SNEAK PEEK: Winstone Antonio

SOUTH AFRICA-BASED Zimbabwean singer Philani “Phitso” Mhlanga, who has since migrated from gospel to Afro-fusion said he had finished the production of his latest album, Chachigondora, that is expected to be released on the market any time soon. The Legacy Band frontman carved his musical career in 2014 as a gospel artiste before switching to Afro-fusion. NewsDay (ND) Life & Style reporter Winstone Antonio caught up with Phitso (PM) from his Mzansi base to get an insight into his musical journey and below are excerpts from the interview.

ND: How is life across the Limpopo in the wake of the recent xenophobia attacks?

PM: Life is okay though one would prefer staying in their home country. The xenophobic attacks are unfortunate and represent a very dark aspect of South African society. They have to learn to embrace African brothers and sisters as was the case with them during the apartheid era when they received solidarity from the entire African continent.

ND: You will be releasing a new album titled Chachigondora soon, can you share more details about the project?

PM: My forthcoming album is a very important project for me because it will be my first production after I changed my genre from gospel to Afro-fusion. This new genre has challenges because people or fans try to put you in the shoes of legends in which one cannot easily fit. This new album is also important in the sense that it is going to change my life and behaviour as this type of music requires one to be well-disciplined and focused as some people link the type of music with the late music legend Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi’s music. The focus then is on making sure that the fans can get sense, inspiration and meaning from this new album.

ND: You declared that you have rebranded, what triggered this?

PM: When I was singing gospel I had a certain group or part of society that this music targeted and that is those who are of the Christian faith. Therefore in order for me to reach all facets of society I have decided to rebrand to Afro-fusion music so as to encompass everyone regardless of religious beliefs.

ND: Have you collaborated with other artistes?

PM: Not yet, I have not done any collaboration, but in the future yes they are plans to do so.

ND: What is your take on collaborations?

PM: For me collaborations are okay. However, the problem now is people are just focusing on making money out of collaborations. For instance, if I want to do a collaboration with a widely-known artiste in Zimbabwe they always refer you to their manager and upon approaching the said manager they may demand a certain amount of money that I may not have. Or they will argue that the artiste they are managing signed a contract with a particular studio which I might not be able to afford in terms of payment.

ND: There are issues of beefs in the music industry, do you hold an beef with any artiste?

PM: No beef with any artiste. Having beefs is for immature people.

ND: Who inspired you into music?

PM: The late sungura maestro Tongai “Dhewa” Moyo inspired me to get into music. But I also like Josphat Somanje’s music, it is his music that I am listening to nowadays more than any other musician in Zimbabwe.

ND: As an artiste, what is your strength?

PM: My voice is my strength. My strength is how I compose my music

ND: Off the stage, who is Phitso?

PM: Phitso is just a businessman who is into transport. Some call me boss while others just refer to me as Phitso. Yeah that is me Philani Mhlanga. I am a person who believes that failure is not an option. I just have to achieve whatsoever I want, no matter the challenges, no matter the obstacles, I keep on pushing. So perseverance is what has led me to release this album.

ND: What has been your most embarrassing moment?

PM: The most embarrassing moment was the day when I was live on social media, Facebook for an interview with a certain lady whom I will not mention. My fans who were watching that interview started questioning why I was doing an interview with that lady.

Probably they did not like her personality, so after reading such comments I felt embarrassed, but that is now water under the bridge.

BY RICHARD MUPONDE

A SHOE left behind at a crime scene sold out a Chipinge traditional healer who broke into a friend’s house and stole a vehicle gearbox and money, leading to his incarceration for an effective two years.

Vitalis Masarira (25) of phase 5 Checheche Growth Point had pleaded not guilty to unlawful entry, but was convicted by Chipinge magistrate, Joshua Nembaware.

He was sentenced to 30 months in prison of which six were conditionally suspended. He will serve an effective two years.

In mitigation, Masarira begged the court for a non-custodial sentence so that he would continue with his trade as a traditional healer.

“Your worship, may I be given a non-custodial sentence because my clients are looking for me. They don’t know that I am in custody, I am a traditional healer,”Masarira said.

However, Nembaware opted for a custodial sentence, noting that he breached the trust which had been bestowed on him as friend by the complainant.

“Your moral blameworthiness is very high. You are facing a serious offence. You also stole from your friend, betraying the trust that was placed in you by your friend and you are not even remorseful,” Nembaware said.

