the captain and marked his return when he was introduced as a second half substitute in the 3-0 win over Chapungu at the National Sports Stadium last weekend.

United travel to Baobab Stadium this weekend to face newboys Ngezi Platinum Stars, who also started their season with a 3-0 away win over Mutare City Rovers last weekend.

“We have been working very hard at training. It doesn’t bother us that they won their first match, what matters is what we will do as a team so we will just take each game as it comes,” Mwanjali said yesterday.

“We will go there trying to get a win and at the end of the day it’s how we are going to apply ourselves trying to achieve that.

“It was a good feeling for me, it has been a while since I last played for CAPS and I would like to thank the coaches and supporters for affording me the opportunity to express myself and also the players for supporting me.”

On being given the Makepekepe armband Mwanjali said: “I’m privileged to be working with the new guys, some of them I have played with them before. I think it’s quite a good and talented group but what’s important is how we understand each other in our attempt to achieve our goals as a club.”

Makepekepe coach Lloyd Chitembwe said they will not underrate Ngezi on Sunday.

“The fact that they are a new team in the premier league does not mean we will go there and play differently,” Chitembwe said.

“We will try and play our normal game, to win matches. I know half the team; we have worked together at some point in our careers.

“We derive motivation from expectations and as a unit we believe in our abilities. Last weekend’s result was only good for our confidence.”

HARARE - Former Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) coach Alan Butcher claims Givemore Makoni made unilateral decisions detrimental to the team’s progress during his reign as convenor of selectors.

The Englishman was in charge of Zimbabwe from February 2010 until the end of March 2013 at a time when the team returned to Test cricket after a six-year self-imposed exile.

Since then, he has remained an ardent follower of local cricket from a distance.

At the start of this month, Butcher, now 62, released a book titled, The Good Murungu: A Cricket Tale of the Unexpected, chronicling his days as Zimbabwe coach.

Speaking during a podcast to review his book, the former Essex and Surrey coach revealed how Makoni sneaked in some players into the team or starting XI at the 11th hour.

“It was very difficult from a coaching point of view to make your plans when selection was being made for reasons either than cricket,” says a miffed Butcher during the podcast.

“If a player needed to be dropped it was always Prosper Utseya who had a great record while we were there. He would always lose out in favour of Ray Price whose record was slightly better.

“Which I thought was pretty fair, most selectors usually go for records . . . before my final trip to the Caribbean, we had agreed that Price was going to tour, but there was an oversight on my part, I overlooked the list written down by convener of selectors (Makoni).

“He had deliberately omitted...Price’s name but I wasn’t looking for it, in my mind I thought it was there but there was obviously some horse trading going on and he ended up not playing in the One Dayers.”

Butcher believes Makoni had his own personal agendas when he needed to be fair as the convenor of selectors.

“I have to say that I was never under the impression that there was a quota system in place, certainly not an official one,” he says.

“In general the squad that was picked when I was there was pretty much half white and half black, usually on merit.

“So I never got the impression (that there was a quota system) until later, and I took that as Makoni’s personal agenda rather than the overall policy.

“I maybe wrong in that but that’s how it felt like. But suffice to say Makoni is not and never will be on my Christmas card list.”

Makoni, who has since been redeployed to the role of director of cricket development, denies Butcher’s accusations and dismissed it as sour grapes by the Englishman.

“He came, he coached and he did not bring the results and was fired; so to write a book and say such things is pathetic. I haven’t read the book and I don’t think I will have time to read it,” a dismissive Makoni told the Daily News.

“During my time as convener, we treated players the same; they were no players who were bigger than others, if somebody drops form they were dropped, if someone is performing they were promoted.

“In any setup, there are rules and regulations. Selection in Zim is based on stats, current form, team balance and experience, so all those factors are taken into consideration when you pick a side.”

Writing in his book, Butcher says when his contract was coming to an end, he decided to not to pursue a renewal due to his poisoned working relationship with Makoni.

“But when my contract came to an end, I had to sit down and have a stern talk to myself,” Butcher says.

“I didn’t know how I could keep working with Makoni it would just be a complete waste of time, waste of mental anguish and energy.”

