HARARE - Government has said it would not be involved in the recruitment of workers for the improvement of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu highway because that was sorely the responsibility of the contractor.

Unemployed youths are clamouring to be considered for jobs which would be created when construction works begin.

The trunk road, which is to be developed into a dual carriageway at a cost of $2,8 billion, is set to create numerous jobs in construction and supporting works.

There have been reports that government would recruit workers through the ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, with thousands already reportedly flocking to the ministry’s offices in various parts of the country to register for consideration.

Other reports also suggested that Zanu PF youths are being lined up for the jobs, with recruitment being done through local party structures.

However, in an interview with the Daily News, Transport and Infrastructural Development minister, Joram Gumbo, dismissed the reports saying government had handed everything over to Austrian construction firm, Geiger International which is currently laying preparatory works in partnership with China Harbour Engineering Company (Chec).

Geiger International is the financier to the project, which is also responsible for hiring labour while Chec will do the construction work.

“The ministry will not play any role in the hiring of workers. Our job is over. We have done our part and it now lies in the hands of Geiger International, they will handle everything,” said Gumbo.

Gumbo also appeared to disparage recent demands by Zanu PF secretary for youth affairs, Kudzanai Chipanga that party youths should be given exclusive employment rights on the road construction as an appreciation for their loyalty to the party.

Chipanga made the demands at a youth rally addressed by the ruling party’s leader, President Robert Mugabe in Chinhoyi last month.

“There is nothing like that,” Gumbo exclaimed.

“The party will not be involved in any way. We will not interfere with the contractor’s works.

“Only Geiger International will be hiring workers. They know the skills they require and the kind of personnel they need.

“Remember there will be quality checks at the end of it all and we do not want a situation whereby they would end up claiming that they could not give us the best product because we imposed staff on them.

“So, the truth is that we will never interfere with their works, either as government or as Zanu PF,” he said.

Gumbo maintained claims that the road dualisation would create up to 300 000 jobs after he was criticised for throwing fictitious figures only to match government’s rhetoric of having created two million jobs in the last four years in line with Zanu PF’s 2013 election manifesto.

“I don’t know where people get it wrong. I still maintain that as much as 300 000 jobs will be created by this job, either as construction labourers or in downstream support works.

“There will also be individuals whose enterprises will benefit from the construction works.

“This is a massive project which will surely transform the lives of many throughout its six segments,” he said.

Mugabe finally officially commissioned the upgrading of Zimbabwe’s main trunk road in May this year after many years of delay which saw its costs multiplying.

The road, which has now been reduced by the elements into a narrow, deadly strip riddled with potholes and sharp edges that claim hundreds of lives every year, is part of the North-South Corridor that directly links landlocked Zimbabwe and Zambia with access to the Indian Ocean ports of Durban and Richards Bay in South Africa, making it the country’s most important commercial connection.

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HARARE - Zimbabwean and South African airlines resumed operations yesterday after a diplomatic standoff between the neighbouring countries grounded flights for almost two days from Friday evening.

South African aviation authorities banned all Air Zimbabwe (AirZim) flights in and out of that country on Friday and Zimbabwean authorities responded by grounding South African Airways (SAA) flights into and out of Harare.

The impasse came at a time when Zimbabwe and South Africa were engaged in a huge diplomatic fallout following an incident in which First Lady Grace Mugabe was facing arrest in South Africa for allegedly assaulting a 20-year-old model she found with her sons at a Johannesburg hotel on Monday, raising speculation that the whole drama was an extension of the whole political war.

The flights were grounded allegedly due to non-compliance with the aviation regulations, with both AirZim and SAA failing to produce the required foreign operators permits, together with other documents, which must be on-board an aircraft at all times, and made available for inspection on request by the relevant authorities.

However, flights resumed yesterday following interventions between the two countries’ ministers of Transport which broke the stalemate.

Zimbabwe’s Transport and Infrastructural Development minister, Joram Gumbo, confirmed the developments in an interview with the Daily News yesterday saying his South African counterpart, Joe Maswanganyi had initiated the negotiations.

“Both parties have now processed the required documents, and normal flights resumed this morning (yesterday morning),” Gumbo said.

Checks also confirmed that both AirZim and SAA Harare-Johannesburg flights took off at the Harare International Airport yesterday morning, while flights from OR Tambo International Airport into Harare had also materialised.

“Finally some progress. HRE - JNB has taken off. All should be normalised as the day goes regarding these permits,” reads an updated post on the official AirZim twitter handle yesterday.

SAA spokesperson, Tlali Tlali, was also quoted in the South African press confirming that flight SA025, which was grounded on Saturday, August 19 would depart Harare at 10:00am on Sunday, August 20.

Tlali added that SA022 would be the first flight from Johannesburg to Harare on Sunday, and was expected to depart at 10:45am.

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HARARE - First Lady Grace Mugabe, who had been holed up in South Africa where she stood accused of severely assaulting and injuring a 20-year-old model, was finally granted immunity by President Jacob Zuma’s government and returned home in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Grace landed at Harare International Airport early in the morning with her husband, President Robert Mugabe and government ministers aboard an Air Zimbabwe plane, which was carrying the 93-year-old veteran leader from the Sadc summit in Pretoria.

The first lady created a storm in South Africa when she allegedly stormed a hotel where her sons, Robert Jnr and Chatunga, were staying and beat up the young model Gabriella Engels, an incident which led to massive calls for her to be arrested.

South Africa’s department of International Relations and Cooperation published a notice in its government’s gazette yesterday announcing the granting of immunity to Grace by International Relations minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane dated August 19.

“In accordance with the powers vested in me by Section 7(2) of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act 2001 (Act No.37 of 2001) and acting in the interest of Republic of South Africa, I hereby recognise the immunities and privileges of the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe, in terms of international law as set out in the attached notice,” the gazette reads.

She was granted immunity for the following reasons:.

- The need to uphold the rule of law, ensure fair administration of justice and uphold the rights of the complainant;

- The imperative to maintain good inter-governmental relations within the Sadc region, and in particular between the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Zimbabwe;

- The fact that the matter coincides with South Africa’s hosting of the 37th Sadc Summit of Heads of State and Government;

- Legal considerations, including derivative immunity of spouses of Heads of State,

AfriForum, which is representing the girl will launch a review application and this was hinted by a legal representative at the civil rights organisation, Willie Spies yesterday.