Prosecutor Sesekedzai Mayera told the court that on October 26 at about 8am, the complainant, Clever Sithole — who is Masarira’s friend — left his home locked going to a nearby business centre.

He left his Honda Fit gearbox in the house.

Masarira went to the house and forcibly opened the door. He stole the gearbox and went away unnoticed.

Two days later, Sithole came back home at around 7am and discovered that his house had been broken into and his gearbox was missing. He also found a shoe which was left in the house which resembled that of Masarira.

He made a police report saying he suspected Masarira, who was then arrested, leading to the recovery of the gearbox valued at $10 000.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

REGIONAL cement maker PPC said the devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar against the South African rand as well as the application of the provisions of IAS 29 financial reporting system adversely affected its results for the six months ended September 30 2019.

According to the group’s condensed consolidated financial statements for the six-month period ended September 30, 2019, group revenue declined by 12% to R4 948 million attributable to a 17% decline in overall cement volumes to 2,6 million tonnes.

Southern Africa cement and PPC Zimbabwe were the main contributors to the decline.

Cost of sales declined by 10% to R4 023 million compared to the previous year while overheads reduced by 4% to R555 million.

Group earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) declined by 17% to R868 million, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 17,5%.

“The group results are impacted by the significant currency devaluation between the ZWL and the South African Rand and the application of the provisions of IAS 29 that complicates comparability at a group level,” PPC said in a statement.

“PPC Zimbabwe has applied hyperinflationary accounting from 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2019. The results, net assets and cash flows were then translated from ZWL to rand at a closing rate of 1ZWL to 0,99 ZAR compared to 1ZWL to 4,80ZAR at March 2019, which had a material impact on the results.”

The application of IAS 29 resulted in a net monetary gain amounting to R543 million (before tax), the group said.

Commenting on the results, PPC chief executive officer Roland Van Wijnen, said: “Our focus in Zimbabwe remains to deliver to our customers premium products and solutions at stable or improved earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation margins, as well as to ensure financial self-sufficiency of the business against the backdrop of a challenging macro-economic environment. The PPC Zimbabwe team has delivered on both these strategic imperatives.”

PPC said included in the fair value adjustment loss of R270 million is an estimated credit loss of R307 million relating to Zimbabwe financial assets, R76 million of which was raised against the PPC Zimbabwe financial asset arising as a result of the PPC Zimbabwe debt being settled by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on a 1:1 basis as legacy debt.

“The remainder of the expected credit loss provision was raised against the PPC Limited blocked funds held by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and cash deposited in a non-resident account with Stanbic in Zimbabwe. The balance of the fair value adjustment relates to the translation into rand of foreign assets and liabilities,” it said.

In the period under review, volumes declined by 30-35%, in-line with the decrease in the overall market, while cement pricing was adjusted on a weekly basis to contend with the rapid increase in inflation and the devaluation in currency.

Revenue declined by 54% to R497 million against the backdrop of a hyper-inflationary environment, severe weakening of the ZWL, regular power outages and a weaker cement market.

The group, however, said PPC Zimbabwe was financially self-sufficient and is preserving cash by investing in inventory and accelerating capital expenditure.

“In Zimbabwe, the business is self-sufficient and will continue to focus on delivering to the market at stable EBITDA margins while managing cash and implementing strategies to preserve the longer-term value of the business.”

“Despite the challenging trading conditions, the business remains well capitalised and is well positioned to benefit from local infrastructure projects and growth in the region,” it said.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

TRADE promotion body, ZimTrade says Bulawayo-based companies should take advantage of their proximity to Botswana and saturate the neighbouring country’s market with their products.

ZimTrade said Zimbabwe stands to benefit a lot from Botswana as the country was currently diversifying its economy from diamond-based into other sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture which presented Zimbabwean manufacturers an opportunity.

“In view of its proximity to Botswana, Zimbabwean firms, especially Bulawayo companies, are better placed to saturate the Botswana market,” ZimTrade said.

“Botswana currently imports up to 95% of its products from South Africa but there is room for Zimbabwe to increase exports into the country,” it said.

Botswana’s major source markets for agriculture implements are South Africa at 88%, followed by China at 3% while Korea, Germany, USA, Zambia and Namibia each contribute 1%. Buyers from Botswana, who attended the ZimTrade annual exporters’ conference held in Bulawayo recently, expressed interest in sourcing from Zimbabwe, saying local products were of high quality.