The Briton also does not have any kind words for a number of white ex-cricketers that he feels are “Professors of Negativity” and will always be a stumbling block to the game’s development.

“White former players could be just as much as the problem with little or no empathy with what was happening in the lives of players,” he said.

“They (players) are not getting paid, ‘that’s not an issue, you shouldn’t think about that.’ But it affects players . . . A lot of those people did not want Zimbabwe to succeed which is very disappointing.

“I absolve Heath Streak and Grant Flower. They worked well with me but there were others, a group I found difficult to enjoy.

“I honestly think they thought they should be the coach and so made it difficult for anyone who was coaching the team, who at the time happened to be me.”

Butcher paints a gloomy outlook for local cricket as players are going through a lot in their personal lives due to ZC’s maladministration.

“There were periods when players did not get match fees for nearly two years, in fact they were not getting their salaries,” he says.

“So it was very difficult, coaches had to give players money to get them to training.

“There were players who were borrowing money to enable their young brothers and sisters to go to school.”

HARARE - Zimbabwe's impending migration from analogue television to digital television broadcast is scheduled to bring about six new Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation television channels that will mostly broadcast local content.

The creation of the six new channels, which are part of 12 envisaged television stations that will come about as a result of the looming switch over to digital terrestrial television, obviously means that more high-quality content has to be generated.

With independent producers having already started submitting pitches of new content to ZBC, there are real fears that the national broadcaster has no capacity to efficiently run six more television stations given the fact that they currently owe a lot of money to content providers.

The overriding question therefore is: How will the national broadcaster manage to acquire enough content for six more channels on a sustainable basis when they are struggling to pay for content for its current channel?

Even Media, Information and Broadcasting Services minister Christopher Mushowe recently conceded that the government risks embarrassment if it fails to produce enough content for the proposed six channels. The minister added that he was disappointed by the manner in which ancient foreign content was continually being recycled on ZBC TV.

Three years ago former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) chief executive officer Happison Muchechetere claimed that their operations were seriously hamstrung by the government’s failure to settle $6,2 million dollars owed to the national broadcaster.

Muchechetere said the national broadcaster was not only being forced by government to cover certain events but they were also forking money from their own coffers to fulfil these obligations. All this points to a national broadcaster being abused by the State on top of its being an entity run on an unsustainable basis.

If the impending channels are going to be run in the same manner then we foresee trouble.

For too long, ZBC has behaved as if television viewers owe it. The national broadcaster has endlessly served poor programmes while strangely expecting television viewers to pay licence fees. This clearly unhelpful attitude has seen the national broadcaster’s viewership and listenership decline to alarming levels.

The forthcoming channels must be subordinate to the interests of their viewers and not politicians who are at the moment, negatively influencing both policy and content at the national broadcaster.

There is no way the proposed ZBC channels can lure advertisers if their content is made with the sole aim of pleasing the governing Zanu PF.

HARARE - MDC Zengeza West MP Simon Chidhakwa has urged government to swiftly allocate land to thousands of desperate home seekers living in the open following the demolition of their homes by the municipality.

Several Zimbabweans lost thousands of dollars to bogus land barons, who parcelled out land illegally, leading to the subsequent demolition of their homes. Chidhakwa said the demolition of homes has reduced Zimbabweans into refugees in their own country.

“Nyatsime residents are tired and are taking the Zanu PF-led government to task over its failure to resolve housing related issues. About 15 000 desperate home seekers bought housing stands from Chitungwiza Municipality in 2005, but it was later discovered that the land belonged to peri-urban farmers.

“A recent report tabled in the National Assembly by Chitungwiza Town clerk George Makunde paints a gloomy picture of the situation in Nyatsime where A2 farmers obtained a court interdict barring council from setting foot on Braemar Farm which has opened the door for illegal land allocations to continue unabated,” Chidhakwa said.

Chidhakwa added that it was the duty of every responsible government to safeguard the welfare of its citizens.

“As confusion continues rocking the allocation of residential stands, councillors have also been fingered in these illegal land deals, where duped home seekers lose their hard-earned money and are left at the mercy of local authorities.

