BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

CELEBRATED South African artistes AKA, Distruction Boyz and Naak Musiq will headline the much-awaited DJ Stavo and Friends Concert set for December 21 at Wood Sensation Club located at LongCheng Plaza in Belvedere, Harare.

The concert, which is meant to celebrate unity among artistes, is the brainchild of local award-winning wheel spinner, Steven “DJ Stavo” Sanders (pictured).

One of the concert organisers, Dee Nosh, yesterday said music had the power to unite different nationalities.

“The DJ Stavo and Friends is a concert that is meant to further promote local talent that we feel should go global. Having international acts to support the show is to send a message out there that we are all one,” he said.

“A wheelspinner is not aligned to a specific genre of music, hence the reason why Wood Sensation Club is aligned with one of the best brands in the country Steven ‘DJ Stavo’ Sanders.”

Dee Nosh said the concert was going to be an annual event and would have DJ Stavo and his local and regional friends joining forces to bring entertainment to music enthusiasts.

“Through this initiative DJ Stavo seeks to continue building networks with fellow artistes beyond the borders,” he said.

Dee Nosh said the early bird tickets for the concert started selling on the online platform clicknpay.africa and at MyCash outlets on Monday at US$5 and VIP US$20 or equivalent to local currency.

The Mzansi stars will share the stage with local artistes Winky D, DJ Stavo, ExQ, Nutty O, Tamy Moyo, Canada based wheel-spinner TK Smoothe, Dee Nosh, Asaph, Hillzy, Ash Stylez & Nivek, Twitty, Storm and Bryan K.

By CHARLES LAITON

FORMER National Social Security Authority (Nssa) chairperson Robin Vela has filed a $5 million lawsuit against his successor, Cuthbert Chidoori, for allegedly causing the publication of a story claiming that the parastatal was losing more pensioners’ money as a result of his actions.

Vela is demanding $2,5 million from Chidoori and another $2,5 million from The Herald following publication of a story implicating him on November 18 this year.

In the summons filed on Tuesday this week, Vela is also suing Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980)Limited as co-respondents.

The former Nssa board chair said the article by The Herald, as quoted verbatim was false, defamatory and misleading.

“The Herald article quoted verbatim an assortment of defamatory, false and misleading allegations made by the defendant (Chidoori) in respect of the predecessor board of directors of the National Social Security Authority (Nssa), which was chaired by the plaintiff (Vela),” he said through his lawyers, Chambati, Mataka and Makonese Attorneys at Law.

“He (Chidoori) said that Nssa made questionable investments under the watch of the plaintiff’s board, which questionable investments prejudiced the interests of the pensioners.
Chidoori said as a direct result of the questionable investments, the then Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Petronella Kagonye, in February 2018 imposed a moratorium on investment, which moratorium resulted in the value of US$150 million in cash holdings being eroded by inflation.”

Vela further said Chidoori also accused him of “not executing due diligence” prior to making certain investments and that resulted in loss on some investments.

The former Nssa chair also said he was suing Chidoori for allegedly claiming that massive irregularities, some of which have turned out to be outright criminal, were perpetrated at Nssa while his board was in charge.

“He said that during the tenure of Vela’s board, there were five key areas beset with serious irregularities namely information and communication technology, properties, investments, human resources and corporate governance. That during the tenure of Vela’s board, a forensic report revealed that organisations and individuals within and outside Nssa plundered resources,” Vela’s lawyers said.

Vela also said on November 25 this year, The Herald again published an article titled Nssa saddled with bills over idle ICT system.

The article allegedly insinuated that Vela’s board procured an information technology system from Twenty Third Century Systems (TTCS) for US$10,4 million which ICT system worked just for two years and is now lying idle.

“His (Vela) reputation in commercial circles as an outstanding man of probity both locally and abroad has been decimated,” the lawyers said.
The respondents are yet to respond.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

FEMALE legislators on Wednesday complained to Deputy Speaker Tsitsi Gezi over gender-based violence in Parliament in the form of verbal abuse by their male counterparts.

The issue was raised by Chirumanzu MP Barbara Rwodzi (Zanu PF), where she said female MPs were verbally abused in the House to the extent that they were now scared to make contributions.

“As women MPs we join the nation and the rest of the world in commemorating the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and on behalf of female MPs, I rise to seek protection against verbal GBV abuse in this House,” Rwodzi said.

“Women in this Parliament are now becoming unproductive due to GBV suffered here and, as such, we ask your office to protect us and take stern measures against all male MPs that use verbal GBV against us.”