The regional buyers, according to ZimTrade, spoke highly on the demand for Zimbabwean products in their respective markets, encouraging more local businesses to be involved in exporting to regional markets.

Abuda Atelela, an official from J Haskins & Sons, one of Botswana’s leading building and construction suppliers, said the Botswana construction market was hungry for Zimbabwean-produced timber which makes up over 50% of the houses built in Botswana.

“Our market likes and is actually addicted to Zimbabwean products like timber. For instance, we know what Border Timbers and Wattle timber products look like by merely looking at them, but where are the doors and other furniture products?” Atelela said.

Zimbabwe and Botswana are also both members of the SADC Trade Protocol, an agreement between SADC member States to reduce customs duties and other barriers to trade on products from each other. Buyers also hammered the importance of certification to regional and global standards. They said failure to adhere to standards was a huge setback for exporters, and failure to meet standards could affect companies’ credibility on the markets.

“Buyers also discouraged local companies from repackaging cheap imported goods as this can impact negatively on the reputation of an entire sector or industry,” ZimTrade said

BY CHARLES LAITON

MORE than 250 families belonging to six housing co-operatives based at Crowborough Farm in Harare are set to be evicted and their houses demolished after their application seeking to bar the City of Harare from removing them from the property recently hit a snag.

Some 229 co-operative members had appealed to the High Court for recourse after their executive members allegedly colluded with the City of Harare and obtained an order by consent authorising the eviction of all the members from the farm and the demolition of their houses.

High Court judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda heard the matter on November 12, 2019 and dismissed it.

One V Mazhetese appeared for the families.

According to the court papers, the affected housing co-operatives are Igarwe, Tatakura, Nyabira, Pastors, Vanhuvatema and Ideal Homes.

One member of Igarwe Housing Co-operative, Brian Muzembe, who deposed an affidavit which was filed alongside the urgent chamber application, said he was shocked when he received the news of evictions and demolitions from their councillor, adding that none of the executive members of all the co-operatives had alerted their members of what they had agreed on with the Harare City Council.

Muzembe said he, together with the 228 others, bought the stands in 2014 and were encouraged to put up structures on their stands while waiting for the regularisation of the stands.

Muzembe further said it had been suggested that all the co-operative’s stands were pegged illegally on the council’s land and that the occupants had erected structures on top of the council’s water pipes.

By SIMBARASHE SITHOLE

War veterans in Mashonaland Central province have accused Provincial Affairs minister Monica Mavhunga of allegedly grabbing land from stalwarts of the liberation struggle and re-allocating it to people perceived as her allies.

Mavhunga recently prematurely ended a provincial lands committee meeting in Bindura after provincial war veterans’ leader Sam Parirenyatwa confronted her over the issue, which he alleged bordered on corruption.

Parirenyatwa this week could neither confirm nor deny the incident and referred all questions to Mavhunga.

“I am not mandated to speak to the Press on land issues, but instead, you can ask the chair (Mavhunga). I guess she is in a better position to answer to that,” Parirenyatwa said.

Mavhunga has, however, not been answering her phone for the past two days and also had not responded to questions sent to her.

NewsDay has it on good authority that one of the cases brought up by Parirenyatwa during the meeting was that of a land dispute between Patrick Mashayanyika and Charles Make, a son to the late war veteran Joshua Make, who was popularly known as Chenjerai Mukubwa.

Mashayanyika, an alleged ally of Mavhunga, is reportedly trying to eject Make, with the backing of the minister, from subdivision 10 of Bellevue Farm in Mazowe.

The dispute has since spilled into the courts and is expected to be heard at Concession Magistrate Courts under case number C 32 at a date yet to be advised.

Some war veterans who spoke to NewsDay said they resolved to protest against Mavhunga after Parirenyatwa was removed as one of the signatories of the lands committee.

“We are fed up with Mavhunga who is sidelining us and our departed heroes’ children in as far as land is concerned,” one of the war veterans, who requested anonymity, said.

“She managed to remove our leader as signatory in the lands committee. Now it is only herself, the provincial administrator Cosmas Chiringa and the Zanu PF Mashonaland Central chairperson Kazembe Kazembe who can sign to approve land allocations, but these are people she can easily manipulate.”