“If immunity was granted, we’ll launch a review application,” Spies wrote.

Inconsistencies and drama developed throughout the week, starting with SA Police minister, Fikile Mbalula claiming that Grace had handed herself over to the police but as it turned out, she never went to any police station.

Police then considered having a warrant of arrest issued by the courts and they also issued a red alert for her not to leave the country as the standoff escalated.

The immunity was granted amid objections from the girl’s family and lawyers as well as protestors who gathered outside the Sadc summit venue on Saturday, with law experts arguing that she did not qualify for immunity.

Earlier in the week, Engels revealed through her lawyers, that she had been approached by the first family via a third party, offering her money to drop the case but her family turned down the offer saying they wanted to exhaust all legal channels.

Engels is alleging that she was struck several times with an electricity extension cord and was left nursing deep wounds which needed stitching after being found with Grace’s two sons. Details of what exactly transpired at the luxurious Sandton Hotel are not clear.

AfriForum, led by top advocate Gerrie Nel, said if the South African Police Service (Saps) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) fail to prosecute Grace, they would institute private prosecution.

“If she (Grace) escapes jurisdiction, we will really do what we can in terms of the law, in terms of extraditions but it’s a very difficult question to answer now on what we should,” Nel told journalists on Thursday.

Nel said private prosecution would be pursued if no action is taken against Grace in three months and insisted that for her to be prosecuted, she would need to be on South African soil.

Spies added that they will not rest until justice was done.

“We will take a long term approach on this to see that justice prevails.

“She may be back in Zimbabwe, but it may mean that she will find it very difficult to come back to South Africa in the future,” Spies said.

Grace missed Mugabe’s Gwanda youth interface rally two weeks ago as she had travelled to South Africa for treatment on her injured ankle.

She has in the past been caught in incidents of violence.

In 2009, she was investigated by Hong Kong police for an alleged assault on a British photographer during a shopping trip to the city.

She was accused of repeatedly punching Richard Jones — chief photographer of the Hong Kong photo agency Sinopix — who was on an assignment for the British Sunday Times.

In 2014, Grace confronted journalists at a Singaporean hospital as she blocked them from photographing Mugabe while he was entering Gleneagles facility for his medical check-up.

The Daily News understands that the first family is working towards bringing back home  Robert Jnr and Chatunga, who are currently based in neighbouring South Africa where they are said to be at college.

The young boys have been a thorn in the flesh for the first family because of their alleged waywardness, and indulgent lifestyles.

They are both infamously known for their extravagant lifestyles, hanging out with beautiful girls and wild drinking binges.

Mugabe’s sons relocated to Johannesburg, the commercial capital city of South Africa, at the beginning of the year after running into disciplinary problems involving brawls and alleged abuse of banned substances in Dubai.

Given the wave of crime in South Africa, and the negative attention they have courted, the first family now fear for the boys’ lives.

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HARARE - President Robert Mugabe, who arrived in the country in the early hours of yesterday morning, did not show up at the burial of Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Shuvai Mahofa at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, amid speculation that woeful events of the past few days might have taken their toll on him, the Daily News can report.

Mugabe, who conferred the national heroine status on the 76-year-old Mahofa mid last week, rarely misses a funeral of a top Zanu PF official when he is in the country.

Zanu PF and government officials canvassed by the Daily News said Mugabe, who turns 94 in February next year, did not attend the burial along with his wife, Grace, as they needed to rest.

Indeed, it had been a hectic week for the ageing Zanu PF leader who had to rush to Johannesburg ahead of a meeting of the 15-member Southern African Development Community (Sadc) bloc to calm a storm that had been brewed by his wife, Grace.

The first lady got herself in deep trouble, which almost caused a diplomatic furore between Harare and Pretoria, after she assaulted a South African model, Gabriella Engels, at a Sandton hotel last weekend. The temperamental first lady had gone to South Africa to visit her two sons — Robert Junior and Bellarmine Chatunga — when she found Engels in their hotel room. In a fit of rage, she assaulted Engels, accusing her of cohabitating with her sons — who are both in their 20s and live in Johannesburg.

Grace was lucky to escape arrest after she was granted diplomatic immunity by the South African government, ending days of nail-biting drama that kept the world entertained.

A few days earlier, one of Mugabe’s deputies — Emmerson Mnangagwa — had to be flown to South Africa to seek urgent medical attention following suspected food poisoning in Gwanda, where the Zanu PF leader was addressing Zanu PF youths.

While Mnangagwa came back home a day earlier than his boss after spending a week detained in a South African hospital, he could also not make it for the burial as well.

Many had, however, expected Mugabe and his wife to make it for Mahofa’s burial at the national shrine considering that he touched down at the Harare International Airport at around 03:30am and that he had left the Sadc summit in mid-session, but that was not to be.

The rumour mill was in full swing yesterday after Mugabe missed the burial of one of his praise-singers, Mahofa, who collapsed at her home in Rhodene, Masvingo, and died before she could be admitted to hospital last week.

Speculation swirled yesterday that Mugabe stayed away from Mahofa’s burial because it had been turned into a factional event.

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Home Affairs minister, Ignatius Chombo, who was the director of ceremonies at Mahofa’s burial, announced that Mugabe was in Harare but said he could not attend the burial without giving the reasons.

“Today’s burial will be presided over by the acting president Phelekezela Mphoko who was assigned by president Mugabe who arrived this morning,” Chombo said.

Mugabe had already ordered that the funeral be presided over by Vice President Mphoko despite choruses of disapproval from Mahofa’s family and allies.

Interestingly, Mahofa’s family and the Masvingo party leadership frantically tried to halt funeral proceedings because they wanted to wait for Mugabe to return from the Sadc summit to preside over her burial. They even went to the extent of attempting to push the burial to Wednesday, which was turned down.

Chaos punctuated Mphoko’s 12-minute address as some mourners made interjections from the terraces, resulting in one State security agent slapping one of them.

He was immediately surrounded by an angry mob which angrily accosted him as they threatened vengeance.

It took the intervention of some senior government officials to cool down the tempers.

Scores of people started trooping out of the national shrine as Mphoko went through his prepared speech and by the time he finished, the place was virtually empty, leaving soldiers and police officers to dominate the crowd.