MDC MP Jasmine Toffa (Proportional Representation) supported Rwodzi’s point of privilege, saying that she and Harare West MP Joanah Mamombe (MDC Alliance) were always being verbally abused by Zanu PF male legislators whenever they tried to contribute to debates in the National Assembly.

“I stand in support of the MP that spoke with regards to GBV, particularly GBV verbal abuse against female MPs which continues in Parliament, where women are getting abused by our male counterparts,” she said.

“For example, there is an incident that happened to myself, whereby last week in the presence of Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, an MP abused me alleging that my man was snatched from me by Mamombe. As I speak, I am actually looking at those MPs. It ends up affecting the confidence of female MPs.”

Toffa also said the Speaker should protect female MPs, as this week, there was also an attack on two female legislators following social media posts to the effect that they were caught in the Parliament toilets engaging in sex with male MPs.

Gezi said the issues raised by the female legislators were important, adding that they needed protection.

Meanwhile, MDC chief whip in the National Assembly, Prosper Mutseyami, challenged the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda’s ruling punishing the opposition legislators by docking five months of their allowances and also setting up a privileges committee to investigate them for snubbing President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Parliament.

“The Speaker already ruled that members of the opposition will not be entitled to allowances for five months, but the Speaker has put that issue again for investigation and yet he made a judgment that MDC legislators must be investigated,” he said.

“Madam Speaker, in that regard, I need to put it to your attention that probably the Speaker lapsed with regards to the issue which I stand to oppose clearly because a judgment had already been made and we are suffering the fate of allowances and I seek guidance and a response from the Speaker, which is democratic in respect of the issue at hand.”
Gezi said she would apprise Mudenda in respect of the issue.

But her response did not go down well with the MDC, with Mutare Central MP Innocent Gonese suggesting that instead of saying that Mudenda would give the response at a later date, she (Gezi) must respond instantly to the issue. Gezi then said she would study the matter and give a response at a later date.

BY VANESSA GONYE

THE National Blood Services Zimbabwe yesterday launched its festive season blood collection campaign, with a target to raise 9 400 units of blood by the end of next month.

Speaking at the launch in Mutare yesterday, NBSZ spokesperson Esther Massundah said the campaign was part of plans to ensure that the country does not run out of blood supplies during the festive season.

“We would like to ensure that we maintain five-day stock levels throughout the season,” she said.

Massundah said they were motivated by the fact that schools were their major source of supplies, providing 90% of the contributions to the blood bank per given time.

The launch of the campaign coincided with the handing over of donations worth nearly $170 000 to Cyclone Idai-affected areas, which included sanitary wear, while College Press presented books worth $147 000.

Econet Wireless regional general manager Passion Muranganwa commended schools for their continued support to blood donation initiatives.

He said the telecommunications company would assist in the repair of damaged infrastructure in the Cyclone Idai-ravaged areas in Chimanimani and Chipinge.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has urged people to observe traffic rules and regulations to avoid accidents on the country’s roads during the festive season.

National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi urged motorists to avoid travelling at night and desist from speeding, overloading and driving under the influence of alcohol.

He said police would be out in full force to reduce road carnage during the festive season.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

PARLIAMENTARIANS have been urged to grill the Executive over excess spending that has resulted in Finance minister Mthuli Ncube crafting a Financial Adjustment Bill seeking condonation for government expenditure of US$10 billion from 2015 to 2018.

Legal think-tank Veritas this week cast doubt on whether MPs, including the opposition, would be able to demand answers from government given the polarised state of Parliament.

“Investigations by the Auditor-General and the PAC [Public Accounts Committee] have revealed that government’s finances have been mismanaged over the past few years on a scale that beggar belief, and as a result, the Ministry of Finance published a Financial Adjustment Bill seeking condonation for the unlawful expenditure listed in the Bill,” Veritas said in its latest Bill Watch publication.

“MPs must find an answer as to how on earth did government’s public accounting systems allow misspending to occur on such a scale, what are the deficiencies in our public financial management system (PFMS), what can be done to remedy those deficiencies and can any of the misspent money be recovered.”

The overspent amounts during former President Robert Mugabe’s era were US$25,3 million in 2015, US$1,5 billion in 2016 and US$4,5 billion in 2017.

In 2018, US$3,5 billion was misspent under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s watch.

“The government admits it spent all this money without authority. By comparison, the total budget amount appropriated for 2019 in the Appropriation (2019) Act, 2019, was only US$6 899 837 000.”