The war veterans said the ex-freedom fighters met in Guruve recently and agreed to stage protests at Mavhunga’s Mutungagore government offices in Bindura.

“We are hoping to lock her office until our concerns are addressed,” said the war veteran.

In June, Mavhunga was caught up in another land storm when she reportedly directed the chief lands officer in the province to withdraw an offer letter to one of the most productive farmers in Centenary to pave way for a relative. The farmer, Garikai Jacobs, has transformed his farm into one of the top five maize and tobacco producers in Muzarabani.

MOSES MATENGA

Econet Wireless founder, Strive Masiyiwa and his wife Tsitsi, through their Higher Life Foundation, have set up a $100 million fund which will see up to 2 000 junior and senior doctors employed by government getting $5 000 each on top of what they are earning from their employer.

The move comes at a time the public health delivery system in the country has virtually shut down due to a standoff between government and doctors following the firing of more than 435 junior doctors and around 57 senior doctors were set to face disciplinary action.

Masiyiwa also promised to give a smartphone, diagnostic aides and transport to the doctors on top of the ZWL$5000 in the $100 million facility.

“Building on a 23-year commitment to education, Higherlife Foundation (HLF) is pleased to announce the launch of a new training fellowship for Junior and Senior Resident Officers employed at public healthcare institutions in Zimbabwe,” HLF said in a statement.

“…with that in mind, HLF is launching, the medical training completion fellowship with immediate effect for those Junior and Senior Resident Officers who are in full time employment at public teaching hospitals within Zimbabwe. The scholarship covers those who are currently undergoing a Junior or Senior Resident program, with special preference being given to beneficiaries of the Capernaum and Joshua Nkomo scholarships.”

The foundation said the $100 million fellowship comprises a non-negotiable monthly subsistence allowance of $5000 per doctor for a maximum of 2000 doctors and was subject to unilateral review by HLF.

“The monthly subsistence will be disbursed to qualifying junior and senior resident officers on proof of being on duty at the specified institution for the duration of the month,” said the charity group.

The foundation said the facility was not from Econet Wireless Zimbabwe or Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe but Higher Life Foundation, an initiative from the Masiyiwa Foundation with the support from its donor partners.

Guest Column: Roshelle Ramfol

TAX revolts date back to biblical times. Throughout the ages they have exhibited similar symptoms — a decline in taxpayer morale and confidence in a government’s ability to manage public finances for the greater good of its citizens.

Recent public outcries in South Africa signalling dissatisfaction and concerns over the management of public finances suggest that the country could be on the brink of a tax revolution.

While taxpayers have a civic duty to be tax compliant they are not donating taxes in an effort to be altruistic. There is an expectation of a return in some form. Recent events suggest that South Africans are becoming increasingly restive about paying taxes to a government mired in allegations of corruption. This explains why sentiments of a tax rebellion are growing.

In a recently published paper I reviewed some of the literature on tax compliance. My aim was to establish the theoretical point where tax compliance shifts to resistance. I also extended my analysis to South Africa by extrapolating the legal implications of a tax revolt.

The study found that the fine line between tax compliance and resistance lies where government creates an equitable distribution between collective costs and benefits. Often the threat of a tax revolt is a measure to renegotiate the terms of a fair exchange and a mechanism to mobilise the association that disintegrated between taxpayers and government.

Perceptions about fairness

Governments use tax policy to achieve a number of objectives. These include steering economic growth, changing the behaviour of citizens and raising money to finance programmes.

Tax policy, and its implementation, is therefore the closest and most contentious interface between a citizen and a government.

People’s perceptions about the fairness of a fiscal regime are crucial. Simply put, tax revolts arise when government receives tax payments but fails to deliver the perceived reciprocal benefits.

Society is not naturally motivated to pay tax. Voluntary compliance is fostered by establishing consent, trust and legitimacy in a fiscal regime. This means that government must ensure that compulsory taxes are acceptable, fair and beneficial to citizens.

One of the main motivations to rebel is when a tax regime is perceived to be unfair and oppressive. A tax revolt is effectively a mechanism for citizens to renegotiate the terms of exchange.

A tax revolution may not merely be based on a rejection of taxes. It may be a mechanism to seek restorative action to improve government performance.

Factors that drive compliance

At the outset tax compliance decisions are determined by an individual’s tax morale. The benefits of promoting tax morale hold immense potential for tax revenue generation. A taxpayer’s level of tax morale is a strong motivator to comply with — or resist — taxation. Countries demonstrating higher ratios of tax to gross domestic product have higher tax morale.