Mphoko appeared to be aware of the rumpus as he accused unnamed party officials of trying to use Mahofa’s death to settle their own political scores.

“She embraced herself to the party leadership and embraced wholeheartedly the work and assignments she was given. As such there is no need for anyone to spoil her status to seek to hijack for the purpose of advancing any narrow or sinister agenda. National heroes and heroines like comrade Mahofa are by definition figures and rallying points for nation unity. Any attempt to use national heroines for any divisive politics is a betrayal of the gains of the liberation struggle,” Mphoko said, in the only occasion when he strayed from his prepared speech.

Reports indicated that the booing and walking out on Mphoko was done by a rented crowd to embarrass the vice president.

Mahofa was one of the kingpins in the Team Lacoste faction, one of the two groups in Zanu PF battling to have their own succeed Mugabe.

“The iron lady of Masvingo”, as Mahofa was affectionately known, was one of the kingpins in the Team Lacoste faction, which is campaigning for Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe.

There hasn’t been any love lost between Mphoko and the Team Lacoste faction as the vice president is seen as one of the key figures behind the rival Generation 40 (G40) faction, which is opposed to Mnangagwa.

Mahofa’s funeral brought to the fore the ugly side of the factionalism in Zanu PF when perceived G40 members were barred from attending her funeral in Masvingo.

The factional detachments manifested during Mahofa’s funeral wake in Masvingo, where G40 sympathisers, notably Tourism and Hospitality minister, Walter Mzembi and provincial political commissar, Jappy Jaboon, were chased away by Mnangagwa loyalists who accused them of hounding Mahofa to death as well as poisoning Mnangagwa.

On Friday, Chombo told a press conference that they were some mischievous elements who wanted to confuse the situation.

“The family spoke about Saturday and moved it to Sunday. There could be some mischievous elements who were trying to confuse the situation, but the family and political leadership are at one that burial is on Sunday (yesterday),” said Chombo.

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HARARE - Chimurenga artiste Jairos Chabvonga is returning to City Sports Bar in the capital tonight where he is expected to perform at the joint’s weekly event jam session.

The Thomas Mapfumo-inspired artiste told the Daily News that he is going to give his loyal fans value for money.

“I have learnt to perfect my act over the years and I am convinced that I am almost there. At the moment my focus is on delivering a polished act to give value to my loyal fans.

“I have got faith that one day things will shape up; for this reason, I have invested heavily in music,” he said.

Chabvonga will share the stage with artistes such as Liversy Matamba, King Omale, Nina Grande, Lyaness, Faith Candy, Sasha, Madiz, Gentlemen’s Rock, John Manyozo and Prezha Agents, Potato and Talking Guitars among others.

“Chimurenga music took a back seat when Mapfumo relocated to the United States of America and it is now a mammoth task to revive it here in Zimbabwe. There is a lot to be done but I am encouraged by the positive response I am getting from my fans.

“The genre has been dented by politics; some of the fans fear to associate with the genre because the majority of Chimurenga artistes used it to pursue political agendas.

“However, I strongly believe with time, the genre will reclaim its top position in the country as fans and artistes are here,” Chabvonga said.

He added that Chimurenga genre is the backbone of Zimbabwean culture hence it should not be neglected at all.

“I believe the genre defines us as Zimbabweans. It started here hence Zimbabweans should be proud of it, they should not leave to die,” Chabvonga said.

Chabvonga’s sentiments were also backed by veteran artiste Leonard Zhakata who said sungura and Chimurenga music genres must not be escorted to graveyards as they carry national history and identity.

“The music genres are part of our identity as Zimbabweans hence it is fatal to celebrate its death. Country music is among the oldest genres in Europe but fans unlike here they do not want to let it go and they are proud of it.

“Our major problem is that we have misinterpreted the idea of preserving identity as a sign of primitiveness or backwardness,” he said.

Chabvonga has three albums under his belt namely Nevanji, Chimurenga Highway and Chimurenga Heritage.

Apart from the albums, he has collaborated with artistes including Andy Muridzo and Soul Jah Love among others.

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HARARE - Television personality Oscar Pambuka who is also the Zimdancehall patron has gone a step further by collaborating with several Zimdancehall artistes on newly-released singles, a development which will catapult the veteran broadcaster’s profile.

Pambuka collaborated with Kinnah aka Mr Mbare on songs Hukama and Ndaigara Ndichishanda while with DJ Fantan and Levels he recorded the song Hapana Anotimisa. The songs are already on YouTube.

The television presenter who is inspired by Kinnah will launch a full album in October.

And while his songs are not all gospel, save for the duet with Kinnah, he loves the genre.

“Whenever I listen to gospel music inform of Zimdancehall I feel being uplifted spiritually. Dancehall music is neither satanic nor a violence movement.

“I believe it is also our duty as Christians to redeem the lost — as Jesus came not for the righteous but for sinners,” said the managing director of Oscar Pambuka Productions.

Zimdancehall Awards founder Phineas Mushayi appointed Pambuka as the patron of the genre in 2013 and his term in office will expire this year.

“As a patron of Zimdancehall my role is to support artistes either morally or financially like what I am doing in sponsoring workshops for artistes — all in a bid to bring sanity and order in the growing industry,” he said.

“We are holding workshops in ghettos where we drill artistes to be professional and desist from the habit of thriving on unorthodox means such as violence.

“The workshops are being sponsored by my company — Oscar Pambuka and Associates,” said the 36-year-old television personality.

“Our workshops attract stakeholders in showbiz particularly in Zimdancehall such as music promoters among others.”

In a previous interview with this publication, Pambuka said his personal motto reads: Tsvaga mari nehupenyu which can be loosely translated in English to mean “work for money and life.”

He admitted that “hunting for money is like his daily hobby” and that is the reason why he always goes for it whenever he has the opportunity.

“We are blessed as Christians hence there is reason to look for it (money) and enjoy it while we are still on this planet, I believe we are not supposed to be poor,” said Pambuka.

The former Christian College of Southern Africa College student presents a number of television programmes on ZBC-TV such as Power Talk, Melting Pot and Media Watch as well as live coverage on different State-sponsored events.

He, however, had tongues wagging when he joined Walter Magaya’s Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, a move interpreted by his critics as inspired by his strong love of the finer things in life.