Hoping to get to the bottom of the housing disputes bedevilling Chitungwiza, a parliamentary portfolio committee on Local Government and Public Works toured the populous township. During the tour, the city council’s urban planner Conrad Muchesa admitted that council was not “completely” blameless for the land anarchy in the city.

“...some of these irregularities emanated long ago, that’s why in 2012 the ministry of Local Government carried out an investigation which later showed that there were a lot of underhand dealings council sold stands on wetlands,” Muchesa said.

Chitungwiza housing problems have not been an isolated phenomenon, as several other citizens are battling the same problem across the country.

In Harare’s Epworth suburb, extreme poverty, misuse of public office and abuse of Zanu PF’s name by land barons and housing co-operatives has left 90 percent of residents settling illegally, Epworth local board chairman Tafirei Murambidzi said last week.

Meanwhile, the Harare City Council has of late been on a rampage, demolishing “illegal” settlements in Marimba, Budiriro and Warren Park.

HARARE - Five armed robbers who pounced on a Presidential Guard soldier before stealing his army regalia and identification particulars were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment yesterday.

Nyasha Mareya, 21, Tendai Sadiki, 28, Learnmore Ngoni Dzvairo, 22, Nicoh Mwinde, 27, and a teenager pleaded guilty to the charges when they appeared before Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya.

Mareya, Sadiki, Dzvairo and Mwinde were slapped with four years each before 18 months were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

The teen had two years suspended from his sentence after the magistrate considered his age.

The complainant was Conelius Masuku, 38, of 1 Presidential Guard Battalion.

The accused persons all reside in the same neighbourhood in Overspill Epworth.

Prosecutor Timothy Makoni proved that around midnight on April 6, Masuku was coming from Kwekwe and disembarked from the vehicle at Jameson Hotel along Samora Machel.

When he was at corner Leopold Takawira Street and Samora Machel Avenue he was approached by the accused persons.

One of the accused persons grabbed his neck while others searched his pockets and threatened to stab him with a knife.

Mareya and his gang then took Masuku’s black satchel that contained army uniform, identification particulars and Zanu PF card and $10 before fleeing from the scene.

The court heard that they ran towards Rezende Street and boarded an Epworth-bound commuter omnibus along Robert Mugabe.

Masuku followed after the gang and alerted constables Kembo, Kuzipa, and Kahumwe who were on patrol.

The three cops managed to apprehend Mareya and his accomplices sped off with Masuku’s satchel.

Mareya was interrogated and divulged information about his accomplices’ locations.

On April 7, detectives made follow-ups in Epworth and managed to arrest the teen, Sadiki, Dzvairo and Mwinde.

When searches were conducted, police recovered a Zimbabwe National Army uniform from Dzvairo and Mwinde’s residence.

Masuku’s black satchel was later recovered from 48 Mabvuku Drive, Old Mabvuku, Harare where it had been sold to Tinashe Obert Thompson.

The stolen property, valued $300 and $260, was recovered.

BULAWAYO - Former Vice President Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) has condemned the Zanu PF government’s failure to implement the concept of devolution that is provided for in the country’s Constitution.

Addressing hundreds of ZPF supporters at the weekend during a meeting in Bulawayo, the constituency’s provincial coordinator Esnath Bulayani said the current government was ignorant of the laws that govern this country.

“The issues contained in our Constitution on devolution of power to the people have been flagrantly ignored by the current regime,” Bulayani said.

“As the people of Zimbabwe spoke during the Constitution-making process during the Government of National Unity (GNU), all the contents of our Constitution will be implemented.”

Sections 264 and 265 of the country’s Constitution call for the devolution of government powers and responsibilities, but three years after the Constitution was adopted, Zimbabwe has not yet complied with such constitutional requirements.

Bulayani said what the President Robert Mugabe-led government has done, is tantamount to taking the masses who voted them into power for granted, adding that by so doing the former revolutionary party has simply spelt doom for itself.

In February, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa told Senate that the government does not have money to set up provincial councils, an assertion which was quickly dismissed by political analysts who argued that there was a clear lack of political will on the part of Zanu PF.

Bulayani told the gathering here that, “We can no longer take our people for a ride and say the government has no money to implement provincial councils as enshrined in our Constitution. Constitutionalism is key in taking Zimbabwe forward.”