A combination of psychological and sociological factors influence tax morale. Public perception studies conducted by the OECD confirm that a citizen’s age, gender, religious beliefs, level of education and trustworthiness of government are determinants of tax morale.

Another factor affecting compliance is whether taxpayers believe that there’s a contractual agreement between them and government under which social security is exchanged for paying taxes. Government’s credibility, or trustworthiness, plays an important role in this fiscal contract.

In South Africa, this contract has been under strain following instances of widespread corruption and wasteful expenditure by various state-owned parastatals and government institutions. These events have negatively affected both parties: government’s credibility and competency and citizens’ tax morale.

Under these circumstances of distrust and malaise, a taxpayer may question the rationale for paying taxes. After all, why should citizens make tax payments if it means they are simply financing State corruption?

Reasons for revolt

South Africa’s current economic, political and social context presents many determinants of taxpayer resistance: a high tax burden; loss of confidence, credibility and competency in government; low taxpayer morale; and increased frustration from government’s lack of commitment to arrest the rampant corruption and misappropriation of tax funds.

But is a tax revolt the answer?

As a last resort, revoking one’s consent to tax and embarking on a full-scale tax revolt may seem like the only available option to restore the terms of the fiscal contract. However, historical accounts of tax revolt show that this type of action can expose citizens to the harshest and most repressive measures.

Embarking on a tax revolt is an act of civil disobedience and is unlawful. The penalties are harsh and the mechanisms available to the South African Revenue Service to enforce tax collection are far reaching. They include, for example, seizure and execution of property.

There are other consequences too. When taxpayers renege on their tax obligations it can lead to severe fiscal stress. Ultimately citizens bear the burden of disruption in government services, economic stagnation and inflationary pressures.

Solutions

An important step is to ensure transparent governance is fostered so that government can be held accountable for effective spending. This can be achieved by supporting civil society groups that challenge the suitability of government policies and the reciprocal spending of tax revenue.

A great deal of attention needs to be placed on restoring trust in government institutions. The fundamental starting position must be to address corruption, restore trust and legitimacy in government and ensure value is received for tax money. Only then can government start to rebuild its credibility and with it taxpayer morale, and restore a taxpayer’s consent to tax.

l Roshelle Ramfol is a senior lecturer at the University of South Africa. She writes in her personal capacity. This article first appeared in The Conversation.

NORTON legislator Themba Mliswa (Independent) yesterday threatened to mobilise the public through social media to protest in Parliament and beat up legislators for wasting taxpayers money after Zanu PF and MDC MPs continued politicking over an investment law.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

The melee started during discussions of the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency Bill whose objective is to provide for the promotion, entry, protection and facilitation of investment in the country.

Dzivarasekwa MP Edwin Mushoriwa (MDC Alliance) then suggested that Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi must include an amendment in clause 4 of the Bill to ensure the principle of devolution of power is respected.

All hell broke loose when Ziyambi refused to take any suggestions on the Bill from opposition MPs saying that he will not recognise them until they recognised President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Thereafter MPs from Zanu PF and the MDC began to hurl insults at each other in full view of Vice-President Kembo Mohadi who just sat stone-faced as he watched the fracas that went on for almost two hours.

Binga North MP Prince Dubeko Sibanda (MDC Alliance) then retaliated by saying that if Ziyambi continued to say that he will not recognise opposition MPs then the opposition will not allow him to also speak in Parliament.

Sibanda was later chucked out of the House by Acting Speaker of the National Assembly William Mutomba.

Seeing that politicking in Parliament was now disrupting important business of crafting Bills, Mliswa then threatened to mobilise Zimbabweans to beat up MPs for wasting taxpayers’ money.

“I am totally ashamed that we have a VP in this House and my heart bleeds that we have spent a long time arguing and politicking instead of uniting for the common goal of the ordinary person,” Mliswa said.

“I do not belong to any political party, but we need to address this impasse and we need the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda to address it.”

Mliswa continued: “You behave like hooligans and I will end up mobilising Zimbabweans online to come to Parliament to stage a demonstration and beat you all up because you are a waste of resources and taxpayers’ money.”

MPs now get $700 allowances per sitting. After Mliswa’s threats there was calm in the House and Ziyambi and the MPs continued to craft the ZIDA Bill without further politicking.