ZANU PF has set its eyes on infiltrating school development committees and creating relations with teacher organisations which they describe as fertile hunting grounds for opposition parties.

BY MOSES MATENGA

According to the Education department report, the ruling party said it was moving in to ensure control of school development committees and making sure party cadres get priority in recruitment in colleges.

“Recruiting of party cadres in school development committees is an on-going activity of the department. It is to ensure that the party establishes and/or maintains presence in these important institutions,” the report reads.

“Efforts towards establishing cordial relations with teachers’ organisations are in progress since this is a fertile recruitment ground for opposition political parties,” the report added.

The department also said that the party was working towards ensuring the ruling party cadres benefit for enrolment in teachers colleges and for apprenticeship and training in polytechnic colleges.

A report of the commissariat department also stated that the party was doing well in colleges where they have a good working relationship with the Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union.

Zanu PF has set its sight on victory in 2023. The party has already endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa as its candidate despite the elections being four years away.

The school development committees were put in place for parents to have a say in the running of schools.

In the strategy to create relations with teacher organisations, observers said Zanu PF was pushing to silence vocal teacher organisations perceived to be linked to the opposition.

FORMER Tourism minister, Priscah Mupfumira along with retired Public Service permanent secretary, Ngoni Masoka have accused the State of withholding documents, including the National Social Security Authority (Nssa) audit report, in a bid to scuttle their defence.

BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA

Appearing before Acting Chief Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi for trial over allegations of corruption, the two said they had failed to get State papers before commencement of trial, and were, therefore, left with no option but to make an application for further particulars before the court.

Mupfumira’s lawyer Thembinkosi Magwaliba told the court that on December 28, they filed a request for further particulars, but the State had failed to provide the documents.

Magwaliba also submitted that Mupfumira’s former lawyer Charles Chinyama had previously requested the report.

Mupfumira also wants the State to furnish her with witness statements taken from the officers in the Public Service ministry, the accountant general and the Secretary of the Office of the President and Cabinet.

Magwaliba also told the court that they are requesting a Cabinet ministers official handbook that specifies their duties and functions and a vehicle audit from 2015 to 2018.
Prosecutor Clemence Chimbare tried to push for the commencement of trial saying such particulars were provided when the charge is not clear or when some of the elements of the offence have been omitted.

However, Mutevedzi ruled in favour of Mupfumira, ordering the State to furnish the defence with the requested papers by January 1 to allow her to prepare for the trial.
Mutevedzi further remanded Mupfumira and Masoka to January 16 and 17 respectively for trial commencement.

THE President Emmerson Mnangagwa-led government has failed to stem the public health crisis which has persisted for close to four months following the industrial action by doctors, with patients being turned away at major referral centres across the country yesterday.

BY PHYLLIS MBANJE/NIZBERT MOYO

Zimbabwe State doctors, who downed tools on September 2, have insisted that they would only go back to work after their grievances had been addressed.

Among their major concerns were their salaries as well as the lack of equipment, drugs and sundries which they said made their work difficult. Most hospitals do not have basic stuff like stop pain tablets, gloves and health personnel had resorted to unorthodox means to cover for the inadequacies.

The public hospitals have been described as death traps and quite recently, a surgery was nearly compromised at Parirenyatwa Hospital following a power failure.

In a statement following a social media backlash on the matter, the hospital said it had experienced a power technical fault and not load-shedding.

“The hospital engineer immediately engaged Zesa who within 20 minutes sent their electricians to rectify the problem,” the statement read.

The hospital said power was restored within an hour, but in the meantime a back-up generator had kicked in the moment power went off.

“As a matter of fact, three cases were done in the theatres during the time of the power cut using the generator back up system.

Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals insisted that it was not a power cut since they have never been on the Zesa load-shedding schedule.

However, as the new year beckons, the chaos in the health sector has reached a new level with patients still being turned away and referred to the private sector which many cannot afford.

A tour of public facilities like Harare, Parirenyatwa, Mpilo Central and United Bulawayo Hospitals yesterday revealed that patients are still being turned away except for a few emergency cases.

The NewsDay crew witnessed this at Parirenyatwa, Mpilo and UBH’s casualty departments where patients, some needing specialist attention were turned away.

A doctor (name supplied) who was on duty went through the queue of patients at Parirenyatwa and the bulk of them were sent home.

He was overheard telling patients that doctors were on strike. A young boy who apparently had been assaulted by neighbours and suffered chest injuries could not be assisted as well.

His concerned relatives inquired how they should proceed and were told that they would have to go to Westend or come back when the doctors assume duty. “We do not have money for private care and are worried about his injuries. He has a police report but they said they needed an affidavit but that could not be drawn up because there are no doctors,” said the distraught relatives.

One doctor was attending to emergencies only at Mpilo, with patients waiting for several hours to get treatment.