Zanu PF initially resisted devolution arguing that the notion was being pushed by those bent on promoting regionalism, federalism or secessionism and that the country was too small for the system to work well.

Bulayani described ZPF as social democrats and a people-oriented party.

“The founding principles of our party are that we are social democrats who will, when in power after the 2018 general elections, usher in a new socio-political dispensation founded on fairness, equitable allocation of our national resources and strict adherence to constitutionalism.”

She further noted that, ZPF will upon assuming power restore the middle class which has for long been non-existent under Zanu PF.

“The middle class is where the majority of people belong. This is a global phenomenon and a generally accepted way of life. We will restore the pride of our teachers, nurses and all the middle class professionals who have been relegated to the lower echelons of the society,” she told the gathering.

She bemoaned the way Zanu PF has brought misery to the lives of people in Bulawayo once the country’s industrial hub zone.

“Members will recall that Bulawayo was the industrial hub of Zimbabwe, and now the current government has turned it into a ghost town, with a lot of potholes, water rationing and empty promises. This illustrates lack of planning and irresponsible attitude towards this city and lip service is paid to address these services,” she remarked.

Bulayani challenged ZPF members to get geared up for the 2018 elections, a period in which she said their only intention is to “pluck ourselves out of the socio-political quagmire that Zanu PF has thrown us into”.

HARARE - Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya says the country is working on a raft of measures to ease a month-long cash-crisis that has seen depositors getting daily withdrawals as little as $20 from banks.

The country, which adopted a basket of currencies dominated by the United States dollar in 2009, is facing an acute liquidity crunch due to a widening trade deficit and lack of production.

However, Mangudya said the monetary authorities were working around the clock to ensure depositors get their money on demand.

“We are importing more cash to meet the demand but unfortunately, it’s not an overnight thing. There is a lead time between placing an order and receiving the foreign currency,” Mangudya said yesterday during a hastily-arranged meeting with the parliamentary portfolio committee on Finance and Economic Development.

He added, “…we are also working with Afreximbank to put in place a nostro stabilisation fund…we are also talking to the business community to put in place a priority list of importation to prioritise use of forex and mitigate the country’s trade deficit.

“As a bank, we are advocating for make and buy Zimbabwe campaign. There is a Buy Zimbabwe campaign but we need to go beyond that. The missing link in this economy is production. If we produce more goods and services, it means we will reduce import dependency, meaning there is more money available to Zimbabwe . . . we are happy with the openness of Zimbabwe, programmes being put in place by government but I think we need to do more.”

The RBZ supremo encouraged the public and companies to resort to the use of plastic money to reduce the cash demand.

Mangudya called on banks to incentivise their clients by carrying some of the transactions for free or at least charge a reasonable fee.

Mangudya said the central bank had imported $145 million over the last three months, “which under normal circumstances is supposed to be sufficient for this economy.

“This year only, the banks imported $118 million from January to April 6. We as the central bank have put in $145 million in the last three months alone, but go check in the bank that money is not there, it’s been taken because we are very attractive. How many of you have ever banked new monies?” he asked.

“...so this is about the fundamental principles of policies. That’s why we believe money is there but it’s not circulating.”

While acknowledging that the demand for cash had escalated due to salaries, drought-induced imports and other competing necessities, Mangudya felt lack of “smart policies” had also spawned speculative transactions.

The chicken farmer said competing demands such as drought-induced imports had escalated the liquidity crisis affecting the sector which is already reeling from a $2,5 billion trade deficit.

The frank governor said the demand phenomenon could only be addressed by breeding confidence, trust and international re-engagement.

“...the reason we are where we are today is because we are a consumptive economy, we have to change our mind-sets, to transform this economy we have to produce before we consume,” he said.

“Our current bank balance is negative.  So we can talk all we are saying but we need to have more production . . . so it means our policies should address that . . . all other things are symptoms of the problem . . . we are an attractive source of foreign exchange in the region but we don’t also attract it ourselves. We are an open economy which is closed . . . so we need to look for policies that retain money in the country not to attract other people to take money from us,” he added.