Pambuka, who hails from Chipinge revealed that since he joined PHD Ministries his life has never been the same.

“I joined PHD Ministries some few years ago after I met Magaya at Joina City (Harare) and he introduced himself to me before inviting me to his church. Ever since I joined PHD Ministries everything in my life has turned to gold,” he said.

Pambuka had never committed himself in the business of attending churches before joining the PHD Ministries, save for the Roman Catholic Church services he often attended at All Souls Mission in Mutoko where he did his secondary education back then.

“The good thing is that I have always been a believer though I was not a church-goer,” he said.

He is married to fellow journalist Nyasha Makota and the couple is blessed with children — Aisha Nokutenda (girl) and a son— Oscar (Junior) Tawanda.

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LAGOS - Nigerians on Sunday celebrated the return of President Muhammadu Buhari with thanksgiving services after his prolonged absence abroad for medical treatment, a period that stoked tension in a divided nation.

Early morning services were held in churches across the vast west African country, including the seat of government, Aso Villa, in Abuja.

Buhari left Nigeria on May 7 for his second break of treatment in Britain this year for an unspecified medical condition, on the heels of a spell of two months.

The 74-year-old returned to the capital on Saturday to a welcome from thousands of supporters, who lined the roads.

Buhari, a retired general elected in 2015, temporarily handed power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to allay fears of a leadership vacuum in a country deeply divided along ethnic and religious faultlines.

On Sunday, Osinbajo, a southern Christian, led other worshippers at a thanksgiving service at the Aso Villa chapel to celebrate the return of his boss.

The congregation sang hymns in Nigeria's three main languages of Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo to praise God for Buhari's recovery, local media reported.

"We want to rejoice with our father, acting president Yemi Osinbajo, for the safe return of our president and our father, Muhammadu Buhari," said Reverend Isaac Ambi.

"We also want to thank God on how he has used Osinbajo in piloting the affairs of Nigeria while the president was away."

Buhari's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) issued a statement celebrating his return and praised his deputy for steering the affairs of the country while he was away.

It urged the two leaders to continue to work together to improve the welfare of Nigerians.

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HARARE – Runaway Zifa Northern Region Division One League leaders Herentals suffered their second defeat of the season falling 1-0 to a fired-up Golden Valley at the weekend.

Forward Legend Zulu scored the priceless goal for Golden Valley five minutes from the break but the defeat had little impact on the School Boys’ charge towards sealing promotion into the top flight as they remain 16 points clear at the top of the log.

With 14 matches left before the season ends, Herentals remain favourites to earn promotion having enjoyed good form since the start of the season.

Herentals coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva while disappointed with the result remains optimistic of the team’s chances to seal promotion.

“It is always disappointing to lose a game but we need to quickly forget about this defeat and move on,” Mutiwekiziva told the Daily News.

“It’s not the end of the road but rather a warning of the need to fight hard. I think we were a bit complacent in our approach something we really need to work on.

“But all the same, I am confident of achieving our target of sealing promotion into the top flight.”

The win for Golden Valley took them to 36 points having played 21 matches. They can still reduce the gap to 13 points with the log leaders if they win their game in hand.

Mushowani Stars also kept their slim hopes alive with a win against Karoi United to move to 35 points from 22 matches.

After showing a lot of promise at the start of the season, Mushowani somehow lost steam during the course and have been inconsistent lately.

They are now banking on other teams to do them a favour while winning their own fixtures if they are to make a surprise comeback.

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HARARE – Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) chief executive officer Blessing Chiutare says he will not let detractors sidetrack him from doing his job after his CV was leaked on social media at the weekend.

The local game is currently comatose after the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) two weeks ago suspended the union’s top hierarchy following the Sables’ dismal performance in the 2017 Rugby Afrique Gold Cup competition.

With the top brass suspended, Chiutare was tasked to hold fort in the meantime while the SRC is in the process of formulating an interim board.

However, the infighting in local rugby has not been abated with pseudo characters going on social media to try and tarnish Chiutare’s reputation.

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“I think people are trying to discredit me...somebody has gone overboard and I think one thing they forget is that I’m human too,” Chiutare told the Daily News.

“I have a family and I still need to be respected. I have heard about it but I have not seen it and I will never bother myself about that because there’s no way I would share my personal CV on social media.

“I have not denigrated anyone on any platform. I’m set out to do my job and in the meantime that is what I intend to do.

“People are always going to talk, some have an agenda and they are going to keep hammering but I have no idea why they are doing that.”

Chiutare applied for the ZRU top post in January this year before he was eventually appointed three months ago.

But since his elevation, the Harare Sports Club official has been fighting various allegations with his detractors claiming he is not fit to hold such a vital office in the ZRU.

There are also allegations that his appointment was not above board since there was no proper recruitment process followed by the board led by suspended president Nyararai Sibanda.

Chiutare said he has been working hard in the trenches in the short time he has been in office to get Zimbabwe rugby where it belongs. 

“The sad part is that people don’t talk about the positive things happening in the sport right now,” he said.

“People make mistakes but they learn from that and move on with their lives. We are in talks with many different partners as we try to make rugby manageable again.”

SRC board chairperson Edward Siwela said the infighting in local rugby will soon be a thing of the past with the conferment of an interim board by the Sports minister Makhosini Hlongwane anytime this week.

“I’m sure that sometime this week the minister will announce the interim board to run the affairs of ZRU,” Siwela said.

“You need an authority to run any office and any other person not in the fold should not be allowed to make any decisions.”

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HARARE – Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) are beginning to benefit from the visit by a high-powered Cricket South Africa (CSA) delegation at the beginning of the year whose purpose sought to improve bilateral relations.

CSA’s four-member delegation comprising chief executive Haroon Lorgat, Chris Nenzani (president), Thabang Moroe (vice president) and chairman audit and risk Louis von Zeuner held a working group discussion with their ZC counterparts during the visit. Chairperson Tavengwa Mukuhlani led the ZC delegation comprising vice chair Sylvester Matshaka, ex-managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa, Givemore Makoni (head cricket affairs), Nesta Vaki (head corporate affairs), Ronald Chibwe (finance committee member) and Enock Ikope (board member).

The purpose of the discussions were to improve co-operation and also centred on a wide range of areas, including better governance, administration, cricket development and technical support for ZC.