“There is only one doctor in the casualty department and none in the outpatients. What can he do alone with so many of us like this here,” a patient awaiting treatment at Mpilo said.
Gogo maNcube said: “I came from Tsholotsho and have been here for over eight hours. I pricked a finger while tilling and require doctors to remove the thorn that is giving me sleepless nights before they can transfer me to Tsholotsho.”

However Mpilo clinical director Solwayo Ngwenya said: “We are doing the best that we can. We have always been attending to patients. There are 130 doctors attending to patients out of 200 doctors. We are waiting for the situation to improve,” he said.

TELONE are ready to let go of coach Rahman Gumbo and his assistant Lloyd Mutasa after the team was demoted to the unfashionable Division One.

BY TERRY MADYAUTA

The highly-regarded coaches joined TelOne half way through the recently ended season, with the target of helping the Gweru-based side preserve their premiership status. They failed and the team finished 16th on the 18-team log table.

Gumbo and Mutasa replaced Jairos Tapera and Joel Lupahla.

Despite their failure to save the team from relegation, Gumbo and Mutasa have been asked by the club’s management to stay on.

There are, however, rumours that the two want to leave, with reports linking Gumbo to a vacant Highlanders job, while Mutasa is said to be heading across town to promoted side Whawha.

Highlanders top job fell vacant following the departure of Dutchman Heindrikus Pieter de Jongh who is said to be joining FC Platinum from next month.

“It is up to them to decide if they want to stay or move on,” said TelOne President Lloyd Mthethwa.

“We still want them at the club, because we appreciate the work they did despite us getting relegated at the end,”

“I think we all saw that their arrival at the club changed fortunes for the team, but we were unfortunate.

TelOne are believed to be looking to buy a franchise to return to the premier league, with Tenax the target.

The team is owned by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPSC), who also owns Whawha. With Fifa’s laws prohibiting an entity/business or a person to own two clubs who play in the same competition, reports suggest that ZPSC want to dispose of Tenax.

But if they fail to get the franchise, which is reportedly also being chased by Masvingo United, TelOne could play in Division One next year.

“There is nothing much to talk about regarding that issue (buying a franchise), but if something materialises, we will notify you,” he said.

Meanwhile, a number of big clubs continue to prey on TelOne players, with defensive midfielders Emmanuel Zinyama and Innocent Zambezi reportedly targeted by Ngezi Platinum Stars.

King Nadolo remains a prime target for FC Platinum, Ngezi and ZPC Kariba. The player’s manager Basil Tangamani said they will reveal his move next week.

CAPS United are close to making their first signing in preparation for next season after agreeing terms with Warriors and Yadah midfielder Leeroy Mavunga.

BY HENRY MHARA

The Green Machine lost the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League in the most painful way in the just ended season, losing the title on the last day of the campaign.

They were beaten in by the Zvishavane-based FC Platinum in the title decider at the National Sports Stadium.

The Harare giants, it seems are, however, determined to correct the wrongs from the past season and reclaim the glory they last tasted in 2016, by reinforcing their squad.

United finance manager Morton Dodzo confirmed that the team was close to making Mavunga their first major signing and is likely to be confirmed when the player transfer window opens on Wednesday.

“Our institution has interest in securing the boy. But he is still contracted to Yadah so what we did was to seek permission from his club to talk to him which was granted,” Dodzo said.
“We met with him and his representatives and we discussed personal terms. He agreed in principle. We have given him a draft of the contract for further perusal. What is now left is for the clubs to engage and agree on the transfer,” he added.

Reports yesterday suggested that the 19-year-old star had already penned a two-year contract with the Darlington Dodo-coached side.

“We have seen reports on social media to that effect, but the truth is that the deal hasn’t been concluded. We are hoping that the reports will not jeopardise the negotiations. The good thing is that the player himself is willing to join our club. We hope we would have completed the deal before Friday. We would have wanted to complete the negotiations as soon as possible, but we have some officials who are still on holiday and that has delayed the process,” Dodzo said.

Dodzo also refuted reports suggesting that the club will release a number of senior players including Soccer Star of the Year Joel “Josta” Ngodzo.

Other players who are reportedly on their way out are Soccer Star of the Year finalist Phineas Bhamusi, Valentine Musarurwa and goalkeeper Prosper Chigumba.

“How can we release a player like Josta, the Soccer Star of the Year? Does that make any sense, honestly? Those players are some of our best players and the last thing we would want is to see them leaving. No one has indicated that they want to leave.

“There are a lot of things that we consider first before we can release a player. The most important one is the financial implications of doing it.”
But it is the capture of Mavunga that would excite a lot of Caps United fans.

The winger is one of the most talented players in the local league, with his dazzling skills and pace, making him a nightmare for many defenders.

At 19-years, he has over 10 caps with the senior national team, and has two Cosafa gold medals to show for it.

He has also been invited for trials at Portuguese top flight clubs before, including at giants Benfica. Mavunga has, however, failed to find suitors on all occasions.

His imminent joining of Caps United is expected to add depth to the squad which looked heavily depleted late in the campaign last year due to injuries to key personnel.
At one point, Dodo had only 15 players in his matchday squad, including three goalkeepers.