Mangudya outrightly dismissed the re-introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar, saying at the moment it would have dire consequences that would plunge the country into a crisis of monumental proportions.

HARARE - Fidelity Life Assurance Zimbabwe (Fidelity) has suspended its managing director Simon Chapereka and finance director German Mushoma following a probe by the Insurance and Pension Commission (Ipec) into various corporate governance infractions.

However, the group’s acting chairman, Gregory Mataka, said the duo was sent on leave “to facilitate the swift execution” of an audit requested by the insurance commission.

“Following the training on corporate governance in May 2015, the board embarked on a review of the company’s policies and procedures and internal processes to align them with best practice,” he said, adding that preliminary results of the internal audit review were leaked to the press.

“While these internal processes were ongoing, Ipec requested an on-site examination. To conclude their report, Ipec has appointed KPMG Chartered Accountants (Zimbabwe) to conduct a forensic audit in terms of Section 67(2) of the Insurance Act..,” Mataka said.

“This audit is intended to clarify issues relating to business operations, and allegations of corporate governance malpractices at the company.”

In February, the industry regulator’s chairperson Marnet Mpofu confirmed to the Daily News that it was “conducting an on-site inspection of Fidelity Life... following allegations of breaches of the Insurance Act and possibly other statutes,” although she would not disclose more information as investigations were still underway.

Chapereka, who was previously sent on a month-long forced leave late last year, stands accused of, among other transgressions, amassing no less than 12 residential stands at Fidelity’s Manresa and Harare South projects — with the later scheme meant for low income earners — as well as advancing himself hefty loans, which he has neglected to service adequately.

Chapereka is credited for transforming Fidelity into one of the most successful insurance companies in the country offering both life and non-life insurance products. Under his supervision, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange firm also diversified into the property sector resulting in the launch of Fidelity Southview Park in 2013.

But the company’s fortunes are taking a downward path after Fidelity continues to lose ground to other competitors such as First Mutual Holdings, Old Mutual, Nyaradzo and Zimnat.

In the full year to December 2015, Fidelity’s expenses increased by 35 percent from $31,8 million to $43 million while underwriting surplus achieved remained unchanged at $6,7 million.

The group’s profit for the year grew by 3 percent to $5,2 million at a time when total comprehensive income for the period was $2,6 million, a 30 percent decrease from prior year.

Fidelity said this was affected by exchange differences arising from translation of foreign operations amounting to $2,4 million.

Meanwhile, Fidelity has appointed Nyaradzo Matindike as the company’s acting managing director to preside over the insurance giant’s day to day operations during the tenure of the audit.

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe says his Alpha and Omega Dairy is facing an uncertain future due to huge debts and massive theft by management and employees.

Addressing thousands of restless war veterans at the City Sports Centre on Thursday, the nonagenarian leader admitted that his constant globe-trotting was having a toll on his agri-focused business empire.

“Mamanager hakusi kuba kwaanoita…I can tell you from experience. We have got our Alpha and Omega, just now we have got a debt of $4 million kwakabiwa $40 million,” he said adding that he was aware of the workers’ shenanigans.

“So you have to be there and also I must teach myself that I must be there. In other words, I must have managers I can trust and try to supervise properly. But anyway, it’s recovering very well. It doesn’t matter,” he added.

The milk processing firm — a subsidiary of Gushungo Holdings — has a capacity to process 70 000 litres of raw milk per day.

Alpha and Omega, which has seen the majority of its former workers being dragged to court on a series of theft charges, is targeting to double raw milk output to 40 000 litres per day by year-end, from the current 23 000 litres per day.

The company produces brands such as Mnandi sour milk and flavours of Appertina yoghurt.

Critics say Mugabe’s failure to pay workers on time was resulting in employees developing an interest to pilfer from the First family’s businesses.

In January this year, an Alpha and Omega assistant truck driver was hauled before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts after he swindled the firm. According to court papers, Tapiwa Manyoni continued to receive his salary long after resigning from the firm.

The recent arrest also comes hard on the heels of another group of 10 people that was arrested in December last year.

The 10 Alpha Omega Dairy employees were accused of stealing dairy products worth $700.

Prior to the arrest of the 10 men, another eight employees had been arrested for stealing from Mugabe’s Gushungo Holdings.