They also discussed the resource limitations and realities faced by both countries and the prospects of CSA supporting ZC to improve in all areas of its mandate as well various ICC matters of mutual interest.

The just-concluded Zimbabwe A series against a South African Emerging side is one by-product of the January meeting and a welcome development for the country’s usually action-starved development side.

Zim A, however, lost the first four-day match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, drew the second match at Kwekwe Sports Club before going down 0-3 in the three-match unofficial One Day International series at Harare Sports Club.

The Zimbabwe women cricket team is currently hosting Namibia in five Twenty20 matches in preparation for the ICC Africa Women T20 qualifiers in Windhoek next month and are also set to travel to South Africa where they are scheduled to play at least 11 T20 matches against the country’s provincial sides.

“ZC is grateful to CSA for taking this initiative which follows engagement between the two countries at presidential level. CSA can play a leading role to help us to strengthen our game in almost every respect,” Mukuhlani said then.

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HARARE – The Zambezi Cheetahs’ preparations for the 2017 Africa Cup Sevens rugby tournament suffered a major blow following the injury to Australia-based flanker Connor Pritchard.

Pritchard underwent surgery to repair a fractured jaw yesterday morning and will only return to the field after three months.

The Griffith University student was one of the star performers for the Sables during a disappointing 2017 Rugby Afrique Gold Cup campaign.

Together with scrumhalf Hilton Mudariki the duo were included in the Gold Cup best XV squad.

Pritchard was expected to be part of the Zambezi Cheetahs squad that is preparing to take part in the Africa Cup Sevens tournament to be held in Kampala, Uganda in October.

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The team needs to reach the finals of the tournament in Kampala in order to secure a ticket for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens finals in San Francisco, United States.

Success in Kampala also secures the Zambezi Cheetahs’ core status in the 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens Series. 

Team manager Donald Mangenje said Pritchard’s injury was a blow for the team but backed the flanker’s replacements to provide enough cover in his absence.

“We were looking forward to having him in the side, no doubt his valuable experience and form he displayed with the Sables was going to come in handy for the Cheetahs,” Mangenje told the Daily News yesterday.

“It is a blow for the team losing such a young and talented player who still has a lot to offer but I believe we have got enough resources in the side to fill in the void that came about as a result of the unfortunate injury.

“We wish him a speedy recovery and hope he will be able to get back to his usual best when he returns.”

The Zambezi Cheetahs have been in camp for the last two weeks with head coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba taking some of the players through their paces in Bulawayo before crossing over to the capital this week.

“The training has been good so far and we got a major boost with the unveiling of the Zambezi Lager sponsorship which is not only a boost for the team but to a larger extent rugby in general which comes at the right time as we prepare for the Africa Cup,” Mangenje said.

“We are looking forward to carrying the form we had at the Victoria Falls Sevens tournament where we managed to win the tournament as we head to Zambia for the Lusaka Sevens with the sole goal of winning.”

Zimbabwe Rugby Union spokesperson Raymond Gonte also expressed disappointment following Pritchard’s injury.

Zambezi Cheetahs training squad: Tapiwa Tsomondo, Riaan O’Niel (False Bay,SA), Njabulo Ndlovu (UWC,SA), Biselele Tshamala, Ngoni Chibuwe (College Rovers, SA), Brian Dube (Old Boys, SA), Mkhululi Ndhlela (Tuks, SA), Hilton Mudariki (Pirates, SA), Gardner Nechironga (Raiders, SA), Boyd Rouse, Mark Kidson (Bury St Edmunds, UK), Shayne Makombe (RC Compiegnois, France), Tafadzwa Chitokwindo (TV Pforzheim, Germany), Lucky Sithole, Osborne Muhambi, Takudzwa Kumadiro, Takudzwa Francisco, Zepheniah Nkomo, Shingi Hlanguyo, Russel Dodo (HSC), Stephan Hunduza, Scottie Johns, Lenience Tambwera, Takudzwa Chieza, Shingi Katsvere, Wilson Seremani (OGs), Innocent Nyatsanza ), McDonald Kazingizi, Prince Dube (Police Defenders), Gideon Muyambo, Dennis Museredza (Murate), Tinashe Gwisai, Joshua Gando, Tichafara Makwanya (OH), Nelson Madida, Tarisai Mugariri, Walter Gode, Theodore Chiremba (Mat Warriors), Kilvan Magunje (Gweru).

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HARARE - With South Africa taking over the leadership of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and Zimbabwe heading for yet another landmark election likely to be highly-contested and equally disputed, it is only logical to remind both Sadc and South Africa on the unfinished business  that is Zimbabwe.

Unfinished business given the investment made after the 2008 election in trying to resolve the political impasse that had emerged arising from a disputed electoral outcome.

The formation of an inclusive government was spearheaded by Sadc but only just the beginning of a consolidated democratic dispensation critical to the stabilisation of the region.

While the current Constitution is celebrated as a major milestone of the inclusive government, the real benefits of that Constitution lie more in its full implementation than in the mere existence of a document that is disregarded.

In order for ensured sustained democratic growth, Zimbabwe needs more than half measures, more than cosmetic efforts to give an illusion of movement.

As 2018 draws closer, the reality of Zimbabwe remains characterised by weak legislation and weak institutions supporting the country’s very weak democracy.

Conversations by Sadc on growing the region must centre on building strong institutions rather than focusing on politicians and political parties.

While individuals have been the key architects of weakening the region for political convenience, a focus on them alone while ignoring the need to build the necessary infrastructure for sustained development will only postpone the inevitable and not eradicate the persistent challenges facing democratic processes.

As Sadc meets for the 37th Sadc summit in Pretoria, from August 19 to 20, 2017, it must be reminded that another disputed election in the region will be yet another dent on the credibility of the institution and every effort must be made to strengthen democratic institutions and laws in countries with a previous record of conflict and dispute.

While Zimbabwe is not the only country in need of the region’s attention, the fact that the region is yet to conclude its assistance towards strengthening democratic process suggests the need for further prioritisation.

Notwithstanding that some progress has been noted in some areas, the Election Resource Centre (ERC) opines that the national assembly by-elections held post 2013 have not settled irregularities that were noted by both local and regional election observer missions, particularly Sadc.