GWERU-based male model Devson Takudzwa Luzaine was crowned Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 King after he shrugged off stiff competition from 14 other models at a pageant held at Dream Night Life in Harare on Saturday.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

The pageant which is the brainchild of Zim Gossip Models agency founder Mercy “Catwalk” Mushaninga was previously only hosted online for about five years before she decided to make it bigger and better in her endeavours to promote local pageantry.

Devson Takudzwa Luzaine

Bernard “BenChest” Ndlovu of Bulawayo was crowned Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 Brand Ambassador, while Tatenda Njunike of Harare was crowned Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 People’s Choice with Ishmael Muragandi being capped Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 Prince.

In an interview with NewsDay Life&Style yesterday, Mushaninga said, through the pageant, she wants to promote and let the world know that Zimbabwe also has talented male models.

“It was not easy to host an event in this economy, but we had to host the show for the love and passion of promoting pageantry in Zimbabwe and with the help of Dreams Night Life. We pulled through. This is our first step, and we will keep pushing to make the modelling industry active despite the challenges,” she said.

“Modelling is a profession just like any other profession, but the acceptance in Zimbabwe is of a different narrative. If you look at Mr Zimbabwe, the pageant is still shunned by a lot of sponsors because of the alleged controversy around male models, but we hope one day we will get people who understand the industry and be partners for a better cause.”
In an earlier interview, Mushaninga described male models as trendsetters in the industry.

She said excellent character, good physique, great communication skills and deportment were critical traits for male models and dismissed claims that the majority of male models were gay.

Zimbabwe has had a long list of successful models including Jonathan Denga, Jefferson Muserera, Lungani Mkwebu and Tichaona “Tich” Maruziva.

South Africa’s former President Thabo Mbeki was recently in Zimbabwe to explore possibilities of institutionalising inter-party dialogue in order to improve political cooperation for reasons still to be fully unpacked.

GUEST COLUMNIST PHILLAN ZAMCHIYA

Mbeki’s conclusion is that currently there is a window of opportunity for talks but no space for a government of national unity similar to the one created in 2009.

I hope when Mbeki completes his power analysis he will find the wisdom to include in his dialogue framework civil society and representatives of the commissioned commanders of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) who wield immense power behind the scenes.

During the exploratory phase, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A) was clear that it wants inter-party democratic dialogue to deal with transitional justice and national healing, political and economic reforms, international re-engagement and legitimacy deficit.

The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu PF), meanwhile, wants multi-party dialogue to deal with sanctions, international re-engagement, the economic crisis and the legitimacy question.

It sounds like there is congruence across some issues, but the devil is in the detail and this is a subject for another article.

For now, I posit that despite the call for dialogue, democratic compromise will be difficult for many reasons.

These include Zanu PF leaders’ sense of entitlement to rule due to their participation in the liberation war that led to Zimbabwe’s independence from British colonial rule in 1980.
However, equally important, but understated is that Zimbabwe is in a perpetual election mode. `

My reading is that the electoral mind-set dominates the governing mind-set in day-to-day politics. Consequently, the political leaders are not likely to see the need for meaningful compromise, but calculations for 2023 general elections.

Candidates in an election mode are more effective in rallying supporters by articulating hardline positions, casting opponents as “enemies” and positioning themselves as the unwavering bastions of the national soul. However, campaigning is one thing and governing is another.

The latter requires compromise. `To avoid compromise, political leaders will seek to advance arguments based on “principle” and seed perpetual mistrust of each other.

Yet most of what politicians call principles are interests. For example, the Zanu PF ruling elite’s resolve to defend ill-gotten properties under the guise of defending national sovereignty is not principle, but interest.

Mbeki will realise when the dialogue reaches the implementation stage that in Zimbabwe electoral campaigning does not end on the voting day. Rather it starts on the very same day. The polarised positions will remain rigid especially towards 2023 as another general election looms.

The MDC Alliance will have to listen to the “boots on the ground” who want them to remain radical and rigid. These are the party foot soldiers who do the campaigning.

On the other side, Mnangagwa will need to show a face of courage (even a fake one) to appease the commissioned commanders of the ZNA who sustain his party. Most party hardliners across the MDC Alliance and Zanu PF will view leaders who compromise with mistrust in such a polarised polity.

Not to compromise is seen as improving one’s political profile among die-hard members of the party.

Contrary to this is that most of the general supporters who bear the day-to-day suffering of the Zanu PF misrule see democratic compromise as a source of strength not as a sign of surrendering and signifying end-of-life. The major problem is that without democratic compromise what wins is the status quo. Yet compromise must not be for the sake of compromise.
If it improves the status quo, it is an essential part of the democratic process.

Let me not detour from postulating that within the framework of a pending general election, no effective dialogue is likely to take place in substance, but in optics.

Perhaps it is time to rethink innovative political solutions that are tailor-made to Zimbabwe’s specific problem.