HARARE - Liberation struggle stalwart Victoria Chitepo — widow of the revered late national hero Herbert Chitepo — was found dead in her Harare home yesterday, President Robert Mugabe announced.

Opening Zanu PF’s central committee meeting at the ruling party’s headquarters in the capital, Mugabe said the respected Victoria, 89, was found dead in her bathroom by her daughter.

A member of Zanu PF’s central committee until her death, Victoria was said to have been preparing to attend yesterday’s meeting when she died, with the daughter who found her body the one who was supposed to have picked her up and driven her to the get-together.

“We received the sad news of the death of Victoria Chitepo this morning. We heard she was preparing to come for this meeting when she just collapsed and passed away.

“Apparently, we are told she was alone when it happened and was found by her daughter who had gone there to pick her to this meeting.

“She was one of us politically, one of us politically and physically … it is a loss to all of us,” a sombre Mugabe said.

In a rare display of emotion in public, the modest Victoria claimed in 2001 that her husband’s violent death in exile in Zambia in 1975 was an internal Zanu job. She went on to demand unsuccessfully that his killers be brought to book.

He husband died when a car bomb, placed in his Volkswagen Beetle the night before, exploded.

He and Silas Shamiso, one of his bodyguards, were killed instantly.

The explosion sent part of the car onto the roof of his house and uprooted a tree next door. Hours later, one of his neighbours died of injuries he sustained in the explosion.

Former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda commissioned an inquiry into Chitepo’s death, with documents released in October 2001 placing the blame on Zanu infighting.

HARARE - A visibly-tired President Robert Mugabe once again openly admitted yesterday that his governing Zanu PF’s seemingly unstoppable factional and succession wars had destroyed the party, appealing for unity among his brawling lieutenants.

Opening the ruling party’s central committee meeting in Harare, Mugabe also admitted that he had thus far failed to contain his party’s mindless bloodletting in which a faction loyal to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is at war with one made up of Young Turks known as the Generation 40 (G40) group.

“Look where we are now compared to what we used to be, especially during the time of the struggle? ... we need to work and revamp the party.

“There are factions that are accusing each other, using the opposition papers to say bad things about one another ... we need to stop this. Where are we going? I appeal to you to unite for the good of the party,” the exasperated nonagenarian said.

“The trust has been lost among party members. Everyone must do a self-introspection … youths should be united, focused. The leadership of the party should provide that element of unity, provide that historical understanding that enables us to go forward as a party,” he added.

Mugabe also revealed that Zanu PF would continue to take a tough stance on the party’s much-criticised indigenisation policy.

“We need to take our independence seriously. Indigenisation, in its exclusive way, should be taken seriously. Some are saying we are driving away investors but that’s not it,” he said.

This is not the first time that Mugabe has bemoaned the ugly ructions that are devouring the ruling party. Speaking late last year, he also openly expressed the fear that his party could completely fall apart owing to its worsening infighting.

“The problem that we now have has to do with personalities, people wanting to advance themselves within the party, wanting this position or that position and so we have a problem that threatens to split the party.

“Some are looking at the forthcoming elections and the elections are still far, they come in the year 2018, but the ambitious ones are working, some openly, some behind the scenes in order to place themselves in positions which they think will enable them to be elected.

“Some want to be in those positions now. Hazviiite (it’s not possible) just now,” the worried Mugabe said, calling on party bigwigs to be patient until the country’s next elections in 2018 when “we will all resign and ambitious ones can line up”.

He also said while there was nothing wrong per se with party officials being ambitious, there was need for them to use proper procedures.

“Chigaro ngachiuye netsika dzakanaka. Zvigaro hazviturunurwe samatamba, zvinouya nechimiro chako, nekudiwa kwako nevanhu (leadership should be assumed through good works and the correct channels),” he said.

As all this is happening, respected Zanu PF elder, Cephas Msipa, who has been one of the few voices of reason in the warring ruling party, this week took the unprecedented step of urging the long-ruling leader to retire immediately.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily News on Thursday, Msipa said Mugabe’s 56 years in politics were long enough for a “normal human being to hang the boots”.