These uncompleted processes are likely to create similar problems that have characterised Zimbabwe’s previous elections, resulting in disputed outcomes.

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HARARE - The wrangle between Zimbabwean and South African aviation authorities, which left thousands of travellers between the two countries stranded over the weekend, could have been handled differently.

Thousands of travellers, including international tourists, were caught up in a tiff between the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (Caaz) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) over what officially was said to be Foreign Operating Licences “issues” which started with SACAA grounding a Harare-bound Air Zimbabwe plane on Friday evening.

In retaliation, Caaz barred South African Airways (SAA) from leaving and landing in Zimbabwe.

The whole saga unravelled at a time the South African government was under pressure to arrest First Lady Grace Mugabe over allegations of assaulting a 20-year-old model she found with her sons — Robert Junior and Chatunga Bellarmine at a South African hotel — a week ago.

While the temptation is so great to link the two events — the cancellation of flights between the two countries and the pressure to arrest Grace — it is rather better to just deal with the rather odd scenario which, on the balance of full analysis, leaves Zimbabwe with a sour taste in the mouth.

Caaz’s decision to ground the planes in Zimbabwe was ill-advised as it clearly showed poor work at gamesmanship which did not really tilt the scale in Zimbabwe’s favour.

While it is true that SAA were hit hard by the sudden ban, because it operates more flights than any other airline in the country, our own tourism suffered, especially in Victoria Falls where hoteliers ended up making arrangements to organise buses to ferry their clients from Livingstone, Zambia, where the grounded planes were landing, bringing them back to our soil across the Zambezi River.

Apart from inconveniencing the tourists, many hotels and lodges incurred huge losses for the upkeep of those that were stranded.

The wrangle did expose Zimbabwe more than it did show the rest of the world that President Robert Mugabe’s government would play hardball with South Africa.

It exposed Zimbabwe as an ungrateful neighbour, especially considering how South Africa has had to make huge concessions both at political and economic levels when it had many options that could have left us to hang and dry.

A case in point is the ill-advised implementation of the Statutory Instrument 64, which hurt South African companies when it was brought into force last year in June.

It is always dangerous to start a war which one can not win. The authorities should take heed.

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HARARE - Suspended Mashonaland Holdings boss Manfred Mahari — facing charges of $31 000 maintenance arrears — reportedly splashed money on teenage children he sired with other women and bought them Mercedes Benz cars while neglecting his other children, a Harare court heard.

Mahari is answering to charges of defaulting payment of maintenance before Harare magistrate Annia Ndiraya.

He denied the charges and claimed he entered an agreement with his estranged wife Moyra after facing financial problems.

He claims she undertook to take over the children’s welfare, and wants the case resolved in a civil court.

However, Moyra told the court that Mahari was affluent and capable of maintaining their children because he has vast properties and now sits on the Turnall Holdings Board as an executive director.

“He even bought Mercedes Benz cars for his other children aged 16 and another one currently studying at Cape Town University,” Moyra told the court.

“The accused person has houses in Borrowdale, Raylands Pomona and owns a flat.

“He also has a plot in Nyanga, a shoe shop at Travel Plaza called Smitten Feet and a bottle store called Gartwick Liqour Centre. He also has three other wives and nine children.

“We have a child who has scoliosis of the spine and needs treatment and to show that he is capable there is another child from his other families who also has that condition and was sent for treatment in United States of America recently.”

She added that Mahari had told her she would not receive a cent from him as a means of fixing her, the court heard.

According to State papers, on April 12, 2012, Mahari was ordered by the Harare Civil Court to pay maintenance for his three children.

He agreed with Moyra in their divorce settlement that he would settle all school and tuition fees.

The court heard that they also agreed that Mahari would provide uniforms, footwear, sportswear, text books and pay for the children to attend extra lessons.

According to the settlement, Mahari was to meet the children’s daily needs and bear 100 percent of their medical aid.

However, it is alleged Mahari failed to comply and is now in arrears of $31 577.

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HARARE - Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, has been ranked one of 10 worst cities in the world to live in, according to a survey.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2017 study said Harare was ranked eight from the worst city to live in among 140 metropolis assessed.

The only cities worse than Harare are war-torn cities such as Damascus, Tripoli, Dakar and Karachi among others.

Every city is assigned a rating of relative comfort for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure.

Each factor in a city is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable.

For qualitative indicators, a rating is awarded based on the judgment of in-house analysts and in-city contributors.

The scores are then compiled and weighted to provide a score of 1–100, where 1 is considered intolerable and 100 is considered ideal.

Harare had a rating of 42,6.

Melbourne, Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Helsinki, Hamburg were rated as the most liveable cities in the world.

The ratings come as Harare City Council is aiming to regain its sunshine city status by 2025, a wish described as a long shot.

This comes as mounds of waste in garbage dumps around the capital are hindering the citizenry’s confidence in local government.

Trash cans or bins overflow with rotten fruit, spoiled eggs, and other garbage.

Pedestrians have to jump over disgusting trash scattered on the sidewalks, at bus ranks, shopping centres and street corners across Harare, meanwhile either cursing the city government or holding their noses.

Deputy chief secretary in the office of the President and Cabinet Ray Ndlukula has said the vision of a world-class city could be derailed by poor service delivery and damaged roads.

“The city’s 5 000km or so road network is now largely filled with potholes and in some instances the tarmac has been eroded to resemble gravel roads in rural communities,” Ndlukula said while addressing a recent Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) review meeting, in the capital.

“Furthermore, some structures were built in the colonial era and now pose a danger to occupants, as their safety standards have been compromised.

“Heaps and heaps of uncollected rubbish are now a familiar face in some parts of the city especially in high density suburbs, with some residents and small business operators now taking the initiative to burn the litter on their own hence causing another problem to the environment which is pollution.

“Dilapidated water and sewer reticulation systems . . . have also caused problems in the city in the form of burst sewer pipes thereby posing health dangers to the population.

“Additionally, the response and reaction time by council employees to calls to address the challenges also leaves a lot to be desired, hence causing streams of sewerage water to flow across residential areas into city rivers and streams.”‘

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HARARE - War veterans are preparing for another meeting with President Robert Mugabe before the end of this year, War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube has said.

Speaking to the Daily News yesterday, Dube said they were having provincial meetings with war veterans in all provinces in preparation of their indaba with the president.