In 2017, the whole national budget was US$4,7 billion, which means that government has been misspending money which could fund the whole country’s budgetary needs for a year.

The ministries that were responsible for some of the over-expenditure include Agriculture (US$5,2 billion), Finance (US$781 million), Energy (US$538 million), Defence (US$479 million), Labour (US$435 million), Mines (US$383 million), Transport (US$335 million), Office of the President and Cabinet (US$223 million) and Health and Child Care (US$204 million).

Veritas said while Ncube brought the Condonation Bill before Parliament in terms of section 307 of the Constitution, the Bill, however, fails to explain how or why the amounts it lists were overspent or misspent.

“The clauses do not indicate whether the amounts represent overspending or spending for improper purposes, and they do not indicate what the amounts were spent on. Presumably, that will be explained by the Minister of Finance and the responsible ministers when the Bill is debated in the National Assembly,” Veritas said.

The legal think-tank said the Bill was carelessly put together which speaks volumes about the competence and diligence of the government’s accounting staff.

“The Bill does not explain how all this unauthorised expenditure occurred. In the interest of public transparency and accountability this should have been done. Even a brief explanation would have been helpful in preparing Members of Parliament for the debate on the Bill,” Veritas noted.

BY Richard Muponde

THE ruling Zanu PF and opposition MDC yesterday said they were unfazed by the launch of a political movement by self-exiled former ruling party stalwart, Saviour Kasukuwere.

Kasukuwere’s movement, known as “Tyson Wabantu”, was launched in Bulawayo on Thursday by a group of disgruntled former Zanu PF members known as G40.

The movement distributed flyers and T-shirts branded “ Tyson Wabantu” in many residential areas in the country’s second capital city.

Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told NewsDay Weekender yesterday that the ruling party would not spend sleepless nights on Kasukuwere, whom he described as a nonentity.

“The launch of the movement is insignificant and meaningless to us. He is representing nothing. That movement has no bearing on Zanu PF. We are a mass party which has a vast support base. We don’t lose sleep on that nonentity. He is just but a dreamer,” Moyo said.

MDC president Nelson Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda said Kasukuwere’s movement did not even affect an inch of their space as he was a Zanu PF creation.

“We don’t have to comment on that. Kasukuwere is former Zanu PF or Zanu PF, I think a comment from there would suffice. The MDC has had Kasukuwere as a political opponent. You know how we won elections when he was in politics. Why is that question even relevant?” Sibanda asked rhetorically.

Rose Phiri, former member of the ruling party women’s league, is the co-ordinator of Kasukuwere’s movement.

She said: “Tyson Wabantu movement is meant to unite all Zimbabweans and provide leadership towards a better Zimbabwe.”

Phiri said they were targeting one million people for the movement but admitted that the movement had no proper structures.

Kasukuwere has said he would issue a statement clarifying the position later on.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

THE Constitutional Amendment Bill, incorporating a number of agreed amendments to the existing electoral law, is now set to be brought to Parliament before Christmas, with debate and passage of the Bill expected to be done by June next year, a senior government official has claimed.

Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo told diplomats accredited to Harare this week that Cabinet has already endorsed the recommendations of the inter-ministerial taskforce chaired by Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, reflecting agreed positions on many recommendations contained in various international election observer missions’ reports.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is under pressure to make a number of political and economic reforms demanded by the West as a precondition for re-engagement and lifting of sanctions.

“The Minister of Justice, Ziyambi Ziyambi, has indicated that an omnibus Constitutional Amendment Bill, incorporating inter alia a number of agreed amendments to the existing electoral law, will be brought to Parliament before the annual Christmas recess. He has indicated a completion target date of June 2020,” Moyo told diplomats at an annual reception.

He said the Zanu PF administration had made significant progress in the implementation of the reforms, with the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act now law and the three pieces of legislation to replace Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act at various stages in Parliament.

“The independent Complaints Mechanism Bill has been drafted, the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency is in the final stages of the parliamentary approval process, and will shortly become law,” he added.

But MDC secretary for elections, Jacob Mafume dismissed the purported reforms, accusing government of misleading the diplomats.

“We do not know what Moyo is saying and there is a common mistake by the government that when they do something on their own, they have reformed,” Mafume said.

“They do not understand the aspect of stakeholder consultation. They think reforms are manna from Zanu PF or hell. We will not accept so-called reforms. Any attempt to push through the said reforms will be dismissed like the footprint of an ant on the Sahara desert. We have not agreed on anything.”

He said Zanu PF had resisted the reforms since the Global Political Agreement era, vowing it would not reform itself out of power.