“My serious advice to him (Mugabe) is that he should rest now, as he has done so much for the country,” he said.

Msipa, a close friend of Mugabe of many decades, said the nonagenarian — who is the only leader that Zimbabweans have had for the past 36 years — cannot rest after death.

“In a way, he has done a lot for this country, and really in all fairness we are punishing him. When will he rest, when he is dead?” he asked rhetorically.

“I feel sorry for him as a friend. I think he must just be given time to rest. We live in this world for a much shorter period than we realise. He really needs a rest. A race is run up to a certain point and there comes a point when you must rest.

“It’s good for him, good for his family and good for the party. We need new ideas. These can only come with leadership renewal. I would like him to rest,” the concerned Msipa emphasised repeatedly.

He also challenged some Zanu PF hardliners who were advocating for the nonagenarian’s further stay in power to be “human and stop punishing” him.

“We should all feel sorry for him. We are punishing him. Those who are saying he should continue, we don’t seem to care about him. I know some people want him to stay for their own protection.

“I also know some of them feel he is protecting them. He gave them certain positions and so they are afraid that if he goes they will lose those positions. It’s unfair for us to punish a man for all this time. Let him sit back and watch. It’s very important after all that hard work,” Msipa said.

The veteran politician said if he was to get an opportunity to talk to Mugabe, he would convince him to take a rest immediately.

“If it was to become possible for me to meet him I would convince him to rest. I am talking about retiring. I am saying he has worked so hard, so much that he needs to rest now.

“There will be no other time except now. He can’t rest after death of course. They call that rest in peace, but I don’t know what that means,” he added.

Msipa further advised the 92-year-old to take a leaf from him and retire from active politics on his terms.

“As you can see, I am resting and I know what I’m talking about and what he is missing that. I am enjoying myself, for the first time in my life. I can for a change do what I like.

“I can wake up at any time, I can decide to spend the day asleep, I can decide to visit my children, and I have no one to report to. Imagine for Mugabe, putting on a tie, having endless appointments at his age,” he said.

Msipa claimed that just before he left active politics he had asked Mugabe to retire, an offer that was turned down.

“I went to see Mugabe with my two sons where I told him to retire. He told me that in politics you don’t retire, but that you rather die there. That’s his philosophy.

“So in a way he seems to be enjoying the position, but he must also think of rest, because he is punishing himself physically. We are all human beings and the fire in us burns out and you can’t go on trying to keep putting on some light when it’s burning out,” he said.

Asked what kind of a person Mugabe was at a personal level, Msipa described the nonagenarian as a “difficult” character to understand.

“He is in a way difficult to understand. He can be very charming but also he can be repellent and very cruel. He can be very charming and the next moment he can do things that you cannot believe he can do.

“For instance, when Murambatsvina (operation clean-up) started, I phoned him because I thought that was uncharacteristic of him, but when he has decided that this man is my enemy, he will do everything to crush you.

“That is his problem, there are no two ways about it. So in short, he can be very cruel if you stand in his way because he wants things to be done in his way,” he said.

Msipa further noted that Mugabe was the type of leader who would also often indicate right and then turn left.

“There are times when he says one thing and he does another. Listen to what he was saying about our independence a year ago. He says it makes us all equal, no one is greater than another and so on, but in practice does he practice that? So I have a problem there.”

PANAMA CITY - Authorities in El Salvador have raided the offices of the Panama law firm at the centre of a massive data leak, the attorney general's office says.

Documents and computer equipment were seized from the Mossack Fonseca office, officials said on Twitter.

The attorney general's office said the Mossack Fonseca sign had been removed a day earlier and quoted an employee as saying the firm was moving.

The leak showed how some wealthy people use offshore companies to evade tax.

The raid was overseen by El Salvador's Attorney General Douglas Melendez.

Mossack Fonseca's El Salvador branch was able to provide "back office" functions for the firm's clients all over the world, according to a document posted on Twitter by the attorney general's office.

Local news website El Faro reported (in Spanish) that Salvadoreans had used Mossack Fonseca to buy property in the country without declaring the purchases to the Salvadorean authorities.

The firm has denied it has done anything wrong and says the information is being presented out of context.