“We are supposed to meet the president every year and currently we are preparing for the indaba, we are having war veterans’ provincial meetings around the country.

“We want to unite the war veterans, we want to put war collaborators, former political detainees and restrictees under one roof. We have some challenges, so we want to deal with those challenges before meeting the president,” Dube said.

This comes as the Christopher Mutsvangwa-led Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) is increasingly drifting away from the ruling party and gravitating towards the opposition.

Mutsvangwa, who is linked to the Team Lacoste faction in Zanu PF that is campaigning for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe, warned the incumbent recently that he was not a super human and were ready to work against his re-election bid ahead of the 2018 polls if he does not ditch the Generation 40 (G40) faction.

He said the liberation war fighters would be going around their structures informing their membership not to vote for the rival G40 associates, who include Mugabe’s wife Grace.

“There is nothing magical about becoming president of Zimbabwe. It all comes from the people. He has no magical wand to pass on to his wife to protect herself when Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere go for her.

“Only the institution will protect her but they are trying to destroy the institutions. That’s why we stand by the army, the CIO (Central Intelligence Organisation) and the security establishment. The president is not a super human being.

“We are going to make sure that the election is going to be held free and fair whether G40 wants it or not.’’

Mutsvangwa’s statement came after First Lady Grace Mugabe threw the cat among the pigeons by challenging her nonagenarian husband to anoint a successor.

Grace took the unprecedented step of nudging her reluctant husband to name his heir-apparent when she addressed members of the Zanu PF women’s league national assembly at the party’s headquarters in Harare last month.

She reasoned that it was the trend in other countries for their leaders to handpick their successors, saying that act alone could also enable Zanu PF’s warring supporters to close ranks.

Her sentiments have, however, fuelled the infighting in Zanu PF, with the two factions in Mugabe’s party — Team Lacoste and G40 — latching onto her calls to advance their agendas.

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HARARE - Five suspected armed robbers who pounced on Apostolic Faith Mission’s Waterfalls church and stole cash before raping a woman were tracked using a stolen cellphone given to a wife of one of the robbers, a Harare court heard yesterday.

Edmore Murambidzi, 23, Gift Kupa Mudamburi, 40, Alouis Nyamadzawo, 41, Munyaradzi Chikarara, 40, and Talent Madzimba are being charged with four counts of robbery.

They are appearing before Harare regional magistrate Lucy Mungwari.

Nyamadzawo, Chikakarara and Madzimba have since fled the court’s jurisdiction after successfully getting bail at the High Court, leaving Murambidzi and Mudamburi to stand trial for the four counts.

David Chikungwa, one of the arresting details, said they engaged the network provider and managed to track down a phone that had been stolen at the scene.

“After we were told that among the stolen goods was a cellphone, we engaged the network provider and established that the phone was in use. Further investigations led us to Murambidzi’s mother-in-law whose line had been inserted in the phone,” Chikungwa said.

“We managed to track her down in Mbare and when we got there and advised her about the purpose of our visit, she said her line was now being used by her daughter who happened to be Murambidzi’s wife. We then proceeded to Budiriro and she told us that the phone had been given to her by Murambidzi as a gift.”

The court heard that Murambidzi was subsequently arrested and implicated the rest of gang before they were apprehended by the police.

However, Murambidzi now claims that he bought the alleged phone at Flyover in Mbare and does not remember the seller.

The complainants are Pfumai Mukodzani, 44, Fani Mereki, 40, Keith Brandon Mereki and the 29-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted.

Prosecutor Ephraim Zinyandu alleged that on August 28, last year, the gang armed themselves with a pick, two hammers and iron bars before driving to the AFM church.

The court heard that upon arrival, Murambidzi and his accomplices confronted the security guard, one Mukodzani who was sitting in a parked Toyota Coaster.

One of the accused persons struck Mukodzani with a hammer on the head, demanding to know where the church safe was kept.

It was alleged that Mukodzani shouted for help but was continuously assaulted and threatened with death for making noise.

The caretaker’s son Keith Mereki heard the noise and woke up his father Fani who was sleeping in another room.

Murambidzi and his accomplices continued demanding to know the church safe’s location and tore a pillow case before using it to tie Fani and Mukodzani’s hands and legs.

The two were made to lie on the floor with their stomachs and Keith was forced to go around the church compound showing the robbers where the other occupants resided.

The court heard that Keith was made to lie under the bed of a 29-year-old woman whom they found sleeping with her two children.

That was when other gang members broke into the church office and stole $916 from the cash box.

One of the accused persons had remained behind in the woman’s house and pulled her pyjamas off before raping her.

The court heard that he only stopped raping the woman after being signalled that it was time to leave by his accomplices.

The gang reportedly loaded their loot into a Honda Aspire before fleeing the scene.

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HARARE - Hundreds of illegal settlers who invaded sugar estates owned by the Zimbabwe units of South Africa’s Tongaat Hullett and have been shielded from eviction by Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Shuvai Mahofa have been left in a quandary.

Mahofa died on Monday last week after she collapsed at her Masvingo home.

The 220 settlers, mostly Zanu PF loyalists, were illegally settled on 4 400 hectares of Tongaat Hullet sugarcane fields in the lowveld early last year.

The settlers occupied the cane fields with the blessing of Mahofa, who was also chairperson of the provincial lands committee.

The settlers have been left stranded, with the agro-industrial giant refusing to buy their mature sugarcane.

Tongaat Hullet has been disputing the occupation of its land, which is protected under a bilateral agreement between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Mahofa, along with Psychomotor minister Josiah Hungwe, were accused of leading the land grab.

Earlier this month, President Robert Mugabe ordered police to remove the families who had moved onto the sugar estates owned by Tongaat’s Hippo Valley Estates and Triangle Sugar in southern Zimbabwe.

“Why would you want to take everything from white farmers? Get virgin land and stop being greedy. Surely, you cannot harvest where you did not sow,” Mugabe said in an unprecedented warning at a recent youth interface rally in Masvingo.

But the settlers have remained adamant.

They had approached the High Court seeking a reversal of government’s decision to withdraw their offer letters.

Tongaat Hullet is refusing to give the settlers milling accounts which would allow them to sell their crop to it, essentially closing them out of the sugarcane market.

The settlers also do not have growers’ numbers to prove their legitimacy as sugarcane growers.

Some of the farmers have telephoned the Daily News indicating that only a week after Mahofa’s death, they have been receiving eviction threats from individuals purporting to be working on behalf of Tongaat Hullet.

The farmers’ representative, Ailes Baloyi confirmed the developments yesterday.

“We have received reports of farmers that are being threatened with eviction daily. They are saying that since Mai Mahofa who was our shield is no more, we have been left weaker and easier to deal with,” he said.

“We are still waiting for the Tongaat Hullet to give us milling quotas and grower numbers so that we can sell the crop which is now costly to maintain since we have to keep irrigating it. There has not been any progress on that front,” the former Chiredzi South legislator said.

Another farmer claimed strangers claiming to represent Tongaat Hullet pitched at her plot on Saturday afternoon and advised her to leave before aggressive evictions are effected.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association national political commissar, Francis Nhando, who has fiercely backed the settlers, said a sense of uncertainty had engulfed the Lowveld over the issue.

“No one knows what to do at the moment. Most of them would have by now finished harvesting and preparing tendering for fresh shoots. We clearly understand Tongaat Hullet’s concerns because it also invested its money, but we are saying a solution should be found before it is too late,” he said.

Although Tongaat Hullet corporate affairs executive, Adelaide Chikunguru, declined to comment on the issue referring questions to the Lands and Rural Resettlement ministry, a senior company official, speaking on condition of anonymity for professional reasons, said it was highly unlikely that the company could change its mind.

“I don’t see them (farmers) winning. As we speak, they are not legitimate sugarcane growers. Varikungosimbisana chete but hapana chinobuda (they are only fooling each other but they will not win),” the official said.

Efforts to get comment from Lands and Rural Resettlement minister, Douglas Mombeshora, who is under fire for issuing the disputed offer letters he subsequently withdrew, were fruitless as he did not answer calls on his mobile phone.

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HARARE – After gaining a two-point lead on the premiership table, Chicken Inn are looking well poised to wrestle the PSL title largely due to depth and experience in their squad.

While there is still room for a lot more twists in the remaining 12 matches in the Castle Lager Premiership, one of the biggest strengths the Gamecocks have up their sleeve is the incredible depth in almost every department.

On Saturday, Chicken were far from their best but still managed to grind a 0-1 victory over Black Rhinos, courtesy of a Moses Jackson header in the second half at Rufaro Stadium.

That win took Rahman Gumbo’s side to the summit with 45 points after 22 rounds of action.

The Gamecocks, who won their maiden title in 2015 under the guidance of Joey Antipas, appear to have the requisite squad to cope with the rigours of a long season, thanks to the presence of a bevy of talented young and experienced players within their ranks.

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Chicken Inn have maintained the core of their championship winning team led by veteran Clemence Matawu while also adding some equally talented and experienced players in Darryl Nyandoro and Chris Samakweri, who are not strangers to winning titles.

Samakweri was part of the Monomotapa team that won the championship in 2009 before going on to win more silverware with DR Congo giants TP Mazembe, this time alongside Nyandoro.

Again, the arrival of such players like the exciting midfielder Innocent Mucheneka and hard-running Kuda Gurure as well as the experienced Collins Duhwa has further swelled an already balanced Chicken Inn.

The Gamecocks are unbeaten in their previous seven matches and after watching their game against Black Rhinos, one would be forgiven to suggest that Gumbo’s charges appear to have the Premier League title in the bag already.

Gumbo had the privilege to leave some of his best players on the bench like veterans Brian Juru and Obadiah Tarumbwa but still came out with maximum points.

The former Warriors coach himself, is no stranger to winning the title having done so twice with Highlanders and beyond the borders in Malawi and Botswana and has made it clear that his target is winning this year’s championship.

“Like I said, we have got our own targets that we have set and we are still within our targets.

“Today’s game, I think Rhinos played very good football, they gave us a good run for our money but at the end of the day, we came here to grind a result and we got it,” Gumbo said after the win over Rhinos.

“We were not superior to Rhinos, I think it was a balanced game.

“I think we took the chance that we got and that was the only difference. Rhinos missed some chances and I think that was the major difference.

“We want to see how far we can go; we just want to keep on collecting points. We are going for the championship and if you can get a result against a strong side like Rhinos, it shows where we are going. We are making our statement clear.”

Gumbo is banking on depth in his team to out-muscle their rivals in the title race.

“We have depth,” Gumbo said. “We have just got to be really good with how we use them and how we set the team up.

“We knew what we wanted and we prepared for the season. We knew it was going to be a long season so we needed to have enough depth to also cater for injuries.”

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HARARE - War veterans’ leader Victor Matemadanda — granted bail on Saturday for charges of undermining the authority of the president and causing disaffection among the defence forces — has worn another protest T-shirt.

The shirt bears the message “Elimination By Whatever Means and Methods Will Not Stop Us. 1-2=It Cant.”

Reached for comment, Matemadanda said the message contained on the shirt was not directed at any particular person.

“I just bought that shirt in Mbare mubhero rekuMozambique (I bought the shirt from second-hand clothing section of Mbare),” Matemadanda said.

Queried why it had the initials ZNLWVA — the war veterans association — Matemadanda said it was a “mere coincidence.”

“Whatever. Deduce what you want to deduce from it, it’s up to you,” he said.

“But it’s just a second-hand T-shirt.  Vakomana chimbondiregererai munoda kuti ndisungwe futi? (Please, let me be. Do you want me to be arrested again?) I have not offended anyone.  If someone finds offence in the message, then they have something to hide but that’s not my intention.”

This comes after the firebrand war veterans’ leader was released from police custody on Saturday after handing himself voluntarily to police on Thursday last week.  He was charged for contravening Section 30 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) and also undermining the authority of or insulting the president as defined in section 33(2)(a)(i) of the same law.

The war veterans’ association’s secretary-general wore a T-Shirt whose words chided First Lady Grace Mugabe for failing in her parenting duties towards her children, Chatunga Bellarmine and Robert Junior.

The arrest saw him spend two nights behind bars before he was granted bail on Saturday by Harare provincial magistrate Elisha Singano who ruled that Matemadanda was a proper candidate for bail.

The defence counsel immediately made notice that they would be making an application to challenge the grounds of their client’s arrest.

The matter was remanded to September 1.

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